Nightcrawler (8/10): Dan Gilroy and Jake Gyllenhaal channeling Scorsese and De Niro

“That's my job, that's what I do, I'd like to think if you're seeing me you're having the worst day of your life.”

Dan Gilroy’s feature debut is not only an impressive and dark character study of a persistent and ambitious man, but it also is a social critique of our culture’s obsession over bloody and graphic news stories. It would be easy for Gilroy to center his screenplay on the cheap criticism of today’s TV news stations motto, “If it bleeds, it leads,” but it goes beyond that and makes us wonder why we as an audience eat up those news stories. There is a reason why the media feeds us these graphic stories and it is because we have this morbid fascination for these kind of stories. That is exactly what Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo’s characters represent in this amoral and dark film. It’s not only a criticism towards criminal journalism, but a sharp critique on our society’s fascination with graphic and bloody images. Robert Elswit captures this dark mood through his camera lense to give us a different and stylish view of Los Angeles than what we are used to seeing on film. 

Nightcrawler reminded me a lot of Scorsese’s work in Taxi Driver. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Louis Bloom seems to be in some distant way related to De Niro’s Travis Bickle. Both these characters are dark and psychotic, while at the same time having some sort of charm that attracts us to them. Bloom is a determined and ambitious young man who becomes fascinated with the possibilities in the journalistic world. He likes to drive around at night and is drawn to violence. Unlike Travis Bickle, he has no sympathy for anyone and simply wants to make a career out of his freelancing camera work. The more violence he can capture in his camera, the better opportunities he will have to succeed. There are no moral boundaries when it comes to his work and the transformation he goes through in the film is subtilely played by Gyllenhaal. Jake Gyllenhaal is at his best when he plays these sort of dark characters that move around at night (Prisoners, Zodiac, and Donnie Darko come to mind). 

Rene Russo also delivers an impressive performance and plays a huge role in Bloom’s ascendence as a nightcrawler. The power shift between her character and Bloom is portrayed really well in this film. She seems to be in control of the relationship during their first encounters in the news station, but as Bloom rapidly ascends in the business he takes control of his own destiny. There is an interesting dynamic going on between these two characters and in the end they aren’t too different from each other putting their careers before others. How these two actors were ignored by the Academy for their performances is beyond me, but this film wouldn’t have worked as well as it did if it weren’t for those two powerhouse performances. Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed also give interesting supporting performance. Ahmed (who was also great in Four Lions) plays Rick, a personal assistant of Bloom who is easily manipulated by him, and Paxton is a night journalist who Bloom perceives as his competition. The cast in this film deliver solid roles, but it’s Jake Gyllenhaal who carries the film with his impressive physical transformation. As big of a star as he is, he disappears and becomes this amoral man who will stop at nothing to get to the crime scene first. He gives a magnetic performance and as an audience you never know what to expect next from him. Kudos to Dan Gilroy on his feature debut for delivering such a wonderful thriller and having had the vision to cast Gyllenhaal for a role he was meant to play.

My Review: Million Dollar Arm (6/10)

"We might have to tweak that a little."

It had been a while since Disney had produced a sports movie but if you sat for the opening 10 minutes of Million Dollar Arm you could tell that the formula hasn't changed much for the genre over time. Everything about this film is predictable as it follows pretty much every cliché possible. Director, Craig Gillespie doesn't bother to change the successful formula  here so you see pretty much everything coming, but somehow Million Dollar Arm is still an enjoyable film that manages to pull at your heartstrings thanks to a solid cast. Gillespie's Lars and the Real Girl is perhaps still my favorite film of his and I wish he would have played a bit with the genre conventions like he did with the horror genre in Fright Night. I expected a lot more from the screenplay considering Thomas McCarthy's past works were superb (I am a huge fan of his previous screenplays for Win Win and The Visitor). Perhaps he didn't have the same creative liberties considering this was a Disney production and they are known for controlling various aspects of the process. The film was based on true events so the audience was already expecting an inspirational tale and it accomplishes it. There are several funny scenes that elevate the film and the scenes in Mumbai stand out as the movie shows the difference between both cultures. The portrayal of Indians is stereotypical but the humor works nonetheless and it's the highlight of the film. So despite being painfully predictable at times and a bit overlong, the scenes in India and the comedic performances were enough to turn this into an enjoyable experience. I may be a bit biased considering I love sports although I'm not a huge baseball fan, but it is nowhere near being this year's Moneyball. Disney's Remember the Titans continues to be their best sports drama. 

A lot of the success of the film relies on how much you like Jon Hamm, and I thought he gave a solid performance considering his character isn't entirely likable. He is very flawed as this sports agent who seems to be interested in looking out for his agency. Hamm pulls it off and I ended up routing for him. Hamm may not be the most engaging presence of the film, but he leaves that to the supporting cast who all give delightful performances. The Indians, Suraj Sharma (Pi from Life of Pi) and Madhur Mittal (Slumdog Millionaire), play the future baseball prospects who are recruited from the reality TV show that Hamm's character created in India. They are the people who we are routing for as an audience and they achieve the purpose. They bring the emotional aspect of the film. For the comedy, Gillespie recruited Alan Arkin and Bill Paxton who are always a sure bet. Without being exceptional they still managed to be funny. The funniest scenes however come from newcomer, Pitobash Tripathy, who was a fresh addition to an otherwise predictable film. Lake Bell is the only female character present in the film and she delivers a solid performance as well. Her chemistry with Jon Hamm also lifted this film from being a mediocre movie.

