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.

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE WORLD'S END

BY MATEO MORENO

Legend has it there was a boy named Gary King and he had a group of friends who followed him everywhere.  On one magic night, Gary and his friends embarked on a quest that no other human could accomplish: to hit 12 pubs and have a Pint at each, ending with the famed THE WORLD'S END.  Though they gave it a good fight, Gary and his mates never finished that pub crawl, instead ended up on a hilltop overlooking the town that was theirs.  The oracles have predicted for years that Gary would return to the mythic town of Newton Haven, with his mates in tow, to finish the propisized pub crawl and thus will bring peace to all the lands until the end of time.  Um... or something like that.

Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Nick Frost reteam for the third chapter of the "Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy (the first two being Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) tackling yet another genre.  Pegg plays Gary King, a washed up alcoholic who hasn't ever stopped trying to recreate the glory days of his high school experience.  When he was a lad, he and his friends tried a 12 pub epic crawl and never made it to the final bar, "The World's End."  Now, 20 years later, Pegg tracks down his mates Andy, Steven, Peter, & Oliver and drags them back to their old stomping grounds to attempt the crawl once again.  But once they arrive, things are far from the same.  Something is rotten in the state of Newton Haven, and everyone there is just a bit... off.  So sets the stage for a rollicking and hilarious trip down memory lane, which included the reappearance of an object of both Gary and Steven's affections Sam (Rosamund Pike), who also happens to be Oliver's sister.  Having tackled Horror and Action, the trio set their sights on Sci-Fi and nail it.  The first half of the movie plays just like a buddy comedy and is thoroughly hilarious and heartfelt.  Then suddenly, the movie goes apeshit and the Sci-Fi element comes in.  And mannnnn does it deliver.  It's strange, wacky, and relentless.  Just another day in the mind of three comedic masters.

Pegg relishes in making Gary look like a jackass, and he really is, but he's also one you can get behind and sympathize with.  You want him to win at the end of the day, if for nothing else than to see him not loose yet again.  He's fast and furious, as is his buddy Andy (Frost).  Frost is all buttoned up and reserved, feeling sorry for Gary's decline over the years.  But once he gets a few Pints in him, Frost lets loose and has you in his comedic pocket from then on.  The entire ensemble of friends are great, from Martin Freeman's (The Hobbit, Sherlock) deadpan Oliver to to Paddy Considine's regreatful Steven, Eddie Marsan's needing to let loose Peter, and the charming Rosamund Pike desperately trying to figure out what the hell is going on.  Showing up for some very funny moments is David Bradley (the Harry Potter films) as the creepy old man who may have all the answers.  The finale may lag a bit, but the final moments make up for it, and it certainly entertains you tenfolds.  Take a trip to The World's End but don't try a pub run before.  Leave that for after.

MATEO'S GRADE: B+

Directed by Edgar Wright Written by Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike  Rated R for Adult Language, Violence  NOW PLAYING

BOTTOM LINE: A strange, odd, hilarious good time.  With this crew, what else would you expect?