Money, Money, Money: Review of All The Money in the World

All the Money in the World

Director: Ridley Scott

By Alex Watson

Before it was even released, All the Money in the World was met with a storm of controversy. After the numerous sex misconduct scandals against original star Kevin Spacey- Ridley Scott chose to cut him from the final release completely. His scenes were quickly reshot for $7.5 million to make the December 22 release date. Veteran Christopher Plummer (ironically Scott's original choice) stepped in only weeks before the movie dropped. The gamble has worked tremendously and Plummer is outstanding as J.Paul Getty and his presence dominates throughout.

In Rome, 1973 teenager John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped by a radical group. They inform the boy's mother Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) that unless a ransom is paid, he will be killed. Lacking the funds she is forced to approach her wealthy former father-in-law J.Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer). Notorious for his penny pinching, Getty refuses to part with a dime and instead sends his negotiator Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg) to secure his grandson's release.

As its title suggests All the Money in the World is a movie where money talks. A real-life Ebeneezer Scrooge, Getty's miser tendencies take centre stage. A man more content checking his stock ticker tape than negotiate his own grandson's release. He even has a phone box installed his lavish home where staff give change for its usage. Getty throughout finds a way to work this horrible scenario to both his financial and personal advantage. "To be a Getty is an extraordinary thing. Its like we're from another planet," says John Paul Getty III in voiceover and this couldn't be more accurate. When he is dumped into the van and taken away, Gail is thrust into every mother's worst nightmare. Family loyalty counts for nothing in this piece and the elder Getty is willing to let his own blood suffer than part with a penny.

Scott knows when to turn up the heat in this picture. The kidnapping of John Paul provides some unbearable tension. At first, his captors think this is a slam-dunk and the money will be quickly dispensed. But when days turn into months, their impatience grows more and more frightening. John Paul is being subjected to some horrific and life-changing violence all of which will have audience members looking away (particularly during the notable ear torture scene). This movie, however, feels weakest whenever Fletcher and Gail are on screen. It feels like it is trying to draw out a dramatic and engaging story but failing due to the lack of chemistry between leads. Part of the issue is that we are never sure what precisely Fletcher is supposed to be doing? We know he is ex-CIA and doesn't carry a gun because "It ruins the lining of your suit." Other than that we just know that he makes deals with people.  Character-wise he is only skin deep and is consigned to a mediocre role in events.

The plight of Gail Harris is what makes All the Money in the World so effective. A former Getty now removed, she finds herself on the outside looking in. Forced to try and make nice with the one man she despises, Gail is trying to remain strong in the face extreme adversity. She brings a strength and courage to this picture when it is badly needed. She knows the clock is always ticking and she is always attempting to make the money appear before her son is cut into small pieces. The side story of captor with a heart Cinquanda (Romain Duris) is also effective. Wanting to get rich quick but disgusted at the increasingly vile methods his comrades use to get money, Cinquanda is only potential ally John Paul has to get out.

A last minute replacement, Christopher Plummer was the perfect gamble as J.Paul Getty. Easily winning every scene he appears in, Plummer plays the old billionaire with such an ice cold chill. Although the cliche of him preferring objects to people is overstated, the film sags whenever the veteran Canadian is not onscreen. Already nominated for numerous awards, it's hard to imagine how Spacey could have better this turn. Michelle Williams is also impressive as the desperate Gail. Forced into a corner and "fighting an empire," Williams gives an honest portrayal of a mother who wants little else than her son back. Mark Wahlberg, unfortunately, is stuck in a meaningless part and Fletcher Chase requires little acting other than looking tough.

All the Money in the World is a picture which chillingly shows how sometimes, money comes second to those we love.

V For Victory: Review of Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour

Director: Joe Wright

By Alex Watson

Gary Oldman plays an outstanding Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. After the horrific failure of Pan, Joe Wright shows why he is still considered one of Britain's best directors. While it might lack the bite needed, this movie is still a fine against-the-clock drama. It also shows the sheer determination and grit of Churchill himself. During a nail-biting period, he was the one voice who was able to carry Britain through.

As WWII wages on, King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) looks to Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to help turn the tide. Facing a potential Nazi invasion and catastrophic human casualties, many of his subordinates call for peace talks. Despite overwhelming pressure to relent, Churchill vows for his nation to fight on.

People tend to forget what a controversial appointment Churchill was. Darkest Hour shows a bullish, and old-school fighter who wasn't afraid to throw his weight around. His peers including the overlooked Lord Halifax (Stephen Dillane), view him as stubborn and short-sighted. Throughout Wright's film, we see him fail and his rivals simply sharpened their knives in anticipation. Churchill's refuses to give in because he is the one man in the room who believes in the British fighting spirit. This picture doesn't seek to glorify him and he is also shown as an ill-tempered and completely unpredictable human being. Frequently he is a whirlwind, whether he is dictating letters from his bath or butting heads with opponents in a bunker. His wife Clementine (Kristin Scott-Thomas) is one of the few willing to push back and put him in his place.

