Review: Molly's Game (2017)

* * *
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba

If there's one thing you can say for Aaron Sorkin, it's that you have to go out of your way to feel bored watching one of his stories unfold. That's because there's so much going on and everything is moving so fast. Molly's Game, his latest and his directorial debut, runs to almost 2 and a half hours but it doesn't feel nearly that long because it's told in such a nimble, dialogue and incident packed fashion. It also manages the impressive feat of making poker, which may be an interesting game to play but isn't a particularly interesting game to watch, feel entertaining from the distance of an observer (though that may be because while there's a lot of talk about poker in the movie, there's not necessarily a lot of time spent watching it). While Sorkin, a writer known for dynamic screenplays, hasn't historically been celebrated for his ability to write female characters, he's been gifted here with a real life person with a compelling story, and an actress who is so at home reciting his sharp, rapid-fire prose that it feels as if she's already been doing it for a lifetime.

Review: The Mountain Between Us (2017)

* *
Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Starring: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba

I'll answer the two most important questions first: Yes, the dog lives. As a matter of fact, I left the theater convinced that the dog is immortal because nothing takes him down, but try telling that to Kate Winslet's character, who sends Idris Elba's to look for the dog each time it runs off. Second, yes, they do it. How often does a movie put two people that attractive together and not have them get into bed? Now that you know that, you can probably skip it at the theater and catch it when it shows up on your preferred streaming service or when it ends up on TV. It's not a bad movie, but it's definitely the kind of movie that probably plays best when it's raining outside and you have nothing else to keep yourself entertained with.

Review: Beasts of No Nation (2015)

* * * 1/2
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Abraham Attah, Idris Elba

While the great thing about the release strategy for Beasts of No Nation, which was made available on Netflix simultaneously with its theatrical release, is that more people will be able to see it right away (because, let's face it, even if a bunch of theater chains weren't boycotting it because of it being available already on Netflix, a small budget drama about a child soldier was probably never going to get a very wide theatrical release), the unfortunate thing is that most of us will see on a small screen scenes which were made for a big screen. The story may be an intimate one, but the vistas captured by Cary Fukunaga, who takes on cinematography duties in addition to writing and directing, are truly grand. Above all, Beasts of No Nation is a stunning looking film, though it's the content, not the look, that brings it just within reach of greatness.