“Nocturnal Animals” stars Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, and Michael Sheen. Released on November 18, 2016, the film is about an art gallery owner who becomes consumed by her ex-husband’s disturbing novel. The film is directed by Tom Ford, who also directed A Single Man, and it is based on the 1993 novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright. Looks like this weekend is going to be filled with Critics‘ Choice Awards fever. This film is nominated for three Critics‘ Choice Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Seeing that it is playing at my local cinema, I made sure that I see this film before tomorrow night’s event. It’s possible that I might see another CCA nominee tomorrow depending on the weather and my schedule, but right now, I’m focusing on this. The best way I could describe this interesting film is that it’s a movie-within-a-movie. Two engaging stories for the price of one ticket. One of them revolves around Susan Morrow (played by the dazzling Amy Adams) as she recalls her troubled marriage to Edward (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) while reading his novel that is dedicated to her. The other is within the novel, which revolves around a motorist (also played by Gyllenhaal) who faces off against some local troublemakers, led by the insane Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who managed to kill his wife and daughter. These two stories were equally well-told without overshadowing each other, along with serving a purpose as to why the “novel” story needs to be told. The film is downright disturbing when it needs to be, and while it doesn’t reach the same level as Denis Villeneuve’s “Prisoners”, director Tom Ford definitely knows how to get into my skin in a good way. The “novel” story does have a couple of “revenge tale” cliches, but its execution and the performances from the cast managed to captivate me just like how Susan is captivated by Edward’s novel. Speaking of performances, Amy Adams continues to shine during this year’s Oscar season as she delivered another remarkable performance as Susan, and Gyllenhaal was very talented as Edward from the “Real World” story and as Tom Hastings from the “novel” story. Michael Shannon, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the CCA, may provide some tough competition because he delivered an eye-catching performance as a deputy who helps Tom search for the gang who killed his family. There’s just something about his portrayal that made me feel uneasy in a mesmerizing kind of way. Another thing that I should give it credit for is the cinematography. This film has some very impressive shots that matches its dark tone perfectly, although my least favorite shot was during the opening credits. You’ll see what I mean when you see it for yourself. There were a couple of scenes that slowed the film down for a couple of seconds, but other than that, the pacing was quite steady. Overall, it might not make a huge splash during awards season, but “Nocturnal Animals” is a nicely-crafted, yet disturbing, tale about revenge and redemption. Filled with impressive performances from the cast, stunning cinematography, and Tom Ford’s ability to blend two engaging narratives into one film, this latest Critics‘ Choice Award contender should be seen by those who want a good psychological thriller and those who are familiar with Ford’s last film, A Single Man. Compared to the other contenders of the CCA that I loved like Moonlight and Arrival, this one fell just below these two films, in my opinion, but other than that, I was impressed with it. A little creeped out, but impressed, nonetheless. B
1 Comment
“Office Christmas Party” stars Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, T. J. Miller, Kate McKinnon, and Jennifer Aniston. Released on December 9, 2016, the film is about a hard-partying employee and his friend who host an epic Christmas party in order to impress a potential client and save their jobs. The film is directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who also directed Blades of Glory and The Switch. We’re just one week away until the release of the Star Wars spinoff, Rogue One, so I’m guessing now would be a good time to party with the big boys. By big boys, I mean, the employees in an office building. There were plenty of reasons why I went to see this first this weekend. One of them is that it has two actors that will be appearing in the upcoming 22nd Critics’ Choice Awards: T. J. Miller, who is hosting the event, and Kate McKinnon, who is one of the nominees for the Best Actress in a Comedy Movie category. Another reason was that it looked like a possible fun time at the movies....for the adults, I mean. Now that I witnessed the “craziest night of their lives”, was it worth my time? Pros: The main cast did a nice job carrying this film forward. Its humor was a hit-and-miss, but a couple of jokes made me laugh. Kate McKinnon...still got some laughs. Cons: There’s nothing special about the story. Pretty predictable, but had some charm in it. The film wasn’t as over-the-top or insane as I thought it would be, especially since it’s rated R. Final thoughts: “Office Christmas Party” adds nothing new to the “crazy R-rated party” story nor does it get even more ridiculous in terms of the concept. However, the talented cast and its share of laughs convinced me to stay a bit longer. If you’re looking for some decent laughs over the holiday season, you might have a good time with this as well. Just don’t bring your kids. They’re much too young for this kind of stuff. B-“Incarnate” stars Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and David Mazouz. Released on December 2, 2016, the film is about an exorcist who confronts a demon from his past while trying to save an 11-year-old boy. The film is directed by Brad Peyton, who also directed Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and San Andreas. When we’re celebrating the holiday season, we usually