Nightcrawler Review

     We live in a society where the news is sensationalized to an absurd level. People don't care if the reporting is of high quality or if it has a happy ending, they want to see the dark side of our world. People seem to like rape and murder on their 8pm news. I've always believed people are like this because it confirms to them that the world is bad, and anything outside of their personal little bubble is dangerous. My biggest problem though is that the news knowingly exploits this, instead of covering what should be covered they decide to go after these sensational stories because that's what people want to see. It's a question of ethics, and most of the time the news doesn't seem to have any. I wish more people knew this, but obviously they wouldn't hear it from the news. "Nightcrawler" takes a serious look at the way we cover news, it’s social criticism disguised as a crime thriller. And through its criticism, it places itself alongside some of the best movies of the year.

   Louis Bloom is an ambitious young man just scrapping by in modern day Los Angeles with less than legal activities. One evening he is driving down the highway when he comes upon two cops rescuing a woman from a burning car. Shortly after, two men with cameras show up and film everything. Louis learns these two are nightcrawlers, freelance journalists who listen to police scanners at night and film breaking events. Louis is immediately attracted to this line of work and decides to get in on the action. So after acquiring a camera and a police scanner, he gets in on the action. Despite a rocky start, he ends up getting some good footage and sells it to a TV station. Once his foot is in the door, he starts his own company and even ends up hiring an intern to help him out. Louis is dedicated to his work and will do whatever it takes to get the best footage possible, and he soon finds out that his morals are pretty much non-existent when it comes to his work. 

     Ever since I saw the trailer for this movie, I had been excited; and after watching it, I can certainly say that it surpassed my expectations. Of all the things this movie does right there is a clear stand out, and that would be Jake Gyllenhaal. This isn't just the best performance of his career; it may be the best performance of the year. He will definitely be nominated for best actor, and has a serious chance of winning. He really brings to life this complex and sadistic character in a way most actors could not. And despite being the main character and not having a particular adversary, he ends up being the villain by the end. I also have to praise Rene Russo, she manages to stand alongside Gyllenhaal and may be nominated for best supporting actress. The movie also co-stars a young man named Riz Ahmed who plays Louis Bloom's assistant. While he doesn't do a bad job, he is overshadowed by Gyllenhaal every time they share the camera. I feel they could have found a dozen other actors who could have done a better job. One aspect that captivated me from the first shot to the closing scene would be the cinematography; it's beautiful and will likely be up for an Oscar. The writing is also great and features smart and fast paced dialog, it has to be one of the best screenplays of the year. The movie also does a great job with suspense, there were a few times I was on the edge of my seat; and the last twenty minutes might be the most nail biting moments we see in a movie all year. The film does suffer from one flaw that I couldn't help but not notice would be the characters, it's not that they're bad but they are so incredibly unlikable. They are all horrible people and you don't want to root for anyone. There's one decent guy among everyone and he's a minor character. Many times over the years we have seen despicable characters that are likable, but this movie doesn't have any. "Nightcrawler" is outstanding, I went to see it with a few friends and nobody had bad things to say. It paints a beautiful picture of LA's seedy underbelly and the flaws within US media. If "Nightcrawler" is playing anywhere near you, this is a must watch; it is one of the best movies of the year. It is dark, disturbing, and the creepiest film you'll watch anytime soon. 

Pros: Jake Gyllenhaal gives an Oscar worthy performance, beautiful cinematography, great writing, smart and fast dialog, Louis Bloom is a complex and unique character, great performance by Rene Russo, well directed, suspenseful.

Cons: Riz Ahmed is consistently overshadowed by Jake Gyllenhaal, very unlikable characters. 

4.5/5 Stars

John Wick Review

     When was the last time anyone said, "I heard the new Keanu Reeves movie was great." Acting since the mid 1980s, Keanu first came into fame with movies like "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Point Break." He gained further fame as an action star with 1994's "Speed;" but with "The Matrix" in 1999, he became a household name. Unfortunately Reeves has fallen from grace since then, doing terrible movie after terrible movie. He's one of those stars we want to like but he's just not a great actor and constantly chooses bad roles. So to everyone's surprise when the first reviews of his new movie "John Wick" came out, they were overwhelmingly positive. Many said this was Reeve's comeback role, the one that would reestablish him as a real action movie star. Granted we have heard that statement many times over the years, but this time is may actually be true.

