Author Topic: Nightcrawler  (Read 7161 times)

jdc

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #20 on: February 17, 2015, 05:55:21 AM »
It was only a short scene.

All this talk is making me want to rewatch it.

No you are correct, he did something to the van
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smirnoff

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #21 on: February 17, 2015, 04:15:37 PM »
It's possible that without that initial security guard scene you would end up liking Lou a great deal more. Right up until the point he pulls that stunt with Paxton's Van, then you'd have to totally reevaluate things. I could see possibly preferring that. Who can say for sure though. I like it the way it is as well.



The emphasis of that scene where Lou arrives at the accident site and Paxton is on a stretcher changes a lot depending on whether or not you recalled Lou sabotaging the van. If you did than your probably thinking wow, this guy is cold as shit. If you didn't you might just think "eh, it's no less than Paxton would have done".

mañana

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #22 on: February 17, 2015, 10:43:25 PM »
It was only a short scene.
Don't make excuses for them, these dopes should be paying closer attention. They'd never make it at Video Production News (a professional news gathering service) with that kind of sloppiness.
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verbALs

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #23 on: February 18, 2015, 01:00:17 AM »
The emphasis of that scene where Lou arrives at the accident site and Paxton is on a stretcher changes a lot depending on whether or not you recalled Lou sabotaging the van. If you did than your probably thinking wow, this guy is cold as shit. If you didn't you might just think "eh, it's no less than Paxton would have done".
The film seemed to have dealt smartly with the idea that they were racing dangerously to the scene of an accident, hopefully, before the police got there, so they could get close to the carnage. It was set up as an accident waiting to happen to one of them. The image of the less than sane Bloom on the streets; adding to the feeling that he was a danger to anyone who got close to him. Nice handling.
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore. - Banksy

Jeff Schroeck

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #24 on: March 06, 2015, 07:57:40 PM »
What did you guys think of the opening scene (with the security guard and the watch)? It establishes him as a pretty ruthless guy, but is the film better for it? Does it make the ruthlessness of the ending more believable? Or does it rob some of the impact that those future scenes would've had?

I think it works. By having Bloom get confronted, notice the guy's nice watch, hit the guy, and take his watch you establish that he is a ruthless opportunist. By having him wear the watch loosely around his wrist for the bulk of the film, though, it makes him seem like he just took it as a pure opportunity to gain something. He didn't want the watch-it's just an advantage he can have over someone.

I don't think Rick's death was calculated. Bloom had revenge on the brain, and surely had a less violent plan in mind, but when he saw that the guy was still alive, he came up with the idea on the spot. He appears to be a very good unscrupulous improvisor throughout the film. Since he's missing something in his brain, the part that helps connect to other human life, his mind is free to survey all options. It's a bit like Kim Peek being able to read all of the letters of facing book pages at once.

oldkid

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #25 on: March 07, 2015, 10:44:44 AM »
I used to drive a courier van in LA and it is so big and the traffic so awful almost everywhere that to be in the right place at the right time is almost impossible.  That's why Rick's idea was so good: multiply the vans and you are able to be in more places at once, and so get there before the competition.  So when Lou started suddenly being at the "right place at the right time" (especially when he failed to do so earlier in the week), I assumed that he was orchestrating events so that he could find and film them first.  That includes Rick's accident and the shooting in the house.

There is little to say that Lou set this up-- except the situation where he had an enormous pressure to be at a place first and then suddenly every thing goes right for him.  But to be five blocks away from an incident in LA and to show up quite a long time before the cops do, that cannot be coincidence.  I could be wrong, but that's how I read it as soon as he was able to film Rick being taken away by an ambulance and then he is five blocks away from a serious event.  I just assumed he orchestrated it all.
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Jeff Schroeck

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #26 on: March 07, 2015, 03:32:23 PM »
I feel like I may be stretching a bit and giving more credit than the film should get, but I don't think he's setting things up or finding himself coming across incredibly convenient coincidences. I think he's able to take in all of the information he's been accumulating and is making a mental map of where crimes could happen, like the map on the wall of a television police station during a crime wave. He has a sense of where to be near.

oldkid

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #27 on: March 07, 2015, 08:53:04 PM »
I can see that interpretation, but as a frequent driver in LA, I just couldn't go that direction.  Too much coincidence.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Bondo

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #28 on: March 07, 2015, 11:33:28 PM »
Today I came up upon a reasonably bad wreck that had fire truck and police cars and such blocking lanes. I took a slight detour since my normal route was blocked and as I was pulling up to a light a block away two girls got out of their car, grabbed camera and tripod and went racing away on foot toward the wreck. Needless to say I got as far away from there as possible. I don't want to be anywhere near nightcrawlers (albeit, working at 4pm).

jdc

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Re: Nightcrawler
« Reply #29 on: March 08, 2015, 03:00:09 AM »
Today I came up upon a reasonably bad wreck that had fire truck and police cars and such blocking lanes. I took a slight detour since my normal route was blocked and as I was pulling up to a light a block away two girls got out of their car, grabbed camera and tripod and went racing away on foot toward the wreck. Needless to say I got as far away from there as possible. I don't want to be anywhere near nightcrawlers (albeit, working at 4pm).

I never really understood this kind of obsession or interest in most of these kind of things that make the news.  I loved the movie but I am the last one to ever want to slow down or look at a traffic wreck. 
"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman