The Wolf of Wall Street Review

The Wolf of Wall Street - Paramount Pictures
Runtime: 179 minDirected by Martin Scorsese
Written by Jordan Belfort and Terrence Winter

The Wolf of Wall Street - 65%

By Mitch Bergeron

The Wolf of Wall Street  is a black comedy that depicts what could be considered the American dream if that ambition involved copious amounts of narcotics, Swiss bank accounts and prostitutes.  A career in politics comes to mind.  Martin Scoresese’s portrayal of the lavish and ridiculous lifestyle of Jordan Belfort seems it will play out like the typical rise and fall narratives of greed within the corporate world.  However, during the 179-minute runtimes we are really only given half of the story.  Yes the film has an ending, but it is quite obvious the story doesn’t, and this isn’t the type of spectacle that has a sequel.  The narrative slugs along at the pace of a quaalude induced Belfort, remaining essentially stagnant throughout.

Based on the true story of Belfort, played wonderfully by Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street uses the camera as a spyglass into the over-energized world of stock brokers.  The protagonist starts his own company, Stratton Oakmont, after being let go by another firm early in his career.  Belfort uses an illegal pump and dump scan that helped his company become one of the elite firms in the city that is the Mecca of the western economic world.  This is the fifth time Scorsese and DiCaprio have teamed up and the experienced director lets his star carry the film throughout its long duration.  The story is told entirely from Belfort’s perspective and begins with us seeing a glimpse of the fortune and drug-induced insanity he has acquired.

Belfort meets his partner in crime, Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), early on and although entertaining, Azoff is no war-time consigliere.  However, their chemistry is superb and every scene with Hill involved usually leaves to laughs.  Due to the questionable ethics practiced by this duo in their company and the amount of drug usage under Stratton Oakmont, the firm inevitably becomes a target of the FBI.  Leading the case against Belfort and company is Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler), who is described as a real boy scout.  

Along the way, Stratton Oakmont creates an agreement with Steve Madden Ltd. to take their company public, and immediately after doing so Belfort cashes in a cool $22 million.  It definitely goes to his head as his lifestyle involving prostitution and drug abuse start to take a wild left turn for the worse.  During this time, Jordan gets divorced to his wife, but then married again to his girlfriend Naomi (Margot Robbie).   He sets up Swiss bank accounts in one Naomi’s relatives’ names, but this story has been told before, just not with as much cursing.  

By the time the three hours are over you are left with an immense feeling of disappointment.  This is in no way attributed to the execution of the film by Scorsese or the the phenomenal acting, but rather the story relying on shock value instead of going for an original concept.  There are quite a few comparisons that can be made to Goodfellas, as they both approach the American dream through flamboyant narratives, but in The Wolf of Wall Street we are left without satisfaction.  

Her Review

Her - Warner Bros
Runtime: 119 minutes
Directed by Spike Jonze
Written by Spike Jonze

Her - ★★★★  

By Nate Davis

Spike Jonze’s “Her” is the riskiest and most fervent film of the year.  There are so many instances throughout the two hours where this unorthodox love story could fail, but it resists inclinations to become facetious.  Instead we are treated to something real, raw and full of genuine emotion.  Perhaps the greatest achievement attained in this feature is its refusal to feel ashamed and in turn allows us to applaud its bravery.

We are introduced in the first scene to Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), who works for a sort of outsourcing writing firm, BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com.  He is one of many employees who provides personal correspondence for customers to their loved ones - similar to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in “(500) Days of Summer” yet approached in a more sincere way.  Theodore has been separated from his soon to be ex-wife Catherine (Rooney Mara), but it is obvious he is still not ready to deal with the breakup emotionally or legally.  He spends his time mostly avoiding others, with his only interaction between his friend Amy (Amy Adams) where he converses with her in the elevator, and a video game character that is a foul-mouthed blue alien in a video game that could be the genetic mutated offspring of the Pillsbury Doughboy.  

Set in the not-so-distant future of Los Angeles, Theodore comes across an advertisement for the newest smartphone of the time, an advanced operating system (OS).  The gadget is only a voice, which names itself Samantha.  The OS is the anthropomorphized voice of the Scarlett Johansson, who is present every moment from here on out in this film without making a visual appearance.  Samantha’s personality is intoxicating - particularly enhanced by the smoldering voice of Johansson - but not initially in a sexual way.  She is curious to discover, as she tell Theodore she evolves with the more information and experiences she receives.  However, the relationship bubbles to the point where Theodore falls in love with Samantha and vice-versa.  

Like many of Jonze’s previous films (“Adaptation,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” and “Being John Malkovich”) “Her” focuses on the protagonist dealing with his emotions in an unconventional way, although in this instance it is more smooth than his earlier work.  Perhaps the film is not as erratic due to the fact Jonze was the writer as well on this project, whereas he directed the eccentric scripts written by Charlie Kaufman in his first two features.  It is quite obvious Jonze has been influenced by one of the great writers of our time.  Branded as a comedy, “Her” doesn’t look for laughs by making fun of the situation, as most other people in this world begin to accept the OS-human relationship.  It is a science fiction film where the science isn’t the overseer of the humans or the narrative, like Hal 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”  The film doesn’t seize the easy opportunity to comment on the role of technology in our world and how we are becoming more and more attached to it, pushing us closer to the singularity.  Rather, this is a story about love, and the quest and need for it in our increasingly isolated lives.  

Phoenix is wonderful as Theodore.  His performance is both sad and funny as we see scenes of him trying to interact with the outside world - whether it be lonely phone sex sessions or going out on a date and getting drunk with a woman who is pushing for commitment.  Jonze is risking as much as Theodore is by diving into this quest for love with an OS - as Theodore’s ex-wife points out bluntly “he’s dating his laptop.”  Amy Adams’ performance as Theodore’s only friend is so far removed from her role in “American Hustle” as a con-artist, we hardly recognize her.  She is vulnerable - as is Theodore - as she has a hard time showing her expression via her chosen medium, documentary filmmaking.  Amy and Theodore are both in a state of misery, and both engage with their own OS in a way that makes us smile, because although they question if the relationships are real, their happiness from them is without a doubt authentic. 

The narrative unravels like a traditional love story, as Samantha and Theodore have their ups and downs.  The world Jonze has created shows us our isolation as individuals in society, but he doesn’t disapprove or applaud.  As Samantha grows and evolves into a different version of her self every second, we wonder how this relationship can continue.  Easy to see looking on from the outside, but we all have a very intimate relationship with our technological devices these days, and once you look at your smartphone while walking out of the theater you might wonder how precious it is to you.

The Beast in the East

The Beast in the East
While big summer transfers; Gareth Bale, Neymar and Mesut Özil have been good fits at their new clubs, halfway throughout the season there is no doubt Manchester City have gotten the most for their money with Álvaro Negredo.