The Writer's Life 8/1 - Gone

While his personal life slumps, Ben Affleck continues his professional hot streak in Gone Girl (2014), based on the novel by Gilian Flynn, who adapted the screenplay. The story is simple: a wife of five years goes missing. The devil’s in the details. Intricately plotted, the film is absorbing despite its almost two-and-a-half hours length. I did not pause the DVD once. Are there holes? I didn’t look for any, but I’m sure there are. Many movies I love that have them. It only bothers me when they are obvious. Is it plausible? More so than most thrillers. Does the narrative make salient points about marriage or relationships? I didn’t notice any. I enjoyed it as a creepy mystery. Does it say anything relevant about culture and humanity? Yes, and it’s not flattering. Since I haven’t read the book, I was taken by the unconventional twists. Did I buy Affleck’s decision at the end? Yes, even though I believe the character wasn’t quite developed enough. The plot is fresh, different from the usual fare. Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and a cast of TV and Hollywood veterans lend able support, but the acting honors go to Rosamund Pike, whose performance received an Oscar nomination. David Fincher directed. His impressive canon includes Fight Club (1999) and Se7en (1995). 700,000+ users at IMDb have rated Gone Girl, forging to a consensus of 8.2 of ten. On a scale of five, I rate it 3.5. It was successful at the box office as well, bringing in $167+ million on a budget of $61 million in the USA alone.

RIP wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper, 61, who succumbed to a heart attack. He successfully fought Hodgkins Lymphoma. A friend who suffered it in his 20's said the doctor warned him that he might suffer a heart attack some day. He did in his 40's and survived. Piper had an incredible gift for inciting fans. He also starred in successful B movies, notably for John Carpenter. In They Live (1988), he delivered a line quoted till this day: “I’m here to chew bubble gum and kick ass -- and I’m all out of bubblegum.” Here’s a six-minute clip of him at his best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9V5br1QhMs

The day started on the wrong foot. When I reached check out at Stop n Shop, I had no money and had to use my debit card. I assumed I'd left the $20 bill and $2.50 voucher on my dresser. They weren't there, and I realized I may have deposited them in the mailbox along with the Netflix parcel and a bill. Either that or I dropped them along the way. It's the dumbest thing I've done in a long time. At least some lucky soul's day. Fortunately, my good luck continued at the floating book shop. My thanks to the oddball who pointed at Rising Star and handed me a wad of cash. When I plucked a ten, he looked distressed, so I settled for five, even though he still didn't look happy about it. I'm sure he's spoken to me before. Maybe he's taken a vow of silence. My thanks also to Jack of Chase, who bought two more thrillers, and to Conspiracy Guy, who purchased Learning Japanese.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/