WIZARD OF LIES Comes to Bluray from HBO

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from director Barry Levinson and HBO Home Entertainment is an inside look at corruption and destruction with WIZARD OF LIES.

Bernie Madoff (Robert De Niro) had one of the biggest businesses on Wall Street. Known for being a wizard of making money, people from all walks of life put their life savings into investments. Along with sons Mark (Alessandro Nivola) and Andrew (Nathan Darrow), they were living the life of success.

That is until Bernie must tell his family that the FBI is investigating the business for fraud. This sets in motion a rush to see who will get the information needed or destroy the information first as the FBI raid the offices. Frank DiPascali (Hank Azaria) makes an effort to get to the 17^th floor first!

As the SEC begin their intense investigation, family, co-workers and investors begin to tell their story of how Bernie brought them all in to the business. Now called the worst Ponzi scheme in American history there is over $50 billion (yes, that billion with a ‘b’) in other people’s money gone.

Bernie doesn’t seem to understand the predicament he is in as wife Ruth (Michelle Pfeiffer) begins to see her family unravel. Mark and Andrew have all but stopped talking to their parents and brother Peter (Michael Kostroff) is make it clear to authorities that he knew nothing of what Bernie had been doing.

When the news catches wind of the story, every person who has ever invested with Madoff comes to the realization that their lives have been destroyed. Bernie and Ruth try to decide how to get free of it all in the most dramatic way possible and his sons are bombarded by the press with the allegation that they knew everything.

As the evidence mounts, there is only one thing Bernie Madoff can do, plead guilty and go to jail. Thinking that will stop everything from reaching his family, he couldn’t be more wrong as Ruth, Mark and Andrew continue to be affected by the lies Bernie told for almost twenty years.

This is the story of one man’s lies to the ruin of lives.

De Niro as Bernie Madoff is amazing to the point where I forgot it was him behind the makeup. The fascinating part of his portrayal of this man is how Madoff can not seem to grasp what he had done. There are moments where I kept saying out loud ‘you’ve got to be kidding me man!’ when he would seem to play innocent. That’s what De Niro does for a character that had me so involved in the story what I’m yelling at a man playing the character of a man I’ll never meet. Frakken awesome!

Pfeiffer as Ruth is a woman who can not even imagine that a man she spent most of her life living with was capable of such a thing. Becoming comfortable in the life that Bernie provided, she can not wrap her head around how deep the affect might be. When it all comes down fast, Pfeiffer just brings on the sadness, sass and pain that came hard. Playing opposite De Niro, she is definitely an equal partner in making this story line work.

Nivola as Mark is a son who just wanted to be a part of his father’s business. Constantly told by his father that he isn’t ready, it all begins to make sense when the FBI steps in. The bigger problem is that Mark can not get past what his father did and the public fallout. It begins to become an obsession that is tragic.

Darrow as Andrew knows the only way to get away from what his father has done is by totaling cutting his parents out. Keeping his family safe from the government and the public means doing what ever he must to set things as right as they can be.

Other cast include Kathrine Narducci as Eleanor Squillari, Steve Coulter as Martin London, David Lipman as Martin Flumenbaum, Kelly AuCoin as Agent Cacioppi, Amanda Warren as the SEC Investigator, Mark La Mura as Ike Sorkin, Kristen Connolly as Stephanie Madoff and Lily Rabe as Catherine Hooper.

HBO Home Entertainment has an extensive array of critically-acclaimed and groundbreaking programs found on Bluray, DVD and Digital HD. They have provided viewers with some of the most amazing programs with huge fan bases that include the shows True Blood, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, True Detectives, The Wire, Entourage and Game of Thrones. Launched in 1984, HBO is world wide in viewed entertainment in more than 70 territories around the world! For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.

The WIZARD OF LIES Bluray includes the Bonus Features of In-Depth Interviews with stars Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer plus director Barry Levinson and author Diana B. Henriques. I highly suggest giving this extra a look-see!

WIZARD OF LIES is a compelling look at the story of Bernie Madoff with its twists and turns. The addition of the jail house interview with Diana B. Henriques who wrote Wizard of Lies: Bernard Madoff and the Death of Trust, adds such authenticity and draws the viewer in immediately. I have to say that I was so wrapped up in De Niro and Pfeiffer’s performances that I reacted strongly to the entire film.

