Gone Girl 📕
Happy Thursday! If you’re on the East Coast, I hope you’re safe and warm during this nor’easter. Here’s a movie to cozy up to. Well.. maybe not cozy up to. More like be suspicious of who your partner really is and question their every action. Enjoy.
🍿 Today’s movie: Gone Girl is a pulpy trash masterpiece
Today’s movie is David Fincher’s *ahem* masterpiece thriller Gone Girl, which was released in 2014 and stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, and Kim Dickens. Here’s what it’s about:
After his wife Amy (Pike) goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Nick (Affleck) finds himself at the center of a media circus that begins to show that he may not be all that innocent. [Trailer]
▶︎ Streaming on Hulu. Buy or rent on Amazon, Apple TV, and YouTube.
Why you should watch it: What sets Gone Girl apart from other films in David Fincher’s storied career is it’s unafraid to dive headlong into his pulpy tendencies. The story of the film is one of melodrama, filled with ridiculous twists, misdirections, unreliable narrators—all the makings for a devilish piece of trash that we eat up. But Fincher doesn’t make trash, he makes prestige films. There’s a sense of polish in his singular style that forces you to put your guard down and be consumed by the film.
The book Gone Girl is often complex to a fault—driven by its narrative tricks that aren’t so easily replicable on screen. But through suspense, a darkly comedic tone, and an all-time great performance by Rosamund Pike he’s able to pull off the perfect thriller. Plus, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score is, I contest, the singular best score of the decade with “Sugar Storm” one of my favorite pieces to listen to over and over again. Do yourself a favor, next time it snows put “Sugar Storm” on, look up at the sky, and think about all the possibilities ahead.
If 2020 has taught us anything, shoot your shot. You never know when you’ll get the chance again.
See you Monday —
Karl