Media Leeches and Their Desire for Grisly Stories

“If it bleeds, it leads.”  That’s on quote that I’m sure many people can use to describe today’s news culture.  Viewers’ appetite for stories involving death have disturbing implications as to where their interests are in the scope of current events.  Whether the story is focusing on a horrific car accident or a deadly home invasion, one thing that can be guessed is that many viewers won’t touch their remotes until such a story finishes on the news.

What is it with cameras becoming best friends with bloodshed?  Dan Gilroy makes his directorial debut with the broadcast-news thriller, “Nightcrawler,” in which he travels into the dark world of video journalism and brings us close to the uncomfortable invasiveness of certain on-site corespondents.

Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) lives in Los Angeles, and is in desperate need of a job.  After some failed attempts to earn money, he eventually emerges into the field video reporting.  Equipped with a camcorder and radio scanner, Bloom tries to make his way to as many LA crime/accident scenes as possible.  As he begins selling his stories to a local news station, Bloom becomes more and more determined to impress his employers, and will do anything to beat his competitors to a story. 

Jake Gyllenhaal has always been a highly gifted actor, but he has had an especially notable run as of late, between his supporting gig in “Prisoners” a year ago, his lead role in “Enemy” back in the spring, and now his role as Louis Bloom.  Between these three movies, you can say that Gyllenhaal has experienced a superb period of thrillers, and with “Nightcrawler,” his character is easily the least likable of his more recent roles, but it’s a performance that’s endlessly fascinating to watch.  

We first see him as someone who’s rather strange, and maybe a bit socially inept, and it doesn’t seem like he has much interaction with the outside world.  As he starts to record his stories, it’s really something to see Gyllenhaal command the transition of his character rapidly going from being a newbie with a camera to an accomplished videographer, having tapped into a perverse talent he never knew he possessed.  Even when he first establishes his production business with his one and only employee, Rick (Riz Ahmed), his role as a boss who knows what he wants shows how much he intends to strive for the big leagues.

Rene Russo turns in a vigorous performance as Nina, the tough morning-news director whom Bloom works for.  Just like Bloom, she wants “something people can’t turn away from.”  The ruthlessness of her character is displayed in her insatiable hunger for news that will boost her show’s ratings, and her morals and ethics as a journalist are every bit as questionable and twisted as Bloom’s.

The scenes between Gyllenhaal and Russo burn with tension as he tries to use their professional relationship to become more than what he started out as.  There’s a scene in the film when the two are in the news station, and Bloom delivers a monologue where he tells Nina what he demands for his continued work with the station.  It’s a real moment of character growth that’s all caught in one take that allows us to deeply focus on him and absorb his every word.  

The screenplay by Dan Gilroy could have used a little more subtly in its message, but it’s still a very interesting critique on current video journalism.  It doesn’t hold back in showing how far some reporters will go to get the story they want, even if it means withholding information to make the story fit their intentions.

Seeing as Gyllenhaal’s character is always chasing stories, it would make sense to worry that the film would become repetitive, but this is certainly not the case.  With each crime/accident scene he barges in on, we learn more about the type of person he is and how easily he’s able to throw away his decency in order to impress his boss and further his career.

Gilroy’s story is also extremely voyeuristic in how it displays Bloom’s subjects being bombarded by his camera and watched from afar.  This causes certain sequences to be uncomfortable to watch, especially the home-invasion scene and the ending, but that makes them all the more potent in what the movie is trying to say.

“Nightcrawler” will make you think about what goes on behind the scenes in video journalism, and it may even change the way you watch the news.

Final grade: A-

The Saint From Next Door

It’s difficult to resist a humorous Bill Murray performance.  His expert, deadpan delivery of his dialogue makes him one of our finest comedic actors working today.  

It’s because of him that Theodore Melfi’s overly sentimental comedy, “St. Vincent,” is more tolerable than it deserves to be.  Ultimately, the performances are what keep this movie afloat, while the story itself is something we’ve all seen a few times before.

