Gone Girl

Tags

2010's, Ben Affleck, Carrie Coon, David Fincher, Gone Girl, Kim Dickens, Mystery, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Fugit, Rosamund Pike, Thriller, Tyler Perry

Film Title

Gone Girl

Director

David Fincher

Starring

• Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne
• Rosamund Pike as Amy Elliott-Dunne
• Carrie Coon as Margo Dunne
• Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt
• Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collings
• Kim Dickens as Detective Rhonda Boney
• Patrick Fugit as Officer James Gilpin

Based on the addictive novel by Gillian Flynn(who also wrote this screenplay), Gone Girl, under the calculating and precise direction of the excellent David Fincher springs to unnerving life as a mystery of perceptions plays out in dark and surprising fashion.

Nick Dunne, a former writer who was laid off in the recession, comes home on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary after a drink with his sister Margo, to discover that his beautiful wife Amy is missing. There appears to have been a struggle as the living room is in disarray, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The case of Amy’s disappearance captures the public’s imagination as she is the basis behind a highly successful book series created by her parents, entitled Amazing Amy. Yet this case of Amy’s vanishing is not going to be a cut and dry case like everyone first thought. Nick’s behaviour, which seems somewhat apathetic and shifty, is interpreted by the media in a negative light and the finger of suspicion points his way due to his seeming lack of empathy or care. Other things don’t add up like a large pool of blood that someone mopped up and the detectives, Rhonda Boney and her partner James Gilpin, become suspicious of Nick’s actions. Most damning of all is the fact that Amy’s life insurance was bumped up significantly just before her vanishing and the biggest shock is a diary of Amy’s is discovered with ominous writing. It slowly comes to light that behind the seemingly happy marriage lay resentment and angst for both Nick and Amy. Soon Nick is in hot water as people turn on him and the voracious media descends on him, who speculate that he was behind his wife’s disappearance and possible murder. But just what has happened to Amy? To tell you all that would spoil the shocking surprise, so you better get watching to find out.

David Fincher is one of my favourite working directors. He has this innate ability to infuse his movies with a clinical and detailed view that engages the brain and keeps you on edge. Those skills are exhibited in Gone Girl to a high degree, as he directs with a scalpel like dedication to the material that busts apart the supposedly idyllic nature of marriage to expose something rotten. His fingerprints are all over this film and his attention to the little things that people may think of as just innocuous, stands this film in good stead as nothing is as it seems. Gillian Flynn adapts from her own book and I found this to be a very good string in Gone Girl’s bow, as we are getting the author’s seal of approval and her vision brought to the screen. Having read the book, I can say that the movie is very faithful to the source, with only the slightest changes here and there for good measure. Flynn does a golden job of the script that pulls into question with some dark humour the way that the media jumps on things and can easily make villains and victims with just a few choice words. Gone Girl is one of those movies that is hard to talk about as so much of it hangs on the mystery of everything, but I’ll do the best I can to describe my feelings and promise there will be no spoilers. All I’ll really say is that Gone Girl emerges as a twisted and compulsive film in which so much of it challenges our views of what we see and how there is not always a simple answer to everything( very much so in this dark exercise in tension and mounting curiosity). The visual essence of the film adds another thing to gild an already impressive lily, with the muted blues and burnt golds playing a key part in setting the mood of the film and sustaining a great deal of uncertainty that Nick( and the audience) finds themselves in. A throbbing, electronic score captures the growing surprises of the narrative of which there are a good many and really sets the dark and ghoulish mood of Gone Girl. Even when we get flashes of the happier times that Nick and Amy had in the past, there is something uneasy and ambient about the score that suggests otherwise.

