Video

Dan Gilroy had been writing screenplays since 1992 when he finally got the chance to direct in 2014. He made the most of it. Nightcrawler is the story of a sociopath who forgoes theft for video journalism, a perfect career path for a person without conscience. He unscrupulously uses anyone in his sphere and finds the perfect mark in the producer of a low-rated news channel whose career has been a downward path, amoral herself out of desperation rather than by nature. The leads are deftly played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo. The former seems to have completely lost the boyishness that characterized his screen presence. He cuts a dangerous figure. I also enjoyed Riz Ahmed’s turn as the protagonist’s assistant/dupe. The late Bill Paxton provided his usual solid support as a rival nightcrawler. Anyone squeamish about blood flow should pass, although a lot of the violence occurs in the distance or off screen. The flick runs just shy of two hours. 442,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.9 on a scale of ten. Is there a larger message about modern news gathering and society at large or is the film so over the top as to be satire? Both? The movie is not only fascinating but thought-provoking. It was successfully financially as well as artistically, returning $50.3 million on a budget of $8.5 million. I previously enjoyed Gilroy’s vastly underrated Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), another story about a misfit genius, starring Denzel Washington as a lawyer. Gilroy received a much-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Nightcrawler. I look forward to his future work. Here’s the star in character:

This headline from foxnews.com seems to fly in the face of the polls that have Biden with a 15-point lead: “‘Hannity’ town hall with Trump dominates in viewership across all primetime, beats Maddow and Cuomo combined.”

Even though the return was paltry for the floating book shop, it was a good day. Mr. Conspiracy and Monsey, both who have underlying conditions, made an appearance. My thanks to the woman who bought a book in Russian, and to Steve, aka Mr. C, who purchased a little wicker basket.

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