Vincent MacKenna (Murray) lives alone, drinks a lot, gambles and maintains a relationship with a Russian prostitute, Daka (Naomi Watts).  When his new neighbor, Maggie Bronstein (Melissa McCarthy), and her young son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), move in next door to Vincent, they don’t get along at first, but after Maggie starts getting busy at her job, she needs someone to look after her son, and asks Vincent for his help, who reluctantly agrees.  As Vincent and Oliver begin to spend more time together, the two establish a bond and help each other grow.

In the role of Vincent, Bill Murray provides us with another witty character who makes us laugh from the beginning, but also provides a few dramatic moments as the film goes on that allow us to see why he tangles with his vices.  It’s mostly because of Murray that the movie somewhat works at all.

Melissa McCarthy’s performance, thankfully, isn’t another loud and obnoxious character.  Although that sort of shtick worked at first in “Bridesmaids,” it grew tired in her films that came later.  In this movie, McCarthy’s role as a hardworking mother shows that she’s able to do more than what we’ve been seeing in her films over the last few years.  This role shows that McCarthy can still be funny while taking a step back from her usual wild side.

Newcomer Jaeden Lieberher displays his acting skills admirably, and his ability to connect with Murray onscreen helps make the film’s common scenario watchable.

The screenplay by Theodore Melfi, although pretty comical in spots, uses the familiar story of a young boy befriending a cantankerous older man, in which you can see where the narrative is going to end up.  It’s really the lead performers who make this movie passable.  The film doesn't really add anything new to this concept, and pretty much coasts along on the capability of its cast.

“St. Vincent” is an okay diversion for fans of Bill Murray’s work, but his character deserved a better and funnier film.

Final grade: B-

A Tank That Serves as an Overseas Home

Two years ago, director David Ayer gave audiences a gritty and up-close-and-personal look at the Los Angeles Police Department in “End of Watch,” which was a dramatic and somewhat brutal look at one of our country’s largest police forces.  Before that, he brought us “Street Kings” and “Harsh Times,” and has written the screenplays for films such as “S.W.A.T.” and “Training Day.”  With these movies in his filmography, you can see that he has a tendency to focus on the heroes whose job it is to keep people safe.

Now, he brings us a movie about another kind of hero: the soldiers.  In Ayer’s new war film, “Fury,” he brings us to the battlefields of Germany during World War II.  Just like in his previous films, he shows us what it means to sacrifice everything to protect others.

In April 1945, the Allies make their last push into Nazi Germany in the final month of the European Theater during WWII.  Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank called “Fury” and it’s experienced five-man crew, which includes Boyd Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Grady Travis (Jon Bernthal) and Trini Garcia (Michael Peña).  After the group’s assistant driver dies in battle, Collier receives a newly enlisted typist, Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman), as a replacement.  During the group’s mission to capture certain German territories, the group will learn that there are still many horrors of war to come before it can ultimately end.

Just as Brad Pitt displayed in “Inglourious Basterds,” he really knows how to play a tough and demanding military leader.  With the way Pitt plays his character, you can clearly see Collier’s battle-hardened sensibilities and his desire to get the most out of the soldiers he leads.  He’s a father figure to those who are under his command and wants to do what he can to prepare his crew for the fights to come.  

Ever since I saw Logan Lerman in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” I’ve grown to appreciate him more as an actor.  He’s been maturing into a talented performer and his role requires him to give the most emotional performance of the film, and he accomplishes that task.  His character’s display of nervousness in being placed in the fields of battle for the first time serves as a way for us to imagine what all of those soldiers must have felt the first time they had to fight.  Although his character eventually gets used to killing his enemies, the scenes in which he struggles with the idea of doing so are some of the best in the film.

Despite the story placing a lot of focus on Pitt and Lerman’s characters, LaBeouf, Bernthal and Peña each get their own moments in the film that allow us to get an idea of the kind of people they are and how the war has affected them.

