OSCARS 2020 - Pre-Show Thoughts & Predictions & Rants

OSCARS 2020 Thoughts and Predictions:

- Alright, it's Oscar time! As I say every year, I don't really look at the Oscars as definitive or vital in terms of picking the actual best movies of a given year. More often than not, Oscar gets things wrong (or at best half-wrong), and the entire voting system - in which Academy members who've likely only seen a fraction of the nominees choose the winners - really needs an overhaul. That said, 2019 was such a great year for movies, and I personally loved so many of this year's nominees (naming several not just in my Best of the Year, but in my Best of the Decade) ... I'm excited to see some of my favorite writers, directors, and actors received much-deserved recognition. But even more so, I'm excited to see so many casual moviegoers get exposure to exceptional movies like Parasite and Jojo Rabbit and others they may not be inclined to check out otherwise.

Now, as is tradition ... here are my Top 10 OSCAR SNUBS for this year:

1.) Uncut Gems (Best Picture, Adam Sandler for Best Actor, Safdie Brothers for Best Director)

- Uncut Gems is such a fantastic and highly-relevant film. It's innovative, intense, and unforgettable.  Adam Sandler's performance in it is an all-timer, and will be talked about, raved about, and meme'd about for years to come. The movie's total exclusion from this year's Oscars is, frankly, a joke.

2.) Best Leading Actress - Lupita N'yongo for US

 -Lupita's performance in US was, IMO, one of the year's best. She played two characters and created an instantly-iconic horror movie persona. It was jaw-dropping. But horror movies pretty much never get a fair shake at the Oscars, so yeah, Lupita is left out. Crazy.

 3.) Best Director - Greta Gerwig for Little Women

- As many have pointed out, Little Women got nominated for a lot, but ... the movie obviously didn't direct itself. Gerwig is an amazing writer, but also an incredibly skilled director. She deserves to be talked about in the same vein as some of the best in the business today.


4.) The Lighthouse - Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe

- The Lighthouse is a strange film, but also an incredibly good one. And Willem Dafoe gives an iconic performance - doing descent-into-madness as good as anyone ever has. Unfortunately, much like director Robert Egger's previous horror masterpiece, The Witch, this one also got snubbed.

5.) Midsommar - Best Picture and Best Leading Actress for Florence Pugh

- Another major horror masterpiece snubbed. Midsommar was a tour de force - anchored by a mesmerizing lead performance from Florence Pugh. But yeah, can't have horror at the Oscars!
 
6.)  The Farewell - Best Picture and Best Leading Actress for Awkwafina and Best Director for Lulu Wang

- A fantastic film featuring a breakout lead role for Awkwafina, The Farewell mixes humor, heart, and pathos to become something truly special.The fact that it was basically ignored by The Oscars is a bit ridiculous.

 7.) Apollo 11 - Best Documentary

- Apollo 11 was best seen in a theater in IMAX, so maybe that hurt it with voters who just watch everything via screeners. But, come on, Oscars - this was a seminal film, one of the most jaw-dropping movies I saw in 2019. A mind-boggling exclusion.

8.) Best Leading Actress - Jesse Buckley for Wild Rose

-  I'm not sure why Wild Rose went totally under Oscar's radar this year, but man, what a great indie movie this was - and what an all-time awesome performance from Jesse Buckley in the lead role. Go watch this one if you haven't seen it!

9.) Best Lead Actor - Christian Bale for Ford vs. Ferrari

- Bale goes all out in Ford vs. Ferrari - one of his best performance ever and so good that it elevates the film beyond what it might have been otherwise. And yet - no Oscar love? Come on.

10.) Best Supporting Actress -  Thomasin McKenzie for Jojo Rabbit

-  Thomasin McKenzie has quickly become one of the most must-watch young actresses out there. She was phenomenal a few years ago in Leave No Trace, and she's just as great in Jojo Rabbit - in many ways the heart and soul of the film. Strange to me that Scarlett and would get a nom, but not her.


