The smash hits of winter break

The Wolf of Wall Street

With a stellar supporting cast behind them and the energy of a film from a director half his age, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio have brought one of the most raucous, debauchery-laden films ever made to the screen.

It is obscene, hilarious, offensive, and deeply critical of capitalism and the practices of Wall Street. This film is not for the weak of heart and Scorsese must have been testing the censors  with more drugs, sex, and violence than mainstream film is used to.

However, if you enjoy decadence and want to see Leonardo DiCaprio in situations you couldn’t imagine Jack from Titanic in, it is worth the price of admission.

–Mynt Marsellus

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

After the massive success of 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, audiences everyone were wondering if and when a sequel would come to fruition. Well, almost ten years later, the Channel 4 News Team reassembles for the second installment to the series, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

This time, we are brought to New York in 1980, where Ron Burgundy and his formerly disbanded team are recruited to spearhead a revolutionary new media channel called GNN, America’s first 24-hour news network.

The story was solid but unfortunately this time around, the laughs came few and far between. If it weren’t for Steve Carell’s character, Brick, this flick would have sunk faster than an old wooden ship loaded with too many crates of Sex Panther. Unfortunately for Mr. Burgundy, this sequel didn’t live up to the hype 100 per cent of the time, all the time.

–Scott Glaysher

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The first Hobbit failed to live up the lofty expectations that were established by Peter Jackson’s previous cinematic trilogy The Lord of the Rings, so it’s safe to say that upon the release of Jackson’s latest adaptation, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Tolkien fans everywhere were hoping for a better film.

Fortunately, Jackson delivered on his promise and gave audiences exactly what they were looking for with a steady dose of Middle Earth action, stunning visuals and cinematography, and the introduction of the notorious dragon known as Smaug.

Stronger and more engaging action sequences, Benedict Cumberbatch’s voiceover as Smaug, as well as a greater focus on the emotional development of The Hobbit’s focal characters made this film much better than the first installment of the trilogy.

–Andrew Savory

YEEZUS Tour in Toronto: Kanye West with Kendrick Lamar

If you were looking for production value, copious biblical references, plus a performance from one of rap’s all-time best, as well as a future star in the making, then the Toronto stop on Kanye West’s YEEZUS Tour with Kendrick Lamar was the place to be over the Christmas break.

To begin the evening, Kendrick warmed up the excited Toronto crowd with songs off of his debut studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, which served to establish a high-level of energy that would carry through into Kanye’s amazing performance.

Although Kendrick set the bar high, Kanye did not disappoint by playing the biggest hits from Yeezus, while also singing various songs off of his other successful studio releases, such as My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy, 808s & Heartbreak, and Graduation.

–Andrew Savory