THE NICE GUYS - film review

THE NICE GUYS
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Kim Basinger, Matt Bomer

Synopsis (written by @onecriticalgeek): Set against the backdrop of 1977 Los Angeles, THE NICE GUYS opens when a single father and licensed PI Holland March (Gosling) is hired to investigate the apparent suicide of famous porn star Misty Mountains. As the trail leads him to track down a girl named Amelia (Qualley), he encounters  less licensed and less hands-off private eye Jackson Healey (Crowe) and his brass knuckles. However, the situation takes a turn for the worse when Amelia vanishes and it becomes apparent that March wasn't the only party interested. As both men are forced to team up, they'll have to take on a world filled with eccentric goons, strippers dressed as mermaids and even a possible government conspiracy. 

Well folks, I spent a gloroius 2 weeks away gallivanting around Hong Kong for a dancing competition with my studio and whilst I had a glorious time, it did mean that the only films I saw were movies on the plane. I managed to catch 45 YEARS (really good, you should definitely see it), REGRESSION (terrible, don't bother), HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS (really cute, do it) and ROOM (incredible). I was pretty wrapped with how I went at the competition, and while I was in Hong Kong I also managed to get to Disneyland and Macau as well as general wandering through Hong Kong and plenty of shopping!

Some shots from our dancing competition

A little collage of my day in Macau

I got to meet some pretty great characters at the happiest place on earth!

I got back into the country late Saturday night, just in time to celebrate the second anniversary of my 29th birthday with my bestie, her boys and the most glorious pink party cat cake decorated by said bestie.

Party cat cake complete with party cat Lego and Disney princess plates 

 
But after two weeks without cinema, I was glad to get back to it on Monday when I took myself out to see THE NICE GUYS with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Set in the 70s it revolves around a licensed PI, Gosling, who knows your case is a crock, but takes your money anyway because he's got a daughter to provide for (Angourie Rice) and a not so licensed "PI" (muscle for hire), Crowe, the kind of guy who will stop your daughter from dating some douche-canoe druggie clown, by smashing him in the face with his trusty brass knuckles. The unlikely pair is stuck together solving the mystery surrounding the death of a porn star and the disappearance of the daughter of a government official. Uncovering a great scandal in the process, which of course leads to danger, stripper mermaids, dead goons and a super hot assassin (Matt Bomer).

Hello super hot assassin Matt Bomer

Image via Warner Bros. 

Shane Black and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi have put together a fairly formulaic piece of cinema, in this mystery-comedy with a twisted sense of humour. Despite it's formula, THE NICE GUYS has a personality. It's dark and twisty, and takes a turn somewhere at the corner of 'wrong-town' and 'they're not going to, oh yeah they did-ville'. It's no surprise that I bloody loved this film, Shane Black also penned LETHAL WEAPON and KISS KISS BANG BANG among others and he has perfected the twisty buddy comedy over the years. I think this film is going to go off with the general public, as it's put together by a guy who really knows what he's doing.

Such an unlikely pair

Image via Warner Bros. 

What I really liked about it was that I didn't hate Rusty and that's a unusual for me. I used to be a huge fan of Rusty, but in recent years I've really gone off him for some reason. Don't ask me what it is, I can't tell you, but in this film I actually really liked him as Healy and was pleasantly surprised by that. There's something about the way that he delivered his savage beatings as casually as you or I would do our taxes that is hilarious. His little emotional conundrum about whether or not he's a terrible person for what he does is also a nice little side line for his character. After casually breaking March's arm (the equivalent of a friendly handshake), they are working together and their chemistry as a mismatched pair is actually really good. As for Gosling, well, it's Ryang Gosling, what could possibly go wrong?

hey girl, Pinterest can wait, this bath cannot...Le sigh...

Image via Warner Bros.

Anyway, enough of me drooling over Gosling, let me get back to the point. He has developed into an excellent physical comedic actor, and his physicality in portraying March is a delight to have on screen. There is a particularly great scene where he is trying to confront Healy from a toilet stall, holding the door open, waving a firearm and trying to keep a magazine in front of his peen - hilarious. The pair give so much in this film and are so committed to the ridiculousness of their characters that I really got swept up in who they were playing. Cudos to the pair of them!

The supporting cast is also really great in THE NICE GUYS. They're both nicely scripted and nicely acted. March's daughter Holly (Rice) is one to watch, she's been in a few shorts and a couple of episodes on TV and THESE FINAL HOURS, but this could the kick off to something more for her. She was light and sincere in the delivery of her character and she even had a few scene stealing moments which is tough going when you're up there with two very powerful leading men. She really held her own out there with her sass, and impressive detective skills.

Girls got sass

Image via Warner Bros. 

