NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)

As a cynical, poison-filled, unloved, unliked, dead soul slowly rotting away in a ugly worthless human carcass I related quite a bit with the awkward, unsociable loner Louis Bloom, played brilliantly by Jake Gyllenhaal.  One evening, quite by accident, Louis sees freelance cameraman, Bill Paxton, filming two police officers saving a woman from a burning car.  This gives Louis an idea and next thing you know he's out on the street filming overnight events for the morning news.  He has a natural eye for the more sensational stuff and before long his personal drive has brought him a small amount of notoriety.  This only drives him further.

I enjoyed every second of NIGHTCRAWLER.  The photography by Robert Elswit was absolutely spellbinding, the story had me hooked from beginning to end, the acting by the entire cast was fantastic, nice pace, smart script, satisfying ending.  The only thing that keeps this film out of my favorites films category is it wasn't dark or misanthropic enough for my tastes.  That said, it's a great movie, I just like my dark movies to be really dark.

Highly recommended.

RONIN (1998)

Helmed by legendary film director John Frankenheimer and boasting an even more legendary cast, RONIN tells the mildly entertaining story of a bunch of dangerous motherfuckers (CIA agents, Russian mafia, mercenaries, etc.) all trying to get a hold of a mysterious briefcase. Backstabbing, double-crossing, ambushes, explosions, gunfights, ice skating, car chases, improper lane changes…RONIN has plenty to keep the viewer entertained, but unfortunately, the characters and the overall story are not interesting enough to put this film on my frequently viewed list. Then again, JOYSTICKS is on that list, so what do I know?

I don’t want to sound too harsh though, because RONIN is a good film. Quick pace, fun shoot-outs, great car chases, strong performances. I especially like Robert De Niro's chill performance.  I was super sad that Sean Bean's part wasn't bigger.  He's a fantastic actor and his character was the most intriguing out of everybody.

Anyway, good film and definitely worth a watch for fans of 1990's action movies.