My Review: Edge of Tomorrow (8/10)

"Come find me when you wake up!"

With the releases of Days of Future Past, Godzilla, and now Edge of Tomorrow, I have to admit this Blockbuster season has delivered more than what I was expecting. Many have claimed this film has put Tom Cruise back on top, but I couldn't necessarily make that claim considering I have enjoyed all his latest movies (Oblivion, Jack Reacher, and Ghost Protocol), but I will admit this was another great performance. This time he gets to play a very different character, one who is kind of a wuss and who is forced to train really hard to become a soldier. Emily Blunt is also great as her sidekick and delivers yet another strong and memorable performance. She also has an impressive filmography in a wide range of genres. It is impossible to avoid comparisons with Groundhog Day considering the premise of this film, and that is one film that is hard to live up to, but Edge of Tomorrow takes that clever premise and mixes it with sci-fi action perfectly. This is one of those rare action movies you won't want to miss on the big screen, and one of the few alien invasion movies that truly work. I can't think of a more entertaining experience when it comes to a clever sci-fi film and unfortunately there haven't been many over the past few years, but Edge of Tomorrow has come to save the genre. Director, Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs. Smith), has made an action packed film with a clever and funny script. 

The script was adapted by Christopher McQuarrie (Academy award winner for The Usual Suspects) and Jez Butterworth from the Japanese novel "All You Need is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The story is set in the near future after an alien invasion has taken place across Europe. All military efforts against these aliens referred to as Mimics have been useless as they have nearly destroyed the entire continent. Fortunately for the humans, a recent victory in Verdun through new mechanized suits worn by the soldiers has given them new hope. A UK Special Forces Soldier named Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) was credited for killing hundreds of Mimics that day and has become the new hero. Taking advantage of this momentum, the Commander of the Western allies, General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson), plans a final surprise attack in enemy territory. He calls for  Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) of the US Army to provide coverage for the media with the first wave of soldiers landing on the beach of France. Of course Cage tries to refuse the order considering he has no experience in the field and is only a PR officer trying to sell these mechanized suits to the army. The General gives him no options and forces him to go to the military base where Sgt. Farrell (Bill Paxton) introduces him to the J-Squad, who are deployed with him to the beach the next morning. Cage is a nervous wreck and the aliens aren't surprised by the invasion, so it turns out to be a suicide mission. Before getting killed, Cage manages to kill a giant blue Mimic and is covered by its blood. In the very next scene we see Cage waking up at the same military base being introduced once again to the J-Squad with the exact events of the past day repeating themselves. He gets stuck in a sort of a time loop where each time he is sent to fight at the beach and after getting killed he wakes up once again and has to repeat the mission with the only difference that he becomes more and more skilled.

Edge of Tomorrow may not have an original premise, but it is one that is very difficult to pull off. Groundhog Day proved to execute it perfectly, but many films after it have failed considering the story can grow a bit repetitive and tiresome. It can also be very constricting and you also lose that sense of suspense considering you know that if Cage gets killed he can relive the day again. It is kind of like a video game where you know you have millions of lives and each time you die you get to repeat the game with knowledge of what is going to happen next. However Tom Cruise manages to keep us engaged with the outcome of his character and the premise is explained pretty well. There is a reason as to why he has to relive each day and we find out during the midpoint of the film. I loved the way in which the story was told as we slowly get to learn more about the plot and similarly to a video game we discover new levels the more we move on. Edge of Tomorrow doesn't just rely on CGI and cool looking action sequences like most action films where everything blows up, this time we get a clever script to accompany the excellent action scenes and some fine performances with well developed characters. This is one sci-fi thriller you won't want to miss. 

My Review: 2 Guns (6/10)

"No one expected it! You should have seen your face!"

Yes, we pretty much expected everything that was going to happen in this formulaic old-school buddy cop action comedy, but it was fun to see these two charismatic and talented actors interact with one another. Denzel Washington is one of my favorite actors and Mark Wahlberg is also incredibly likable and funny. They make this otherwise predictable and generic film entertaining. It kind of pays homage to those 90 action thrillers like Lethal Weapon or Bad Boys where you have several plot twists going on but the success of the film completely relied on the two lead characters and the way they played off each other. 2 Guns might suffer from a script that was written for a straight to DVD film, but Washington and Wahlberg elevate the material to a higher level. This is the second time that Wahlberg works with Icelandic director, Baltasar Kormakur, after last year's Contraband. In 2 Guns Wahlberg has a much lighter role, and he has several funny scenes, and it completely works considering the script is way too weak to take itself seriously. 2 Guns was an entertaining film, but it was way too formulaic to stand out. It is an ok film for a one time viewing, but just don't go into it expecting it to be mind blowing, because it's just a ridiculously fun film.