2020 OSCAR PICKS AND PREDICTIONS:

BEST PICTURE:

Should Win: Jojo Rabbit, Parasite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, or The Irishman

- Jojo Rabbit was my personal favorite of 2019, but honestly, all four of the above are, IMO, masterpieces. I put 1917 maybe one notch below (though I was also a huge fan of that one), but the above four films are all very much Best Picture worthy.

Will Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

- It's either that, or 1917. Could go either way. But I'm going slightly against the grain and saying that, ultimately, I bet on the movie about Hollywood. There's just too much nostalgia for that era among older Academy voters to bet against it. 1917 is the safe pick - the most "traditional" Best Picture movie in many ways - and it won the Golden Globe. So it's a favorite, no question. Parasite has maybe an outside chance, and I'd love to see it win, but unfortunately I think there will still be some bias about a non-English-language movie taking home the big prize. But I just have a feeling that Hollywood may eek it out.

BEST ACTOR:

Should and Will Win: Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

-Okay, I am well documented as having very mixed feelings about Joker. But ... Phoenix was undeniably incredible in it. He has an ability to go to this other level that few other actors do. I think that's why he's the runaway favorite to win, and why he probably should - regardless of what you think about Joker. Sandler should have been in this race though.


BEST ACTRESS:

Should and Will Win: Renee Zelwegger (Judy)

- This category is a bit weak this year, and is missing a lot of key performances like Awkwafina from The Farewell. But, Zelwegger, of the nominees, should and will take it. She turns in a big, showy, memorable performance as Judy Garland that you can't help but appreciate. It's exactly the kind of thing that Oscar voters love - but in this case, I've got to side with 'em - it's one heck of a turn from a deserving and beloved actress.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Should and Will Win: Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

-And here is another no-brainer of this year's Oscars. Pitt has long been underappreciated as an actor, and has steadily built his resume to include dozens of memorable and iconic roles - often of them surprisingly quirky, given his leading man image in pop-culture. But man, Pitt just kills it in Tarantino's latest - he owns the screen for every second he's on it.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Should Win: Florence Pugh (Little Women)

- 2019 was the year of Florence Plugh. She killed it in Fighting With My Family, Midsommar, and also in Little Women. In the latter, she was funny, engaging, and memorable - and in many ways the highlight of what was an all-around great film. That said ...

Will Win: Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

- I had mixed feelings about Marriage Story, but I LOVED Dern in the film. She made the most of every line of dialogue, creating a character that was hilarious and that stole the movie from the leads in many a scene. I give the slight edge to Pugh - especially given Dern's relative lack of screen time in Marriage Story ... but Dern is a Hollywood fave and will, I think, win this one.

BEST DIRECTOR:

Should and Will Win:Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)

- This is a tougher one to call. Sam Mendes has got to be a favorite for 1917. But I wonder if the director's eclectic resume will hurt him, and/or if a lot of the credit for 1917's amazing visuals will go to its legendary cinematographer, Roger Deakins. Meanwhile, Bong has quickly become a beloved personality - funny, outspoken, and personable. And he's one hell of a director to boot. Hollywood sort of missed the boat in ever honoring other great Korean directors like Chan Wook Park - but I think they might go with Bong here. Parasite is truly a director's movie, and it's clearly Bong's vision from start to finish.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Should and Will Win: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

- A lot of good stuff in this category, including the should-have-been-nominated-for-more Knives Out. But I think you've got to go with Tarantino for this one, as he is known for his writing and the Academy will, I think, reward him for Hollywood's slightly more subtle and subdued tone vs. some of his more ostentatious recent work. Parasite and Marriage Story are also in the mix, but we'll see. I personally put Hollywood slightly ahead of Parasite.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Should Win: The Irishman

- This was actually my top script of 2019 - the dialogue was so rich and so entertaining and there were so many fantastic moments big and small. I mean, man, this screenplay should IMO be studied. 

