Movie Review & Giveaway: Gone Girl

When I reviewed Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl in 2012, I noted that the book exposes the "dark recesses" of a marriage, and I recommended the novel as a "good read." It was no surprise to me that the book was made into a movie because the plot had all the makings of a good visual story.

Now that I've seen the Blu-ray™ version of Gone Girl, I can confirm that it's an excellent movie. Before I get into the details, let me start with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's summary:

On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits, and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

I don't say this often, but I liked the movie better than the book. When author Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay for Gone Girl, she tightened the plot, without losing the creep factor and the surprises. Helping her along was David Fincher (director) and the impeccable cast. Not only were Affleck and Pike absolutely perfectly suited for their roles but so were Neil Patrick Harris (who played Desi), Carrie Coon (playing Go), and everyone else from Amy's parents to the local police.

The trimmed plot accelerated the action, and the actors' body language, exchanged looks, and on-screen chemistry made Gone Girl shine. Don't miss this one.

Home Edition Extra: The Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital HD™ version of Gone Girl was released this week. I just love the packaging of the Blu-ray™ edition: Not only does it come with the disk and a digital streaming code, but you also get the very cute Amazing Amy: Tattle Tale book. You'll love the story and the illustrations, especially after you get to know the real, grown-up Amy.

Giveaway: Thanks to Think Jam and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, I'm able to offer one of my readers with a U.S. mailing address a copy of the Blu-ray™ edition of Gone Girl (complete with the Amazing Amy booklet) plus a copy of the paperback (movie tie-in edition). This is a great giveaway for movie buffs and readers alike.

All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is to fill out the form. I'll pick a winner via a random number generator on January 22. Once the winner has been verified, I'll erase all personal information from my computer. Good luck!