Posts tonen met het label Nightcrawler. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label Nightcrawler. Alle posts tonen

zaterdag 4 september 2021

Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 4

I decided to rewatch my 100 favorite movies of all-time. What those are, you can check HERE. I watch them in random order, there is no rhyme or reason there, just watching those movies I love so much.
 
8/ 100: Nightcrawler (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, who discovers that he can make money by filming victims of accidents and crime scenes. He sells them to TV stations, that will air the sometimes gruesome footage during news reports. Bloom becomes more and more involved and gets deeper into the world, without actually thinking of the victims he’s filming. Gyllenhaal gives away a masterful performance, where he portrays a man who has nothing to offer, who eventually gets this disturbing personality. One of Gyllenhaal’s best movies to date. You can read my full review HERE
 
9/ 100: Goodfellas (1990)
For as long as he can remember, Henry Hill has wanted to be a gangster. And from the age of sixteen he is indeed allowed to work for the Italian mafia family the Luccheses. His career goes well. Director Martin Scorsese loved listening to the strong and funny stories told on street corners by gangsters in the New York neighborhood he grew up on when he was young. He based his film on the biography of the real-life Henry Hill. “Goodfellas” is one of those films everyone just has to see at least once. You can read my full review HERE
 
10/ 100: Prisoners (2013)
On the evening of Thanksgiving, two girls disappear without a trace. The only clue leads to an RV, but the owner is soon released due to lack of evidence. Keller, the father of one of the girls, decides to take matters into his own hands. “Prisoners” is a sublimely constructed thriller from director Deni Villeneuve, who hasn’t made a bad or mediocre movie so far and is one of my current favorite directors. He takes the viewer on an emotionally gruellig journey through a landscape devoid of any shred of sunlight. You can read my full review HERE
 
11/ 100: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
After returning from the Crusades, a remarkably thoughtful Robin Hood attempts to fight the tyrannical Sheriff of Nottingham. It’s a somewhat dated version of the old story, and it’s probably not one of the best movies on my favorites list, but I’ve loved this movie for as long as I can remember. You can read my full review HERE
 
12/ 100: 50/ 50 (2011)
The title refers to the prognosis presented to 27-year-old Adam, who has a malignant tumor and a fifty percent chance of survival. Screenwriter Will Reiser based the story on his own experiences and hits the right note between light-hearted and sensitive. It’s really difficult to tell a story with such a heavy theme, with such nuance and light-heartedness. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen play well together and “50/ 50” has excellent supporting roles from Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Philip Baker Hall and Anjelica Huston. You can read my full review HERE
 

Still to watch: 88

dinsdag 1 december 2015

Movie Battle : Enemy Vs. Nightcrawler

This time I decided to go for two movies with Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal is an actor who keeps making better movies. This guy is on a roll and has made so many great films recently. I decided to let two of his more recent ones fight it out in the movie battle. Let’s so who wins: “Enemy” Vs. “Nightcrawler”.
 
 
ACTORS

Enemy: Besides Jake Gyllenhaal we can see Mélanie Laurent, Sara Gadon and Isabella Rossellini. While Gyllenhaal is the star, all the ladies do a very solid job.

Nightcrawler: Rene Russo and Bill Paxton are performing opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Again, Gyllenhaal is the star and he is at his most maniacal in “Nightcrawler”. What an amazingly overlooked performance by him.

STORY

Enemy: When you read the synopsis it all seems standard. A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie. But what’s beneath is much more complicated. I didn’t understand the movie when I first saw it, it’s a movie with a lot of symbolism and layers. “Enemy” really makes you think and you want to find out the psychology behind it. And that ending freaked me out.

Nightcrawler: The story is a bit more straight forward than “Enemy”, but also more than meets the eye. Louis Bloom discovers working as a crime journalist and becomes obsessed with the job.

EFFECTS

Enemy: A very grim movie, well filmed. It all looks very creepy and there are some special effects here and there. But not more than needed.

Nightcrawler: Night time Los Angeles is the background of the film and the city of angels is filmed beautifully. The film has a gripping atmosphere and this décor adds something extra to that.

WINNER

Tough choice, I loved both movies. But I think “Nightcrawler” surprised and overwhelmed me more.

donderdag 1 januari 2015

Top 10: Favorite Movies of 2014

I got to see a lot of 2014 movies, so this year I will make a favorites list of the year. Off course I didn’t get to all the movies of this year, because that’s impossible.  I didn’t see “Boyhood”, for no apparent reason. Some 2014 movies are coming out next year in The Netherlands, like “Birdman” or “The Imitation Game” and there are also some movies on this list that officially came out in 2013, but in my country it was 2014. Let’s get started, here are my favorite movies of 2014.
 
