Report Card---"Gone Girl"

I am barreling through the rest of the Oscar related films this week, because Oscar night is next Sunday, and I want to leave time to do "Rothman's Picks For The Oscars" later in the week.
There will be a post up every day until Oscar Night.
And after the Oscars, I'll still have a couple of Report Cards to put up.
I found myself enjoying "Gone Girl" immensely, until they got to one of the most disappointing endings I'd ever seen.
Much like "Birdman".
Storytelling rules were violated, beyond redemption.

On to the scoring:

Is it interesting?

Very.
A.

Compelling even?

Often.
A.

Is it controversial?

Only the ending, and not in a good way.
D.

Is it a story worth telling?

It certainly could be.
B.

Is it good storytelling?

Very good, until the ending.
C-.

Is it well written?

Very. It supported what was good about the picture
A-.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Ben Affleck was very good, but that's where it broke down. You cast Ben Affleck, you buy his persona. At the end, they left his persona in the dust. The actress who was nominated opposite him didn't bring a persona with her, so she was easier to take.
C-.

Well shot?

Nothing special.
B.

Is it too long? Too short?

The pace was fine.
A.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

It was rather far-fetched, and the ending made me not care.
C-.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

The ending was not predictable, and totally surprising. Not in a good way.
F.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Mainly about how they botched it.
F.

Is it funny?

No.
D.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Not any bucks.
F.

Is it impressive?

It's a good roller-coaster ride, until the end.
A.

Overall grade: B-.

If you cast Cary Grant, he must be heroic. Affleck could have been, and the movie would have been much better.
Sometimes, you just have to give the audience what they expect.


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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
So this is the only way you can find them.
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not
e-books. But they are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one. If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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