“SKumm’s Thoughts” - MOLLY’S GAME

“SKumm’s Thoughts”

MOLLY’S GAME (2017, R, 140 minutes, STX ENTERTAINMENT/ENTERTAINMENT ONE)

I like Aaron Sorkin’s brain.

The genius screenwriter behind A FEW GOOD MEN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and MONEYBALL finally takes a seat in the director’s chair, and serves up a film that isn’t too bad for a first outing.  Here, Sorkin relates the true-life tale of Molly Bloom, a woman who ran the most elite poker games the East and West coasts have ever seen.  But when she gets arrested and the Feds decide to prosecute, it is Molly’s staunch hold over the names of the people involved that becomes the focus—mostly due to the fact that she refuses to release any of those names.

Jessica Chastain (INTERSTELLAR, THE MARTIAN) does an exceptional job with the role, making Molly strong and confident while on the job, and sweetly innocent in her defiance of the wrongs being done against her.  There is a tenderness underneath that gruff exterior; this is a woman whose independence is just as important as her freedom is, and she’s smart enough to keep you on your toes.  Her attorney is played by Idris Elba—seriously, was a prettier film released this year?  With Sorkin’s brain, Elba’s chiseled good looks, and Chastain’s ever-present cleavage, this movie should be a precursor to sex, even if there isn’t any in the film.

And by switching up the typical style of storytelling, Sorkin reveals himself to be as thoughtful of a director as he is a writer.  Told in flashbacks (mostly from her attorney’s office) and narrated by Bloom, this is the type of element that would have made BLOW a better film.  Even the recent AMERICAN MADE would have fared better had the director thought to tell the story in the same manner Sorkin does—in fact, Hollywood needs to make him an honorary Celluloid Feng Shui Expert.  While many other films can get hung up on and have to take giant narrative leaps to keep a certain flow going, Sorkin seems to pull it off naturally.  There are no road bumps, no stumbling moments in the storyline that do not feel natural.

Kevin Costner, Brian d’Arcy James, and Michael Cera are all standouts, but the scene stealer of the film (besides that swooping neckline) is Chris O’Dowd, who seems to make every movie that he is in better just because of his inclusion.  While Chastain is a strong enough presence to carry the film herself, the rest of the cast is in top form; usually, you see this type of acting when it is a former actor doing the directing, but lately authors have made for more heartfelt directors.  Stephen Chobsky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” would have been an entirely different movie, had the writer not directed the film himself.  So it is here—every character seems fleshed out, each is their own person.  With your typical ensemble, everyone is doing their damnedest to stand out.  Here, each character has meaning.

The only issues I have with the film involve Mr. Sorkin’s visual eye.  With the aid of cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen (FENCES, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN), Mr. Sorkin captures the prestige of the games, and the solemnity of the courtroom.  A sweeping chase (of sorts) in an ice skating rink, and the thrill of downhill skiing, add little thrilling moments to the events taking place.  Yet at times they feel subversive, and detract from the visual style of storytelling Mr. Sorkin has engaged.  It isn’t enough to derail the picture, or even the narrative itself.  They are necessary elements to the story, but aren’t consistent enough to help define a solid visual style.

This is certainly a movie worth seeing, if not for the story itself, then to see Mr. Sorkin’s first time behind the lens.  With as good as this outing was, I suspect his next will be even better.

Grade: B+

-- T.S. Kummelman

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2016, R, 112 minutes, DREAMWORKS)

Kenneth Branagh wants you to know that he is a man of many talents.

Early in his film career, he was the go-to Shakespeare guy; he cemented this status with four on-screen portrayals, only one of which (OTHELLO) he did not direct himself.  That’s the other thing—Kenneth Branagh wants you to know that he is in charge, and that, while he is, thou shalt be entertained.  If you think about it, just about anything he directs has a Shakespearean overtone to it; from the noir-ish DEAD AGAIN to 2011’s first and best THOR, you get the feeling that everything he puts on screen is a wee bit… bourgeoisie.

And it is certainly not a feeling lost with MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.  Even on a train, Mr. Branagh captures that elitist groove—although the story itself is a tale of high society gone wicked.  The classic Agatha Christie tale centers on detective Hercule Poirot, who at the urging of an acquaintance, has hopped aboard the Orient Express.  Also on the train is Catwoman, a Jedi, Captain Jack Sparrow, Olaf, M, and the Green Goblin (not apologizing—that was a whole lot easier than listing every member of the ensemble cast) (and a lot more fun).  When one of the fellow passengers gets bumped off, Poirot steps in to solve the murder.

