"Gone Girl" (I have no witty title for this one. Also, I know it's really late, but I still felt like putting it on here.)

Gone Girl

That smile is the best evidence of Affleck's perfect casting.

                 A local man’s wife goes missing.  There is evidence of a struggle.  The man, over the course of the first days of the disappearance, acts strangely and appears to be increasingly guilty.  Does this sound like the set up to the year’s smartest, most biting comedy?  Strangely enough, it is.  Gone Girl, the insanely popular novel by Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the screenplay), had its darkly comedic moments, but overall the novel maintained an acerbic tone as it dissected a toxic marriage and the media circus of disappearances/murders.  The film maintains that tone but also elevates the source material by becoming a somewhat absurdist comedy.  It’s almost as if Flynn realized as she was adapting it that a lot of the plot, simply over the top on the page, would become silly on the screen.  It’s a good thing she did because it made Gone Girl not only interesting, but entertaining as well. 

                The specific story of Gone Girl concerns Nick Dunne (a perfectly cast Ben Affleck), a failed New York journalist who returns to his economically down-turned Missouri home with his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), a New York woman through and through (and the subject of a children’s book series written by her parents titled Amazing Amy).  Their marriage deteriorates over the course of a couple years in Missouri, and on the day of their fifth anniversary, Amy goes missing.  That sounds more like the plot to your typical Lifetime movie, but to say much more would spoil the bulk of the film. 

                The film jumps around narratively so both sides of the relationship are featured, and this allows for plenty of fears of marriage to be tossed around (cheating, money, complacency, bitterness, etc.).  It ends up being a darkly funny look at all the fears married couples (or just people in relationships in general) go through.  The basic question being: how much can you really know anyone?  This isn’t a new question for a film.  (The Rules of Attraction comes to mind, when James Van Der Beek’s character flat out says, “No one ever knows anyone.”)  And marriage is often the subject of a film (my favorite film about marriage, or rather, the fears of marriage, would have to be Eyes Wide Shut).  But Gone Girl is unique in that it doesn’t present itself as a case study about marriage.  It’s an absurdist dark comedy about marriage. 

                Who better for an absurdist dark comedy than David Fincher?  Director Fincher may not be the first name brought up when it comes to comedy, but when you check his filmography (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, The Social Network), you see that a number of his films are flat out comedic or at least contain quite a few darkly comedic moments.  Some questioned his decision to take on such a popular novel for his latest film, but once you see it, you understand why the director, famous for filming dozens of takes for particular scenes, is perfect for this source material.  On the page, Flynn wrote dialogue in many scenes as sparsely as possible.  On the screen, reaction shots are necessary.  This is why Fincher was perfect for this; his multiple takes allowed him to capture the best facial responses to the insanity of the story.  Hats off to Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous) for providing the funniest nonverbal reactions.  Because of this, the audience is so used to seeing these silent reactions that when Nick’s lawyer (portrayed by a great Tyler Perry) states, “You two are the most f-ed up people I’ve ever met,” it gets a huge laugh (or at least it did in my theater) because someone finally said it out loud. 

                Those people Perry is referring to are impressively portrayed by Affleck and Pike.  Everyone knows who Affleck is, and we’re all on board with his career resurgence of late.  I never found him to be lacking in acting ability (his role choice is another question), so it was great to see him in a part seemingly written exclusively for him: a character that many people seem to want to hate (just look at the typical internet reaction to Affleck’s casting as the new Batman), but really can’t help his nature.  To be certain, Affleck is not Nick, but it’s easy to confuse the two, which is a credit to his performance that will almost certainly get ignored in the coming awards season (they already gave him Oscars for writing and directing, it’s doubtful they’ll add acting anytime soon). 

                Rosamund Pike is lesser known but her work here is just as impressive.  Without spoiling anything, she gets a bit more to do than the other characters, and she handles it all very convincingly.  The film opens with Nick narrating, wondering what goes on in Amy’s mind, and Pike does a great job at conveying that mystery.  There’s so much going on in her eyes and reactions.

                The supporting cast is just as perfectly cast as the leads.  The aforementioned Fugit and Perry surprised in their roles (it’s hard to imagine the kid from Almost Famous as a detective or Madea as a lawyer).  Kim Dickens (under-appreciated in nearly everything she does), as the lead detective, is effective as she puzzles through the story, providing a cipher for the audience.  Carrie Coon provides another cipher role for the audience as Nick’s sister and provides plenty of comedic relief, as well.  You get the idea; it’s a great cast through and through.

