ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE NEST"

BY MATEO MORENO

Often, when you see a giant, creaky new home in a film that seems too good to be true, filled with more rooms than a family could possibly imagine filling, there's something deeply scary or troubling ahead. The giant English countryside mansion in THE NEST is a haunted home of sorts. It's a home that is about to haunt their new residents, not with ghosts and murder, but with greed, lies and broken dreams. Jude Law plays Rory, an ambitious entrepreneur and former broker who can bullshit his way through nearly any situation and come out on top. That's how he's built his career. He's an moved to America to take it over, to be at the top of the 1%, which didn't happen. He's now married to Allison (Carrie Coon), a mild mannered woman who trains horses and together they are raising two children, Samantha (Oona Roche) and Ben (Charlie Shotwell).

Rory is the kind of guy who seems like a loving family man but says mean off-handed comments like, "Oh, shut up woman" with no regard to how cruel it is. He also is the kind of guy who lets a photographer take a family picture without his stepdaughter, only to then call her over for a second picture to include them all. Yet, when we see the picture later, he only developed the first. He's not a great guy, but he's driven and successful. At least so far. He moves his family from America to England, saying that there's an offer that will take him to the top of the game. They've done this before, but Allison isn't thrilled to be moving yet again. The house Rory sets up for them is something out of a Victorian era drama. It's a giant mansion, far too large for them but just right in the over-reaching mind of Rory. The children attend private schools that, Rory reminds everyone over and over, were "very hard to get into." He ships Allison's favorite horse to their new home and basks in the warm glow of adoration from his new boss Arthur Davis (Michael Culkin). If all of this seems like a dream, it's because it is and because Rory acts before actually planning, it's all about to come crashing down.

THE NEST is Writer/Director Sean Durkin's follow-up to Martha Marcy May Marlene and he hits a home run again here, expertly filling the screen with tension in the biggest and smallest of moments. Set in the 1980's, it's a time of endless possibilities and endless greed that often came shattering down at the same time. Rory knows how to bullshit and close a deal, but he doesn't know much else. He doesn't know how to be real or even tell the truth, honestly. His life is him pretending to be rich and trying to impress everyone around him, which ends up being quite a hollow existence. Jude Law dazzles in the role, sucking you into his greed and power hungry world with a performance that's both utterly charming and repulsive at the same time. He crafts a character that you don't want to be, but one you definitely have known at some point. Carrie Coon's performance is much quieter and achingly powerful. With small glances and gazes into the distance, Coon shatters the screen with a heartbreak that's all too relatable. The other main star in the film is the cinematography by Mátyás Erély. Shot after shot, we see a devastatingly beautiful visual storybook into this world. From what feels like candlelit hallway shots to serene English countryside, the visuals will haunt you just as they do the flawed and scarred characters that inhabit them.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Sean Durkin STARRING Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Oona Roche, Charlie Shotwell, Michael Culkin, Adeel Akhtar. Now playing in limited theatres and on VOD everywhere. For more info: https://www.nestmovie.com/

BOY MEETS GIRL // A FILM REVIEW OF "GONE GIRL"

BY CHRISENA RICCI

About a week ago I shuffled into the nearest theatre to seek refuge from the depressing drizzle that is truly unique to New York City post- holiday season.  I was looking forward to spending a couple of hours gazing into that silver screen and I was specifically excited to see my chosen flick, GONE GIRL.

I was hooked from the opening scene. At first, the plot seems simple. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy loses girl. Sort of.

We meet Nick Dunne (Ben Afleck) who seems to be a simple Midwestern man consumed in a failing marriage with his picture perfect wife Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike). When Amy goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Nick finds himself in the center of a tangled web of half-truths with every finger pointing in his direction. He must then embark on a complicated hunt for a chance at redemption by following the mysterious clues left by his missing wife.

The all-star cast, that includes Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris, does not disappoint. The subject matter is tricky, intriguing and entertaining, albeit a bit twisted. It reaches down in the depths of a twisted marriage and holds no punches. The direction by David Fincher (The girl with the dragon tattoo, Fight Club and Seven), was well crafted and highly relatable. Which is truly a feat with these specific characters, all of whom I hope to never meet in real life. I find this one of Fincher’s directorial strong suits. He can take any person that society would condemn as psycho and present the audience with an unbiased look at a character who, in another director’s hands, would be archetypal and stereotypical.

If you are a book junkie, there are a few changes made from the original storyline, written by Gillian Flynn, but none detrimental or even bothersome.  I read the book first, and definitely longed for some of the plot that was left on the cutting room floor, but I really feel as though the edits helped further the story. And if there is one thing this film does well, other than the acting and directing, it’s the storytelling.

CHRISENA'S GRADE: B-

Directed by: David Fincher Screenplay by: Gillian Flynn Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon

FINAL THOUGHTS: I would highly recommend this film to anyone interested in a mystery-thriller full of complex characters with intricate relationships. Or to anyone who might just enjoy good movies.

CHRISENA RICCI once went to a costume party dressed in an all black dress and black wig. No one there could guess who she was. So she shouted out, "I'm Christina Ricci, without the T or I and add an E!" Everyone stood there confused, she was annoyed, so she stormed off. She never returned to that apartment ever again. Which is fine, because she later realized she was at the wrong party. She now lives in New York City.

NYFF52 REVIEW: GONE GIRL

BY MATEO MORENO

For anyone and everyone who is worried that the new film adaptation of GONE GIRL won't live up to your memories of the novel let me reassure you: Director David Fincher has crafted one hell of a film here. Sleek and mysterious, pulsating and riveting, it's truly a mark of filmmaking wonder. Luck for us, the film adaptation is done by the novel's writer herself, Gillian Flynn, and she captures the wonder that sat on those pages with sharp and clear strokes. To those who haven't yet read the thrilling page turner, the story follows Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) as they move from Manhattan to Nick's childhood home of Missouri. One evening, Nick returns home to an open door, shattered glass, and Amy is nowhere to be seen. Amy has suddenly disappeared. The police, led by Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Jim Gilpin (Patrick Fugit), begin searching for answers and Nick turns to his sister Margo (Carrie Coon) for support. But what exactly, if anything, is Nick hiding? What will the police find? What did happen to Amy? Well if you've read the novel, you may think you know, but Flynn has shaken up the third act here, so even you are in for a treat.

Fincher creates a world and atmosphere here that is intoxicating; thrilling, bleak, and simmering with mysteries at every turn, with a swelling media circus encompassing everyone. Switching between each day Amy is missing and pages of her diary recounting their life together, GONE GIRL captures you from minute one. Affleck is perfect; quiet and powerful here as a smug man who has trouble convincing the public of his compassion. Pike's performance brims with wonder as we piece together who Amy really was. Carrie Coon turns in fantastic work here as Nick's twin sister Margo. And the large supporting cast, from Kim Dickens to Patrick Fugit, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry (yes, THAT Tyler Perry) all shine from each moment to the next. Kudos as well to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for their haunting score. Even as you learn this town's dirty little secrets, Fincher and Lynne keep you guessing and keep their narrative hand gripping your throat. GONE GIRL does not disappoint, it transcends.

VERDICT: A MUST SEE

Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn Screenplay by Gillian Flynn Directed by David Fincher Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry. CONTENT ADVISORY: Adult Situations, Adult Language, Graphic Violence, Nudity

BOTTOM LINE: Fans of the novel will be pleased and those who haven't read it will go pick it up. Another excellent offering from the master that is David Fincher.