Gerald's Game (2017)

[starri]

Stephen King is having quite a month.  This one comes to Netflix on 9/29.

Also, hot damn, Bruce Greenwood.

[starri]

So, unsurprisingly, Carla Gugino is phenomenal in this.  It's a really great movie.

There are a few references to King's other works peppered throughout, but if you're familiar with the book and are expecting one in particular, it's there.  I was actually shocked by that.

Also, be warned, again if you're familiar with the book, Jessie's escape is portrayed exactly as it's described, and gets pretty graphic.

[sweetcookieface]

I never read the book, but enjoyed this quite a bit. I thought it was a pretty suspenseful and, at times, disturbing (I had a feeling the dog would return, but was hoping he would... subvert expectations). My one gripe is with the incredibly lame ending. I've since learned that it's a pretty faithful adaptation of the book, but I thought the entire epilogue - her foundation, the serial killer, etc. - was awful and felt tacked on from a very different movie. I wish they would have ended it differently because it tainted what was otherwise a pretty good movie.

[starri]

Just pretend the last few minutes didn't happen.  You kind of always have to do that with King's books.

It's really impressive how they could make such a good movie while making really minimal changes to the novel.  The story in the book is basically entirely Jessie's inner monolog with an incarnation of her friend from college (taking the role that the assertive version of herself from the movie) and a more passive version of herself.  They very wisely changed it to Gerald as the avatar for both her father and his own worst aspects.

I was really impressed with the director.  The eclipse scenes were really creepy, and with the exception of when we saw him in full light, so was the Moonlight Man.  The thing is more psychological horror than anything else, but I did get the shivers from seeing his eyes replaced by the little eclipses.

Also, credit to the casting director for Henry Thomas and the woman playing Jessie's mother.  They were totally believable as parents to Carla Gugino, particularly the latter.

And seeing Bruce Greenwood that ripped at 61 is motivation to get my own almost-40-year-old ass back into the gym.