Kameron Cavanagh

Yeah I fucking loved this. I’m a journalism graduate so I was always likely to enjoy it but it just is that good. It’s such a smart depiction of the various rungs of exploitation, primarily through the lens of sensationalism in the newsroom. Whether it’s young people desperate for work, or big news orgs that make corporate gain from victims to crime. Every character becomes more selfish as they climb higher within their respective field, showing that ambition is great and all, but money, power and success can corrupt the mind. It’s such a sharp screenplay from Dan Gilroy and then a proper powerhouse performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, it’s insane he didn’t get more critical acclaim for this. Lou Bloom is a chilling character, and you see his confidence grow from first shot to last, completely consumed by the job he once had no idea even existed. I love the rendering of LA, too. There’s these sweeping shots of the city which make it feel so grand and beautiful yet when we’re on the ground with Lou, everything becomes gritty and alive. This might be my longest ever review but I really, really enjoyed this. One of my favourite first-time watches in a while.

Music ❤️

> *“DAMN YOU, OBAMA!”*The plot of this is unbelievably dumb but I do not care because it’s so fucking funny. This is probably my most quotable film ever man

> *“They pay with maize.”*So silly but I love it, one of my all-time comfort films. Not much actually happens but that’s the point, just guys being dudes.