MOVIE REVIEW: GONE GIRL

GONE GIRL – directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

 Director: David Fincher 

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, David Clennon

Release Date: Oct 03, 2014

Rated R for a scene of bloody violence, some strong sexual content/nudity, and language

Runtime: 2 hr. 25 min.

Genres: Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Gone Girl is a wonderfully dark decent into the recesses of martial hatred and resentment.  It’s something that anyone who’s been in long term relationship can relate to and David Fincher’s new film takes it to its most extreme points.  Any other director might have fallen into some of the most glaring Lifetime movie tropes of the story but Fincher elevates the entire proceedings giving us something closer to his criminally underrated The Game.  The story’s big reveal isn’t much of a surprise to be honest but it makes for an interesting turn where things really start to kick off in extreme ways.  The cast is generally fantastic even Tyler Perry who’s pitch perfect as the high priced lawyer.  Ben Affleck is perfectly suited for the smug but terribly tone deaf husband and Rosamund Pike is just stellar as his wife.  It’s an impressive dissection of our tabloid culture while hitting on some uncomfortable truths about inattention and lingering resentment that burrows into peoples souls.  It’s probably needless to say but Gone Girl is the type of film that sticks with you once you’ve left the theater. 

A

MOVIE REVIEW: ANNABELLE

The demonic doll from gets her very own feature in this spin-off produced by James Wan, written by Gary Dauberman, and directed by John R. Leonetti. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: John R. Leonetti  

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola, Kerry O'Malley

Release Date: Oct 03, 2014

Rated R for Intense Violence and Terror

Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

If you are going into Annabelle expecting an equally powerful follow up to last years The Conjuring you will be mildly disappointed.  Annabelle is a serviceable horror film but it hits every cliché you can think of all the while channeling Rosemary’s Baby for some reason. First time director John Leonetti has a good eye but doesn’t know how to bring anything new to the proceedings even though he delivers a nice stairwell sequence in the latter half of the film.  That isn’t enough to make you forget that we’re left with some incredibly bland leads who moves from possession trope to another while you keep reminding yourself that Tony Amendola is not F. Murray Abraham.  Alfre Woodard deserves special notice because even though she’s collecting a paycheck, she’s still worlds better than the rest of the cast.  Annabelle isn’t a terrible movie per say it’s just one of the many film that’s a retread of better movies.

C

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Boxtrolls & The Equalizer

Dearest Blog, today it was off to the cinema for a pair of flicks I've been pretty would up about: The Boxtrolls and The Equalizer.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First on my agenda was The Boxtrolls.

Underground dwellers the Boxtrolls are threatened by the above-ground humans who fear them.
The Boxtrolls looks for all the world like a movie Tim Burton might have made when he used to be interesting. Pretty much everything in it is expressly designed to be ugly (you haven't seen teeth like this since Austin Powers!), but the artwork is stunning. Boxtrolls is a dark movie, taking place mostly underground or at night, with neutral colors setting the perfect tone. The entertaining voice cast includes Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Elle Fanning, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Simon Pegg, and Isaac Hempstead Wright. The story is a little dark and pretty slow at times; I would be hard pressed to try selling this as a movie for kids, even though that's obviously what the filmmakers intended. The second act is somewhat brighter than the first, and even has a few laugh-out-loud moments, though, truth be told, I found them ill fitting and less enjoyable than the rest of the movie.

The Boxtrolls runs 97 minutes and is rated PG for "action, some peril, and mild rude humor."
It's not the game-changer I'd anticipated, but it's pretty darn great nonetheless. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Boxtrolls gets seven.

Next on the docket was The Equalizer.

A seemingly ordinary man, living a quiet life, resurrects some old skills to help a young acquaintance who gets into trouble.

Okay, dear reader(s), you know me well enough to know that my review of The Equalizer can be summed up in two words: HELL YEAH! First there's Denzel Washington. Now, here's the thing about a movie that has Denzel Washington: it really doesn't need anything else. Chloe Grace Moretz, Bill Pullman, and my best gal Melissa Leo, among others, have a cup of coffee in the film, and Marton Csokas makes an able foil, but when push comes to shove it's Denzel's movie to carry and, as always, carry it he does. The man is on screen for nearly all of the prohibitive two-hours-plus runtime, and he is riveting, seamlessly dialing between "regular guy" mode and "stone cold killer" mode.

The oft-repeated vengeance tale is nothing new, but thanks to Washington's commanding lead and plenty of YESSSSSSS! moments, it doesn't seem that long...which is not to say it couldn't have been trimmed a bit without suffering for it, either. There are some...erm...interesting kills, and the language is pretty rough at times, but nothing out of the ordinary for your average R-rated flick. If I had one complaint, it's that at times the direction seems amateurish, too much exaggerated slow-mo, but it's a petty gripe about what's otherwise an exceedingly entertaining film.

The Equalizer clocks in at 131 minutes and is rated R for "strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references."

It may not be a perfect movie, but it sure is a perfect movie for me. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The

Equalizer gets eight.

Until next time...

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Hell. Yeah.

Cindy Prascik's Review of A Walk Among the Tombstones

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for my first double-header in awhile. Before a final screening of summer's most fun flick, Guardians of the Galaxy, I had a look at Liam Neeson's latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

An ex-cop working as an unlicensed P.I. hunts a woman's killers.

A Walk Among the Tombstones looks a lot like an old TV cop show. It's set against the harshest, ugliest parts of New York, in that gloomy bit of the year when the leaves have dropped but the snow hasn't yet fallen. Though the lack of color sets an appropriately morose tone, the movie is not without its lighter moments, most of which hit the right mark, lifting the mood without derailing it.

Liam Neeson does what Liam Neeson does best, ensuring you leave the theatre thinking you never, EVER want to face a crisis without him. The solid supporting cast features Downton Abbey heartthrob Dan Stevens in a VERY different role from Matthew Crawley, Sebastian Roche (who will ever be Law & Order's C-Square to me!), and the precocious Brian "Astro" Bradley. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you interested, without being so long or overly complicated that it bogs down.

A Walk Among the Tombstones clocks in at 113 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, disturbing images, language, and brief nudity." It may not be especially memorable, but it's an entertaining, well-crafted thriller that easily holds your attention.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, A Walk Among the Tombstones gets seven.

Until next time.

Where's Carson when ya need him??