Movie Review: Superbad (2007)

Super bad film poster

Plot: Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.

Rating: 5/10

Superbad was, well, SUPER BAD. It is quite likely that I am simply now too old in my 26 years to connect to a movie based entirely on teenage hormones. Jonah Hill’s character is a prick anyway you look at it –being fat does not allow you to be a complete douchebag. Michael Cera’s character is presented as the noble teen – we all know it is a myth, noble teenagers don’t exist. Emma Stone’s character is at least something to connect to, she’s as cool as ever. The best thing about this film is certainly Christopher Mintz-Plasse as McLovin. The kid is hilarious and steals every scene he is in. Well, that is it. The movie is vulgar and over the top, the kids are gross and icky, and I really would have preferred a film exclusively about McLovin. Now THERE is a movie idea.

SB

Movie Review: 22 Jump Street (2014)

22-jump-street-uk-posterPlot: After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college. (via IMDb)

Rating: 7/10

I’ve put off watching this one because I couldn’t see how it would be funnier than 21 Jump Street, and I never found that hilarious to start with. I would say that this is an improvement over the first movie. I had serious giggles in here, and there is some seriously sharp humour if you know where to look. I think Channing Tatum’s character is ridiculously sweet and his slightly duh nature is adorable and fits him well. I also think Tatum is ridiculously hot and he can swing up my balcony like he did in the movie.

(Yes, I just said that)

Back to the movie, the plot is as realistic as comedies get. The characters were all a bit ridiculous, but hey, the human race IS mostly ridiculous if you look long enough at one human being, so it wasn’t way off. University students are generally a bit misbehaved so taking these guys to university was an excellent idea.

Reasons it worked:

The relationship between these two guys:
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Often referred to as a couple in the movie, I LOL’ed because true friendship is a lot like relationships, (hopefully without the nooky), and these two were constantly bitching with each other and fighting like about the silliest things.

Funny, sarcastic, unexpected villain

I suspected the villain after a while, but I still found said villain hilarious and the sarcasm truly funny.

Suns out, guns out

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I’m just never going to discriminate against a good pair of muscles.

The characters are endearing

Jonah Hill’s Morton Schmidt is a neurotic, insecure oke who tries to be as cool and fun as his friend, but rarely manages. Yet while being incapable of the ever elusive cool, he has a charm that often finds him in the winning seat with girls.

Tatum as Jenko is silly, goofy, a bit vacant and endearingly sweet. He has insecurities just like his friend, but it is often forgotten because he seems like the golden boy. He cares a lot for his friends and finds it inconceivable that they could be bad when he has connected to them, and I find that a good trait in anyone.

Recommended: As an easy laugh, definitely

Wolf of Wallstreet (2013)

Wolf-of-Wall-Street-Leonardo-Dicaprio

My name is Jordan Belfort. I’m a former member of the middle class raised by two accountants in a tiny apartment in Bayside, Queens. The year I turned 26, as the head of my own brokerage firm, I made $49 million, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week

Plot:

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government. (via IMDb)

DiCaprio-and-Hill-in-Wolf-of-Wall-Street

Her father is the brother of my mom. Like, we grew up together, and she grew up hot, you know, she fucking grew up hot. And all my friends are trying to fuck her, you know, and I’m not gonna let one of these assholes fuck my cousin. So I used the cousin thing, as like, an in with her. I’m not like, gonna let someone else fuck my cousin, you know? If anyone’s gonna fuck my cousin, it’s gonna be me. Out of respect.

Rating: 8.5/10

I was called a heretic by a certain friend of mine for claiming I would watch this film in two segments, divided neatly in half. I couldn’t do it. Not only was I afraid that I would be burnt as a witch did I dare commit such a horrific crime, the Wolf of Wall Street was too damn good to just turn off and do something as mundane as sleep.

Leonardo DiCaprio scores the home winning run in his portrayal of Jordan Belfort. How he didn’t win an Oscar is now really beyond me. DiCaprio is threatening to become the most undeservedly under celebrated actors of our lifetime and I just can’t see why. Did he annoy someone at the Academy Awards? Is he not a good enough person? Didn’t he just donate a gazillion dollars to saving the earth from angry killer people? I thought the small part of Matthew McConaughey (WHAT is up with these weird surnames?! I have to friggin spell-check that shit every five seconds) showed what a great actor Matt is – not like in Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past. However, nothing could reach the brilliant charm of DiCaprio.

There seems to be only good things floating around the internet about this – save one or two jackasses who wants to incur the anger of my bestie – but I had been warned that the movie was somewhat offensive and shocking. I would just like to ask that the whole world grow a pair because it was not that bad. Really, there is a lot of boob, drugs and swearing but compared to other material it is merely on the same level – not breaking any new records. If you have lived through the Game of Thrones series then you can stomach The Wolf of Walf Street.

It naturally took me fifty thousand years to get around to watching this – you know I never get into the hype of things lies. (I was actually just a bit scared of the time I would have to sit through watching this – who has three hours of uninterrupted time?) The movie is a whopper in terms of time, hence my initial plan to watch it in segments. Except for one or two scenes I thought went on a bit too much, the movie moves effortlessly from scene to scene with the required attention to detail, never once dragging to an extent where it felt like three hours – a nearly impossible feat.

belfort pool

The most offensive part of the movie was the constant reminder that this all went down and that Jordan Belfort is a real man that did these things. Seeing him only as a character in a movie is one thing but fitting the drugs and greed into one live human being seems unbelievable. I simply cannot fathom what madness could possess a person to become like that.

So, everyone on the planet bitches about this teensy tiny fact, but how the fuck is Leonardo DiCaprio WITHOUT AN FRIGGIN OSCAR?! He is brilliant. He is good. He always gives good performance and never does anything remotely shitty. He is entertaining as Jordan Belfort and endlessly so. HE just gives such authenticity to the character and makes you see the corrupt soul of the man he portrays.

Another gobsmacking performance came courtesy of none other than Jonah Hill. He is not quite on the low Adam Sandler has reached, but he has some movies that makes me wonder how he did not burn the second he set his feet in Hollywood. He was weird and very freaky in this movie, married to his cousin and prone to violence in the WoWS.

Both wives of Belfort were beautifully portrayed by the Margot Robbie and Cristin Milioti. His second wife was much more up to handling his debauchery, merely because she had already had some experience in the weird world Belfort was a resident of. I liked her – I think her main attraction was the money but she was beautiful and intelligent enough and I think that equipped her with enough power to know that she could tell him where to get off and didn’t mind yelling at him. I didn’t think he deserved either wife.

The Wolf of Wallstreet is a truly rare movie in the sense that there isn’t a bad moment. My only complaint is some of the scenes really felt dragged.

Looking under the “shocking” cover of the Wolf of Wall Street you will discover an excellent movie exploring what greed does to a person.

Recommendation: Just do it. Belfort certainly did.