Ben Affleck is marvellously effective at putting the audience on edge as to what Nick’s intentions and feelings are. One minute we pity him and the next we are not sure of him as he is very ambiguous and Affleck plays that to the hilt. The casting of Affleck is pretty inspired as he himself has been at the centre of the media circus regarding his own private life, so maybe that in turn brings more to the part. As good as Affleck is, the biggest standout star of Gone Girl is Rosamund Pike, in what is a career defining performance. Like the film itself, Rosamund Pike’s portrayal of the beautiful missing Amy is hard to go into without giving away key parts of the story, but like before I’ll try to be concise. Rosamund Pike is quite simply a marvel in this movie, in every sense of the word. The part of the elusive Amy is a dream one for an actress and Pike makes it her own, adding an opacity in the beginning to give her a deep mystery. Yet as the story goes on the character is shown significantly different in each part, as Pike masterfully pulls away the layers of the character to reveal someone who is very different and more unpredictable that initially thought. Rosamund Pike has been seen in the past in largely supporting roles, so the challenge of playing the lead of Amy just goes to show how fantastic she is in adapting to the part so well. Rosamund Pike is just spectacular in the role and makes a very deep impression. The other members of the cast are no slouches either and sink their teeth into meaty roles. Carrie Coon was appropriately sarcastic yet loyal as Nick’s sister whose the person to go to for advice, though her belief in her brother does take something of a bashing in the process. Tyler Perry was a welcome surprise portraying Nick’s lawyer, who has a reputation for getting people off even when the evidence is stacked against them. There is something arch and winking about Perry’s work, as he knows exactly how to play the media to get a result. Neil Patrick Harris oozes a strange sort of smarmy charisma and pining as someone that connects to Amy’s past and then we have a well cast Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit playing the scrupulous detective and her partner, respectively.

An almost forensic and highly compelling examination of what is behind the surface image and the accountability of the media on the people it preys on, Gone Girl is simply put a mesmerising thriller, boasted even higher by the direction of David Fincher and the two central performances from Ben Affleck and especially Rosamund Pike.

An Education

Tags

2000's, Alfred Molina, An Education, Cara Seymour, Carey Mulligan, Coming-of-Age, Dominic Cooper, Drama, Emma Thompson, Lone Scherfig, Olivia Williams, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosamund Pike

Film Title

An Education

Director

Lone Scherfig

Starring

• Carey Mulligan as Jenny Mellor
• Peter Sarsgaard as David Goldman
• Dominic Cooper as Danny
• Rosamund Pike as Helen
• Alfred Molina as Jack Mellor
• Cara Seymour as Marjorie Mellor
• Olivia Williams as Miss Stubbs
• Emma Thompson as Miss Walters

A delightfully rendered coming-of-age story based on a memoir by Lynn Barber, that captures its setting excellently and has both humour and seriousness in it, An Education encompasses something very charming and bittersweet.

It is 1961; Jenny Mellor is a bright, pretty and sheltered 16-year-old girl living in Twickenham, London. Her parents, mainly her pushy father Jack, are pressuring her to study hard so she can go to Oxford. Yet Jenny is restless with this and wants to experience something fun and exciting in a world that she sees as very boring. Into her life in a shiny car comes the much older David Goldman. He is a charming and cultured man who despite being almost twice her age, gives Jenny a lift home when she is caught in rain. Jenny is completely bowled over by the handsome stranger and becomes dreamy about him. As he begins to show an interest in her, Jenny’s plans for Oxford are put on hold and slide away as she immerses herself in the glamorous world that David offers, where she meets his friends partner in crime Danny and his oblivious girlfriend Helen. Yet David, while able to please everyone around him including Jenny’s parents, is clearly up to something that puzzles Jenny. It seems the journey for her is going to leave her with two choices. Is the cosmopolitan lifestyle that Jenny has become immersed in, thanks to David, really worth sacrificing a place at Oxford for? And just what will come from the relationship with David, who is clearly not all he seems?

Danish director Lone Scherfig’s largely unfussy but very personal direction explores the social mores of the time, when you can just about feel that big changes in the world are literally just around the corner. She places us in the story and we witness like Jenny, the chance of escape into something that looks so thrilling, but could very well be the opposite. The script by Nick Hornby combines humour with the burgeoning drama, in an effortless an understated manner. And while most of the exercise is very charming and apparently light, underneath it and emerging is the seriousness that rightfully connects with us as the glamorous world that we see may not be all it is cracked up to be for Jenny. Because of this, a bittersweet harmony between the fun and the moving is crafted with adroit skill and An Education soars in its evocation of this young girl’s journey that brings her both happiness and sorrow. An Education wisely sidesteps becoming overly nostalgic and mawkish, thanks to the greatness of everyone involved with the project. It is a credit to the film that the central part of Jenny falling in love with David and being taken in by him is not viewed as creepy or seedy. Sure the character of David is a little sleazy, but the relationship shared for the most part stays on the right side of curious and a little poignant, without the need to become tawdry. The representation and recreation of the early 60’s before it was swinging is beautiful in construction and really shows a glamour that is to Jenny what she has been searching for. Some of the action sags in the middle part, but is quickly redeemed by the moving examination of Jenny’s journey that captures your attention with its naturalness and believability.

