Saturday 20 February 2016

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 Martin Scorsese)

I'm sorry but I thought it was too long this time (previously summer 2014). Marty, can't you make a normal length film? (Not that I've got anything against long films per se: I'd watch The Best Years of Our Lives at the drop of a hat. It's just films that feel too long.) So for example the later stuff on board the yacht in a storm seems unnecessary.

It's interestingly old-fashioned in that it's not a Steadicam film, rather all the marvellous tracks, pans, whip pans and other fluid camerawork are all done in the old-fashioned way.

Leo is simply superb, giving a performance of extraordinary physicality - he, the unmissable Jonah Hill, Marty, Terence Winter and the film itself were nominated for Oscars but was beaten by 12 Years a Slave, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) and John Ridley (12 Years a Slave).

Still a lot of it is terrific fun. In one of the office party scenes I was definitely getting a flavour of Fellini, and the office itself could be straight out of The Apartment.

I could do worse than listen to the wolf's sales motivation speech.

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