Wright does a wonderful job of showing the intense threat that Heir Hitler's men posed. Britain is up against the ropes and men such as Halifax are pressuring him to negotiate a truce. While it might stop the war, Churchill is against making peace with such men as Hitler. Frequently we see the how the strain of the war weighs heavily on him. At times we see a very different and less confident side to the old 'British Bulldog' figure British school children were educated about. However, unlike his anxious colleagues, Churchill is a man who likes to stop and think. His determination of character and refusal to be pushed into a potentially disastrous decision is what makes him so endearing. Halifax is frequently a thorn in his side, but Winston simply plucks him out with one genius line, "Will you stop interrupting me, when I am interrupting you!" he growls vigourously in one scene.

In Darkest Hour it also shows how Churchill was the one man in the room who thought about the cost to the British people. His tactics are frequently put under the microscope. In fact, many of his key decisions come while in the toilet before emerging "in a state of nature". Wright shows his man of the people status in one beautifully underplayed scene. He reminds us in the beginning how out of touch he is with modern day things. On impulse, he chooses to ride the London Tube and unlike other politicians, he simply asks ordinary people what they actually want their government to do? There is no uplifting or grandiose feel to this moment but you gain a bigger respect for this man.

Gary Oldman puts in the performance of his life and is absolutely perfect as Winston Churchill. Under heavy prosthetics, Oldman does a phenomenal job is convey his stubborn and blunt-speaking persona. A growling, heavy drinking and often tactless Prime Minister, Oldman portrays a man only concerned with getting the job, not the obstacles around it. A performance of highest calibre, hopefully, the Academy will finally reward one of the best actors of his generation. Stephan Dillane makes for a fine opponent as the cunning Halifax. Great at playing unyielding men, Dillane once again gives great support. Sadly talented stars such as Ben Mendelsohn and Lily James who plays Churchill's aide Elizabeth Layton feel drastically underused.

Darkest Hour is a movie propped up by the talents of Oldman alone. Few performances this year will be better than this one. 

The Dress: Review of Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

By Alex Watson

If this is indeed his final film role, Phantom Thread proves just how much we will miss Daniel Day-Lewis. P.T Anderson once again provides a suitably confusing and suffocating ambiance. In what is potentially 2018's most unusual romance, Day-Lewis and newcomer Vicky Krieps make for a spellbinding duo. Also, it gives root to how perfectionist tendencies can make people unravel in the strangest ways.

Reginald Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Leslie Manville) make dresses for some the most elite people. The House of Woodcock is always a name on everyone's lips, but Reginald is never an easy person to work with. Despite considering himself a confirmed bachelor, he falls in love with Alma, a strong-willed and indomitable woman. Soon, he finds his world interrupted and his once strictly guided life becomes disturbed.

The plot of Phantom Thread is a tough one to describe. Then again, since when has a P.T Anderson film been an easy experience? Set mainly in cramped quarters, the tension and conflict slowly rises to stifling levels. The ambiguity is also what makes this picture so great. Cyril and Reginald are a formidable duo, but how much control does his icy sister maintain over her brother? She seems to harbor a lot of opinions over his lovers to the point where she even asks if she should 'ask Alma to leave?' Woodcock is a man of strict routine and throughout this picture, this provides great hilarity.  Everything from surprises, slurping tea or even buttering toast loudly bother him greatly. In short, he is a man so tightly wound that even the slightest disruption is met with scorn and hostility.

When he meets Alma, Anderson gives the movie its first injection of feeling. The dialogue is wonderfully strained and awkward as this whirlwind romance plays out. Alma immediately asserts herself into his life and becomes his muse, but we wonder just how Reginald views her? While she is great at modeling clothes, anything deeper is tough to come by. As this love goes on, Anderson frequently changes the tone and there are little moments that have a lasting effect. Reginald's increasingly cold and furious reaction to her cooking dinner is a big indicator of things to come. The lush and surreal cinematography (by Anderson's himself) adds a disturbing glow to events. One scene shows Reginald see the ghost of his dead mother which in the hands of Anderson it has the allure of an old gothic painting.

Phantom Thread does a marvelous job of being both fascinating and nerve-wracking at the same time. Throughout the movies final stages, Reginald's starts watching his wife with a very close eye. Is he right to suspect her of anything or does he deserve any potential deceit? Throughout his feeling for Alma are never quite clear and every small thing serves to drive them further apart. Her solution of dealing with the problem is one that is incredibly shocking but well executed. The production design by Mark Tildesley contributes to the movies elegance. With his breathtaking and sweeping rooms along with the claustrophobic smaller rooms give this picture its unusual feel. As this romance dips and spikes- Anderson creates a rather strange yet happy conclusion. Whether audiences are filled with hope will remain to be seen.

