Movie Review: “Nightcrawler”

Starring
Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton
Director
Dan Gilory

Though it isn’t your typical Halloween movie by any stretch of the imagination, Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler” might just be the most frightening film of the year – not in the scares it delivers (because there are none), but rather the chilling peek that it provides behind the curtain of a completely different kind of horror: local TV news. This isn’t the first time that subject has been satirized before in cinema (perhaps most notably in Sidney Lumet’s 1977 Oscar-winning film “Network”), but “Nightcrawler” tells its debauched tale of immorality in the newsroom through the eyes of a Rupert Pupkin-esque antihero more frightening than any masked killer. The cinematic influences are boundless in Gilroy’s directorial debut, but that hasn’t stopped him from producing a truly exceptional thriller highlighted by a wickedly entrancing, career-best performance from Jake Gyllenhaal.

The actor stars as Louis Bloom, a petty thief who’s willing to put in the hard work and make a career for himself if someone will just give him a chance. As luck would have it, Louis finds his calling when he passes by a fatal car accident one night and notices the freelance cameramen filming it in all its bloody glory. These guys are like the storm chasers of the TV news world – driving around at night waiting for tragedy to strike so that they can catch the mayhem on camera and sell the footage to whichever news station is willing to pay the most. After trading some stolen loot to a pawn shop in exchange for a camcorder and police scanner, Louis hits the ground running, and before long, he sells his first video to Channel 6 news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo), a kindred spirit of sorts who favors ratings over ethics. Louis has no shame in the barbaric manner in which he captures these moments (to him, it’s just part of the job), and that makes him very unpredictable, because once he gets a taste of success, he’ll do whatever it takes to get the best shot, even if that means crossing lines that aren’t meant to be crossed.

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7 Great Gaming Blogs

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You want games? We got games. Some of the best gaming sites in the UK aren’t sites where you play games. They’re sites where you read about games. These blogs contain some of the coolest tips and tricks, along with reviews of games that have just been released. You’ll also find commentary about the gaming industry and even older games that you may have yet to discover.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a gaming site focusing on PC gaming. The writers are 6 of Britain’s top gaming critics and covers everything from breaking news and headlines to new releases. They’re pretty adamant about only reviewing PC games so, if you’re a fan of the platform, you’ll love it here.

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Online Blackjack in 2014: Accessing CaesarsCasino.com for the best experience

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Of all the traditional casino games, blackjack is arguably the single most popular. Synonymous with glamour and high-rollers, blackjack embodies the excitement of a corporeal casino while it also one of the simpler games to play. It is therefore no surprise that the popularity of blackjack has also been successfully replicated across online platforms, as contemporary games have been designed to create a realistic gambling experience from the comfort of your own home.

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Car Review: 2014 Ford Transit Connect XLT Wagon

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Ford hasn’t been in the minivan business for a few years now, but the 2014 Ford Transit Connect XLT Wagon wants your attention if you’re looking for a people mover. Dubbed the #unminivan, there is a lot of value in a vehicle that looks good, drives great and can haul the family from A to B and back again! We drove the 2014 Ford Transit Connect XLT Wagon Review and found a sweet ride that doubles as a commercial gem.

EXTERIOR

There is a very distinct look about the 2014 Ford Transit Connect XLT Wagon, and we discovered that folks either love or hate the exterior design. One has to remember that the Transit Connect was originally built for commercial use but has now styled up the skin to fit right in with the traditional SUV or minivan. The vehicle was introduced in Europe in 2002, and now, the 2014 Transit Connect van has been named International Van of the Year by a panel of European auto media. It debuted in North America in 2009, quickly becoming a fleet favorite for its size and capability as a hauler of people and cargo. Now, with the arrival of the all-new Transit Connect Wagon, retail buyers have a fresh alternative to the traditional people mover.

The 17-inch alloy wheels looked smooth along with body color side moldings, body color door handles, fog lamps with body color bezel, halogen headlamps, integrated spotter mirrors, power heated exterior mirrors and privacy glass.

INTERIOR

The Transit Connect Wagon and Transit Connect van offer spacious interiors and customization options that allow owners to personalize the vehicle to their lifestyle. The short-wheelbase, five-passenger wagon model, as tested, allows for the second row to flip, fold or be removed entirely. It features 77.1 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the first row with the second-row seats flipped forward, and 46.9 cubic feet of volume behind the second row. The long-wheelbase, seven-passenger wagon model has second- and third-row seats that fold flat. It has 104.2 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the first row with the second and third row folded flat; with passengers in the second row, cargo volume reaches nearly 60 cubic feet. The wagon model’s interior roominess is especially notable for its headroom, which bests many other seven-seat vehicles. Available headroom in the first row is 46.8 inches, with 45.1 inches in the second row. The long-wheelbase model has 41.3 inches of headroom in the third row.

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DVD Review: “WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete Series”

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Cult classic sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati,” now making its complete series DVD debut, takes viewers to a much different time – a time before iPods and Sirius, when AM radio was still a very real thing that people listened to and relied on for news and entertainment. Yes, radio once upon a time had character, and helped dictate and define our culture, pop and otherwise. Running for four seasons on CBS, from 1978 to ‘82 – a time of major transition in America – “WKRP” was a wacky workplace comedy that helped pave the way for shows like “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Parks and Recreation” today. To discuss what makes the series tick, one must first understand its lunatic cast of characters, who are at the root of every episode, every laugh and every plot development. There are eight principles that can be broken down into three categories.

Management: Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) is WKRP’s sometimes bumbling but always good-hearted station manager, also known affectionately as “The Big Guy.” Though from time to time he appears to possess a modicum of business acumen, for the most part, he’d rather not be bothered with the day-to-day operations of the station, instead focusing on his hobbies, which include fishing and model trains. The series kicks off with Carlson’s hiring of Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) as the station’s new program director. The level-headed center of the bunch, Travis has been living town to town, up and down the dial, and doesn’t see WKRP as anything more than another stop in his career of rebranding stations and making them profitable. Soon enough, he’ll discover there’s something special about this station that keeps him from moving on to the next one. Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson), Carlson’s bombshell-with-brains secretary, shouldn’t technically fit under management, and yet as the series progresses, it becomes all too clear that without the glue that is Jennifer, the entire enterprise would fall to pieces.

The Disc Jockeys: Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) is the station’s morning drive man. Like Travis, Johnny’s worked at more stations than he can remember, though that may have more to do with years of drug and alcohol use, which is more hinted at than ever explored. Fever is the show’s wild card, and “WKRP” never shies away from throwing bizarre, unpredictable plotlines in his path. Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) is Andy’s first move upon changing the station’s format to rock and roll, hiring the jock “away from a station in New Orleans.” Shrouded in a mysterious past, Venus takes care of the evening shift, playing soothing, laid-back tunes for the greater Cincinnati area. “WKRP” peels away the Venus onion, giving him a little more backstory every season, and one of the show’s very last episodes (“The Creation of Venus”) brilliantly redefines his introduction way back in the two-part pilot.

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