I'll Huff And Puff And Sell You Stocks

Despicably wild sex, Drugs and Money. Is your eye caught yet? Well this true story about stock brokers has all of the above. Really? Stock brokers? Yes. This is The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young confident stock broker. Fresh to the floors of Wall Street, he is ready to make money. Briefly mentored by (Matthew McConaughey) before the company they work for goes under, leaving Belfort out of a job. However, the discovery of how much money can be made through penny stocks inspires him. Within no time, himself and his partner, Donnie (Jonah Hill), have more money than they know what to do with. Was it all legal? Well, as the trailer tells us, absolutely not. But with a several serious drug addictions, especially Quaaludes, an obsession with sex, a model wife, Naomi (Margot Robbie), and an FBI agent, Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) surrounding his daily life, who can help but caught up in a roller coaster of a rock and roll life style? It is time to beat your chest, hum, and make some money.

Belfort discusses phoney accounts with his partner. 

DiCaprio at his finest is a difficult expression to use, especially here, for two reasons. Firstly, when is DiCaprio not at his finest? He is one of the modern greats and has been since he first appeared on the silver screen, so it really goes without saying that he is 'at his finest'. Secondly, Belfort is such a disgusting person that 'fine' is never really a term that can be used to describe him, especially when he is drooling and slobbering from his drugs. However, it is DiCaprio's fantastic performance that perfectly balances Belfort's horrid nature with enough charm and charisma to make us sympathise with him. In someone else's hands, Belfort could easily have become a monster, which would have cleared a lot up for those who thought that the film glorifies Belfort's actions, but who wants to watch that film? The ensemble around DiCaprio, too, are excellently cast. Hill, as Donnie, uses the acting skills he showed in Moneyball and his famous drug-loving comedy persona in one character to hilarious effect, creating a truly loveable character, despite the law-breaking and things. Robbie, as Naomi, connects brilliantly with DiCaprio's Belfort but at no point does she become like the other women in the film - dependant on men and money. She is a loving mother as well as a (mostly) strong woman, fully in charge of her sexuality. (Helen O'Hara writes excellently about the women in the film for Empire Online.)

When you are rich, you can eat, literally, anything you want.

Scorsese has changed a lot over the years, but perhaps the last two years show the biggest jump. Hugo, the film for the children, to The Wolf Of Wall Street, the sex, drugs, and greed based adaptation of the memoirs of a multi-million dollar criminal. But what a jump it was. Scorsese's clever condemnation of all thing Belfort, and on grander scale, the whole of Wall Street, is a packed three hours that draws to light the problems of living life to the full and the corruption that greed can cause. Combined with Terence Winter's screenplay, we are let into a world that most of us will never experience. The world with too much money. But we are shown how it can destroy a soul as it did Belfort. This is never glorification of Belfort's lifestyle, but rather an experience of it. We simply tag along for the ride whilst Scorsese takes us on a trip, excuse the pun. With an incredible use of the soundtrack, which jumps between emphasising a scene and completely juxtaposing it, The Wolf of Wall Street oozes its gritty yet charming atmosphere out into the world and you cannot help but get sucked in with it.

The film is like the cocaine that Belfort snorts. It hypes you up and when the high it causes is over, you will be begging for more. One of the few films that runs around three hours that you would want to watch again straight after. The ensemble are magnificent and Scorsese is back on his best form. Not for those who dislike foul language. There are 506 uses of the varieties of 'fuck', as well as every other curse word under the sun

Best Bit? There are plenty of moments, but DiCaprio and Hill are revolutionary in a sequence that involves driving high and wrestling over the phone. It is one part hilarious, one part horrifying, but most of all, DiCaprio provides some of the finest physical acting in recent years. 

Finding Osama Bin Laden

A film that has led to a full scale inquiry into the US army and their 'interview methods' in the war against terror. From the only female director with an Oscar under her belt, we are brought a journalistic account of one of the biggest man hunts in history. This is Zero Dark Thirty

It's two years after the September 11th attacks and Maya (Jessica Chastain), a young CIA operative had just moved to a CIA black site in the Middle East to join the interrogation team. Sceptical towards the aggressive methods that her college Jake (Jason Clarke) uses, she sees the advantages of such methods. She begins to become obsessed with the case of finding Bin Laden and believes their best lead is in finding Abu Amed. The mission takes over her life as she constantly is rejected by her superiors, George (Mark Strong) and Joseph (Kyle Chandler) for focusing on old theories and a lack of evidence. But she perseveres This is not a story where you want to know what happens - you already know the ending - this is learning how it happened.

American propaganda? Naaaahhhh.

Chastain’s performance is, obviously, the central point of the whole film. There is no doubt that she is a strong actress. She is brave, bold, and powerful. As Maya, she shows how authoritative a successful secret service operative needs to be, regardless of gender. She really captures Maya’s intelligence and dedication, painting her, very commonly, as a bit of a badass; rebelling against authority, forcing her superiors to bend to her will, and focusing on one man for eight years. Sometimes Chastain comes across as suddenly over-emotional, though. There are points that seem too much like they are ‘I need to shout to be a good actress’ moments. Some of these sections, it can be assumed, are down to the direction, rather than the acting. The supporting cast are also fantastic. There is something jarring about the most likeable character in the film also being the most brutal interrogator but, at the same time, it is a testament to Jason Clark‘s performance that he managed to make that paradox a reality. It is one of the most engaging aspects of the film.

Is there an American flag in every shot?

Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is sturdy and solid. She does not hold back – in a very similar way to The Hurt Locker – but, very intelligently, does not present an opinion in her work. She creates a debate. There is no doubt that Zero Dark Thirty is a piece of pro-America cinema, but the more controversial matters – the representation of torture and Islam – are left for the audience to decide how they feel. For example, torture is shown but not in a negative or positive light. It is unnervingly neutral and this seems to be where the largest issue is caused. People want condemnation of torture and xenophobia, and anything less than that is considered praise. Bigelow is a master of avoiding opinion but opening discussion. With excellent camera work, the film’s only real technical flaw is its length. It starts dragging on unlike some of the other nominations of a similar length (see Lincoln) but this can be looked past as the film is of a strong enough quality to encourage the  audience to persevere.

A heavily researched piece of film which tells the story behind one of the most well-known events of recent years. No doubt you will learn something – though do not trust all you see – and you will be entertained. Good for fans of The Hurt Locker as Bigelow seems to have found her stride in politically encouraged war films.

Best Bit? Naturally, the Navy Seal operation was long waited for throughout the film and tense throughout.