Having a look inside the family there is honestly nothing that surprised me in their handling of the situation. How does a family deal with knowing that their lives and everything they believed they have worked for is all a lie? The man they trusted to lead them is a lie? I can not even imagine it.

The script written by Sam Levinson, who also wrote and directed ANOTHER HAPPY DAY, and directed by his father Barry Levinson is well done and shot beautifully. I would expect no less from the Levinson group.

In the end – only those you trust can truly betray you!

MOTHER! Brings More Questions than Answers

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres from writer/director Darren Aronofsky and Paramount Pictures is a test on the eyes and brain when it comes to MOTHER!

Jennifer Lawrence is in the title role of MOTHER! as a young woman who is living in a secluded and large house. Along with her acclaimed poet husband played by Javier Bardem, she is redecorating their home while he fights writer’s block for his next book. 

When a mysterious man (Ed Harris) shows up at their door, she is immediately suspicious of who he is and what he could possibly want. Just as fast, her husband seems enthralled with their visitor and offers him a room for the night. Their guest also seems to have health problems that keep her husband occupied late into the night.

By morning there is another knock on the door and she is surprised to be introduced to their mysterious guest’s wife (Michelle Pfeiffer). She is once again upset that her husband now invites the wife to stay as well saying that having people around invigorates him.

That is until the couples two grown sons (Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson) show up to argue with their parents about the contents of a will. A fight breaks out with horrific results leaving her home while the others run to the hospital. When he returns home, more people show up at the house, and more, and more. She can take no more and demands that everyone leave her house and confronts her husband.

That confrontation leads to a night of passion that brings the joy both had been waiting for. Pregnant, she works more on the house and believes she finally has found happiness. Even more so is that her husband can’t stop writing and a new book is well received. So well received that people show up at their door bringing chaos and disaster – or do they.

Lawrence as Mother is a woman who dedicates herself to redecorating the home she shares with her husband. Constantly supportive, it isn’t until the arrival of the stranger that she begins to feel passed over and at the same time threatened. Lawrence’s character begins the film strong, but, like the film’s turning point just ends up a hot mess (once you see the film please no there is no pun intended).

Bardem as the husband is a man who seems to need constant emotional catering to and a half hour into the film I was over it. There is no chemistry between Bardem and Lawrence which makes his behavior even more annoying to watch. By the time things come around to the last few minutes I lost total interest.

Harris as the mystery man wouldn’t make it five seconds in my house. Arrogant and ignoring Lawrence’s characters wishes, it is an odd character placing and I suppose I’m going to have to think about it more yet I don’t want to. Pfeiffer as the mystery man’s husband actually had spunk, is mouthy and chugs down her special lemonade which makes her even more mouthy and challenging. That being said, there is only so much you can take of that as well.

Other cast include Amanda Chiu as Damsel, Patricia Summersett as Consoler, Eric Davis as Bumbler, Stephen McHattie as the Zealot, Jovan Adepo as the Cupbearer and Kristen Wiig as Herald.

I wanted to like MOTHER!, I was excited about this film and followed all the buzz. So, it is crazy to me that I just don’t know who the audience is for it. Of course Aronofsky is known for his complex films and it’s like a roller coaster ride with him. I was intrigued by THE FOUNTAIN, didn’t like NOAH, adored his directing in BLACK SWAN and JACKIE and now we are back to ‘meh!’ with MOTHER!

This is a film that is absolutely going to have to be experienced but I don’t know who would want to. Quite honestly it was all in for me the first five minutes of the film followed by all the subtle hint dropping throughout the film then, it turns into an experiment in torture (both of myself and the film’s characters).

I’m sure that Aronofsky knew what he wanted to show the viewer but I don’t think he thought of the viewer much. He is asking them to sit through a film that has amazing cinematography and talent but also asks them to figure out what his vision is. He had the makings of a good thriller and it starts out absolutely that way.

I followed along waiting for the “thing” to happen and instead I got thrown into the garbage shoot and I can’t wash off the gunk. Oh well.

In the end – seeing is not believing.