DARK PHOENIX (2019) – My rating: 8/10

Dark Phoenix is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comics X-Men characters, produced by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the twelfth installment in the X-Men film series, a direct sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and the seventh and final installment in the main X-Men series. Dark Phoenix is written and directed by Simon Kinberg. In Dark Phoenix, the X-Men must face the full power of the Phoenix after a mission in space goes wrong. Being the last of the X-Men series, I wasn’t sure I wanted the experience to end.  The “Dark Phoenix” film was decent but I think Kinberg has gotten a couple of things incorrect.

**** SOME SPOILERS BELOW ****

In 1975, eight-year-old Jean Grey (Summer Fontana) inadvertently uses her telekinesis to cause a car accident that kills her parents. Shortly afterwards, Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) takes her to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, where he mentally blocks the accident from her memories and helps her hone her psychic abilities.
In 1992, the X-Men respond to a distress signal from the space shuttle Endeavour, which is critically damaged by a solar flare-like energy. While the X-Men save all the astronauts who are on the space shuttle, an all grown up Jean/Phoenix (Sophie Turner) is stranded and struck by the energy, however, she absorbs all of it into her body in order to save the X-Men’s aircraft from destruction. While Jean survives the event, her psychic powers are greatly embellished as a result. At the same time, Jean’s mental block, placed by Xavier, is destroyed. While the mutants are celebrating their successful rescue at Xavier’s school, Jean accidentally attacks the mutants after having a mental breakdown, then passing out. Eventually, Jean’s breakdown leads her to travel to the mutant refugee island of Genosha to seek assistance from Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) in controlling her powers, but is turned away by Erik after she engages in combat with U.S. military forces tasked with her arrest.

For the remainder of Dark Phoenix, we are privy to all that makes Professor Charles and Jean Grey tick, leading up to her rise as the Phoenix.  The film goes from dark to light to dark and so on and so on.  During Jean’s confusion and adventurous search to find and control herself, we get to see and enjoy other mutants at their best as they try to stop Jean from destroying everything  around her.  There are some earth shattering events that take place during Dark Phoenix, so be prepared for significant changes.  I’m not sure why these changes were made, I only know that they make a huge difference to the whole X-Men saga.  From deaths of favorites to name changes, you will be surprised.  Due to some of the more violent occurrences, I’m not sure I favor what has become of Jean Grey. For one, I don’t know why this is the last installment of  X-Men in the main series (whatever that means) because I think they have some explaining to do.  Hopefully, another X-Men will be made and some of the more upsetting situations will be fixed.  The film was entertaining, the plot was decent and the acting was brilliant.  In my opinion, Dark Phoenix was not the best of the X-Men but still entertaining.  FYI: The film was dedicated to the memory of X-Men co-creator Stan Lee, who passed away on November 12, 2018. Check It Out!

 

MOLLY’S GAME (2017) – My rating: 8.5/10

Molly’s Game is a crime drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), based on the memoir, Molly’s Game: From Hollywood’s Elite to Wall Street’s Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker by Molly Bloom.  This film is based on a true story and is truly captivating.

Her first accident didn’t stop her but after her Olympic dreams are shattered by a second accident during a qualifying run, world-class skier Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) has to rethink her future and skiing isn’t in it. Not feeling like she wants to go straight into law school as originally planned, she instead heads to Las Vegas and finds herself assisting in the production of a high-end underground poker game. Discovering she’s got a knack for this sort of operation, she moves the action to New York and goes into business for herself.  Eventually, a young Molly Bloom ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game in Los Angeles and New York City, for nearly a decade, before being arrested by the FBI. Her players included Hollywood celebrities, athletes, business titans and the Russian mob. With the help of her straight-laced defense attorney, Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) Molly faced stiff federal charges all while keeping the integrity her clients.

After Molly’s skiing career ended, her father Larry Bloom (Kevin Costner) maintained a distance from his daughter allowing her to find her own way.

I thoroughly enjoyed Molly’s Game.  The acting was brilliant and I found the movie entertaining, charming and enjoyable.  At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, Molley’s Game received two nominations, Best Screenplay and Best Actress – Drama for Chastain. Sorkin also earned nominations for his script at the Writers Guild of America and BAFTA Awards.  Check it out — I think you’ll enjoy it!