Will Win: Little Women

- And this is a tough one. I think the Academy respects Greta Gerwig more as a writer than as a director, and in some ways I see why. Her movies are more script-driven, and she's an absolutely brilliant writer. So I think this is where Little Women gets its due. I loved the script - I put it a notch below The Irishman, but I'll be cool if it wins.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

Should Win: How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

- The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is absolutely beloved by fans young and old, but for whatever reason hasn't gotten much awards love. In theory, that should change at this year's Oscars. I mean, why not honor this Dreamworks series for a fun, heartfelt, and visually-incredible capper to a great trilogy of films?

Will Win: Missing Link

- This one's a little hard to predict, but my suspicion is that Oscar voters tend not to watch a lot of animated films and thus go with the known quantities. That would put Toy Story 4 as a favorite, but that movie's general underwhelming-ness will probably hurt it. Missing Link's Golden Glove win may have put it on more people's radars, so I'm going with it as a somewhat dark horse. Laika has often been ignored by the Academy in the past, so it's hard to say. But I'm going with it.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

Should and Will Win: Parasite

- Similar to Roma last year, Parasite is the clear favorite here given its nominations in other major categories. And, I mean, Parasite is phenomenal so I can't dispute its front-runner status.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Should Win: Avengers: Endgame

- Let's give Marvel props for the incredible f/x work, over two movies, done to bring the character of Thanos to life. I mean, it's all-time great, bar-raising mo-cap work.

Will Win: 1917

- But yeah ... what a strange category this year. Most of the big f/x blockbusters nominated were also critical duds (i.e. The Lion King). And Marvel never seems to win, so I'll be pleasantly surprised if Endgame eeks it out but I just have a hard time betting on it. More likely, 1917 sweeps all the technical categories.By the way though, Alita: Battle Angel should have been in the running.


BEST FILM EDITING:

- Should and Will Win: Parasite

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

- Should and Will Win:1917

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

- Should and Will Win: Parasite

BEST ANIMATED FILM SHORT:

- Should Win: ???
- Will Win: Memorable

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

- Should Win: ??? (where was Apollo 11?!)
- Will Win: American Factory

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

- Should Win: ???
- Will Win:St. Louis Superman

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT:

- Should Win: ???
- Will Win: A Sister

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

- Should and Will Win: Little Women

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

- Should and Will Win:Judy

BEST SOUND MIXING:

- Should and Will Win: 1917

BEST SOUND EDITING:

- Should and Will Win: 1917

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

- Should and Will Win:1917

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

Should and Will Win: “Stand Up" - Harriet


And that's it for now. Happy Oscar watching and Happy Movie Watching!

OSCAR 2014 - Pre-Show Thoughts & Predictions & Rants

 Let's do this.

That's right, I'm back. It's been a while, but hey, it's almost Oscar time and I had to make the effort to put down my thoughts and predictions.

Here's the thing: as I've said, 2013 was an insanely good year for movies. So while, sure, there are films that I was upset to see snubbed at this year's Oscars, it's also pretty hard to take issue with the ones that did make the cut. I mean: 12 Years a Slave? Gravity? Nebraska? The Wolf of Wall Street? Her? Captain Philips? These were all instant classics that deserve whatever recognition they get. In fact, I'd be more than happy if any of those four films took home Best Picture. Even Dallas Buyers Club and American Hustle - I'd put those two a rung below the others I just mentioned, and yet, both have individual performances that were among the year's best.

Before I get into my picks, here are some of the biggest snubs in my view:


2014 OSCARS - THE BIGGEST SNUBS:

1.) Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips: look, I am the last person who likes seeing the same people nominated over and over. But Hanks may have literally done the best work of his storied career in this movie. Those last five minutes? Holy crap on a stick. I had chills.

2.) Inside Llewyn Davis: This should have been nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The Coen Bros must not be taken for granted, people. This is a fantastic film that will be more and more highly regarded as the years go on.

