A Stoner's Noir: Inherent Vice

"What's Up Doc"

PLOT

In 1970, drug fueled Los Angeles detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend


MY THOUGHTS

Inherent Vice is the newest feature film from Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master, There Will Be Blood) that is based on Thomas Pynchon’s 2009 novel of the same name.

The film takes place in a fictional beach town in 1970 California, this very complex, layer, noir follows Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) who is a private detective, who on one night gets a visit from his ex lover Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterston) she explains to him about where she has been and mostly who she has been with, a wealthy real estate developer Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts). she goes into detail about Mickey’s wife and her boyfriend are plotting to get him committed to an insane asylum and asked for her help, but she wants no part of it and wants Doc to stop it from happening.

Now I went into Inherent Vice blindly with no knowledge of the book or Thomas Pynchon and his works, I kind of wish I didn’t do that because even though the film is very well directed, has a star studded cast, a cool soundtrack there seems to be something or a few things lost about this movie.

Inherent Vice at first glance seems to be a redo of The Big Lebowski and I can see where most people could think that to be the case but where that film is fun and has somewhat of a straight forward narration, Inherent Vice seems to gets itself lose in translation of weather it wants to be a quirky comedy or a dramatic film noir which is where my issues with the film come into play.

There are some good performances here most notable being Joaquin Phoenix as Doc who has to be the most clueless private detective of all time except for one scene near the end which shows what he could be like if he wasn’t high 95% of the time.

Owen Wilson is a surprisingly good as Coy Harlingen a sax player who finds himself caught up in everything that’s going on, the scenes between him and Phoenix are some of the best to me atleast, there is a running theme through out about his character that I thought was interesting and the Last Supper shot really drives it him too.

Katherine Waterston as Shasta Fey the femme fatale seemed to be in an another film altogether with her performance which is not a bad thing, I myself not really knowing who she is and having to look her up on IMDB realized I’d seen her in a few other movies but this was the first movie she finally stood out in for me.

Josh Brolin as tough cop “Bigfoot” Bjornsen has a way of playing the a straight lace character and be really funny all at the same time, the back and forth between him and Phoenix characters are funny and strange all at the same time.

The rest of the star studded cast does good jobs in their roles even if alot of them aren’t fully introduced but I was surprised to see Martin Short show up in a strange but oddly funny sequence of the film and it showed him in a whole new light.

I would’ve liked to have seen more from Eric Roberts, Michael K. Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Benerico Del Toro, Maya Rudolph and Michelle Sinclair(she is better known by her other name look her up) all of their characters and performances seemed to garner more screen time then they actually got makes me wonder how much was left out of the movie because their roles are basically glorified cameos.

The movie like I said before is very complex which hurts it for anyone who didn’t read the book first and the run time drags things down as well, there are more then a lot of scenes that go on far to long which may or may not take you out the film a few of them did take me out the film I must admit.

Paul Thomas Anderson who has made lengthy movies in the past, actually think all of his movies are over two hours long. here he seems to make his first misstep with letting scenes go on far two long and letting stuff happen on camera that never really goes anywhere.

This is the first time in a long time that I watched a movie that I was thrilled about seeing but kind of wish I hadn’t seen atleast not on the big screen, I’m not really sure if I dislike the movie or if it just hasn’t clicked with me yet after a first viewing just like There Will Be Blood and The Master did with me, so maybe on a second viewing knowing what exactly I’ll be getting maybe my view point will change but until then I’m on the fence about it.

It does has potential to reach cult status in the future because there are some good things in the film but right now the negatives for me outweight the good things right now, maybe when released on Blu Ray/DVD there is a extended version that gives it more cohesion.

