Movie Review Time!

My eyes are sore.
Video games.
Television.
Netflix.
Films.
With all the free time I have, this break has given me plenty of opportunities to catch up on all of the latest movies in theaters. Most are good, but I want to give you the breakdown on my thoughts regarding three movies I saw during the break. Starting chronologically with Anchorman 2. *SPOILER ALERT WARNING*

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Being a sequel to the original Anchorman movie nearly a decade ago, we can note a lot of changes. In first, everyone has aged, most significantly Veronica Corningstone. The couple of Ronica splits up near the beginning and the crew reunites to join the crew of a 24-hour news station, with a few notable characters as well: the handsome Jack Lime, female manager Linda Jackson and Brick's love interest, Chani. With time, Ron's fame grows exponentially and the fame gets to his head, as usual. I won't spoil the rest, but just know another epic battle ensues that is even better than the one in the previous film.
The Good:
First off, the jokes. So many more jokes (I was so lonely, I paid a hobo to spoon with me!). Not only that, but some scenes had me laugh-crying onto my boyfriend's shoulder. The RV scene where the four goons drive to New York was so much to handle with the whole vehicle turning over and watching everyone's reaction in slow motion. Next, Brick. Not only is he still the most random fellow in the group, but the attraction of him and Chani are simply hilarious. And can I say Steve Carrell and Kristen Wiig are the two perfect people for those roles? Then, you analyze the fact that the movie parodies CNN and Fox news quite well, in regards to reporting on what matters vs. things people actually want to see (or are unnecessary to a point...). I thought that was clever. Additionally, the celeb cameos (Drake, Kanye, Will Smith, John C. Reilly, etc....) add to the humor. Overall, it all fits together weird but in a good way.
The Bad:
Hmm...there were some things that didn't come naturally to me. First, the whole attraction from the GNN manager Linda to Ron. I don't know why that was necessary, especially during their dinner date when Ron could not stop saying "black!" in the restaurant. It was even more awkward with the family dinner scene, where Ron cannot say a single non-racist remark towards black people. It was...slightly off-putting. Also, the fact that Ron becomes blind?! I don't know, they lost me at that point. I hopped back on at the fight scene.
Rating:
For a highly anticipated sequel, I'll give it a 8.5/10. No sequel will ever beat its predecessor however, inevitably it is the ridiculousness that prevails. If you come expecting a serious award-winning plot, you're in the wrong theater.

The Wolf of Wall Street
So...I went into this movie thinking it was going to be some happy-go-lucky comedy. At the end, I was speechless. It was nothing like I expected. The story revolves around the life of Jordan Belfort and his "get rich quick" scheme to start a firm called Stratton Oakmont, making phony stock sales that soon becomes a huge success. The initial office environment turns into a wild daily fiesta filled with sex, drugs and occasionally midgets. Many people start taking note of the firm, including the FBI. 
The Good:
The cinematography was a win in my book. Most shots were nicely framed, despite some continuity errors. In general, the actors performed well, including DiCaprio in this particular role. Finally, I would like to say in these types of Wall Street films, my attention was kept throughout. Not necessarily for all the right reasons, but had the concept been dull, I would have passed out from boredom. Kudos!
The Bad:
Here we go...first off, the women. Eighty percent of the women in this film stripped down to nearly nothing to emphasize the "out of control" aspect of Stratton Oakmont. To make it more understandable for people who may think "so what" , I lost count of the number of breasts I saw on that screen. The movie glorifies sex to a point where the viewer is utterly shocked, and even the main woman in Belfort's life gets completely naked from head to toe. Oh, and another thing, the amount of cheating was horrid. Belfort leaves his smart, decently good-looking wife for a blonde bimbo with a repulsive northeastern accent. Great, another movie where the wise, responsible and loving wife gets screwed over by some tripped out, greedy monster who only wants sex. And he cheats on her too, with more prostitutes! I wanted to vomit. What bothered me the most was that the men AND WOMEN in the movie were accepting the fact that there were tons of sex parties and cheating while doing crazy drugs and being complete idiots. I mean, COME ON. Women need to realize their worth, not spread their legs for 20+ men every night. It seriously made me loathe the male species as a whole for like, an entire minute. Or maybe two. Five? Additionally, they made Jordan Belfort this man who was on top of the world, like another Gatsby craze. It sickened me that not only did he got away with what he did for as long as he did, he was a real asshole. Not to mention, when he spoke in front of his coworkers, he was seen as this godly symbol who saved everyone. And the fact that he didn't get stopped sooner irked me. The portrayal of Belfort as this unstoppable man was emphasized by more partying and cocaine and buying expensive things for bimbo wife. Eventually, as we all know the aspect of buying gifts on gifts on gifts for the lover gets old. The bimbo wife wants a divorce from this insane creature, and he freaking hits her. And takes their daughter with him to try and flee. While he is on house arrest. And in a rage, backs the car into some bushes, with the damn child in the passenger seat. I'm sorry, but this man is a total dick. The film fails to depict his downward spiral, and instead shows off his irresponsible, drug-smitten, psychotic life that takes what seems like eras to put behind bars. And for only a few years? I don't want to live on this planet anymore. 
Rating:
This black comedy ticked me off like no other. I understood that the director intended to show the glorious fame Belfort experienced, but it was just a sloppy mess that only snowballed into chaos that somehow at the end of the movie, got swept under the rug as if no one knew about it. 6.9/10. Seems like a fitting number, don't ya think?

