The Wolf of Wall Street

Article by: Matthew Elmore, Features Editor

To say The Wolf of Wall Street was the best movie of the year is an understatement.  The movie immediately delves into the life of Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), a young man in New York who wanted to make a name for himself on Wall Street.

By that I mean all he wanted to do was make money, which he did.  He set up his own brokerage firm and defrauded nearly every investor who came through with fraudulent stock sales.  Through this he and his associates made hundreds of millions of dollars and lived their lives to the fullest through sex, drugs, and pretty much anything else you could think of buying with one hundred million dollars.  At least they did this for as long as they could.

This film really hones in on drugs, them being the biggest driving force in many of the characters’ lives.  Since the movie is based on his autobiography, he gives the audience the opportunity to experience the specific drug first hand as much as possible without taking it.

This is achieved through a series of intense audio and visual scenes accompanied by the self-narration of Belfort in the background.  Along with drug use, the film is full of humor due to the many obscene antics Belfort and his associates carry out throughout the story.

This movie shows just how successful man can get once all sense of morality is thrown out the window, and makes the readers ask themselves, should I transform into a self-indulged scumbag who has no moral grounds just in order to get paid?  Many people might say yes, for the lifestyle lived by Belfort in his prime was pure ecstasy.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill absolutely kill it in this black comedy that goes down as one of Martin Scorsese’s best.

With that being said, I would not view this movie if lots of language and nudity disturb you (you’ve been warned).

Thor: The Dark World

Article by: Sydney Houtz, Flair Editor

Thor 2: The Dark World is a phenomenal movie that deserved all 7.6 stars out of 10 it received from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). However, the element that gave it that rating is surprisingly simple. British actor Tom Hiddleston played the character of Loki in this movie, who is the brother of main character Thor (played by the gorgeous Chris Hemsworth).

Loki is the sole reason this was my favorite of the year. He is one of the best villains in media, and Hiddleston plays him flawlessly. Loki is the most unreadable character in any book, movie, or television show in today’s selection pool of media. Right when he seems somewhat understandable, he throws you a plot curveball that leaves your head spinning. His appeal lies in his complexity.

The audience gets hooked and wants to know what Loki’s true intentions are, and the only way to fully know that is to keep watching the Thor and Avengers movies.

The plot is interesting enough to keep watching, there are funny bits thrown in amongst the action, and even though it’s a classic Marvel movie (superheroes win, save the girl), it’s still worth watching, enough so that I’ve seen it two and a half times.

Captain Phillips

Article by: Nick Grossman, News Editor

My favorite movie of 2013 was Captain Phillips.  The film directed by Paul Greengrass, was based on a true story and centers on a ship’s captain Richard Phillips. Somali pirates near the Horn of Africa took hostage Phillips and his crew.  The hostages want money and are willing to do anything to get it.

The film is very intense.  It has the viewer on the edge of his seat just waiting to see what will happen next.  Tom Hanks stars as Captain Phillips while Barkhad Abdi plays the leader of the Somali pirates.  Abdi had not previously acted, but just showed up for an audition.  Abdi received the role and was another aspect that made the movie fantastic.  This movie is action packed and filled with drama. It is a must see.

12 Years a Slave

Article by: Derrick Owens, Editor-in-Chief

The most thought-provoking and powerful film to come out in 2013 was Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave.  The movie tells the story of a free man black man, Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), living in New York who is captured and sold into slavery. Based off the real Northup’s memoirs, the film documents his experiences working at plantations in the state of Louisiana.

Elevated by McQueen’s gripping sense of realism, the story of Northup becomes an exploration of the horrors of slavery, a subject that has never before been portrayed so accurately on screen. The actors involved in this production give nuanced, dedicated performances.

Ejiofor is the heart and soul of 12 Years, making his character incredibly human and deserving of empathy. Michael Fassbender, who plays Northup’s most abusive owner, and newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, who plays a fellow slave, anchor the impressive supporting cast.

Nominated for nine Academy Awards, this film is one of the front runners for the Best Picture. Nyong’o incredibly vulnerable performance makes her a frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress. In a year with many deserving films, 12 Years climbs above the rest by packing a punch with its controversial subject and inspiring message.

This movie is undoubtedly a difficult watch, with many scenes graphically depicting slavery at its worst. But for all of its brutality, 12 Years is an inspiring story about survival and one of the most important films to come out in the last decade.

World War Z

Article by: Matt Kestner, Staff Writer

World War Z was a good movie in its own unique way. I liked it because there were many moments in the movie where I was not startled or scared, but genuinely thrilled and apprehensive as to what was going to happen next.

There were plenty of scenes that let the viewer infer what was going to happen next which added to the suspense very well. I like when movies end with a satisfactory ending and World War Z did a good job of that.

I was satisfied with the 10 dollars I spent to see the movie and now that it is out of theaters, I recommend almost everyone watch it. I didn’t read the book that it was based on; however I have heard a lot of complaints on the differences between the book and the movie.

It seems that people who have read the book and enjoyed it, haven’t enjoyed the movie quite as much. Either way, it was a great movie, but if you do not enjoy action movies or thrillers, this isn’t the movie for you.