Joy

There's something annoying about female-led projects always being put on a pedestal whenever they're released. Women are half of the world's entire population. Why does everyone start talking about them once they make their presence known amid this bullshit patriarchy?

There's no logical reason as to why women can't be respected by their male peers regardless of intelligence, sense of humor or beauty (which in of itself is overrated). They're the reason for why we walk this earth. If giving birth to you isn't enough of a reason to respect even your own mother, what is?

Okay, that's not exactly the point David O. Russell's Joy is trying to make though it does prove women need to go to certain lengths to be held in the same regard as men. And even that is easier said than done.

This seems to be something that happens constantly not just in fiction but also in real life. Women constantly have to prove their worth to society, get their moment in the spotlight, and then their efforts get brushed under the carpet. (It's even worse for women of color.) Why else do you think there are so many stories about men?

Sorry, back to the review. Joy is good but if you're a woman watching this, you might feel anything but that a good majority of the time. Jennifer Lawrence is good (as she often is in a Russell film) though she needs to do something outside of Russell's films and The Hunger Games franchise. (At least the latter's done with.)

My Rating: ****

American Hustle

"Some of this actually happened." These words open David O. Russell's American Hustle. These words guarantee that the viewer will be in for a very wild ride. These words promise a very insane film.

And Russell certainly held up to that promise. It's a film that revolves around living the American dream of living a life of wealth and luxury. Simple, sure, but nobody stated you had to earn that wealth and luxury legally...

It's amusing because when I first saw the trailer, I thought it would just be an abundance of bad fashion and worse hairstyles. Granted, I did get just that but Russell also provides a partly factual story. (I wasn't well-read on the real life story beforehand, but I still enjoyed the film.)

Even though his reputation with actors is less than stellar, Russell always knows how to get top-notch work from his actors. And American Hustle is no exception. We have Christian Bale abusing his body once again, Amy Adams shying very much away from her usual goody two-shoes roles, Bradley Cooper proving he's more than just a pretty boy movie star, Jeremy Renner being the unwitting pawn of a grand scheme, and Jennifer Lawrence basically stealing every scene she's in. They're all great but my attention stuck solely on Cooper. (I must also mention Louis C.K.'s scene stealing part and Robert De Niro's lone scene.)

It gets a bit chaotic towards the end but American Hustle is overall a very solid film. It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea but it's one hell of a film. It'll also be stuck in your head for God knows how long.

My Rating: ****1/2

Silver Linings Playbook

Apparently the best way to ensure a definitive lock on the Oscars is to make a film revolving around mental illness. (Trust me, AMPAS loves them.) It seems rather crass that something millions of people have is fodder for awards. (Looking at you, Rain Man.)

Yet David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook doesn't over glorify such a thing. (Thank God.) Instead, the film depicts a menagerie of characters who try to survive the hellish monotony that is life.

I admire any director who can every character as compelling as the last. Russell is one such director. (Other examples include Wes Anderson and Woody Allen.) I haven't read Matthew Quick's novel but I have a feeling that Russell stayed true to it.

Even with the most unlikely of names in the cast, the actors are perfect in their roles. Chris Tucker is quite entertaining in his small role. Jacki Weaver, recently recognized for her Oscar-nominated work in Animal Kingdom, is also quite good. Bless Russell for giving Robert De Niro a long overdue good role. (He needed it. Badly.) The MVPs of Silver Linings Playbook, however, are Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. It's clear that Lawrence will get award recognition, but I hope Cooper doesn't get overlooked.

In short, Silver Linings Playbook is a great film. Brilliantly acted and wonderfully written, it's very charming...in a messed up sort of way. Seriously, go see it while you still can.

My Rating: *****

Three Kings

I honestly wonder how David O. Russell's mind works. Who else could make a movie about existential crises and depict it as a comedy? (Well, other than Woody Allen perhaps.)

Being the kind of person that I am, I got curious as to what else Russell directed. I opted for Three Kings, which most people call his best work. It's clear as to why. Going against the norms for most war films, Three Kings depicts not the ongoing carnage of war but its harrowing aftermath.

It's weird. When I first read the premise of Three Kings, I was expecting something along the lines of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. What I got instead was a film that captures the raw consequences war leaves behind. The film feels even more unsettling in the aftermath of 9/11.

The cast is interesting. A pretty boy TV actor (George Clooney), two rappers (Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube) and a music video director (Spike Jonze) are the main actors. And surprisingly they're all great. My favorite of the quartet is Wahlberg, who pretty much proved here that he's a legit actor. (Well, this, Boogie Nights and We Own the Night.)

Three Kings is surprisingly great. Usually I'm not up for war films (too bloody, you know?), but Russell makes it fascinating to watch. Throw in the appealing performances from the actors, and you've got a film definitely worth watching.

My Rating: *****

I Heart Huckabees

I have seen quite a few weird movies in the last few years. Some are weird because you have to pay close attention otherwise you'll lose focus (and the movie's still weird). Others are just weird because the plot's all over the place.

I Heart Huckabees definitely falls under the latter. The plot's bizarre to begin with and it only gets stranger as it unfolds. The concept's interesting, but it just makes for a very weird movie. I wonder what it would've been like had Wes Anderson directed it.

The cast is star-studded, but the two I liked best were Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg. They are both the supposedly serious parts of I Heart Huckabees, but instead they were both the scene stealers.

I Heart Huckabees as separate parts is good. As a whole, however, it's so-so. It's just a jumbled mess of who knows what but I was slightly amused by it. But all in all, it's not that good of a movie.

My Rating: ***1/2