Despite a few war-movie cliches appearing here and there, David Ayer’s screenplay takes us on a harrowing wartime journey as we go on several missions with the tank’s crew as the intensity of the fighting increases.  There are a few battles during the movie, but they never become repetitive because they’re all staged differently, and in between these sequences, we are provided with moments that let the soldiers ruminate on what they are experiencing.

The story takes an interesting detour about halfway through that lasts around 20 minutes.  After the Allies take a German town, Don and Norman visit two women in an apartment and get to know them as people, not enemies.  During this scene, you see how the soldiers interact with the locals when there isn’t any fighting taking place.  It’s a break from the combat sequences that lets us see what these soldiers are like when they’re not in the middle of battle.

Director Ayer teams up again with “End of Watch” cinematographer Roman Vasyanav, and they use excellent camerawork to capture the chaos of war.  With the way the battle footage is shot, the two really give you a sense of the tremendous danger that the soldiers face in the film.

“Fury” brings you on a rather tough road, but Ayer makes it worth it with his evident admiration of real-world heroes.

Final grade: A-

An Anatomy of a Toxic Marriage

Think about how many wedded couples you’ve seen in film.  Think about how different and alike they were.  Think about how many stayed together and how many separated.  Movies have shown viewers countless marital bonds go through scenarios of varying details, but I don’t think any of them can compare to the craziness of cinema’s latest onscreen matrimony.

Director David Fincher’s twisted thriller, “Gone Girl,” which is based on Gillian Flynn’s 2012 bestselling novel, descends into the barbed-wire anti-romance of the book’s two main characters and creates one of the best and most faithful page-to-screen adaptations of today.

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), live in Missouri and have been married for five years, but not all of them have been happy.  On the day of their fifth anniversary, Nick returns home from work, but Amy isn’t anywhere to be found.  With the help of some local authorities, Nick begins a frantic search for his wife.  While under the mounting pressure of being seen as the prime suspect and trying to prove his innocence, Nick will also have to come to terms with what has caused his marriage to go horribly wrong.

While I still see Ben Affleck as a slightly better director than actor, his abilities on the latter have seemed to get better with each film he has appeared in over the last few years, and this performance stands as one of the best he’s done.  He expertly captures what the character of Nick is like in the book, everything from the cluelessness about his wife, to his uncomfortableness in being bombarded by the media, to his shock at what he finds out about Amy as the film progresses.  Throughout the movie, Affleck is able to present his character’s transition from being camera-shy to knowing how to make public opinion work in his favor, and it’s fascinating to watch.

In the case of Rosamund Pike, there isn’t any bigger star-making performance this year than her wildly brilliant turn as Nick’s enigmatic wife.  It’s a role that takes you into the depths of Amy’s mind as she narrates certain scenes through her diary entries.  Although narration can be seen as taking the easy way out to tell a film’s story, it’s needed here because of its bigger significance to her character later on.  What’s remarkable about her performance is how even when we see her on screen with her voiceover narration, her facial expressions are perfectly in tune with her words.  The scenes with her narration in the film’s first half are actually some of the best in the movie because of how alluring her voice is and its ability to draw you into her mysterious psyche.  I can’t say much else about her character without giving away some of the film’s surprises, but I will say that it’s a better portrayal of Amy than I could have hoped for.

Inhabiting Nick and Amy’s downward-spiraling lives are some interesting supporting characters: Amy’s sketchy ex-boyfriend Desi Collings (Neil Patrick Harris); Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens), the dedicated detective leading the case; Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry), the attorney who comes to Nick’s rescue; and Carrie Coon as Nick’s twin sister, Margo, a character who’s an example of what it’s like to be close to someone who’s caught in a media frenzy, and then beginning to get harassed by the press as well.

Gillian Flynn penned the screenplay, and she clearly had an idea of what to include in the film and what to leave out.  Sure, there are a few things missing, but she’s able to get around those absences in order to place an emphasis on what’s really important.  Everything that was essential in the book is there on the screen.

One of many things she does well with her script is the series of jumps between the perspectives of Nick and Amy, where we go back and forth from the events happening around Nick in the present and flashbacks that come from Amy’s diary entries.  It works every bit as well cinematically as it does in book form, and it’s intriguing to watch the two timelines eventually converge and ignite a startling chain of events.

