Gone Girl

I’ve been impatiently waiting for Gone Girl to come out ever since I read the gripping novel by Gillian Flynn that the movie based on. Gone Girl tells the haunting story of the disintegration of Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne’s (Rosamund Pike) seemingly perfect marriage. When Amy suddenly goes missing on their fifth anniversary, Nick’s life is shaken. Quickly, his odd behaviour and constant lies regarding his wife’s disappearance cause rising suspicions from his friends, the media, and the police. The film tells the story through flashbacks of Nick and Amy’s relationship juxtaposed with the present-day chaos caused by Amy’s disappearance. The director, David Fincher (Fight Club, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), follows the book closely and perfectly captures the eerie tone of the novel. The highlight of the film is Rosamund Pike’s stunning portrayal of Amy Dunne, which kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire film.

Still Alice

Still Alice, based on the by Lisa Genova, dives into the life of 50-year-old Dr. Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), a successful cognitive psychologist at Columbia University, who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Alice begins to forget small things — like the words to an important speech and where she is in her neighborhood — which prompts her to see a neurologist. The film then follows Alice as she struggles to hold on to what has defined her for most of her adult life: her family and her job. Julianne Moore’s gripping, honest, and devastating portrayal of Alice’s decline defines the film. Her subtle yet powerful depiction of Alice captures the anguish and confusion of losing control over your actions and thoughts and, eventually, losing your identity.

Begin Again

In Begin Again, Mark Ruffalo plays Dan, a struggling record producer, who meets a songwriter, Gretta (Keira Knightley), just after she was dumped by her boyfriend, a famous musician played by Adam Levine. Dan is captivated by Gretta’s songs and decides to collaborate with her to record an album at various public locations around New York City. The album is an escape for both Gretta and Dan, who are at rock bottom in their personal lives. Begin Again tells a sweet and heartwarming story about starting over when your personal life is in shambles. When I started the movie, I expected it to be a typical romantic comedy, but I was happily surprised. Begin Again is refreshing in the way that it doesn’t follow the typical rom-com formula where boy meets girl and they fall in love and live happily ever after. The film also has some pretty good music to add to your iPod.