[Molly’s Game received an Oscar nomination for Adapted Screenplay]

 

THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE (2017) – My rating: 9/10

The Zookeeper’s Wife is based on a true story and portrays a pretty accurate account of the Warsaw Zoo and it’s keepers, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion.

Dr. Jan Żabiński (Johan Heldenbergh) and his wife, Antonina (Jessica Chastain) were the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo (Miejski Ogród Zoologiczny), one of the largest and most prolific zoos in 1930s Europe. In the calm of September 1939, Antonina opens the zoo gates. Hours before the zoo opens for the day, a crowd had already gathered to view the many species on display in the zoo. Jan is the director of the Warsaw Zoo and faces the scornful, yet envious advances of Dr. Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl), the head of the Berlin Zoo and “Hitler’s zoologist”.

On September 1, 1939, Antonina and her son Ryszard (Timothy Radford and later, Val Maloku) witnesses the aerial bombardment of Warsaw as German forces storm Poland. The Zoo is not spared, as many animals are killed. Dr. Heck visits the zoo and tries to convince Antonia to let him save the “prize” specimens. Antonina reluctantly consents, but later learns that his motives are suspect. With winter coming, Dr. Heck revisits the zoo, this time to slaughter all the remaining caged animals, which he declares is an act of mercy since the cold would only kill the animals. However, Heck shoots an eagle himself, then casually tells an aide to have it stuffed.

As the scene worsens in Warsaw, Jews are singled out, their stores and shops are looted, and they are eventually herded into the Ghetto. While Two of Zabinskis’ friends, Maurycy Fraenkel (Iddo Goldberg) and his partner Magda Gross (Efrat Dor) looked for a safe place for another friend’s notable insect collection, Antonina makes an unusual offer to shelter Magda in an attic closet. Jan and his wife take stock of what defiance of the Nazis would mean, but come to the realization that they can save one life.

With the zoo to be closed permanently, Jan and Antonia seek out Heck, who has now set up headquarters in Warsaw for his groundbreaking research in animal breeding. The Zabinskis make a daring proposal to turn the remaining structures into a pig farm to ultimately provide food for the occupying forces.  In the meanwhile, they devise an elaborate plan to spirit away Jews from the Ghetto. While trying to rescue a group of Jews, Jan discovers a young girl, Urszula (Shira Haas), who had just been raped by two Nazi guards. He rescues her and Antonia and the others hiding at the zoo mentors Urszula through this awful ordeal.  The Żabińskis continue to save more Jews, and are even able to disguise women as Aryan by bleaching their hair. In 1942, the Nazis begin deporting Jews out of the Ghetto, and to the death camps. Jan is devastated to see young children being put into cattle cars, leading to the camps.  Of course there’s much more to be told but I don’t want to be the one to tell the whole story!

“Historical context
The Zookeeper’s Wife was based on not only Diane Ackerman’s non-fiction book The Zookeeper’s Wife but also relied heavily on the author’s use of the diaries of Antonina Żabińska, published in Poland as Ludzie i zwierzęta (translated as: People and Animals) (1968). In key aspects of historical context, the screenplay follows the story of Antonina and her husband, Jan, closely. Both worked at the Warsaw Zoo, although as shown in the film, Antonina was an assistant to her husband who was the director or “Zookeeper”. Animals were part of their family’s life, and the devastation that resulted from not only the attack on Warsaw and the subsequent pillaging of the zoo is well documented. The actions of Lutz Heck and his animal breeding experiments were also a matter of historical record, although the intimate relationship of the two protagonists, Antonina and Heck, were exaggerated. However, the defiance of Nazi occupation and ultimately, the rescue of over 300 Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were depicted accurately. The contributions and participation of the Zabinski children, Ryszard and Teresa (credited as Theresa in the film) were also notable.”

The Zookeeper’s Wife is well acted and is a well told story.  It is always a sad, heart breaking account of a time that is extremely hard to revisit on screen or otherwise but it is so rewarding to know that there were those who successfully helped and cared enough to put their own lives in danger.  Very well done — everyone should see this movie!