MY RATING 6/10


CAST
Joaquin Phoenix- Larry "Doc" Sportello
Josh Brolin- "Bigfoot" Bjornsen
Katherine Waterston- Shasta Fay Hepworth
Owen Wilson- Coy Harlingen
Reese Witherspoon- D.A. Penny Kimball
Benicio Del Toro- Sauncho Smilax. Esq
Michael K. Williams- Tariq Khalil
Joanna Newsom- Sortilege
Martin Short- Dr. Rudy Blaynoyd
Michelle Sinclair-Clancy Charlock
Maya Rudolph-Petunia Leeway

My Top 5 Underrated Actors/Actress

There are a lot of actors and actresses there are really good in films and television that in some ways outshine the A lister or Top billed name that are considered the draw.

Here are 5 people that I believe are some of the top tier in class when it comes to acting but doesn’t fully get the credit they deserve.

It took me awhile to narrow it down to 5 and even then I couldn’t just leave it with 5 had to have a sixth/seventh menn or in this case women and my honorable mention is…

Viola Davis

Davis had been nominated for major awards, and has been in quite a few high profile films, weather she is playing a bit part (Out of Sight), or the mother of a child who maybe being abused(Doubt) Viola always brings it on screen. She has always been a solid actress and stands out wheneven she is on screen.

She can be seen now on the new hit TV series How To Get Away With Murder where she is able to showcase her skills. she is one of the actors who should be showcased a lot more then she has been in the past, and with the success of her new show maybe she will be.

Jennifer Connelly 

One of the most vastly underrated actresses of all time, Jennifer first garnered attention for her role in Sergio Leone’s final film Once Upon A Time In America at just 14 she impressed and after watching the film you will remember her, during early in her career she is probably better known for roles in Labyrinth and Phenomena.

As she got older she never really went the main stream route of roles and focused on more smaller mainstream The Rocketeer, Higher Learning, Mulholland Falls and indie films like Inventing The Abbotts where she showcases that she is a top tier talent. 

Her most challenging role (imo) is her turn in 2000s Requiem For A Dream the overall movie is grim and depressing, she is one of the highlights in the film and should’ve garnered more attention for it, but it was with 2001's A Beautiful Mind where she finally got the attention that she more then deserved where she won best supporting actress academy award.

Afterwards she followed it up with Ang Lee’s Hulk which isn’t necessarily a bad film it just doesn’t know if its a superhero movie or a drama, the films she did after a few standouts Little Children, Reservation Road are good films but for the most part everything else was very lowbrow for her and she seemed to play more supporting roles like in the star studded romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You and the comedy The Dilemma.

It would be nice to see her given more dramatic roles in films that are equal to the caliber of actress that she is.

5. Blair Underwood

He has always be one of those actors that has put on good performances weather as a good guy or bad guy Underwood is always worth a watch, In recent years he’s been known more for guest roles on Sex and The City and Dirty Sexy Money, but one of if not his best acting job has been (for me atleast) his turn in 1995's thriller Just Cause where along side Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne, its Blair Underwood who steals the show as Bobby Earl, if you have not seen the movie its a must see for sure.

Underwood to me has always been some what a poor man’s Denzel Washington which isn’t a knock against him at all but its saying that if he was more profiled on the big screen like Denzel then he might have had a similar career because he is that versatile as an actor.

4. Rosario Dawson

Dawson has been one of my favorites for a long time now I first saw her In Spike Lee’s He Got Game where she plays Ray Allen’s love interest and is one of the few that I’ve seen go toe to toe with Denzel Washington and come out the other end a strong actor, she has put in alot of really good performances 25th hour, 10 years, Rent,Trance to name a few, the one thing about Rosario is that with all of the really good performances she still hasn’t had that one true stand out performance that fully showcases her as an actress.

Her most recent film Top Five where she co stars with Chris Rock where she is allowed to show her range which is something that I was truly happy to see maybe after this it will lead to that home run role for her.

3. Ben Foster

What can I really say about Ben Foster, he’s one of the most solid actors that I’ve seen in the last 15 years that can lose himself in any role regardless how big or small it is, he’s just one of those guys that people know when they see his face but doesn’t know his name, he’s has held his own opposite some of hollywood big names Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Bruce Willis.