                The writing, directing, and acting are all great, but the music truly completes this film.  The score (by recent Fincher mainstays Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) for Gone Girl gets under your skin.  While the film is funny, it is also filled with tense moments.  The tension created by the script and performances is already apparent, but that distracting score adds the finishing touch.  A good score isn’t necessarily supposed to be noticed, and Reznor and Ross concocted a perfect blend of…well, noise that pervades throughout the film cutting off just at the moment it becomes impossible to ignore. 

                If Gone Girl accomplishes anything, it presents a certain despairing mood about a toxic marriage.  It’s truly a nihilistic, somewhat angry film peopled with (mostly) unlikable/despicable characters.  Somehow, however, Fincher and company have turned this into one of the year’s funniest, most enjoyable film experiences.

Gone Girl receives a:

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Directed by David Fincher, written by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, and Stellan Skarsgard - Rated R

A dark story made even better by David Fincher's cold direction.

It was only a matter of time before Stieg Larsson’s addictive novels got the Hollywood treatment.  Thankfully, Director David Fincher was given the task to bring the first novel to the big screen.  Fincher’s signature cold, methodical style forms a perfect union with Larsson’s dark, somewhat twisted source material.  Add a great performance from Rooney Mara and you have one of the best thrillers of the year. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the dark story of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander.  Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is an investigative journalist who has recently been publicly discredited.  Just as he begins to lie low for awhile he is contacted by Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), an elderly businessman who wants Blomkvist to solve a decades old murder.  Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) conducts investigations of her own, though through more illegal means, mainly computer hacking.  Eventually their paths cross and an unlikely partnership is formed.

If there’s one word that can describe The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that would be “cold.”  First off, the film is literally cold as it takes place in Sweden and snow is ever present.  The protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, is cold throughout most of the film.  More importantly, it’s Fincher cold.  The director is known for his style, though the most talked about element of his filmmaking is usually his camerawork: the regatta scene in The Social Network, the “go anywhere, through everything” camera movements of the majority of his films, etc.  In other works, though, like Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Se7en, and now The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it’s more about the mood of the film.  Fincher’s camera still moves around effectively, but it doesn’t draw attention to itself.  Overall, Fincher creates an unsettling, dark tone that is perfect for this adaptation.  The emotionless tone works so well because of the titular girl of the film: Lisbeth Salander.

Lisbeth Salander was instantly a literary icon upon the publication of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so the role of the film version is the role of a lifetime.  Noomi Rapace has shot to prominence after portraying her in the Swedish versions of the films, and now Rooney Mara (the girl who dumps Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network) is set to do the same after giving a very effective performance.  In one of the best performances of the year, Mara embodies Salander perfectly.  Salander is a troubled young woman, or she is according to the state.  She is under the guardianship of a despicable man (an absolutely repugnant Yorick van Wageningen) and is not even allowed to look after her own money.  Salander does not do herself any favors by embracing her otherness through her style.  She has the appearance of a troubled hacker, though she can definitely handle herself just fine…as long as it’s done her way. 

Daniel Craig is as much the star of this film as Mara is, however, especially considering that the film’s story is mainly about him.  Craig does a fine job, though his character pales in comparison to Salander.  He is still an immensely watchable actor who seems to effortlessly add energy to the film.  Christopher Plummer is fine as the patriarch of the Vanger family, though I must admit I always envisioned Max von Sydow for his role and still wish he had portrayed Henrik. 

The story of the film may belong to Blomkvist, but the film itself hinges on Salander.  From the techno James Bond-esque opening credits sequence, it is clear that Salander’s character is the core of the film.  Her dark past isn’t expanded on with much detail (which makes her all the more interesting), but Salander still has to go through some brutal moments throughout the film and she easily becomes a likable, twisted anti-hero. 

The brutality of the film is all part of Salander’s character and Fincher’s style.  Fincher has never been one to shy away from violence and this film is no exception.  It’s not gratuitous and he even backs away from the more gruesome scenes, allowing the sounds of the characters and the score to do their work as the camera slowly dollies back.  Speaking of the score, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have created a nicely understated and unsettling score.  While their work for The Social Network was so prominent it was almost a character, the score for Dragon Tattoo always seems to be lurking under the surface, which is exactly where it needs to be for a film like this. 

The style, the characters, the performances, and the tone are what make The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a great movie, but the story is quite engrossing as well.  The investigation Blomkvist and Salander undertake is a very interesting murder-mystery not just because of the crime itself but also because of the Vanger family and all its secrets.  The mystery is complex and takes up quite some time.  This is a lengthy film, though it doesn’t overstay its welcome. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an entertaining, interesting, mature film that has immense style, yet manages to be subdued.  There’s something to be said for a director who can place his stamp on a film without being in your face about it.  David Fincher created a great sensory world for an adaptation of fascinating source material, all of which is elevated by performance, most notably that of Rooney Mara.  It was tagged as the “feel bad movie of Christmas” and that is absolutely true in the best way.

