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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Stylish, funny and very entertaining
The Wolf of Wall Street is Scorsese's best film since Goodfellas. It's stylish, funny and very entertaining.
Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street actually have a lot in common. For one, they share the same narrative arc: one film is about the rise and fall of Henry Hill, the other, Jordan Belfort. They also have a lot in common stylistically, such as tracking shots, freeze frames, narration and breaking of the fourth wall. Goodfellas is ultimately the better film, though - it has more depth and feels more grounded in reality.
Leonardo DiCaprio gives a brilliant performance, one of the best of his career. His portrayal of Belfort is larger-than-life, captivating, even terrifying at times. Consider, for example, the scene towards the end of the film in which Jordan punches Naomi and attempts to drive off with their daughter. It's one of the film's most powerful moments. The supporting cast is also strong, most notably Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie, who both have great chemistry with DiCaprio. Matthew McConaughey only has a brief part, but it's certainly a memorable one at that.
There are so many scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street that could be singled out for praise. Belfort taking 15-year-old Quaaludes and entering the "cerebral palsy" phase is hilarious. Then there's Belfort's first time selling penny stocks. Belfort's attempt to bribe an FBI agent. The list goes on.
The soundtrack is great. The use of "Mrs Robinson" by The Lemonheads during the FBI raid on Stratton Oakmont is a particularly inspired choice.
Critics of The Wolf of Wall Street have accused it of glorifying Belfort, but such an accusation fails to appreciate that the film is satirical. The film's final scene is crucial to understanding its message. Belfort goes unpunished for his crimes. He continues to be idolised. His audience hangs onto his every word. Scorsese observes that this materialistic, get-rich-quick culture is precisely what gives rise to someone like Belfort.
To the Wonder (2012)
An ambitious failure
To the Wonder is a bold and artistically ambitious piece of filmmaking, which is more than can be said of most films, but it's ultimately a failure.
Malick's film is concerned with themes of love and religion. The director has clearly made a very personal film: he met his second wife in Paris, and the couple lived in Oklahoma before eventually separating.
To the Wonder is unusual in that it contains very little dialogue, which creates an almost dreamlike quality. None of the characters are properly developed, though, and the result is an emotionally unsatisfying experience. Ben Affleck is given little to do other than stare pensively into the distance. Olga Kurylenko spends most of the film twirling. Javier Bardem's Father Quintana feels detached from the rest of the story and Rachel McAdams has little more than an extended cameo.
Certainly the film's strong point is Emmanuel Lubezki's stunning cinematography. Even the biggest detractors of To the Wonder would have to concede that it's a beautiful film.
At its best, To the Wonder evokes the greatness of Malick's previous film, The Tree of Life - but that film had characters you could connect with, so it worked on an emotional level as well as an intellectual one. At its worst, To the Wonder is dull and repetitious. It ends up feeling like a parody of a Malick film, with its self-importance and constant waxing poetic. There's too much style and not enough substance.