He has gotten critical acclaim for roles in The Messenger where he starred along side Woody Harrelson and also got high praise for his turn in Lone Survivor along side Mark Wahlberg.

pretty sure if you look at his filmography you’ll see more then a few films that he’s starred in that you’ve seen but didn’t know his name but you’ll remember his role.

2. Jeffrey Wright

If you look up the word underrated in the dictionary you’d probably see Jeffrey Wright’s picture. He’s starred along side some of the biggest names in Hollywood Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith, Daniel Craig to name a few.

He has turned in countless award worthy performances but for some reason he is still vastly overlooked, Hollywood insiders and film lover alike appreciate his work and performances weather it be as over the top street wise maniac Peoples Hernandez in the 2000 remake of Shaft, womanizer blues legend Muddy Waters (Cadillac Records) or most recent as Tech Geek BeeTee in The Hunger Games franchise, Wright always brings something fresh to his performances and deserves alot more credit then what he’s gotten.



1.Walton Goggins

Goggins or as I like to refer to him as The Warren Oates of this generation, mostly known for his TV roles FXs The Shield, Justified, Sons of Anarachy, similar to Jeffrey Wright his performances deserves alot more praise then what they have garnered thus far. 

I first noticed Walt as Detective Shane Vendrell where he was a scene/episode stealer for alot of the series, even though he should be an unlikable character Goggins made the character one of those bad guys you liked to watch no matter what.

His turn on Justified as Boyd Crowder has been one of my favorite characters on any show in recent and it’s one of the main reasons Justified is worth a watch, but its what he has done on Sons of Anarchy as the Transgender Venus Van Dam  he shows just how good he really is what started out as somewhat of a comic relief character grew into a well rounded and fan favorite on the series(how he didn’t get any guest award nods here I don’t know)

With Sons of Anarchy done and soon Justified will be ending, Goggins hopefully will become a more sought after actor weather its Television and even on the big screen where he seems to be leaning more towards with big supporting role in 2012's Django Unchained and will once again be teaming up with Tarantino in The Hateful Eight.

All the aforementioned actors and actresses are some of the best who I feel deserve more credit then what they have garnered thus far but even if they don’t I’ll continue to support any and every thing that these quality performers do. run

Top Five(2014)

"Finally famous...now what"




PLOT
A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality TV star fiancee talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show.


MY REVIEW

Chris Rock takes on the big screen this time not only as Actor, but also as Writer and Director of this sleeper comedy, Rock stars as comedian Andre Allen a former standup comedian turned film star who wants to be taken more seriously(sounds familar) Allen spends the day reflecting on his life, career, new movie, wedding, catching up with family and friends.

I must admit I’m not the biggest Chris Rock fan, do I like some of his stuff yes, do i like everything that he’s done no, but I do love Top Five. Rock pulls off something with this film that not to many comedians are able to do anymore which is tell a funny store as well as put a social twist on it(Richard Pryor is somewhere smiling down on this).

This movie isn’t your typical comedy Rock does a fine job as writer/director by telling a multi layered story about Andre Allen(Rock) who spends the day in New York City reflecting on his life and career by visiting old friends and family, doing press for his new film Uprise, getting ready for his up coming wedding to reality star Fiance Erica (Gabrielle Union) all the while being shadowed by Chelsea(Rosario Dawson) who is a reporter for the New York Times.

Top Five makes the audience feel as if they are along for this day in the life of Andre Allen where we learn about personal details about him and makes you think about what exactly the cost of fame can not only do you some one but how it effect the people around him and how he deals with weather or not if he’s consider himself funny is something I’m sure all comedians (Rock included) feels at some point.

The core of the movie is the dynamic between Rock and Dawson who ground the movie from their banter to them relating and helping each other with a few dilemmas that the two find themselves in at different points in the movie, which is probably my favorite thing about the movie and Rosario shows her range and why she is a very good actress who I believe should be doing more high profile type of films.

