GONE GIRL (Rated R)

No, I haven’t read the book. Just about everybody else, it would seem, has devoured Gillian Flynn’s thriller novel “Gone Girl” with exceptional passion.

My reading preferences tilt primarily to nonfiction, everything from politics and history to sports and culture.

Apparently, I am missing out on the Gillian Flynn phenomenon, and as a result, I am unable to form an opinion as to whether the screenplay is faithful to the book.

The educated guess is that the film is, indeed, true to the source material, if for no other reason than Flynn adapted her story for the big screen.

“Gone Girl” is directed by David Fincher, whose resume includes films from “Fight Club” to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Amusingly, the press notes don’t mention his extensive biography, only pointing out that Fincher directs movies, television, commercials and music videos, with the caveat that “he hopes that people like them, but if they don’t, it is not for lack of effort.”

Lack of effort is not a problem for Fincher’s “Gone Girl,” nor is it an impediment for the actors, with Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, front and center as married couple Nick and Amy Dunne, the latter a semi-celebrity for having been the inspiration for a popular series of children’s novels in which she’s known as Amazing Amy.

The origin story for Amy and Nick Dunne begins in New York, when their attraction to each other plays out with a sexual intensity that seems a little perverse, as if their acts of passion foretell trouble ahead at some point.

In one of many flashbacks, we see them engaged in a quick tryst in a dark corner of a public library.

The early years of marriage were apparently blissful, with Nick a major magazine writer and Amy gliding along as the sexed-up “cool girl” who never developed her own persona as the result of growing up in the long shadow of her alter-ego, the impossibly perfect “Amazing Amy.” And yet, her nebulous identity looms large when the mystery kicks in.

In the present day, Nick and Amy have relocated to his Missouri hometown, drawn to the Midwest for family reasons and due to the economic downturn, which has caused Amy to leverage her trust fund into a highly-mortgaged property in a town for which she has little interest for the long term.

Meanwhile, Nick is teaching at a local college and running a local tavern with his supportive sister Margo (Carrie Coon), a refreshingly opinionated straight-talker who has her brother’s back when the going gets tough.

And the going gets tough rather quickly on the occasion of the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, when Nick comes home after a morning walk and visit to his bar.

He finds broken furniture and signs of a struggle. His wife is missing and nothing suggests her vanishing is not out of the ordinary.

Two local detectives (Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit) are on the case, and at first, they treat Nick’s concern for his missing wife with fitting belief. After traces of blood are found on the kitchen floor, Nick becomes the prime suspect.

To make matters worse, within a matter of a few days, Amy’s disappearance becomes the object of media frenzy and the townsfolk volunteer for search parties and candlelight vigils.

In the public eye, Nick comes across as a husband not sufficiently apprehensive about his missing wife.

The negative power of tabloid journalism comes impressively to the fore when a national TV talk show host (Missy Pyle) endlessly speculates about Nick’s culpability in the unexplained departure of an attractive woman who is a sympathetic figure, no doubt as the result of her literary alter-ego’s continuing popularity.

On the other hand, Nick’s media persona is not pretty. He appears somewhat petulant and resentful, holding back secrets.

Moreover, his relationship with Amy’s parents is distant and vaguely hostile. Appearing at a vigil in front of a large missing poster with Amy’s picture, Nick is more uncomfortable than appropriately distraught.

Public opinion moves swiftly to confirm the suspicion of the police that Nick is the culprit. The two detectives take great interest in Amy’s diary, which paints an unflattering picture of Nick’s past behavior.

The media storm becomes even more intense when Nick has no other choice than to hire high-powered defense attorney Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry).

Even a sharp lawyer is unable to keep Nick from flailing in the media spotlight. On the other hand, Amy’s vanishing becomes a kind of hall of mirrors in which tantalizing and savage secrets lead to more of the same.

At this point, it would be impossible to say more about what is happening for fear of disclosing any of the many twists and turns that hold real surprises.

“Gone Girl” offers many questions: Who is Nick? Who is Amy? How did they come to this state of affairs in only five years of marriage?

The film has plenty of voice-overs that offer both Nick and Amy the opportunity to put forth their sides of the story.

