The Goldfinch

This movie apparently had a firestorm of mixed reviews and comparisons to the Pulitzer Prize winnings book swirling around it - and I missed it all. Thankfully. I enjoyed the movie, though it wouldn’t make a list of my favorites. It is told by jumping forward and backward in time, which allows f ... ilmmakers to withhold key or dramatic details of the plot as long as possible. This seemed stunning and revolutionary way back when I watched Pulp Fiction, but now of course a lot of movies play with event sequencing. (I suppose one of the foreshadowing of this technique was Citizen Kane, like, what the hell does Rosebud mean?) So I am comfortable knowing that some things may take a while to make sense. This movie is all over the place: geographically and plot-wise, but I was fine with it. Sometimes I like a movie that dares me to pay attention. Given the hysterical nature of some of the negative reviews, I feel I might want to read the novel, but I understand it is rather long, and so is my reading list! I would say that if you aren’t a person who hates movies made from your favorite books, give this one a watch - just let it wash over you. My final comment is: I really like the Boris character, who drops into the action a couple of times. Where is his movie? Hmm, maybe he shows up more in the book. Sigh, okay, it goes onto my reading list. read more

I really don't see why this got quite such a kicking from the critics. Ansel Elgort, Jeffrey Wright and Nicole Kidman put a good effort into a tale that hinges on the impact of one single, tragic, moment in time and of the subsequent consequences. The characters visibly evolve throughout the film an ... d it flows in an interesting and absorbing fashion. It is a wee bit too long and perhaps some more judicious pruning of the original - rather lengthy - book might have been in order. That said, the screenplay does hold true to the book in all the essentials and really this is well worth a watch. read more