Just like the novel, the big plot reveal comes when we’re only halfway through the movie, but Flynn manages to make it work in both cases because, unlike many other thrillers that have their twists and turns lead up to a reveal at the very end, this one manages to keep them coming even after we find out the main secret.

The book’s portrayal of the media also translates well into the movie with its depiction of performing for news cameras and showing media outlets jumping to conclusions, and this darkly humorous display gives a satirical jab at the matter in the film’s conclusion.

David Fincher is a consistent talent when it comes to making modern thrillers and was the perfect choice for this project.  Some of his other films, such as  “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Zodiac” and “Seven,” all have a darkness to them, both photographically and story wise, that adds to the experience of watching something both disturbing and addictive.

Similar to his last two films, “TGWTDT” and “The Social Network,” Fincher collaborates with cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, editor Kirk Baxter and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and “Gone Girl” benefits just as much as the two aforementioned films.  The grouping of Fincher with these four individuals helps in creating the unnerving atmosphere that this film demands.

Even if you’re one of those who have read the book, the way in which Fincher constructs some of the film’s biggest moments will still have you in shock in what you’re watching.  With the blending of Cronenweth’s dark cinematography, Baxter’s meticulous editing, and Reznor and Ross’ deeply unsettling music, the film’s most important scenes will undoubtedly satisfy both those who have and have not read the book.

With “Gone Girl,” David Fincher opens the door to a crumbling marriage and gives us the chance to sort through the wreckage.

Final grade: A

A Brother and Sister Reconnect at the Lowest Point in Their Lives

Movies that focus on siblings can be very interesting to watch in how those characters interact with each other after being a part of each other’s life for so long.  Although watching friends display deep connections on screen can be just as engrossing, there’s the factor of being blood-related that adds something a little more to the story a film’s siblings share.

In Craig Johnson’s bittersweet drama, “The Skeleton Twins,” he explores the unfulfilled lives of a brother and sister as unexpected circumstances bring them together.  In a film that’s emotional and a bit melancholy, yet occasionally humorous and hopeful, Johnson succeeds in making a movie that depends on its two leads to come out of their comfort zones.

Milo (Bill Hader) is a struggling actor who lives in California.  When he ends up in the hospital after a failed suicide attempt, his sister, Maggie (Kristen Wiig), whom he hasn’t seen in 10 years, takes him to New York to live with her and her husband, Lance (Luke Wilson), until he gets back on his feet.  During Milo’s stay, he and Maggie will begin to reexamine their sibling relationship and try to repair the damage in their lives.

It’s interesting and fresh to watch traditionally comedic actors take on dramatic roles, and Wiig and Hader handle that transition perfectly, just like their fellow “Saturday Night Live” alum Will Forte did in last year’s “Nebraska.”  Wiig and Hader provide heart-rending scenes that I wouldn’t have ever expected to see them do in their careers, but they perform them so well that it looks as though they have been playing dramatic roles for longer than they have.  They do, however, produce some funny moments every so often to break the stress that their characters are feeling.

After performing together on “SNL” for several years, the two clearly have enough of a connection to carry a movie.  Having them play brother and sister is a terrific way to show their ongoing ability to act together.  You can feel every bit of love and tension that goes between them.  

The two of them sink so deeply into these damaged characters that it’s easier than expected to take their previous comedic performances out of your mind and appreciate the new territory that the two are exploring with their acting talents.  

Ty Burrell, who is best known for playing Phil Dunphy on the television sitcom, “Modern Family,” also triumphs in changing over to a more dramatic character, his role being someone who shares a troubling connection to Milo’s past.  Although Wiig and Hader have a comical moment here and there, Burrell’s role has him completely shed his hilariously goofy persona for something much different. 

The screenplay by Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman crafts one of the most emotional sibling relationships I’ve seen on film in several years.  They’ve constructed a brother-sister pairing that has the two needing to fix their own problems and help in fixing those of the other.  Although they try to assist each other, they both seem to get into more trouble then they’re getting out of, and this helps in keeping the audience invested in where this sibling bond is headed.

