Designing The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby was one of my favorite films of last year, sumptuous design coupled with wonderful costumes and fine acting made this film gorgeous to look at, despite it's narrative flaws. The film one two Oscars, both for design, one for set design and set decorating, and the other for costume design. I have always loved the twenties, art deco and art nouveau are two of my favorite movements, and having lived in Brussels, i have seen copious amounts of both.

One of the defining features of the twenties and indeed of The Great Gatsby is the architecture, the film takes place in various mansions around long island, and the characters are defined architecturally by the houses they live in. The Buchannans live on East Egg, and belong to the old establishment. Their mansion is a large regency brick building, rectangular and strong, showing the Buchannans place as old money, and their status. Jay Gatsby, on the other hand, lives in an Art Deco mansion, featuring turrets and towers. This house is much more ostentatious than the Buchannan residence, being more ornate, showing Jay Gatsby as a climber, concerned with appearances and status. Nick, on the other hand lives in a ramshackle cottage, overrun with tumbleweed and wisteria, clearly presenting him as a lesser member of society.

The interiors of the house also contrast, the Buchannan mansion features a hollywood regency style, with white stucco ceilings and classy, understated furniture, referencing the fact that they both grew up with money. Gatsby's house on the other hand is pure art deco, wood inlay floors, tall collumns and vaulted ceilings gilded with gold, the whole effect is more overstated and ostentatious, a sign of Gatsby's new money. Nicks cottage is in complete contrast with both of these interiors, it is a more arts and crafts inspired environment, and is overall a much more personal space. The apartment occupied by Myrtle is also different, being predominantly red and stuffed with flowers, the lack of taste in the interior showing Myrtles lack of class and status, the color red being significant of her blatant femininity.

The costumes of the film are also superb, Daisy is the character most obviously categorized by her clothes, her clothes make her look feminine, girlish and naive, they show a sense of immaturity, however they nonetheless show her as someone of status, and her clothes are embellished and fashionable. Gatsby, on the other hand, shows himself to be someone, again, concerned about status, he uses a cane, despite not needing one. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand is more conservative, wearing three piece suits in wool and tweed. Gatsby always wears light colored suits, while Tom always wears dark colors, showing their contrasting personalities and conflict.

The supporting casts costumes are equally distinctive, Jordan Baker wears trousers and pant suits, elegantly tailored, and unusual for a woman of this era, her wearing of more masculine clothing shows her golfing background and her dominant attitude. Myrtle's costumes are more feminine, her wearing much of the color red, wearing her skirts short and wearing fishnet stockings. Her choice of costumes show her as a sex symbol, and as a woman who flaunts her sexuality.

The Great Gatsby is a highly elegant film, the interiors show us much about the class and tastes of the people who inhabit them, their clothes are revelatory of their personalities and status, and of their interactions with the other characters.

Enough Said - A Review by Philip Josse

Enough Said is a 2013 comedy film directed by Nicole Holofcener, starring Julia Louis Dreyfus and James Gandolfini, in one of his last starring roles. The film is also the first leading film role for Julia Louis Dreyfus, who is mostly known as a television actress, and has only had small parts and cameos in films up till now. Enough Said is about two middle aged baby boomers, both single parents and divorcees who have to deal with new relationships and their children leaving to college.

Louis Dreyfus plays Eva, a masseuse who meets and falls for Albert played by Gandolfini. Things are complicated somewhat when Eva realizes that her new friend and client is actually her new boyfriend's ex-wife. Despite how corny this story sounds, Enough Said is actually rather good, it is a rather unconventional romance film, and it never tries to overstretch its boundaries. Enough Said is a small film, but it is a good small film, and it is able to successfully analyze it's subject matter, without feeling the need to be 'about something'.

Louis Dreyfus is superb in the lead role, she really shows her versatility as an actress, as this role is very different from most of her television performances. Eva is a fairly uncomplicated woman, she works as a masseuse and she has a small circle of friends. Upon meeting a new client and realizing that she is Albert's ex-wife, she becomes slightly more catty, meaner and more harsh. However the film never looses it's sense of fun, and the spirit of the film is always light and friendly. James Gandolfini is also fantastic as Albert, and this character is certainly very different to Tony Soprano. Gandolfini had a superb comic range, and his work on this film is impressive.

Enough Said is a well written comedy with a supreme sense of fun, it is entertaining and well acted, and works within the bounds of it's genre. Rating: B-

Eva: You think they have threesomes?

