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Posted: **Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:26 am**

Set as a fictional account of Abscam, it follows the story of a couple of con people who are leveraged by the FBI to bring about their own investigation against the mob and several politicians.

I wouldn't say this movie lived up to the hype, but the acting, dialogue, plot, etc were all great. I wouldn't see this as a Best Picture candidate. The addition of two actors from Boardwalk Empire (also set in NJ) was kinda funny.

The acting was very solid: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner are the main characters. Robert DeNiro does a solid turn as a small character.

LOTS of Amy Adams sideboob. And apparently she's a stripper at the start of the movie, but I missed the very beginning cuz I had to pee and we were running late from a sushi dinner. Not sure if there was any actual boob in that scene, and didn't feel like asking my wife.

Interesting story, definitely worth watching, but nothing spectacular.

Posted: **Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:27 am**

Oh, and reading about Abscam, came across this:

Larry Pressler
Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) refused to take the bribe, saying at the time, "Wait a minute, what you are suggesting may be illegal." He immediately reported the incident to the FBI. When Senator Pressler was told Walter Cronkite referred to him on the evening news as a "hero" he stated, "I do not consider myself a hero... what have we come to if turning down a bribe is 'heroic'?"

Amen, Larry.

Posted: **Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:33 pm**

Synopsis:

David O. Russell spends two hours and 4 huge salaries boring the fuck out of you.

Review:

I imagine his first and only bits of direction to Amy Adams involved her wardrobe imp. "I want those necklines so plunging they're mistaken for suicidal, and so help me God, if she wears a bra for one scene, I will fucking fire her." Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper bounce Amy back and forth between them like a racquetball. Then there's Jennifer Lawrence, who's there strictly to annoy the fuck out of you and advance the plot. I kept hoping all four ended up dead at the end.

This movie has two speeds: plodding and "a prehistoric, gigantic turtle is in the passing lane on the highway holding up traffic." There's a brief cameo with Robert De Niro where the speedometer reaches a pace you might call "ambling along a Grand Canyon hiking trail with a group of retirees from Florida." The climax of the movie hits you right between the eyes with all the impact of a Mark Trail/Brenda Starr comics crossover from 1978, which by the by, this movie does a shitty job of recreating the look, feel, and style. That 70s Show did a better job.

Verdict:
Best film, my ass.

Edited By Malcolm on 1441679663

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