10. Edge of Tomorrow
The most recent view of this list. I wasn’t stoked about this at first, I didn’t see it in theaters. Now I regret that, because it was AWESOME! Finally the Tom Cruise action movie we were waiting for.
 
 
9. The Guest
It sounded so standard, but it was anything but standard. What I got was a solid thriller that had elements of “Drive” and 80s horror/ thriller in it. John Carpenter didn’t help making this movie, but it was like watching one of his creations. “The Guest” was amazing and thank God for Dan Stevens.
 
 
8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Ceasar made it to my list. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was just as good as “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. It’s something about apes, I’m captivated every time. And I know it’s probably never going to happen, but give Andy Serkis an Oscar! This man is a genious.
 
 
7. Begin Again
This was such a sweet film, I was literally smiling the entire runtime. The soundtrack is great and I just loved this film. When I read the synopsis I thought it was going to be mediocre, but it was so much better.
 
 
 
6. Nightcrawler
I was curious, I wanted to know what this was about. “Nightcrawler” was a surprisingly good movie, I didn’t see that coming. And Jake Gyllenhaal gave away such a mind blowing performance. He really got lost in his role.
 
 
5. The Lego Movie
I your title song is called “Everything is Awesome”, you better be awesome. And that’s exactly what “The Lego Movie” is. I never thought I would love it as much as I do. I’m didn’t even play with LEGO that much as a kid. I enjoyed this so much, I have watched the movie three times already this year.
 
 
4. 12 Years a Slave
If this movie doesn’t touch you, you’re a robot. Ever inch in my body felt the pain and the suffering of Solomon. Such an amazing movie, goose bumps.
 
 
3. Whiplash
Oh how I loved this movie! I heard so many great things about it and I totally agreed with all of those people. Seriously, J.K. Simmons in this film, if his character was real he would scare the sh** out of me.
 
 
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel
This year I discovered that Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors. His movies are a piece of art, they look amazing. I wish I had his creative mind. I enjoyed “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and Ralph Fiennes’ performance is one of the best of the year. I’m actually missing this movie on a lot of 2014 movie lists. Maybe they aren’t Wes Anderson fans.
 
 
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
I didn’t know anything about the heroes in this film before seeing it. Each one of them stole my heart and I’m a fan of “Guardians of the Galaxy”. It’s understatement if I say I adored this movie. I even think it’s the best Marvel movie so far!
 
 
Honorable Mentions: Her, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part, Neighbors, Locke

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (December 2014)

The last monthly list for my 100 Movie Challenge 2014. I will also make a list of all the awesome movies I watched this year for my challenge. It will be a top 10, so not a top 5 Thursday. With that I will also create a list of the worst movies I saw for my 2014 challenge. But first, my favourites of the month December. It started out as an okay month, but I ended up seeing some awesome films.

5. Locke
It’s amazing that this movie captivated me this much, because the entire film is set in a car while Tom hardy is driving it. It’s all thanks to the amazing script and Tom Hardy’s brilliant performance that “Locke” was such a great film.
 
 
4. Her
I thought this movie was going to be my favourite of the month, but I saw three other movies that I liked just a little bit more. “Her” is such a sweet film, even though it is sometimes a bit disturbing and confronting as well. The story sounds silly, but it’s so amazing!
 
 
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I’m a fan of the first movie, “Captain America: The First Avenger”, as one of the few. I didn’t really need a sequel, but now I’m glad there is one. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is even better.
 
 
2. Edge of Tomorrow
I admit, I was skeptical. I didn’t want to see another mediocre action flick with Tom Cruise running. Well, was I wrong. This is one damn good movie, a true movie experience.
 
 
1. Nightcrawler
This movie really took me by surprise. I was amazed by the wonderful performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, he really got lost in his role. “Nightcrawler” really got under my skin, it was so gripping.
 
 
They Almost Made the Top 5: The Skeleton Twins, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

donderdag 18 december 2014

Quotables: "Nightcrawler"

I recently saw this movie and it’s one of the best movies of the year. It surprised me really. Jake Gyllenhaal is phenomenal and there are some great quotes. Here are they, and almost all of them are by Gyllenhaal’s character Lou Bloom.

Lou Bloom: What if my problem wasn't that I don't understand people but that I don't like them? What if I was the kind of person who was obliged to hurt you for this? I mean physically. I think you'd have to believe afterward, if you could, that agreeing to participate and then backing out at the critical moment was a mistake. Because that's what I'm telling you, as clearly as I can.

Lou Bloom: Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told that I'm persistent.

Lou Bloom: Do you know what fear stands for? False Evidence Appearing Real.
 
 
Lou Bloom: Why you pursue something is as important as what you pursue.

