Saturday, December 27, 2014

105 things I love about Gone Girl (that no one talks about), part 1.

By s. Saturday, December 27, 2014 , ,

Brilliant Alex of And so it Begins let me borrow his awesome idea for things I love about ... that no one talks about again. I did the last one on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and now it's, to surprise of no one, another Fincher's movie, one that is still my favorite film of 2014 (I still haven't seen Birdman or Foxcatcher but I can't see Gone Girl falling from the top place). It turns out that this list grew really extensive so I'm dividing it into two parts, the next one will be posted next Sunday.

 Here we go:


1. Completely random shots of deer and raccoon (that thing in the background here) in the opening credits. What is up with that? Also that commentary by Fincher about the location is priceless -  Location scouts went out for about 3 weeks to find a small town that could double for North Carthage, Missouri, which is a fabricated town that Gillian created in her head. We had people combing, you know, from the actual town of Carthage, Missouri, through Springfield and up along the Mississippi into St. Louis and one day I got these pictures of Cape Girardeau and I sent them immediately to Gillian and said, ‘I think we found the town, I think we found North Carthage and I think it’s gonna be this town called Cape Girardeau’ and she said, ‘Oh God, Cape Girardeau is perfect! That’s kind of what I had in my head when I was writing it.’ I was like, ‘You don’t have to keep this a fucking secret. If you have ideas about where these things should take place, if you wanna hip us to what you had in your head when you were actually writing it, by all means, feel free to.’


2. The name of the game Nick brings to the Bar is Mastermind.


3. Margo's Protect Your Nuts shirt.


4. The look on Margo's face as she correctly guesses Amy is the reason for Nick's bad mood. You can tell this is the situation that happened many times in the past and Margo is always there for Nick when Amy gives him a hard time


5. The shot of glass sliding towards Nick.


6. This shot is a bit more telling than you might think. It's a perfect bridge between real Amy and diary Amy. On one hand Amy is this spider that just caught a man in her trap. But Diary Amy is thrilled because here is the man taking her. Nick and Diary's Amy perspective of the event is the complete opposite to what is actually happening. Amy's cool girl web caught a victim.


7. Flynn and Fincher using pussy(cat) to establish that Nick is a good guy. Look he goes down on a woman on their first date! Look he likes that cat and protects him!


8. The shuddering way with which Nick shouts 'AMY!' as he realizes she is gone. They may have issues but this is the shout of someone who is really upset.


9. The fact that the cat has his own room.


10. Boney's little fangirl moment as she realizes Amy is the Amazing Amy.


11. The attention to detail - look at the pen Amy uses to write Amazing Amy entry.


12. There's that attention to detail again. This only helps to establish that Amazing Amy is always that ghost haunting Amy. Fincher left so many bread crumbs here and it's kinda embarrassing how many people still go 'what made her the way she was?' after the movie is over. This is one of the few movies I've seen that are literally too smart for its audience.


13. Lisa Banes as Amy's frigid, controlling mother. So little screentime but it's enough to know that this woman made Amy's life a living hell.


14. Shall I know my wife's blood type? - No!


15. The little element of humor here with Nick's father. In the book Nick's father is a part of Amy's plan, the most diabolical part, really, but here it felt like a good nod to book readers since clearly Flynn and Fincher decided there is no time to explain the significance of Nick's dad.


16. The choice of music here and the amount of passive aggressiveness in Nick.


17. The sole interaction between these two awesome ladies.


18. The fact that Amy's mother uses even this occasion to advertise the book series.


19. The stark contrast between Nick's idiotic smile and this image - The Elliotts look like the walking dead.


20. Nick's joy at figuring out Amy's puzzle. Amy may make his life a nightmare but he enjoys playing that game.


21. Amy's mysterious and eerie narration of the first clue.

22. Any other director would zoom in on Nick hiding clue two. But not Fincher.


23. That gorgeous shot.


24. The way Amy looks, sounds and acts in flashbacks. She is truly angelic.


25. Amy's mother commenting how this place smells like feces. Somehow you sense this might have been Amy's attitude too.


26. This shot.


27. The way Amy's says a baby would be 'an inspiration'. Even if you know the truth Rosamund Pike's delivery of that line is shattering.


28. The way this sequence is shot. It's so shocking and chilling.


29. "Are they supertwat's?!"


30. "Well, if Tiffany says". The familiarity between Boney and Gillpin. You can tell they are small town cops who worked with each other a while. With Boney you also get a sense of her being very professional and impressively not overwhelmed even though this is the biggest case she worked on yet.


31. That shot.


32. The blind fury with which Affleck yells 'BECAUSE SHE TOLD ME TO!'


33. The glass shattering on the floor.


34. The way everything slows down as Boney makes the biggest discovery in the case.


35. That shot. The amount of times Fincher managed to sneak in the shots of the back of Amy's head - the source of all the ideas, schemes and intrigues - is so cool.


