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The Wolf of Wall Street


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  • 2 weeks later...

I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. On the one hand, it's wildly entertaining, and easily the best of his collaborations with DiCaprio (it's also probably DiCaprio's best adult performance). On the other hand, it lacks a genuine perspective, a single remotely interesting character (I have no problem with everyone being an irredeemable, despicable cunt, I do have a problem with everyone being an uncompelling irredeemable, despicable cunt), and Scorsese is still embarrassingly inept with female roles. But it is raucously funny and the most immediately vibrant thing he's done since Goodfellas.

Edited by Angelica
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I'm saying it's great as long as you don't dwell on it too much. Or possibly at all.

The characters in Pain & Gain were frequently endearing (albeit in spite of themselves), there's none of that here. Scorsese has exposed humanity in all manner of psychopaths, gangsters etc, he doesn't pull it off here. In point of fact, I don't believe he even tried. But there's so much maniacal shit going on, that it's nowhere near as problematic as it should be.

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and easily the best of his collaborations with DiCaprio (it's also probably DiCaprio's best adult performance).

wat

Wat what?

I hadn't imagined it would be that good.

Yeah but keep in mind, I'm really not a fan of their prior collaborations.

I have yet to see The Aviator, but what about Gangs of New York and/or The Departed? I enjoyed Shutter Island, but and thought Leo was good, but the performance isn't amazing or anything. I thought he was great in the others, though.

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Usually movies about Wall Street have portrayed them as white collar thugs, but still thugs, and I think the way Scorsese was drawn to Henry Hill, he's also drawn to Belfort for similar reasons.

I'm sure Scorsese living in New York has had his encounters over the years with boiler room bullshit artists as much as he did people in the mob. I think it's more about how someone finds themselves having no moral compass, and conning people out of their money.

The book is worth reading because Belfort is fucking delusional, sober or high. Guys like this would sell their own mothers out.

I think the real reason why DiCaprio wanted to play him had to do with this guy, so he has some personal experience with guys like Belfort.

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/biz/features/2226/

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The Aviator is a stuffy, self-important and deeply conventional biopic. Gangs of New York is a mess. The Departed is a mixed bag of great and terrible and I was so bored in Shutter Island that I probably zoned out too often to fairly comment on it. As I've said somewhere in this section before, he's done a lot for DiCaprio as an actor, but it's not artistically reciprocal relationship. Though Wolf is the best they've done together, I really hope they break up now.

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Having read a variety of significant reviews, it's definitely not accurate to say WOWS is the best product of the Di Caprio/Scorsese relationship.

I know we'd all like to consider ourselves reputable critics, but the The Departed is an unquestionably brilliant film. Not only by my own standards, but the majority of respected industry opinions. The response to this however is nowhere near as glowing.

I have higher hopes for American Hustle.

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Sweet Muscular Jesus, do we really have to preface everything we write in this thread with 'IMO'!? It's not math FFS, there's no 'unquestionably brilliant' or 'unquestionably shit' in art and no ones opinion of it can be considered accurate or inaccurate.

Edited by Angelica
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Sweet Muscular Jesus, do we really have to preface everything we write in this thread with 'IMO'!? It's not math FFS, there's no 'unquestionably brilliant' or 'unquestionably shit' and no ones opinion of it can be considered accurate or inaccurate.

I'm not saying that you're wrong, but the weight of reputable critics is not with you (and that's probably quite large given the amount of popcorn they consume :lol:).

After initial opinions are fleshed out, the industry tends to gravitate towards an accepted consensus. The Departed has been affected by that determination positively. Rightly, it's considered a fantastic piece.

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Well, that's the last time I trust my own opinion before consulting Rotten Tomatoes to make sure it's not running against the 'accepted consensus'! Thanks!

Relax, I think you have a very informed input. But rubbishing The Departed is one step too far. :lol:

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