Gabrielle Union even though she gets a high bill isn’t in the film that much but what she does with this reality star character really speaks about the whole reality star era of Television and how everything that you think is reality isn’t that at all.

I was impressed with JB Smoove as Allen’s bodyguard and really good friend Silk, Smoove who is normally over the top and very animated in other films and TV shows here is more laid back and shows what it means to truly be someone friend.

The cameos from some of Chris Rock friends are nice, funny and aren’t distracting in any way and a few of them have some standout moments in the film. I won’t spoil them for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet but seeing one person in a strip club and making it rain with a stripper is one of my favorites.

Top Five is something that should be seen and enjoyed by fans not only of the actors but to film lovers(Like myself) who enjoy films like this that has a good message in it and makes you pay attention more to things also it makes you think about who your Top Five is.

My Top Five

Rappers

1. Rakim
2. Tupac
3. DMX
4. Public Enemy
5. T.I.

MY RATING 7.5/10

CAST

Chris Rock-Andre Allen

Rosario Dawson- Chelsea Brown

JB Smoove-Silk

Gabrielle Union-Erica Long

Cedric The Entertainer- Jazzy Dee

Tracy Morgan- Fred

Kevin Hart-Charles

Romany Malco- Benny Barnes

No Holds Barred(1989)

"No Ref, No Ring, No Rules"

There are no rings, no refs, no rules…No Holds Barred. this 1989 action/sports film is the World Wrestling Federation (WWF now WWE) first venue into the film world and who better to lead the charge then the man of professional wrestling at the time none other then Hulk Hogan.

Hogan stars as Rip the World Wrestling Federation champion who has millions of fans and is loved by everyone(very similar to Hogan in real life) he’s success in the WWF and on Network television doesn't sit well with Brell, who is a rival TV executive who’s ratings have slipped because of Rip.

Brell decides to try and bribe Rip into signing to his network and after a failed attempt, Brell makes it his mission to bring down Rip, he gets a couple of goons to attack Rip and Rip does what he does best and destroy them. 

Brell desperate for something, anything that will give him a leg up, finds it in the form of a fresh out of jail maniac called Zeus (Tommy “Tiny” Lister) who is a killer,Brell comes up with a concept for a show called Battle For The Tough Guys and he makes Zeus the cornerstone of it, all the while getting Rip’s attention.

It has been years since I last watched No Holds Barred. this virtually being the first movie to actually be about wrestling isn’t really that bad, could it have been better of course, but it has all the elements of an 80s action flick so if you like those types of movies like I do then you’ll enjoy No Holds Barred.

Since I basically went into the movie blind I completely forgot about the cameos from some of the big names in wrestling at the time like Mean Gene Okerlund and Jesse Ventura and the always over the top Stan “The Lariat” Hanson who oddly enough isn’t to much different in the movie then he was when wrestling which is kind of scary when thinking about it.

Hogan does a serviceable job as Rip, who is basically Hogan playing Hogan but with a different name and instead of the atomic leg drop he uses a double axe smash across the face as a finisher, Hogan is at his best when he’s in the ring but is charismatic enough in the more acting scenes to keep you interested in what’s going on when there isn’t any fighting going on.

Joan Severance is worth the watch of this movie alone just because of how beautiful she is and her eyes could put any man down for the 3 count, if I was Rip I would’ve said the hell with fighting Zeus and ran off with her, her stone cold demeanor in the beginning quickly goes away once her and Rip relationship grows and in one bedroom scene basically puts it over the top…did i mention how beautiful she is?

The stand out performance of the entire movie is Kurt Fuller as Brell who I quickly was convinced was playing a version of Vince McMahon for any WWE(World Wrestling Entertainment) fans know exactly what I’m talking about, his over the top acting makes for some of the movies unintentional hilarious moments along with his two stooges played by David Paymer and Charles Levin.

Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Jr. as Zeus is one scary guy from the moment he appears on screen he is an intimidating figure and looks as if he legit killed a couple of people before showing up, Lister does a good job as Zeus but looking back on it now there seems to be some off brand racial things about the character that I didn’t really care for but can be over looked.

