Nocturnal Animals, what did you think?

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Imo, best noir film since ChinaTown, maybe LA confidential gives it a run, but they are very different types of noirs.

I was surprised and saddened to learn the director was a wealthy fashion mogul, decreasing his likelihood of making other movies since he doesn't need the money or recognition.

Fantastic score, screenplay, and acting. It should have been nommed in those categories imo. Amy Adams been hitting it out he park. Loved LALA land and emma stone, but I would never consider Emma's performance better than Amy's from Arrival or Nocturnal Animals.

WARNING: "spoil" spoilers below
I was peeved at the ending a bit. Imo it was a bit of copout, but there are a lot of good arguments about it not being one.



You might want to check out his previous film A Single Man, not as great, but as bold visual statement its wonderful. Firth and Julianne Moore are also quite great in it.

I LOVE Nocturnal Animals. Initially I was a bit conflicted, loved the style and performances but wasn't sure if it was just style over substance. Now it's like cinematic crack, the structure is perfection, each scene compliments/strengthens/twists the next one. Every actor is on point, it's absolutely gorgeous, and flawlessly edited. It's a great statement on cruelty in relationships and the irreparable damage you can do to the ones you "love". And the more you think about it the more rewards there are to discover, and each viewing points out something new.

Just Laura Linney in her one scene is fabulous. This is all over the place, but it's a gorgeously orchestrated thriller. Love itttt.
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson was amazing in this movie, I didn't even recognize him and I was familiar that he was in the movie.
Didn't care for him so far, but I will from now.

As for the movie, while it takes your undivided attention and makes you uncomfortable at times, it kinda leaves you wanting more, the ending wasn't as powerful as I wanted it to be.



Lol, when I first saw the intro, I though WTF. But in retrospect, the intro fits the movie perfectly and is one of my favorite intros.



Regarding the Aaron Taylor-Johnson comments.

I've NEVER been a fan, I've never found him engaging, well as about as engaging as a soaked piece of drift wood. Always dull, no charisma. His performance here totally changed my opinion of him. I mean it is ONE performance so hopefully he lives up to it, and maybe he's one of those actors that the quality of the performance depends on the direction, but he was damn great in NA. He deserved his golden globe, and honestly should have been nominated for the Oscar over Michael Shannon and I love Shannon.



This is what I wrote about it in my movie log:

#28 - Nocturnal Animals (2016) ~ February 10



Beautiful film. I somehow suspect that the story probably won't work as well for me during a rewatch as it did now, though. I also wasn't completely in love with the ending. I get what Tom Ford was going for, but that type of ending kind of has become a cliché in its own right. He could've delivered the same point more effectively, I think.
All in all, I enjoyed this first viewing a lot, though. Michael Shannon is gradually becoming one of my favorite actors in the field. What a giant personality that man has. I'll definitely seek out more of his work (I need to get into Jeff Nichols soon anyway). I hope he gets to play a juicy role in a film of one of my absolute favorite directors in the near future. He's ready to become immortalized.
Shannon's performance remains in the mind. It's the only aspect of the film that's really stuck with me in any meaningful way.
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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019



And what I wrote about it in my top 30 of 2016 list, of which it made number 5.

5. Nocturnal Animals (dir, Tom Ford)


Well, here's another film that makes the thought of being in a relationship terrifying. Tom Ford's follow up to A Single Man, Nocturnal Animals is a huge step forward for the fashion-designer-turned-filmmaker. Initially, I felt that maybe it was a case of style over substance, until a second viewing showed just how complex and devilishly intelligent it actually is. A piercing, brutal, and bitter exploration of cruelty in relationships. How certain decisions we make, especially when it involves another person, can cause shattering consequences. The jumping back and forth between the imagined novel being read by Amy Adam's Susan, running parallel with the present as Susan faces the mess of a bed she must sleep in, makes for compelling storytelling, each one accentuating the strengths and themes of the other. The more you think about it, the clearer the meanings and implications become. The devil is in the details. If Pedro Almodovar wasn't a huge inspiration for Tom Ford when making this, I'd be surprised. A love it or hate it experience, Nocturnal Animals is hard to shake. Also, why the hell has Jake Gyllenhaal not received an Oscar yet? Or Amy Adams for that matter? And I never thought I'd say this, but Aaron Taylor Johnson nearly steals the show.



The opening was unnecessary and disgusting.
lol, it's funny it's divisive. I think it's absolutely relevant and necessary.



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When the character of Amy Adams starts reading the eponymous book, and we first got into the Tony / Gyllenhaal plot, i was enjoying it. But then things kinda fallen apart cause the narrative is split between two plots without the necessary balance, given the book plot has even more potential than the "real world" one. Though both plots could be better developed, the book one ended up being more interesting cause it gets to live on it's own, as an average crime / thriller story.