36. Amy's narration of this moment - the way she says 'sometimes' sends the chills down my spine every time.


37. The way this moment is shot. You can just feel Nick's world collapsing.


38. In the script this moment is called 'the picture of freedom'. They nailed it.


39. The close up of Amy's list. Look how meticulous it is.


40. This badass moment.


41. The fury, contempt and rage Amy has for Amazing Amy pen before throwing it out the window.


42. One of the books here - Helter Skelter - is about Manson family murders. One of the murders described in the book in the murder of pregnant Shanon Tate. The police is led to believe Amy was pregnant when she died.


43. This look of sadness on Amy's face. There is so much range in Pike's performance here. Why is Amy crying? Is it something she is watching on TV? Or is it Nick's betrayal? Either way her emotions negate your usual descriptions of psychopaths and sociopaths.


44. Amy's efficiency. Taking care of her looks while framing her husband for her murder.


45. "Happy anniversary".


 46. The fact that this exists.


47. The joy on Amy's face as she is changing the alarm.


48. There's that back of the head again.


49. The balls on Fincher - of actually featuring that shot in trailers.


50. Amy coughing after she takes a drag of cigarette - it's such a small but great detail.


51. Amy's love for food - you can tell that like many, she had to starve herself to keep her figure. But now she is free.


52. The sheer look of anger on Amy's face as she is driving by the cool girls.


53. "I was fucking game".


54. The hammer scene (which didn't happen in the book) and the accompanying lines about grown ups. Such a shocking way to end that montage.


59 comments:

  1. wow, brilliant post. Loved it. And I agree about every single of them. I find 6, 28 and 45 to be amazing shots. And the hummer scene... oh, I had to close my eyes. But I think I have to rewatch it as soon as I review all the movies I've seen lately

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    1. Thank you! I keep rewatching it, I can't stop :)

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  2. Man, there's so many things about the film that I love. That was a good-looking burger that Amy was eating. I love some of the attention to detail such as the shirt that Margo wears. I think this is Fincher's funniest film ever as I've already put into a WIP list of my favorite films of 2000-2015 (that isn't LiT).

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    1. Yeah I think it is his funniest too, although all of his films have some awesome funny moments :)

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  3. Great post, Sati! So many moments that I love. Her Cool Girl monologue is the best; I could watch it over and over again, and love the touches of "fucking game" and her choking on smoking the cigarette. I can't wait to read the second part.

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    1. Thank you, so glad to see so many fans of the film here!

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  4. Brilliant post! I absolutely love it, Fincher had such a great attention to detail, you find out more each time you watch the film. I remember when I first saw the film, and the hammer scene came, and I thought, "Oh my god, she wouldn't actually do that... would she?" I also love all the pens. Can't wait for Part II!

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  5. This is fantastic - you KILLED it. Those pens, the list, the shots of the back of Amy's head... all such brilliant grabs. Can't wait for Part 2!

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    1. Thanks and thanks so much for letting me use the series idea again!

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  6. This is one of the most fabulous posts of all time. It makes me want to watch the movie again. I can't wait for the second part!

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    1. Thank you! Everyone should see this film at least twice! :)

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  7. Wonderful, amazing post! I need to rewatch this movie as soon as possible! Numbers 11, 22, 27, 38, and 54 are some of my favorites from the list. Can't wait for part 2!

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  8. I love this post! I can't wait for part 2. Nailed it. I think my favorite scene in the film is the one you used as the opening gif, "freedom." I love how Amy just said forget it and started chugging soda and eating whatever she wanted.

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    1. Thanks! I love it, she was so free in that moment. I have no idea how she managed to look like she did at Desi's house in the matter of weeks.

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  9. Brilliant post! That hammer scene was the only time I was freaked out in the movie. So creepy. I never noticed the Amazing Amy pen. What a fantastic little detail.
    Every conversation between Boney and Gilpin was gold.

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    1. Thanks! There is one thing that I thought was more disturbing than the hammer, but that's gonna be in part 2 :)

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  10. LOL, that link! I saw that Amazing Amy spoof a while back and thought of you!

    And I love that you mention that shot of dead Amy that was in the trailer. I remember when the trailer dropped and all the fanboys on the internet lost their shit, thinking that Fincher altered the book THAT MUCH! I was awesome.

    So many great tidbits here. I too was enamored with the shattered glass scene. Brilliantly shot. Just...all the right emotions.

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    1. Yeah I remember the outrage :) I still wish some of Nick's visions of Amy were in the film, they were so creepy in the book

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  11. This is an amazing post showing how much work was put into the creation of this movie.

    I'm also proud of myself for noticing a lot of these little details while rewatching the movie for a second time (I was trying to understand the story the first time and not get lost).

    Great work of yours!

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    1. Thank you! Hope you'll like the second part too :)

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  12. Such a great post. You definitely took the ball and ran with it. I love the "Amazing Amy Makes A Mess" book cover. Brilliant.

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  13. Fantastic posts, Sati! I always adore Fincher's concerns on details to enhance the cinematic experience in all his movies.
    But, Gone Girl is so far my personal favorite. I read the book, got fucked up and read again then watch the movie and still fucked up. This is a cynical movie, isn't it?

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    1. It is quite cynical :) It's probably why Fincher wanted to adapt it.

