Beauty vs Beast: All The Cool Girls
Monday, December 8, 2014 at 12:12PM Jason from MNPP here, saying tis the time for a round of "Beauty vs Beast" once more. This week we're finally tackling one of this year's biggest movies, David Fincher's Gone Girl - financially it's the biggest hit of its director's career, and critically, well a lot of people loved it and are hoping to see it figure prominently in the upcoming awards races. (I am not one of those people; I reviewed it at NYFF saying "a lot of what makes Amy into 'Amazing Amy,' what makes her particularly spectacular on the page, is the deeply darkly funny specificity of her voice, unpeeling like an onion, and that falls away from the movie just when I needed it most.") Anyway there's a good chance Rosamund Pike will be nominated for her performance as Amazing Amy, and it'll probably show up in some other categories as well. And if there's a bigger He Said She Said movie of 2014 I certainly missed it, so let's see who we side with!
I might have gone a little vague there in the Cons maybe...? The Pros were easy to be spoiler-free on, but listing these two's Cons without giving away too much of the game, that defeated me. If y'all have seen the movie you've certainly got your own laundry list of them, so tell us all about it in the comments.
PREVIOUSLY Last week we tackled the sisters of Blue Jasmine for Woody Allen's birthday, and even though Sally put up a helluva fight, as with the Oscars we couldn't help ourselves from lavishing our love on the showier gal. The Great Cate makes one more successful trek to the podium! Said Jakey:
"Jasmine, because when my life falls apart, I also wonder why I can't just get a Stoli with lemon."
Reader Comments (21)
I have to agree I thought Pikes voice was a major mishandling and she never sold the transformation for me,I am 1 of the dissenters hoping she doesn't get a nomination esp when she has been better in other roles.
I so want to vote for Margo, who I adore. But I'll vote for her much older-looking twin in her absence.
Don't get the hate for Pike's voice. I thought she was absolutely incredible.
As a regular reader, I'm a little miffed by pieces seemingly designed to knock Julianne Moore and Rosamund Pike down a couple of notches. I am admittedly defensive. Is there a Best Actress contender someone is not going to write a piece saying "She was good but...?"
Especially since this is a lighthearted series about characters, I really didn't expect a reading of Rosamund Pike's performance. And it doesn't feel necessary to discussing Nick and Amy.
Let's lift our actresses up, you guys! Up with actresses!
I really hope Pike gets a nomination for this. She was sensational!
No opinions allowed then.
Out of context I can sort of see see the confusion here about what I meant; I was talking about the accent Pike used or anything - in my full review I was saying that I thought the character lost too much of what the book made special about her. That is partially Pike's fault, in my opinion, but it also goes to the problems with Flynn's adaptation of her book and Fincher's direction, again -- in my opinion.
But I doubt my little snipe's going to be snatching an Oscar out of the lovely Rosamund's hands any time soon. I leave that to the gods of AMPAS and the fates of all the little naked golden men, I have no power here. ;)
They're both totally fucked up and crazy. That's my one major complaint about the movie, I don't think it goes far enough to show that Nick is not only complacent, but actually kinda into/impressed by everything that goes down in the end (I thought Affleck was really solid otherwise). To pick a side, I am all kinds of Team Amy. Oh so wicked, oh so much fun, and I totally understood her anger and resentment. I thought Pike nailed it for the most part with her almost robotic approach (much as I love Amy, she's obviously crazy, and Pike doesn't even try to hide it) and I'm just beyond happy that she's having a big breakthrough.
I don't think this movie is the complex deconstruction of the American marriage/middle class that some are proclaiming it to be, and it's nowhere near Fincher's best work, but I haven't had as good a time the theater in some time, so my hat is definitely off to it.
I'm for Nick because Affleck is husband material.
Thank you for not giving spoilers.
Sorry I meant I "wasn't" talking about the accent Rosamund used -- good grief I just confuse things further!
AMY BITCHES!!!!!
Fincher handled Affleck's limitations perfectly, utilizing the inherent frat-boy insincerity that has marred most of his performances. I don't have any problems with Rosamund Pike getting a nomination, because she's a very deserving actress. Like a shocking number of smart British and Aussie actors, she has her technique down as if it were drilled into her from birth on some forlorn heath or outback. (When will Americans realize there is something pathologically wrong with our education or culture?) However, I don't think her Amy comes close to the natural ease of, say, her performance in "An Education." Fincher's technique of multiple takes turns her into a mannequin, like Kim Novak in "Vertigo" but dipped in plastic. This may have been intentional, but I want in my evil characters some pathway back to reality. Otherwise, they just turn into Snidely Whiplash.
I would vote for Ben, but I'm still upset that I blinked and missed his polter-wang. Or was it his un-polter-wang? It was too dark to tell.
Yeah, I mean, I'm all in for Pike's nomination so I hope it's obvious I have some self-awareness about being touchy. Diverse opinions are important.
Cool Girl is fun. Cool Girl is game. Cool Girl is hot. Cool Girl never gets angry at her man.
Amy. Duh. The other option is Ben Affleck. lol
Owen Walter: It says a lot when ScarJo in the later phases of Lucy comes off as slightly more human than Pike, and Lucy becomes Compu God.
I loved Pike in this movie but it's a tricky enough character that I can see virtually any opinion on her work as being valid.
DIPLOMATIC or INDECISIVE? which am I being. I don't care. I voted for Amy because I admire crazy/meticulous more than banal evil/fratty and also TO QUOTE CATWOMAN
Amy. How can you not vote Amy? It's not in the movie but this is the last thing she says in the book:
I don't have anything else to ad. I just wanted the last word. I think I've earned that."
That sums up Amy and the whole movie right there.
We should all quote catwoman more often, well said Nat! And that puts in total agreement with the Amy vote, because she is way more interesting than a cheating, lightweight husband.
I wouldn't want to live with her but I wouldn't mind checking in once a year to see what's new.
I'm team Amy all he way both in the movie and the book. She might be hella crazy, but at least she doesn't self-pity to death like Nick. I go with vengeful sociopath over sullen over-grown mommy's boy any day.