With a special screening of the opening six minutes of “American Hustle” at the American Film Institute Festival, it looks like director David O. Russell’s next big film has made it to the list of Oscar contenders once again. “American Hustle” tells the story of Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), a con man who is recruited and forced to work for FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). After Rosenfeld and his wife (Amy Adams) get pushed into the mafia world of New Jersey, we learn that while some hustle for love, respect and truth, we all hustle to survive. “American Hustle” will be released Dec. 13, 2013.

What We Love: David O. Russell couldn’t get enough of the dynamic duo of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook” and neither can we. Although there is no suggestion of an onscreen romance between the two, Jennifer and Bradley carry a strong dynamic that will become prevalent as Lawrence plays Rosenfeld’s wife. “American Hustle” writer, Eric Warren Singer, has dubbed the Oscar–winning actress “a brick through a plate glass window […] that’s how solid she is.” Among others, the film stars Robert de Niro, Jeremy Renner and Louis C.K..

What We Don’t: We have to hope that the release date and the overlap of theater time for “Catching Fire” and “American Hustle” isn’t going to disrupt  people’s perceptions of Lawrence’s character in “Hustle.” These two films have received a lot of either commercial or Oscar buzz, and the last thing we want is to sit down in the theater, see Jennifer onscreen and think that we’re walking into District 12 to find out what happens Katniss Everdeen after her victory in the 74th Hunger Games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqgjPRNRDSY