When I randomly clicked “add to queue” when Netflix prompted me with this and five or six other movies based on a movie I did want to see, I really don’t remember anything strikingly vivid about the description other than reading it was a man who turned to drugs to deal with his pain. It was enough to earn a yes-click from me. I don’t even think the description had any of the actors’ names in it. So when the disc showed up in the mail, I tossed it to the side for a few days while watching other movies in my queue and some of my favorite shows. Then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to give the movie a chance. I never thought it would be one that I would write about. In all honesty, I probably only review about 30-35% of the movies that I see. I require myself to review the ones that I think will be up for Oscar nominations and then pick and choose the other ones. I would say that more frequently than not, I avoid reviewing the big blockbusters. Director Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You in My Dreams, Hearts Beat Loud) 2017 The Hero was neither an Oscar contender nor a big blockbuster. And it was a movie that we’ve seen on screen many times (including two times a decade ago that earned their lead actors Oscar nominations) which would be another reason for me not to review it as I’m big on originality. But this movie kept me interested and invested in the characters while keeping me away from my phone, computer, or other distractions. When a movie can do that, I’ll often give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a review.
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Category Archives: Laura Prepon
The Girl on the Train (2016)
The Girl on the Train will often be confused with and often compared to Gone Girl, 2014’s box office success that also registered well with the critics. Both were highly anticipated adaptations of successful novels by two of the more popular present-day writers. Both movies revolve around complex lead female characters who clearly are not completely mentally stable. It’s easy to see how some people might say that The Girl on the Train could be considered a rip-off of Gone Girl, but it’s not. The book had already been written, and, I believe, the movie had already been in the works. So the movies actually are quite different from one another. And, with that said, it’s easy for me to see how The Girl on the Train might achieve the same financial success, but how its 43% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes is slightly less than half that of Gone Girl‘s 88%. In addition, the movie was far less captivating and much less memorable. Nonetheless, The Girl on the Train is a fine movie. In my opinion, it is much better than the book. And while it doesn’t offer the same intriguing storyline as Gone Girl, it’s worth checking out.
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