The Oscar Nominations We Want to See12 of 14
Best Director: Bart Layton, 'American Animals'
In terms of sheer style and inventiveness, it'd be a crime not to acknowledge Bart Layton's creative storytelling in American Animals, which details four privileged college students' inane plot to steal some high-priced rare books. Layton pushes the boundaries of the heist genre by interspersing the fictional retelling of the historical events with commentary from the real-life criminals. The result is satisfyingly (and sometimes hilariously) disorienting: a true-crime comedy where the real-life subjects get to reflect on the action ... and the viewers are left to disentangle the truth and their own sympathies. — Bret
In terms of sheer style and inventiveness, it'd be a crime not to acknowledge Bart Layton's creative storytelling in American Animals, which details four privileged college students' inane plot to steal some high-priced rare books. Layton pushes the boundaries of the heist genre by interspersing the fictional retelling of the historical events with commentary from the real-life criminals. The result is satisfyingly (and sometimes hilariously) disorienting: a true-crime comedy where the real-life subjects get to reflect on the action ... and the viewers are left to disentangle the truth and their own sympathies. — Bret
TitlesAmerican Animals
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