     John Wick is a simple, retired man whose wife had just passed away. Stricken with grief, he's not sure how he's supposed to go on with his life. The day of the funeral he receives something from his recently deceased wife, a dog that she had delivered to him upon her death. Meant to help him move on, he does his best and becomes attached to the dog. One day while at a gas station a young man and son of a Russian mob boss comes up to John offering to buy his classic muscle car, John responds in a way the man finds unsatisfactory. Later that night, the man and his associates break into John's hose to steal his car. Not only do they take it and rough him up, they kill his dog. When they take it to a chop shop to get forged papers for the car, the owner refuses to help after recognizing the car. Shortly after the man finds out who the John Wick is from his father, a world class hitman who used to do work for the mob. Really, really pissed off, John is not going to take this lying down; and will go through hell to get his revenge.

   Going into this movie, I knew absolutely nothing about it; I hadn't even seen the trailer. All I saw was that it had a lot of great reviews, so I gave it a shot. And knowing nothing going into it, I was pleasantly surprised. First off, I have to give it to Keanu Reeves; he does a great job in the leading role, and I can't imagine anyone else in the part. This might be his best performance, and that's including "The Matrix." It helps that John Wick is a likable character. Despite being a hitman and a murder, you root for him and want him to get his revenge. The movie manages to be surprisingly emotional at times, there are a few scenes where you feel for the title character; but on the other end of the spectrum, the movie does a good job interjecting unexpected humor into several scenes. More than once was the theater cracking up. But where this movie really shines would be the action, and it’s pretty awesome. There are several fantastic action sequences filled with beautiful fight choreography. The fights feel similar to "Taken," they're brutal, efficient, and in your face. It also helps that the movie has great cinematography which only ads to the action. The way it's shot and how the action plays out, it feels like if you took the action of "Taken" and combined it with the style of "Drive." The movie does have a few drawbacks though. "John Wick" suffers from more than a few action movie clichés that may take you out of it. Also, while the writing works fine there are some lines of dialog that aren't particularly good. Those complaints aside, this movie works. It may be the best American action movie since "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." "John Wick" is a fun, badass action movie that is worth your time and money. 

Pros: Great performance by Keanu Reeves, fantastic action scenes, beautiful fight choreography, great cinematography, surprisingly emotional at times, does a good job interjecting comedy, likable main character.

Cons: Suffers from several action movie clichés, some dialog isn't particularly good.

4/5 Stars

5 Films to Look for the rest of 2014

Honorable Mentions: Inherent Vice,  Big Hero 6, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, The Book of Life, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, American Sniper, Fishing Without Nets

5. Birdman
"Birdman" may be the most fascinating looking movie to come out the rest of the year. The film revolves around a washed up actor known for playing a comic book super hero called Birdman. Years later he decides to resurrect his career by throwing a Broadway show, but things start to go haywire while he descends into madness. The film is by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and has already received critical acclaim after being screened at the Venice film festival earlier this year; many have claimed it as one of the best of the year and have said that star Michael Keaton is a front runner for best actor. Appearing very reminiscent of "Synecdoche, New York," "Birdman" has all the potential in the world to be one of the best movies of 2014.

4. Nightcrawler
No, this is not a movie about everyone's favorite teleporting mutant; it's pretty far from it actually. "Nightcrawler" is an upcoming crime thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a wannabe journalist who gets involved in underground world of Los Angeles freelance crime journalism; he soon loses his morals in order to get the best story possible. Gyllenhaal has been on a role over the past few years with movies like "Source Code," "End of Watch," and "Prisoners." He had done some big movies before, but has recently become one of the best actors in the game right now. "Nightcrawler" looks absolutely fascinating; it seems like a combination of "Taxi Driver" and "L.A. Confidential." While I'm a bit hesitant about this being the director's first film, I have high hopes that the movie will be as good as the trailer looked.

3. Whiplash
Miles Teller is one of the most promising young actors working in Hollywood right now. First garnering major attention with the 2013 romantic-comedy "The Spectacular Now," he proved himself as a capable young actor. Premiering earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, the film won both the audience and grand jury awards (a feat not often accomplished). The movie is about a young, talented musician who gets accepted into a very prestigious jazz band, only to tortured by the perfectionist music instructor who pushes his students to the absolute limit. Ever since the trailer fist dropped, this has been a movie I've greatly looked forward two; and all the praise it's received has only increased my interest, two of my favorite critics even called it one of the best of the year. Miles Teller has a bright future ahead of him, and "Whiplash" might be the stepping stone he needs to make it into the limelight.

2. Foxcatcher
If you were to ever tell me that Steve Carell and Channing Tatum would be serious contenders at the Oscars one day, I would laugh in your face; well apparently hell has frozen over, because apparently in the new biographical drama "Foxcatcher" they are absolutely astounding. Based off of true events, the movie tells the story of John Eleuthere du Pont, a millionaire who sets up a camp to train Olympic wrestlers, and his star student is Mark Schultz. If you don't know what happened in real life, don't look into it. This seems to be the type of movie where you want to know as little as possible when going into it. Debuting at this year's Cannes film festival, the film received rave reviews and director Bennett Miller even won the award for best director. "Foxcatcher" seems to be a haunting look at a tragic event, and will hopefully be film making at its finest.

