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Reviews
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Style Trumps Substance, That's Okay This Time Around
Tom Ford is meticulous. A Single Man was stunning. Simply stunning. But behind that stunning film was a story of sincere, endless heart. The performances were immaculate, as was the writing. Somewhere between there and Nocturnal Animals, something was lost. Maybe it's just the source material. Maybe it's Ford. Maybe it's the casting.
With that said, Nocturnal Animals is glossy and gorgeous but existing without the slightest pulse. Usually I'd reserve that for the worst of descriptions for a film. However, it works here. It's subversive in it's stretch for external beauty over richness in character.
Now the greatest issue with the film is the casting, something of which was hard to overcome. Jake Gyllenhaal is an incredible actor, capable of a multitude of things. However, he lacks the gravitas and richness that his character requires, and more so, deserves. He's strong in the role but the movie suffers due to his lack of machismo. Amy Adams is, as always, strong. The supporting cast is fairly weak though. They offer no substance and subtitles to the film. Lastly, while Michael Shannon is forever and always a 'great' - he's in a role we've seen from him time after time after...time? Unfortunately the only things that flourished for me were my own boredom and indifference to the film as a whole, despite respecting it immensely. I love a movies that relies unashamedly on its style. Nocturnal Animals, however, is just poorly written.
American Honey (2016)
Interesting Journey About Life
American Honey is one film as you watch you get memories of movies similar to Easy Rider. Both are very much so roadtrip, road journey movies about discovery and freedom from life's restraints. However, this film is bogged down by the music and songs played throughout.
Set in the south a young southern girl named Star (Ms. Lane) is living a life with a man and young kids. It's clear she needs a fresh start and escape from trailer park trash life. After she decides to head out with a traveling group of young boys and girls(who sale magazines as a group) her life on the road becomes wide open and full of soul searching and discovery of herself and others.
The film is nearly three hours long so it's clearly an in depth journey as the group travels across the south and west, Star enjoys a lot more than selling magazines she becomes a fan of some hard partying and even sees a side of law breaking on the trip of stops. Star also is taken under the wing by Jake(Mr. LaBeouf)a leader of the group type who enjoys having raw and lust type outdoor sex with Star. Thru all of the adventures and side subplots Star, who's sexy in a raw manner, learns a lot about herself and life by seeing different people as on the open road it proves that life is a journey just as on any trip discovery is found as it is often is in life too. Clearly this movie is a film of finding open freedom and discovery finding one's self thru journey and travel as that's what Star did she saw life through people and the road as a journey that opens up new discovery.
This is definitely a film to watch for a feel good journey of freedom and escape. It's a story we've seen before and perspective that feels familiar.
Autumn Lights (2016)
Stunning, Heatfelt, Moving
Angad Aulakh is a first time director who seems to defy most analysis. Now, I wouldn't recommend Autumn Lights unconditionally to my friends; not because it's a bad film (quite the opposite, it's a brilliant examination of the human condition) but because it's the kind of movie that would inevitably lead some of them to think "she told me to watch it and said it was great!" This is a film that will resonate very deeply with some and not as much with others.
For starters, Autumn Lights is an art-house film under the guise of a mystery-drama. So the pacing will inevitably be slower. But if you can see past that, put your iPhone down, and forget your Facebook & Twitter, this film may enlighten you more than you would've ever expected. And, it may teach you something about cinema as Angad Aulakh appears to be a master regurgitator of old films, akin to Nicholas Winding Refn, Quentin Tarantino, etc.
The narrative is straightforward. Man gets stroke of bad luck, meets intriguing woman, discovers woman is more than meets the eye, man gets entangled with woman and her puppets (and their strings). While the plot points are familiar, the writing and the revelation of this cast (led by young actors Guy Kent and Marta Gastini) is what takes this film to heights not foreseen.
To begin, the writing is rather strong. At times, the dialogue feels like a play adapted for film. It feels punctuated, heightened, full of emotions and talk of events of the past. That is not easy to do and Aulakh's script is skillfully crafted. The characters dance across conversations of old loves, confusion and their misery, all but to discover that the answer will not lie in those around us, but rather, it can only be found within ourselves.
Punctuated by a great score by two Icelandic composers Hugi Gudmundsson and Hjortur Ingvi Johannsson, Autumn Lights is a visual feast of an indie cinema. This is a gorgeous-looking film of washed-out, epic landscapes, muted tones, and set in beautiful Icelandic and Parisian locations, with a cast to match.
Guy Kent is full of gravitas perfection in the lead role of David. As a young actor in an ensemble of a more veteran cast, he wisely underplays the drama of his character, which otherwise would easily fall into cantankerous melodrama. It is that smart choice which enhances the film tremendously. At moments charming, at moments cold, and at moments as mercurial as the character of Marie, he shows colors in particular shades that make this film what it is.
Marta Gastini is also exceptional in the role of Marie. While her character doesn't undergo a transformation, she's a highly conflicted human being who makes choices to alleviate her own personal suffering. And her performance shows all the layers to Marie's pain, suffering, and sorrow. It's exquisite work.
Autumn Lights is the product of a talented director's feature debut with a clearly personal and distinctive visual and narrative style. I look forward to see what is next to come from him. If you are at all interested in cinema beyond regular multiplex fare, it's definitely worth investing 2 hours of your time.