Cinema

NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)

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“I like to say that, if you’re seeing me , you’re having the worst day of your life”. Louis Bloom.

Jake Gyllenhaal does it again, creating another incredibly layered, interesting character that is up there with Patrick Bateman as humanitarian of the year. Here, he plays Louis Bloom a man with determination and a disconnect from humanity not seen in a main character for a while. He is a sociopath, borderline psychopath who finds himself becoming a reporter of all things gruesome on the L.A. crime scene. He is a vampire scouring the police radios at night for any potentially graphic accidents or crimes that he can film and sell.

This is a massive indictment of the news corporations and their hunger for all things macabre. It also comments on our own desires to ingest this poison; it is both prescient and powerful.

You get to see the lowest of the low, exploiting suffering and tragedy for their own selfish ends. The true bottom-feeders. It could be said that Lou would be successful whatever he was doing. I’m sure there are more than a few people in high ranking places that also share his disconnect to humanity.

Dan Gilroy writes and directs with skill as he takes us down this dark night of the soul that is also similar in tone to story of the most famous Taxi Driver of them all, Travis Bickle. Especially in the way he inhabits the night, less in a self-appointed, misguided, crusading way though no less gruesome. This is Gilroy’s directorial debut and he shows massive promise.

Riz Ahmed is on supporting duties as the nervous, insecure assistant, Rick to Lou’s CEO. He’s proving himself to be an actor of merit and talent.

There is a line in the film where Rick tells Lou that he doesn’t understand people to which Lou replies later in the scene: “ What if my problem wasn’t that I don’t understand people but that I don’t like them”. This is such a great line that allows the viewers deeper into the machinations of this twisted character.

Bill Paxton is sleazy as Lou’s competition and he does what he does very well. Rene Russo is also in the mix for sleaze merchant of the year as Nina Romina, the producer of the local tv station who will do anything to get the ratings up.

Finally back to Jake. He really is one of the greatest American film actors working today, always interesting, always believable. Here, he has created a character that will be name-checked in years to come. This role gives him free-reign to go to work and bring to life this memorable character, utterly devoid of sentiment. A nomination should have been in the bag, it is an incredible performance worthy of praise.

Be warned, though, this is not for the faint-hearted, the themes and subject matter shine a light on a grim reality that we are all responsible for in one way or another.

Brilliant.

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4/5

SELMA (2014)

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Firstly, biopics never fully satisfy, they are overly dramatized, obviously, and then comes the artistic license; this is not what turns me off. There will ALWAYS be someone who takes umbrage because “‘insert name here’ “didn’t wear that tie, etc, etc.” I am being flippant but you get the drift. For me, I find that they rarely leave a lasting impression. Malcolm X was an exception. For me.

I went into this with many reservations. Will it be an emotional blackmailing piece because of the subject matter? Will David Oyelowo be any good? I am happy to say that I was wrong, on all counts. Oyelowo is brilliant and deserved a nomination, as should director Ava DuVernay. The snub seems to be a political one. 12 Years a Slave was lauded last year and the voters either didn’t see Selma or decided to go the Cooper route. I have yet to see The Imitation Game or The Theory of Everything but my instinct tells me that although the performances will be special, the films will be average. My money is on Birdman for Best Film.

It’s great that we are getting more female directors gaining more commercial and critical success and I welcome it. DuVernay treats the subject matter with depth, sensitivity and respect and it comes through. This is an important film; it is the first feature film to focus on Martin Luther King Jr, which is crazy that it took so long to do so.

Set in 1965 and centring around the Selma to Montgomery civil rights voting march and written by Ava DuVernay and Paul Webb, this film succeeds on many levels. The cast are all brilliant, bringing their ‘A’ games to the table for such a prescient piece of American history. British actress, Carmen Ejogo (The Purge: Anarchy) plays Coretta King (she previously played her in Boycott in 2001) and delivers a performance of subtlety and skill. Tim Roth is Governor George Wallace, steeped in the racist ways of Alabama of the time and manages to make him three dimensional, veering away from pantomimicry. Wendell Pearce (The Wire, Treme) is Rev. Hosea Williams and, as usual is a joy to watch. Stephen James plays John Lewis, the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who was a key member in the endeavour to end racial discrimination and segregation. Common plays James Bevel. Tom Wilkinson is brilliant as Lyndon B Johnson, eschewing caricature for a performance with layers. Nigel Thatch plays Malcom X in a fantastic scene with Coretta King. Oprah Winfrey imbues her Annie Lee Cooper with dignity and delivers a performance filled with respect and admiration for this incredible woman who not many people know about. That’s one of the joys of this film, the fact that a lot of the key members are featured and it shines a light on these brave, heroes of recent American history. Special mention goes to Dylan Baker who portrays J Edgar Hoover with a coldness and menace in the one scene he appears in.

The cinematography is inspired by Bradford Young who did a wonderful job on the low budget, Pariah. Jason Moran is on soundtrack duties and creates a perfect accompaniment to the visuals. For a film that I had expected to disappoint, I was wonderfully surprised.

One to watch.

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3.5/5