The glowing and beating heart at the core of An Education is the stunning work from Carey Mulligan. She boasts something akin to Audrey Hepburn with the playfulness and innocence she projects in the part which is simply magnificent. But Mulligan also displays that Jenny is smart(sometimes a little too smart for her own good) and clearly no fool, she just craves a sense of something extraordinary which I’m sure even now is something that a lot of teenagers can relate to. Jenny just wants some fun and adventure in her life so it isn’t really surprising that she is so taken in by David and the glamorous life he leads her into. Carey Mulligan sells everything about the character so subtly and beautifully that even when the character of Jenny is making decisions that in the long run may be bad, we can see why she is doing it and the reasoning. This was a star making performance from Carey Mulligan, who since this film has become one of my favourite and most reliable actresses. Surrounding Mulligan is an outstandingly assembled cast of greats who contribute something to each of their respective parts. Peter Sarsgaard strikes the right balance of smooth talking sophistication and a lingering sense of darkness, though like Jenny the effectiveness of the performance lies in how he takes people over, not least the audience. Dominic Cooper plays David’s right hand man, who while still a charmer offers Jenny support and foreshadows what David may truly be like. Rosamund Pike is a hoot as the fashion plate bimbo with all the eye rolling and hysterical lines to match. Case in point after hearing that Jenny scored a B on her Latin exam, she exclaims ” Someone told me that in about 50 years, no one will speak Latin, probably. Not even Latin people.” It is amusing comic gold to watch. The always good Alfred Molina turns in a finely tuned performance as Jenny’s domineering, penny-pinching father, who is actually just looking out for his daughter’s needs. He is both an amusing and melancholy character, who wants to be there for his daughter yet due to his old-fashioned attitudes is puzzled by her at the same time. Cara Seymour ably supports Molina as his wife, who is always trying to quell disagreements in her household. Olivia Williams is on hand for a moving delivery as the inspiring schoolteacher who gives Jenny some very strong advice in helping decide her future. Emma Thompson has a ball with her small role as the disapproving headmistress, who doesn’t take too kindly to Jenny’s plans to leave school for an older man.

A charming but very observant picture of teenage curiosity and the heart versus the head, An Education provides a well mounted picture of a certain time and a beautiful performance from Carey Mulligan.

Die Another Day

Tags

007, 2000's, Colin Salmon, Die Another Day, Halle Berry, James Bond, John Cleese, Judi Dench, Lee Tamahori, Pierce Brosnan, Rick Yune, Rosamund Pike, Samantha Bond, Spy, Toby Stephens

Film Title

Die Another Day

Director

Lee Tamahori

Starring

• Pierce Brosnan as James Bond
• Halle Berry as Jinx
• Toby Stephens as Gustav Graves
• Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost
• Rick Yune as Zao
• Judi Dench as M
• John Cleese as Q
• Samantha Bond as Moneypenny
• Colin Salmon as Robinson

Just like Roger Moore did in A View to a Kill, Pierce Brosnan signed off as 007 in a film that wasn’t his best. That film is Die Another Day, which ranks as my least favourite Bond film. It is a shame that Brosnan should sign off in such a bad way, especially after the brilliance of GoldenEye and his other ventures as Bond. People may say that Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough are nothing special, but in comparison to the barely tolerable Die Another Day, they’re masterpieces. Anyway, back to my eventful review.

We start out with Bond in North Korea, infiltrating a military base run by the renegade Colonel Moon and his loyal friend Zao, who has been trading mass arms for conflict diamonds. Unfortunately for Bond, his cover is blown by someone in the West and he has to engage in an explosive battle with Colonel Moon, which presumably leads to his death. Bond is then captured and tortured for fourteen months. After his time in captivity, Bond is eventually swapped in a prison exchange for Zao. Bond knows that someone within his government betrayed him and is determined to find out. M, on the other hand, revokes his licence to kill for fear of political ramifications and that Bond has cracked and given away potentially dangerous information. 007 has different ideas and escapes from MI6 custody on a mission to track down the enemy and Zao, who has also escaped his imprisonment. Travelling to Cuba, he meets the seductive Jinx, an American agent who can ably handle herself and is also after the escaped Zao. Their trail leads to a nefarious gene therapy clinic, that can alter a person’s entire DNA. Bond surmises that Colonel Moon is in fact not dead and has taken on a new identity. That identity is one Gustav Graves, a playboy, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Supposedly a respectable businessman, his real plans are far from good as Bond soon discovers. Always with Graves is his aloof publicist Miranda Frost, who is an undercover British agent. From sunny Cuba to the cold of Iceland, Bond uncovers the full extent of Graves and his plan. With a specially designed satellite, he will cut through the border between North and South Korea, so that the North can invade. Yet Graves isn’t alone in his plan as the mysterious Miranda is in fact on his side and double-crossing Bond at every turn. With the sultry Jinx in toe, Bond must derail this plan before full on war erupts.

