Peculiar Reviewer

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...

Every so often, there is an American picture that rattles your bones, checks your pulse, and reminds you of the real reason why you still buy a movie ticket - to feel. Writer/Director David O. Russell ( The Fighter , Flirting with Disaster ) brings us a new film that is beautifully fucked up, with a touch of old school romance. In Silver Linings Playbook , Bradley Cooper plays a former teacher who moves back in with his parents ( Robert De Niro and  Jacki Weaver ) after being discharged from a mental institution, in hopes to reconcile with his ex-wife. Cooper's character suffers from bipolar disorder with mood swings, which makes it difficult for other people to understand his choice of words. David O. Russell's camera techniques provide a portal into the character's mind, allowing the audience to feel the swings along with him. Silver Linings Playbook is raw, in-your-face drama, and gut-busting comedy. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence p...