Wizard of Lies (2017)

There are two cool scenes of note in the latest HBO movie. The first is a dream sequence, or rather a nightmare sequence. It features some really slick editing, cutting in faces of Madoff's many victims. The other is a drumming sequence--drums remind me of Whiplash or Birdman. Drums give you a sense of urgency, of continuity, of panic, and of style. Madoff is at a dinner party, panicking as his clients are asking to pull their money out of the fund. In another instance of cool editing, the drums drive the action in this scene, not the dialogue. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer are both quite good. The acting keeps the movie afloat during some admittedly boring scenes.

The Intern (2015)

This is actually a very cute feel-good movie. Robert DeNiro plays a senior citizen who is doing an internship at an Internet company. DeNiro's character is the type of likable grandfather/mentor figure you want in your life. The company is run by Anne Hathaway, a strong woman used to doing everything herself being pressured to find a CEO for her company. It is refreshing to see Hollywood depicting a woman in charge at a tech company. Though reluctant at first, they become close co-workers. And as expected, they teach each other along the way. It's no revelation, but two solid performances and an unexpectedly good chemistry make for an easy light-hearted comedy. 

Joy (2015)

There are a lot of good things going on in this movie. David O. Russell has partnered again with his muse Jennifer Lawrence for another stellar performance. Joy is the strongest woman Lawrence has played thus far in her career. She is a divorcee who is constantly putting out fires at home (the opening scene is a showcase for Lawrence), but she wants to do more with her life. She is an inventor by nature and she takes control of her own destiny and pursues her passion. It kind of reminded me of The Good Wife-- a strong female lead who takes hold of her own life. And she is authentic as herself; that is Lawrence's biggest selling point. The characterization of Joy's mother is also well developed. And in the first half of the movie, there is this surreal back and forth between reality and the soap opera world that she lives in.

There is a great scene in which Bradley Cooper is showing Joy around the QVC studio. The studio is a magical place that elicits awe (and joy) from Joy and lets Cooper show off a little too. The scene moves forward at an anticipatory pace. There is a fantastic use of music in this scene that actually reminded me of The Good Wife, which commonly uses instrumentals to build excitement in the lead-in to the titles.  The entire film actually uses music very effectively, including the guitar solo from Alabama Shakes's "Gimme All Your Love" and the piano introduction from Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street." Some of the orchestral bits give it a fairy tale feeling, and the snowfall helps feed that aura.  It is a really good soundtrack ranging from rock to Latin jazz, and when it comes to music I expect nothing less from Russell.

The moral of the story is that business is hard. It's not a glamorous movie. Business (and much less mops) rarely is. I get that. But there is one terrible scene that I felt really detracted from the movie. Robert De Niro and Isabella Rosselini are deriding Joy for not having what it takes to be in business. And she just takes it. Maybe this is how the actual events went, but she accepts that they are right. And they're not. The way I understand it, from a legal standpoint, Joy was in the right. It was the very people chastising her (for simply being herself) that messed up. And Russell makes very clear that Joy's father is not a nice or supportive-type person; but I think this scene was overkill and really contrary to the entrepreneurial spirit that the film seems to endorse.