Austin Funk

I was pretty excited to watch this film, but it has some fundamental issues. - The poker in this movie was sparse but solid, the moments we saw were entertaining and more realistic than what you find in most other movies with poker. I wouldn't call it a highlight since this movie isn't really about the poker, but they clearly cared enough to make it interesting. - Idris Elba is my goat and has been since I watched season 3 of The Wire. Great performance by him, especially his monologue. Michael Cera was also surprisingly good for the short time he spent on screen. I also enjoyed the performances of Jessica Chastain and Kevin Costner. - My biggest issue is structural. I'm not convinced that this was the most interesting way to tell Molly Bloom's story, and I'm not convinced we needed over two hours to tell it. Sorkin doesn't seem to want to sacrifice the poker/thriller plotline or the legal plotline, and it left me feeling that both avenues could've been better explored. The film is further segmented by Molly's move from LA to NYC, which might sound like a silly criticism given this is a biopic. However, I think there is something to be said for what a biopic decides to focus on, and I don't think the attention of this film was well allocated. Despite great performances and outstanding dialogue (duh), Molly's Game ended up feeling like a bit of a slog, unsure of what's most important in it's own story. A decent enough watch that I don't expect to remember.

Now this is a movie thats perfect for a plane. I am always excited to see Denzel Washington, and I can confirm that he plays his part well. However, everything else is not exactly great. 1. This film sometimes struggles with writing smart characters - the main antagonist seems closer to omniscient than intelligent, and Robert (Denzel Washington) literally has bullet time. However, there are times where Robert acts very intelligently, most notably in the final encounter with the Nicolai. 2. David Harbour is incapable of pulling off a consistent and believable Boston accent. 3. Robert is literally a super hero. He can boil honey or heat up a doorknob and instantly heal from a bullet wound. That part is actually kinda fun though. 4. So much of this movie is so generic. The bad guys are literally the Russian mob. I wish this film had taken some more creative chances instead of borrowing clichés from better movies. Overall, this movie is fun but only barely. Not even Denzel can save this.

Yet another fantastic film that I definitely shouldn't have watched on a plane. Many positive thoughts, especially with regards to the acting and writing. I was really into some cinematography/editing choices, but equally taken aback by others. I will definitely have to give this a rewatch.

Pretty solid follow up. Some of the plot was a little all over the place and some elements, such as the scheming, felt like it was trying too hard to recapture some of the magic of the first movie. That said, all performances are incredible - Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway bring their A-games. There were some moments that hit hard and were well earned, which is hard to achieve so I have to give props. Specifically (while still avoiding spoilers), the scene where Miranda returns to her hotel suite after talking to Tech Bro is fantastic. That said, I don't love the arcs of really any of the main characters. Still a great time and absolutely hilarious, I'm glad I watched it.