Nocturnal Animals

Rated: R

Basically, this is a story about a rich museum coordinator (Amy Adams) who receives the manuscript of a book her considerably less wealthy ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal).

The story by her ex-husband:
A family is driving through West Texas when they have a scary run-in with a group of drunk sociopaths, which ends with the man (also Jake Gyllenhaal) stranded in the middle of Nowheresville, TX and his wife (Ilsa Fischer) and teenage daughter brutally murdered.

A year later, the man is working with a dying cop to hunt down the men who killed his wife and daughter and bring them to justice.

This movie is going to get nominated for something, either sound design or cinematography, or both.

The story was just...weird.  Lots of nudity. Lots of swearing. Not so much on-screen sex, though. There is a brief rape scene, but it's blurry and the camera moves a lot so you don't see anything graphic (which is ironic considering how much nudity there is in other sequences).  And don't even get me started on the opening sequence.

The movie goes out of its way to lump Christians, conservatives, and Republicans in with sexists and racists which I found rather discouraging (and offensive, if I dare use that already over-used word), but I would like to point out that it also shows the presumably liberal, Democratic, tolerant character choosing a rich, good-looking guy over the Middle Class guy she truly "loved" (as to why anyone would dump Jake Gyllenhaal is beyond me).

I do kinda feel like this movie was a waste of my time, but, hey!  There was a promotion at the theatre, so I did get a thousand bonus points out of it. 

I highly recommend skipping this one.

Denial

Rated: PG-13

Once upon a time, a historian writes a book which claims that the Holocaust never happened. 

Meanwhile, a university professor writes another book about the Holocaust and calls the historian out on his bias toward Hitler and the lack of evidence to support his no-Holocaust theory. 

So, that historian takes the professor to court, claiming she has defamed his name and reputation.

And thus the trial of the century, the trial to prove that the Holocaust really happened.

Seeing as we still learn about the Holocaust, and may of us have had the opportunity to meet survivors or visit the sites, it's a pretty safe bet what the outcome of the trial was even before sitting though a 2-hour movie, but it's totally worth your time to do so (watch the movie). For those of us who haven't yet been or may never be able to go to Auschwitz in Poland, this movie gives us a second-hand look at the camp as it stands today (or, at least, how it stood in the late 90's).  The scenes that take place in the camp are both stark and poignant. Seeing Auschwitz in this movie felt almost just as haunting as when I visited Mauthausen Concentration Camp (and, let's be honest, a movie ticket is much cheaper than roundtrip tickets to Poland).  

I will be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Rachel Weisz. That being said, I actually rather enjoyed her performance in this movie.  Cinematically, it's beautiful, especially the scenes filmed in Auschwitz! 

Do I recommend this movie?  YES! 

GO SEE IT!!!  You won't regret it!

Priceless - 2016

Rated: PG-13

In keeping with the Christian movie motif of one-word titles that basically give away the theme of the story, Priceless is about a guy named James who takes a shady job driving a truck across the country. He later discovers that he's hauling two girls, Antonia and her sister Maria, who are to become trafficking victims. Working with a conscientious citizen/mentor (another Christian movie motif), James works and fights to rescue the girls from their captor/pimp.

While this movie does fall victim to the standard Christian movie motifs, including characters stating the obvious and random mini-music video sequences, this movie was surprisingly intense. It's a great message portrayed by a great cast in a moving story. None of it felt forced or over-rehearsed. I was very impressed!

Cinematically, this movie is gorgeous! While it does default to scenic shots to fill space between scenes, these scenic shots are truly beautiful!

Seeing as this is a movie about human trafficking, there is a rather intense scene where a girl is coerced into having sex and we later see her lying in bed, covering herself with a sheet (implying that she's been raped). People fight, one guy is shot, and a few people are held at gun point.

This is a heart-thumping drama that everybody should see!

The Girl on the Train

Rated: R

3 women, 2 men, an odd spattering of shrinks, strangers, and police detectives, all brought together by a train and a murder.

Rachel (Emily Blunt) is a disparaging woman who has turned to alcohol to drown out her problems (not being able to have a baby, then losing her husband to an affair). Apathetic and directionless, Rachel rides a train to and from the neighboring city every day. From the train window, she can see a couple in a house near the tracks. They seem to be deeply in love, possessing everything Rachel herself has lost, and she daydreams about their lives.

Megan (Haley Bennett) is a sexually frustrated housewife who doesn't sure her husband, Scott's (Luke Evans), desire to have a baby. Shadowed by a past tragedy, Megan engages in shady affairs with everyone from her neighbors to her therapist, anyone she feels won't expect anything from her (baby-wise).

When Rachel witnesses Megan kissing another man, she gets off the train, intending to confront Megan about her infidelities. She wakes up the next morning covered in blood, with no memory of the night before, and to the news that Megan has gone missing. Now she must regain her memories in order to exonerate herself of Megan's murder while trying to help the police and Scott hunt down Megan's real killer.

The movie stays true to the Paula Hawkins book on which it's based, even maintaining the book's non-linear storyline. The movie is trippy, but I thought it was much easier to follow than the book (maybe this is because I'm a visual learner?)  Emily Blunt is all-but-recognizable, but she really knocked her performance out of the ballpark with this character. Haley Bennett's performance is spotless.

Cinematically, this movie is beautiful! Camera angles, scenic shots, and the unique soundtrack all work together to build tension and enhance the already intricate story.

Problems: This movie is rated R for a reason. There's a lot of sex scenes, mostly naked women from behind, never anything full-frontal. There's also a fair amount of strong/bad language. Other than that, a few people get physically attacked (one person lethally so), and one guy gets stabbed in the throat.

Worth seeing? Yes!