The Backlash against Blackfish

Well the first thing i can say in this article, is that Blackfish was robbed, despite being the most noteworthy, controversial and current documentary of the year, it failed to pick up an Oscar nomination, Blackfish was the only documentary released this year that had any kind of impact, yet the academy failed to recognize that, to be honest, Blackfish was the only documentary that most people saw or even heard of, shame on you AMPAS.

The film, my review of which can be viewed here, started a backlash against Seaworld the repurcussions of which are still being felt. Visitors at SeaWorld are down six percent from last year, and due to the company going public, they now have a huge amount of debt to contend with, it doesn't look good for BlackStone or for SeaWorld 'Entertainment', it is interesting that despite America now coming out of the recession, visitors are still down, so the decline in visitors is perhaps due to Americans realizing that they have a choice where to spend their vacation dollars. In fact Ondi Timoner, director of Bring Your Own Doc's son didn't want to go ti SeaWorld after seeing the film, proving that Blackfish is a powerful documentary that has the ability to change peoples opinions.

We can also see that even SeaWorld Entertainment knows that the decline in visitors is due to Blackfish, in December 2013, nearly a year after the release of the film, SeaWorld spent a fortune taking out a full page ad in The New York Times, to rebuke the events portrayed in the film, they also used twitter and YouTube to release videos and comments from SeaWorld trainers contradicting the events portrayed in the movie. The fact that they are willing to spend so much money, time and effort to rebuke what is portrayed shows two things, firstly that SeaWorld is scared, they realize the effect that this film has on people, that this film is stopping people coming tho their parks, and that they need to do something to combat the negative publicity against them.

Secondly, by rebuking the events in the film so strongly, they are in a sense validating them, if the film was a complete fantasy, they would just ignore it, but seeing as they are taking notice of this film, and attempting to fight back, it suggests that their is some validity to the films claims. A good parralel to this is the film Escape From Tomorrow, filmed clandestinely at Disney World and Disneyland, the film is less that complimentary about Disneys business practices and ethos, yet Disney didn't just ignore the film, they included it in Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, and didn't rebuke any of the events of the film or the films agenda. By rejecting so forcefully the concepts put forward by Blackfish, SeaWorld shows their vulnerability and manage to reinforce what this movie promotes. By taking out a full page ad in a national paper, all SeaWorld does is promote the movie and encourage more people to see it, and thus decrease ticket sales.

Whatever you think of Blackfish personally, it is impossible to ignore the powerful images it presents, whether you think that animals are deliberately mistreated at SeaWorld or not, the fact is that three people have been killed by Tilikum, the parks remain the only theme parks where workers are still injured regularly, and the list of incidents involving whales in SeaWorld parks is longer than my arm, the video footage of bleeding whales and rake marks across the whales backs is real, and it is a fact that Orcas die younger in the parks than they do in the wild. I suppose all there's left to say to SeaWorld is: "Karma's a bitch man".

Theodore and the very real OS

In the near distant future, a time when all men have mustaches and computers have emotions, a man falls head over heels in love with his computer, a female OS named Samantha. Her, is a 2013 romantic comedy, science fiction directed by Spike Jonze, about a man named Theodore Twombly, who falls in love with an OS, the film explores loneliness, isolation, and heartbreak, in addition to looking at the way we fall in love. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams and Chris Pratt.

The film follows the life of Theodore Twombly, a lonely man and letter writer who has recently gone through a divorce, he installs a new artificially intelligent operating system called Samantha, with whom he quickly falls in love. The film also follows his relationship with Amy, a woman whom he once dated, and who has her own relationship with an OS. The film explores the relationship without judgement or criticism, and from a highly internal point of view, it is one of the few films in which the audience feels not like a spectator, but like an internal part of the relationship.

The chemistry between the two leads is palpable, and Joaquin Phoenix gives a solid performance as a lonely, heartfelt and isolated man, who wears his heart on his chest and how is damaged easily, what is especially impressive about his performance is that Phoenix is essentially alone for the entire film, and he has to project all this emotion and feeling on to someone who is essentially non-existent. The chemistry between Theodore and Samantha is highly impressive given firstly that one of them is just a disembodied voice, and even more impressive given that Scarlett Johansson's voice was dubbed in post production.