“Gone Girl” is a riveting multidimensional mystery thriller, alternately perverse and disturbing and chilling in the depravity of bloody events that are shocking and astounding.

“Gone Girl” is likely to be as appealing to movie audiences as to readers of the best-selling novel.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum in Kelseyville hosts the next First Sunday of the Month Fiddlers Jam on Oct. 5.

Although there will be fiddlers galore, you are likely to find some guitars, a bass, a mandolin or two, an accordion, an autoharp, or even a drummer.

It’s always a surprise who shows up to play and from what communities they have come. 

In September there were 15 musicians and more than 100 people in the audience.

Celebrating Americana music, you will be treated to “old timey” tunes and some singalongs. Come ready to clap your hands, tap your toes, and get up and dance.

The fun begins at the museum at 11 a.m. with the fiddlers playing in the barn from noon through 2 p.m.

Donations benefit the Ely Stage Stop and the Old Time Fiddlers Association.

This free, family friendly event can be enjoyed by all, young and old alike.

Come early to enjoy all of the latest museum acquisitions and displays. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on one of our beautiful picnic tables. 

Buy tickets for the next table to be raffled off and also for a surprise basket to be raffled during the fiddling that day.

Enjoy the music with beverages and tasty treats provided by the docents. Bring your own wine and sip it in Ely Stage Stop wine glasses that are available for purchase.

The stage stop, operated by the Lake County Historical Society, is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Highway 281) in Kelseyville.

Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Fiddlers Jams occur the first Sunday of every month.

Visit www.elystagestop.com or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Main Street Gallery invites you to join other art lovers to an exciting First Friday Fling reception on Oct. 3, when the gallery will feature new work from five artists.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the gallery, 325 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

Featured this month include the winner of the Kelseyville Pear Festival Poster Contest, Ruth Morgan, who is showing her whimsical three-dimensional and wall art.

Richard Schmidt has wonderfully executed paintings of cowpokes displayed with his handcrafted barn wood frames.

Debbie Jorgenson delights the eye with her delicate work in pastels, while, Marcie Long’s art is a contrast of large and colorful paintings.

Carolyn Hawley returns with an astounding collection of varied art forms.

Continuing in the gallery are Terry Durnil with paintings that capture the heart of the Western landscape and its people in pastels and acrylics, and Jack Southwick, who works his magic in expressive acrylic paintings.

Also continuing in the October show are Judy Cardinale with beautifully executed landscapes and “critters”; Stephen Rotter with work in pastels, photograph and sculpture; and Susan Johnson with paintings in pastels and watercolor.

Rounding out the show are the fine drawings, paintings and three-dimensional art of Peter Shandera and the large abstract work of Shelby Posada in mixed media.

“Autumn in Lake County” is October’s theme show in the Linda Carpenter Student Gallery.

Also on display will be a few pieces of art from the estates of Samuil Marcu, Stephen Seitz and Gerald Thompson to entice you to the upcoming auction to be held at the Soper Reese Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Meet the artists and enjoy the fine flavors of Red Lava Wines while Michael Barrish will entertain with sounds of “Original Country.”

For more information call the gallery at 707-263-6658.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Friday, Oct. 3, Watershed Books will host award-winning local author, Steve Bartholomew, as his latest work, “The Inventor,” is celebrated. 

A tale of old San Francisco, “The Inventor” tells of Jeremy Fantom, a disgruntled cub reporter whose life is changed when he meets Worrell, the strange inventor and his beautiful daughter Hollyhock.

Steve Bartholomew will be at Watershed Books, 305 N. Main St. from 3 to 5 p.m., with readings, good conversation and refreshments.

Then join festivities at Main Street Gallery's First Friday Fling at 325 N. Main.

For more information call 707-263-5787.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – To celebrate the 50th anniversary of California Poets in the Schools, Redbud Library in Clearlake will host Michele Krueger, a published poet and Lake County’s coordinator for the poets program at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1.

School-age children are invited to the free program which will feature readings by children.

California Poets in the Schools says that it has been “inspiring children’s imaginations since 1964. CPITS is one of the nation’s largest literary artists-in-schools programs, cultivating children’s creativity through poetry writing & performance.”

The Web site www.cpits.org has more information about California Poets in the Schools and its programs.

