2 Surprises - Nightcrawler & Glen Campbell

I couldn't wait to see Jake Gyllenhaal  in Nightcrawler as a skulking weirdo with those big buggy eyes of his, so I went right to it when it first came out.  Ugh!  The guy he plays is one of the worst characters I've seen on the screen.  There is nothing redeemable about this a-hole.  Forget it.
Now I wasn't expecting much when I went to see Glen Campbell...I'll Be Me, but this is one very fine film.  GC has Alzheimer's and embarks on a farewell tour that is truly astounding.  A courageous effort all around and a remarkable in-depth look at this dreaded disease.  Many greats in the music world chime in here in this engrossing documentary.  Don't miss it.  Should get an Oscar nod.

Birdman, Baseball & Snowden

Birdman is over the top in emotional engagement.  An actor, Michael Keaton, has written, and is directing and acting in a Broadway play based upon a Raymond Carver story.  It's a full-on, let it go performance by Michael Keaton and many others is this fantastic cast, including Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Zach Galifianicis.  Keaton is a past prime movie star with severe doubts about whether he can perform and survive.  There is an amazing scene here between him and Emma Stone, playing his daughter, where she slices him to pieces and he seems to feel better.  Clearly, one of the best movies of the year.
Then there's baseball.  The Giants won the World Series with an extraordinary surge of talent and sheer grit behind their superstar pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, who, aside from his smooth-whip pitch delivery, is so calm and stoic, which is an aspired-to trait that is common on this team and in this sport.  What a contrast to Birdman!  
As for Snowden and Citizen Four, read the New Yorker piece on Laura Poitras, the director.  It is far more gripping.

Ray Donovan

This tv series is intense, gripping, funny, sad and engaging.  A script that won't quit with good performances all around, especially from Liev Schreiber, playing Ray, and the amazing Jon Voight in a role that he's got down pat, a tough and witty con man.  This is a full flush performance.  I'll eat my cell phone if he doesn't get a golden globe nomination.

Calvary p.s.

And it's tragic.  Yes, that too.

Calvary

Oh my god!  An Irish priest (Brendan Gleeson at his best) grapples with idiosyncratic citizens of a small coastal community and his visiting fragile daughter, (very attractive Kelly Reilly).  These edgy, cynical and mostly angry folks are challenging beyond expectations.  A powerful script, a connected soundtrack and spectacular environs make for an entirely engaging film that never lets up.  Do not even think of missing this movie.  This movie is exactly what draws so many of us to the movie house. Honest, sometimes hilarious, hard hitting and loving.  I just can't say enough.  It's 4 stars plus.

Boy oh boy. Boyhood

An extraordinary film by Richard Linklater filmed over a 12 year! period.  Masterful performances by the growing boy, Ellar Coltrane, and his divorced parents, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette.  A long movie, nearly 3 hours, that never stalls, with scenes edited in a way that make you wonder, why the cut away?, but quickly make sense in the ongoing story.  These parents evolve into thoughtful, mature and loving people, with a Linklater script that continues to surprise, but then fits in harmoniously with the actors and the music. A truly amazing film. Do not miss this one.
P.S. Look for the next post on samoblog about Calvary.  Oh my god!

Third Person

Paul Haggis (Crash) has written and directed another extraordinary, complex, multi-character film.
I saw this film a second time thanks to our friend, Masten, who clued us in to a plot twist that I had missed after the first viewing, that left me pretty confused.  With concern for avoiding being a spoiler, I will only say - pay close attention to the lead character, played masterfully by Liam Neeson, and what he does.  The superb cast includes Maria Bello, James Franco, Kim Basinger, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wilde, Moran Atlas and a very suave Adrien Brody.