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NFT: Move: Nocturnal Animals (spoilers)

JOrthman : 2/21/2017 7:28 am
Saw this movie tonight on Amazon and while for the most part this movie was good, real problem with the ending. I don't know if I've ever wanted to punch a director more at the end of a movie then this one. What an unbelievably crappy way to end a movie. It's one thing to have a unneeded happy ending or unneeded bad ending, but this had no damn ending.
I loved it  
UConn4523 : 2/21/2017 8:10 am : link
probably my favorite movie of last year. Ending was fine for me, and made sense due to the arch of Gyllenhaals character.
RE: I loved it  
JOrthman : 2/21/2017 8:19 am : link
In comment 13366211 UConn4523 said:
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probably my favorite movie of last year. Ending was fine for me, and made sense due to the arch of Gyllenhaals character.


They could of done so many things with that ending...could of made a twist or done a lot of things, instead it was like a big F U to the audience. I would of absolutely loved this movie if it would of ended differently.
I found it to be very depressing  
NYerInMA : 2/21/2017 8:43 am : link
good, but depressing. I thought the ending made sense.
I didn't feel that way at all  
UConn4523 : 2/21/2017 8:48 am : link
was perfectly fine with the ending.
I thought the  
Metnut : 2/21/2017 9:39 am : link
ending made sense even if it wasn't really a happy one. Loved the movie but am still scarred from the opening credits scene.
What didn't you like about the ending? How was it an ''F U''?  
Overseer : 2/21/2017 9:56 am : link
it had an appropriate amount of ambiguity. This often does not go over with American audiences (Sopranos) but I thought it worked well. Leaves the viewer asking questions.

Great film. Very tense scenes throughout. Michael Shannon and especially Aaron Taylor-Johnson (future Bond?) just nailed it. And Gyllenhaal continues to be on fire.
RE: What didn't you like about the ending? How was it an ''F U''?  
JOrthman : 2/21/2017 10:05 am : link
In comment 13366349 Overseer said:
Quote:
it had an appropriate amount of ambiguity. This often does not go over with American audiences (Sopranos) but I thought it worked well. Leaves the viewer asking questions.

Great film. Very tense scenes throughout. Michael Shannon and especially Aaron Taylor-Johnson (future Bond?) just nailed it. And Gyllenhaal continues to be on fire.


I just felt like they took the easy way out and left it very ambiguous. If you were going to do that I'd rather then end it with him laying on the ground outside the trailer after he woke up. The last two minutes was just odd.
and to be clear  
JOrthman : 2/21/2017 10:07 am : link
I don't have a problem with ambiguous. I wouldn't even say that was a way to describe that ending...it just kind of went nowhere. It added two more additional minutes that really didn't add anything to the movie.
RE: RE: What didn't you like about the ending? How was it an ''F U''?  
UConn4523 : 2/21/2017 12:24 pm : link
In comment 13366368 JOrthman said:
Quote:
In comment 13366349 Overseer said:


Quote:


it had an appropriate amount of ambiguity. This often does not go over with American audiences (Sopranos) but I thought it worked well. Leaves the viewer asking questions.

Great film. Very tense scenes throughout. Michael Shannon and especially Aaron Taylor-Johnson (future Bond?) just nailed it. And Gyllenhaal continues to be on fire.



I just felt like they took the easy way out and left it very ambiguous. If you were going to do that I'd rather then end it with him laying on the ground outside the trailer after he woke up. The last two minutes was just odd.


I don't think it was an easy way out. Susan's life was being pulled out from under her (her new husband cheating and her career taking a nosedive) and she clasped onto this one glimmer of hope of something that would make her actually happy. Edward, IMO wrote the book in part as a revenge piece but also to officially move on with his life and prove himself (something he was never able to do with Susan).

I'm not sure what ending couldn't have been better to be honest. We are left thinking and wondering a bit, but not so much so that the ending is truly ambiguous.
I also hope they cast ATJ as the new Bond  
UConn4523 : 2/21/2017 12:27 pm : link
would allow them to commit to a young actor who's been in action movies before and who has the acting chops to be convincing in a role that's typically bigger than the actor.
I thought the movie was really good  
81_Great_Dane : 2/21/2017 4:01 pm : link
and thought the ending was perfect -- though sort of obtuse. A lot of people didn't like that ending. But I got what they were doing (at least, I think I did) and liked it, though I was kind of taken aback in the moment. Like: "What? WHAT??? ... Wow!"
RE: RE: What didn't you like about the ending? How was it an ''F U''?  
81_Great_Dane : 2/21/2017 4:05 pm : link
In comment 13366368 JOrthman said:
Quote:
I just felt like they took the easy way out and left it very ambiguous. If you were going to do that I'd rather then end it with him laying on the ground outside the trailer after he woke up. The last two minutes was just odd.


Funny, I didn't think that ending was ambiguous at all. It was just subtle.

He's not coming. He's never coming. She threw away love. She murdered their life together. (You got that that was the point of the story within the story, right? That's why "Tony's" murdered wife is a redhead like Amy Adams.) Now she regrets it, wants to reconnect, but Edward is leaving her in the lurch, just like she did him.

