Gone Girl (2014)

[ShouldIBeHere]

Just watched it again... I am beginning to root for Oscar BP going to GG and Boyhood getting director.

 

Maybe this should be a 10/10...

Edited October 16, 2014 by ShouldIBeHere

[ShouldIBeHere]

Who the fuck gave this an F?

 

 

I think we know

[Thrylos 7]

145 minutes of my life that I will never get back . The last 20 minutes were painful to watch ,it was dragging on and on and on with no resolution whatsoever . It should have "ended" after Amy returned and showed her intentions but it kept going on and on as if something would happen...it didn't . I somewhat liked it until desi Colins found Amy and the resolution of that was Amy killing him . After that I couldn't take it .

I can't believe that is is from the man that gave us seven and fight club . I learned my lesson, no more "oscar worthy" movies for me from now on.... The second F is from me .

Edited October 19, 2014 by Thrylos 7

[luna]

roosh v makes a movie.

 

fuck you, david fincher.

[Jake Gittes]

It's a smooth and enjoyable ride but I agree with a lot of what Dash and JohnnyG said here. The novel's ending works better because Nick is painted quite a bit more negatively there; I don't know how an Affleck voiceover would have worked in the film, but I think they should have attempted it. The whole story works much better with two unreliable narrators instead of one. While Fincher and Flynn do try to compensate for it by only revealing Andie halfway into the film, that's not enough.

 

In general I thought that stylistically this was Fincher on autopilot. It's true that the narrative is hard enough to adapt as it is, but I think more risks should have been taken here. Fincher basically just glides through the movie and it ends up so slick and smooth that it's not very memorable direction-wise (I had the same issue with TGWTDT). That was made especially clear when we get to Desi's glorious murder whereupon I thought, fuck yeah - this was the one scene where Fincher really let go and had fun. Considering the trashy nature of the whole thing (which is not to say it's shallow) I wanted the film to be more outrageous. Less like this slick and well-oiled twist machine and more like something directed by Paul Verhoeven circa 1990.

 

All that said, most of the novel's content ends up safely in the film and it's certainly valuable at least for how much conversation it provokes. (Evidenced by this board, for one). Overall it's a sharp satire with strong performances and I love how Fincher made everyone's narciccism the main theme of the movie. It's not immediately obvious, but practically every single scene in the film has characters putting on masks to achieve their goals or simply to create the best possible impression of themselves. In the book it's just one of many angles, but the film pushes it to the forefront and I think it explores that idea better than it does any others. 

 

Last note: as far as I'm concerned, Gone Girl is neither feminist nor mysogynistic. What it is is beautifully executed pulp. If it's mysogynistic then so is Double Indemnity. 

[Jake Gittes]

I feel like there's symbolism there too. She's trying to wash away her crimes on Nick by telling him why they should stay together and whatever as she washes Desi's blood off herself.  or something? idk. I was fine with it.

 

It's also a great Psycho homage. (Those last two words were practically blaring in my head during the whole scene). The big shot in both scenes is blood being washed away from a naked woman's body and going down the sinkhole, except in Psycho the woman is the victim and the blood is hers, while in Gone Girl she's the murderer and the blood is the male victim's. (Now, I may be stretching it but Neil Patrick Harris in this movie actually kinda reminds me of Anthony Perkins in both looks and demeanor. Coincidence? And of course Pike is a textbook Hitchcock blonde, he would have absolutely fallen in love with her if he saw her in this). It's like a reverse reference/homage. I loved it even if it's ridiculous that they didn't wash the blood away in the hospital.

[Jake Gittes]

Regarding the Cool Girl speech, while I agree in spirit, it's ironic that the character who comes off best when all is said and done is Margo who is totally a Cool Girl. I am honestly not sure if Flynn and/or Fincher intended that.

[luna]

once i finish uni stuff in a couple of days, i'm gonna write a giant ass review for this, just to explain why it's really, really misogynistic.

 

btw, noir sort of encapsulates the male gaze theory of film to a tee. it's sometimes ironic, but definitely not always.

[Claire of Themyscira]

145 minutes of my life that I will never get back . The last 20 minutes were painful to watch ,it was dragging on and on and on with no resolution whatsoever . It should have "ended" after Amy returned and showed her intentions but it kept going on and on as if something would happen...it didn't . I somewhat liked it until desi Colins found Amy and the resolution of that was Amy killing him . After that I couldn't take it .

I can't believe that is is from the man that gave us seven and fight club . I learned my lesson, no more "oscar worthy" movies for me from now on.... The second F is from me .

[luna]

i gave it a D- btw, though certainly open to downward revision.

[Thrylos 7]

Oh please, most people at the theater I watched it hated it . The upcoming years won't be kind at all to this pos .

