Post by stephen on Sept 30, 2017 20:32:10 GMT
With all the talk about It galvanizing Stephen King adaptations, it’s kinda criminal that Gerald’s Game—a novel that many thought to be unfilmable unless it was through the twisted eyes of Lars von Trier—isn’t going to be getting the same rapturous attention. Because I think it’s a much more herculean effort to take a novel about a bondage session gone horribly wrong and make it work so well . . . and I think that while It is still powerfully effective, its ambition is somewhat undercut by the fact that they could only tell so much in a two-plus-hour runtime and hence had to leave so much on the cutting room floor, sacrificing characterization and world-building in order to compartmentalize the story into a single serving. But with a more modest (in length, if certainly not in content) story like Gerald’s Game, there’s more than enough time for director Mike Flanagan to take his time ratcheting up the tension . . . and boy, does he.
Carla Gugino gives the performance of her career as a stricken woman in one of the most horrifically desperate situations any person can possibly imagine, and for a film that essentially fixes her in one spot a la Buried and 127 Hours, it pretty much becomes a showcase for Gugino. If there were any justice (and if Netflix were willing to put their weight behind it), Gugino would be a contender for Best Actress.
Even though Gerald’s Game is primarily a one-woman showcase, Gugino doesn’t have to do all the work herself. There is a nice supporting ensemble to backstop her, particularly Bruce Greenwood in the titular role. Greenwood is often a reliable figure to have in your films, but I believe that this is the most I’ve ever liked him. Henry Thomas and Carel Struycken also make strong (if sickening) impacts in their brief screentime. But really, this is the Carla Gugino show, and she makes it more than worth the watch.
(P.S. As a huge King fan, love that they actually dropped references to Dolores Claiborne and The Dark Tower in this.)
Carla Gugino gives the performance of her career as a stricken woman in one of the most horrifically desperate situations any person can possibly imagine, and for a film that essentially fixes her in one spot a la Buried and 127 Hours, it pretty much becomes a showcase for Gugino. If there were any justice (and if Netflix were willing to put their weight behind it), Gugino would be a contender for Best Actress.
Even though Gerald’s Game is primarily a one-woman showcase, Gugino doesn’t have to do all the work herself. There is a nice supporting ensemble to backstop her, particularly Bruce Greenwood in the titular role. Greenwood is often a reliable figure to have in your films, but I believe that this is the most I’ve ever liked him. Henry Thomas and Carel Struycken also make strong (if sickening) impacts in their brief screentime. But really, this is the Carla Gugino show, and she makes it more than worth the watch.
(P.S. As a huge King fan, love that they actually dropped references to Dolores Claiborne and The Dark Tower in this.)
