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turrell 
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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 Posted - 01/02/2008 : 05:57:05
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I had no idea what this movie was about when it started which was a good thing, because it seemed like a straight drama about child abduction, but it unravelled nicely into a first rate thriller and raised some interesting questions about child welfare.
I don't know if this is in theaters now or came out earlier in the year but I highly recommend it if you get a chance to see it. Casey Affleck is good, but he is overshadowed by Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. Amy Ryan as the drug addict mother of the abducted is very authentic in the role.
Before getting into spoiler territory, I wondered if anyone had seen this yet. |
Edited by - turrell on 06/09/2008 15:39:05 |
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MisterBadIdea 
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 01/02/2008 : 14:52:26
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One of the best of the year. It takes a few unlikely and predictable twists at the end, but fortunately this is one of those movies that's about the people involved, not the twist. The closing shot is fantastic.
I love how Casey Affleck is clearly not Bruce Willis or anything, but can sell "tough guy" despite is cracking voice and skinny frame. Also, the scene with the gun battle mid-movie may prove that Ben Affleck may be one of America's greatest directors just waiting to be unleashed. |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 01/02/2008 : 22:29:07
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| I liked th emiddle of th emovie scene where afterwards I asked my wife - what happened - did I miss something and then later it became clear why. I like these kinds of thrillers - up there with Michael Clayton in that regards for the year in my book at least. |
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MisterBadIdea
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 01/03/2008 : 07:22:19
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Funny you should mention: When people mention Michael Clayton, I always call it a piece of shit and point to Gone Baby Gone as an example of this kind of movie done correctly. Where the moral dilemma in Michael Clayton is downplayed and barely present, it's vivid and compelling in Gone Baby Gone. Where every overwritten line begs for significance it doesn't have in Michael Clayton, Gone Baby Gone makes sure it works as a decent pulp thriller first before jumping on to greater things.
God, I hate Michael Clayton. |
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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 01/03/2008 : 08:10:24
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quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
God, I hate Michael Clayton.
Aw, and he speaks so well of you!
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MisterBadIdea
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 01/03/2008 : 14:41:32
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| I paid for his ticket to see Walk Hard last weekend and he still hasn't paid me back! |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 01/03/2008 : 16:04:39
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quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
I paid for his ticket to see Walk Hard last weekend and he still hasn't paid me back!
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w22dheartlivie 
"Kitty Lover"
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Posted - 02/23/2008 : 01:51:03
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My friend lost her daughter, who was my goddaughter, a long time ago now, to a stranger who took her off the street. It wasn't a happy ending, and it's something we live with all the time. It never goes away.
Sunshine was older than the child in this film, but the film had some parallels, some of which are unsettling and uncomfortable. Not everyone has a happy life, not everyone lives the best way they can. Not every mother is the world's best mom, not every mother does the right thing. Some do the wrong things for the right reasons, some do the right thing for the wrong ones. In the end, we are a sum of our choices, good or bad, right or wrong.
This film was clearly about the bad choices and the consequences of living with them. As turrell said, it raises a lot of questions about child welfare. This little girl clearly had a lousy life. Her mother may have loved her, but she didn't take care of her and she certainly didn't nurture her. But those around her, rather than doing the right thing for her, made lousy choices in trying to protect her. Obviously, it failed. Everyone believed they were doing the right thing, but sometimes, nothing turns out as planned.
Casey Affleck was phenomenal in this. His character may have been the only one who was trying to do the right thing, make the right choices, be the sheep amongst the wolves. In the end, driven by his conscience, he committed to standing by his choices, despite the consequences. Oh, sure, so did everyone else in the film, but their commitment wasn't voluntary.
