The Wolf of Wall Street

[Suture Self]

I'm surprised at the flack this movie is getting from Stewball (a fan of The Hangover movies) and Shogunrua (a fan of Tucker Max). Something stinks here.

[Stewball]

I'm surprised at the flack this movie is getting from Stewball (a fan of The Hangover movies) and Shogunrua (a fan of Tucker Max). Something stinks here.

The Hangover is a straight up comedy and only they descended with each sequel. You'd do better to point out the similarity to Spring Breakers, except that I already have. Think of potty/gutter humor gone nova and you'll understand my criticism. Any point Scorsese was trying to make was completely lost when I flushed.

[lisa-]

i dunno. the point he was trying to make was pretty damn obvious. it was just a pretty shallow exploration of that point. y'know, wall street is shitty and greedy and all that.

[Stewball]

i dunno. the point he was trying to make was pretty damn obvious. it was just a pretty shallow exploration of that point. y'know, wall street is shitty and greedy and all that.

The point who was trying to make that was obvious. But whoever, yeah, it was obviously shallow. As for your assessment of Wall Street, I think you would benefit from broadening your horizons. "Greed" is a disgustingly abused word.

[JooJoo]

I don't think people are going into with the this understanding how much of a comedy this flick is. I don't see it so much of a shallow point it's making, but an entertaining one by way of its exaggerated satire.

whether you go along for the ride is another thing, of course, and I certainly don't rank it among Scorsese's best (especially on the technical side).

[lisa-]

i dunno. the point he was trying to make was pretty damn obvious. it was just a pretty shallow exploration of that point. y'know, wall street is shitty and greedy and all that.

The point who was trying to make that was obvious. But whoever, yeah, it was obviously shallow. As for your assessment of Wall Street, I think you would benefit from broadening your horizons. "Greed" is a disgustingly abused word.

i'm not talking about my assessment but the film's assessment of wall street. and i'm studying to become an economist, so i'm certainly aware of the little irritations that us people have.

[Suture Self]

i dunno. the point he was trying to make was pretty damn obvious. it was just a pretty shallow exploration of that point. y'know, wall street is shitty and greedy and all that.

The point who was trying to make that was obvious. But whoever, yeah, it was obviously shallow. As for your assessment of Wall Street, I think you would benefit from broadening your horizons. "Greed" is a disgustingly abused word.

Right, I guess what I'm getting at is, this movie doesn't gel with you philosophically. You find its excess redundant and inconsequential, yet I find it propulsive and relevant.

I've noticed you disliked Blue Jasmine for similar reasons.

You seem to look at these movies, and the people these movies are about, as isolated cases, rather than looking at them as a metaphor or a microcosm for something more. Why shouldn't films be made about this kind of human behavior? It seems like you're the kind of person that is probably in line with Milton Friedman when it comes to greed (video > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A ), and you find movies about gross excess to be boring because you think this drive for money isn't necessarily a bad thing? Is it the angle of The Wolf of Wall Street that you find irritating? Because there's no doubt as to what Scorsese is getting at.

Or am I completely off...help me out here...

Because when I look at a person like Jordan Belfort, I find humor in how desperately the guy wants to get filthy rich, and I find humor in how he creates himself an alternate reality, and in a way, separates himself entirely from the rest of humanity, to the point where he's an infant foaming at the mouth, driving a Ferrari on qualudes, trying to salvage 20 million in the bank that's about to disappear. This entertains me, not just because the physical comedy is hilarious in its own right, but because of the fact that we live in a universe where this kind of absurd behavior both exists and often pays handsomely.

But there's more to that, because once the party is over, you get to see how base and pathetic this person really is, ripping up a sofa, inhaling coke while punching his wife in the stomach and telling her to fuck off, then grabbing his child and driving off like a moron and crashing, risking both of their lives in the process. I don't know how you could call this scene shallow, because I found it very human and pointed.

Then again, I tend to champion movies that demonstrate how absurd humans are, so maybe that's just my bag.

