By Alex Wheeler
Features Editor
and
Joseph Conway
Contributing Writer
—
Is a film made to entertain or to win awards? Does it happen to be entertaining and also award worthy? Alexander Wheeler and Joseph Conway are here to answer those questions in this week’s edition of “Award Great or Award Bait”
Being the first film featured here, Gone Girl has a lot of good things running in its favor as the first film featured in “Award Great or Award Bait.”
Gone Girl was released nationwide on October 3, 2014 and stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, directed by David Fincher (Se7en, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and was penned by Gillian Flynn.
We were fortunate enough to catch the highly acclaimed film, which has 88 percent “Fresh” rating on RottenTomatoes, on its second weekend, and the theater was still packed.
Alexander’s Opinion:
Being a huge fan of David Fincher and his films, Gone Girl was undoubtedly already a winner in my opinion – but I couldn’t have guessed I would’ve had such an intense and guttural reaction to this film.
Much like Fincher’s Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl is an utterly engaging and extremely gut-wrenching experience. Tense, stylish, and shot to perfection by cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, Gone Girl is Fincher at his best.
Joseph’s Opinion:
David Fincher’s Gone Girl is a mysterious thriller that engages its audience from beginning to end. Although Ben Affleck’s character is an interesting and an enjoyable character to watch, the breakout star of the film (who truly has a chance at Oscar Glory) is Rosamund Pike, with her portrayal of Anna Dunne. In order to avoid spoilers, let’s just say that her character is explosive and mesmerizing. Due to Rosamund Pike’s performance, this movie moves from good to great.
The plot of the film is not a typical Oscar-winning film, as lately it has seemed that historical films are most likely to win Oscars. Films like Lincoln, The Help, and 12 Years a Slave have been very successful, but this does not mean that Gone Girl does not have a chance.
When we look back into Oscar history, we see that movies such as The Silence of the Lambs, The Departed, and No Country for Old Men have won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This goes to show that a movie without a significant message or some historical significance can win Best Picture as long as it is a great film.
Gone Girl fits these criteria because it does not truly have any message that will improve society, and it is not based on a great historical moment, but it is an extremely enjoyable film that makes audience members tightly grip the arms of their seat and wish the film wasn’t over as quickly as it seems.
Highlights:
Rosamund Pike’s performance is sure to be one to compete with this year in the award circuit. She has entered the race early and with a slam dunk performance that will be sure to stay on a lot of voter’s minds.
Fincher’s slick and smooth direction is so heavily apparent throughout the picture that it would be hard to see him not listed among the year’s top directors.
Flynn’s screenplay is perfection, unsurprising considering she penned the novel that the film is based on as well. A nod and possibly a win for Adapted Screenplay wouldn’t be out of the question.
Alexander’s Nominations:
Best Picture, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing.
Joseph’s Nominations:
Best Picture, Actress, Adapted Screenplay.
Our dark horse pick:
Ben Affleck for Best Actor. As you will see in the coming weeks, Lead Actor will be a tough race to get into this year, but that still doesn’t take away from Ben Affleck’s stellar performance in Gone Girl. Subtle, quiet and a strong onscreen presence, Affleck carries a lot of the film squarely on his shoulders and proves to audiences around the world that he is still in Hollywood for many reasons other than his directorial skills. If the awards circuit favors Gone Girl, be on the lookout for Affleck’s name somewhere in big shining lights.
Together, we’re pleased to award Gone Girl with the title of Award Great. If you haven’t done so, run out and see this mesmerizing film, and be prepared to talk about it for hours after the final credits roll.
