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Beard Blog Movie Review: Molly’s Game (2017)

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Deal with her.

Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut is the true story behind skier turned poker criminal Molly Bloom. The film is based on the book by Molly Bloom of the same name and it’s referenced throughout the movie as it takes place after the books release. 

Molly bloom
Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I don’t recall a point during the whole movie that I was waiting for something to happen.”[/perfectpullquote]

As always with Sorkin films, there is a lot of intense, descriptive dialogue and Molly’s Game is no different. Idris Elba and Jessica Chastain are great on the screen together as they argue why Molly is not the real criminal. 

The story is told in sort of a flip-flop fashion with the scenes cycling between early in Molly’s life and then after her book was published. This allows the story to be told from Molly’s point of view while her legal issues get worked out on screen.

I don’t recall a point during the whole movie that I was waiting for something to happen. The next scene is beautifully woven into the story as to not leave you hanging. It’s a long movie, but goes by very quick.

Can’t wait to see more movies from the great Aaron Sorkin. This is one of the few films I can’t wait to watch again.

Who should see this movie? Fans of Molly Bloom’s story/book, fans of crime and gambling movies, and those who like Aaron Sorkin’s writing style

Who shouldn’t see this movie? People who find it hard to keep up with Sorkin’s writing style, movie-goers who aren’t into real-life drama tales, or those who can’t sit through a 2.5 hour film.

Score

9 / 10 – Molly’s Game is a well-written, well-acted, true story with all the high stakes of an action movie.

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Spoilers

Caution! Spoilers ahead.

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Star Wars – The Last Jedi (2017)

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Star Wars: Episode VIII

Now that Disney owns the Star Wars franchise we will be treated to a new movie every year for the foreseeable future. In 2015, a new trilogy taking place after the original trilogy, started with The Force Awakens. With so many Star Wars fans having a salty taste in their mouth after the prequel trilogy from the early 00s, everyone was eager for a fresh start. Episode XIII brings us The Last Jedi.

the last Jedi
Luke, Rey, and Kylo

The Last Jedi picks up right where we left off in The Force Awakens with Rey and Luke on some random island planet. That’s about all The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have in common. A new director brings new storytelling and style to the same characters. Rian Johnson lends his talents from directing Looper to Star Wars. The changes he makes are for the better, and hopefully this trend continues. The next episode will be directed by J.J. Abrams again who brought Episode VII to life. We will see how he brings everything together.

Due to the high profile-ness of this movie, I’m not going to go on and on and on about it. If you want to read more, just Google the movie and you can spend the rest of your life reading about rumors, spoilers, theories, and opinions.

However, I will give you my opinion about The Last Jedi, in short.

The Last Jedi was much better than The Force Awakens because we didn’t have to deal with backstories or introduction of characters. This is one of the few times a sequel excels and gets right to the action. We already know and love Rey, Finn, and Poe, so now we get to see them do what they do best, fighting the New Order.

Episode XIII is a great continuation of the story set by The Force Awakens. There are a few points where it could have been better, but that’s not worth mentioning. I’m definitely looking forward to the finale in Episode IX coming in 2019.

Who should see this movie? Star Wars, sci-fi, and Rian Johnson fans.

Who shouldn’t see this movie? Haters of Star Wars and people who aren’t into fake futuristic space tales.

Score

8.5 / 10 – The latest episode of the Star Wars proves that similar stories can be retold in new and better ways.

See more of my movie reviews here

Spoilers

Caution! Spoilers ahead.

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Beard Blog Movie Review: Jigsaw (2017)

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A new game begins.

A 10 year later sequel to the original Saw movies, Jigsaw reignites the series. A new game is being played, but who is running the show? Jigsaw (John Kramer) has been dead for 10 years, or has he?

jigsaw-movie
Billy the puppet

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Jigsaw stays true to its roots and delivers the twists and turns we have come to love from this genre.[/perfectpullquote]

 

 

 

 

My favorite horror movie series Saw is back and I feel better about it than I did the last time a sequel was made. There were some points during the movie where I saw bad acting and plot holes, but the whole thing is saved by the end. Jigsaw is a throwback to the first set of movies and feels very familiar, in a good way. The story is told in two places, one takes place in ‘the game’, and the other is basically an episode of The Glades, complete with Matt Passmore.

Overall it’s a great restart to the series and I wouldn’t mind seeing this go forward, a little.

I didn’t see this movie in XD or IMAX, but I don’t think it would be worth the extra price.

Who should watch this movie? Fans of the original Saw movies, people who enjoy a good psycho-thriller movie, and someone looking expand their horror horizons beyond the supernatural hogwash being churned out every year.

Who shouldn’t watch this movie? People who can’t take a lot of blood and/or gore, viewers who didn’t like the original Saw movies, and horror fans looking for ‘jump out and scare you’ action.

 

Score

7.5 / 10 – Jigsaw stays true to its roots and delivers the twists and turns we have come to love from this genre.

 

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Spoilers

No spoilers this time since it will really ruin the movie.

Go see it for yourself!

Beard Blog Movie Review: Mother! (2017)

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Seeing is believing

Wow… what a ride. Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem deliver two oscars-worthy performances in a new movie that could only have come from Darren Aronofsky’s mind. Riddled with symbolism, metaphors, and religious undertones, Mother! tries to be a lot more than it is. I appreciate Aronofsky trying to bring his thoughts and visions to light and while most of them worked, the movie will fall flat on most viewers.

Mother!

A married couple are spending their days in an old house when uninvited guests begin to show up and cause disturbances. One thing leads to another and their happy lives are destroyed. Read below for spoilers and what I thought this movie represents.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The story unfolds quickly through the climax and at the end you’re left with questions, confusion, and possibly tears.[/perfectpullquote]mother

The first 30 minutes of this movie have no score, soundtrack, or ambient noise. It’s just you and the characters on the screen. This can be annoying if you’re in a theater with other humans who breathe, eat, and are just naturally noisy. The lack of music allows you to immerse yourself in what is going on between the on-screen characters. Jennifer Lawrence has great poise and there is not a scene in this movie without her. Javier Bardem shows many different sides and it’s his best performance since No Country for Old Men. The story unfolds quickly through the climax and at the end you’re left with questions, confusion, and possibly tears.

Who should watch this movie? Fans of Aronofsky, fans of great acting, and people who can look past blatant attempts of symbolism of our current society.

Who shouldn’t watch this movie? People looking for a movie to just entertain them, people who struggle with violent images, and viewers that do not wish to think about the meaning of a scene or character.

Score

7.5 / 10 – Very moving acting on top of a weak premise.

See more of my move reviews here

*SPOILERS*

Read on for spoilers, stop here if you haven’t seen this movie

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