AMERICAN HUSTLE Celebrates 10th Anniversary

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from director David O. Russell and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment comes a look back to the AMERICAN HUSTLE.

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a complete con man who takes life one hustle at a time. He falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who helps bring the hustle a few steps up the ladder and classier.That is until they get caught by Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) who is a hustler of another kind. 

As an FBI agent Richie wants to get all the bad guys from politicians to the mafia and he’s going to use Irving and Sydney to do it.

Beginning with Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), Irving begins to lead Richie further and further into it all. The plan is to have a Shiek Abdullah (Michael Pena) invest in New Jersey to bring industry and jobs. But there is a problem, Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), a woman whose mouth and attitude have no filter.

Now Irving, Sydney and Richie are spinning like crazy to keep the hustle under control before they all fall down!

Bale as Rosenfeld is interesting to watch – not for acting reasons but because of his character’s mannerisms and dress. That in itself is enough to jaw drop because the transformation is pretty wild. That being said his performance didn’t blow me away and I’ll sum up why after I’ve finished here.

Adams as Sydney gets a chance to be gritty in her low cut nicely done British accent. Between babysitting Irving and charming Richie she had more than her fair share of man problems. There was no doubt who was the brains of the operation – it’s just too bad she was dealing with those two guys!

Cooper as Richie is pretty much a twitchy-perm-wearing-living-with-his-Mom-wanna-be-FBI-big-shot. Yea, he’s still cute but not so cute as to kind of bore me a time or two. I know, I know maybe I had seat-lag or something.

Renner gets to play a nice guy family man politician who isn’t above trying to make his hometown a better place or is he a nice guy family man politician who isn’t above taking a bribe masked as a make is hometown a better place – I don’t know.

Lawrence as Rosalyn is annoying, but that’s the point. She’s married to a criminal and as long as that criminal keeps her happy it’s all-good. My problem here is that the commercials make her role out to be so big when it’s only her presence that’s so big!

Other cast include: Jack Huston as Pete Musane, Shea Whigham as Carl Elway, Alessandro Nivola as Anthony Amado, Elisabeth Rohm as Dolly Polito and Louis C.K. as Stoddard Thorsen with a nice cameo that I’m keeping to myself.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Bonus Materials include presented on 4K Ultra HD Disc Presented in 4K Resolution with Dolby Vision, Featuring English Dolby Atmos + 5.1 Audio, HDP and Atmos approved by Director David O. Russell and Theatrical Trailer.

On Bluray Disc the Special Features include Feature Presented in High Definition, English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Audio, Eleven Deleted and Extended Scenes and The Making of AMERICAN HUSTLE.

The music was awesome, the costuming brilliant and parts of the story interesting to be sure. I felt like I was watching a twisted GOOD FELLAS and an equally twisted version of THE STING. The costumes are absolutely stunning and that could be because I remember a few of the outfits Adams wore. It was a cool time with cool clothes and music that kept us all going in that era.

The cinematography just brings back that time in America from cars to the streets and everything in between. This 4K Ultra HD features include nearly 15 minutes of new deleted and extended scenes. It is also available in a limited edition Steelbook. Celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of AMERICAN HUSTLE!

In the end – everyone hustles to survive!

They Come Together in AMSTERDAM

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Digital and coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and DVD from 20^th Century Studios and director David O. Russell is the trio from AMSTERDAM.

It is 1918 and Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) is off to fight in France during World War I and there he meets his soon to be best friend Harold Woodsman (John David Washington). When both are seriously wounded, they are taken care of by Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie) who has a strange penchant for collecting shrapnel from wounded soldiers.

Making their way to Amsterdam, they all spend time together until Burt goes home to New York City and becomes a doctor. Eventually, Harold follows to become a respected lawyer in the same city. Time passes and both men have their own practices which brings Harold to call upon his friend Burt to find out what killed their regimental commander, Bill Meekins. It is his daughter Elizabeth (Taylor Swift) who wants the answers.