All in all If you enjoy 80s action with alot of cheese then No Holds Barred is the movie for you, with this being the WWE(WWF at the time) first venture into film isn’t to bad considering that they ripped off Rocky III and IV and thanks to the cult success that No Holds Barred has gained was the launching point for WWE to create their own film company.

MY RATING 6/10

CAST

Hulk Hogan- Rip

Joan Severance-Samantha Moore

Kurt Fuller- Brell

Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr- Zeus

Mark Pellegrino- Randy

Charles Levin- Ordway

David Paymer- Unger

Bill Henderson- Charlie

Stan Hanson-Neanderthal 

New Blood, New Breed:Top Women In Horror

The horror genre has always been one where a lot of women got their starts and used as a stepping stone to other types of films, and left it behind, some have crossed back and forth like Jamie Lee Curtis, Dee Wallace but there have been others that embrace it fully and made huge names for themselves like Linnea Quigley, Danielle Harris,and Katherine Isabelle.

In recent years the women of the genre have became to dominate not just on screen as scream queens but as well behind the scenes and that are on par if not better then some of their male counterparts.

So here are some of the must watch women working in the horror genre today.






Devanny Pinn

Devanny Pinn is fastly rising in the horror genre as one of this era's top scream queens, first appearing in The Lovely Ones(2006), Pinn has been steadily making a name for herself with turns in 15 Till Midnight(2010), Wonderland(2011), The Black Dahlia Haunting (2012) just to name a few. She is not only putting in work in front of the camera but also behind it where she is writing and producing a lot of her own works. her most recent film Truth or Dare(2013) is one that is getting alot of rave reviews and most deserving so. Devanny Pinn should be on every horror fans must watch list.


Heather Dorff

Best known for her 2011 breakout short What They Say not only did she star in, she produced and co wrote, since then she's been putting together a nice resume of horror films. she is one of the new generation scream queens that's taking that moniker and running with it, co starring along side fellow scream queens Jessica Cameron and Devanny Pinn in 2013's Truth or Dare. Heather Dorff is a name to always keep an eye out for.

Tristan Risk

"Little Miss Risk" burst on the screen in 2012's flick American Mary with a break out performance that put her on everyone's radar and her name has been one abuzz every since, I'm looking forward to see what she does next. she does appear in The ABCs Of Death 2 in The Soska Twins segment (T Is For Torture Porn)...really looking forward to see what she does next.


Christa Campbell

She's someone career that's I've followed for sometime now and have enjoyed her work weather its been horror related films(2001:Maniacs, 2001 Maniacs:Field Of Screams) and even more mainstream turns in Drive Angry(2011), The Mechanic(2011), The Iceman(2012).  In recent she's really been producing a lot of  films like Texas Chainsaw 3D, Straight A's, the forthcoming Leatherface prequel, currently her film The Taking of Deborah Logan have been getting a lot of good reviews(mine being of them as well) because its one of the better found footage/possession films and one of the best horror films of 2014.

With her success in front of the camera as well as behind it now, everyone should always be one the look out for any and everything Christa Campbell is involved with.


Jessica Cameron

She's one of if not the hardest working woman in the horror genre, from acting, producing, directing, promoting whatever it is she's doing it. and you should pay attention because Jessica Cameron is a must know name in the genre. she first drew my attention in 2011's camel spiders and since she's been a must watch for me. her newest film Truth or Dare is getting high praise and for good reason. Jessica Cameron is become a tour de force in the genre and I can't wait to see what she does next and beyond.



The Soska Sisters (Jen, Sylvia)

What can be said about The Twisted Twins that haven't been said already, they might be right now the most IT girls in the genre because of their unique style and approach to film making, they have really taken the genre by storm and won't be stopping anytime soon. first coming on the scene with the 2009's Dead Hooker In A Trunk they got people to talking, it was with 2012's American Mary that every one took notice of their talents as filmmakers(check out my review of the film),  Since skyrocketing to the top of everyone's list(mine included) any and everything that The Soska touch draws attention, their latest film the WWE co produced horror See No Evil 2 has been well received and their next film Vendetta seems to be more action then horror, but I'm sure they will add their own unique twist to it and I for one can't wait to see how it turns out.


