Thursday, 17 September 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Journalists/Reporters for Print/TV

Happy Thursday everyone! Did you know that there’s only 99 days to go until Christmas? Sorry. 


In a week where politics seems to have taken over the radio and TV in the UK, I’m more than happy to switch off and  immerse myself into movies, and what better way than with Wanderer’s Thursday Movie Picks? This week we’re looking at Journalists/Reporters for Print/TV, and here are my picks:

alan-partridge-alpha-papa

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) is a British to the bone Comedy about a chain of events which sees DJ Presenter/Reporter Alan Partridge’s radio station being taken over by a group of corporate big-wigs. The situation worsens when Alan (Steve Coogan) upsets a colleague who then decides to hold everyone hostage. In a crazy turn of events, Alan becomes a hostage negotiator between them and the Scotland Yard. I was dragged kicking and screaming into the cinema for this, but it was actually a lot funnier than I expected. Complete silliness of course, but good fun!

nightcrawler-jake-gyllenhaal

One of my favourite films of last year, Nightcrawler (2014) is the story of Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a desperate man trying to get into the world of crime journalism. As he becomes more and more successful, his morality blurs into the point of darkness. I initially overlooked this film completely but I’m so glad I gave it a go in the end, it really left me cold by the time the credits rolled. Our full review is here.

the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-2009

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) is a movie based on the book of the same name by Stieg Larsson, in which a journalist seeks the help of a female hacker to find a woman who has been missing for forty years. This is the only version I’ve seen, I’m yet to watch the Daniel Craig version, but I just loved how gritty this was and how true it stayed to my vision of the book. The book is definitely worth a read, too!
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29 comments:

  1. Paskalis Damar17 September 2015 at 09:41

    I love every single one of them, especially Nightcrawler, which takes the subject into a very dark side. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is similar in the dark atmosphere, but yeah, Nightcrawler is too filthy to compare.

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    1. Unknown17 September 2015 at 13:51

      I keep trying to explain it to family and friends and all I can really do is pull a bemused face and say, it's just so dark!
      - Allie

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  2. Myerla17 September 2015 at 10:36

    Nightcrawler is such an amazing film. One of the best films of last year. The American remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is just as good as the Swedish original, and I've frequently visit the pier of the climatic fight scene in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. My nan lives near by so I visit Cromer quite often.

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    1. Unknown17 September 2015 at 13:55

      Oh wow! Claim to fame right there, ha! I'll definitely give the remake of TGWTDT a go after your recommendation, I guess I always assumed it wouldn't be as good :)
      - Allie

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  3. Brittani Burnham17 September 2015 at 12:43

    Nice picks! I haven't seen Alpha Papa, but I also chose Nightcrawler. :)

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    1. Unknown17 September 2015 at 13:56

      Great minds think alike! I just couldn't NOT choose it this week :)
      - Allie

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  4. Matt17 September 2015 at 13:31

    I loved Nightcrawler and am disappointed with myself that I didn't think of it. I highly recommend you check out the Fincher version of GWTDT. With a lot of help from Trent Reznor's score, it's pretty unnerving.

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    1. Unknown17 September 2015 at 14:23

      Yeah, I think I'm going to have to do that now. It's such a great story!
      - Allie

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  5. Daniel17 September 2015 at 14:16

    Can't believe I didn't think of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Don't bother with the American version. Craig is ideally cast, but the whole thing isn't as good as the Swedish version. I mean, it's probably a more well-made film, but it didn't live up to the hype for me.

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    1. Unknown17 September 2015 at 14:25

      Obviously I can't compare, but I just thought the Swedish version really lived up to how I imagined everything would look. It just had that real gritty feeling without the Hollywood effect!
      - Allie

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  6. Dell17 September 2015 at 14:28

    Never heard of that first one. That sounds crazy...in a good way.

    Nightcrawler. Yes.

    Mark me down as voting for you to give Fincher's version of TGwtDT a chance. I love both versions, but like his slightly better.

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    1. Unknown17 September 2015 at 14:30

      Alan Partridge is just British comedy to the bone...I don't even like him usually but the movie was actually really funny! Not sure how well the humour would translate across the pond though.
      Right, consider me hopping off my high horse and giving the Fincher version a go. Watch this space!
      - Allie

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  7. Big Screen Small Words17 September 2015 at 15:16

    I picked Girl with the Dragon Tattoo too! I still have to watch the last two movies (and read the last two books). I really have to watch Nightcrawler.

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    1. Unknown18 September 2015 at 11:54

      Yay! Great minds think alike :) You know, I don't know if I saw or read the other two, I genuinely can't remember! I'm going to have to dig into this further...
      - Allie

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  8. Alex Withrow17 September 2015 at 16:46

    Nightcrawler and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are great choices. Such unorthodox journalistic methods those two have. You can't even really call Lou Bloom a journalist in the classic sense. "...his morality blurs into the point of darkness." So well said!

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    1. Unknown18 September 2015 at 11:57

      Aw, thank you! Lou Bloom is sort of like the anti-choice for this week I think!
      - Allie

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  9. joel6591317 September 2015 at 19:14

    I had never heard of the first but I do like Steve Coogan and I see that it's a character he's played more than once so I'll have to give it a look. I was repelled by Nightcrawler, I guess that was the desired effect, but Gyllenhaal was brilliant in it. I've only seen the American version of Dragon Tattoo which I thought was quite good.

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    1. Unknown18 September 2015 at 11:57

      Oh if you're a fan of Steve Coogan I reckon you'll love Alpha Papa. He really grates on me normally and even I enjoyed the movie :)
      - Allie

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  10. Birgit17 September 2015 at 19:16

    I ahve not seen any of these. I hear nothing but great things about Nightcrawler and the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I saw the version with Daniel Craig and really liked it-very gritty.

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    1. Unknown18 September 2015 at 11:58

      I'm going to have to give this Daniel Craig version a go I think :)
      Out of any of my picks this week you should definitely give Nightcrawler a go!
      - Allie

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    2. Anonymous18 September 2015 at 15:40

      Um, yes...see Fincher's version ASAP!

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  11. Anonymous18 September 2015 at 15:39

    GREAT call on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!!!

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  12. Kevin Powers19 September 2015 at 16:10

    Great picks! For me, the Fincher/Craig/Mara version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is so much better. But the Swedish one is really good too. Love Nightcrawler. Just bought it on Blu-ray.

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    1. Unknown21 September 2015 at 10:17

      Right, I'm definitely going to have to watch it now. Ohh I bet Nightcrawler is amazing on Blu-ray!
      - Allie

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  13. Lights Camera Reaction21 September 2015 at 11:48

    The Girl with the dragon tattoo is a very inspired choice! Nice!

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  14. Wanderer23 September 2015 at 21:47

    I want to see Nightcrawler. Heard a lot of good things about it.

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    1. Unknown24 September 2015 at 14:00

      I can definitely recommend it, definitely one of my favourites from last year :)
      - Allie

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