Irma St. Clair (Zoe Saldana) helps Burt discover what could have happened and then chaos breaks loose. Now Burt and Harold are suspected of murder! Both men begin to look for answers to clear their names and it shocks them leading to Valerie! Her brother Tom (Rami Malek) and his wife Libby (Anya Taylor-Joy) who worries that his sister might have mental health issues.

Explaining their predicament, Tom suggests they seek out General Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro) who knew Meekins. Inviting him to speak at the veteran’s gala, Burt and Harold are hoping that those responsible for everything will unknowingly reveal themselves.

Now comes the fast past unraveling as a hitman is after them, the Council of Five is a mystery, there is a secret meeting at the Waldorf Astoria and a plot to removed the President of the United States is met with a gala of beautiful people planning heinous things.

Things were quieter in Amsterdam!

Bale as Burt is afraid of what his wife will think of his injuries when they first happen but also knows that after spending time in Amsterdam, it is time to go home. Becoming a doctor is a way he can help his fellow man, even if he can’t be helped. Bale is a tad scary looking in this role but that starts to fade away when the character just wants to clear his name. Oh, there is the occasional eye thing to remind us of his frailties but his mind works just fine.

Washington as Harold equally wants to help people and knows he can always rely on his friend Burt for help. He doesn’t realize that his latest need for it will cause them both to be on the run! Washington gives us a solid character who knows his heart and is equally as quick as his mind takes it all in and pieces it together.

Robbie as Valerie loves both of the men but in love with just one. She helps them start their lives and fades into obscurity, or so both men thought. Once they realize who she is, Valerie wants to help and if it means being a little nutty doing it then – so be it. We know Robbie can do crazy and it works.

Taylor-Joy as Libby is just as mean as she wants to be under the guise of a caring sister-in-law. Personally, I would have knocked her down a peg or two with a hammer but that’s just me. Saldana as St. Clair helps Burt but keeps her feelings to herself. She is calm, cool and collected which Burt sometimes is not.

Malek as brother Tom is a smooth character and keeps his gentlemanly like composure, well, 99% of the time anyway. De Niro as Dillenbeck is another cool cucumber who wants the answers as to who is responsible for the death of his friend Meekins. He will go along to get along but won’t be bought – period. That’s a De Niro character right there!

Other cast include Alessandro Nivola as Det. Hiltz, Andrea Riseborough as Beatrice Vanderheuvel, Chris Rock as Milton King, Matthias Schoenaerts as Det. Getwiller, Michael Shannon as Henry Norcross, Mike Myers as Paul Canterbury, Timothy Olyphant as Tarim Milfax, Beth Grant as Mrs. Dillenbeck, Casey Biggs as Augustus, Colleen Camp as Eva Ott, Leland Orser as Mr. Nevins, Tom Irwin as Mr. Belport, Dey Young as Alvelia and Ed Begley Jr. as Bill Meekins.

Twentieth Century Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. To see what is currently available to add to your own family library please visit. www.movies.disney.com for their At Home titles!

The Bonus Feature includes Welcome to Amsterdam – Learn How this original, witty crime epic was made. Hear from the writer/director about his process, the actors who transformed into their characters, and discover how the production created the period look of this visually spectacular film.

AMSTERDAM is a noir thriller with everything in the mix! There is forbidden love, longing, war, secrets, spies, mystery, death, chase, suspects, twists, turns and more twists and that’s probably in the first hour alone. This is a large cast of characters and each has their own part to add to the extremely large puzzle.

The humor is there and it is subtle which if you are going to do a murder mystery is as it should be. I have always been an admirer of this genre of film because, as much as the costuming and settings are an added character bonus, it is the actors who make it all happen. They create these unusual people with unusual background stories that don’t seem so unusual once it is all unraveled.

So, popcorn up and guess who done it!

In the end – let the love, murder, and conspiracy begin!