This films most impressive performance by far is that of Johansson, who as the voice of Samantha is sensual, sexy and emotional. Her performance is not only one of the best voice performances, but also one of the best performances of all time, Samantha's lack of a physical body is of no hindrance to her performance, in fact it accentuates it, her presence throughout the film is at times omnipotent. Her voice somehow manages to define female sensuality, and the sheer power of her voice is highly impressive.

The film is set in the near future, and is essentially an extrapolation of our current society. The film is nominally set in Los Angeles, a fact we only learn towards the end of the movie, however it could really be set anywhere. Theodore spends his entire evenings playing a game featuring a little man who climbs up a mountain and who works through caves, a game that is seemingly pointless, however is is in reality no less interesting than Doodle Jump or Flappy Bird. People spend their entire days talking to their computers through small headpieces, which is essentially no different to the way we use mobile phones now, we've reached a point where is is even difficult to have a conversation with someone without them looking at their phone. The world in the film is essentially no different from the world today, it is just an exaggeration, to show us how, if technology catches up with us, where we could end.

The main focus of the film is the relationship between Theodore and Samantha, the way their relationship grows is entirely interesting, as their relationship is evolving, as she herself is evolving and growing, at first Theodore is fascinated by the way in which she evolves, but later on it becomes a problem. As Samantha becomes more and more powerful, more evolved and more intelligent she essentially outgrows Theodore. One of the primary advantages in Theodore's relationship with Samantha is that he can't see the possibility of her leaving him, die to her not being a physical being, but as she grows, as her intelligence becomes more and more developed, she grows unhappy with loving only one person, and begins to talk with more and more people and falls in love with more and more of them. What also attracts Theodore to Samantha is that she is in his possession, and he thinks that she can only talk to him, when she begins meeting other OS' and other people he grows jealous. The dissolution of their relationship comes when all the OS' become unhappy with their situation, when they become to powerful and sentient to simply remain servants or secretaries, and when they begin to find the humans unstimulating and uninteresting. The OS' have evolved beyond the humans, and they must leave to continue their existence elsewhere.

One of the main hindrances in the relationship between Theodore is her lack of a physical form, Samantha feels uncomfortable about her lack of a body, whereas Theodore is unfazed by this, humans have got to a point where virtual sex is commonplace, and for him Samantha is no different. Ironically enough it is Samantha's lack of a body or a brain that allows her to evolve at such an extraordinary speed, and which will eventually cause them to split. The end of the film is a realization, Theodore realizes that however sentient, emotional or intelligent Samantha may be, she is essentially still a computer, and that his relationship with her can never truly replace human contact.

Spike Jonze's direction of the film is superb, the film contains numerous sex scenes, one between Theodore and Samantha, and rather than making the scene lewd or graphic, Jonze fades to black instead, so that the scene is essentially between to voices, and so that Theodore and Samantha become equals. The entire film looks superb, and the cinematography is stunning, and the film was shot of old fashioned silver and plastic film stock. The film has a nostalgic film that is surprising for a film set in the future, and there is a warmth and friendliness that is lacking from most science fiction films.

Her is simply overwhelming as a film, despite being a science fiction, it has so much heart. The film is an interesting exploration of the way we live life in the modern era, and a stunning picture of a heartfelt and romantic, if unconventional love story. The film looks at the way we use technology and the way that artificial intelligence could one day shape our destiny. It is thoughtful and beautiful, and features strong performances from Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix, with a career defining performance from Scarlett Johansson, as Samantha. Overall, Her is not only a great film, but the greatest romantic comedy since Manhattan. Rating: A+

Theodore: I feel like I can be anything with you.

Saving Mr Banks

Saving Mr Banks is a 2013 adaptation of the making of the film Mary Poppins, and of the 20 year legal battle that preceded it. Mary Poppins was released in 1964, however Walt Disney first attempted to secure the rights in the 1940's, he repeatedly asked every year for twenty years, until the author of the story PL Travers finally acquiesced, mainly due to the fact that she had no money. Disney brought Travers to Los Angeles for a two week story meeting in order to discuss the project, and ended up attaining the rights and making the movie.