Random Thoughts (SPOILERS)

So what's the deal?  Since Craig is Bond does he have it in his contract that all opening sequences should resemble 007 openings?  All kidding aside, I really dug that sequence, especially the cover of "Immigrant Song." 

As for music, "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" by Enya will forever remind me of this film now.  The use of that song was hilarious. 

Some brutal moments that made me wince: the football kick of the thing into the thing...you know what I'm talking about.  Ouch.  Also, the golf iron to the face.  Some of the images of this film are burned into my memory...

It's been awhile since I've read the book, but I did pick up on a few things and I was very glad to see an empty box for Billy's Pan Pizza in Salander's apartment.  I always found it amusing how Larsson would go into such extreme detail to the point he would list grocery items.  Of course, a detailed director like Fincher would work that in.

"The Social Network"

**The first thing you might notice is yet another "Vader" review (I believe it's number four after Scott Pilgrim, Inception, and My Son, My Son). This doesn't mean I'm lowering my standards it just means I really enjoyed these four films. And as I posted in my top fifteen list earlier in the year, the "Vader" doesn't represent the perfect film (even though I claim that in the description). I do intend on changing that description on the side someday.

The Social Network - Directed by David Fincher, written by Aaron Sorkin, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, and Justin Timberlake - Rated PG-13

"We don't know what it can be, we don't know what it will be, we know that it is cool."

The Social Network, aka “The Facebook Movie,” seemed like a joke when I first heard about it. Okay, a popular website that seemingly everyone uses is getting its own movie. Sounds like a gimmick. Then I read that Aaron Sorkin was writing it and David Fincher was directing it. How quickly gimmick turns into entertaining art.

The creation of a social networking site may not sound like ripe material for a movie, but in this case, the “true” story actually contains plenty of dramatic possibilities. I put “true” in quotations because it’s not really known how much of this film is factual. A lot of the film takes place during legal depositions, and much of the script was based on documents from these meetings. But regardless of what is or is not true, the film packs in plenty of drama in the form of revenge and betrayal.

The story goes like this: Harvard undergrad Mark Zuckerberg gets dumped one night and goes back to his dorm to drink his sorrows away and denigrate his ex on the internet. He decides to take his anger out in the form of creating a site that allows people to rank female students side by side. This attracts the attention of the Winklevoss twins, who ask Mark to program a social network for Harvard students. Mark agrees, but creates Facebook on the side with his own crew, including his best friend, Eduardo Saverin. It becomes very popular and the legal action begins.

It’s all a bit more complicated than that, of course, but you get the idea. This isn’t really a movie about “what happened?” anyway. This is a film about Zuckerberg as a character. What is his motivation? Why does he betray his friends when there seems to be no real benefit? Zuckerberg seems to be operating on a different plane than the rest of the characters in the film. He certainly talks on a different level…or should I say levels? Zuckerberg talks a mile a minute and seems to be in the middle of three simultaneous conversations. It’s exhausting to listen to at times (a fact a character points out early on), but it’s always entertaining. Sorkin’s script contains some of the wittiest and smartest dialogue this year.

The dialogue is one thing, the delivery is another. Jesse Eisenberg (who hopefully will no longer be confused with Michael Cera after this) is the perfect choice for the speed talking, sarcastic Zuckerberg. I get the feeling that you’re supposed to hate the character at least a little, but I found myself rooting for him, because Eisenberg, while portraying a socially awkward, childish jerk, is still very charismatic and even likable in a strange way. I hope that Eisenberg is recognized this year come award season because as of right now, his is my favorite performance of the year.

The supporting cast is rounded out quite well. Andrew Garfield (recently cast as the new Spider-Man) stands out as Eduardo. I may have liked Zuckerberg a bit, but I felt complete sympathy for Eduardo and that is due to Garfield’s earnest performance. Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins (his likeness was digitally added to a body double in post production) was entertaining as well, especially since the twins provided quite a bit of comedic relief. And entertainment Renaissance man Justin Timberlake is amusing as Napster founder Sean Parker.

The acting and writing is great, but this is still a David Fincher film. Fincher has yet to make a film I don’t like (yes, I enjoy Alien 3) and his streak is alive with The Social Network. This film has all the visual flair one would expect from Fincher and there are segments that are just amazing (the regatta scene is definitely a standout). The dim lighting of the film worked for me as well. It created a cool atmosphere. The decision to go with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the score was pitch-perfect too. It’s hard to imagine the film without the techno-infused music blasting throughout.

