Thursday Movie Picks - Gaslighting

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This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves really loves you. It loves you so much, no one else will. You can't love another theme. Remember? You said you'd only love this one....that's right, we're gaslighting this week. Bring on the Lifetime movies.


1) The Invisible Man - Gaslighting so harsh it ends up being a literal man in an invisible suit. This is a great thriller and honestly I think of the initial escape sequence in this film a lot. It's so effective. 


2) Changeling - I will almost always give a Clint Eastwood joint a hard pass, except for this one. I love this movie. It has a frustrating case of gaslighting against its main character but I was engrossed the entire time.


3) Girl on the Train - I'm still bitter that this film didn't live up to the book's high expectation, but hot mess Rachel's boozy nature leaves her vulnerable to a LOT of gaslighting. 

 

Comments

  1. SJHoneywellMarch 24, 2022 at 10:53 AM

    I love this version of The Invisible Man and still think that after the year Elisabeth Moss had in 2020 (she also did Shirley) that she was the biggest snub from that Oscars.

    I need to catch up with Girl on the Train.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMarch 25, 2022 at 7:42 AM

      At least Moss has some Emmy love. I struggle with her because I think she's an amazing actress, but she's a Scientologist and that really bothers me.

      Delete
  2. BirgitMarch 24, 2022 at 11:03 AM

    I have not seen the first or 3rd one but we match with your second. I really liked Jolie in this part and it shows her worth as an actress. To know this was a true case just makes me shudder that she was placed in a mental ward because the police didn’t want her to continue talking. Eastwood can have some great movies he directed, many are westerns but I think you would love Play Misty For Me and I like Gran Torino. The one film that sucked is about the tsunami from Indonesia starring Matt Damon. I was expecting something really good but it was so bloody boring and dead before the end.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMarch 25, 2022 at 7:42 AM

      The actual case behind Changeling is so gross. I hate men. lol

      Delete
  3. WandererMarch 24, 2022 at 4:09 PM

    I picked The Invisible Man too. I immediately thought of making Gaslighting as a TMP theme when I saw the movie.

    I haven't seen Girl on the Train but have read the book. The book was soo buzzy but it was a letdown for me so I don't have much expectation for the movie either.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMarch 25, 2022 at 7:41 AM

      I really liked the book, but the film just didn't capture me the way the book did. Changing the setting didn't help either.

      Delete
  4. thevoid99March 24, 2022 at 4:20 PM

    We share a pick with Changeling as I think it's one of Eastwood's underrated films as it's a film I still love to watch. That period from Mystic River to this film. Honestly, what filmmaker wouldn't want to have that kind of streak in their resume. Invisible Man is an amazing film and way better than I thought it would be. Girl on the Train was OK but Emily Blunt is great in the film.

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    1. Brittani BurnhamMarch 25, 2022 at 7:40 AM

      I'd like to re-watch Changeling now as well. My only complaint with that film was Jeffery Donovan and his changing accent.

      Delete
  5. joel65913March 24, 2022 at 10:02 PM

    I wanted to like The Invisible Man so much more than I did. I'm not the biggest Elizabeth Moss fan but I was doing okay with it until the finale and then her character's actions were so counter to everything she'd done up to that point (as well as her friend's) I soured me on the entire film. I do have a strong memory of going to see the film though, it was the last one I saw in an actual theatre before the pandemic shut everything down and I haven't been back since.

    Changeling's main problem was that it needed a sharper edit for the story to cohere in a more compelling manner but Angelina Jolie gave a very fine performance. She was my main takeaway from the picture.

    I was curious about Girl on a Train when it came out but so many people have said it was a disappointment I never bothered to track it down.

    My first thought was the very obvious, but also very good, Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and a baby Angela Lansbury in her first film (and her first Oscar nomination). I've also seen the original English version also called Gaslight which wasn't bad but is rather staid in comparison.

    Also Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte which was supposed to be the Bette Davis/Joan Crawford rematch follow-up to Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, until Joan feigned illness to get out of the film and Olivia de Havilland stepped in.

    Other than that in a much lighter vein there's the Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell Overboard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamMarch 25, 2022 at 7:40 AM

      I should check out Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. You can definitely skip Girl on the Train, I do recommend the book though. It's a good read.

      Delete

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