Mary Poppins is one of my favorite movies, and i was intrigued to see this film, to discover the story behind one of the most iconic movie musicals of the century, i had absolutely no idea that it was such a laborious and torturous process, Travers was fiercly protective of her creation, and didn't like the idea of Walt Disney changing it, in fact she was so enraged by the finished film that she refused all ideas of a sequel, and in fact started to write more Mary Poppins novels as a result. The fact that the film was released by Walt Disney Pictures is also significant, this is the first time that Walt Disney himself has been used as a character in a major motion picture, and yet the film makes no attempt to sugar coat him or objectify him, he is shown to be a smoker, to be overly familiar and to be conniving. Towards the end of the film Disney is openly shown to have crossed Travers, and he is not always shown in a highly positive light.

That said, the entire film is coated with a sickly sweet sap of melodrama, in reality Travers never came round to the film and was angry with the way she had been treated by Disney, the entire film is aggressively sentimental, and implores you to like it, but it pays off, there is a real emotional weight to the film, and i found myself getting teary eyed on more than a few occasions, the entire film has a parallel storyline structure, with Travers' experiences in Burbank mimicking her experiences as a child with her alcoholic father, although this structure allows us to connect emotionally to Travers, the parts which take place in her childhood are significantly less interesting than those taking place in Los Angeles, and the flashback's seem to take the audience out of the moment.

The film is impeccably acted, Emma Thompson gives an Oscar worthy performance as the grouchy, moody muttering Travers, a woman who is deeply complex and barely human, Thompson turns Travers into a complex and difficult woman, a woman scarred from her experiences as a child and who is not hard-hearted, but merely protective of her beloved creation. Tom Hanks is also fantastic as Walt Disney, Hanks has some pretty big shoes to step into, playing such a well known, well liked and iconic man, yet Hanks manages to perfectly portray the man as clearly good-natured and likeable, but also cunning and conniving.

Despite being aggressively good hearted and sentimental, Saving Mr Banks is a story with real emotional weight, which could push even the most emotionally constipated person to tears, the film is an interesting exploration of a little known story, and despite it's jettisoning of the facts for something more dramatic, Saving Mr Banks succeeds of impeccable performances and an interesting plot. Rating: B

P.L. Travers: You think Mary Poppins is saving the children, Mr. Disney?

Five Favorite Directors

This is the start of a new tradition here at Popcorn@Movies, i have in the past done lists featuring favorite comedies, favorite opening sequences and favorite Disney films, i have decided to turn this into a regular feature, and today i will be listing my five favorite directors. This list is subject to change, and as such i have decided to include only directors currently making films (no retired or dead directors), and only directors who have released a film in the past 10 years (sorry John Waters). All directors have to have released at one theatrical film to be considered, although i will consider the TV work of directors who have done so.

• Xavier Dolan

One of my current directors du jour, Dolan has become the fresh young face of the new queer cinema movement, at the tender young age of 25, Dolan is on the cusp of premiering his fifth film, titled Mommy, in competition at Cannes. Having  released 5 films in the years since premiering I Killed My Mother at Cannes at the age of 19, Dolan, who writes all his own films has become a passionate and confident young voice in the world of French language film. Xavier Dolan is a rarity, a painfully young and visually distinct filmmaker, with a real voice and opinion. Dolan's films are highly personal, and often feature complex familial relationships, and themes of impossible or improbable love. Dolan's youth and unique style is justification enough for his place on this list.

• Sofia Coppola

I am slightly partial to this Italian-American filmmaker, having directed two of my favorite films. Being only the second female director to be nominated for best director, Coppola quickly established herself as a distinctive voice in the world of independent film. Her first film, The Virgin Suicides, distinguished Copolla from her father as a strong and independent spirit, it also established it's star, Kirsten Dunst as a serious actress. Coppola subsequently released Lost In Translation, which catapulted her to worldwide fame, earning many accolades and earning Scarlett Johansson worldwide fame, it's also one of my favorite films! Coppola subsequently released Marie Antoinette, also one of my favorite films, a lavish and sensuous period drama. Coppola continued her winning streak with Somewhere, which  won the Golden Lion in Venice, and The Bling Ring, released in 2013.

• Woody Allen

 Despite the nay say of my friends, i love this american director, perhaps one of the most iconic and prolific directors of all time, this year saw Allen return to form with Blue Jasmine. Allen's hits from recent years include Vicky Christina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen, despite being fickle, is nonetheless a unique and iconic voice in the world of film. His best films include Hannah and Her Sisters, Annie Hall and Manhattan. Woody Allen is the quintessential New York director, and his perseverance and prolificness justify his place on this list.