American Hustle
I saw this film yesterday, and it intrigued me from the first sound of Duke Ellington. Irving Rosenfeld and his partner Sydney Prosser who are con artists forced by FBI agent Richie Di Maso to pose as advisors for a fake Sheikh. Together, they attempt to bribe a Camden politician and make four additional arrests of famous congressmen. Oh, and Jennifer Lawrence makes a small but strong appearance on the big screen as the unloved wife of Irving. Me gusta.
The Good:
So the story was interesting enough to get me from the start. The music, costuming and sets intrigued me quite a bit. Let me talk about the casting though. My goodness I loved the casting. At first I could hardly recognized Christian Bale in his sleeked-down hairdo but then I saw it. I also couldn't tell if it was Isla Fisher or Amy Adams playing the love interest of Irving, but indeed it was Amy. The narration from the two characters in the beginning hooked me in seconds. Their love story was beautifully established in the beginning and revitalized at the end, bravo. Also, the aggressive nature of Bradley Cooper's character was well executed, and I absolutely adored the scene with those mini curlers in his hair. It was nice to see Jeremy Runner playing a nice, likable character for once. And although Jennifer Lawrence's part was not huge, she was a doll. Her mini freak-outs due to fires, sloppy drunk moments and continuous Jersey accent were on point in the film. At her breaking point, the scene where she madly stomps around the house, ferociously cleaning and flicking her hair to Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" had me in tears laughing! She deserves a lot of credit for the role she played. And planting a smooch on Amy Adams.
The Bad:
There was not too much I had to rant about on this film. The deals did get a little confusing at times, but the arguments between Irving and Richie helped me along the way. Also, the fake Sheikh was totally unrealistic. Maybe that was just my take, but I'm not too sure I'd be convinced. Especially if I were Robert DeNiro, the most skeptical actor of Hollywood. His part was so small I could almost eat it for breakfast. The casting director should have made his part bigger.
Rating:
I think this movie will get great reviews and some awards at the Oscars or Golden Globes. It was a long film, but it was jam packed with awesome moments. Overall, I give it a 9.3/10. Incredibly well done.
I see this year as a good year for film. Some trailers look good, including Monuments of Men, Bad Words and The Other Woman. All I know is that I'm still waiting for word about the 4th movie in the Austin Powers series. They need to jump on that ASAP, I thank you.
Thoughts?
Have any of you seen these films? What do you think about them? Do you agree or disagree with some of the ratings or things I noted, or see something I failed to mention? Post a comment and let me know!
Happy Saturday!