Amy Ryan was very solid in her role, it was believable, ugly as it was. Her character was self-absorbed, viewing her child as just something else in her life. Her daughter certainly wasn't her world, which is ideally what it should be. As unpleasant as it is, she paid the least, with the least commitment. Young single mothers with little family support often end up making bad choices and often don't do the best by their children. This leaves the question of whether a child is better off in those circumstances. The question has no easy answers. It reminds me of a scene from The Breakfast Club, when they ask Ally Sheedy what her problem is. Her comment is "My home life is unsatisfying." When asked what they did to her, she says "Nothing. They ignore me." That is certainly true for the little girl's life in this film, and it led to her being taken. So who is better off? The child who dies? The child who is taken to assume a "better life"? The child who remains in the hollow life? The answers are as varied as there are people to provide them. Obviously, not every mother who goes through the vacuum of bringing up children alone and unsupported makes choices that endanger her child's life. Not even the ones whose children disappear or are killed. But it leaves them with the aching hollowness of that child's absence. What a mother does in the wake of that is what defines her.
Ed Harris was excellent in his role, while Morgan Freeman can do no cinematic wrong in my book. I have great respect for the direction of Ben Affleck in this film. He captured the angst of a loss, while building a good thriller. He wasted no time with scenery chewing although the film was rife with the possibilities of it. He resisted letting a Sean Penn-like explosion occur, which just added to the desperation of the lives of those characters involved and the guilt they carried. To let those characters continue functioning while carrying that guilt was the decision of a mature director, not a first time one. He created a solid, character driven thriller without succumbing to the chase. I was always skeptical of how much he contributed to the ''Good Will Hunting'' script, but this left me with less skepticism. I hope he has more to come. The ending may have been a bit predictable, but that's forgivable. He also resisted the syrupy sweet ending which Without a Trace couldn't years ago. That makes up for predictability.
I give it a 4 out of 5. |
Edited by - w22dheartlivie on 02/24/2008 08:06:03 |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 02/23/2008 : 10:43:01
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Livie, that was beautifully written and very touching. Now I want to see this film!
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silly 
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 02/23/2008 : 15:09:54
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Me, too. It's now at the top of my netflix queue.
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 02/23/2008 : 15:50:41
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WHL - how horrid for your friend. I can't begin to imagine what that must be like. She's so lucky to have such a supportive friend as you.
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w22dheartlivie
"Kitty Lover"
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Posted - 02/24/2008 : 00:17:24
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| Thanks. Writing in reaction seems to be my forte. Obviously, in the past, I've written about similar topics, usually in catharsis. I only wish life had happy endings! |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 02/24/2008 : 05:58:12
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quote:
Originally posted by wildhartlivie
Thanks. Writing in reaction seems to be my forte. Obviously, in the past, I've written about similar topics, usually in catharsis. I only wish life had happy endings!
Well not everying thing in life is unhappy either, but thats the benefit of film you have a controlling god mandating the ending to suit the audience/studio/writer's whims - in life we are subject to circumstance and free will. I'm sorry you experienced this and glad you liked the film and seemingly it moved you and moved you further along in a grieving process that never truly ends. |
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Yukon
"Co-editor of FWFR book"
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Posted - 02/27/2008 : 02:44:59
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I loved this movie. It's a cliche but after the film was done, I had to talk about the ending. Did Casey Affleck make the right choice?
It's been months since I've seen the film and I still think about the ending.
It was one of my favourite films of the year. Highly recommend it. |
Edited by - Yukon on 02/27/2008 02:45:37 |
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silly
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 03/07/2008 : 18:40:41
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I managed to get a FWFR approved of the ending, "Kenzie right, then left."
I loved how it faded out in that last scene. |
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 03/07/2008 : 19:16:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Yukon
I loved this movie. It's a cliche but after the film was done, I had to talk about the ending. Did Casey Affleck make the right choice?
It's been months since I've seen the film and I still think about the ending.
It was one of my favourite films of the year. Highly recommend it.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I think he made the right choice because he followed up and helped take care of the girl - its not ideal, but thats not they way to go about taking care of kids abducting them |
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Gone Baby Gone - some spoilers
