Molly's Game

This time round, Sorkin served up his machine-gun screenplay himself and it must be said that it is Mr. Fincher’s school that had the greatest influence on his style. We jump gracefully in time, the cadence of information is textbook standard and the story doesn’t sacrifice intelligence to emotions. The actors take delight in each line and Pemberton’s music is excellent again. At last the girls have someone to look up to. Great. Table in Excel. (11/02/2018)

The way Aaron Sorkin works with the medium of film, script-wise, is fascinating. I understand that some may see it as Sorkin almost "raping" the film medium in places, and actually "just" pushing the envelope with extremely structured dialogue, but that would be too simplistic. Emotionally, I saw it as almost a "scientific work" at times, with surgically precise details and monologues/dialogues crammed with an incredible amount of information. The opening scene alone is a massacre and a hell of a workout in terms of your attention if you yearn to take in everything. Of course, this directorial debut isn't without its faults, because despite the polished dialogue, the whole thing loses pace in a few places and the character work is a bit underdeveloped here and there. Still, it's an incredible ride, backed up by the perfect Jessica Chastain (the MILF designation takes on a whole new meaning), who really just shines here, acting and otherwise. A strong 4 stars. (28/06/2018)

The She-Wolf of Wall Street. A little less wild, more restrained, laced with feminine charm, glamour and beauty throughout. Jessica Chastain plays a character that she can do and that her fans want to see her in as often as possible: a confident and ambitious career woman. But in this story she has a healthy hand and in the end she plays fair and keeps her feet on the ground. A courtroom procedural with lots of flashbacks offering several levels. The one in present time when the interrogations take place, the social probe among billionaires and their hobbies, one quite chilling act of violence and of course the emotional level. Much to my surprise, there is no love thread, which, given that this is a 140-minute analysis of one character, may be lacking, but it doesn't detract from the experience. Basically, you could say that all the slice-of-life trappings that we love about these everyday reality films are here. A bit simplistic and downplayed at times, but it still satisfactorily fulfills the checklist of attributes expected of a great film. In his old age, Kevin Costner has decided he will play only very charismatic blokes with attitude. (27/01/2018)

Despite the presence of my favorite actress Jessica Chastain, positive reviews, and feedback, Molly's Game is a film that never captivated me for a single moment and mostly left me puzzled. It's not so much about Jessica's reliable performance as it is about the way the character is written. Secondly, in a short period of time, I felt like the creative team was trying to sell me a feminist drama about a strong woman facing societal pressure. For example, in the case of Happy Valley, that series felt much more convincing and I was able to identify with its protagonist and overlook the feminist tone. In Molly's Game, I perceived the character of Molly Bloom completely differently than Aaron Sorkin did. Not as a victim, but as a manipulative and ambitious bitch who ultimately overestimated her abilities and only with great luck managed to balance her collision with the American legal system. If the film worked with a character type like the one in There Will Be Blood, which is devoid of any idealization and sentimentality, I would take Molly's Game much more seriously. With this film, it seemed to me that despite all the effort to create a strong female character, the film sells costumes by top designers, the actress's physical attractiveness, and her perfect makeup, i.e., the Hollywood gloss. The film may be a problem even for those who don't care about poker, as there is a bit too much of it at the expense of the characters. I'll give it three stars because, despite all my reservations, Sorkin is talented and simply because of Jessica, but it's a very weak three stars. Overall impression: 50%. (04/02/2018)

This is a film about how Jessica Chastain is a great actress, but it has to be admitted that actors like Idris Elba, Kevin Costner and Michael Cera also belong here. However, Jessica stands out so much that she just outshines them. She really is more than just beautiful - she's great! This story suited her perfectly. The spitefulness of almost the entire film is pleasant. (28/01/2018)