Molly’s Game (2017)

Molly’s Game (2017)

7/10

Starring

Jessica Chastain

Idris Elba

Kevin Costner

Directed by Aaron Sorkin

If you want to be intrigued, fascinated, and moved by the actions of a real-life person of integrity, watch Molly’s Game.
Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut) directed and wrote an adaptation that sails so smoothly between current events, events from two years ago, and Molly’s childhood that it feels like you’re living inside Molly’s head.
We get to experience her life, which started as a professional skier, then drifted into her role as the woman in charge of high-stakes poker games where millions are won or lost. Finally, we see her in the present, struggling with no money and her back against the wall as she faces off with the government.

The movie is based on the biography of Molly Bloom, who organized poker games.
It starts with Molly’s introduction as a young woman being pushed by her father to become the best skier she can be.
Molly’s life is hampered by a bad spine, but her father’s relentless behavior shapes her character, instilling in her a determination to never give up on being the best.

After a nasty fall during a competitive skiing event, Molly moves on with her life, leaving skiing behind. This involves moving out of her parents’ home and working as a waitress.
She later lands a job working for a man who introduces her to a poker game he runs with wealthy celebrities and businessmen.

When her relationship with her boss sours, she decides to start her own game using the money she’s saved and with the help of one of the celebrities, named Player-X in the movie (notably inspired by Tobey Maguire, with a mix of Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck). She poaches some of her boss’s players, and the game becomes a huge success—until Player-X starts demanding more attention and wants her to raise the stakes. Molly refuses, which ends her professional relationship with Player-X and ultimately her game.

Not one to give up easily, Molly moves to New York and starts a new game. At first, she struggles to keep things afloat because the stakes are higher. To balance things out and turn a profit, she allows more players to join, including men from the mob—against her better judgment. Her house of cards grows bigger, starts to wobble, and teeters on the edge of collapse, with her life now at stake.

Sorkin’s adaptation earned him nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Writers Guild of America Awards, and BAFTA. But none of this recognition would have been possible without Jessica Chastain.
Her performance is to die for and could arguably be her best yet. My admiration for her work is shared by the Golden Globes, where she was nominated for Best Actress – Drama.
The movie did moderately well at the box office but was well-received by critics and audiences alike.

I can guarantee that when you watch this movie, you’ll admire Molly’s personality and be left wondering: if faced with such a dilemma, would you do the same?

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

7/10

  

Starring

Bruce Willis

Damon Wayans

Directed by Tony Scott

The Last Boy Scout—what a fun movie and one you’ll enjoy watching.
Now, it is not one of the classic 90s movie, that is always a gem any time you see it, but it can survive a watch. It has the typical clichés we see in buddy movies, which is understandable since the screenplay was written by Shane Black, who also wrote the Lethal Weapon series. It was produced by Joel Silver, who worked with Shane Black on the Lethal Weapon series and with Bruce Willis on the first two Die Hard films.

The movie has its own unique style, and while the chemistry between Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans isn’t perfect, this explosive and violent thriller will keep you glued to your seat as the story unfolds. The late Tony Scott (the director) didn’t include as much comedy as I would have expected, but he made up for it with a thrilling ride full of surprises I didn’t see coming.

The movie’s plot starts with an odd beginning during a halftime American football game. A running back gets a call urging him to win at all costs. The man takes some pills, gets back into the game, receives the ball, and while running toward the touchline, pulls out a gun and shoots members of the opposing team.
Here’s the weird thing: this whole scene doesn’t have much to do with the rest of the film, but it serves to introduce the owner of the team the running back plays for.

Our main star, Bruce Willis, plays Joseph, a former Secret Service agent turned private investigator. Joseph is hired by a stripper to protect her, as she suspects her life is in danger.
She’s right—her boyfriend, Jimmy (Damon Wayans), a former NFL player banned for gambling and drug use, thinks he’s capable of protecting her. He lures her away from Joseph, which leads to her death.

Now, Joseph decides to see things through to the end and find out who killed his client and his best friend. His best friend was the one who gave him the job, though he didn’t tell Joseph about the trouble he was in by getting involved. Joseph discovers his best friend’s plan to have him killed, but the plan backfires, and Joseph’s best friend ends up dead instead.

