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Gone Girl Movie Review: Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck & Rosamund Pike

Posted on January 2, 2015 Written by Pinar Tarhan

(There are some spoilers.)

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck)’s beautiful wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) is missing under suspicious circumstances. Police detective Boney (Kim Dickens) and officer Gilpin (Patrick Fugit) get right on the case, with Boney giving Nick the benefit of the doubt and Gilpin ready to blame Dunne.

As the audience we’re neither with Boney nor Gilpin: if he did it, it’s too obvious. If he’s innocent, also too obvious. But we know it’s a David Fincher movie, and it will probably not be black and white. And expectedly, things turn out to be all shades of grey:

While Nick tries to manage his in-laws and the media reaction with the help of his twin sister Go, we see he’s not exactly the doting husband he wants others to believe. He seems clueless about his wife’s daily activities, friends or diary, and to top of it all, he’s having an affair with a 20-year-old (and going to great lengths to hide it from others).

From the beginning of the movie, we have some flashbacks, with the voice-over from Amy, guiding us through their relationship, from the great start to troubling times, until we see Nick’s violent and dangerous side. And around the time cops are sure Nick’s behind her disappearance, and possibly murder, we hear this brilliant line from Amy:

“I’m so much happier now that I’m dead.”

So yes, she’s making a run for it to make Nick pay for being a lying, cheating bastard. And if you think she is taking things too far, just wait till you see how much further she’s willing to go, and how she handles her back-up plans…

Gone Girl is one crazy, psychotic mystery/thriller/drama that might make you question certain things in life, like how well you actually know the people you are with, how dangerous certain kinds of people can be and well, whether or not getting married is a sane idea in the first place.

Despite the original elements in its story, and some seriously fantastic acting from Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl is far from a smooth, fast ride. I’m aware that this was intentional, but the unevenness in pacing created moments, at least for me, where I struggled to stay engaged in the movie. It flows faster and better once we find out what Amy is up to, and how truly disturbed and calculating she is, but until then, I kept wishing some scenes were left in the editing room.

Because no matter how different and captivating a movie is, 149 minutes isn’t generally the amount I’m ready to give to a mystery/ drama/ thriller. Well-done epic movies? Sure. A decent piece in a trilogy where you don’t have the chance to get bored because every scene (and interaction) is necessary? Yeah.

But for me, Gone Girl would be even better at 139 minutes. Hell, at 129 or a little less, I could have jumped at the “masterpiece” wagon.

Because when a film is rated at 8.3 on IMDB (already grabbing a place on the site’s 250 best movies list) and has earned more than 350 million dollars at the box office against its 61 million budget, you want to be blown away by every second of the movie. There’s no place for boredom.

Call me sentimental, traditional or whatever, but I still prefer Se7en. At a little over 2 hours, it is tighter, creepier and has the more satisfactory ending. (Se7en is also on IMDB 250 and rated over 8 (8.7.,to be exact)-hence the comparison).

And the problem is with establishing your “villain” to be so brilliant is this haunting question: didn’t she have anything better to do with that Harvard degree and brain of hers than to take revenge? No attempts at world-domination? Trying to save the world or destroy it? And why let herself stoop to such a level if she is so awesome? Isn’t pretending to be someone else to find yourself a partner something losers, or at least very irrational people do?

Her motives and actions don’t match the IQ and OCD-thinking we’re given, and that’s another con if you think about the movie too much.

That said, I love Fincher, and this was a solid movie. But worth the rating and the box office-smashing? Not to me.

How did you feel about the movie? Please let me know in the comments.

Fun Gone Girl Trivia

The movie was written by Gillian Flynn, who adapted it from her own novel.
Scoot McNairy, our lovely protagonist from Monsters, plays one of Amy’s victims.
Director David Fincher (Fight Club), while mainly known for his dark mystery/thrillers (Se7en, Zodiac, Panic Room, The Game) has also found huge success with dramas (The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.)
In the shooting script, Nick Dunne is mentioned to be in his 30s. Ben Affleck is in his early 40s.
Some of Rosamund Pike’s films include Pride and Prejudice, Jack Reacher, Surrogates and Fracture.

Also on Ben Affleck

State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams and Helen Mirren

The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello & Kevin Costner

Also on Rosamund Pike

Surrogates starring Bruce Willis, Rosamund Pike & Radha Mitchell

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen

Fracture starring Ryan Gosling & Anthony Hopkins

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Before Midnight starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy: The Sequel I’d So Wanted to Like

Posted on November 2, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

before midnight movie poster — Image via eksiil.net.

