LBJ

First Hit:  An uninspiring film and Harrelson’s make-up was very distracting.

I didn’t know a lot about President Lyndon Baines Johnson (Woody Harrelson) except that LBJ rose to the position of President because of President John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) assassination. He also escalated the Vietnam war, picked up his beagles by the ears, which distressed dog owners, and got the landmark civil rights bill banning racial discrimination in public places, interstate commerce, housing and in the workplace. This last part was milestone legislation.

I had hoped this film would fill in some of the blanks I had about the man and his legacy; it didn’t. It showed he drank a fair amount of whisky, he was crass, wanted to be liked, really wanted to complete JFK’s agenda and was really disliked by Bobby Kennedy.

From what the film showed there was little to like about LBJ. We did see that his wife Lady Bird (Jennifer Jason Leigh) was his true confidant, although her part in the film was minimal.

The story might have been interesting if there were a few changes. A better more deeply developed main character by providing something about who he was and where he came from, would have helped. I think the prosthetics used to make Woody Harrelson were distracting. It made Johnson’s face look fake by having the eyes and mouth seem to be working in a different plane than the rest of the face and body.

The best part of the whole film was LBJ’s speech to a full session of congress after JFK’s death.

It is hard to determine Harrelson’s performance because he was so encumbered by the prosthetic devices and makeup. His accent fluctuated at times and seemed to move toward a more modern feeling instead of being from the 1960’s. I do think Harrelson was earnest in his effort and the script was not well thought out. Leigh was OK in her very almost invisible background role. Michael Stahl-David as Bobby Kennedy was strong. He carried and excellently expressed the differences between a southern democrat and a northern one. Richard Jenkins as Senator Richard Russell was really good. I think Jenkins was excellent at sharing old-school southern democratic ways. Joey Hartstone wrote a week and rambling unfocused screenplay. Rob Reiner did LBJ and this film a disservice and let the unfocused, rambling and un-grounded biography to play out in this way.

Overall:  A disappointing film.

The Wolf of Wall Street

First Hit:  Although 3 hours long, it was entertaining and intense.

I happened to watch “Goodfellas” the morning before I saw Wolf. The similarities are that Martin Scorsese used a group of wild characters and shows them acting the same way when confronted with diverse situations. Drugs and illegal actions are also key elements in both films.

From a visual perspective, both films use family situations, groups, couples and single moments to build the story visually. What I didn’t like about Wolf was the illegal actions of the characters actions. Yes in "Goodfellas" they did illegal things, and they were expected to. The focus on selling unsuspecting people on making a quick buck (their own greed) because you are good at selling people, just didn’t sit well with me.

The film uses a number of voice overs which I don't normally like but it did add to the story as time got a bit mixed up. Because it is based on a true story, the pervasive use of drugs and alcohol as fuel to their lifestyle and trading was disconcerting.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort who just wanted to be rich, real rich. He discovers that drugs, womanizing, and money mix well delivering what he wanted. I’m not sure whether the film reflected the shallowness of the person and people in his firm or if the film was just shallow. Regardless, the scene of him on his boat speaking with the FBI was excellent while the scene of him discussing how to throw midgets at targets in the office, wasn’t.

DiCaprio was strong and made the script work and believable. Jonah Hill as Belfort’s sidekick was, at times over the top and not interesting, while at other times good. Matthew McConaughey in a small role as Mark Hanna was very good. Rob Reiner as Jordan’s dad Max was very good and I enjoyed his presence in the film. Margot Robbie (playing Naomi Lapaglia) as Belfort’s second wife was very good. Not only very attractive to look at, she created a sense of reality in the film. Terence Winter wrote an extensive script from Belfort’s book. Scorsese was able to reign in Belfort’s lifestyle and present it on film.

Overall:  This is a very good film, maybe in the same category as Goodfellas, but is it great and inventive  like Goodfellas was of its time? I don't think so.