American Hustle - Just Who Hustled Who??

A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Rated R - 138 minutes for pervasive profanity, some sexual content and brief violence

 

Watch the trailer above

Truth be told, American Hustle was the one movie I was most excited to see this year.  As is most of America, I am in LOVE with Jennifer Lawrence.   Once again, she did not disappoint me - it was unbelievable this scene stealing vixen in American Hustle is the same young girl in Hunger Games - Catching Fire.  She couldn't be more versatile.  Or Sexy.  Or Crazy.  Or Conniving.  Or Brilliant.  

I've been asked by a new friend to let him know if I liked this movie better than "12 Years A Slave".  How am I to answer that?  The films are so completely different, I wonder how members of the Academy can even compare them? 

While we all know the Oscar nominees won't be announced until next month, the Golden Globes and SAG Award Nominees are out - and here is where we find American Hustle:

Golden Globes Nominations
Best Picture Comedy or Musical

Best Actress Comedy or Musical - Amy Adams

Best Actor Comedy or Musical - Christian Bale

Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lawrence

Best Supporting Actor - Bradley Cooper

Best Director - David O. Russell

 

Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations

Outstanding Performance By A Cast

Outstanding Performance by Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Jennifer Lawrence

Obviously I am not the only one who loves this film.

Director David O. Russell is at his finest - putting together a dream team - Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Shea Whigham and, in a brief ut important appearance, Robert De Niro. 

In a film the New York Film Critics Circle is calling this years BEST, American Hustle has city leaders and low-lifes running in the same circle.  So what's new?  Movies have shown that for years.  What does Russell do that makes this feel so different?  Well, let's start with his opening credit:  "Some of this actually happened."  Right away we begin watching for the "real moments", right away we are on the edge of our seats.  In one interview, Bale talks about Russell telling the cast to use the script as a "guide" - so often times they are totally off script.  Many of the best scenes in the movie are actually improvised.  I think this is what makes it so brilliant - it is just so real.

 
 

The wardrobe and hairstyles are oustanding!  The early scene in which Bale's character tends to his comb-over is as heartbreaking as it is disgusting.  And don't worry, the soundtrack is just as sleazy. 

 

Christian Bale is AMAZING.  I  was so in love with his character, I just wanted to take him home with me and take care of him.  Poor baby....

Words can't even describe Rosalyn.  Lawrence will walk away with the Oscar for this one.  She is fantastic.  And obsessed with smelling her nail polish - sweet n sour....

 

Bradley Cooper once again plays a man on the brink of a full-on Mental Breakdown.  He is one of the good guys - but is so obsessed with bringing down the goons, you are just waiting for him to totally lose it.  And that perm...man we love the perm...

 

And Amy Adams cleavage should have it's very own category.  

 Bottom line, American Hustle did not disappoint. It was a very fun ride through the 70s, and a good reminder that you shouldn't always believe what you think you see.  Snakes come in all shapes and sizes...and sexes..

Blue Jasmine - Cate Blanchett takes the lead in my Oscar Race

Jasmine French used to be on the top of the heap as a New York socialite, but now is returning to her estranged sister in San Francisco utterly ruined. As Jasmine struggles with her haunting memories of a privileged past bearing dark realities she ignored, she tries to recover in her present. Unfortunately, it all proves a losing battle as Jasmine's narcissistic hangups and their consequences begin to overwhelm her. In doing so, her old pretensions and new deceits begin to foul up everyone's lives, especially her own. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

PG-13 98 Minutes

 

I was VERY disappointed that I missed Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine when it was released in July.  I have been chasing it ever since - obsessively checking my favorite movie websites to see if I can catch it again in some random theater somewhere. 

As the Golden Globes were announced last week , the clouds parted for me and Blue Jasmine came back around to Kansas City. Why the second tour?  Because Blanchett has received numerous awards for her role as Jasmine French - including a Golden Globe nomination.  
Ms. Blanchett had me at Hello.  She is FANTASTIC in this movie!!  Love Love Love It!!

Sally Hawkins also received a Golden Globe nod for her role as Jasmine's quirky younger sister.  She was also quite fantastic.

 


Remember Bernie Madoff?    In a nutshell, that's the headline Allen brought to life.  Jasmine French is the unsuspecting wife of  Hal French (played by Alec Baldwin) when he is arrested for a Ponzi scheme.  She is left penniless and forced to move in with her grocery clerk sister - played perfectly by Sally Hawkins.

Cate Blanchett's performance in this movie is outstanding.  She plays Jasmine of the brink of a nervous breakdown to perfection.  

Oscar Best Actress Buzz is gaining steam, and I have seen three of the performances so far:

Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks

This isn't even a race. Cate wins hands down.  I will make it my goal to catch Judi Dench in Philomena and Kate Winslet in labor Day as soon as I possibly can - and will keep you posted.

Funny little tidbit I ran across - the entire costume budget for the movie was $35,000.  The Hermes bag Jasmine carries in one scene, cost more than that.  So what you will see throughout the movie are borrowed designer bags and clothes.  What would Jasmine French think!!!  I love it.

I have had quite the year - and felt myself sliding down a slippery slope of mental chaos.  It was refreshing to watch a beautiful woman who has it all try to keep it together just like the rest of us.  While she doesn't do it very well, she does remind us that we never know what goes on behind closed and just because something has Louis Vuitton stamped all over it, that doesn't mean it holds a perfect story.