watch Christmas-themed films that’ll give us that good, warm feeling inside. This film, however, isn’t one of them. This film gives us the opposite. In fact, it should’ve been released around Halloween, but nope, they thought releasing it in December would be a good idea. Am I the only one who can see what’s wrong with this picture? Anyway, this is the latest horror film that does something a little bit different than what we usually see in most exorcism films, but does it fully pay off? Pros: The performances were decent. Aaron Eckhart was impressive as Dr. Seth Ember. The effects were pretty good despite its small budget. Passable screenplay. Cons: The story and its concept could’ve been explored more. Most of the dialogue was meh. Not a fan of the ending. Final thoughts: “Incarnate” benefits from Eckhart’s performance and its somewhat decent effects. What it lacked in general was its ability to go further into its own subconscious. There were plenty of moments that I found enjoyable, but I was hoping that it would explore its own concept a bit more. While not as forgettable as Blumhouse Tilt’s last film, The Darkness, it’s a simple exorcism film that has an interesting concept, but its execution was a bit weak. If you’re planning on seeing it because you like exorcism films, I would say see it at a matinee price. Otherwise, wait until it’s on television. C-“Moonlight” stars Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Janelle Monae, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali. Released on October 21, 2016, the film chronicles the life of a young boy and his struggle to find himself. The film is directed by Barry Jenkins, who also directed Medicine for Melancholy back in 2008. The first time I heard about this film was from a trailer that I saw while reviewing “Southside With You” with my mother. I didn’t know what it was about until I saw the final cut for myself. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016. Later on, during its theatrical run, it was met with incredible praise from critics and went on to win numerous awards. It also received ten Critics’ Choice Award nominations. I was struggling to find the perfect time for me to view the film at my cinema before it leaves and what better time for me to do that than at the very last day of its showing? Now that I finally got a chance to experience this possible “Oscar contender”, is it really as great as people said it was? The film’s story is told through three phases of Chiron’s life, beginning with him as a young, shy boy all the way to him as a hardened adult. The world that he’s living in is pretty depressing, with plenty of obstacles treating Chiron like a piece of garbage. Not only does it display Chiron growing up and learning to deal with the world around him, but also about his companionship with Kevin. Barry Jenkins delivered a well-crafted way of describing life in the African-American community without any of the sappy moments. The film, on its own, made me feel bad for Chiron during his tough times as a young boy and as a teenager. The cast delivered some very strong performances, including Rhodes as the grown-up Chiron and Naomie Harris as Chiron’s abusive mother Paula. The other young actors who portrayed Chiron as a boy (Alex Hibbert) and as a teenager (Ashton Sanders) were also very talented in their respective roles. The cinematography was also handled very well in telling the story. If there’s one thing I should mention about this film, it’s that it’s a slow-moving film about growing up in the African-American community filled with drugs and mean people who like to treat others like trash. The pacing is fine for me, but I do feel that people who aren’t fond of slow films might find it a bit boring. Overall, “Moonlight” is a remarkably-crafted story about life thanks to its strong cast, Barry Jenkins‘ masterful storytelling, and its impressive cinematography. Although slow at times, this film explores these types of themes with absolute care, making it one of the most interesting and thought-provoking films I’ve seen this year while also providing some tough competition during the Critics‘ Choice Awards. If it’s playing at a theater near you, I would strongly recommend it to you. Expect it to be on my Top Ten list soon. A“True Memoirs of an International Assassin” stars Kevin James, Zulay Henao, Andy Garcia, Maurice Compte, and Kelen Coleman. Released on Netflix on November 11, 2016, the film is about an author who is mistaken for an assassin when his fictional work is accidentally published as a nonfiction novel. The film is directed by Jeff Wadlow, who also directed Cry Wolf, Never Back Down, and Kick-Ass 2. To close out the month of November, I decided to review another movie that was released on Netflix a couple of weeks ago. While there are a few Netflix originals available that looked great, I thought I go with this just to mess with you guys. Don’t worry, Adam Sandler was not involved in the making of this film, but from the looks of it, it felt like he was. But aside from that, is it considered a page turner? Pros: The performances and Wadlow’s direction were so-so. Cons: The story felt predictable. Most of the comedic moments were weak. At some points, it felt like it was spoofing an action film. The characters were OK. Screenplay-wise, not so much. Had some dumb moments depending on your level of tolerance. Final thoughts: “True Memoirs of an International Assassin” puts Kevin James in the heat of the action. Unfortunately, that idea didn’t sell as much as Sam Larson’s “fictional” novel. I would classified this as a dumb, predictable action comedy that surprisingly didn’t tickle my funny bone. It’s not for everybody, of course, but if you don’t mind the silliness that the film has to offer, I would say it’s worth watching only once. If not, then don’t even bother with it instead of making such a big deal out of it. D |
Home of the most friendly movie reviews on the planet.
Categories
All
Follow Me |