Yes we're back to this segment, and the final one for this year.
But before we begin, let me explain something. If any of you read my review for Glass Onion, then you'd know that I meant to upload this on Monday. Well, after my great (and I mean that honestly, not be being sarcastic) Christmas Day with my family, I was just tired. So when Monday rolled in, I decided to recharge for the day. No Twitter, uploading to this blog, nothing. I stayed away from usual stuff until today.
Why I Didn't I See Nightmare Alley?
Probably for the same reason many other people didn't see it, I didn't know this film existed. I don't know if that was because of poor marketing, or something other factor, but there's your reason. I didn't know this film was a thing.
What is Nightmare Alley?
Nightmare Alley is a neo-noir psychological thriller film based on the 1946 novel of the same name. It's also the second adaptation after the 1947 version which also shares the same name. It was produced by TSG Entertainment and Double Dare You Productions and distributed by Searchlight Pictures. Nightmare Alley was written by Guillermo del Toro and Kim Morgan and directed by Guillermo del Toro. The story is a drifter named Stan Carlisle has gotten a job at carnival and soon learns about clairvoyance. Two years later he reinvents himself as a psychic and later claims to be able to speak to the dead despite the warning given to him years prior. He later gets a client who wants him to preform a séance to a young woman who he committed a horrible wrong too. Can Stan find a way to trick the man, or is going to suffer a quick downfall.
My Thoughts
The Good: One thing or as I should politely say, one person who makes this film worth watching is Bradley Cooper. He's phenomenal here, a matter of fact he pretty much disappears into this role. Even to the point that I completely forgot that was him. What's also amazing about Nightmare Alley is the perfect suspense. And what made it perfect was how as the movie kept going, the more and more the suspense was building. It truly keeps you on the edge because you just don't know when something is gonna happen or if it's gonna happen. Then we have the story. Not only do we see just how Stan came to rise to the success he wanted, but his fall not only tragic, but both parts were executed perfectly. There's also that ending...just damn. I could give it away, but you guys should know that when there's something amazing in the film, regardless of when it came out, I don't give spoilers, at least not anymore. The last thing I'll praise is Guillermo del Toro's directing. Not so much as in look, cause I think people know that when you watch a Guillermo del Toro film you can expect great visuals. But more so that he showed that he's a lot more versatile than some think. While Guillermo kills when it comes to horror or monsters, what with films such as Blade II, the first two Hellboy films, Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water, and etc. Here, there's no supernatural elements at all. This is a pure neo-noir flick, and it with that we're shown once again that Guillermo del Toro is truly a talented man.
The Bad: Nothing for this part.
The Okay: Now some of you have probably read my reviews for both Avengers: Endgame and Zack Snyder's Justice League, so you know I'm not stranger when it comes to movies with long runtimes. Now while Nightmare Alley is by no means as long as those two, but there were times when I could feel that 2 hour runtime. While I do have a strong support for a director's vision, this did feel like one of those instances where maybe somethings could've been cut out. One example is the carnival. Did we really need to spend a full hour there?
Final Verdict: Great.
So that's all for me. Even thought were only four days away from the holiday, I just want to say have a Happy New Year folks. Hope you enjoy the rest of this year while it's still around.
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