It’s essential to remember where we are coming from, and before diving straight into my review, I want to talk a bit about the two movies that came before. But you can head straight to the Before Midnight part if you like. Just scroll down a bit;)

Before Sunrise: A Romantic Haven for The Realistic Romantic

In 1995, Jesse and Celine met on a train, and connected like they haven’t connected with anyone. They were both cute, young (in their early 20s) and, as much as Jesse was more obviously so, romantic. They got along so well, in fact, Jesse didn’t want to get off at his temporary station in Vienna (he was flying back home the next day) so he persuaded Celine to get off with him and spend the day/night in Vienna (Before Sunrise). You can read a more thorough, spoiler-free review here.

Of course Celine and Jesse fell in love during their spontaneous and romantic day, and we fell in love with their story (as well as the city.) Now, I’ll spoil the ending, so you might want to avoid this post if you haven’t seen Before Sunrise.

Hell, you shouldn’t be here if you haven’t seen Before Sunset (sequel to Before Sunrise, which we’ll talk about shortly). But please do come back after you’ve seen it.

OK, so Before Sunrise has a semi-happy, semi-vague ending. Celine and Jesse agree not to exchange numbers or addresses (which is pretty dumb and naive, considering how they felt about each other), but to meet in Vienna in six months. They say their goodbyes and go on their separate ways. But don’t get me wrong, Before Sunrise is one of my favorite films, and I pretty much love everything about it.

Before Sunset: A Little Darker, More Realistic and Just As Good Sequel

Come 2004, we get Before Sunset, the sequel. This is where we are disappointed in the beginning to find out that that planned meeting never happened. Jesse has gone on to publish a bestseller about their day in Vienna, and is on a book tour in Paris, which is where Celine lives. Celine drops by at his book signing, and from then on, the movie is about them catching up 9 years later.

As they mostly walk around Paris, we learn what they’ve been up to. Professionally, they’ve chased their ideals. Romantically, they’re a mess. Celine is in a kind of relationship with a guy she doesn’t care much about. Jesse is unhappily married with a young son; he would probably have bolted if not for him.

Here, because they are in their mid-30s, things are, or at least seem to be, a bit bleak. And not just because of their current disappointing relationships, but because we learn they couldn’t meet at their designated time and that they still have feelings for each other.

The ending is still a bit vague, but basically, this time we kind of, sort of know they stayed together. OK, let me put this way: we guess they stayed together at that moment, but we aren’t sure if it lasted. Well, we weren’t sure for 9 years, until Before Midnight came out.

Before Midnight: Bleak, Hostile, Insensitive, Bitchy, Toxic – Is this the sequel about Celine and Jesse’s dumber, more aggressive and ultra insensitive clones?

I love Before Sunrise to bits, and in some ways, I love Before Sunset even more because it seems more realistic and sincere. It’s easy to relate to the disappointments and missed opportunities and what-ifs of being a grown-up.

The dialogue also sounds more natural than the first movie. Director/writer Richard Linklater, and co-writers/lead actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have done splendid jobs capturing a genuine, second part of a love story.

Before Midnight has a lovely trailer. It looks like you’ll look into the marriage of one of our favorite couples in movie history, and what years have done to their relationship (we know it has been years because they have kids and they’re on vacation together as a family).

And it starts well enough: Jesse is at the airport saying goodbye to his now teenage son Hank who has spent the summer in Greece with them. Then it takes a while we can get some quality time with just Celine and Jesse. Sure, it’s just them talking in the car while their twin girls sleep at the back of the car but it’s more talking at each other and making jokes about their kids instead of really sharing – not the type of Jesse and Celine exchanges we’ve gotten used to. Yes, we get it. They are married. Things are different. But are you really ready for just how much things have changed?

Then they’re back around the writer’s residence, Jesse talking to his friends, and Celine helping out in the kitchen (Celine in the kitchen???) and then it’s everyone at the house having dinner together. The stuff our duo would discuss among themselves is discussed together here, where Celine does her usual (in this movie!) putting-Jesse-down routine.

So 35 minutes in, and they still haven’t taken a walk around town just the two of them.

OK, about 47 minutes in or so, we’re finally with the two of them, only their conversation revolves mostly around their kids, and Celine’s insecurities. There are some delightful moments and smiles, but it’s very limited.

After a few minutes of Before-Sunrisey moments, we go to the hotel Celine was so reluctant to go to, and all hell breaks lose. This is where the movie puts me further off long-lasting relationships and having kids. This where I say forever goodbye to the Celine and Jesse I know, wishing I can forget this movie, so that I watch the first two movies again, without being haunted by this one.

Remember that beautiful scene by the fountain, little after dawn, in Before Sunrise where Celine was talking about how she’d grow to love someone more after she has gotten to know them entirely…Well, turns out, she just grows to resent them. Yay! Celine is another woman who has grown to resent her husband who shockingly didn’t change at all.

