Peculiar Reviewer

There's this hot new drug called The Wolf of Wall Street , and Leonardo DiCaprio is going to take you there; give you what you need. Trust in him, and success it will proceed.  It's 1987, and Jordan Belfort has just landed a job as a stockbroker at a successful Wall Street firm. Belfort earns his broker's license, eager to begin his new career after being guided by his boss Matthew McConaughey , a tribal-humming money man whose 2 keys to success are: masturbating and cocaine on the daily. Then Black Monday hits, and the firm that promised a lucrative future for Belfort goes under. The wolf then becomes partners with his ambitious, equal-minded neighbor Donnie Azoff ( Jonah Hill ), to form their own boiler room of selling terrible stocks to those desiring easy money. Determined to take the successful duo down is FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler), as his investigation into the company reveals stock market manipulation. Jordan Belfort talks to the camera because ...

This Christmas there won't be any warm and fuzzy elf socks to put on at the movies, as the Christmas Day releases will be more true to real life: family brawls, excess partying, escaped convicts, and boxing matches. So many good flick picks that you may have to give your family a rain check on the whole Christmas thing. Let's take a look at the Big 4: The Wolf of Wall Street , August: Osage County , Labor Day , and Grudge Match . 1. The Wolf of Wall Street Another rise and fall story from Martin Scorsese in his next one The Wolf of Wall Street . The true story of Jordan Belfort's rise in the 1990s to a wealthy stockbroker living it up, followed by crime and corruption, of course. This won't be a stretch for Leonardo DiCaprio - he already ran the '90s. Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Jean Dujardin costar.  2. August: Osage County Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts . August: Osage County is based on the Pulitzer-winning play by Tracy Letts about the brok...

I was fully thrilled awaiting the release (following a postponed Christmas day release teaser) of  Baz Luhrmann 's first film in five years -  The Great Gatsby . Why? Luhrmann ( Romeo + Juliet , Moulin Rouge! ) + DiCaprio. I love both and had great expectations, though possibly too great. The Great Gatsby follows the story of Midwestern writer Nick Carraway ( Tobey Maguire ), who comes to an illuminating New York in the summer of 1922. Carraway is drawn into the excess world of his rich and mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby, played by the incomparable Leonardo DiCaprio . Gatsby, who gets a James Bond entrance, throws weekly extravagant parties for random people to show up to, and show up they do, while he manages to remain shrouded in mystery. Rarely does Gatsby expose his identity, yet everyone seems to have a story about who this Gatsby is, and where he comes from. We learn later that Gatsby puts on all these ...

My alarm wasn't set for 5:30am this morning when Emma Stone and this year's Oscar host Seth MacFarlane announced the nominees, but I compiled the gist of it. Villain-ry gets no love at the Oscars this year: Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio are painstakingly left out. Best Supporting Actor category is filled to the brim with all previous Oscar winners. At 85 and 9-years-old, both the oldest and the youngest ever nominees for Best Actress were announced. When I was 9 I was picking scabs and eating grass, so kudos to her. A foreign film no one has seen nabs 5 nominations, including Best Picture. As upsetting as yet another snub for great talent DiCaprio (who literally has no comfort zone as an actor. Seriously Academy, are you still with us?), my favorite film this year, Silver Linings Playbook , did get recognized for the 5 majors: Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Although, it has no chance up against the Spielberg sn...

Slave revenge meets spaghetti western in post-modern filmmaker Quentin Tarantino 's brutal ride/comedy of the races Django Unchained . Django ( Jamie Foxx ), now broken from the chains of slavery after being freed by Dr. King Schultz ( Christoph Waltz ), sets off across America's Deep South with the German bounty hunter. The two rebels are on a mission to rescue Django's wife ( Kerry Washington ) from the unforgettable plantation owner Calvin Candie who runs Candyland, played by no other than Leonardo DiCaprio . DiCaprio sinks his spurs into his Candie, silencing the audience in fear of his wrath during the scene at Candyland which is the most memorable of the film. Tarantino takes his time with each scene, and this is why the viewer remains attentive throughout. The running time is non-existent when the layout is so smooth . Django has many of the Western genre staples, including rural long shots, the outlaw underdog, a quest for justice, and a final showdown (slightly ...

Fall 2012. A DiCaprio Christmas Day double-header. The return of a Master. Two gothimated (that's goth + animated) movies. Which will you choose? The screen awaits. The Master (September 14th) This is Paul Thomas Anderson 's first film since the 2007's knock-out film  There Will Be Blood . This also marks the return of Joaquin Phoenix in his first dramatic role since Two Lovers (2008), a film that no one saw. Of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman will master another performance. Django Unchained (December 25th) Quentin Tarantino directing Leonardo DiCaprio - will Di finally win an Oscar this time?! Or will the Academy wait until he's old and gray to recognize that he's the most talented actor since Marlon Brando. The film is inspired by 1960s spaghetti westerns.   The Great Gatsby (December 25th) Baz Luhrmann 's version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved novel will no doubt be much different than the 1974 release starring Robert ...