3.) Brie Larson / Short Term 12: Short Term 12 was an incredible indie flick that deserved more buzz than it got. But one undeniable highlight was the soul-searing performance of Brie Larson in the lead role. Some of the most real, raw, affecting acting I've seen.

4.) Michael B. Jordan / Fruitvale Station: Here's another breakout performance that really should have been recognized. Jordan is insanely good in Fruitvale Station, and the movie itself is an absolutely huge directorial debut for Ryan Coogler, who is going to be very big very soon.

5.) Daniel Bruhl / Rush - Rush was one of Ron Howard's best films in years, but the highlight was Daniel Bruhl, who absolutely kills as race car driver Nikki Lauda. Bruhl got a Golden Globe nom, and he should have gotten an Oscar nomination as well.

6.) Frances Ha - Noah Baumbach's best movie yet - a new-school spin on Woody Allen urban coming-of-age comedy that also served as the final piece in the puzzle that is Greta Gerwig as star-on-the-rise.

7.) The World's End - Okay, so there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that Edgar Wright's latest would receive an Oscar nom. But why? It's funny, smart, and moving. Wright directs the hell out of it. It might be his best movie yet, and he's made some damn good films. It makes me sad that we live in a world where Wright's films are not considered best-in-class by the cinematic establishment.

8.) Stoker - Too weird for the Oscars? Probably. But Chan Wook Park's American cinematic debut is right up there with Oldboy as a spellbinding psychological thriller that sticks with you and enters the inner sanctum of your mind long after the closing credits role. And some of the acting in the film - from Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman in particular - is aces.

9.) Pacific Rim - So ... wait. How is this not even nominated for best Visual Effects? Pac Rim was far and away the coolest film, visually, in 2013 not named Gravity. Show Guillermo Del Toro some love.

10.) The Way Way Back - Snubbed on multiple levels. Sam Rockwell was fantastic in this, and deserving of a dark horse Best Supporting Actor nom. Toni Collette was similarly great. The screenplay was excellent. Where was the love for this film?

And yet ... like I said, so many great films and talents *were* nominated that it's hard to be all that upset. At least this year. Next year I'll probably be back with extra Oscar-hatin'.


2014 OSCAR PICKS AND PREDICTIONS:

BEST PICTURE:

Should Win: Tie: Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, Her, Nebraska, or The Wolf of Wall Street.

- Like I said, all four of these films were instant classics, in my mind. Gravity was my personal favorite film of the year. 12 Years a Slave had one or two minute flaws, but had moments so powerful - and an important story so well-told - that I sort of see it as most deserving of an award. Her was maybe the most of-our-time, uber-relevant movie of 2013. In another year, it might have been a favorite. Nebraska was, to me, a stunner - Alexander Payne's best yet - funny, visually-striking, and packing one hell of an emotional punch. And Wolf of Wall Street - it was just classic Scorsese. It was balls-to-the-wall awesome, and easily up there with his last Oscar-winning effort The Departed. So yeah, I wouldn't mind if any of these four movies took home the gold.

Will Win: 12 Years a Slave

- I think it will be close. But 12 Years feels like the "important" film that deserves to be recognized. If it wasn't so good, I might take issue. But the film is a friggin' masterpiece, so I'll be supportive if it wins.

BEST ACTOR:

Should Win: Tie: Matthew McConaughey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chiwetel Ejiofor

- This is another loaded category, even without Tom Hanks. All three of the above performances though are pretty next-level, career-best work. McConaughey is just on a tear. In Dallas Buyer's Club he goes full-method, and it's the best work he's ever done. Similarly, DiCaprio is off-the-chain good in Wolf of Wall Street - it's his best-ever work. Eljiofor is doing a big, Shakespearian performance in 12 Years a Slave. But man, the way he conveys emotion with just his eyes, the way he shows you inward rage matched with outward restraint - it's amazing stuff. All three of these guys should co-win.

