Night Moves (2013)

Year: 2013
Running Time: 112 minutes
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Writers: Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard

Night Moves is currently playing in limited release in Australia and is distributed by Curious.

Subtle on the surface but morally complex, Night Moves is a slow and intense burn. Kelly Reichardt's latest is recognised as an environmentally political film due to it's subject matter along with it's tranquil nature visuals, yet it explores a great deal more than such a film would typically do. The film looks at taking responsibility for and dealing with actions which were made with good intentions, but have outcomes which are less than desirable and lead to human guilt. Night Moves is a very quiet film with big intentions.

Wanting to take a political stance for the good of the world, three radical environmental activists hatch a plan of attack on a hydroelectric dam in Portland. Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), Dena (Dakota Fanning) and Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) find success in their venture which they undertake in order to make a political statement, but none are prepared for the aftermath of their elaborate and dangerous venture. The outcome does not evoke the sense of personal satisfaction or community gratification which they were seeking, but leaves each having to deal with a great deal of guilt, paranoia and the realisation that what seemed like the right thing to do for the environment may not have been worth the inner turmoil they were to endure in the aftermath.

Night Moves requires great contemplation and not about the themes typically found in such an environmentally minded film. With the exception of the environmental documentary screening in the film at the beginning and some facts about the state of the world during the film, Night Moves gives us very little to contemplate as far as the environment is concerned through plain speech. Yet, it gives us more to contemplate in relation to taking responsibility for your actions even if they were done for the right reasons. In Night Moves, this group believes they are making a stand for the good of the Earth, but they are not the heroes in the aftermath that they were expecting. Each emotionally deals with the guilt of taking responsibility for their actions when they realise they may have gone too far with their ambition. It is a dilemma which is presented in an extremely realistic way through the wonderful screenplay. The film is quietly and subtly suspenseful and as a result very unpredictable.

While Night Moves doesn't talk about environmental activism verbally, it more than makes up for this in it's visuals. Even though there is suspense in the character's actions, there is peace in the visuals. The nature shots of the forest and river are extremely tranquil and make the film extremely atmospheric. These beautiful shots install in the viewer a love for these pieces of nature and makes one understand why Josh, Dena and Harmon go to such extremes to try and make people see that this is something worth saving. Something Night Moves also does brilliantly is it avoids showing disaster so the attention is not taken away from the moral implications of the aftermath. The mind is greater than anything the eye can see, so sounds and conversation are used instead to let the viewer see the disasters talked about in their film in their mind rather than on screen.

Jesse Eisenberg does well with a character which doesn't show a great deal of emotion or variety until the last minutes of the film. Like the film itself, Josh is a very quiet, contemplative character who makes it known that he is always in deep thought about something. Eisenberg shows his wonderful ability to demonstrate great character development while saying very little. Dakota Fanning's performance is an extremely interesting one. As the rich kid turned enviro-politically minded rebel, Fanning's Dena undergoes change throughout the film due to the change in circumstances. In the beginning, she is calm in their decision to make a difference and even a little cocky feeling as she feels she is thinking the most logically out of the group and is confident in herself and actions. After the event, her emotions get the better of her as she is taken aback by this planning becoming reality and she is then the one who is visibly overcome by guilt. It is an interesting transformation of character and Fanning gives an even and controlled performance to support this development.

Kelly Reichardt's Night Moves' originality lies in it's subtle intensity and ability to quietly create a sense of importance. Wonderfully atmospheric and intriguing till the last moment.

8/10

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Year: 2009
Director: Chris Weitz
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner

In My Own Words
Here it is, the awaited follow up to “Twilight”. Well, it will not have been awaited if you are not a Twilight fan and the first thing I will say about this movie before I tell you my own thoughts and my experience with this movie is that this movie is NOT for you if you are not a fan of Twilight. My boyfriend who followed me along for the special midnight screening gave it a 2/10, he was not impressed. I, myself, have tried not to become part of the “Twilight” phenomenon, but I have been drawn in, more by the books than the movies though. I did enjoy “Twilight” when that came out at the cinemas last year, I thought it was enjoyable. Sure it wasn’t the best movie ever made and does not rival “Gone With The Wind”, but it was fun to watch nevertheless.

My boyfriend bought tickets for me for the midnight screening at my local cinema as I wanted to review it before the majority of the world. Also I had never been to a midnight screening of anything so it was very exciting! Although I did go to the 9am first screening of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King” when that opened, but this was a bit more exciting at night for some strange reason. I was shocked, I have never seen my local cinemas so packed. They had six cinemas all sold out, all by people (mostly girls) under the age of 25. It can be hard to take a movie seriously when you have some groups of girls showing off to their friends by laughing at parts in the movie which aren’t even funny and are supposed to be serious. That was something that I was prepared for though.

So, as far as the film went, not as good as the original “Twilight”. Nowhere near as cheesily enjoyable as it was. And I repeat, stay away from this movie if you do not like “Twilight” at all, it won’t change you mind. However, if you are a “Twilight” fan, it is still worth seeing and you may find some happiness and enjoyment seeing Edward, Bella and Jacob on the big screen again.

These are my own words and this is my review.

Review
There is no escaping the “Twilight” phenomenon, especially leading up to the release of “New Moon”, the second installment of the saga. The film, whether it is good or not, will make millions worldwide in the box office from fans going to watch it numerous times. However, movie goers who go to watch the film who either did not like the first film or didn’t see it, will be completely dissatisfied and confused. The movie makes no sense without the first film and will not appeal to those who are not fans of Edward and Bella to begin with.

In the second film, eighteen year old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) have carried on their relationship despite their differences and the fact that Bella was nearly killed by a fellow vampire in the previous movie. After another close call, this time with members of the Cullen family, Edward decides that it is best for him to leave Forkes and Bella. Bella is left heartbroken and finds comfort in her friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). However, she then finds out that Jacob has a secret of his own. Jacob, despite his feelings for her, does not fill the void left in her heart by Edward. The film will delight Twilight fans. It stays true to the book and makes the most of each of the main characters.

However, as a stand alone film, it fails. As it is the follow on to “Twilight”, there is really no character development or explanations as to why things are happening in the film. The actors make the most of their roles, and make all there is to make out of their characters. Stewart can be painful sometimes as the emotional Bella, but that is the way that Bella is written in Stephanie Meyer’s book and plays the part perfectly when compared to the literature Bella. Pattinson and Lautner’s performances are not spectacular, but do not do a bad job. Ashley Greene’s role as Alice Cullen is probably the most interesting role and has the most variation to work with. However, it is not until the end that Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen show up and their roles are both rushed and almost non-existent.

The change of director for this movie does not work well for the saga. Weitz does not do the film much justice and one can only hope that the change of director to David Slade for the next film, “Eclipse” will be advantageous. However, the visuals of Forkes are stunning, even though it was filmed in Canada. The soundtrack is also fitting. It is just a shame that there is no suspense and complete predictability throughout the whole film to overshadow it.

Again, avid “Twilight” fans will still enjoy the film and there is no doubt it will be one of the biggest box office hits for the year. The movie unfortunately does not live up to the hype and the spectacle is greater than the film itself.

5.5/10