[ShogunRua]

I'm surprised at the flack this movie is getting from Stewball (a fan of The Hangover movies) and Shogunrua (a fan of Tucker Max). Something stinks here.

Well, if you want to bring up Tucker, he was fired from every single job he ever held, including the last time by his own father! (This, despite graduating from the University of Chicago in 3 years, having a law degree from Duke, and generally being an intelligent, gregarious, persuasive motherfucker)

So yeah, he was a drunken lout, but I fail to see how he reflects on American capitalism, considering he consistently failed at making it in the work force.

[Suture Self]

I'm surprised at the flack this movie is getting from Stewball (a fan of The Hangover movies) and Shogunrua (a fan of Tucker Max). Something stinks here.

Well, if you want to bring up Tucker, he was fired from every single job he ever held, including the last time by his own father! (This, despite graduating from the University of Chicago in 3 years, having a law degree from Duke, and generally being an intelligent, gregarious, persuasive motherfucker)

So yeah, he was a drunken lout, but I fail to see how he reflects on American capitalism, considering he consistently failed at making it in the work force.

I'm not talking about American capitalism, really, I'm talking about a kind of killer instinct that's in everyone. Y'know, the instinctual desire to fuck over the other guy just to get yours. The kind of feeling you get when you're 11 years old and playing monopoly and you bankrupt someone to hell, and you laugh and revel in it, because it feels good. Or in Tucker Max's case, when he dupes an unsuspecting girl, fucks her somehow (either literally or figuratively), and then laughs at her expense. That kind of nasty and infantile but primal human behavior.

That's sort of what this movie is about. and I think the movie implies, to great comic effect imo, that this kind of instinct allows someone working in the world of stocks and investments to be successful in uncanny ways. Granted, the film is not some sort of intellectual tour de force, but it's incredibly well done and a bit smarter than you might be letting on. Scorsese is an undeniably sharp guy, no matter what side of the political fence you're on. He's not some shrill jerkoff like Oliver Stone.

[ShogunRua]

I'm surprised at the flack this movie is getting from Stewball (a fan of The Hangover movies) and Shogunrua (a fan of Tucker Max). Something stinks here.

Well, if you want to bring up Tucker, he was fired from every single job he ever held, including the last time by his own father! (This, despite graduating from the University of Chicago in 3 years, having a law degree from Duke, and generally being an intelligent, gregarious, persuasive motherfucker)

So yeah, he was a drunken lout, but I fail to see how he reflects on American capitalism, considering he consistently failed at making it in the work force.

I'm not talking about American capitalism, really, I'm talking about a kind of killer instinct that's in everyone. Y'know, the instinctual desire to fuck over the other guy just to get yours. The kind of feeling you get when you're 11 years old and playing monopoly and you bankrupt someone to hell, and you laugh and revel in it, because it feels good. Or in Tucker Max's case, when he dupes an unsuspecting girl, fucks her somehow (either literally or figuratively), and then laughs at her expense. That kind of nasty and infantile but primal human behavior.

Have you ready any of Tucker Max's stories?

Because what you wrote about him is completely, utterly wrong. For all of Tucker's many faults, his behavior around women revolves around honesty. That's his entire "game", and something he stresses over and over again in his writings. He tells women right off the bat that he's a drunken dickhead who isn't looking for anything serious, and has sex without any emotional attachment. And a lot of women appreciate that.

Seriously, I don't know where you get this nonsense about Tucker "duping an unsuspecting girl". It couldn't be further from the truth. Like, where did you even hear that?

That's sort of what this movie is about. and I think the movie implies, to great comic effect imo, that this kind of instinct allows someone working in the world of stocks and investments to be successful in uncanny ways. Granted, the film is not some sort of intellectual tour de force, but it's incredibly well done and a bit smarter than you might be letting on. Scorsese is an undeniably sharp guy, no matter what side of the political fence you're on. He's not some shrill jerkoff like Oliver Stone.

Yeah, except that that type of sociopathic behavior isn't particularly well-rewarded in the business world, even on Wall Street.

In government, however? It's almost a necessity.