Will Win: Matthew McConaughey

- 2013 was the Year of McConaughey. Alright? Alright alright alriiiight. The dude has so much goodwill built up between Dallas Buyer's Club, Mud (underrated), Wolf of Wall Street (best cameo role since Alec Baldwin in Glengary Glenross), and now True Detective (incredible). The momentum is too strong. Just go with it, alright?

BEST ACTRESS:

Should Win: Cate Blanchett

- Blanchett was a tour de force in Blue Jasmine. Woody controversy aside, you can't take that away from her. This was a career-highlight turn. I also like Sandra Bullock a lot in Gravity, though the performance is so much about the physical that it seems less substantive somehow than Blanchett's. Amy Adams was also pretty incredible in American Hustle. If anyone deserves to win for that film, I think it's her.

Will Win: Cate Blanchett

- The Woody Allen factor could hurt her, but it could also rally people to her side. Regardless, I think hers was the best and most impressive performance by a pretty decent margin, so ultimately that should win out.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Should Win: Jared Leto

- The only other guy I'd consider in the running is Michael Fassbender, who was phenomenal in 12 Years a Slave. But Leto is the clear favorite. He is heartbreaking in Dallas Buyer's Club.

Will Win: Guys, this is perhaps one of the few sure-things of this year's Oscars. Leto is a lock.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Should Win: June Squibb

- Personally, I absolutely loved Squibb in Nebraska. Hers is the big, bring-the-house-down role, and I loved her in the film. It's not every day that an elderly woman makes you stand up and cheer in a movie. Squibb did, and to me, she deserves a win.

Will Win: Lupita Nyong'o

- It feels like the momentum is in Nyong'o's favor. And she's great in 12 Years a Slave. I guess my only reservation is that her character is perhaps a bit less memorable than the suffering she endures. But still, the Oscars love a good breakout story, and Nyong'o certainly is one.

BEST DIRECTOR:

Should Win: Alfonso Cuaron

- This is another insanely loaded category. I'm not sure I would have given David O. Russell a nod here (I'd give it to the Coen Bros., Spike Jonze, or Paul Greengrass). But the other four guys - Cuaron, Scorsese, McQueen, and Payne - all did absolutely we're-not-worthy work on their latest films. This one hurts. Because I think years from now, Wall St. will be thought of as a total Scorsese classic. And McQueen is just getting started, but what he did with 12 Years is amazing. We've seen the straight-up melodrama version of this story before, but McQueen gave us the art-film, Lynchian, surreal nightmare version. This guy is the real deal. That said ... Cuaron did stuff in Gravity that was just mind-boggling. The imagination and vision needed to conceive what he conceived ... it's beyond the capabilities of us mere mortals. Cuaron is my pick.

Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron

- For all the reasons I mentioned above, I think Cuaron is the favorite. I could see a similar trajectory to the Golden Globes, in which Cuaron takes home the Director prize while Gravity ultimately loses out to 12 Years a Slave for Best Picture.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Should Win: Tie: Her and Nebraska

- I loved both of these screenplays. Her just created this amazingly fleshed-out future world, while at the same time imbuing what could have been a gimmicky story with real heart and feeling. At the same time, Nebraska was just a whip-crack funny yet gut-punch moving story that was quiet, yet spoke volumes, all at once.

Will Win: Her

- I think this may be one of the token wins for Her. I'm not sure though, this one's a touch call. I could see American Hustle taking it. But I think voters will recognize Her not just for its merits but for the clear autobiographical element that Jonze put into it.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Should Win: Wolf of Wall Street

- This is a flipping phenomenal screenplay. The kind that will be quoted by movie geeks for decades. Terrence Winter has done wonders over the years on Boardwalk Empire, but this is a crowning achievement. I mean, holy crap, McConaughey's speech to DiCaprio alone is pure gold.

