Movie Review – Nightcrawler (2014)

Director: Dan Gilroy

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed

Man, Nightcrawler was so rubbish I mean, I don’t mind taking liberties with comic adaptations and I appreciate that they made him part of the media circus rather than a regular circus, but c’mon, they changed his name and he wasn’t blue….he didn’t even have tail or teleport! And there wasn’t a supervillain. Worst superhero hero film eve-….wait, what? You mean it’s not about the X-Men character…..ohhhh, er, awkward…

Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal) is struggling to find a job at the beginning of the film but when he stumbles onto a car accident he sees someone (Paxton) capturing footage, and is introduced to the business of ‘nightcrawling’. He gets a camera and hires an intern (Ahmed), and starts to record footage to sell to Nina (Russo), the producer of the news. With high goals and a determined attitude, Lou starts to take more risks and pushes the boundaries of his job.

Nightcrawler is amazing and Gyllenhaal gives an amazing performance, owning the screen in whatever scene he’s in. From the beginning we see that he’s ruthless, cunning, and determined, and as the film continues we also discover that he’s more than a little unhinged. It’s a performance that will entertain and frighten in equal measures, as he pushes the limits on what we consider moral and ethical. The interplay he shares with Ahmed gives the film some moments of levity, which help break up the dark nature of the film.

And this is a very dark film. Most of the action takes place at night and the director captures the seedy, gritty atmosphere that’s slick with tension. I was engrossed from start to finish and found myself experiencing several different reactions and emotions. One does admire Bloom’s determination to make something of himself, but as he gets further and further into morally questionable territory you’re taken along with him, and you start to question whether it’s actually justified. These happen by small margins so at first you think, well, that’s not quite right but I can see why he did it, and it’s not really harming anyone, to then thinking okay, well, I can see why he’s doing it but it’s going a bit far now, and then, oh crap, I can’t believe I ever found this guy likeable.

There’s also some commentary about the way the media twists the news coverage to put the scariest and bleakest interpretation of events, and thus also makes us start to think about how we consume the news. There’s a lot of substance to the film but it’s never overwhelming. The pacing is perfect and I was surprised to learn that the director, Dan Gilroy, is making his debut. It’s certainly a strong one and I look forward to seeing his next film.

Movie Review – Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Director: Doug Liman

Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton.

After a meteorite crashes on Earth, humanity becomes embroiled in a war with organisms that hitched a ride on the rock. In a desperate last stand, the United Defence Force plans to send a large force onto the beaches of Europe to hopefully press home their advantage. One soldier is the reluctant Major William Cage (Cruise) who is ordered to take part in the first wave of the attack by General Brigham (Gleeson). Accused of cowardice, he instantly gets on the wrong side of Master Sergeant Farell (Paxton). When the invasion happens Cage runs helplessly along the beach, but when he dies he wakes up at the beginning of the day, and soon realizes that he can use this power to the advantage of the human defence force, but he needs help, and that comes in the form of the heroic Rita (Blunt).

Tom Cruise usually picks good sci-fi scripts and Edge of Tomorrow is no exception. I also like his character, as it’s more layered than some of his other roles. I thought he sold the transition between coward, to reluctant hero, to badass, to weary veteran, to determined soldier well. The first part of the film is littered with comedic moments.

I liked the Groundhog Day aspect to it and it reminded me of playing a video game, trying to get further and further and memorizing where the enemies are. Although a lot of scenes were repeated they didn’t get repetitive and the story moved forward at a good pace. The action scenes were clear, sharp and intense. I loved the design of the Mimics as well. When they were first mentioned I assumed that they would be mimicking human forms, but the design is very alien and it’s really cool the way they jerk and spasm.

The character work was good. I’ve already mentioned Cruise but I think Blunt did a good job too, and Paxton relished the role as the Sergeant, and I was pleased to see him after his recent role in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. The mechanics of the time-travel seem well thought out and it manages to blend the human drama with the philosophical concept, giving a good foundation to the film.

The only thing I didn’t really care for was the ending, as it smacked of pandering for Hollywood. It reminded me of Oblivion from last year, another Cruise film, and I enjoyed that film aside from the ending as well. I just think sometimes Hollywood need to take more lessons from Philip K. Dick and realize it’s okay to have depressing endings sometimes. I think that would have helped Edge of Tomorrow.

But yes, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Great sci-fi action, good concept, good grasp of the mechanics of his ability, the character work was solid too so Edge of Tomorrow is an all-round success.

Movie Review – The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)

The Greatest Game Ever Played tells the story of when the amateur golfer Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBouef) finds himself up against his hero, Harry Vardan (Stephen Dillane) in the 1913 US Open. 

I’m not a massive fan of sports anymore, and even when I did follow sports I was never really into golf (although my father LOVES golf) but I do like sports movies and I think they capture a particular type of drama that is unique to the genre. Golf is at the heart of this story, and I like that it doesn’t lose focus of the sport, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on, mainly about class warfare. I thought all the main characters were portrayed with dignity and there were plenty of moments when the prejudices were challenged, one was a particularly passionate speech from Vardan to one of the important members of his club. 

I liked how there were parallels and similarities drawn between Ouimet and Vardan, but the other golfers were all interesting as well. All the character work was brilliant and subtle and I felt the authenticity of the attitudes portrayed, even though some of them were horrible. It’s interesting to see how much the sport has changed in a hundred years as well, and also how much it has stayed the same. One of the more touching scenes was between Ouimet and his caddy, Eddie (Josh Flitter), who pretty much stole the show. I loved their friendship and how the two of them worked together. I just thought it was brilliant how the characters were allowed to breathe and develop naturally throughout the course of the film. 

The other main strength of the film was the direction. There were some really inventive shots that brought the golf parts to life, one that I loved was how the director blended 5 golfers’ different swings into one image, creating this blurry slideshow effect. I also liked the way Harry Vardan’s technique of visualising the golf course was displayed. It was really a gorgeous film to watch but none of the camerawork or effects distracted from the film, rather they complemented it and deepened the appreciation. It’s directed by Bill Paxton so I supposed I shouldn’t be too surprised because he directed the excellent Frailty as well, which you should see if you haven’t already. 

This is a really underrated sports film. It doesn’t deviate from the traditional sports-film template too much (but it’s based on a true story so they couldn’t exactly have changed how it ends) but it’s really enjoyable and has a lot of substance as well. 

Movie Review – Frailty

Frailty is a very good suspenseful thriller from 2001. The top two billed stars are Bill Paxton (who also directs) and Matthew McConaughey (whose surname I find really hard to spell so when needed I’ll just be copy & pasting. Also I think he’s really underrated, he’s got an easy charm, affable personality and a southern accent which in my opinion is the best accent in the world). However, the majority of the film takes place via flashback so the young performers (Matt O’Leary & Jeremy Sumpter) carried the majority of the film with the help of Bill Paxton who played their father.

The film begins with Matthew (copy & paste) McConaughey’s character claiming that he knows who a certain serial killer is. Usually with these films I find it quite easy to suss out what’s going to happen, but this had plenty of mystery and suspense which made the ending very satisfying. It does deal with religion, and while I’m not a religious man anymore I did find the stance the film takes interesting.

I felt the pacing was excellent and the performances were believable and engaging. Furthermore, some other films seek to shock the viewer with gore. Frailty uses the story to build suspense and inspire an uneasy feeling which increases as the film unfolds. I found myself becoming immersed and by the end I had a very creepy feeling, not helped by the wind howling outside. I can definitely recommend you watch this.