Redbud Library is located at 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearlake. It's open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 7 p.m.

The library can be reached at telephone 707-994-5115, and online at http://library.co.lake.ca.us or www.Facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (Rated R)

Ever since the 2008 release of “Taken” created a new action hero in an ex-soldier tracking down vile Albanian slave masters who had kidnapped his daughter, Liam Neeson has perfected the role of a tough guy capable of handling danger and dispensing with bad guys.

While waiting for “Taken 3” to arrive at the cinemas, Neeson detours slightly from his action hero path in the more nuanced role of an alcoholic former cop who seeks redemption in a more unorthodox manner, namely helping dubious clients who have been wrongfully aggrieved.
 
“A Walk Among the Tombstones,” based on Lawrence Block’s best-selling series of mystery novels, suggests a new franchise opportunity for Liam Neeson, this time as unlicensed private investigator Matt Scudder, working just outside the law.

Set in 1999 New York, when fear of impending Y2K doom gripped the headlines, Neeson’s Matt Scudder is a borderline Luddite who doesn’t own a cell phone and is unfamiliar with the tools afforded by the Internet. He’s old school in many ways, but at least he’s ditched his addiction to alcohol by faithfully attending AA meetings.

A prologue to the story involves the then-boozing Matt as an off-duty NYPD cop giving chase to some bad guys that ends in a shootout on busy city streets that goes so horribly wrong that he gives up alcohol and his badge.

Now practicing detective work without a permit, Matt works off the books for people who can’t go the police or to anybody legitimate.

As Matt puts it, he does favors for people and in return they give him gifts, which typically involve wads of cash stuffed in plain envelopes.

Peter Kristo (Boyd Holbrook), a recovering drug addict attending the same AA meetings as Matt, seeks the help of the private eye to hunt down the men who kidnapped and brutally murdered the wife of his brother Kenny (Dan Stevens), a heroin trafficker living in an expensive townhouse in Brooklyn.

Initially hesitant to get involved in the case, Matt changes his mind after learning more horrific details about a needless crime.

Kenny paid a hefty ransom only to have his wife tortured and murdered by the psychopaths and left in the trunk of an abandoned car. The grieving Kenny wants retribution and no official police involvement.

Another female victim, her body cut up into pieces and stuffed into trash bags, is soon discovered in the bucolic park-like setting of Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery, a location that figures prominently in the film’s climactic scene.

As Matt is drawn deeper into a quest to find the vicious serial killers, he gets unlikely help from black teenager TJ (Brian “Astro” Bradley), who spends a lot of time in the library because he’s homeless. An aspiring sleuth, TJ helps Matt to do research and tags along during the investigation.

During the course of his sleuthing, Matt encounters the creepy groundskeeper of the cemetery who seems to know more than he’s willing to tell. Then there’s the dealer and wannabe actor and model who may well be implicated in the abduction of his girlfriend.

The trail eventually leads to a pair of sick degenerates, the odd couple of Ray (David Harbour) and Albert (Adam David Thompson), who play a sadistic cat-and-mouse game with Matt, which becomes even more intense with their next kidnapping.

The serial killers target victims whose family members are drug dealers or shady characters that would never seek the help of law enforcement. Thus, Ray and Albert snatch the young daughter of a Russian drug dealer (Sebastian Roche) and seek a million dollar ransom.

In this case, Matt becomes involved in negotiating the terms of the young girl’s release, but knowing their real intentions, he deliberately taunts the killers, namely to throw them off their usual game and bring the battle to his own familiar turf.

“A Walk Among the Tombstones” may be best described as a contemporary film noir, updating the style popularized in 1940s cinema. From the creepy nighttime scenes in the cemetery to seedy Brooklyn neighborhoods, the film achieves the kind of dark environment that was once a staple of this genre. 

Atmosphere goes a long way to delivering the chilling effects that make “A Walk Among the Tombstones” a compelling crime drama. The viewer is warned that the killers are viciously sadistic and the notion that they mutilate their female victims is repellent and greatly disturbing.

Of course, we can count on Liam Neeson to make things right in the end, delivering the necessary justice demanded by the circumstances, even though the tone of this film is not on a par with the vengeance doled out in “Taken.”  

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.