DEATH OF TRADITIONAL CINEMA

From the trailers, AMERICAN HUSTLE promises to be loud, outrageous, silly, ruthless, stylish, and an undeniable Oscar bait. For all those promises, the film delivers a huge check mark. The film is far from perfect, though we can credit director David O. Russell for crafting a throwback caper that shows us how capers are supposed to look and feel like. (Yes, I am looking at you MONUMENTS MEN!) An elaborate fraud operation is perpetrated by partners-in-crime Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser, using the alias "Lady Edith Greensly" (Amy Adams). The film starts with their whirlwind romance which led to a successful partnership, in the spirit of Bonnie and Clyde, without the killings. Irving and Sydney are perfect together, and the camera loves to frame them in moments of ecstasy during the first half of the film.  Yet all these occur despite the fact that Irving is married to Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), a volatile, loudmouth, and controlling woman ...

MONEYBALL, based on the book of the same name by Michael Lewis, reinvigorates the sports drama genre, with its underdog tale and protagonist filled with conviction, yet what makes it a must-see is its exciting look at how the business of sports is played, which is certainly not via conformity. Brad Pitt is in top shape portraying real-life Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane, a former baseball player turned scout trying to manage a losing team. The action begins as Beane defies industry standards and experiments using a calculated approach into predicting success, known as sabermetrics. With the help of Yale-educated economics graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane pushes the limits, much to the dismay of almost everyone around him. The movie takes its time to let its characters explore their potentials, and to build up the result of its analytical premise. In between, flashbacks of Beane’s life as a youngster with his life ahead of him help shape the decisions his chara...

In terms of espionage fiction, two names stand out: Robert Ludlum and John Le Carre. Ludlum became famous to non-followers because of the Bourne series, whereas Le Carre made his mark as a much more sophisticated storyteller (my opinion). So far, the films adapted from his novels that I have seen, THE CONSTANT GARDENER and THE RUSSIA HOUSE were pretty solid suspense-drama (I have yet to see THE SPY WHO CAME IN THE COLD, and am currently reading A MOST WANTED MAN). However, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY proves the most stylistic film adaptation, and an advantage it has is director Tomas Alfredson, who has already showcased subtlety in narration with the Swedish vampire chiller LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Gary Oldman is by all means exhibiting restraint as George Smiley, the story's protagonist tasked with uncovering the mole in British Intelligence secretly leaking classified information to the Russians. Said restraint is rather befitting, since it compliments his character's years of e...