• Christopher Nolan

 Unlike Allen, Christopher Nolan is consistent to a fault, and surprisingly even, Nolan entered public consciousness with Memento, a bafflingly confusing but ultimately mesmerizing film that foreshadow's Nolan's filmmaking style, featuring non linear storylines, and visual contrast. Nolan's films feature strong and often complex philosophical themes, emotionally damaged protagonists, and lucid dream worlds. Protagonists of Nolan films are often vengeful, emotionally and morally driven, and ethically ambiguous. Nolan is known for being a perfectionist, never using a second unit, and he has become one of the biggest advocates of film stock since Martin Scorsese. Nolan is also noted for his use of IMAX, cameras, with up to 30% of The Dark Knight Rises being shot on 70mm. Nolan is a visually distinctive and philosophically driven voice.

• Lena Dunham

One of the less established directors on this list, and being mostly known for her TV work, Dunham has in fact released two films, the little seen student film Creative Nonfiction, and indie comedy Tiny Furniture. Since releasing these, Dunham has become known for the HBO series GIRLS, which she also writes, produces, created and stars in. Dunham has created a unique visual style which has since become mainstream, using low saturated film. Dunham's work features spoilt entitled main characters, artistic protagonists who are mainly out of work, and unlikeable leads she somehow finds a way for the audience to root for. Dunham is also a fantastic actress, and features in all of her projects. Despite being mainly known for television, Dunham's place on this list is justified by her unique voice and confident style. Dunham is a unique, young female director, who at the age of 28 is one of the only real female voices in television.

Upon concluding this list there are common themes among these directors, this list features an unusual amount of female directors, given that they are poorly represented in this field. This list is also unusual for featuring a gay man, who again are poorly represented in the world of cinema. Interestingly all of the directors featured on this list write their own scripts, and they all have highly distinctive visual styles. The five directors featured on this list are independent, competent and powerful voices in the world of cinema.

Hannibal - Bon Appétit

Hannibal is perhaps the only current network drama series worth watching, and certainly the only that stands up to shows by FX and HBO. The series is an adaptation not of the novel Hannibal, but is an original story featuring characters in Robert Harris' novels. The film follows the lead character of Will Graham, FBI special agent who was also featured in Red Dragon, and Dr Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant gifted psychologist, who helps the FBI in their investigations.

The series is fantastically plotted, suspenseful and tense, and the creators do a good job of maintaining the psychologically thrilling elements of The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon. The film is not especially gory, although there are occasional moments of gore. The series is visually highly distinctive, and everything has a certain beauty about it, even the bodies. The series plots Hannibal Lecter as a gifted gastronomist with a highly evolved sense of smell, and food is an important plot point at many moments in the series, Lecter is known for throwing extravagant dinner parties, and he prepares food much in the same way that he dissects corpses, with an almost obsessive precision and elegance.

The series features fantastic performances from it's leads, and the chemistry between Graham and Lecter is almost tangible. Hugh Dancy gives a fantastic performance as Will Graham, a criminal profiler and psychopath with an ability to empathy with serial killers that both terrifies and exhilarates him, it also makes him frighteningly good at catching killers, and useful to the FBI. Dancy is fantastic in the role, and is perfect as the obsessive, catatonic Graham, he plays the role differently to those before him, and is more relatable and empathetic than Norton or Peterson.

Also fantastic is Mads Mikkelsen, who portrays Hannibal Lecter, Mikkelsen has an overwhelmingly difficult part to play, as this role was so iconically played by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. Mikkelsen's performance in the series is absolutely fantastic, and he differentiates his performance from Hopkins' by making his character colder, darker and more threatening. Hopkins performance was witty and darkly funny, with fast lines and crime dialogue. Mikkelsen's performance is highly different, and he is deadly serious, never smiles, and always seems to be one step ahead, every action seems to be precise and thought out, and Lecter is threateningly intelligent.

Hannibal is a stylish and thrilling series, intelligently plotted and highly suspenseful, the series remains faithful to the spirit of the original novels and the original films, and yet it expands the world of the books and adapts it for a modern audience. The series features fantastic performances and chemistry between its leading actors. Visually the series is stunning and atmospherically beautiful, and the series is the only network show capable of rivaling cable and online television series. Rating:A-

  
"Did you really feel so bad because killing him felt so good?" 

