Honorable Mention: Basquiat (1996)
10. Split (2016)
9. In Bruges (2008) - tie
9. War Dogs (2016) - tie
8. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
7. 45 Years (2015)
(Remember...these are movies I've seen for the first time in the past few years; not necessarily movies that were made during that time period.)
6. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Tom Ford designs clothes, doesn't he?
Many of you know I'm far from a fashionista, but my understanding of Ford begins and ends with this: he designs fancy suits and Jay-Z named a song after him. Since when does he direct films? Good films, at that?
Ford adapted his screenplay from Austin Wright's complicated novel, and the result is a very satisfying film that jumps back-and-forth between two different fictional worlds. We begin in the present with Susan Morrow (Amy Adams), a high-end art dealer who lives in a lifeless mansion with her wealthy young husband, Hutton (Armie Hammer).
Without saying much, Adams and Hammer do a nice job conveying the lack of joy in their marriage. Adams effectively displays suspicion, while Hammer makes it clear that she has a reason to be suspicious. Because Ford doesn't want to spend too much time on this aspect of the story, a tired cliche actually works -- Hutton is the traveling businessman husband we've seen in the movies hundreds of times before. Who knows what he's up to out on the road, right?
Hutton's travel leaves Susan home alone much of the time. It's not exactly a comfortable place to be alone. Dark, haunting and expansive, the mansion feels like the A-list's corner of hell. One night she receives a surprise package; a published novel by and from an old flame, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal, quietly one of the steadiest actors of our time). Of course, the novel's title is Nocturnal Animals.
I won't get into the history of their relationship. Much of the delight in Nocturnal Animals is watching Ford's narrative choices unfold. As Susan begins reading Edward's novel, she projects his image onto its protagonist, a young family man named Tony Hastings.
The darkness of Edward's work immediately startles Susan. The events of his novel are clear; but what exactly is it about? It seems awfully allegorical...
Within Edward's story, we get another committed performance from the great character actor, Michael Shannon, as Det. Bobby Andes. What is Bobby investigating with such ferocious determination? I won't get into that, either. Secrets and reveals are important in this film.
Shannon and Aaron-Taylor Johnson give the best and most explosive performances of the ensemble, and they were rewarded accordingly -- the former was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and the latter took home the Globe without being nominated for an Oscar. That's an extremely rare occurrence, and based on the quality and unpredictability of his performance, I was rather shocked he didn't get an Oscar nom.
Gyllenhaal and Adams are predictable-but-reliable leads, with Jake doing his pained thing (Brokeback Mountain, Brothers and/or Southpaw) and Amy doing her quietly-depressed thing (Arrival, Her, a lot of her movies).
I'm reminded of Alfred Hitchcock. When asked why he preferred to use megastars like Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, he said it saves him narrative time because the audience already knows them. That indirectly suggests they had limited ranges; but you get the idea. Gyllenhaal and Adams have tried to play different roles in their careers, but we do know them.
So as they do what they do -- the way we expect them to do it -- they allow for colorful supporting performances to develop around them. A good ensemble is like a good starting five: the stars do the heaving lifting (get the most screen time), while the role players reap the benefits of playing alongside them. That dynamic is undoubtedly at play in Nocturnal Animals.
Let's go full circle back to Ford. An artist is an artist, I suppose. Doesn't matter if it's clothing, writing, movies...many true artists seem to have crossover capabilities. And Ford sets up some really beautiful transitions and juxtapositions in this film. He seems comfortable with both framing and storytelling. This really is quite an accomplishment for a director with only one previous credit -- A Single Man starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, which I still have to get around to (I've heard good things).
All aspects considered, Nocturnal Animals tackles a number of different themes. I particularly like this one...how long is too long to wait for an artist to blossom?
Well, I'm 32 and it hasn't happened for me, yet.
** JOHN FRASCELLA'S SCORE: 9 out of 10 **
P.S. Nothing can prepare you for the, um -- unusual? -- sequence during the opening credits.
And don't forget the OVERALL rankings for my existing reviews/recent films seen:
I won't get into the history of their relationship. Much of the delight in Nocturnal Animals is watching Ford's narrative choices unfold. As Susan begins reading Edward's novel, she projects his image onto its protagonist, a young family man named Tony Hastings.
