A handful of movies were released before and during winter break that have already recieved numerous Oscar nods. There was certainly something for everyone with every type of movie from animated musical to raunchy biography being. These are some of the best movies of break:
Wolf of Wall street
director: Martin Scorcese
notable cast members: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
Every aspect of this movie is utterly shocking, to say the least. With the constant scenes full of cocaine and naked women, use of over 500 F-bombs, and the length of the movie totaling three hours it’s easy to see why. It is definitley not a feature film you should plan on seeing with your family, let alone sitting right next to your dad. But don’t let all of that discourage you. This movie is fantastic.
As he does in every movie he stars in, Leonardo DiCaprio absolutely captivates the audience. He makes them believe that he really could be the coniving, dirt-bag character of Jordan Belfort that he portrays. The rest of the cast is just as excellent and convincing. Jonah Hill in particular was enjoyable to watch and it was nice to see a slightly more serious side of him as opposed to his usual awkward, goof-ball side-kick character.
Over all Martin Scorcesse does commendable job. He portrays the heads of Wall Street in a way that you know they are despicable people, but you can’t help but envy their lavish lifestyle and nonchalance. Then reality sinks in, and you realize, “wait, these people are actually terrible and ruin lives.”
All morals aside, this movie is positively entertaining and the three hourse fly by.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
director: Ben Stiller
notable cast members: Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Sean Penn
I hadn’t heard much about it when I went to see “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The movie is cute and quirky and has you leaving the theater thinking, “Wow, I never knew Ben Stiller was that short.”
One thing I will say about this movie though is that the scenery was phenomenal. I’ve never seen a movie with more beautiful settings and landscapes and it really impressed me as a viewer. The snowy mountains and rolling hills were absolutely breath-taking.
The movie is a mostly a serious story about a middle-aged man (Ben Stiller) breaking out of his shell and finding love, but there are still subtle hints of humor here and there. They keep the movie light and fun without trying too hard.
I liked the duo of Wiig and Stiller; it was like watching awkward, newly dating teenagers interact, but in an endearing sort of way. My only problem was with Wiig’s character herself. This is one of the most serious roles I’ve ever seen her play and it was just weird for me. She needs to stick to Target Lady and Gilly because there, she’s golden.
I’d say this is the feel-good movie of the year and makes for a great family outing.
Anchorman 2: the Legend Continues
director: Adam Mckay
notable cast members: Will Ferrel, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd
I’m a sucker for slap-stick comedy. If there’s a hint of hilarity in there you’re bound to find me rolling on the floor, stitches in my side. Suffice to say it didn’t take long before I was already crying from laughter while watching “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
I had read about the movie in Rolling Stone a few weeks before and read that the goal of the film was to be as outlandish and crazy as they could be. And boy oh boy, did they reach that goal.
The movie starts out about as you would imagine: old characters are re-introduced, stupid-but-hilarious jokes are made, the works. But two-thirds of the way through the movie takes a complete nose dive into obscurity. At one point I found myself thinking, “What the actual heck am I watching right now?”
A lot of it doesn’t make sense, but it’s Anchorman and Will Ferrel, so you’ll be laughing too hard to care. If you’re a snooty, self-proclaimed movie critic then sit this one out. However, if you’re looking for a good laugh and want to find out how the legend proceeds, this movie won’t dissapoint.
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