Lou Bloom: I feel like grabbing you by your ears right now and screaming, "I'm not fucking interested!". Instead, I'm going to drive home and do some accounting.

Lou Bloom: The name of my company is Video Production News, a professional news-gathering service. That's how it should be read and that's how it should be said. I also want to go to the next rung and meet your team, and the station manager, and the director, and the anchors, and start developing my own personal relationships. I'd like to start meeting them this morning. You'll take me around and you'll introduce me as the owner and president of Video Production News, and remind them of some of many other stories. I'm not done. I also want to stop our discussion over prices. This will save time. So when I say that a particular number is my lowest price, that's my lowest price and you can be assured at whatever that number is very carefully. Now, when I say I want these things, I mean that I want them and I don't want to have to ask again.
 
 
Nina Romina: You don't work with me, you're someone I sell to. And I don't wanna fuck that up.
Lou Bloom: What if by saying no you fuck it up?

Lou Bloom: Get out of your head, Rick, it's a bad neighborhood.

zondag 14 december 2014

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 148: Nightcrawler

Director: Dan Gilroy
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Rick Garcia

Description: When Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Review: The word “Nightcrawler” can mean many things. In this case it’s not the newest X-Men spin-off or a movie about worms. Here it means journalists who deliver newsworthy happenings that occur at night.
This tingling theme is translated to film by scenario writer Dan Gilroy, who makes his directorial debut with “Nightcrawler”. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead role, who lost 20 pounds to make his character come to life. Who says method acting is dead? He’s koined by Rene Russo, the directors wife, and it’s great to see her in a good film again. Bill Paxton plays a fellow nightcrawler.
Lou Bloom is trying to sell stolen construction material, but it doesn’t get him a lot of money. When Lou witnesses a traffic collision, he sees freelance journalists filming the accident. His new life goal is to become successful in that business. After some rookie mistakes, he starts getting the hang of it and he actually has talent for it. But Lou soon goes beyond boundaries and gets obsessed with the job, by losing all his morals and ethics.
Like “Collateral” and “Drive”, night time Los Angeles is the décor for “Nightcrawler”. The City of Angels is filmed beautifully and adds something to the already gripping atmosphere.
Jake Gyllenhaal can join the club of actors, with for instance Matthew McConaughey and Tom Hardy, who land one good role after another. After being in “Prisoners” and “Enemy”, his portrayal of Lou Bloom might be his best performance so far.
Knowing that the theme of “Nightcrawler” is based on reality, make it very worrying. The tension is very high at times. “Nightcrawler” might just be one of the best films of 2014, a joy for every movie fan.

Rating: 5/ 5

zondag 27 juli 2014

Movie Trailer Sunday (149)

Here are this weeks trailers.

The Imitation Game
Description: Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the genius British mathematician, logician, cryptologist and computer scientist who led the charge to crack the German Enigma Code that helped the Allies win WWII. Turing went on to assist with the development of computers at the University of Manchester after the war, but was prosecuted by the UK government in 1952 for homosexual acts which the country deemed illegal.
Director: Morten Tyldum
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard
Comment: Benedict Cumberbatch can't do anything wrong.

Nightcrawler
Description: Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a driven young man desperate for work. He discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling -- where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Nina (Rene Russo), a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou thrives. In the breakneck, ceaseless search for footage, he becomes the star of his own story.
Director: Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmad
Comment: Jake Gyllenhaal looks creepy.

Fifty Shades of Grey
Description: Literature student Anastasia Steele's (Dakota Johnson) life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Starring:Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Ehle, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk, Eloise Mumford, Max Martini, Rita Ora, Marcia Gay Harden, Callum Keith Rennie
Comment: Not a fan of the book, but I can't ignore the trailer. Jamie Dornan looks kinda sexy.

Horns
Description: Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) is the number one suspect for the violent rape and murder of his girlfriend, Merrin (Juno Temple). Hungover from a night of hard drinking, Ig awakens one morning to find horns starting to grow from his own head and soon realizes their power drives people to confess their sins and give in to their most selfish and unspeakable impulses, an effective tool in his quest to discover the true circumstances of his late girlfriend's tragedy and for exacting revenge on her killer.
Director: Alexandre Aja
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe , Juno Temple, Joe Anderson, Kelli Garner, Max Minghella, James Remar
Trailer: Trailer "Horns"
Comment: Cool, want to see this.

Tusk
Description: Wallace (Justin Long) is a journalist on a mission. He finds the story of a lifetime in Mr. Howe (Michael Parks), a worldwide adventurer with amazing tales and a curious penchant for walruses.
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez
Trailer: Trailer "Tusk"
Comment: So if I got this right, that guy wants to turn Justin Long into a walrus. Okay, cool!