Two reviews for this week. The first is a movie from TIFF last year that had a good buzz around it called Nightcrawler with Jake Glyenhaal (or whatever his last name is). Here he plays a drifter, and thief initially who is looking to find his way. He is a character and has great charm and street smarts. This is a movie that shows the power of negotiation and who wields the power. Early Jake is in a poor position to negotiate and the back and forth dies quickly with the other party entrenched in their position. Jake smiles it away but rarely lets the deal go. Later he meets up with Bill Paxton who is roaming the streets of LA in the night and searching out accidents to film and then offer to the highest bidding TV station. It’s a living. Jake then gets involved and the story moves along from there. It kept my attention and even had me cringing at times when you realize what he is doing – and to those around him. Jake is not a people person, but uses people for his own advancement. There is social commentary here as well, and what should be put on the news, and how news is gathered. Like the paparazzi after Diana died, you wonder about the values and those gathering this information for mass consumption. News is still a business, and it seems that sex and violence all still sell.
June 1st, 2015
I read an interview not that long ago from Laura Dern about her career, and her explaining how her kids could see her in films but that Wild at Heart wouldn’t be one of them. Not sure whether she is protecting herself of Grandma in this case (Diane Ladd). Likely Grandma upon viewing. I had realized that I had not seen this David Lynch film. I don’t think that I can review as well as Roger himself does:
Basically he calls Lynch out as being not authentic. I have not been much of a Lynch fan either, and this movie shows me why too. I think it comes from the frantic and excessive Mother played by Ladd. She makes very little sense, even when people are trying to put some sense into her. Cage and young Dern have chemistry, but the ending falls flat and becomes cheesey. Anyway I cannot recommend.
Published
Mondays With Robbie 