Daniel Day-Lewis once again is incredible under the direction of P.T Anderson. Reginald Woodcock who needs everything to be meticulous and anyone who rebels against it is swiftly rebuffed. His love for Alma is one of the most convoluted you will see. What exactly is he looking to gain from this? Day-Lewis' performance makes us wonder throughout and as usual, it is impossible to ignore the sheer power and bravado he brings. Cinema is going to be severely lacking if he sticks to his retirement. Vicky Krieps is equally strong in a hard-nosed turn as Alma. Refusing to be upstaged by Day-Lewis, she rings in a turn that is ballsy but also surprisingly affecting. The Luxembourg actress is a name that should soon be registering on everyone's radar before long. Leslie Manville also deserves award's recognition for the Lady Macbeth type turn as Cyril. Frequently making the air turn cold whenever she enters a room, her control over The House of Woodcock is spooky.

Phantom Thread is a fitting goodbye to Daniel Day-Lewis and another example of the unusual feel that P.T Anderson brings to our screens.

Ace's High: Review of Molly's Game

Molly's Game

Director: Aaron Sorkin

By Alex Watson

Aaron Sorkin's first time behind the lens is certainly an entertaining one. Molly's Game has plenty of visual and narrative trickery to make it a slick and engaging drama. Although Sorkin shows promise, this movie doesn't quite have the winning hand needed. There is great tension and intrigue in the gambling world that Molly Bloom immersed herself in and a typically strong Jessica Chastain gives this tale a boost.

Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) is a former skier who has recently moved to Los Angeles. Quickly she finds a job working for a douchey Hollywood executive who asks her to organize a weekly poker night. Immediately she discovers a knack for running game night's and soon she attains a big celebrity clientele. However, her ascent to becoming a 'poker princess' will lead to her eventually crossing into illegal territory.

Molly's Game is a movie that clearly respects and admires its subject. In a breathless and enrapturing opening, we meet Molly as a member of the U.S Ski Team attempting to qualify for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. When she is injured, she has to rethink her career path and this is what leads her towards the poker world. Bloom soon emerges as a contender with both the savvy and smarts to build an empire. At first, she lives by a tight moral code as she refuses to accept payment and stays away from gambling herself. The early heyday is where the movie is at its strongest and Sorkin builds a great interest in not only how the game functions but the methods Molly uses to stay ahead. The movie moves back and forth between past and present to when Molly is being charged for her alleged involvement with the Russian mafia. Attorney Charlie Jaffrey (Idris Elba) is now faced with a near-impossible task of keeping her out of prison.

To keep her out of the big house, Molly must reveal what she knows to the US government. Keeping her cards close, she refuses to fold under pressure. This leads to verbal jousting between her and Charlie as her attorney mentally digests her decision to keep silent. There are some interesting aspects to Molly's backstory such as her fractured relationship with her psychologist father (An underused Kevin Costner). Her rise in the gambling world is what keeps this movie at the table and although she becomes vastly wealthy, she often rubs others the wrong way. Falling foul of high rolling celebrity Player X (Michael Cera) forces her to relocate to New York which is where her downfall begins. The problem that Sorkin faces midway is sustaining interesting and upping the already high stakes. Unfortunately, despite some unpredictable storytelling, this movie is unable to lift itself to where it needs to be.

The third act of Molly's Game is where the game beings to fold. Sorkin is keen to point out that Molly is very much a victim of having her success abused by wealthy men. What Molly Bloom achieved is nothing short of remarkable, but Sorkin seems to be unclear in what sort of reaction he wants from his audience? Because of this indecision, the wanted fireworks are never released during the film's finale. The scenes between Molly and Charlie are often enthralling but seem to lack a special something to make them memorable. Sorkin's movie desperately wants to be a classic poker movie and so far, it is definitely the best modern movie about playing cards. As much as we want it to be an award's contender it cannot bluff like a pro.

Jessica Chastain proves she is one of the Hollywood's elite talents with yet another powerhouse turn. As Molly Bloom, she is strong, smart and has plenty of moxie to boot. Showing this character as one weary from her time riding high, Chastain peals away the layers of this character to reveal who deep her conflict runs. Already an award's favourite, you can expect Chastain's name to appear constantly come Oscar time. Idris Elba, unfortunately, is stuck in a less weighty role as Charlie. Reduced to just shouting constantly, his presence does inspire some great scenes with Chastain. Sadly, this character is drastically underwritten so any potential effects are lost.

Molly's Game shows that Aaron Sorkin can walk the walk behind the lens as well as on paper. With time, our favourite writer could be something special!