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MISS SLOANE (2016) – My rating: 8.5/10

Miss Sloan is not for everyone however it’s still a well done work of art. It’s actually bordering on a Wall Street flick, filled with all the banking lingo, complex deals and fast paced wheeling and dealing we’ve seen in movies like Wolf of Wall Street and the 1987 Michael Douglas Oscar winning, Wall Street. Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is a Washington D.C-based lobbyist who advocates for universal background checks.  Some might deem Miss Sloane as a little slow because there’s a lot of discussions that include fast talking and a lot of legalese.   However, there is a point when the movie connects all the dots and becomes so interesting that it has you sitting on the edge of your seat.  Elizabeth Sloane is a unique character because she will do anything to win.  That wouldn’t mean a whole lot if we were talking about a person who didn’t have a fat IQ and the experience of a 70 year old but that’s not the case here.  Elizabeth Sloane is so far above the norm, most people in the business would have a problem keeping up with her.

Miss Sloane opens up with Elizabeth making the following quote, “The winner plots one step ahead of the opposition, and plays her trump card just after they play theirs.”  This gives you an idea of her mantra used throughout the movie, which is what she chanted to her lawyer.  The law firm Elizabeth is currently representing, wants her and her team, which consist of several in-tern lobbyist, including her friend Jane Molloy, (Alison Pill) to go against toughening gun control laws but Elizabeth is not game.  When approached by Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong), the president of Peterson Wyatt, she decides to switch lanes and quit her current employer to work toward the Heaton-Harris Amendment which would require background checks for those trying to purchase firearms.  After making the transition to Peterson Wyatt and a new team of lobbyists, Elizabeth meets Esme Manucharian, (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who is the firms authority on gun control. Together they give a brilliant performance that will have you reaching for the tissues. There are so many surprises in this movie, your interest is guaranteed, even if you don’t understand all the lingo.  I enjoyed Miss Sloane and therefore recommend it as highly entertaining and sends a profound message.  As usual, I’ve stopped because of spoilers but there is so much more to Miss Sloane, check it out to see actors like John Lithgow as U.S. Senator Ron M. Sperling and Sam Waterston as George  Dupont.

 

 

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (2014) – My rating: 7.5/10

A thought provoking, old argument comes to mind when talking about A Most Violent Year.  Can a moderate sized business prosper if that business is not willing to get into bed with the crooks and wrong doers of the business world?  This film tells the story of an immigrant who owns Standard Oil Company and wants to have a piece of the American dream.   The year is 1981, the most violent year recorded in the history of New York City.  Abel (Oscar Isaac) is interested in protecting his family, business and integrity while walking the straight and narrow, thus taking a more righteous route.   Abel Morales and his wife Anna Morales (Jessica Chastain) are being accused of tax evasion, price fixing and other wrong doing that could land them in jail, thus dissolving their company.  The district attorney, Lawrence (David Oyelowo) is watching and harassing Abel because he believes there is corruption there.  Suddenly trucks of the Standard Oil Company are being hijacked causing thousands of gallons of oil lost to Abel.  A Most Violent Year is pretty slow getting started and doesn’t really pick up too much throughout the movie.  While it’s not boring, it’s not action packed either.  It’s sort of a thriller because the audience is trying to figure out who’s behind the hijackings and what illegal part is Abel playing in the running of his company.  Oscar Isaac plays a convincing, believable role as does Jessica Chastain and David Oyelowo.  Albert Brooks brilliantly plays Andrew Walsh, the company lawyer.  Even though I liked A Most Violent Year, I recommend waiting for the DVD as there are no special effects or action sequences that rate seeing it on the big screen.

ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012) – My rating: 8.5/10

In my humble opinion, Zero Dark Thirty was not as good as Argo or Lincoln but none the less, entertaining and well acted.  This film didn’t spark my interest as much as I thought it would.  It lacked substance and didn’t lend itself to the humbling experience of the mission.  Most of the focus was concentrated on Jessica Chastain’s character which didn’t seem credible in the real world.  Since this is a true story about the capture of one of the world’s most wanted and hunted terrorist (Osama bin Laden) I thought it should have basically stuck to the facts.  I have nothing to base any misinformation on, so I will focus on the entertainment factor rather than the factual aspect.   Zero Dark Thirty told a pretty good story for the most part, I just didn’t think it was necessarily  truthful.  It’s up for Best Picture as well as Best Actress and Sound Editing.