The darkness of Edward's work immediately startles Susan. The events of his novel are clear; but what exactly is it about? It seems awfully allegorical...
Within Edward's story, we get another committed performance from the great character actor, Michael Shannon, as Det. Bobby Andes. What is Bobby investigating with such ferocious determination? I won't get into that, either. Secrets and reveals are important in this film.
Shannon and Aaron-Taylor Johnson give the best and most explosive performances of the ensemble, and they were rewarded accordingly -- the former was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and the latter took home the Globe without being nominated for an Oscar. That's an extremely rare occurrence, and based on the quality and unpredictability of his performance, I was rather shocked he didn't get an Oscar nom.
Gyllenhaal and Adams are predictable-but-reliable leads, with Jake doing his pained thing (Brokeback Mountain, Brothers and/or Southpaw) and Amy doing her quietly-depressed thing (Arrival, Her, a lot of her movies).
I'm reminded of Alfred Hitchcock. When asked why he preferred to use megastars like Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, he said it saves him narrative time because the audience already knows them. That indirectly suggests they had limited ranges; but you get the idea. Gyllenhaal and Adams have tried to play different roles in their careers, but we do know them.
So as they do what they do -- the way we expect them to do it -- they allow for colorful supporting performances to develop around them. A good ensemble is like a good starting five: the stars do the heaving lifting (get the most screen time), while the role players reap the benefits of playing alongside them. That dynamic is undoubtedly at play in Nocturnal Animals.
Let's go full circle back to Ford. An artist is an artist, I suppose. Doesn't matter if it's clothing, writing, movies...many true artists seem to have crossover capabilities. And Ford sets up some really beautiful transitions and juxtapositions in this film. He seems comfortable with both framing and storytelling. This really is quite an accomplishment for a director with only one previous credit -- A Single Man starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, which I still have to get around to (I've heard good things).
All aspects considered, Nocturnal Animals tackles a number of different themes. I particularly like this one...how long is too long to wait for an artist to blossom?
Well, I'm 32 and it hasn't happened for me, yet.
** JOHN FRASCELLA'S SCORE: 9 out of 10 **
P.S. Nothing can prepare you for the, um -- unusual? -- sequence during the opening credits.
And don't forget the OVERALL rankings for my existing reviews/recent films seen:
1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Margin Call (9/10)
4. Stay (9/10)
5. Gone Girl (9/10)
6. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
7. 45 Years (9/10)
8. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
9. Tape (9/10)
10. A Perfect Murder (9/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Margin Call (9/10)
4. Stay (9/10)
5. Gone Girl (9/10)
6. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
7. 45 Years (9/10)
8. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
9. Tape (9/10)
10. A Perfect Murder (9/10)
13. Split (8.5/10)
14. Bad Moms (8.5/10)
15. Basquiat (8.5/10)
16. Moonlight (8/10)
17. The Revenant (8/10)
22. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
23. Loving (7/10) - No review available
24. The Boy (6/10) - No review available
23. Loving (7/10) - No review available
24. The Boy (6/10) - No review available
25. Joy (5.5/10)
26. La La Land (5.5/10)
27. Molly's Game (5/10)
28. Set It Up (5/10)
29. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
30. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
31. The Program (3/10)
32. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
27. Molly's Game (5/10)
28. Set It Up (5/10)
29. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
30. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
31. The Program (3/10)
32. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
33. Rings (1.5/10)
34. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
34. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
Reviews to Come...
Lady Bird
Eastern Promises
A Quiet Place
Life of Pi
Wind River
Hell or High Water
Eastern Promises
A Quiet Place
Life of Pi
Wind River
Hell or High Water
Sunshine Cleaning
Zero Dark Thirty
The Box
Annabelle: Creation
The Conjuring 2
Baby Driver
Body of Lies
The Box
Annabelle: Creation
The Conjuring 2
Baby Driver
Body of Lies
Untraceable
The Wonder Boys
Jackie Brown
Mean Streets
Nerve
The Hateful Eight
The Seven Five
How to Be Single
Deadpool
Ratatouille
The Spectacular Now
The Visit
The Purge: Election Year
And more...
The Visit
The Purge: Election Year
And more...
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