Now, I’m not saying I’m super awesome and Celine’s a bitch. We all have our own demons, problems and neuroses. But Celine here is making me miss Ally McBeal; and at least Ally was likeable and well-meaning most of the time. And she was funnier than she was irritating.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t head over heels with Jesse either. The last thing I want is a guy with a bitchy ex-wife and a teenage son, who plans a whole summer according to his needs, doesn’t include loyalty in his definition of being fully committed and who openly checks out younger, perkier women who happen to be dating his friend!

It’s just that next to Celine, he wins the lesser of two evils award.

I’m not saying I hated it. It had its moments. It had the trademark gorgeous scenery of a foreign country. But it didn’t have passion or romance. It didn’t have faith in the relationship and love story we grew up to love. There was no respect on Celine’s part, and don’t get me started about their lackluster ideas of being fully committed to each other…

So to sum it up all three movies’ reviews:

During Before Sunrise, you want to be Celine or Jesse.

During Before Sunset, you hope you don’t miss out on chances, and you wish you have the guts to follow your heart if you do happen to miss out on chances. You still don’t mind being Jesse or Celine.

During Before Midnight, you just want to go to Greece.

And I really didn’t want them to stay together, because that relationship became as harmful as toxic waste. I’m not some naive romantic that expects everything to be perfect. But I do expect an insult-free, loyal, passionate and respectful relationship. Otherwise, what the hell is the point? Speed had more romance than Before Midnight, for crying out loud!

This is a good, decent, honest movie. It’s just a highly disappointing sequel.

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Recommended Movies: Strangers Falling in Love in One Day

Falling Overnight

Forget Me Not

Monsters– with a sci-fi angle

Also on Ethan Hawke

Brooklyn’s Finest starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Don Cheadle

Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto and Ethan Hawke

Actors and Literature: Ethan Hawke, Hugh Laurie and Viggo Mortensen

Reality Bites starring Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder and Ben Stiller

Alias TV Show starring Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Bradley Cooper and Victor Garber

The Affair Showtime Series Episode 3 Highlights: Starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson & Joshua Jackson

Posted on October 28, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Episode 3 Highlights

The Affair cast: Joshua Jackson, Ruth Wilson, Dominic West, Maura Tierney. — The Affair image via fan forum. From left: Joshua Jackson, Ruth Wilson, Dominic West and Maura Tierney.

For a thorough plot summary and review for the first episodes, please read The Affair starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Joshua Jackson and Maura Tierney: The Good, The Weird, The We’ll See.

Warning: There’ll Be Spoilers.

Once again we have the story told first in Noah (Dominic West)’s point of view, and then Alison (Ruth Wilson)’s, and they continue to show the other one is the more active “pursuer.” But this time we get a bit more into their daily lives:

Alison is originally a pediatrics nurse, and her waitressing is way to help make ends meet until she can face sick children again.
Noah’s mother-in-law is actually as obnoxious as his father-in-law, if not more. She is still complaining about Noah not making enough money, in front of Noah, and mentioning the private schools they paid for. Noah has taken shit from his in-laws since he was 21, when he married Helen (Maura Tierney).
Noah starts to work on his book, though he mixes pleasure with business as Alison becomes his inside person. In Noah’s version, he asks to be friends, and that even though he is really into her, he can’t have an affair. In Alison’s version, Alison says she can’t have an affair because it’s her hometown. In Noah’s version the affair starts. In Alison’s, it doesn’t.
Alison’s boss at the diner, Oscar, wants to build a bowling alley next to the diner. Cole (Joshua Jackson) is against the change. He wants the town to stay the same. This gives us a great look into how he might not be into change as a person, and how this might have harmed their marriage. Because circumstances can change people, especially an extremely traumatic event like a child’s death. Alison has probably changed, and she is also likely going through depression as we find out she also has a self-cutting habit.
In Alison’s version, we get the impression she really doesn’t like Cole’s brother Scotty (Colin Donnell).

3rd episode felt a bit slower in some parts, and it was a little less shocking (as opposed to what Noah’s older son pulled off during the beginning of episode one.). However, it got us a bit more into the daily lives of our characters, and where they were, especially mentally, when the affair started. The crime element, and the fact that we don’t know who was killed and why, keeps adding a bit more mystery.

We also don’t know where they are now. Is the affair still on? Did they leave their spouses and get together? Or are they with the families they started with? Alison mentions a sitter; she has a kid now. Whose kid is it? Maybe she adopted?

There’s still a lot to find out, and it’s told and shot humanely enough to keep me interested, and I’m seriously against cheating. Yet, for some reason, even though I’m pissed at what they are doing and I’m rooting for their spouses to find out (to kick their asses), I can’t hate either Alison or Noah. Maybe I was charmed a bit by Noah’s (Dominic West)’s cute curls and swimming body too.

Kidding aside, it’s a show that earns your attention and keeps it. Fingers crossed for it to stay this way.

