Gerald's Game (2017)

Simply Perfect

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Worth the watch. But not for the Marvel/Star Wars crowd. As you can probably tell from the reviews, there were not enough explosions or CGI to keep most people entertained.

During my blast of reading all that was Stephen King in the mid-90's, I remember this novel as being the latest, up to that point, piece of writing I got my hands on before going into retirement as it were. I remember the yarn being well told but as you read most of King's output you start getting set pieces or plot through lines you've read before. Rabid dog on the loose, Cujo, check, incapacitated bed occupant, Misery, check & traumatic event occurring on the day of a solar eclipse, Dolores Clairbourne, check anew. We now have the filmed version of Gerald's Game whereby a loveless married couple trying to rekindle their union w/a pair of handcuffs soon open the floodgates of calamity & terrifying claustrophobia. Sparsely acted & directed, the film works in fits & starts w/the bedroom scenes near soundless except for the seemingly unending dialogue which paints things a little much the obvious. The denouement involving a mysterious bogeyman feels forced & unnecessary given everything else which has come before that it threatens to capsize the entirety of the exercise.

After watching the trailer I thought "well, now I've seen the whole movie without even having to watch it", but HELL NO!! This is definitely a psychological thriller that invokes fear, panic, and a touch of nausea just for what this poor woman is going through. The story is so much bigger than you imagine.?It's not necessarily gory but there are a few seconds that are look away scenes...The acting was superb and the storyline is new and fresh...I was a huge Stephen King fan growing up but fell off the Castle Rock wagon a while ago and didn't even know he was behind this madness until I read the reviews after watching this movie. Maybe it's because I usually like his books better and didn't know this was his going in since I never read it. Definitely two thumbs up

I was recommended to watch this, having being informed on the twisted craziness in the plot. It lived up to my expectations although at certain points the random conversations did get draggy despite majority of the conversations were required to make the scenes solid and how the MC spiraling down the madness of her own thoughts and dreams. I would suggest watching this with the mindset of being in the MC's shoes and it will really makes you grasp how real and unreal everything our mind conjures up to be, which made up the intensity of the movie. There was no frill and all that matter is how strong your survival instinct is and your ability to stay sane in such situation. Although I must say in a way like the MC, there really was not any comprehension on how certain things fell into place that led to the ending (can't explain much without spoiling) but in reality, real life, it is happening too so why not in movie.