Now the main problem with Die Another Day is that it is far too focused on the action and not enough on the story. The opening is promising, but the rest of the film descends into mindless chaos and shoot them up action that is really out-of-place within the Bond formula. Yes, some of the action is good, with a fencing duel that soon turns nasty quite thrilling, but non-stop becomes too much and just not that enjoyable in the end. Lee Tamahori in the directing seat doesn’t help as he can’t bring anything new to the film and give the story anything of worth. He relies on too much slow motion and rapid cuts that start out as alright, but become monotonous in the long run. There is not sense of balance to the story and no amount of endless action can make up for that. Also, I don’t mind it when Bond films have references to the older films of the series, but Die Another Day goes overboard with this tactic and the end result is needless. There are some positives, albeit only some that give Die Another Day some value. The locations are pretty spectacular, with the Ice Palace owned by Graves a particular highlight of production design. David Arnold once again provides a classy score that gives Die Another Day some sophistication, interspersed with the non-stop action and some dodgy CGI( need I mention that wretched invisible car)? The less said about Madonna’s title song the better. Anyone who follows this blog will know I’m a fan of Madonna, but her contribution the series is one of the worst. It detracts from the brutal title sequence of fire and ice girls inter cut with Bond’s torture in North Korea and for that alone it is unforgivable.

It is such a shame that Pierce Brosnan signed off from the franchise with Die Another Day as his swan song. He really brought something good to the role and managed to balance the physical challenge and the wit. His performance here may not be his best, but we still buy him as Bond and still watch as he attempts to save the world again during his mission. Halle Berry is sexy and feisty as fellow agent Jinx, who is nifty in a fight and more than a match for Bond in terms of the innuendo stakes. She has great chemistry with Brosnan and their passionate as well as thrillingly dangerous encounters are well-executed to say the least. Toby Stephens may nail the smarmy and power-crazed personality of Gustav Graves, but as a villain he just isn’t that interesting to watch and he doesn’t join the gallery of iconic foes for 007. Thankfully the talented and stunning Rosamund Pike is on hand to give the role of the icy Miranda some dimension, as we watch her play Bond effortlessly because of her glacial beauty, icy demeanor and taciturn deception. Rick Yune is not used well enough as henchman Zao, who has diamonds embedded in his face after the opening encounter with Bond. He may have an interesting look as Zao, but he just doesn’t cut it because of the poor development of his character. At least we have Judi Dench who magnificently portrays M with authority, grave knowledge and a hint of pride for her top agent. John Cleese on the other hand is not that convincing as gadget master Q. No one was ever going to replicate the success of the late Desmond Llewelyn, but I just can’t take Cleese seriously in the role of Q. Samantha Bond and Colin Salmon are seen too infrequently to really register this time around as Moneypenny and Robinson.

Too much action and not enough plot scupper Die Another Day and this makes it one of the worst movies in the Bond series, my least favourite as well as a poor final outing for Pierce Brosnan after the potential of his previous movies.

 

 

Pride & Prejudice

Tags

2000's, Brenda Blethyn, Carey Mulligan, Donald Sutherland, Jane Austen, Jena Malone, Joe Wright, Judi Dench, Keira Knightley, Kelly Reilly, Matthew Macfadyen, Period Drama, Pride & Prejudice, Romance, Rosamund Pike, Simon Woods, Talulah Riley, Tom Hollander

Film Title

Pride & Prejudice

Director

Joe Wright

Starring

• Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet
• Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy
• Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet
• Donald Sutherland as Mr Bennet
• Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet
• Carey Mulligan as Kitty Bennet
• Jena Malone as Lydia Bennet
• Tom Hollander as Mr Collins
• Simon Woods as Mr Bingley
• Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh
• Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley
• Talulah Riley as Mary Bennet

Based on the classic novel by Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice is a vibrant and witty version of the source material that brings the themes of misconceptions, social standing and matchmaking into a context that modern viewers can enjoy, but purists can appreciate as well.