Robert Trench (Denzel Washington) is an undercover DEA agent trying to bring down the leader of a Mexican drug cartel known as Papi (Edward James Olmos). Michael Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) is a Naval Intelligence agent who is also trying to get to Papi's money to bring down his cartel. Robert and Stig team up without knowing that either one of them is really working undercover. Stig convinces Robert to rob a small local bank where Papi keeps his money. The heist is far more successful than they had anticipated and they soon discover that they have both been framed. This was never Papi's money and now they have all sort of government officials after them along with the cartel. They will have to learn to trust each other if they want to survive. Bill Paxton plays a supporting role as one of the government officials who is after the money, while Paula Patton plays Robert's love interest.

Washington and Wahlberg were great together and they are probably the film's biggest asset. I do have to admit that I enjoyed Bill Paxton's performance here. He was probably the lone secondary character that actually worked. James Marsden was completely miscast. As the title suggests, the film really relies on the two guns: Washington and Wahlberg. If you like these actors then you will probably enjoy this film, if you don't then forget about it. The film also suffers from a weaker second half, but at least it's fast paced and keeps you entertained. It's mindless fun. I can't think of a Denzel Washington film I haven't liked. He never disappoints.

My Review: Aliens (8/10)

¨We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night¨

Many people consider Aliens to be better or at least at the same level as its predecessor, Alien, but I found it an inferior film in many ways. In my opinion Alien is a perfect film, while Aliens despite being very entertaining is not nearly as scary and has its flaws. This sequel was directed by James Cameron and his trademarks are all over this film. Ridley Scott had managed to direct a small psychological science fiction horror flick, while Cameron made a much larger film, with many aliens, more characters, and a lot more action. This is more of a blockbuster movie than anything else. I`ve always been a fan of much quieter films that focus on psychological scares than big budget action movies so that may be one of the reasons why I liked Alien much more than Aliens. There is no doubt about Cameron`s ability to direct these big budget movies and he always delivers spectacular visual effects, but story wise his films are sometimes lacking in quality. The characters are many times one dimensional and that is exactly the case in Aliens. The only character I really liked in this film and that has depth is Sigourney Weaver`s Ripley. Unlike in Alien where the main character seemed to be the alien despite not showing up much on screen; in Aliens we have plenty of screen time for the aliens, but I never felt like they were a main character. It`s as if so much overexposure to them made me care less about the aliens and more about Ripley. So in conclusion Alien was the creature`s movie, while Aliens is Weaver`s film. She has a very strong role and her presence is what has made this film so successful. She carries the film and in a way makes us forget about the rest of the one dimensional characters. 

The story continues right where the original left off with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the Nostromo shuttle in hypersleep along with her cat. She is awaken by a salvage team that has found her vessel drifting through space. Burke (Paul Reiser), who works for the same company that the original crew members worked for, informs Ripley that she has been asleep for 57 years. The company briefs Ripley as to what happened with the ship and the rest of the members, and don’t believe her story. They say that if her story were true then the colony of over 60 families that has been living on the planet where she claims to have seen the derailed ship would have encountered the aliens by now. The colony has been there for over twenty years without experiencing difficulties, and Ripley is discharged as a space pilot. Some time later, when the company loses contact with the colony, Burke asks Ripley to come along with them as a consultant. The company sends a military team to find out what has happened to the colonists and Ripley is offered to come along with them reinstating her if she does so. This is just an excuse for Cameron to get the crew in the same planet as the aliens and have much more action. Ripley decides to travel with the team which consists of Lt. Gorman (William Hope), the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen), Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn), Pvt. Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein), Pvt. Hudson (Bill Paxton), Cpl. Ferro (Colette Hiller), among many other soldiers who are heavily armed and qualified. Once they reach the planet they find no sign of any colonists, except for a ten year old girl named Newt (Carrie Henn) who has managed to survive and tells them that monsters have killed the rest, and that they will come for them as well.

This film marked a breakthrough in action films, but isn’t really as scary as the original movie. The suspense and psychological horror is replaced with action packed shootouts and explosions. There are many more characters and a lot more aliens so there are a lot of things happening. This is what makes Aliens more entertaining for some people. Cameron had recently come from directing The Terminator so he was already making a name for himself and was able to work with a good budget. He is among the best when it comes to visuals and special effects and many of the visuals in this movie still look great today. Aliens won two Oscars for this reason. I`m not a huge fan of Cameron`s work, although I have to admit Terminator 2 is one of the best action movies ever and definitely my favorite James Cameron film. The screenplay was also written by Cameron along with the help of screenwriters David Giler and Walter Hill, and I had small issues with it, although the spectacular action sequences saved it. This is Sigourney Weaver`s film and she truly broke out as an A-list actress with this movie. She shines as a true female action hero who`s strong and emotional at the same time. Aliens is a good film, just not as perfect as Alien.

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