Reviews: Anchorman 2, American Hustle, and The Wolf of Wall Street

I didn't waste any time using my Movie Pass in the New Year. I used it for the first time in the morning on January 1st. At first I wasn't sure it would work. The pass itself is basically a credit card. I use the Movie Pass app on my phone to select a movie theater, movie, and showtime. Then I "check in" at the theater (the phone's GPS needs to be within 100 yards). The cost of the ticket is then uploaded to the card, which I use like a credit card to purchase my ticket.

The first time I tried to use it, it would not check me in at the theater. After a few minutes of puzzling it out, I discovered that my phone needed to be logged into the mall's Wi-Fi before the app was willing to work. That solved the problem, and it is the only time I have had any trouble using the Movie Pass.

 

1. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
I've only seen the first Anchorman once in its entirety, but found both it and this sequel to be fun, very entertaining films. I have always been a fan of inappropriate humor, and this certainly did not disappoint. I saw it by myself, and am reasonably sure that it would be even more enjoyable with a group of friends.

I've heard some complaints about the last half hour of the film running a little too long. I don't necessarily disagree, but while I will happily discuss the faults and foibles of films in other genres, with comedies, I have only one concern: Do I find it funny? If so, nothing else matters. So, did the movie run a little too long? I don't really care. I was laughing.

2. American Hustle
I enjoyed it, but had some issues as well. The primary one is that I never felt truly invested in any of the lead characters. This may have been deliberate, but it made me feel like a dispassionate observer, watching (and sometimes curious about) what was happening onscreen, but never truly concerned. This made it difficult to care when Christian Bale's character suffered a crisis of conscience.

This is not to fault the acting in the film. There are no bad performances, and Jennifer Lawrence in particular is absolutely fantastic and hilarious as Bale's "Real Housewives of New Jersey"-esque wife. The (sadly few) times she is on screen are the most compelling and entertaining moments in the film. The casting of Robert De Niro is also perfect. He appears in only a single scene, but, thanks to the gravitas he carries, imbues his character with the weight that a less established actor (even one delivering just as good a performance) could not.

3. The Wolf of Wall Street
I was a little worried about what I would think before going to see this. I knew I would have no problem with the "offensive" content of the film, but I had read in several places that the movie, at just under three hours, went on for too long. I needn't have worried.

The movie is made with such energy, and Leonardo DiCaprio's performance is so charming that I couldn't wait to see what he would do next. Each scene of debauchery was more extreme than the last, taking the viewer on the same roller coaster ride the character was going on himself. You know it's going to end badly eventually, but I was glued to my seat, eager to see how over the top and crazy it would get before that happened.

I think a lot of films could benefit from being five to ten minutes shorter (I was ready for "American Hustle" to start wrapping it up about fifteen minutes before it actually did), but that thought never crossed my mind during this film.

Check back soon for my next update, where I'll talk about the next three movies I saw: "Grudge Match", "Frozen", and "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones".