J. EDGAR

Still on a crime kick, though this one takes place on the opposite side of the law.

J. EDGAR: Three and a half out of five stars.

I remember a time when I hated Leonardo DiCaprio.  It was around the height of his TITANIC fame and I accused him of being an overrated actor who only got roles based on his looks.

I was clearly wrong.

Since then DiCaprio has gone on to make some absolutely amazing films and turned in some fantastic performances that I now consider him one of my favorite actors.  I am particularly fond of his turns in DJANGO UNCHAINED, THE DEPARTED, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, and INCEPTION.  I could go on - but tomorrow I am planning to see WOLF OF WALL STREET and will report more on DiCaprio then.

In J. EDGAR DiCaprio turns in a transformative performance as one of America's most famous (and much reviled) lawmen.  Unfortunately in roughly a quarter of his scenes he is forced to try to emote under heavy old age makeup.  A particular pet peeve of mine -- old age makeup no longer looks good on screens as technology has rapidly transitioned to high definition viewing.  Instead of watching the film and accepting the actor as an older version of the character in the film, far too often we are taken out of the experience to comment on it.

To DiCaprio's credit - by the films end he -somehow- manages to overcome this difficulty and makes something out of nothing.  The only other fault with this film, ably directed by Clint Eastwood, was the sudden shifts backwards and fowards in time - it served to do little than to keep the viewer off balance.  And while the framing device worked well in theory something constantly seemed off about the film.

Overall J. EDGAR is anchored solidly by DiCaprio - with welcome supporting turns by the always fantastic Judi Dench and the able Armie Hammer.  But the performances aren't enough to compensate for the films two flaws.

Film List:
January 1: THERE WILL BE BLOOD (5/5)
January 2: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (3.5/5)
January 3: THE ARTIST (5/5)
January 4: THE KING'S SPEECH (2.5/5)
January 5: UPSTREAM COLOR (5/5)
January 7: THE PIANIST (4.5/5)
January 8: DRINKING BUDDIES: (4/5)

January 9: THE LONE RANGER: (1/5)

                 FAST & FURIOUS 6: (3/5/5)
January 10: THE IRON LADY (1.5/5)
January 11: THE FIRST GRADER (3/5)
January 12: THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (4/5)
January 13: GOOD BURGER (2.5/5)
January 14: HOFFA (2.5/5)
January 15: J. EDGAR (3.5/5)