Do The Hustle…The American Hustle!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk3Bzss8hYI?rel=0]

I’m already doing the hustle for American Hustle. All I can say is HOLY SHIT I NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE. Is it Christian Bale’s already killer performance that’s grabbing me? Is it the Zeppelin music bed that does it? Is it Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence looking HOT? All of the above actually. The Jersey aspect is merely icing on the cake. Clearly hyperbole, but I am obsessed with this movie already.

Summary straight from IMDB:

“The Story of a con artist and his partner in crime, who were forced to work with a federal agent to turn the tables on other cons, mobsters, and politicians – namely, the volatile mayor of impoverished Camden, New Jersey.”

Directed by David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook) and featuring a tremendous ensemble cast including the aforementioned actors, as well as Brad Cooper, Louis C.K and Jeremy Renner, American Hustle may be the movie of the year. It hits theaters in December and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets a few Oscar noms. Jennifer Lawrence for best hair, Amy Adams for hottest bathing attire, and Christian Bale for best Welch man doing a Bronx accent.

One of the first comments on YouTube under this trailer insists that this is going to be one of those movies that casts a bunch of great actors, but the movie turns out to be crap. There’s always a possibility of that, but this was after he pleaded to get Amy Adams naked in a movie. Whoa there buddy…that’s Princess Giselle AND Lois Lane you’re talking about here! She’s no Lindsay Lohan who’s desperately displaying her stuff to the entire world in The Canyons in hopes of resurrecting her career. Adams is on a whole other level and she just seems to be climbing higher with each role she takes on.

If you’ve seen David O. Russell’s previous films, you know you’re in for a treat. If you aren’t familiar with his films, at the very least, check out The Fighter, an amazing film that truly showcases Christian Bale’s depth as an actor. More recently though, Silver Linings Playbook is possibly the most finely acted film I’ve seen in years. As many directors tend to do, Russell likes to cast his usual team of actors in his films. In this case, it’s combining key cast members from both Silver Linings and The Fighter which can only equal good things. 

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.65: The Fighter

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Micky and Dicky stare across the ring in awe of 
Micky’s formidable opponent in 2010’s The Fighter

Nearly 2 years after The Fighter hit theaters, both of its stars are still enjoying huge success. This summer, Mark Wahlberg scored big with Ted and obviously Christian Bale tossed the batarang out of the park with his powerhouse portrayal of Batman in The Dark Knight Rises. Previous to those blockbusters, as “Irish” Micky Ward and his half brother Dicky Eklund, Wahlberg and Bale give us the performances of their careers in The Fighter.

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Most of The Fighter was filmed in Massachusetts, but one early pivotal scene was set in Atlantic City. Micky, a welterweight, was set to fight an opponent in his weight class, but a middleweight fighter who was 20 pounds heavier than him replaced the original opponent at the last minute. *SPOILER* Micky gets his ass beat. Micky’s actual match did indeed go down at the first casino hotel in Atlantic City: Resorts, but IMDB does not list Atlantic City as one of the filming locations so I doubt that this scene was filmed in New Jersey. They just merely slapped the Resorts turnbuckle on the ring and BAM! We’re magically whisked away down to Atlantic City in no time.

As far as I’m concerned, the film should’ve won best picture, but it did take home both the awards for best supporting actor and actress. Amy Adams isn’t hard to look at either.