All you girls should go see this movie - I PROMISE you will love it.

Saving Mr. Banks - Not Your Cheery Mrs. Poppins

When Walt Disney's daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers' "Mary Poppins," he made them a promise - one that he didn't realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney's plans for the adaptation. For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn't budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp. Written by Walt Disney Pictures

PG 13    125 minutes

 

First, let me say I felt in the minority at this screening.  While other viewers were sniffling at some points, laughing aloud at others, and applauding when it ended, I sat there alone staring blankly at the screen, feeling somewhat disappointed.  

I had VERY HIGH expectations of this film.  I thought it would be all warm and fuzzy - totally "Disney-fied', but unfortunately, it wasn't.  I am also that Mom whose dream in life was to take my children to Disney World...until I did.  I was disappointed with that too.  So I don't want to ruin it for you all (Paul & Scotty), as a matter of fact I will encourage everyone to go see it.  But I don't encourage you to do so on Christmas afternoon, with all your children in tow.  It is not really a feel good movie.  As a matter of fact, I felt pretty sad when it was all over.

Emma Thompson, who just this morning received a Golden Globe nomination for her role, does an excellent job of portraying Mrs. P.L. Travers. the author who wrote Mary Poppins.  Tom Hanks is adorable, as always.

As the ever grumpy Mrs. Travers works with the folks at Disney to bring Mary Poppins to life, she is forced to reflect on her childhood and all the things that brought her imaginary nanny to life.  And this reflection is not a happy one. As a child, she endured great sadness. We watch helplessly as she tries to rescue her family from the grips of alcoholism and the tragedies that follow.   She also worries about the mental stability of adults in her life,  literally pulling someone from the very brink of insanity.  To see a child take on such huge burdens is heartbreaking.  To see an adult who never got over it, is even more so.

It's a very funny film in places - and it is VERY VERY nostalgic and well done.  I just kept imagining my friends taking their little ones to see this movie - thinking it 's a great family film, and well, it just isn't.  

Sad to say, it wasn't one of my favorites.

 

What else would I see while in Nebraska except Alexander Payne's Nebraska?

 I traveled to Nebraska a few weeks ago to visit my daughter, Tawni and my dear friend Scotty.  Of course I wanted to catch an Oscar Buzz while in town, so Scotty did his homework.  He suggested we see a movie at a wonderful theater in downtown Omaha called Film Stream.  If you haven't checked it out - I highly recommend you do - it is fantastic.  

What movie did Scotty find?  Alexander Payne's "Nebraska."  Can I get a Hell Ya!!  Why do you think I love him so much?  He has EXCELLENT taste!  

 

"NEBRASKA" is a father and son road trip, from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska that gets waylaid at a small town in central Nebraska, where the father grew up and has scores to settle. Told with deadpan humor and a unique visual style, it's ultimately the story of a son trying to get through to a father he doesn't understand.  

Written by Anonymous

Rated R - 115 minutes

 Click to watch the Official Trailer for Nebraska

All three of us really enjoyed this movie.  Tawni's grandparents are from the Plainview area, so she was very familiar with the backdrop.  Scott and I are lifelong Midwesterners, so the movie really resonated with us both.  Every detail about Midwest life was perfectly portrayed. 

 Alexander Payne is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors.  He is brilliant at showing us life in the most simplistic of ways.  The black and white style made the film seem even more intimate.

Bruce Dern's performance is Oscar worthy for sure. I heard rumors early on that Jack Nicholson had been considered for this role.  I am glad it went to Dern.  He NAILED IT.  

June Squibb (playing opposite Dern as his crabby-ass wife, Kate) was also amazing in this movie.  She delivered her lines spot on - like a true Midwestern housewife.  She was the one who made as laugh:

Kate Grant: That's Ed Pegram singing.

[to Woody]

Kate Grant: Did you know that he was always trying to get in my bloomers?

David Grant: Jesus Mom! Was the whole town trying to seduce you?

Kate Grant: These boys grow up staring at the rear ends of cows and pigs, it's only natural that a real woman will get them chafing their pants.

Woody and Kate "Nebraska"

But she also taught us about unconditional love; always quick  to defend Woody when every else seems against him:

 

Kate with son Grant, and  Nephews Bart & Cole

There are many couples in the Midwest with the kind of love-hate relationship we see between Woody and Kate - but rarely do we get such an intimate look at the glue that holds them together.

At the end of the day, the movie really belongs to Bruce Dern's portrayal of Woody.  We are lucky enough to travel this journey with him,  never sure if he is really naive enough to think  he has won the million or if he is just becoming confused in his old age.

The final scene  (no Spoiler Alert here) allows Woody his own kind of redemption - while it may seem a small victory to the rest of us.  Whether or not you are from the Midwest is irrelevant.  Nebraska is writing and directing at its best.  It is a masterpiece from Alexander Payne, and a movie you don't want to miss.

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A couple of photos from our fun Omaha weekend:

 

Enjoying a yummy breakfast with Tawni at Wheatfields - Omaha

 

Me and Scotty at Jazz - talking about Nebraska - photo courtesy of Miss Tawni

We welcomed a new puppy to our lives last week.  

Meet Silas Andy Erdman - he "helped" me write this review.