Film Review: Gone Girl (2014).

So I finally got round to watching Gone Girl that came out towards the end of last year and oh my god, I am absolutely kicking myself for not getting to the cinema to see it. This genuinely has to be one of the best films I have ever watched. I will review it and give you as much background as I can without giving any of the film away.

Background

Gone Girl is a psychological thriller film adapted from Gillian Flynn's 2012 novel of the same name. The cast consists of Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and Carrie Coon. Directed by David Fincher, it is about a man, Nick Dunne (Affleck), on the day of his fifth wedding anniversary who comes home from the bar that he owns to find that his wife Amy (Pike) is missing. The media becomes heavily involved as Amy's parents used Amy as inspiration for their popular Amazing Amy children's books. Suspicions soon arise that Nick killed his wife and his awkward behaviour further contributes to this as he is interpreted by the media and police as a sociopath.

My thoughts

That as much as I can tell you about it without spoiling any twists and the ending. For 149 minutes, this film was incredible and pulled no punches. The twists in the story came so unexpectedly and left me gasping and hooked at the end. The film goes between two time periods and David Fincher's amazing directing works in making neither of them ringing completely true. To do this, he uses the character Amy's diary writing for the past but for the present we are partially relying on Nick's account. I can't actually review some things because they will just give the entire film away but I cannot stress how much you need to watch this.

Ben Affleck was fantastic as Nick Dunne and it was nice to see him in something so gripping and psychologically thrilling. He is certainly starting to age now but my love for him hasn't diminished at all as he leads the audience to believe that Nick could actually be responsible for the murder of his wife through his emotionless awkwardness and violent temper. 

Rosamund Pike was actually something else in this film. She was absolutely phenomenal and being Amy is possibly the best thing she has ever done. Her performance is taut and gives off the vibe of a woman on the edge. Although her voice is sometimes overcome with emotion through her diary entries, her face gives you absolutely nothing which terrified me more than anything. Her bedroom scene with Neil Patrick Harris was especially horrifying and hard to watch but still somehow capitvating. She has been nominated for many awards like the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and SAGS for this film and rightly so.

This film's suspense and pace never slows and you never find yourself feeling bored at any point. It confuses, scares and amazes you all at once. It is definitely the one to watch when you need a good psychological thriller. Don't do what I did and hold off from watching it any longer, it is one of the best films I've ever seen.

Here's the trailer:

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Thanks for reading.

Laura.

Film Review: A Million Ways To Die In The West.

A Million Ways to Die in the West is an American western, comedy film produced, written and directed by the hilarious Seth MacFarlane (the creative genius behind TV's Family Guy, American Dad and the box office hit Ted) as well as Alex Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. MacFarlane stars in it himself alongside a star studded cast including Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Silverman.

It is about a a sheep farmer called Albert (Seth MacFarlane) who is rather cowardly and has never fired his gun resulting in his fickle girlfriend, Louise (Amanda Seyfried), leaving for another man, Foy (Neil Patrick Harris), who owns the town's leading moustache emporium. Albert ends up accidentally saving a beautiful woman's life, Anna (Charlize Theron), who helps him find his courage and learn to fight for himself, her husband however, a notorious outlaw called Clinch (Liam Neeson), arrives seeking revenge..

I thought the film was pretty good if we're talking about comedy whereas the storyline was obvious and predictable. Nevertheless Seth MacFarlane had the jokes firing in every scene.. I wouldn't recommend seeing it if you're easily offended, just saying. There are a probably few too many fart and diarrhea gags made but they somehow still keep you laughing all the way through. Although MacFarlane had most of the screen time, Charlize Theron really pulled off the jokes whenever she could which leaves you surprised that she hasn't done more comedy films before. Neil Patrick Harris is fantastic as he is depicted as the horrible girlfriend stealer while sporting an amazing moustache I have to say. His wit and moments in the films are really laugh-out-loud and leave you wanting more from him.

There isn't much to say about the film as aforementioned it is predictable and you're aware of this the minute Theron's character steps onto the scene. But there were some random but fantastic cameos that make you enjoy the film for what it is. I especially two or three!

I have been a fan of Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy and American Dad but this film doesn't quite match up to the outrageously hilarious Ted where MacFarlane voices Mark Wahlberg's fuzzy teddy bear friend. This film is obviously a mixed bag but clearly there is a market in which it'll please. There was a quality cast even if the storyline itself wasn't matching the same standards.. but it's worth watching, even if it's just once!

I'm not sure if this will help warm any MacFarlane haters up to him but the guy knows what he does best and what he does best is make shocking and offensive yet witty films and shows and I doubt that is about to change anytime soon. This film wasn't amazing but I don't think it was ever expected to be but I still remain a fan of him and his work. His raunchy parody won't turn many into fans of him but it shows that he's quite the outrageous quick-draw satirist.