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  14. WOW you have such astute observation Sati! These are all amazing details and I've missed some of them but now find myself nodding as I read your post. Totally agree w/ #20 that Nick enjoys playing that game and the scene of Amy driving w/ the window down & her hair blowing in the wind captures the picture of freedom perfectly!

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    1. Thank you! Yeah I even used the latter as the new header for Oscar season :)

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    2. I better see miss Pike's name when the Oscar noms are announced next year!!

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    3. I think we will but she really should win, it will be so lame if Moore takes this.

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  15. This post is spectacular and I lol'd so hard at #7. I never really thought of it that way. "Look how great Nick is, he goes down on you on the first date!"

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    1. I was already pissed off at that moment in the movie that Fincher made this much effort to make the audience root for that asshole :P

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  16. WOW! What a post Sati. I gleaned several nuggets from your observations. Well done.

    Oh, and for the record, I do not know my wife's blood type and have no plans of offing her! ;)

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    1. Thanks! Haha I don't even know my own blood type :)

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    2. Me either but I didn't want to admit it! ;)

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    3. I never need to know but with my luck it's the rarest kind :)

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  17. Is Affleck's dick one of these? Either way, this is fantastic and I feel like Fincher himself should see this and marvel at how much you've noticed. Thank you so much for these posts, because I feel like the next one is gonna be just as good as this, which is just super cool and really makes me want to see this film again--my first time, I felt so much disgust that it was difficult to concentrate on anything else.

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    1. No, because plenty of people are talking about that. I don't think he would be impressed, he already makes the assumption his audience is smart and observant.

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  18. Spectacular post! #46 is so creepy that it exists...omg I had no idea!! And #49 was so ballsy, but at the same time, it made me realize that it wouldn't be a reality to put such a spoiler in the trailer. Really great list, Sati! I desperately need to re-watch this one!!

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    1. Actually they did entire Amazing Amy book series as the tie in to the movie :)

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  19. This is awesome! Love that commentary bit you included at the beginning, too. I don't normally listen to the commentaries, but I can't wait to check this one out. Looking forward to part two!

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    1. Fincher's commentaries are always worth listening to, very informative and he is super funny in a very unique way :)

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  20. Yes yes yes for 27! Definitely one of her best moments. Great post, and very detailed.
    Which scene do you think will be her oscar clip?

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    1. 27, actually :) It's such a great scene and it doesn't spoil anything

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  21. Great post! Love your attention to detail, which is needed to spot Fincher's! Looking forward to part 2 :)

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  22. I've yet to revisit the movie because after I saw it, I knew I needed to watch it again for a better understanding. I love the list shot though. Don't know why but that just speaks to me the most and tells a lot about Amy.. The list alone means who she is and since the "kill Amy" part is so well highlighted, it sort of emphasizes her even more.

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    1. I love the list shot too, it's one of the best in the entire movie

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  23. #28 and #54. Oh, and #31. F--k it. I love them all.

    What a great post. You want to stress the level of detail and the degree of meticulousness in Gone Girl, but holy shit, what about this post? You routinely annihilate me with how breathtaking your posts are. The content is f--king brilliant.

    Since I started my shit-show, I have only revisited two movies (in four years), but I have a feeling Gone Girl is going to be number three. It was soooo good, I can't wait to have my ass handed to me again.

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    1. Thanks so much! It does take a lot of time to make one post around here, but actually with that one it was not that long - I know this movie too well by now :)

      2 movies in 4 years?! Oh wow, I probably rewatch more than I actually watch something for the first time :)

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  24. Wow! Great post! The attention to detail in this film is astounding. I picked up on a bunch, but missed a bunch, too. Thanks for those. #7 is one I somehow didn't notice. Nice. #14 was just a perfect bit of directing that would be left out of most movies. One final huge thanks to you for pointing out the back of the head thing. I hadn't put much thought into those shots, but it makes perfect sense. You're making me love this film even more.

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad it's making people more of the fans than they were already :)

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  25. This is the best post I have seen a a long time. I touched on the attention to detail (like her dragging the cigarette) in the post I wrote, but you have really gone to town here. Brilliant.

    The opening titles are so condensed and slick, true. I too tried to read Margo's Protect t-shirt, but the Amazing Amy pen - never spotted that! And Amy's list. Some truly great observations here, and as much as I would like to list them all here again as I babble on, I won't.

    I best go look at part two! Bravo!

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm gonna check out your post on the movie tomorrow :)

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  26. I appreciate Gone Girl even more after reading this! I overlooked all that cat business. I'm glad that someone who has read the book is doing this post, as opposed to someone who only saw the movie.
    Villeneuve's Enemy (2013) also had a lot of attention to detail which they go over in youtube videos.

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    1. Thank you! I wrote a whole analysis on Enemy, it's linked on the sidebar :)

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  27. Love this! The attention to detail is pure Fincher, and you highlighted a ton of great moments. I really need to rewatch this!

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  28. It's a testament to David Fincher's skill as a filmmaker that he makes something as complex as Gone Girl feel so effortless.

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  29. I finally saw this movie yesterday, and boy was it remarkable. I only recently finished the book, which was addictive to say the least. I thought the whole scene when it is revealed about Amy's plan was masterfully done.

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