Rest assured, this locked-door-mystery is in good hands.  No one interprets source material better than a serious Shakespearean actor, and Mr. Branagh’s Poirot is a wonder to watch.  His brain is a curiosity, although if you notice some similarities to Benedict Cumberbatch’s “Sherlock”, don’t let it dissuade you from appreciating the intricacies of the Belgian character.  Poirot is friendlier, and his methods a bit more psychologically involved.  Everyone else, on the other hand, seems more like window dressing.  Each character (with the exceptions of Josh “Olaf” Gad’s Hector MacQueen and Leslie Odom Jr.’s Dr. Arbuthnot are all one-stroke facets of humanity.  I understand that character development in a movie with this much star-power is a lot to ask for, but the audience should be given the opportunity to care about more than one character.

MURDER is by no means a bad film; it is entertaining, will keep you guessing until the end (unless you’ve read the book, of course), and has moments of humor that are honest and quite amusing.  The special features are a must; besides the deleted scenes, there is a look into the Poirot character himself (not to mention that magnificent mustache) and a doc on the wonderful score by Patrick Doyle (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES).  Also included is a twenty-minute introspective concerning Christie and the effect her works had on people and society—from a writer’s standpoint (I write, therefor I AM), this is a fantastic addition to the accoutrements that accompany the film.

Up next for Branagh and Poirot will be Christie’s “Death on the Nile”.  While there have been no cast announcements besides that of Mr. Branagh, I’m sure we will see another eclectic set of actors; the interesting thing to see will be whether they are all given the same chance to shine.

Film Grade: B

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Recommended

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: ANNIHILATION

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 

on ANNIHILATION (2018, 115 minutes, R)

The Quick of It -

Some movies are just that, celluloid that flickers onto a silver screen.  Well… it used to.  More modernized these days. 

Damn old-age tangents…

Anyways, some films can have an impact beyond the words and imagery that dance on the silver screen.  ANNIHILATION is one such film for me.  It won’t be for everyone, but for me it was a welcomed visionary tale.  Again, this may not be as mainstream as most would appreciate, but I think ARRIVAL has helped to bridge those less-likely audience members to consider making the trip to the theater.  And, I will say ARRIVAL is a good example of what you will get from ANNIHILATION.

Director and screenplay writer Alex Garland (of EX MACHINA, DREDD, and the riveting 28 DAYS LATER) grabbed onto Jeff VanderMeer’s book by the same name, which won a prestigious Nebula Award, and transitioned something worthy of much deeper thought.  The story centers on Lena, played by Natalie Portman, who is a professor of biology at Johns Hopkins University.  A year has past after her husband, a US Army soldier, has not returned from a clandestine mission.  The beginning does a fine job of establishing her depression and grief from the experience, as well as a tone for sights and sounds you are to experience throughout.  Then, as she is filling her time to forget for the briefest of moments, he walks through the door.  Though, he is not the person she remembers.  Those who understand what the ‘hundred mile stare’ is, this is 10-times worse for him.  Now she only has questions… about him, about herself, and about what happened.

After a whirlwind of events, Lena finds herself looking over the balcony of a secret base at what is termed ‘The Shimmer’.  Her husband is experiencing organ failure and all she can do is think about what is beyond this barrier that caused him to come back so broken… and a few other motivations and conflicts swirled in.  She joins four others, a strong and highly impactful team, to discover the truth.  Unfortunately, I cannot elaborate since so much can be spoiled with just the slightest hint of what they experience.

The best way to give you a gauge is by comparing it to ARRIVAL.  A strong female role surrounded by other very capable actresses.  Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dr. Ventress is the weakest, but fills a needed sense of the psychological significance and impact of the people and the desperate state of the mission.  Also, as a mirror, a way to look inward to discover hidden truths.  The team is rounded out with Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, and Tessa Thompson.  Even though the shelled characters are simple stereotypes, they brought a depth those shallow shells that made you root for their survival on this ‘perceived’ suicide mission. 

As with ARRIVAL, the tone is consistent and emotionally charged on a deeper level.  You are barraged by emotional bouts of depression, loneliness, and hopelessness.  The genius in this is how those scenes of striking beauty and utter horror hit you that much harder.  On the finer level of cinematography, as with ‘The Shimmer’, special shots are made to show distortion in the normal moments.  Through a glass of water.  Off a reflection.  With angles and levels of depth.  A creative way to deliver a visualization of what is happening that the book could not provide.  As the story unfolds, you realize the many layers included in the chosen title, the true motivations behind the characters, and the eventual conclusions derived from the inexplicable events.

ANNILATION will probably not garner the attention of my forced similarity ARRIVAL has received but it has merit, something not to quickly dismiss.  This is one you would want to bring a friend and talk about and explore what you saw, or didn’t see.

Grade: A-