Movie Review - The Trial of the Chicago 7

Director: Aaron Sorkin
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Sacha Baron Coehn, Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Rylance, Ben Shekman, J.C. MacKenzie, Frank Langella, Michael Keaton

Description: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Review: Director Aaron Sorkin wrote the script for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” as early as 2007, but due to the writers’ strike in 2008 the film was cancelled at the time. The fact that the project has now been revived undoubtedly has to do with the spirit of the times. The years 2016 to 2020 have brought back the sixties and seventies, with all their public protest and blurring of political norms. So it’s not a bad idea to translate the important stories of that tie to the big screen. Steven Spielberg did this earlier with “The Post”, which zoomed in on the publication of the Pentagon Papers and thus advocated bold journalism to keep politics in check. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” takes a similar approach. And although the filming took place a year ago, the past months of civil protests and excessive police violence have only made the story more topical.
The so-called Chicago 7 are the leaders of various organizations that travelled to Chicago during the Democratic Convention of 1968 to protest against the Vietnam War. Although this protest was meant to be peaceful, it degenerated into a situation in which activists clashed with the police. They are prosecuted, with the accusation of conspiracy on the table. A rather bizarre accusation, since these people hardly knew each other before they arrived in Chicago. But then again, this is not a well-founded lawsuit conducted for the public interest. This is the newly formed Nixon government that will teach those ‘know-it-all hippies a lesson.  
The intriguing thing about the lawsuit is that the defendants represent totally different organizations and in some ways have a very different way of life, even though they were pursuing the same goal with their protest. During the trial, however, the public prosecutor brings them all together, whether they like it or not. However, there differences in attitude to life mean that not everyone wants to conduct the trial in the same way. Some simply want to prove their innocence, while others see the trial as a good opportunity to publicly make the point they travelled to Chicago for at the time. Sorkin wisely does not take sides in this. It is up to the viewer to decided which is the most appropriate way of protest.
“The Trial od the Chicago 7” is probably one of the purest courtroom dramas ever created. For the most part, the film is set in the courtroom and only shows the story in flashbacks when the details are discussed in the trial. This happened mainly with witness statements, in which there is often a jumping back and forth between different angles.
What makes “The Trial of the Chicago 7”especially worth watching is the impressive line-up of actors that Sorkin has at his disposal. It might not be a real star cast, but it’s one of the strongest ensemble casts we will see this year. Mark Rylance is perfectly cast as a passionate and pragmatic lawyer, Frank Langella puts down a deliciously hating judge and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is allowed to elevate the role of prosecutor to something more human than what is usual in courtroom movies. And while is may seem somewhat lazy to present Eddie Redmayne as a good student and Sacha Baron Cohen as a transverse hippie, as idealistic opposites they end up surprising the most. Their acting duel towards the end is a true highlight.
Overall, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is a really strong film, with a story set in the past is stull topical today. Especially today.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

00s Movie Review - The Other Boleyn Girl

Director: Justin Chadwick
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portmann, Eric bana, Jim Sturgess, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Rylance, Alfie Allen, Kristin Scott Thomas

Description: Two sisters (Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson) contend for the affection of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana).

Review: ”The Other Boleyn Girl” is based on the bestselling novel by Philippa Gregory and follows the sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn. Both women were love interest for Henry VIII at the beginning of the 16th century. Their love triangle cause for a lot of pain and sorrow.
The art of being a woman is to let men believe that they are in control. It’s a lesson that Anne takes on from her mother. Anne Boleyn is the woman that shook England. Henry VIII committed adultery with her. The story is well known, but in “The Other Boleyn Girl” they focus on sister Mary.
The two Boleyn sisters are complete opposites, but love each other unconditionally. It’s Natalie Portman who steals the show in this film. She is a believable ‘evil’ sister. The acting of the other cast members is okay, but not very special. The script is what makes this film so good. It’s a very well written screenplay.
The book is of course much better, but I always enjoyed watching “The Other Boleyn Girl”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Reviews - Ready Player One

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Lena Waithe

Description: When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.