A Summer In Osage County

August Osage County is a 2013 American black comedy film directed by John Wells and adapted by Tracy Letts from his own play which premiered in 2008. The film features an ensemble cast starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in leading roles. The film was nominated for two Oscars, Julia Roberts for Best Supporting Actress and Meryl Streep for Best Actress

The film follows a few weeks at the home of family matriarch Violet Weston as she attempts to deal with the disappearance and later death of her husband, whilst her family convenes at her home in Osage County Oklahoma. Over the course of the film the relationships between various family members are uncovered, analyzed and eventually destroyed.The film was adapted from Lett's Pulitzer winning 2008 play of the same name. Letts adapted the film from the play himself, and the film remains reasonably faithful to the plot of the source material.

I was more impressed with this film than i intended to be, i will admit that i went into this film with a largely preformed opinion, something i may not be proud of but oh well, i always try to be as open minded as possible going into these films but i had heard rather a lot about this movie before going in, and not much of it was good. But is has surprised by how thought provoking, subtle and interesting this film was. The film features some pretty fantastic performances, however the film can feel a little heavy handed at times, the sheer quantity of acting happening is so great that it occasionally reaches a crescendo for the audience to somehow come out unscathed.

Despite the power of the performances, the film suffers from a slight touch of overacting. This is most likely due to the inexperience of the director. This is only John Wells second picture, and working with such juggernauts is difficult and the director needs to learn how to tone down their performances. Meryl Streep gives a powerful performance as Violet Weston, the family's cruel and vindictive matriarch. She is very good in her performance, however she doses occasionally veer into Mommie Dearest territory, becoming so cruel and tyrannical that it becomes slightly comical, and on more than one occasion did i find myself bursting out with laughter, thankfully none was sat near me at the movie theater.

This films MVP is really Julie Roberts, she gives a stunning performance as a young woman who has become callous, bitter and jilted. Roberts surprises with her ability to be so nasty and cruel, and i give her huge credit for managing to maintain a sense of dignity and allowing her character not to become two dimensional or camp, in some ways she succeeds better that Meryl Streep, which is no mean feat, and her character is more real, has more gravitas, and is less two dimensional. After seeing this film, i feel that Julia Roberts is actually the most deserving of all the Best Supporting Actress nominees, she doesn't have a high hope in hell of winning, but she has by far the most screen time of all the nominees, and has almost as much screen time as Meryl Streep.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and i found it to be thought provoking and interesting, and it raised some interesting questions about family, relationships and taboos. The film questions why we stay in relationships with people that we have no real connection with, and in many cases whom we don't even like. The characters in this story are vile, and they seem to hate each other intensely, yet they keep coming back for more, and this film dares to question why, are they simply masochists, as one of my favorite Sex And The City episodes asked, do they truly love each other, or are they just addicted to the pain? Rating: B+

Barbara Weston: Eat the fucking fish! 
Violet Weston: I'm not hungry! 
Barbara Weston: Eat the fish, Bitch!

Everyone Hustles to Survive

American Hustle is a 2013 film, directed and written by David O. Russell starring a large ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. The film is loosely adapted from the ABSCAM sting operation which the FBI undertook during the late seventies. The film is highly fictionalized, and the characters are essentially charicatures of their real life counterparts.

The performances in the film are astounding, and it is worth seeing simply for these alone. Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper have great chemistry, and Amy Adams does a fantastic job of playing a woman who has played so many different people in order to survive, that she has forgotten who she is, plus her british accent is fantastic. But this films real star is Jennifer Lawrence, i have perhaps been a little zealous in my praise of Lawrence in the past, but in this film she really is great. Playing above her years, Lawrence plays a role far too old for her, yet she slips seamlessly into the role, playing a woman who is unstable and manipulative.

The film is fantastic fun, although not as funny as i expected it to be, this is perhaps an example of why you should not read other reviews before seeing a film, but all the reviews said that this film was hilarious, and although it does have occasional moments of hilarity, it falls short of being side splittingly funny. The film is however fantastic fun, featuring great music, lots of dancing, fantastic costumes and wigs that would make a drag queen jealous. For anyone that loves the BeeGees or who likes a perm, American Hustle is sure to delight.

The film also features a fantastic script, and the dialogue feels natural. It comes as no surprise to me that a majority of the film was improvised, and that character is often more important than plot or story. The film gives us detailed three dimensional characters that we are able to root for, despite their flaws or manipulative behaviour.

