“American Hustle” Hustles into Tropic Ahead of Release Date (Rhoades)

“American Hustle” Hustles into Tropic Ahead of Release Date -
Key West Plays a Key Role in Launching NYFC Program

By Shirrel Rhoades

There’s no con job here: You can watch the movie “American Hustle” ahead of its national theatrical release date.

“America Hustle” will be showing at the Tropic Cinema on Tuesday, December 10th, as part of the innovative NY Film Critics Series. The film’s national release is scheduled a week later.

“Up until now, live talent has only been accessible to the public in New York, Los Angeles and at Festivals,” notes producer Mark Ehrenkranz. “Now everyone throughout the country can enjoy up close and personal moments from major movie stars, producers, writers and directors in the comfort of their own neighborhood theaters.”

This is more than just a “traveling road show” coming to town. According to Mark Ehrenkranz, Key West played a key role in launching this new film series. “George Cooper attended one of our screenings of ‘Tiger Eyes,’ a film based on his wife’s book. We were talking about the difficulty of expanding our local program and George said, ‘Listen, why don’t you just stream the interviews in HD (high definition)  and stop messing around with satellites.’ That was the seed that made it sprout. I thought about what he said and just decided to go for it.” [Note: The movie itself is shown as a regular digital cinema presentation.]

Remaining loyal to George Cooper for his input, Ehrenkranz made sure that the Tropic Cinema was on the list of participating theaters.

Peter Travers, film critic for Rolling Stone, will host this event, broadcasting live to the Tropic’s screens … by HD simulcast.

While preview screenings aren’t new, this is the first time they have been accompanied by live real-time conversations with directors, actors, and critics.

Presented monthly, December’s screening will include conversations with director David O. Russell as well as cast members.

“American Hustle” gives us a con man named Irving Rosenfeld, a paunchy conniver with an elaborate comb-over. A woman named Sydney is his partner and lover, a sexy Brit with a larcenous heart. They are being coerced by an FBI agent into working a scam on a New Jersey politico. The wild card is Irving’s unpredictable wife.

Director and co-writer David O. Russell draws on the stars of two of his previous hits. Christian Bale and Amy Adams from “The Fighter” and Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro from “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Here, Bale and Adams are the tricksters; Bradley Cooper is the Feebie; and Jeremy Renner is the target of their elaborate scheme.

The film is a fictionalized telling of the ABSCAM scandal of the late 1970s, an FBI operation that began as an investigation of trafficking in stolen property, but was later expanded to include political corruption.

Bale gained 40 pounds, got himself an elaborate comb-over and slouched to play Irving. The actor ended up herniating two of his disks in the process.

“The NYFCS is dedicated to producing inspiring events in a collaborative environment and to nurturing the long-term success of movies.”

srhoades@aol.com