Will Win: 12 Years a Slave

- This one is super tough to call. John Ridley is a well-regarded writer and there's some very good writing in 12 Years a Slave. I think Wolf of Wall Street could pull it out, but perhaps the (ridiculous) semi-controversy over the movie's morals could hurt it. If I had to wager, I'd guess 12 Years. But would not be upset if Wall Street pulled an upset.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

Should Win: The Croods / The Wind Rises

- Caveat: I have not yet seen The Wind Rises. But it's probably amazing and deserving of a win, as let's face it - Miyazaki is a living legend and just about everything he does is genius. That said, Dreamworks' latest has probably zero chance of winning, but dammit all, I really dug The Croods. I was a fan of Frozen as well, but The Croods to me was the more involving, more fully-realized film.

Will Win: Frozen

- Everyone seemingly loves Frozen among the rank-and-file population. And every Academy voter with kids has probably seen it a million times by now It's a juggernaut - likely an unstoppable one. While there's a chance that the great Miyazaki's purportedly final film - The Wind Rises - will take home what is probably its rightful award, I won't underestimate the hypnotic power of "Let It Go" and the movie that surrounds it.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Should Win: Gravity

- Seemless CGI, eye-popping IMAX 3D, incredible integration of live-action actors with computer-generated sets. Yeah, this one is a futureshock to the system, and yeah, it should win.

Will Win: Gravity:

- It should win, and it will. Sorry Lone Ranger.

BEST FILM EDITING:

Should Win: Captain Phillips
Will Win: Captain Phillips

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Should Win: Gravity (though Nebraska is up there as well)
Will Win: Gravity

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

Should Win: American Hustle
Will Win: American Hustle

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

Should Win: ???

- Okay, I am woefully behind in my documentary viewing. But I've heard so many good things about the film The Act of Killing. It's on my list. It seems like the sort of must-watch, eye-opening doc that is indeed award-worthy.

Will Win: The Act of Killing

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Should Win: Gravity

- I loved the score of Gravity. Made the film that much more immersive and intense.

Will Win: Gravity

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

Should Win: "Let It Go"
Will Win: "Let It Go"

- Did you not read what I wrote above about Frozen. It's a big Disneyfied juggernaut at this point and Let It Go is a big reason why. To be fair, it's a great pop-song, one of the most catchy and most memorable that a Disney animated feature has produced in years.

BEST SOUND MIXING:

Should Win: Gravity
Will Win: Gravity

BEST SOUND EDITING:

Should Win: Gravity
Will Win: Gravity

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

Should Win: ???

- What the ...? The nominees in this category are horrendous. At least throw The Hobbit a bone here ... The Lone Ranger? Bad Grandpa? Ugh.

Will Win: I guess Dallas Buyer's Club because of Jared Leto?

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

Should Win: ???

- Okay, I'm also severely lagging in my recent viewing of Oscar-nominated foreign films. I don't know, I guess none of this year's crop really grabbed my interest. I've heard amazing things about Omar, but I'm curious to see it so as to better understand its politics.

Will Win: The Broken Circle Breakdown

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

Should Win: ?
Will Win: Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

Should Win: ?
Will Win: Room on the Broom

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT:

Should Win: ?
Will Win: The Voorman Problem


And there you go. The bottom line: 2013 was one hell of a year for films. So forget about red carpets and Hollywood politics, and instead celebrate movies that kick-ass, expand the imagination, open eyes, and make you think.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Is a New Scorsese Classic

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Review:

- There are directors whose legend is, perhaps, overhyped ... and then there's Martin Scorsese. 2013 has been a fantastic year for movies - one of the best - but before all is said and done and the book is closed, here comes the master with a film that shows all of the year's almost-great films how it's done. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET completes a thematic trilogy that started with Goodfellas, continued with Casino, and now ends with a third look at the mainstreaming of crime in America. This movie is stylistically similar to those two previous Scorsese classics, and it's just effortlessly amazing. Others have mentioned this, but what quickly shocked me about the film is that, while it builds on themes and aesthetics that Scorsese has dealt with in the past, it feels like the work of a young, hungry, boundary-pushing director - not a 70-year-old veteran. The Wolf of Wall Street is 100% pure cinematic rock n' roll.

