• A very flawed film—it won’t sniff my top 10 of 2019 and I may move it out of the archives with a rewatch but for now I’m putting it in by the skin of its teeth—mainly because of the admirable dialogue—Dan Gilroy has created a pretty funny, insulated world with a completely unique—purposefully pretentious—vernacular. It reminds me of much of the Coen brothers work and it flies at you so I’m excited to check out again
  • Imaginative opening credits
  • Starbucks again and again as a criticism and visual motif
  • Countless times I was so pleasantly amused with the dialogue- Gyllenhaal’s character saying “I’m ensorssled”
  • These characters are largely soulless—vipers
  • Gyllenhaal’s character- “Morf”- great name- perfection. “This couch is too small for these high ceilings—it’s swimming in here”
  • Literally killed by art probably could have been done more imaginatively
  • There’s no outside perspective here which I love
  • The oxymoronic title
  • In his short three film oeuvre Gilroy has created a pretty consistent voice: eccentrics—I did not think Roman J. Israel, Esq was up to snuff- but this and, by far his best, 2014’s Nightcrawler have the darker- more cynical take
  • Recommend