By The Short & Chest Hair Curlers
...will curlers for men suddenly come back into fashion? Actually, were they ever really? Considering that they were an integral part of Bradley Cooper's look in American Hustle, I have to assume at least a few dudes were rocking that style back when I was in diapers. After seeing it yesterday, my brother is saying that he wants the buy some curlers for his hair. I'll admit that the thought crossed my mind for a second as well.
The moment I saw the first trailer for American Hustle, I was sold. Of any era of films and film making, I am constantly looking to the 1970's as a creative apex. When I look towards music that made the greatest shift in what was to come, I think of bands of the 1970's. For me, everything about that decade seems like a strange near post-apocalyptic Nirvana. From all recounts, the decade was one of strife and struggle. It also saw some of the biggest cultural shifts in so many areas. So any film made in, set in or about that decade, I feel immediate intrigue.
American Hustle, without trying to sound too hyperbolic, is a modern classic. Much has been made about the performances and I can attest to their brilliance. Christian Bale is at his pristine best here. I think back to a date I had with a woman about ten years ago. We were conversing about the casting of Christian Bale as Batman and she remarked that someone mistakenly told him that he could act. Ten years, three Batman's, one Oscar and a likely possibility of a second to come for American Hustle later, she was correct that something told Christian Bale that he could act. That something would be the Gods themselves. If Christian Bale loses best actor, there is a conspiracy afoot.
The person that surprised me the most was Bradley Cooper. After starting out mostly disliking him, I have been more caught in between finding him slightly annoying and somewhat watchable. In American Hustle, Bradley Cooper shines as bright as possible beneath Earth's yellow sun. Much like Matt Damon in The Departed, Robert Deniro in Taxi Driver or Al Pacino in The Godfather, this was Bradley Cooper firing like an unstoppable jazz trio on their best night. If he wins for American Hustle, it was well earned.
The remainder of the cast was also at their best. The costumes were spot on and making me salivate a bit for a wool suit with a bad combover (or an oversized pompadour ala Jeremy Renner). The soundtrack was filled out with mostly recognizable 1970's pop hits that felt hand picked with great concentration rather than a Time-Life collection glossed over. Every nook and detail of the 2 hours and 8 minutes drew you into a world of a bygone era, feeling authentic to the point of almost being able to reach through the screen to touch the outdated fabric on Amy Adams' coat.
While much written here has described the decoration, the story does well to form the skeleton that keeps the entire structure sturdy throughout. Much like any great film that will stand the test of time, it is a slower burn. It begins with a spark that slowly billows, fans out in an increasingly uncontrollable manner and unexpectedly overwhelms into a massive blaze. Each character walks a tightrope of being wholly untrustworthy and sympathetic. In short, it is the anti-Wolf Of Wall Street.
To call this a modern day any-film-that-came-before-it is to be expected, but unfair. American Hustle has elements of several classics of the decade that it is set in. With that in mind, it is a clone of nothing. American Hustle is receiving a mountain of hype and I will pile on to that mountain by stating that it is all well deserved.
Read: The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns
Listen: Engine Kid Angel Wings
Watch: American Hustle
The moment I saw the first trailer for American Hustle, I was sold. Of any era of films and film making, I am constantly looking to the 1970's as a creative apex. When I look towards music that made the greatest shift in what was to come, I think of bands of the 1970's. For me, everything about that decade seems like a strange near post-apocalyptic Nirvana. From all recounts, the decade was one of strife and struggle. It also saw some of the biggest cultural shifts in so many areas. So any film made in, set in or about that decade, I feel immediate intrigue.
American Hustle, without trying to sound too hyperbolic, is a modern classic. Much has been made about the performances and I can attest to their brilliance. Christian Bale is at his pristine best here. I think back to a date I had with a woman about ten years ago. We were conversing about the casting of Christian Bale as Batman and she remarked that someone mistakenly told him that he could act. Ten years, three Batman's, one Oscar and a likely possibility of a second to come for American Hustle later, she was correct that something told Christian Bale that he could act. That something would be the Gods themselves. If Christian Bale loses best actor, there is a conspiracy afoot.
The person that surprised me the most was Bradley Cooper. After starting out mostly disliking him, I have been more caught in between finding him slightly annoying and somewhat watchable. In American Hustle, Bradley Cooper shines as bright as possible beneath Earth's yellow sun. Much like Matt Damon in The Departed, Robert Deniro in Taxi Driver or Al Pacino in The Godfather, this was Bradley Cooper firing like an unstoppable jazz trio on their best night. If he wins for American Hustle, it was well earned.
The remainder of the cast was also at their best. The costumes were spot on and making me salivate a bit for a wool suit with a bad combover (or an oversized pompadour ala Jeremy Renner). The soundtrack was filled out with mostly recognizable 1970's pop hits that felt hand picked with great concentration rather than a Time-Life collection glossed over. Every nook and detail of the 2 hours and 8 minutes drew you into a world of a bygone era, feeling authentic to the point of almost being able to reach through the screen to touch the outdated fabric on Amy Adams' coat.
While much written here has described the decoration, the story does well to form the skeleton that keeps the entire structure sturdy throughout. Much like any great film that will stand the test of time, it is a slower burn. It begins with a spark that slowly billows, fans out in an increasingly uncontrollable manner and unexpectedly overwhelms into a massive blaze. Each character walks a tightrope of being wholly untrustworthy and sympathetic. In short, it is the anti-Wolf Of Wall Street.
To call this a modern day any-film-that-came-before-it is to be expected, but unfair. American Hustle has elements of several classics of the decade that it is set in. With that in mind, it is a clone of nothing. American Hustle is receiving a mountain of hype and I will pile on to that mountain by stating that it is all well deserved.
Read: The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns
Listen: Engine Kid Angel Wings
Watch: American Hustle
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