1. Interstellar
Christopher Nolan is arguably the best director currently working. Most known for movies like "Inception," "Memento," and "The Dark Knight" trilogy, everything he makes turns to gold. The fact he is directing it is enough to have it top this list, but that's not the only reason. It also stars notable actors like Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain. The movie is even co-written by Christopher's brother and long time partner Jonathan Nolan. Ever since the first trailer for this movie, I have been pumped and counting down the days until its release. The science fiction genre has evolved over the years and has become extraordinarily popular, and seeing Nolan's past work in the genre makes me believe that this will be a great movie.

Gone Girl Review

     Director David Fincher first made waves with his 1995 neo-noir thriller "Seven;" noted for its dark and gritty tone, the film was an instant financial and critical success and launched Fincher into stardom. His later films "Fight Club," "Zodiac," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Social Network," and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" have since made him into one of the most respected directors currently working. Going into 2014, "Gone Girl" was one of the most anticipated films of the year. People are always interested in a new Fincher film, plus with the soon to be Batman Ben Affleck in the starring role, all eyes have been on this movie. Based off the best selling 2012 model of the same name, the film first premiered at the New York Film Festival to critical acclaim; with some critics calling it one of the best films of the year. And after watching it, I couldn't agree more.

     The film revolves around Nick and Amy Dunne, a once happy couple now stuck in a loveless marriage. On their fifth anniversary, Nick steps out for a bit only to return and find a peculiar scene; the living room is trashed and Amy is nowhere to be found. After calling the police and being questioned, it is evident that Nick no longer cares about his marriage by not being able to answer any questions about his wife. After a press release, Amy becomes America's sweetheart and a huge search for her begins. Almost immediately, eyes start to get turned towards Nick; with half the nation thinking he was the culprit, even the police department starts to gather substantial evidence against him. Nick becomes desperate and is willing to do anything to have the finger pointed away from him. And the deeper the viewer is taken down the rabbit hole, the more insane the journey gets.

     If David Fincher does one thing right, it would be taking complete control of every movie he works on, and "Gone Girl" is no different. What many will take away from this movie would a number of great performances. Ben Affleck, whose acting has been criticized for a very long time, gives the best performance of his career. His character Nick isn't the greatest guy in the world, and he plays up that character perfectly. For some reason, Tyler Perry was given a supporting role in this movie; I'm not sure what possessed Fincher to hire him, but it was a stroke of genius. For what may be the first time in his career, Tyler Perry actually added something to a movie. He did a great job as the slime bag layer, and I can't see anyone doing as good a job as he did. But of all the performances in this movie, Rosamund Pike as Amy stole the show. She was fantastic, and is a serious contender for an Oscar. Everyone in the movie does a good job, but I will say Neil Patrick Harris is the weakest link of the bunch. It's not that he does a bad job, it's just he doesn't live up to the rest of the cast. As stated earlier, this movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name; and while I haven't read the book, I have been told it does it justice. The writing is very intelligent and always keeps you guessing. There are a few unexpected twists, and on several occasions it made my jaw drop. The dialog between characters is also witty and sometimes makes you like these unlikable characters. Like all Fincher movies, "Gone Girl" is beautiful. The cinematography is fantastic, and Oscar worthy. The best way I can describe it is atmospheric; and along with the dark tone and great soundtrack, "Gone Girl" paints a tortured look of modern day America. I think that of the few complaints that people will have about this movie, the length may be the most common. This is a long movie, running about two and a half hours. But despite the length, few movies have ever grabbed my attention like this one has; at no point, was I uninterested. I also feel that some may be upset with the ending; it does end a little suddenly and may not be the ending you want. Personally though, I thought the ending was brilliant. Start to finish this movie is fantastic, and was everything I was hoping it would be. Once again, Fincher shows why he's one of the best of all time. This is not a movie for everyone; it is one for die hard film fans. And of anything those die hard film fans will be able to agree on, it's that "Gone Girl" is one of the best movies of the year.

Pros: Ben Affleck gives the performance of his career, Rosamund Pike gives an Oscar worthy performance, Tyler Perry actually adds something to a movie, intelligent writing, witty dialog, beautiful cinematography, great soundtrack, several jaw dropping moments, a few unexpected twists, captures your attention for the entire run time.

Cons: Neil Patrick Harris is the weakest link, a bit too long, ending may upset some.

4.5/5 Stars