"American Hustle" and "12 Years A Slave"

Melanie and I saw two great ones yesterday, "American Hustle" and "12 Years A Slave" in that order.  I noticed there were fewer theaters playing "12 Years A Slave" than a week or two ago so I figured I'd better see it before they pulled it.  "American Hustle" I think just opened fairly recently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hustle_(2013_film)

"American Hustle" is a LOT of fun.  It's directed by David O. Russell who also directed "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Fighter," and I think some of the "Argo" people might have be involved in this one.  It's got a similar vibe to "Argo," but that might just be because both films are set in the 70s.  It also has a bit of a "Goodfellas" feel.  Robert De Niro even has a small but effective cameo in the flick.  Christian Bale is a real standout.  I don't know if he put on weight for the role but it sure looks like it, and he has a comb over which is a marvel of engineering, spirit gum, and hair spray.  He seems to be having a blast, sinking his teeth into a non-leading-man-ish character, con artist Irving Rosenfeld who is brilliantly skeevy and schlubby though surprisingly likeable.  Jennifer Lawrence does a great job in a role she's probably too young for, but man does she sell it.  Amy Adams is amazing in a slinky, sexy role, Bradley Cooper plays a character with a surprise ending, and it even has Jeremy Renner playing the mayor of NJ.  (I've been a fan of Renner's ever since he was on a reality Bravo show called "The It Factor" around 2000 or 2001.)  The movie even has Louis C.K., what more do you want?  This is the kind of movie only Hollywood can make but so seldom does, a huge production with great cinematography, costumes, sets, lighting, and a huge budget, with (in this case) a script that doesn't talk down to the audience.  See this one, one of the best of the year.  As soon as it was over, Melanie said, “I want to see it again.”

Oh she will.  I’m buying it when the Blu-ray comes out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Years_a_Slave_(film)

"12 Years A Slave" is a completely different movie, but the equal to "American Hustle' and, depending on what you respond to, possibly the "better" film.  They're so different though, it's like picking the best fruit between an orange and an apple; they’re both perfect at what they are. 

Maybe three weeks ago a friend of mine said he saw “12 Years A Slave” and said it was great and he was glad he saw it, but he never wants to see it again.  It's a very heavy movie.  Oddly enough, Melanie and I both thought it was tamer than we'd expected, but we'd heard so much about it, I think nothing short of torture-porn would have delivered what we feared we'd see.  But don't misunderstand, this is a hard-hitting look at an ugly period in American history. 

Without giving anything away, we see early in the film the kind of life Solomon Northup (played by the soulful Chiwetel Ejiofor) leads.  He's a successful resident of Saratoga in 1841, well-dressed with a nice house, beautiful wife, and two (or three?) children.  Walking through the park, two white men ask to chat with him and address him as "Mr. Northup."  This is all to let us see how successful and accepted Northup is as a free black man, but I wondered how much of this was accurate and how much of it was there to better contrast with his eventual kidnapping and selling into slavery to an unnamed southern state.  There was no slavery in 1841 Saratoga, true, but were race relations really as cordial as they are here?  Maybe, but I was skeptical it might be an exaggerated movie device instead of an honest depiction of Northup’s life (the film is based on a true story).

There are amazing performances in this movie.  Michael Fassbender is getting a lot of attention and he deserves it.  You've never seen him like this, and he's utterly convincing playing an unlikable character.  Lupita Nyong'o is unforgettable as Patsey, and it’s her debut!  What an achingly perfect performance. Benedict Cumberbatch is in it (the BBC's new Sherlock Holmes) playing a kinder slave-owner, but as one of the slaves points out, a slave-owner nonetheless. 

Ejiofor is as magnetic as always showing more emotion than I've seen him play before, but possibly in the way of many leading man roles, it's oddly a less dynamic role than some of the others; the curse of the hero? 

But this film, like "American Hustle," is also an ensemble piece, and what an amazing ensemble.  The screenplay too is fantastic and gripping, and it gets strong reactions from you.  I agree it's sometimes a hard movie to watch, but that's one indication of its achievement, that it can get those reactions from you.  After all, we know a movie is artificial, it isn’t “real” life passing before you, but the best ones make us feel and respond as this one does.  “12 Years A Slave” is powerful and fantastic, and it has a real shot at winning the Best Picture Oscar this year.