Tag Archives: Michael Cera

movie review, Movies

Movie Review: Molly’s Game (2017) *Go All In on Sorkin’s Latest!*

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Jessica Chastain in Molly's Game

Aaron Sorkin has written Emmy-winning TV shows (Sports Night, The West Wing, The Newsroom) and Oscar-winning films (Moneyball, The Social Network), but Molly’s Game is the first one of his scripts that he also chose to direct.  What does an Aaron Sorkin-directed film look like?  Well, it’s a lot like his scripts as it turns out.  It’s fast, it’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s brilliant.  Throw in the performance of Jessica Chastain’s career, an astounding true story, and Molly’s Game is one of the best films of 2017.

Continue reading Movie Review: Molly’s Game (2017) *Go All In on Sorkin’s Latest!* →

movie trailers, Movies

Molly’s Game Trailer #2 (2017) “Go All In”

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Aaron Sorkin is my favorite writer working….in any format.  The scribe behind The West Wing, The Newsroom, A Few Good Men, The American President, Moneyball, Charlie Wilson’s War, has written some of the greatest screenplays of this generation.  Now, he’s directing his own script in Molly’s Game.  The second trailer reveals more about the insane dilemma Molly Bloom finds herself in when she’s put on trial for running elite poker games, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg of nuts this story is and I’ll let your read the full description below for a better summary.  Molly’s Game bows November 22, 2017.

The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.
Molly's Game Poster

 

Movies, My Favorite Scene

My Favorite Scene: Juno (2007) “It’s Not Easy That’s For Sure”

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As someone who loves the English language and watching it get stood on its head and played with, I am also a huge fan of 2007’s Juno.  Not only do I think it’s a great and, at times, hilarious movie about the fairly serious subject of teen pregnancy, I think Ellen Page should have won an Oscar for her portrayal of the exasperated, increasingly inflating teen who finds her baby new parents by picking them out of a Penny Saver.  I love the rhythms of language Diablo Cody (who did win an Oscar for the script) picks for Juno.  When I was a teen, and really still, I think phrasing things the way everyone else does is boring, and am constantly making up new words to fit my needs.

My favorite scene in the film, though, is one that is one of the best father/daughter talks I’ve ever seen in a movie.  It’s wise and funny, showcasing not only Page’s talent but that of JK Simmons, who is one of the best additions any movie can make to its cast.  Juno’s dad has a pretty realistically bad reaction to the news that she’s pregnant and that’s one of the movie’s most painfully real reminders of how serious this all is, but by the time this scene takes place, he’s calmed down and gives her some of the best advice any father could ever give his daughter.  The question is, “Can two people fall in love and stay in love together forever?”  Simmons answer is better than any summary I could write.Ellen Page and Michael Cera in Juno

movie trailers, Movies

Molly’s Game Trailer #1 (2017) *Aaron Sorkin Goes Behind the Lens*

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Aaron Sorkin is my favorite writer working….in any format.  The scribe behind The West Wing, The Newsroom, A Few Good Men, The American President, Moneyball, Charlie Wilson’s War, and the list goes on, can literally make the English language sit up and dance while making both a pop culture reference and an intellectual point.  Not content to merely pen Molly’s Game, Sorkin is also taking his first turn at directing his script of a true story so crazy I’m just going to paste the official synopsis below and tell you I’ll be there when it opens November 22, 2017.

The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.

Jessica Chastain in Molly's Game
Jessica Chastain in MOLLY’S GAME

 

Animation, Comics, Movies, Review, Super Heroes

Movie Review: The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) “Good, but not Awesome.”

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2014’s The LEGO Movie may be the most absolutely delighted I have been by any film since starting this site, and I named it my Movie of the Year.  The film was beloved by many, so naturally now there is an entire slew of LEGO films on the way (two this year alone).  The first features the breakout star of The LEGO Movie‘s supporting cast: Will Arnett’s Batman.  Is it the awesomeness of The LEGO Movie or that the trailers seemed to promise?  No.  Sadly, in that respect, it’s a bit of a disappointment, but that doesn’t mean The LEGO Batman Movie is not a quality outing into the LEGOverse. Continue reading Movie Review: The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) “Good, but not Awesome.” →