Review: Author Ernest Cline, who wrote “Ready Player One”, images a grim 2045: the world is a big garbage pile, stacked campers are used as homes and all the worldly problems are ignored. Mankind rather gets lost in ‘The Oasis’, an amazing computer simulation designed by James Halliday. With X-Wings, King Kond, T-Rex and Deloreans, this film is filled with nostalgia. And the book seemed unfilmable. Until Steven Spielberg reported for duty.
In its core, “Ready Player One” feels a bit like the story of Willy Wonka. When James Halliday dies, he scatters three keys through the Oasis. De first player to find all three, becomes the owner of the Oasis. Like Roald Dahl’s classis, the protagonist Wade Watts is a poor kid that has to fight ambitious competition.
The charm of “Ready Player One” isn’t in the fairytale-like tale or even the nostalgia bomb that’s being dropped. It’s the way people communicate through movie quotes and pop-culture. And everyone lives in the past.
I never read the book, so I can’t compare. But friends told me, that the essence of the book and the characters stay intact. Wade is a bit awkward and Samantha is charming. You might even say that the characters have a bit more depth in the film.
“Ready Player One” is an awesome film adventure. Although very busy, Spielberg manages to find a balance. The film has some moments that are a bit too sweet and it’s not one of Spielberg’s new masterpieces. But it’s a joy for every genre fan and people that love nostalgia and pop culture.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 133: Dunkirk

Director: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Drama/ Action
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Barry Keoghan, James D’Arcy, Harry Styles

Description: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

Review: You would think that we have enough WWII movies in Hollywood. But still movies based on this war are released. And every once in a while you wonder why this wasn’t made earlier. “Dunkirk” is one of those films. Aside from a British film from 1958 and a very impressive shot in the film “Atonement”, the battle for Dunkirk has been overlooked.
The fact that there were no Americans involved might be a reason, because the evens around Dunkirk happened about 18 months before the US got involved.
“Dunkirk” seems like a war epos, which is perfect for a director like Christopher Nolan. But this film is very different from the rest of his films. He never took on a true story and often works with existential themes. But Nolan is obviously very versatile and proofs that he can easily create a war movie with substance and subtlety. You can see it in the first 30 minutes, very timid and hardly any dialogue.
“Dunkirk” opens when the British army has withdrawn to the Dunkirk and is enclosed by the Germans. To draw the situations, newsflashes and flashbacks are left out. That the story starts here is surprising, because most Hollywood movies take their time to introduce. It starts right were the action is. And this is a fresh take on the theme.
For a war movie, Nolan kept it to a minimal and was very modest. The film isn’t over sentimental or dramatic. No extra fuzz. A story from a large scale, told by focusing on the smaller human moments.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 103: The BFG

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Bill Hader

Description: A girl named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) encounters the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.

Review: I grew up with Roald Dahl books and when I was a teacher I read his stories a lot too. For his 30th film, Steven Spielberg made this genre film filled with children’s fantasy. Finally “The BFG”, one of Dahl’s best stories, is brought to the big screen.
Little Sophie lives in an orphanage and sees a giant in the middle of the night. This giant, the BFG, takes her into the world of giants.
This type of film really has to rely on the chemistry between the fable like creatures and the little admires. Ruby Barnhill, who plays Sophie, does an excellent job. With both the charisma of an adult and the amazement of a little girl, she is believable. Mark Rylance is a charming BFG, heartwarming and just loveable.
The animation is amazing, it looks really impressive. The expressions on the face of the BFG are so realistic. This film is jawdropping, when it comes to its techniques. And the chemistry between Sophie and the BFG is so good, especially in the more quiet scenes.
“The BFG” is bit lighter then the book and a little less complex. It was a film I really looked forward to and it brought back the little girl in me that loved this book. It didn’t disappoint, Spielberg hardly ever does that.

Rating: 4,5/ 5