One thing about all of these ladies aside from the fact that they are all beautiful is that they all have a passion, desire and love for the genre that for the most part gets overlooked or watered down in the mainstream, but its one its one that its true fans enjoy and its very good to see these ladies are leading an resurgence to a great genre.

So hopefully anyone who's reading this if you haven't seen or know of any of the forementioned ladies of horror,I highly recommend that you check out any or all of their works, because they are really good at what they do.

Nightcrawler(2014)

"The City Shines Brightest at Night"



PLOT
When Louis Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.


REVIEW

Grim, Gritty,Sleazy, right in your face are all good ways to describe the Dan Gilroy Directed, Jake Gyllenhaal starring film Nightcrawler. Its the type of film that doesn't come along to often, but when it does you have no choice but to sit back and watch it all unfold right before your eyes.

Not since the opening shots of 2011's Drive has L.A. night sky has a film drawn viewers into what was to come and what follows is definitely not an normal tale.

Nightcrawler  follows the life of Louis Bloom(Gyllenhaal) who is a self educated man, who is desperate for work(some one at first people can relate too) and will do anything to get a job,after failing to get work at a labor yard, Lou on his way home witness a real life heroic scene where two police officers saves a person from a burning car(this has been shown on the news countless times).While Lou is watching everything happen, a van pulls up and two men quickly jumps out with video equipment and hurries over to record the scene.

After the men get what they want, Lou approaches the one who was directing the whole thing Joe Loder(Bill Paxton) and begins asking questions about what he does and tries to get himself hired by Loder, but is shot down.

Louis being the driven individual that he is decides to research as much as he can about freelance crime journalism and starts up his own company, he quickly learns that its not as easy as it looked, but instead of moving on to something else he decides to do better and he gets his break one night where he gets some really good footage of EMTS working on a carjacking victim who was shot.

He takes this footage to a local news station looking to sell it, here he meets program director Nina(Rene Russo) who lives for the bloody and criminal stuff, after an unique conversation with her. The two begins a business relationship.

Louis feelings good decides to hire some one to help him navigate around the L.A. area after an awkward "Job Interview" Rick(Riz Ahmed) becomes his first and only employee.

Nightcrawler doesn't play out like a traditional film and the story is a complex one with a lot of social commentary. On one hand Lou Bloom is just a man who is trying to make a way for himself and live the american dream, He's well spoken, he is career driven and wants an successful and stable lifestyle, but the problem is that Louis is very deceptive, conniving and an shady individual.

There are a lot of themes and motifs that play through out the film one of the main ones being the social commentary of how the media can be very misleading and manipulate the truth for their own gain(ratings) especially during one scene where Nina push News Anchors into using the scare tactic of crime invading the white suburban communities.

The acting here is top notch and led by Jake Gyllenhaal who is in every scene of the film and turns in probably his best performance of his career, the way that he becomes the character Louis "Lou"Bloom can not be praised enough, Gyllenhaal does a perfect job of making you hate him but also being intrigued by him. His performance is very much worthy of any major award nomination. I wouldn't be surprised either if he is snubbed as well because he is just that good and this has happened in the past as well. I can't imagine anyone else in this role.

Rene Russo is surprisingly good here especially since I've never seen her like this before, it was refreshing to see. Maybe only a handful of actresses could have pulled off this role. Russo shows here that she still can give a good performance when the character is written well. The relationship she and Louis have through out speaks a lot about how many relationships not just professionally but personal ones seem to be going these days and a perfect example is the exchange between the two in a dinner scene.