There is much to be said for the editing of the film as well. It all pieces together so coherently even though the story could potentially be very complicated. This is a film that delves into techno-babble concerning computer programming and whatnot and at times you just have to let it wash over you and stop trying to understand it all, which is how you should enjoy the entire film.

Don’t trouble yourself with questions about whether or not this film “defines a generation” like the commercials claim. For the record, I don’t see how we can think in terms of generation this or that in the internet age. Everything has become so diverse because of the internet you can’t even lump people together by their age anymore. I guess the story about the birth of a site that is helping to bring about the end of “generations” may in fact define the era. Maybe we should say that The Social Network is a film that “defies” generations.

The Social Network doesn’t need all the hyperbole that is surrounding it anyway. It’s a film that knows just how cool it is. Now you just need to check it out, not because it’s a statement on this or any generation, but because it’s smart, funny, and it is one of the best films of the year.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

*I'm going to try and keep this plan of writing a midweek DVD review, but I may lapse from time to time. Also, if you haven't already, hit up that poll on the left!


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Directed by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, and Jared Harris - Rated PG-13

I reviewed this a while back when I was still writing my reviews through a Facebook application, so I figured I should give this one a full review here.

When I first saw this I thought it would be a lock for best picture. Then the Slumdog Millionaire craze took hold and everybody seemed to forget about this movie. Instead of calling it magical or whatever, they were saying how it had no heart and was an unofficial sequel/remake of Forrest Gump. I can see the Gump comparisons, but that didn't bother me because I like Gump and it's the same writer, and let's face it, everything's a copy of everything if you look deep enough. What I cannot understand is the claim that this film lacks emotion, or heart. That blows my mind. One more response to a complaint: one critic (well, it was from a slightly popular movie site, but it's still a critique) commented that if the whole backwards aging thing was taken out of the story, then there wouldn't be much there. Seriously? Okay, let's apply that to every film out there. Take the idea of the Force from Star Wars and it's kind of boring. Take the powers away from (insert comic book character here) and it's really a basic story. The point of the film is the struggle of life if you age backwards, so of course the movie would be empty without that aspect! I just had to rant a bit there because it angered me that this movie turned into the film to pick apart once Slumdog fever took hold.

Anyway, this film, if you didn't already know, is about Benjamin Button, a man who ages backwards. He doesn't just age throughout the movie, though. Benjamin has a life and it's interesting and a bit depressing. Left at an nursing home by his father, Benjamin grows up around death and is told he is likely to die soon, himself. The whole idea of death looming at all times finally gets Benjamin going. If he might die soon, better to die while actually experiencing life. So he strikes off on a Forrest Gump-like journey in which he tries to figure out where he fits into it all. Of course he has a love interest or two along the way, the main one involving Daisy (Blanchett), which show how timing can be everything in a lifetime.

Now on to the acting. Many critics have said that the aging effects outshine Brad Pitt's performance in this. I disagree completely. In fact, after my first viewing, I was impressed with how Pitt was able to transcend the CG-work and actually give a performance. The CG is great, but look at Pitt's eyes in the early scenes. I have always felt that great acting is done through the eyes (a little glance or twitch here and there goes a long way in my book). Pitt adds humanity to the role through his eyes and his voice is heartbreaking at times. Blanchett does a fine job herself, though I had trouble understanding her lines in her old age segments. Jared Harris adds a lot of fun to the film as the drunken sea captain (yes, I know, Gump, Gump, Gump) and Jason Flemyng makes the father character a bit more interesting than he may have been in a lesser actor's hands. And, of course, Taraji P. Henson anchors the first half of the movie as Benjamin's adoptive mother.

The CG effects and the acting are impressive throughout this film, but the style David Fincher creates is what makes this film great. There is a storybook quality to this movie that's hard to completely explain. The story itself, the use of colors, the blurring effects, the narration, the quirky side characters (like the guy who was struck by lightning seven times), and just the way the story is told in general all create an effect that you don't get out of movies very often. And while this movie may run a bit long, it's that storybook quality that makes it all worth it.

I need to say more on David Fincher himself. This is the same guy who made Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac; hardly storybook-type films to say the least. But they are stylish films and this movie is further evidence that Fincher is one of the best directors working today. If he keeps this up, it won't be long until he has an Oscar or two.

So be sure to check out this film and don't get hung up on the Forrest Gump comparisons and certainly don't watch it wondering if it would be any good if the aging gimmick was removed (in fact, don't look at any movie's main feature and imagine what it would be like without it). Just let yourself fall into the story as I did and you'll find yourself wondering how anyone could think Slumdog Millionaire is a better film.





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