This movie didn’t do well at the box office at all, failing to even recoup its budget. Still, I enjoyed it, and I believe you will too if you take the time to watch it.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

7/10 

Starring

Mark Hamill

Carrie Fisher

Adam Driver

Daisy Ridley

Directed by Rian Johnson

I delayed seeing this movie because of the mixed feedback it got after its release (even though it made over $1.3 billion at the box office). Some called it a good space drama, while others said it was a bad addition to the new trilogy. After watching the movie, I don’t agree with the latter. This is a solid space drama, and Star Wars: Episode VIII is better than some of the previous films. It doesn’t deserve the negative press it got from fans.

Contains Spoilers

Was the movie different? Yes, it was! It focused more on answering old riddles, filling in gaps from the past, giving Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) a fitting ending, and preparing us for the farewell of the last of the three greats, General Leia.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens set the stage with the passing of Han Solo (Harrison Ford). His death marked the full transformation of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) to the dark side, much like the killing of the young Jedi served as the birth of his grandfather, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker.
The new Jedi in this mix, Rey (Daisy Ridley), meets the last Jedi Master, Luke, to train her as she prepares to face Kylo. This is how The Force Awakens ended.

This movie further strengthens the idea of the new trio of young characters, who could potentially have future movies centered around them as they continue the fight for freedom.

It picks up where the last one left off, with Rey meeting Luke Skywalker. Luke is hesitant to train her at first, fearing that he alone caused Kylo Ren’s turn to the dark side.
He changes his mind after R2-D2 plays him a clip from the past.

On the other side, Leia and her Rebel allies are struggling to escape the First Order. Kylo, too, faces his own battles as Supreme Leader Snoke pressures him over his defeat by a novice.

These are the major themes the movie focuses on, and it doesn’t stray from any of them. All three storylines unfold simultaneously, and the director does a great job of weaving them together.

When you watch this movie, you’ll feel the sadness I did when you see Carrie Fisher play Leia for the last time—not because her character was killed off like her counterparts (Han Solo and Luke Skywalker), but because death took her from us in real life.
She passed away, and this movie was released posthumously. The final Star Wars movie was meant to be her last, as they were planning to write her character out, just as they did with the other two leaders of the rebellion.

This Star Wars movie deserves to stand alongside the rest, if not above some of them. The CGI is well done, the pacing is excellent, and the storyline is strong.

Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Begins (2005)

6/10

Starring

Christian Bale

Michael Caine

Liam Neeson

Morgan Freeman

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Batman Begins is not that great of a movie, I’ll have to say. It scrapes by as just okay.
I re-watched the movie, thinking that maybe I didn’t enjoy it the first time because I didn’t give the long introduction and buildup a chance.
This time, I listened carefully and let it build, but I still got the same vibe I had when I saw the third movie in the series, The Dark Knight Rises (2012). That one was also just okay, like this one.

To me, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy only produced one standout film: The Dark Knight (2008). The movies before and after feel like they’re just tying up loose ends—something I wouldn’t have minded leaving undone.

Batman Begins truly is the beginning of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. You have to endure the long road before Bruce (Christian Bale) finally dons the suit. What I really appreciated, though, is the introduction of someone like Fox (Morgan Freeman).
It’s hard to believe that Bruce and Alfred could have come up with all the gadgets and machines on their own without external help.
Christopher Nolan covered that plot hole by introducing a third party. Fox’s role is to create the suit, and as we see throughout the trilogy, he becomes Bruce Wayne’s Q (like James Bond’s gadget-maker).

After the death of his parents, Bruce grows up under the care of Alfred (Michael Caine). Eventually, he lets his anger and fear get the best of him and runs away to find himself.
He immerses himself in the underworld, fighting to survive and hoping to understand—and defeat—the life of criminals. It’s there that he meets a man.

This man is a member of the League of Shadows, led by Ra’s al Ghul. He introduces Bruce to the League, where Bruce learns martial arts and other skills to defend himself and take on criminals.
When the time comes for him to become a full-fledged member, Bruce can’t bring himself to do what’s required. His actions lead to the death of some League members, including Ra’s al Ghul.

Bruce returns to Gotham and, with the help of Alfred and Fox, begins his vigilante journey as Batman.
He tries to clean up Gotham, going after corrupt cops and uncovering a plot to poison the city—only to discover that the mastermind behind it all is Ra’s al Ghul, the man he thought was dead.
Now, he must face his demons.

The movie serves as the necessary foundation for Nolan to build The Dark Knight (2008) upon, and for that reason—and that reason alone—I believe this movie deserves a 6/10.