Early on, the film delivers a scene so good that it's destined to become an instant-classic. In it, Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort - at this point a young, just-starting-out Wall St. broker - has lunch with one of the big-shots at his new workplace. The big-shot is played by Matthew McConaughey (who I'm now ready to officially declare as the MVP of the movies in 2013), and the conversation between the two is electric. This might very well be the best one-scene performance in a movie since Alec Baldwin explained the principles of "Always Be Closing" in Glengarry Glen Ross. McConaughey breaks down the world of Wall St. in colorful fashion, but basically, his advice boils down to this: being a stock broker is not about helping others make money, it's about creating the illusion of helping others make money. The real trick is to reel suckers in and keep them in with the on-paper promise of future rewards, while you, the broker, rakes in actual cash at their expense. It's here that we start to see the world that Belfort is about to enter - a world based on lies, a world based on greed, and a world that's fueled by excess - sex, drugs, and an insatiable desire for more money at all costs.

Belfort soon becomes a skilled broker, but he gets a bad break when his firm goes under. He finds himself back at the bottom, and takes a job at a small-time brokerage that specializes in penny stocks. But Belfort's salesmanship quickly makes him a big fish in a small pond, and soon enough he strikes out on his own - recruiting old friends to help him form his own firm. Known for its slick sales tactics and debauched excesses, the firm quickly recruits an army of employees who worship at Belfort's altar with cult-like fervor. Soon, Belfort and his cohorts are making more money than they know what to do with, even as they increasingly become immersed in a whirlwind of corruption - attracting the attention of the FBI, who become eager to topple the empire that Belfort has built.

As the film progresses, McConaughey's early advice looms large. Belfort and his cronies don't care about who they're scamming, ripping off, or manipulating to get what they want, and what they want above all else is the all-important sale. That same drive for more, for heightened sensation, is there in Belfort's addictions to drugs and sex. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is a drug-trip movie, no question. There's more coke snorted, pills swallowed, and crack smoked here than in just about any movie ever. Scorsese shows us this in excess so that we can feel the excess, so that it wears us down in a way where the drugs lose all glamor and we just think "enough is enough, these guys are nuts!". And that's exactly the correct response, the response that Scorsese aims for. This is not a film that overtly moralizes. There's no heavy-handed condemnation of Belfort or his destructive actions. Instead, the condemnation is there between the lines. The repetition of scenes of drug-use tell the tale. In this film, the drugs initially seem exciting, and the early scenes of drug use are energetic and almost triumphant. Later, they become darkly comedic - an extended scene of of Belfort and his right-hand-man Donnie (Jonah Hill) slowed to a cartoonish crawl by an overdose of quaaludes is an absurdly hilarious bit of physical comedy. Eventually, the drugs start to seem pathetic. "He's going to that well again?", we think. And so it goes throughout the film. Sex goes from sexy to comedic (Belfort literally screwing his wife atop a pile of money) to pathetic. Belfort's way with words, his gift for inspiring others and creating a cult of personality around himself, follows a similar downward spiral - from triumph to comedy to tragedy. So for those who will misguidedly denounce this film for glamorizing Belfort, I say watch more carefully. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, is, ultimately, a rather brilliant takedown of not just Belfort, but of the kind of immoral hucksterism that set the stage for modern Wall Street culture and the modern financial collapse that that culture led to.  