Director Johnson doesn’t allow for the film’s emotion to become too cloying, but rather has it remain true to what the main characters are experiencing.  He places his two leads in a story that allows them to fully display unfamiliar dramatic talents, and steps back as they confidently propel the story forward with the unbreakable bond they share while performing.  Wiig and Hader might as well be siblings in real life.

Final grade: A

A Utopia That’s Not As Perfect As It Seems

Readers have been waiting quite a while for Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel, “The Giver,” to get adapted for the big screen.  When I read it for the first time in seventh grade, it became one of my favorite books that I read in the classroom.  Although I didn’t think too much about it being a movie back then, I’ve thought over the past few years that the novel could make for an interesting one.  I just recently reread the novel in preparation for the movie, but I wasn’t sure if the movie could live up to what I got out of the book.

Unfortunately, as I predicted, the film has many shortcomings.  Directed by Phillip Noyce, “The Giver” has a few noteworthy elements, but the way the rest of the story and characters are handled doesn’t make this movie worthy of the wait.

After certain catastrophes brought ruin to the world, a futuristic society has gotten rid of elements that create differences, such as colors, race, religion and emotions, and all memories of the past have been erased.  Everyone has conformed to a life of sameness.

In this society, Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is nervous about the upcoming ceremony that will give his age group their lifetime assignments.  At the ceremony, he’s surprised to find out that he will be the next Receiver of Memory, a position that requires him to meet with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who will provide Jonas with memories of the past that will help him learn what life used to be like many years ago, memories that will also be used to give the Elders guidance when facing uncertainty.  After several sessions with the Giver, Jonas will come to question the quality of life within the community and whether or not it was right for its inhabitants to be placed in a life of sameness.

At the start of the film, Brenton Thwaites displays the youthful curiosity that I expected in the character of Jonas, and I thought he’d be passable in the role.  As the film goes on, however, he doesn’t provide the intense emotion that should be shown in the film’s bigger scenes, particularly  the one where he discovers a grim responsibility that his father’s job entails.  If you read the book, you’ll know the scene to which I’m referring.

One of the few things that saves this film is the casting of Jeff Bridges as The Giver.  Bridges imbues his role with the demeanor of a person with extensive wisdom, and that’s exactly what the character needs.  As an individual who knows what the world used to be like, Bridges expertly shows The Giver as someone burdened by what he’s been keeping bottled up.

Meryl Streep appears as the community’s Chief Elder, a character that’s needlessly extended for the film.  Being one of the most talented actresses to ever work in movies, this is a role that seems to be below someone of her abilities.  Throughout the movie, she’s given almost nothing to do other than be the typical menacing authority figure for the protagonist to rebel against, just like what audiences have seen in recent young-adult adaptations.

Some of the film’s limited praiseworthiness comes with Ross Emery’s cinematography, which, along with Bridges’ performance, is one of the film’s only laudable factors.  The first 20-25 minutes are all photographed in black and white to give the audience a better idea of the community’s sameness.  Once Jonas begins to receive memories, the colors gradually become more prominent, but just in the scenes involving him because he’s the only one, besides The Giver, who can see in color, while the scenes without him remain in black and white.  This all helps to emphasize the gift that grants Jonas a sense of individuality.

Although the film is based on a children’s novel, the screenplay by Michael Mitnick and Robert B. Weide makes some alterations which, if I had to guess, are meant to cash in on the popularity of current young-adult fiction.  Some of these differences include changing the ages of Jonas and his friends from 12 to what looks to be between 16 and 18, unnecessarily drawing out the relationship shared by Jonas and his love interest, Fiona (Odeya Rush), so to meet the teen-romance quota, and the expanded presence of the aforementioned Chief Elder character.  The focus that’s placed on these aspects of the film takes away from what could have been more time dedicated to interactions between Jonas and The Giver; not that there wasn’t enough of it, but a little more certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

Director Phillip Noyce injects some artfulness into the film with Jeff Bridges’ performance, the cinematography and set design, but it’s the story and most of the other interpretations of the characters that seem to hold him back.  I feel as though he did as well as he could with the material he had, but might have been able to do even better if he was given a screenplay that was more faithful to the book.  Using such a script, along with the few things that ended up working for the film, would have probably resulted in an adaptation that matched the source material’s powerful narrative.  