Overall, this was the perfect film for me to get back to the cinema with. Dark, twisty, wicked sense of humour, well cast and bloody brilliantly directed by one of my favourites. There are some things that don't quite fit the time in the 70s that this is set, a few songs that didn't come out til a few years later and such, but nothing that causes you to not believe that you're in the 70s. It might be different for those who grew up in the 70s, but for this 80s baby I thought it was alright. I highly recommend handing over your 20-something dollars at your nearest cinema and getting in to see THE NICE GUYS. Unless you seriously hated LETHAL WEAPON and then maybe give it a miss. I loved it.

4 out of 5

Xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

THE BIG SHORT - review

THE BIG STORY
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock

Synopsis: Four denizens of the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight 

I knew nothing of the world of high-finance, or really anything about the collapse of the US economy except that it happened and it was bad and then the whole world economy followed. I am fortunate enough to live in Australia and we weren't hit too bad (at least I wasn't I don't think, what do I know?). I knew nothing much it except who was in it, and believe me when I say that when I hear the words Ryan Gosling, I'm in. Don't really care what the movie is, don't really care who else is in it, Ryan Gosling = I'm going. The rest of the cast line up was actually pretty enticing as well, Brad Pitt (hello), Christian Bale and Steve Carell, I was enticed.

Image via Paramount Pictures

Out of the 4 films I saw last week, this was probably my favourite. Ok it was equal first with THE HATEFUL EIGHT. It was sharp, witty, and downright hilarious. The narrative was spectacular, and I really loved the way it cut between the story and the explanation of what was happening. I particularly enjoyed the cuts to celebs explaining for us plebs some seemingly important details about finance, like Margot Robbie in a bubble bath talking about something that I can no longer remember, but it sure was handy to know it at the time.

Adam McKay and Charles Randolph have done a marvellous job of adapting the book it's based on, although I would imagine that it is quite a loose interpretation. The story bustles along, and it does not feel at all like it runs for the 2 hours and 10 minutes that it does run for. I laughed a lot in the film and I also learned a great deal. The characters in this film are charismatic, fascinating and funny, and you root for them even though you know they are about to get rich beyond your wildest imagination while a whole bunch of other people suffer. That part really sucks, probably not for them, I mean we're talking about besquillions of dollars here people, but it sure did suck for the moron bankers who were duping the American people, and for all the people who lost their homes - mostly for those guys, because no one likes the fat greedy bankers who ruined it for everyone.

The dude is telling the other dudes how they can get rich by betting against the banks

Image via Paramount Pictures

A scientist Dr. Michael Burry (Christian Bale) finds a fault in the housing system and decides to bet big against the banks hoping that they're too stupid or greedy to realise that everything they built was going to collapse, some banker (Ryan Gosling - hello) hears about it and realises that if he can get in on the action he can become filthy rich. He tells some other dude (Steve Carrel) and convinces him to get in on the action which would in turn make them both filthy rich. All the while two young upstarts hear about what's going on, investigate it and work out that it's true and they too try to get in on the action. Unfortunately for them, they're not already rich enough and they don't have enough sway, so they get in touch with an old friend (Brad Pitt) who had given up on the world of investment banking many years ago because it was so corrupt and evil.

As the story goes, time and time again the banks won, revealing layer upon layer of corrupt-ness and dirty lying cheating bastards. Becoming more and more depressing for me, knowing that such greedy asshats are in the world and that they were absolutely getting away with it because money. Vomit-worthy. But eventually the whole nasty web unravelled and they good guys (I use that term loosely because I don't actually think they're really good guys) won and got their money in the end. What made me really mad was that none of the asshat, evil, douchecanoe bankers got into trouble. How screwed up is that? Clearly not surprising, but certainly screwed up.

Christian Bale is Dr. Michael Burry

Ryan Gosling is Jared Vennett banker extraordinaire

Steve Carell is Mark Baum

Brad Pitt is Ben Rickert

Images via Paramount Pictures

THE BIG SHORT has been nominated for 5 Academy Awards this year, and deservingly so. Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best performance by and Actor in a Supporting Role (Christian Bale), Best Achievement in Directing (Adam McKay),  Best Writing for a Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and Best Acheivement in Editing. Out of the best picture nominees (BRIDGE OF SPIES, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, SPOTLIGHT, THE MARTIAN, ROOM, BROOKLYN and THE REVENANT), I really enjoyed THE BIG SHORT, It's my favourite of the four I've seen so far. SPOTLIGHT, ROOM and BROOKLYN aren't out in Australia yet so, I can't pass judgement on them just yet.

THE BIG SHORT is a brilliantly made piece of cinema, and I really think you should go out and spend the 20-something dollars on a ticket for it. It's my top pick for January so far, in fact I liked it so much, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go and see it a second time. So go on, do yourself a favour, go and see THE BIG SHORT in the lead up to this year's Academy Awards so you can make an informed judgement.

Xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell