American Hustle

2 out of 4 stars

In the late Nineteen Seventies,  when Watergate was still fresh in the minds of the American public, several politicians were indicted for accepting bribes from fake businessmen in the FBI-led sting operation known as Abscam. In David O’ Russell’s new film, American Hustle follows the Abscam operation from the lives of those involved in the big sting; Irving Rosenfeld, a two-bit con artist with a complex toupee (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser, his sexy siren of a partner (Amy Adams) who both collaborate with a renegade FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) to bring down Camden, New Jersey mayor, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner).  Mixed into the fray of deception and corruption is Rosenfeld’s loose cannon wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). No film prior to American Hustle has uncovered the Abscam scandal, and as intriguing the events are portrayed on screen, the film is nothing more than a shameless remake of Martin Scorsese’s Casino mixed with the screwball comedic antics of Frank Oz’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
 

O’Russell doesn’t just tip his hat to Scorsese and his elaborate style of storytelling and cinematography; he falls flat on his knees kissing Scorese’s feet as if they belonged to the Pope. At first, you’re pulled into the comedic dialogue between Bale and Cooper in the beginning of the film, but the narration mixed with the off the wall actions by the protagonists turns the film from a lively look at the world of corruption and charlatans into a stale, one-off piece of dinner theatre. Having said that, the actors are not to be sullied; if anything, the cast should be praised as they soldiers through the dilapidated debris.
 

Christian Bale manages to bring the charm and swagger as Rosenfeld, a con-artist with a bark worse than his bite with a grizzled voice that doesn’t evoke Batman, but more of Al Pacino during his Scent of a Woman and Heat period. Amy Adams is always a pleasure to watch on screen, but her high points come during the film’s third act as her character’s vulnerability surfaces over her seductive ethos. Bradley Cooper has a ball as FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, but his hubris and cowboy-like presence in the film’s finale becomes more of a parody of Serpico or Donnie Brasco without the dramatic presence of Pacino or Depp. Jennifer Lawrence is on her A-game as Rosealyn when she works the room at cocktail parties, yet she goes off the deep end one too many times when confronting Irving in the bedroom or Amy Adams in a public restroom.                                                                                              

Ironically, the only straight-shooter in the acting ensemble is Jeremy Renner as the naïve and corrupt Carmine Polito, who is loosely based off of Abscam target and former mayor of Camden, Angelo Errichetti. The chemistry between Renner and Bale is what holds the film together leading to an emotional rendezvous at the film’s climax. Louis C.K., who plays DiMaso’s supervisor, is brilliantly funny and unforgettable as he tries to reign in DiMaso from going over his head. There’s one cameo in the film that remains nameless, but his presence as a heavy-hitting casino racketeer is a calm sigh of relief from the hectic energy revolving around the film.
 

Originally perceived as a stylish, stranger-than-fiction drama in the tradition of Argo or Charlie Wilson’s War, American Hustle is a hit-or-miss film that doesn’t give the same level of satisfying results as the aforementioned films. In short, a two-hour and twenty minute film about the Abscam crisis may sound appealing, but its results make you feel scammed.                                                                        

        

Peter O'Toole 1932-2013

Peter O’ Toole, one of the most revered and iconic actors of both the stage and screen, died at age of 81 at his home in London on Saturday. In a career that has spanned over 5 decades and earned him 8 Academy Award nominations, O’Toole started off as a classically trained actor at the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) before making his film debut as T.E. Lawrence, the flamboyant British officer who led the Arab rebellion against the Turks during World War I, in David Lean’s 1962 classic “Lawrence of Arabia.”  When asked about O’Toole’s portrayal as Lawrence, Noel Coward famously said, “If he were any prettier, he would have been called Florence of Arabia.”           
                                                                                   
Not only did O’Toole make a name for himself channeling characters from Shakespeare, Chekov, and Beckett on stage in London’s West End or on Broadway, but was an infamous hellraiser whenever there was alcohol in the room. During the later stages of his life, he would go on talk shows and conger up anecdotes about sitting at the pub with fellow hellraising actors like Richard Burton, Richard Harris, and Michael Caine. O’Toole chronicled his life on and off stage in his two volume memoir, “Loitering With Intent.” His excess didn’t deter him from playing a bevy of eccentric characters, from a paranoid schizophrenic aristocrat who believes he is God in The Ruling Class to drunken movie star Alan Swann in My Favorite Year.                                  
                                                                                                                                             