In 18th Century England, the Bennet family are part of the Landed Gentry, who whilst not poor by any means are far off being rich. The family comprises of the nervous but determined Mrs Bennett, her eye-rolling and sagacious husband Mr Bennett and their five daughters; beautiful but modest Jane, stubborn and spirited Elizabeth, plain Mary, coquettish Lydia and childlike Kitty . As women can’t inherit property at this time, the house will pass to the nearest male relative, in this case it is a distant cousin Mr Collins. Mrs Bennett has her heart set on marrying her girls to secure their future, but the second eldest Elizabeth is headstrong and not fond of the idea of matrimony. When Mrs Bennet hears that a nearby hall is to be purchased by an eligible bachelor Mr Bingley, she’s sees the opening ball as a perfect way to find suitors for her daughters. It is here that Elizabeth meets the snobbish but broodingly handsome Mr Darcy, who she takes an immediate dislike to because of his proud nature. While Jane is obviously taken with the kindly Mr Bingley, the spark has been lit between Darcy and Elizabeth, and although neither will admit it, they soon begin to develop feelings for one another. But can a relationship survive because of Darcy’s sullen and proud attitude? And can the waspish Elizabeth truly love a man she has sworn to hate? Watch as this delightful version of the story unfolds with humour and vivacity as morality, romance and family form the backbone to the timeless tale.

Joe Wright, who made quite the debut here, directs Pride & Prejudice with a fluidity that gives the story a constant movement as romance changes between characters and misconceptions are rectified. Yet rather than focus on the quaint beauty that many a period drama centers on, he injects Pride & Prejudice with a modernity, while still retaining the acute social observations of etiquette and manners from Jane Austen’s source. Yes many of the locations used are beautiful, but they don’t overpower the story and this gives this take on the book a much more realistic tone than a romanticized one. A standout scene have to be the confrontation and later exclamation of love between Darcy and Elizabeth, whilst they shelter from the pouring rain. The chemistry between the two characters is most evident here, and they may quarrel with each other, but we can see that there is passion beneath the surface that is waiting to be released. Also, worth mentioning is the two would be lovers who can’t sleep taking a walk and meeting one another in the misty morning, just as the first rays of the sun emerge. The excellent script allows for humour and drama in a dynamic way that perfectly compliment one another. It also gives us a gallery of interesting characters, all caught up in the machinations of dating and social status. A gentle but urgent score by the talented Dario Marianelli is a beautiful thing to listen to as the gliding rhythms of the piano and strings give voice to the unspoken passions and initial indifference between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.

Keira Knightley makes for an excellent Elizabeth Bennet, giving her an independence, stubbornness and charm that is a joy to watch. Knightley makes the role her own with her expressive face, witty tongue and glint of playfulness in her eyes. She has great chemistry with Matthew Macfadyen as the two characters lock horns with a mixture of intellect and barbed observations. Macfadyen plays Darcy as a snobbish and sullen bachelor. He gives Darcy an insolence but also a kindness, as we witness his proud state of mind altered and forever changed by the spirited Elizabeth. Brenda Blethyn is a hoot as the caring but highly strung mother who wants all her daughters married, while Donald Sutherland contributes a firm but warm performance as her observant husband. Rosamund Pike makes for a radiant Jane. Carey Mulligan and Jena Malone are funny as two of the younger sisters who flirt and giggle, usually at the most inappropriate times. Tom Hollander is simpering and nervous as a possible suitor and the man who stands to inherit the house, while Simon Woods is charming and polite as Jane’s suitor Mr Bingley. Only appearing briefly but making a scene-stealing impression is Judi Dench as the haughty lady with many opinions on those she deems beneath her. Kelly Reilly is suitably bitchy as Caroline Bingley, who does not approve of the family but Talulah Riley isn’t given enough to do as the plain sister Mary.

A spirited triumph filled with humour and romance, Pride & Prejudice is a handsomely produced period drama with a wide range of appeal, due to its excellent direction, witty screenplay and fine performances.