American Hustle (2013) - ★★★½

Director: David O. Russell
Writers: Eric Singer, David O. Russell
Stars: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K, Robert De Niro

I really liked American Hustle. It has a flare for great music, great style, and great performers. We haven't really seen a film such as this since the peak of Tarantino, yet I can't help but feel that it's not on par with his greatest films, nor is it on par with the films of Scorsese. It falls short because we never truly get to know the characters and form real attachments to them. It's over two hours long, yet it lacked the character development that should have brought heart and soul into the crazy plot. Sure, we see the surface value of these people, and then some... but I left feeling like I still didn't know anyone. There were elements of greatness in American Hustle that deserve credit, but it was lacking the key ingredient that would have made it a masterpiece. In my opinion, it is the most critically overblown movie of 2013.

Blue Jasmine (2013) - ★★★★

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Sarsgaard, Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Louis C.K.

Blue Jasmine is essentially your simple, entertaining Woody Allen film. What separates this from his huge repertoire of comedies is the outstanding performance by Cate Blanchett, and the not so light-hearted story within. I think he goes out of his way to create unlikable characters, yet I almost always find myself rooting for them to succeed. It was a bit slow to start, but once the ball got rolling, I found it to be a wickedly entertaining drama. There's no doubt in my mind that Blanchett will receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for Blue Jasmine, but it may very well be nominated for Best Screenplay and Supporting Actress too. The whole film just gels well, and for once, I didn't find Allen's film to be irritating in the least. It's one of his more solid, entertaining films. He's lucky Blanchett signed on to play Jasmine, because she truly makes it a memorable experience.