[dashrendar44]

once i finish uni stuff in a couple of days, i'm gonna write a giant ass review for this, just to explain why it's really, really misogynistic.

 

btw, noir sort of encapsulates the male gaze theory of film to a tee. it's sometimes ironic, but definitely not always.

 

I can't hardly wait to read your prose.(I think it's a hodgepodge that alternatively spouses mysoginistic and misandrist tropes on purpose to mimic mass medias flip-flopping about Nick as this pulpy thriller is trying to paint both Amy and Nick in black "Marriage is hell where devils shed their angel's masks duh!" but ultimately falls into the trap of taking a stand in the end while pretending not to do it).

Edited October 20, 2014 by dashrendar44

[DeeCee]

Oh please, most people at the theater I watched it hated it . The upcoming years won't be kind at all to this pos .

I'm the same. I don't let anyone leave the cinema until they complete my own personal Cinemascore Questionaire.

[James]

Oh please, most people at the theater I watched it hated it . The upcoming years won't be kind at all to this pos .

Really? I went to this with three people, one guy, two girls, all my age (20-21) and I've never seen them so absorbed by a movie. Like, 1 hour after it was over they were still: 'Wow!', 'I can't believe it!'... And I had my audience clapping. No other movie ever had that.

 

I can't hardly wait to read your prose.(I think it's a hodgepodge that alternatively spouses mysoginistic and misandrist tropes on purpose to mimic mass medias flip-flopping about Nick as this pulpy thriller is trying to paint both Amy and Nick in black "Marriage is hell where devils shed their angel's masks duh!" but ultimately falls into the trap of taking a stand in the end while pretending not to do it).

Funny thing: there's that scene where they fight after Amy returns and the reporters are downstairs. Nick asks why does she want their relationship to continue since all they do is hurt each other. She replies with: 'That's marriage' or something like that, at which I said louder than intended: 'Wow! Really?' My entire theatre (mostly older crowd) started laughing.

 

As for the characters, there are very very few as memorable in cinema history. They are almost to the level of Fincher's Tyler Durden. I could understand both their motivations and sympathize with each of them.

 

And at the end I think Nick is somewhat happy they are back together. Even though her intention was to destroy his life, after she returns home she asks him at some point: How many people would kill for you? And beyond the sociopathic appearance of that question, I can see her point. Very few people in general would go that deep for someone they have a bond with.

[Leyla]

A

havent read the book so cant compare

Pike - outstanding Batfleck - pretty good, & Missi Pyle is hilarious as always

ofc honourable mention goes to the cat! good thing it wasnt my worries were unfounded & it wasnt killed ala in TGWTDT

 

 

Fun thing is sometimes when I watch a movie I root for the evil (or the losing side) to prevail at the end like for example in Side effects, Collateral, the Prestige & some others & here as well I rooted for Amy til the end 

Maybe my dislike for Affleck & adoration towards Pike played a part 

 

Loved TGWTDT a bit more (again probably biased as a huge fan of Rooney/Dan)

too bad I wont get the sequel 

Edited October 20, 2014 by Tauriel

[AniNate]

I can't believe that is is from the man that gave us seven and fight club . I learned my lesson, no more "oscar worthy" movies for me from now on.... The second F is from me .

 

I've hated Oscar movies too. That doesn't mean they'll all suck.

[FTF]

once i finish uni stuff in a couple of days, i'm gonna write a giant ass review for this, just to explain why it's really, really misogynistic.

btw, noir sort of encapsulates the male gaze theory of film to a tee. it's sometimes ironic, but definitely not always.

Please, spare us. It's a fictitious story based on a book and screenplay written by a woman.

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

Regarding the Cool Girl speech, while I agree in spirit, it's ironic that the character who comes off best when all is said and done is Margo who is totally a Cool Girl. I am honestly not sure if Flynn and/or Fincher intended that.

You really think Margo is a cool girl? I find her sympathetic, and I do love her sarcasm, but IDK if I would call her cool. Cool, at least from how I understand it, is more about excitement, and Margo isn't really that exciting.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Dark Jedi Master 007

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

Please, spare us. It's a fictitious story based on a book and screenplay written by a woman.

It can still be misogynistic. It's possible for women to hate women, or it's possible for a film to be unintentionally misogynistic.  

[AniNate]

You really think Margo is a cool girl? I find her sympathetic, and I do love her sarcasm, but IDK if I would call her cool. Cool, to me, is more about excitement, and Margo isn't really that exciting.

 

Kind of unfair to say that about a sibling character, too. Everyone gets pissed off at family occasionally, but they still stick with them.

Edited October 20, 2014 by tribefan695