Do they spell that out for us? No. That's what I love about the movie. It's demanding. It requires some puzzle-solving.
RE: RE: RE: What didn't you like about the ending? How was it an ''F U''?  
JOrthman : 2/21/2017 4:41 pm : link
In comment 13366937 81_Great_Dane said:
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In comment 13366368 JOrthman said:


Quote:


I just felt like they took the easy way out and left it very ambiguous. If you were going to do that I'd rather then end it with him laying on the ground outside the trailer after he woke up. The last two minutes was just odd.



Funny, I didn't think that ending was ambiguous at all. It was just subtle.

He's not coming. He's never coming. She threw away love. She murdered their life together. (You got that that was the point of the story within the story, right? That's why "Tony's" murdered wife is a redhead like Amy Adams.) Now she regrets it, wants to reconnect, but Edward is leaving her in the lurch, just like she did him.

Do they spell that out for us? No. That's what I love about the movie. It's demanding. It requires some puzzle-solving.


I could of cared less if he showed up, I actually thought they could of done some interesting things with who showed up, but that probably would of dramatically changed what he was going with.
The fact that you could ''of'' cared less  
Overseer : 2/21/2017 4:52 pm : link
I suppose means the movie wasn't for you. The ending was a rather logical conclusion to the film given that we learned throughout the film just how devastated Jake G's character was by his ex-wife.

It (thankfully) stopped short of spelling out for the viewer "now you know the feelings of devastation & abandonment I endured." But the point was adeptly made.
I don't get your take  
UConn4523 : 2/21/2017 6:03 pm : link
its completely fine to disagree on liking the ending, but I'm not exactly sure what you wanted out of it. Edward didn't show up but you mention they could have done some interesting things with someone else...like what? If someone else showed up, it would have been unrelated to the story, which would have needed an explanation. IIRC Susan only interacts with 2 men the entire movie; Edward and her new husband (3 if you count the 30 second scene with her butler). I'm not sure who could have shown up that would have even made sense to the movie.
I liked Nocturnal animals  
shelovesnycsports : 2/21/2017 7:07 pm : link
and thought the ending was better than her other movie Arrival. That movie needed a better ending.
RE: I don't get your take  
JOrthman : 2/21/2017 7:17 pm : link
In comment 13367066 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
its completely fine to disagree on liking the ending, but I'm not exactly sure what you wanted out of it. Edward didn't show up but you mention they could have done some interesting things with someone else...like what? If someone else showed up, it would have been unrelated to the story, which would have needed an explanation. IIRC Susan only interacts with 2 men the entire movie; Edward and her new husband (3 if you count the 30 second scene with her butler). I'm not sure who could have shown up that would have even made sense to the movie.


The person who played the detective or one of the rapists, you find out it wasn't really Edward who wrote it, etc... Just some quick off the top of my head examples.
That would mean  
UConn4523 : 2/21/2017 7:21 pm : link
the book wasn't real and she'd also have no idea who they were from said book.

It was a take on telling a revenge tail. If the ending didn't focus on Edward/Susan, it wouldn't have made much sense.
RE: That would mean  
JOrthman : 2/21/2017 7:24 pm : link
In comment 13367139 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
the book wasn't real and she'd also have no idea who they were from said book.

It was a take on telling a revenge tail. If the ending didn't focus on Edward/Susan, it wouldn't have made much sense.


I know it would of meant that, I think that would of been an interesting twist. Or the book could of been real, as in it really happened.
Really good movie  
DennyInDenville : 2/21/2017 7:30 pm : link
Was very powerful imo
I thought it was ambitious  
djm : 2/22/2017 11:02 am : link
but overall...meh. If the movie tried to get the viewer to feel empathy for the man and shame for the girl it had the exact opposite impact on me. Fuck "Edward" if that was his name...get over yourself. You weren't making any money. You're wife got bored with you. She left you. 20 years later you track her down and stand her up? Meanwhile, the woman is obviously damaged herself and miserable. So you pile on. Fuck off.

the movie had a point. Hold grudges. pay people back. great.
RE: I liked Nocturnal animals  
djm : 2/22/2017 11:05 am : link
In comment 13367119 shelovesnycsports said:
Quote:
and thought the ending was better than her other movie Arrival. That movie needed a better ending.


Arrival had one of the coolest endings to a movie. How could you hate that ending? it was brilliant.

The ending to Animals was leaving her flat on a dinner date. I cannot think of a more boring, depressing, mundane and shitty way to end a movie. And I wasn't looking for blood, guts and theatrics. A point would have been nice.

lately, hollywood is pushing the envelop on "different and edgy" --some have worked. Some have fallen flat. This fell flat in my view. It started strong. Ended weak.
RE: RE: I liked Nocturnal animals  
JOrthman : 2/22/2017 9:14 pm : link
In comment 13367749 djm said:
Quote:
In comment 13367119 shelovesnycsports said:


Quote:


and thought the ending was better than her other movie Arrival. That movie needed a better ending.



Arrival had one of the coolest endings to a movie. How could you hate that ending? it was brilliant.

The ending to Animals was leaving her flat on a dinner date. I cannot think of a more boring, depressing, mundane and shitty way to end a movie. And I wasn't looking for blood, guts and theatrics. A point would have been nice.

lately, hollywood is pushing the envelop on "different and edgy" --some have worked. Some have fallen flat. This fell flat in my view. It started strong. Ended weak.


lol glad to know it wasn't just me.
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