The Hit Heard Around The World: Review of I, Tonya

I, Tonya

Director: Craig Gillespie

By Alex Watson

In 1994, the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan scandal brought figure skating to worldwide attention. Director Craig Gillespie brings to life how outrageous this whole incident became before the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. I, Tonya is a mesmerizing and funny biopic of a woman whose talents were cruelly overlooked and who eventually paid a huge price in the pursuit of glory. Margot Robbie proves to be the perfect choice as Harding and in a career-best encaptures her ferocious edge.

Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) is a talented but un-delicate figure skater who is frequently verbally and physically abused by her acid-tongued mother LaVona Golden (Allison Janney).  Although she frequently skates well in competition, the judges appear to be biased against her and dismiss her as 'white trash'. Desperate for her to get the recognition she deserves, her husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) get his friend Shawn Eckhart (Paul Walter Hauser) to arrange an attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver).

There was always a larger than life aspect to the Harding-Kerrigan scandal and I, Tonya perfectly channels this. Tonya is a woman who frequently chafes under the abusive charge of her mother. From the first second, we met LaVona- she emotionally manipulates a coach into taking her. Our sympathies are never far away in this biopic. LaVona frequently throws down insults at her performances, "You skated like a graceless bull dyke. I was embarrassed for you," she tells her at one stage. Her understanding of love is completely clouded, when she first meets Jeff its gains her the independence she has so longed for. Coming off as an escape from her overbearing mother, he at first appears sweet and down to earth. Her mother for once senses this person is bad for her, "You fuck dumb, you don't marry dumb." are the words of wisdom she gives at her wedding.  But when he begins to hit her, Tonya figures it must be her fault because after all, he loves her. Violence is all she knows and rather than running she tries to make it work. Being on the ice is the only place where she truly feels herself, but throughout she is denied the scores that she rightly deserves. Unlike the rest of the delicate and swanlike female skaters, Tonya is not the wholesome and All-American girl that skating wants as its poster child.

We often forget the talents that Harding possessed (she was the first ever skater to land the triple axel in competition) and Gillespie throughout shows her as a lost prodigy. The sequences of her dancing on ice are among the most memorable of the movie and show she had the right stuff to succeed. Her explosive and unconventional style never goes down well. Harding often danced to rock music like 'Sleeping Bag' by ZZ Top which was widely frowned upon by judges. Also, she had the same sharp tongue as LaVona and in one scene she aggressively tells a judge to 'SUCK MY DICK' after against being poorly scored. The irony in this movie is that when she finally achieves the fame she craves, it brings her the wrong kind of notoriety. Gillespie is careful not to give much light as to how much involvement Harding may or may not have had in the incident. The attack itself brings us one of the most hilarious characters of the piece. Shawn Eckhardt and his crew of bumbling morons think they are performing the most well-executed crime of the 90's. Eckhardt is an overweight, dumb slob whose big mouth gets them into a lot of trouble.

The attack on Kerrigan only takes up a moment of the film itself, but the repercussions are huge. Frequently and always unfavorably compared to the graceful and well dressed Kerrigan, Jeff sees her as a threat. After she is whacked on the knee, Tonya is thrust into the spotlight. Quickly the crew who organized it crumbles after some seriously poor planning and Tonya becomes a love/hate figure to the US public. During this final act of I, Tonya her downfall is truly distressing as she ends up losing it all in her quest for Olympic gold. Harding has never been able to break free of the stigma of this controversy and Gillespie excellently shows the press hysteria that surrounded her. Unable to go outside her apartment and wilting under intense scrutiny, Harding was a competitor who ended up being shafted. Watching her struggle through her routine at Lillehammer is crushing and you get the sense that a fair outcome was never guaranteed. This picture plays on the aspect that Harding felt like she needed to play the villain to the American public. As she says tell us "America, they want someone to love but they want someone to hate, and the haters always say 'Tonya, tell the truth!' There's no such thing as truth. I mean, it's bullshit!"

Margot Robbie on paper looks a world away from the ugly ducking quality of Tonya Harding. However, this is all irrelevant because there are few actresses who could have captured the tortured inner soul of this person. Robbie channels her rage and insecurity at the world and her desire to be loved. Her talents have been obvious ever since her show-stealing turn in The Wolf of Wall Street, Robbie is now a serious contender for awards season. Allison Janney is also a revelation and the foul-mouthed, chain-smoking LaVona. Frequently browbeating and assaulting her daughter, Janney plays a woman bitter at the world but is determined to help her daughter win at all costs. Paul Walter Hauser nearly steals supporting honors as the incredibly dumb wannabe crime master Eckhardt. Unable to keep his mouth shut and recruiting some equally brainless cronies, Hauser has any number of quotable lines.

I, Tonya is the kind of picture that sheds a new light on Tonya Harding altogether. A woman denied the fame she deserved, Gillespie's picture is a swansong to a tale that will always be in the public's mind.