METTEL RAY

Thursday Movie Picks: A Disappearance

What I thought was going to be another hard week for me, turned out to be an easy challenge. Three movies where our main character is motivated by a disappearance, simple as that. Two movies I picked have the same director, and the third one has a similar theme to the other. They are all crime-related, obviously, and I love crime-movies and shows, which is why I like all these movies a lot.

1. GONE GIRL, 2014

So, how many of you picked this one? Filled with great performances and a thrilling plot, Gone Girl is about a disappearance of a woman who everyone thinks to be murdered by her husband. It’s really good. Up on watching it the first time, I think I didn’t fully appreciate it, but over the years I’ve come to love it more. It’s not my favourite by Fincher, but it’s still a good one, subtle and very Fincher like.

2. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, 2011

You knew this one was going to be listed as well – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Our main character is sent out to search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years, and he gets help from a young hacker. Again, same praise I gave for Gone Girl, great performances and Fincher nails the tone of the movie perfectly. I’ve read the book, which is why I think the ending wasn’t as thrilling for me as I would have liked, but compared to the Swedish movie, in my opinion, a lot better.

3. SHUTTER ISLAND, 2010

Martin Scorsese is a director who I don’t name as my favourite but he has actually made quite a lot of movies that appeal to me, Shutter Island included. Featuring another set of great performances, it’s about an investigative team set out to search the hospital of criminally insane for a missing patient. It’s not only a visually stunning film, it’s also haunting and it has one of the greatest open endings to a movie I’ve seen.

 THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES

 

mettelray

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13 responses to “Thursday Movie Picks: A Disappearance”

  1. Brittani Avatar
    Brittani

    Gone Girl is popular today! I love that and Shutter Island. I did not see the ending of SI coming when I first watched.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      It was pretty obvious to go with Gone Girl. And I also didn’t see SI’s ending coming!!

      Reply
  2. actualandrew Avatar
    actualandrew

    Gone Girl was great, I didn’t see the ending coming. Unfortunately, Shutter Island was ruined for me so I know the ending without actually having seen the film. The fact I know the ending has put me off watching because I love a good twist more than anything and knowing it before going into the film ruins it for me.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      I thankfully didn’t know the ending for both movies so I didn’t see anything coming and I think that was part of the charm. But seeing both films the second time was also a great experience because I knew where things were going to end up, and it was the experience of noticing the small details that made them interesting.

      Reply
  3. joelnox Avatar
    joelnox

    Gone Girl and Brick look to be the titles of the week which is good since both are decent films. I liked Gone Girl without fully loving it finding it a bit too chilly for its own good but I did think Rosamund Pike sensational.

    I also like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo quite a bit again without being able to fully embrace it. Terrific performances and a great look but perhaps if I had read the book I would have gotten more out of it.

    Ah Shutter Island, from that brief period when Scorsese and I were on the same wavelength. I’ve never been a huge fan but with the one two punch of The Aviator and this both of which I loved I thought he was finally making films that I’d enjoy from that point on. Nope with Hugo and Wolf of Wall Street I was right back to square one. Oh well I did really enjoy this and it fits the theme very well. Love how he used Dinah Washington’s version of This Bitter Earth over the credits, having it break up and fracture closed the picture out perfectly.

    My first choice came to me right away, it’s one of my favorites but the other two took a bit more thinking but I like them all.

    Missing (1982)-A young American couple Charlie and Beth Horman (John Shea & Sissy Spacek) are living in Chile while he works as a freelance writer observing the political situation. Suddenly they are caught in a coup and when Beth returns home one day their house is ransacked and Charlie is missing. When word reaches the States his disapproving father Ed (Jack Lemmon) arrives looking for answers. Despite assurances by the authorities that everything is being done an unbelieving Beth and increasingly doubtful Ed begin their own search, as they come to understand each other at last Ed’s eyes are opened to facts that go against everything he believes in. Riveting fact based drama directed by Costa-Gravas earned four Oscar nominations-Best Actor & Actress for Lemmon and Spacek as well as a Best Adaptation and a Best Picture nod.

    Without a Trace (1983)-Susan Selky (Kate Nelligan) helps her six year old son Alex get ready and watches him set off on the three block walk to school in their affluent New York City neighborhood but he never makes it. When he doesn’t return home at the appointed hour she slowly comes to the realization that something is terribly wrong and contacts the police. Both she and her husband (David Dukes) are immediately suspected, when it becomes clear they aren’t involved the police follow other leads but the case soon turns cold. For everyone that is but Susan who becomes so determined in her pursuit she pushes almost everyone including her husband and good friend (Stockard Channing) away. However with the assistance of one detective who also won’t give up (Judd Hirsch) she presses on determined to have some resolution whatever that may be. Exceptionally well-acted but a tough watch.

    The Seventh Victim (1943)-Mary Gibson (Kim Hunter) arrives in New York City intent on locating her sister Jacqueline who has disappeared. As she starts searching she meets resistance from all quarters including her sister’s husband. As she delves deeper into the mystery she discovers a connection to devil worship and begins to fear for her own safety. Low budget noir produced by Val Lewton has a nice sense of dread and looks at a provocative subject for a forties film. This was future Oscar winner Hunter’s screen debut.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      It’s a shame I haven’t seen Brick yet, I mean, I went through a huge Joseph Gordon-Levitt phase and I still didn’t manage to watch that film. But considering how much I’ve yet to watch and my no rewatch rule, I might get to it someday… but as of now, I’m not even watching movies at home as of now.

      Reply
  4. Sonia Avatar
    Sonia

    Great picks! I actually liked the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo better lol but I haven’t seen Fincher’s in a while. I should probably rewatch it. I really liked Daniel Craig there.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      I did not like the male lead in the Swedish version… I disliked him so much, that I couldn’t finish watching the Swedish version.

      Reply
  5. Big Screen Small Words Avatar
    Big Screen Small Words

    Great picks! All three are fantastic movies.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      Indeed ! Thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  6. Katy Rochelle (@KatyRochelle) Avatar
    Katy Rochelle (@KatyRochelle)

    Awesome picks! Gone Girl was one of the first to come to my mind for this theme. Shutter Island is one of my favorite of Scorcese’s too, and one of Leo’s best performances.

    Reply
    1. mettelray Avatar
      mettelray

      Agreed, though The Departed I think ranks first in my book when it comes to Scorcese and Leo.

      Reply
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