The film goes to very dark and very depraved places, but it's also, largely, a comedy - with numerous over-the-top sequences that are flat-out hilarious in their absurdity. Scorsese's defense-mechanism response to the sheer repulsiveness of Belfort and his Wall St. culture is to send it up in grand fashion. In one of the film's most clever repeated conceits, Belfort, via narration, will often begin to explain some facet of Wall St., only to cut himself off shrug off the lesson as not-that-important. However, he does explain in full the history of the quaalude and the exact nature of the high it provides. And it's in these details that the satirical brilliance of the movie shines through. For Belfort, Wall St. is a fantasyland bacchanalia - a playground for arrested-development adults to live without consequence. Wives are cheated on, kids neglected, and clients scammed all to achieve a neverending high. But the illusion of that high vs. the ugly reality is the source of much of the movie's humor. We see the ridiculous havoc that Belfort wreaks on his mind and body via his drug abuse, contrasted with his belief that the drugs are what give him his power, like spinach for Popeye. We see how these stockbrokers psych themselves up, believing in Belfort's rhetoric that labels them as killers and assassins. And yet, Scorsese depicts them as spineless sheep, as brainwashed losers. This is apparent in Jonah Hill's Donnie - who first appears as a geeky, creepy sort of guy who's widely mocked (and rightfully so) for marrying his cousin. Donnie quickly latches on to Belfort and becomes his Number 2, and as he gains wealth and power, Donnie starts acting like a douche - humiliating young employees and picking fights with others in Belfort's inner circle. Donnie clings to the idea that Wall St. success has made him into something more than he once was. But really, he's still just a sad sack who's married to his first cousin.

Both Hill and DiCaprio do fantastic work here. Speaking first about DiCaprio, this may be his best-yet collaboration with Scorsese. This is DiCaprio unhinged - he goes big, he goes crazy, and he even delivers scenes of physical comedy that show him to be incredibly gifted in that regard. This is the actor's most fully-inhabited role to date. He nails it. Hill, meanwhile, I really didn't know he had this in him. He hangs with DiCaprio and holds his own. I was shocked by how good he was in this film.

Hill is a surprise, but another surprise was Margot Robbie as Belfort's second wife, Naomi. When first introduced, I assumed that Robbie was just there to play a small role, to help further the rift between Belfort and his first wife, whom he married young and quickly grew apart from. Soon enough though, I realized that Naomi was a major character in this story, and that - wow - Robbie had some serious acting chops to match her seriously stunning looks. She too goes toe-to-toe with DiCaprio, and she too holds her own and doesn't give an inch. There are some other fine supporting turns in the film: Rob Reiner as Belfort's bemused dad, and Jon Bernthal as an old buddy of Belfort's who becomes their money-man. I also enjoyed seeing The Artist's Jean Dujardin show up as a rule-bending Swiss banker.

The film is impeccably shot and edited by Scorsese and his team. The stylistic trademarks from Goodfellas and Casino are back - the freeze frames, the slo-mo, the voiceovers, the visual dynamism. Scorsese mixes chaos and precision like no one else. He bobs and weaves through large crowd scenes and visually dense action, but he does so with a care and purposefulness that most directors lack. I've also got to give credit to the sharp script by Terence Winter. The movie is jam-packed with memorable and quotable lines - there's some great dialogue here that's got a lot of snap and a lot of sizzle.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is masterful on many levels. It functions as a biting, razor-sharp attack on the worst aspects of a capitalist society that's lost its way - a society that's built on and feeds off of corruption and false promises. We too are complicit in Belfort's evil, because we as a people willingly buy into what he and his ilk are selling, and enable the system that is ultimately, in many ways, a house of cards. In many respects, Belfort is America. Before his rise to Wall St. power, the old-money guys were, mostly, left alone by law-enforcement. But his story was that of a self-made man. That allowed him to surpass his born-with-a-silver-spoon competition, but it also left him vulnerable. To succeed at the level he hoped to, he had to get dirtier, meaner, and more ruthless than the establishment ever did. To achieve his version of the American Dream, he had to essentially lose his soul. But is it better to dance with the sinners than starve with the saints? THE WOLF OF WALL STREET pointedly asks that question, arching a mocking eyebrow at the pitfalls of unbridled excess.

My Grade: A