Movie Muser

I’m not entirely sure why Jake Gyllenhaal felt the need to lose loads of weight for Nightcrawler, but conbined with a very good performance he certainly looks the part of a man who’s one step away from being a psychopath – and maybe not even one step.

He is Louis Bloom, who’s certainly not lacking in confidence and believes he’s got everything to offer the world, but his life and career is going nowhere, partly because he lacks direction and also because he had no issue being on the edge of the law. However he stumbles into a career he never expected when he meets a Nightcrawler – freelance cameramen who race to emergencies in the hope of getting sensationalist footage for the local news.

Louis proves to be very good at it, partly because he has no limits and is totally amoral, not caring about the law or ethics, he just wants the footage, whether it means going into crime scenes without permission or training his camera of the grisliest scenes with complete dispassion. It turns out his lack of morals and empathy is matched by the news producers’ greed for extreme footage, whether it has genuine news value or not. As Louis continues to push the boundaries, his status as observer begins to blur until he becomes part of the story.

Nightcrawler is a great watch, largely due to Louis being a fascinating character. He’s not just an observer of crashes, fires and shooting, but he appears to be observing what it is to be a human. Everything he knows comes from internet research. He comes across as if he has no real knowledge of humanity beyond his interpretation of what he’s read. When he compliments TV producer Nina (a great turn from Rene Russo), it feels like he’s running through a ‘how to’ guide to going on a date, not because he actually feels anything.

To Louis, everything is an opportunity or an angle, and he will do anything to get what he wants how he wants it, but soon things begin to spiral out of control as he seems to have no idea when he’s gone too far, due to his absolute conviction that he’s always right. It’s not a surprise that writer/director Dan Gilroy was Oscar-nominated for his screenplay.

With a gritty high-contrast look, the film is extremely good visually, with almost the entire movie taking place at night. It’s also a biting look at the news. Although us Brits may feel it seems the movie’s ‘if it bleeds it leads’ extremism ideas about local news is over the top, if you’ve ever watched American television, you’ll know it’s not far of the mark.

If you enjoy a bit of a morally ambiguous thriller, Nightcrawler certainly delivers.

Overall Verdict: With a great central character, a sharp look at the quagmire of American news and some really good performances, Nightcrawler is a dark and fascinating ride.

Special Features:
Audio Commentary
Behind The Scenes Featurette

Reviewer: Tim Isaac

It’s interesting to see sometimes how different critic and audience reactions can be. Love, Rosie currently has a very good 7.4/10 rating on IMDB from audience votes, but an abysmal 21% on RottenTomatoes from critics.

When you watch the film you can understand the disparity. If you’re a movie aficionado the whole thing is rather tedious – it’s by-the-numbers to the point of feeling like it was just spewed out of a machine. The characters we’ve seen 10,000 times before and while the idea of exploring whether people who’ve been friends since childhood can become a successful adult couple has potential, it’s handled in a way that’s doesn’t have a vaguely original idea. All that is anathema to critics but many audience members like it – after all it’s why places like McDonald’s are so successful, you know exactly what you’re going to get and there’s comfort in that, even if gourmands may hate it.

Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) have been best friends since they were kids. Although they have a few somewhat confused fumbles towards something more as teenagers, they find it difficult to figure out whether it’s just the strength of their friendship or if something more is developing. As they grow and start their adult lives, distance and the excitement of new experiences threaten to pull them apart, but they cannot deny their bond.

I would tell you what happens, but it won’t come as a shock to anyone, not least the characters whose travails are pretty slight and to be honest not that interesting. But that’s not the point of a film like this, as it’s supposed to be a bit like a comfortable blanket you wrap around yourself, where nothing is too harsh or difficult and you can have faith it will work out in the end.

On that score it’s fine, and to be fair Claflin and Collins both do their best with a rather flat script, but if you demand more than everything you’ve seen a billion times before from a movie, you’ll find it pretty dull.

Overall Verdict: If you just want a bit of true love never running smooth in a sweet but safe package, Love, Rosie will do fine, but everyone else will roll their eyes and find the whole thing tedious.

Special Features:
Interviews with Lily Collins, Sam Claflin and Cecelia Ahern
Making of…Love, Rosie
Music Video : Mimi and the Mad Noise Factory “Get me Back”

Reviewer: Tim Isaac