Movie Review: American Hustle (2013)

There’s something glorious about the chaos of American Hustle, a comedy-crime drama that’s both hard to watch and unbelievably compelling at the same time. Director David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter) has crafted one of the most fiercely entertaining films of the year; it’s both intense and downright hilarious from beginning to end, taking pride in its ability to create memorable moments, scene after scene. 

The energy level that Russell is able to maintain on screen is astonishing. American Hustle takes you on a ride and doesn’t let go, keeping you drawn in through all its insane twists and turns. I was never sure how I should react to what I was seeing, but I think that’s the point. The movie teases the audience, compelling you to laugh or empathize with its characters, only to tear away your fleeting reaction in the next frame. It’s as if Russell is scolding us for attempting to feel anything deeper than what’s presented. Every serious moment is followed with something comical; every moment of humor is wrapped in a layer of depression, and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. This is a film that lives in the moment. 

Movie Review: Shadow People (2013)

 

I’ve experienced night terrors, episodes of sleep paralysis, and other sleep disturbances for most of my life. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t worry about them too much; however, the science behind dreams still fascinates me. It’s the types of nightmares I would sometimes experience -- images of shadowy figures that enter my room at night -- that are the subject of Shadow People, a low-budget horror film that delivers more confusion than scares. A great effort was made by the marketing team to make you think this movie is real, but without an effective payoff, the docu-fiction approach of the film fails to hit the mark – in fact, it comes nowhere close.

Instant Reaction: Drive (2011)

Drive is one of those movies that is slow from start to finish, and it's proud of that stylistic choice. Despite its shallow, simple story about a stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver and falls in love with his oblivious neighbor, the film delivers some genuine emotion, thanks to the effectively quiet romance between co-stars Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan.

But it’s more than just the acting that hooked me. When contrasted with the slow pacing and the moody soundtrack, the moments of abrupt graphic violence are so shocking that they carve a spot for themselves in your memory with little effort, culminating in an effective work of visual poetry. This is a movie that's all style -- and that's a compliment, because it works. My brain has trouble reconciling how a film like Drive can be so methodical, yet hit home on a purely visceral level. I can’t get it out of my head.

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, and Bryan Cranston

Movie Review: The Lone Ranger (2013)

Director Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean breathed unexpected new life into swashbucklers with its modern action and compelling adventure narrative. With Lone Ranger, Verbinski tries to set a new standard for westerns in much the same way -- and if not for a weak script, he may have succeeded. 

To date, critics worldwide have panned The Lone Ranger for its generic plot and overdose of an unnecessarily wacky Tonto (Johnny Depp). I completely understand a lot of the criticism, yet I still find myself very attracted to the film all the same. In terms of photography, score, visual effects, and art direction, Lone Ranger is one of the best films of 2013. It invigorates the stale western genre by infusing modern style, all the while not sacrificing the props, costumes, and real set pieces that make the old westerns great.