Gone Girl

‘Gone Girl’ is a riveting ride

Sunday October 12, 2014 | By:Tony Baksa |

You know summer at the movies is over when films such as “Gone Girl” hit the big screen. All the superheroes and space zombies have been tucked away until next summer, to make room for smart, intelligent and complex fare.

Like the classic movies of directors such as Otto Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock and William Wyler, David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” grabs hold of its viewers and never lets go. Even the surprise ending keeps its tight grip right to the very end.

The screenplay by Gillian Flynn, based on her novel by the same name, is full of twists and turns that are riveting. Director Fincher (“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and “The Social Network”) handles it all with a momentum that is so thrilling.

Watching this movie is akin to curling up with a great mystery novel on a chilly winter evening and not looking up until the final page is turned.

The unbelievable revelations throughout “Gone Girl” are made palatable by the sincere and committed performances of its superb cast. Headed by Ben Affleck with Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris as you have never seen him, the wonderful Kim Dickens and a host of entertaining cameos by Sela Ward, Tyler Perry and Missi Pyle as a Nancy Grace clone, there is not a boring moment to be had.

The story begins with two very attractive and charming people who “meet cute” at a party. You think you know the rest of this story already.

They fall in love, marry and live an idyllic life – or so it seems. Nick (Affleck) and Amy (Pike) have it all and would be the envy of anyone. After five years of wedded bliss, Amy goes missing. Her disappearance catches the eye of the media and the frenzy begins. Loving and devoted Nick is put front and center in this three-ring circus and eventually falls under suspicion for possibly murdering Amy. She is nowhere to be found and, based on incriminating behavior by Nick, the police and the media – even Amy’s parents – become convinced that this perfect husband isn’t all that he seemed.

This is just the beginning and what ensues is anything but clichéd. Outrageous surprises and plot turns will keep you glued to the screen. Anything more said will serve as a large heap of spoilers.

This is a masterwork by director Fincher and his cast. Affleck is so good in this movie. His naturalistic, low-key style matched with his commanding screen presence is perfect for a character that may or may not be a scoundrel. I am not familiar with Pike. After this film, I believe we will see much more of her in future movies. This is a star -making performance. I’d also like to single out Kim Dickens as the investigating detective. Her breezy, no-nonsense characterization is terrific and adds an amusing note to the serious proceedings.

I believe readers of Flynn’s popular book will not be disappointed. It was a very smart idea to have Flynn write the screenplay. I’m thinking she got it right.

Whether book or movie, “Gone Girl” is to be applauded as an exciting and satisfying entertainment rich in physiological thrills and chills.

“Gone Girl” is currently in theaters.

http://www.thesunnews.net/news/189-'Gone_Girl_is_a__riveting_ride.html

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

‘A Walk Among Tombstones’ procedural does not disappoint

Saturday October 4, 2014 | By:Tony Baksa |

Liam Neeson’s career took a strange turn, a few years back. With a well-deserved rep for classical theater (Hamlet) and films (Excalibur), along with serious dramas (Schindler’s List) and sophisticated comedies (Husbands and Wives), it is interesting to note that this excellent actor has become Mr. Avenger. His “Taken” film series alone should solidify his tough guy hero status. Well, he’s at it again and I’m not complaining. Neeson is such a good actor that his mere presence adds weight to the proceedings.

In “A Walk Among The Tombstones,” Neeson plays a retired cop working as a private investigator. This kind of character is not new to movies. Let’s face it; it’s a well-worn cliché. But give Liam Neeson the part with an above-average script and taut direction, plus a wonderfully quirky supporting cast, and you have the cliché turned inside out. What you get is a very watchable movie filled with suspense, a good amount of fright and a deep-rooted edgy undercurrent.

It begins with a request by a wealthy drug dealer (Dan Stevens) for Matt Scudder (Neeson) to locate the men who kidnapped and murdered his wife. The drug dealer wants revenge because he paid the ransom for his wife but the kidnappers murdered her, anyway. Scudder reluctantly agrees to the job. He soon learns that what he is dealing with is not an isolated case of kidnapping, but a horrible case involving a pair of serial killers who target rich drug kingpins. They get the money from their victims but rather than stick to the usual agreement to return the captive – in most cases a wife or daughter – they gleefully murder them in horrific ways. Police are never called in, due to the nature of the client’s “profession.”

This is a riveting procedural laced with brutality and a film noir-like moodiness. I could easily picture Robert Mitchum as Scudder, back in the day. Throughout the film, we are treated with well-acted turns by a host of dark and brooding characters. Special mention goes to Olafur Darri Olafsson as the graveyard attendant with a thing for pigeons and Boyd Holbrook as a junkie attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The same meetings our hero, Scudder, attends – “8 years sober” he announces. Oh yes, Scudder has a regrettable back story.

One bright, albeit sad light, in this dark tale is the clean, straightforward performance by young Brian Bradley as T.J. a computer savvy vegetarian homeless boy – I did say the characters are quirky. T.J. latches on to Scudder. They are, in many ways, kindred spirits. After so much murkiness, the film’s last shot involving Scudder and T.J. is like a sigh of relief and hopefully a hint at a sequel – wounded souls – man and boy solve another mystery.

The film is set in the 1990’s in New York City. Attention to detail is wonderfully subtle. Y2K was on everyone’s mind. People were running scared. Looking back, we see how ridiculous it all was. My favorite line in this film uttered by the monstrous villain, “People are afraid of all the wrong things,” strikes a truthful chord chilling in its rendering by a psychopath.

Directed and written with great economy by Scott Frank (The Wolverine), “A Walk Among The Tombstones,” based on a novel by Buffalonian Lawrence Block , is a no-nonsense thriller that, unlike many movies in this genre, does not disappoint.

“A Walk Among The Tombstones” is currently in theaters.


http://www.thesunnews.net/news/384-'A_Walk_Among_Tombstones__procedural_does_not_disappoint.html