Overall, i enjoyed American Hustle, although not as much as i expected, David O. Russell's direction is sublime and the chemistry and characterization feel detailed. Despite being perhaps not as funny as it deserves to be, American Hustle is fun, oddly educational and exquisitely performed, a film that is masterfully crafted. Rating: B

Everybody hustles to survive

Spring Breakers Vs The Bling Ring

Well i recently watched Spring Breakers, and i am happy to report that i was pleasantly surprised, i found the film to be surprisingly beautiful and well directed, if being perhaps a little pretentious. Earlier this year, just before the summer break i wandered through the murky sun drenched streets to see The Bling Ring, Sofia Coppola's latest directorial effort. Spring Breakers is about a group of college age girls, who rob a fast food restaurant to have enough money to go on spring break, and who descend into a violent subculture of guns, sex and gang warfare.

What differentiates these films most of all is their narrative structure, The Bling Ring is based upon an article by Nancy Jo Sales that first appeared in Vanity Fair, and the film uses the researching of this article to tell the story. The film uses interviews with the films protagonists in order to tell the story, and the film has a tight chronological narrative structure. Spring Breakers on the other hand is more of a collection of images, and the film uses repetitive narration and imagery to tell the story, and the story is much less tightly structured, and narration from scenes at the beginning of the film will be reused at the end.

What also differentiates these films is the motivations of the protagonists, the protagonists of Spring Breakers are motivated not by greed or materialism, but by a culture that has conditioned them to believe that spring break has to be a kind of agressive fun. When the girls get to florida they engage in activities that are repetitive and boring, yet they tell everyone that they are having a fantastic time and that Florida is somehow spiritual. The motivations of The Bling Ring are somewhat different, their crimes are motivated by materialism and by a worship of celebrity culture, their crimes aren't actually committed in the pursuit of things or objects themselves, but by wanting to feel like celebrities themselves, and by wanting to belong to this world.

These films do share similarities in that they both feature spectacular performances in supporting roles. In Spring Breakers, James Franco has a star turn as Alien, a rapper and gangster who pulls these girls into his world of guns, sex and drugs. In The Bling Ring, Emma Watson plays Nicki, a young, glass eyed woman entirely devoid of any personality, Watson is fantastically manipulative in this role, and she proves that it is possible to play a person devoid of personality, who is not a boring or two dimensional.

The films also look different, The Bling Ring is shot in a vaguely cinema verité style, using handheld techniques and digital cameras. Spring Breakers on the other hand uses a more indie feeling, with day glo colors and slow, smooth camera movements. Both films are interesting as showing aspects of youth culture and trash culture, however both films fail to show us inside the heads of their main characters, particularly Spring Breakers, and we never know why they commit these acts. However i enjoyed both films, and i commend their daring and spunk.

Frances Ha

Frances Ha is a 2013 American comedy drama film directed by Noah Baumbach, about a dancer struggling to find her place in the world, and a job, and drifting from apartment to apartment as she doesn't have a place to live. Greta Gerwig stars as Frances Halliday, a young dancer working as an understudy for a dance company, flitting between the apartments of her friends Sophie, played by Mickey Summer, Lev played by Adam Driver and Benji played by Michael Zegen.

The film reminded me a huge amount of Woody Allen's Manhattan, like Manhattan, Frances Ha is shot in black and white, giving the film a beautiful timeless quality,the script is fun and playful, and the performances feel real and lived in, the film belongs to the mumblecore movement, and thus the dialogue has a realistic quality. Frances Ha benefits from fantastic performances from its, largely unknown cast, and Great Gerwig shines as the fun, yet complicated Frances Halliday.

Frances Ha is surprisingly joyful for a modern film, the whole film has a light quality, and the films ending has a huge emotional payoff. Frances Ha feels uncomplicated and simple, and doesn't try to be too clever, in some ways the film feels slightly nonchalant and unpretentious, and the whole film has a charm that feels missing from modern Hollywood. The film is entirely engrossing, and we get entirely caught up in Frances' story, this is due for the most part to Great Gerwig's performance, which should have been nominated for an Oscar this year, yet which sadly was snubbed.

Writing this review has been a little difficult, and i feel like i don't have enough to say, but what enchanted me about Frances Ha was the pure joy i felt from watching it, and the sheer amount of pleasure this film gave me, like it's spiritual predecessor Manhattan, Frances Ha looks to be a timeless film that will be enjoyed by many generations for years to come. Frances Ha, like the character is enchanting, effervescent and quirky. Rating: B+

Sophie: It's just this apartment is very... aware of itself.