More on Joshua Jackson

Gossip starring James Marsden, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Kate Hudson & Joshua Jackson

The Shadow Dancer starring Joshua Jackson, Claire Forlani and Harvey Keitel

Cursed starring Christina Ricci, Joshua Jackson & Jesse Eisenberg

Fringe starring Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv & John Noble

Lay The Favorite Review: LTF starring Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hole, Joshua Jackson & Catherine Zeta Jones

The Affair starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Joshua Jackson and Maura Tierney: The Good, The Weird, The We’ll See

Posted on October 26, 2014 Written by Pinar Tarhan

the affair dominic west ruth wilson — The Affair image via variety.com.

The Affair’s airing its 3rd episode tonight on Showtime, and I wanted to catch you up on the plot before things got more complicated (and to help you decide if you were wondering whether the show was worth your time.)

The Affair :The Plot

Noah Solloway (Dominic West) is a public school teacher with one published book and a creeping existential crisis. How can he not? Married to his college sweetheart Helen (Maura Tierney) with 4 kids (one teenager and one about to become one), obnoxious in-laws (though the father makes the mother seem like an angel) and a second book he’s too blocked to write.

Alison (Ruth Wilson) is a younger, depressed waitress who has lost her child a few years ago, and she’s still not recovered from it. Her husband, Cole (Joshua Jackson) runs the family ranch with his brothers, and even though he seems better than Alison, he’s not exactly the picture of happiness either.

Noah and Helen pack their kids to spend the summer at her rich parents’ house, and on the way, they meet Alison at the diner she works for. There’s instant connection between her and Noah, though we’re given two different accounts as to how the affair came to start:

Both Noah and Alison are giving their separate statements at the police station. There’s apparently been a murder, which Noah thought to be an accident, or so he says.

As we listen to the start of the affair in two parts, we realize both sides show the other one as the pursuer, and themselves as the more emotional, and hesitant-to-cheat one. We also realize they’re keeping some bits to themselves as their voices tell one thing and the scenes show another.

Two episodes in, we don’t know who the victim is, or whether Alison and Noah are viable suspects.

The Good

I really like how both Noah and Alison’s versions differ from each other. In addition to painting the other one the “pursuer”, they also tend to show the other one’s spouse worse than they actually are.

For instance, in episode 1, Noah started first, and when we were first introduced to Cole, I thought he was a total ass. Then I listened to Alison, and I thought he was a really decent guy struggling in his own way.

Neither spouses are monsters, though Alison’s marriage seems a bit more troubled because of the loss of her son and her inner turmoil.

Noah also comes across as humane enough, even though he doesn’t have much more reason to cheat than some resentment towards in-laws and monotony of such a long-term relationship.

It’s refreshing to see marriages and spouses reasonably fine and nice, as opposed to making one or both sides insufferable so that the audience will empathize more with the cheaters.

The “cheaters” also do a fine job at coming across flawed but likeable. Sure, you’d not like to be their spouses, but these are people you wouldn’t mind being friends or family with.

The two different points of view add a nice level of mystery, and make us doubt both Alison and Noah, as we know the actual version is somewhere in between. Or maybe they are telling an agreed-upon version. Or maybe one of them is more honest than the other. We don’t know.

The series also has an honest, realistic and non-soapy feel despite the subject matter.

The Weird

Adultery is not the world’s most comfortable subject, especially if you are a romantic at heart and never have cheated on someone.

And it’s one thing to watch a habitual cheater who keeps cheating on their partner again and again. You’d like to believe those people would be easier to catch and dump (I’m on the let’s dump all cheaters wagon, unless the cheated party is a psychopath). But portraying Noah as a decent, family-oriented man who’d normally not do this… It’s a bit creepy. And scary.

Alison doesn’t seem to be the cheating type either.

Because it offers this disturbing theory: Anyone can, and will, cheat under the right circumstances: they just need to be depressed enough, disconnected enough, lonely enough, misunderstood enough, attracted enough….

And it’s the ultimate pet peeve of mine when Noah at some point will say :I’ve never cheated before.”

What does he want? A medal for keeping it in his pants for so long? Sorry, pal, you made your decision to keep it in your pants when you proposed. You don’t just get to have a family and a young mistress simultaneously without suffering any consequences.

I’m cutting Alison a bit more slack. I’m not condoning her cheating, but she’ll be more susceptible to questionable behavior – she has lost a child. That does give her the right to be off the rails; though I’d rather she did therapy instead of someone else’ husband.

The We’ll See

Currently The Affair fun and interesting enough to keep following. I like the cast, the location and the storytelling method.

It just might put you a bit further off marriage, though.

Have you seen The Affair yet? What did you think?

Fun note: One of Cole’s (Joshua Jackson)’s brothers is played by Colin Donnell (Tommy from Arrow).