Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby Is Not What I Expected

The trailer for Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is not a promo for the film that came out in theaters last week. It turns out, Ned Benson wrote and directed three films. The trailer uses pieces from all three. Which is odd because the idea stated in that 3-minute clip never actually comes to fruition in what is apparently titled "Them".

The concept for Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby was two perspectives of a romance. The trailer emphasizes the idea that we will witness both sides of that... in the same movie. The trailer lied.

But now that I got that out of my system... this version of the movie was pretty good. Albeit, hard to watch. I really enjoyed how honest this story felt. These people and their decisions all make a sad sort of sense. And once everything is revealed and you really know why things went the way they did, there's a beautiful kind of tragedy within.

Between Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, any film would be in good hands. But this feels like the right project for them. Both bring an overwhelming level of sorrow and desperation to this picture. And it feels good to get such equal performances on either side (which is what must have been necessary for the additional two films to exist... and I would like to see those at some point). And then there's the supporting cast... an amazing group of veterans all bringing their A-game. Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Ciarán Hinds, Isabelle Huppert, with Jess Wexler, and William Hurt! What a superb cast they make.

If I had one complaint, it would be the use of the name Eleanor Rigby. Every time the characters discussed the name's origin it felt forced... like Ned Benson so badly needed an excuse to use it he had to write a couple one-liners to keep us on board. But honestly, I felt as though everyone already was on board. So it became unnecessary. The song is about lonely people... this film is about those people. It shows us where they come from. Point made. So really, I suppose my thinking is, those one liners could have just been left on the floor... the name itself wasn't the problem and at the end of the day it probably informed the story with a fun little pop reference.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, despite everything... I do like this movie. I'd recommend it even. Just recognize that it's not quite what the trailer tells you it is. To get all of that would require further viewing.

Prisoners... In The End You Probably Won't Care

I just got back from Prisoners.

It was an alright movie, though surprisingly riddled with flaws.

The overwhelming consensus I have heard from others on this film is that it is too full of holes. Which is funny, because I didn't really notice any recognizable plot holes... more like unnecessary plot tangents. Unless they were referring to physical holes, like holes in the ground or underneath houses or cars...

"They must've seen Prisoners."

because then, yes, I agree there probably were just a few too many. But what this flick suffers from is... well the tangent thing. Sometimes we can call that a red herring, but I feel like in this one it's just unnecessary plot additions that added to the already overbearing length of the movie (2hrs 26 minutes).

This issue may come from the writers not knowing where they were going from the outset (the final moment was kind of awkward). But then rewrites should certainly have helped. So I'm left wondering if the studio was responsible.

Alcon Entertainment has a rather questionable track record in my opinion. They're responsible for my least favorite Chris Nolan flick (Insomnia) as well as 16 Blocks and The Wicker Man remake. And those are the memorable ones. Most studios tend to have a mixed bag. Some good films, some bad, and maybe one or two or three great ones. But when going down their list of product, I see none of the latter and not much in the way of the former either.

However there were several great performances and the look and style of the movie were solid which is why I can't blame the actors and I'm shy to blame the director.

Jake Gyllenhaal gave an excellent performance and I think Hugh Jackman (who I thought could've won best actor last year for Les Mis) is  building up to one of those performances that forever makes haters stop hating... he just didn't quite get there this time around. Paul Dano really could've been anybody in this film. But that's not his fault... unless you wanna blame an actor for taking a job. I think he did what he could with the role he was given. And Viola Davis continues to be consistently good in everything she does.

Obviously it's not for me to tell anyone what they can and can't see. But at this point in the season, there are just too many other good films coming out for you to have to waste your time with a film like Prisoners.