Despite a dry spell of acting opportunities in the Eighties and Nineties, O’Toole received rave reviews in London for his one-man show, “Jeffery Bernard is Unwell” and received the Academy Award’s Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 2003. In 2007, he earned his eighth Oscar nomination as an aging actor infatuated with a twenty something woman in Venus and provided the voice of food critic Anton Ego in Disney’s Ratatouille. He is survived by his ex-wife, actress Sian Phillips, and his two children, Kate and Lorcan.                        
                                                                                                                                  When asked about his acting technique, O’Toole said, “Any good actor will tell you that the common denominator is private study for months, if necessary, so every nuance, every phrase is considered and thought out well in advance.” Those piercing blue eyes and charming expressions have made their place in film history as much as the brooding of Marlon Brando or the bravado of Jack Nicholson. Peter O’ Toole was not just an actor, he was a legend and his career will not be forgotten since legends never die.  

Inside Llewyn Davis

4 out of 4 Stars

There are very few films that capture the folk music scene of the early Nineteen-Sixties, unless you count ten minutes of Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There or Christopher Guest’s mockumentary, A Mighty Wind. Inside Llewyn Davis, the new film by the Coen Brothers, is a funny and harrowing look at a struggling musician yearning for fame and survival. Loosely based on the lives of folk musicians like Dave Van Ronk and Bob Dylan, the Coen Brothers make you feel the freezing snow on MacDougal Street in New York City, or the loneliness at an all-night diner in the Midwest leading to a mind-twisting third act that will stick to you for days like the selection of music performed throughout the film.                                                              

A session musician and a regular act at the Gaslight Cafe, Llewyn Davis (Oscar Issac) goes on an odyssey of self-realization with his guitar and a friend’s cat from the smoke-filled coffee shops of Greenwich Village to the clubs of Chicago and sleeping on the couches of other struggling folk musicians. Many eye-popping surprises comes Llewyn’s way, such as an unexpected pregnancy from his best friend’s girlfriend (a shrill and funny Carey Mulligan) to sharing a two day car ride with a strung out, extroverted jazz musician from a bygone era (a hilariously creepy John Goodman) being driven around by a monosyllabic poet (Garrett Hedlund). Llewyn’s sister tries to get him to put the guitar down and be a nine-to-five worker, but he is determined to disconnect with the normalcy of settling down and go in a direction that is unknown. Does he find a road to walk on, or is he simply moving in circles?                                              

Oscar Issac is astonishing as Llewyn Davis; the 33 year old actor and budding musician delivers a performance that will render you speechless; from his deadpan humor, bouts of self-destruction, and musical performances that will move you as he emphasizes the internal struggles in his life. His performance is reminiscent to David Carridine’s portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Bound For Glory mixed with the dark humor and wit of the Coen Brothers’ dialogue. If you haven’t already, check out Another Day/Another Time, the concert documentary produced by the Coens which features performances by Oscar Issac and Marcus Mumford and other revered musicians of the past and present. Carey Mulligan is hilarious as Jean, Llewyn’s one-night stand and aspiring folk musician. Her roasting of Llewyn on a Washington Square bench is enough to leave you in stitches.                                                                                                                                             

In addition to Issac and Mulligan’s performances, the rest of the cast strike a few chords. John Goodman, in his fifth collaboration with the Coens, is funny and haunting as Roland Turner, a jazz musician whose life on the road has taken its toll to the point of walking around on two canes. Justin Timberlake as Jim, Jean’s boyfriend, is a pleasure to hear him working in the studio sessions with the reluctant Llewyn. Garret Hedlund has the presence of Martin Sheen in Badlands and the suspenseful silence of Peter Stormare from Fargo.                                                                                                                                                       

If you are expecting some musical rags to riches story or hedonistic look at musicians backstage, rent The Doors. Inside Llewyn Davis cuts away from cliches from other music movies with the Coens sharp wit and thought-provoking tale of the life of the struggling musician blended with T-Bone Burnett’s expertise as musical supervisor by providing a soundtrack of incredible gems from the folk era. Inside Llewyn Davis is nothing short of another masterpiece in the canon of films by Joel and Ethan Coen, who manage to still provoke and move film-goers for almost thirty years.