If you want to experience this story in the best way possible, get swept away in the pages of the novel instead.

Final grade: C

Bartending While Dealing with Past Sins

When brought to seedy, crime-ridden territories in film, what’s interesting is how repulsive, yet intriguing they can be for the viewer.  Michaël R. Roskam’s crime drama, “The Drop,” has the audience visit these undesirable places that are wrapped up in the shadowy workings of organized crime, capturing the dirty and dangerous dealings of everyone involved.

In the Brooklyn area, several bars are used as “drops,” where money is delivered, and then picked up by local crime rings.  Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) and his older cousin, Marv (James Gandolfini), work at one such bar, which used to be owned by the latter, but is know “owned” by a group of gangsters.  One night during closing, a pair of masked men enter the bar and rob it.  When the bar’s “owner” and his crew find out that it was their money that was stolen, the two cousins try to figure out a way to get it back, while also dealing with a police investigation that threatens to disclose some of the community’s biggest secrets.

Tom Hardy has really established himself as a commendable leading man in film.  As a character who is involved in relationships with gangsters, but trying to make his life more honorable at the same time, Hardy shows the conflicted nature of Bob.  The character is trying to develop himself into a softer soul, but is still battling his hardened past as someone who used to want the rough life of crime, and Hardy expertly plays both sides of this role so we know the kind of person he is now, and who he once was.

James Gandolfini, in his final film performance before his passing last year, gives us something a little different in his tough-guy repertoire than what we’re normally used to seeing.  Having played mafioso Tony Soprano on “The Sopranos” for almost a decade, you can’t help but think of Gandolfini playing characters who have an intimidating presence.  In this film, however, it’s interesting to watch how restrained that persona is.  Considering that Gandolfini plays a character who used to be respected and feared in his neighborhood, this downplaying of toughness fits very well with Marv’s insecurities.  It gives audiences the opportunity to see a different side to a type of character that Gandolfini became known for playing. 

Noomi Rapace, who plays Bob’s love interest, Nadia, displays her talent admirably, despite the way her role is written.  Although she does adequate work in her scenes with Hardy, her character pretty much doesn’t become more than a crime-drama girl-in-distress near the end.

The screenplay by Dennis Lehane, which is his first and is based on his short story, “Animal Rescue,” is another addition to his works that include descents into modern hellish environments.  We’ve seen these kinds of backdrops in film adaptations of his novels, such as Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” Ben Affleck’s “Gone Baby Gone” and Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” movies that display their sordid settings in suitably gritty detail, and “The Drop” succeeds in bringing that same atmosphere to its story.

Just like Lehane’s other works, the narrative leaves you with certain aspects that are open for interpretation, encouraging you to ask questions after the film ends, and it may even benefit from a second viewing.  Throughout the film, it becomes more and more interesting as you try and figure out the characters’ motives and whose side everyone is on.  The screenplay has a couple of flaws, but this was an acceptable first effort by Lehane for screenwriting, and if he writes another screenplay in the future, I’m sure he will be able to pen another intricate, crime-focused story.

Director Michaël R. Roskam can now be added to the list of directors who have competently adapted Lehane’s works for film.  Despite the movie not ranking quite as high as other films based on Lehane’s stories, Roskam is able to stage scenes of heated tension that are a staple of Lehane’s narratives.  Roskam’s understanding of a tale about a man who’s trying to redeem himself from his dark history and his cousin who’s trying to hold onto whatever little respect and fear he has left from those in his community is what gives the film its impact.

Lehane’s stories have secrets woven into them that beg to be found out, and that’s what you can expect from “The Drop.”

Final grade: B+