It was nice to see Bill Paxton in this film(any film for that matter) as Career Nightcrawler Joe Loder, sadly he doesn't get enough screen time and seems to only been a plot device for Louis Bloom,even still with limited screen time he is still at his Paxton best, as a fan of his It would have been really good to have seen more of his character in contrast to Louis.

If there are any flaws with the film, it would be what appears to be the major conflict of the third act that seems to come to an abrupt end, with a couple of hints towards weather or not Lou would literally do anything to get what he wants and the Detective that's investigating the case really doesn't bring anything to the table and honestly could've been cut out of the picture since the movie ends the way it does, because of this I do believe it takes away from the movie but not to much to the point that it affects the overall goodness of the movie.

This is really a good film that I could see getting some what of a cult status because of the tone and themes and its real to life approach towards the medias role in today's society. Gyllenhaal's performance alone is reason enough to watch this movie, because he is just that good. so If you haven't seen Nightcrawler yet, I highly recommend it.

MY RATING
8/10


CAST
Jake Gyllenhaal-Louis Bloom
Rene Russo-Nina
Riz Ahmed-RIck
Bill Paxton-Joe Loder
Ann Cusack-Linda
Kevin Rahm-Frank Kruse
Kathleen York-Jackie
Michael Hyatt-Detective Fronteiri

Gone Girl (2014)

"You don't know what you got til it's..."



PLOT
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when its suspected that he may not be innocent.


REVIEW

Gone Girl is a 2014 film Directed by David Fincher(The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) who puts his unique style of filmmaking on huge display here, the film begins like any normal missing persons type of tale but as things move along things begin to not be what it appears to be and a very well cat and mouse tale plays out.

Ben Affleck gives probably his best acting performance here as husband Nick Dunne who struggles with finding his wife(is she dead or alive?), the media circus that follows him as the story progress and he goes from being concerned husband and in an instant becomes public enemy no.1. I know that Affleck has gotten alot of flack in the past, but in recent years and especially here he shows that he is a very good actor and that he'll make a good Batman(Batfleck)

The supporting cast here are some of the best that I think I've seen in recent history, Tyler Perry turns in a fine performance as high power attorney Tanner Bolt, In some ways he put me in the mind of the late Johnnie Cochran not sure if there was any inspiration there Perry is a joy to watch threw out. Neil Patrick Harris goes against type here as Desi Collins, and he is very impressive, also shows that he could/should do more films like this.

Carrie Coon who I wasn't familiar with before the movie is a good ying to Affleck's yang since she plays as his twin sister, the two have good chemistry together and its in my opinion the glue of this film since there is alot of time spent between the two.

Now on to Rosamund Pike aka The Gone Girl, Pike who I've been a fan of for while now finally gets her moment to shine and does she every as Amy Dunne, I won't say to much about her character especially for any one who has seen the film yet, but I will say Pike might not have been on alot of people's radar before but after Gone Girl she most definitely be the IT Girl.

I haven't read the book(I plan too) but I liked the way media was used here and showed just how media can be and just based on public perception how things can shift one way or another, there is a lot of social commentary here.

This is one of those films that I believe everyone should see because of the different themes that play out it, marriage, family, media, etc...I know that its being compared to 1987's Fatal Attraction, but personally I don't see that with how this story is more complex then that film and I see it more a kin to that of another Fincher film 1997's The Game.

Gone Girl come award season should be nominated for alot of awards and would not be surprised if there are a few wins in the acting categories namely Affleck, Pike, Patrick Harris. If you haven't seen this film yet its a much watch with an interesting story with very good performances and just an overall really well made film.

MY RATING
10/10


CAST
Ben Affleck- Nick Dunne
Rosamund Pike-Amy Dunne
Neil Patrick Harris-Desi Collings
Tyler Perry-Tanner Bolt
Carrie Coon-Margo Dunne
Kim Dickens-Detective Rhonda Boney
Patrick Fugit-Officer Jim Gilpin
Missi Pyle-Ellen Abbott
Casey Wilson-Noelle Hawthorne
Sela Ward-Sharon Schieber