Report Card----"Molly's Game"

Beginning with this post, I'm going to add a new question to the queue.

It is "Did you have any built in expectations about this film, and if so, were they met, or even exceeded?  I'm not doing this retroactively, only from this point on. 

On to the scoring:

Did you have any built in expectations about this film, and if so, were they met, or even exceeded?

It was this film that provoked the new question.  I had major expectations for "Molly's Game".

Written by Aaron Sorkin, my favorite screenwriter, a movie about poker, of which I had never seen a good one.  A lot of people liked "Rounders".

I hated it mainly because as a poker player, I couldn't follow the game.  It was a mess.  That wasn't a problem here.  It was Texas Hold 'em and I followed the game just fine.  The problem was that the writing wasn't up to  Sorkin's usually great standards.

I.E. "A Few Good Men", "The West Wing", "The News Room".  Sorkin's characters always specialized in walking and talking at the same time.  There was none of that here, and it was missed. 

B+.

Is it interesting?

Most of the time.

A..

Compelling even?

Somewhat, not often enough.

B.

It a story worth telling?

Absolutely.

A.

Is it good storytelling?

Mostly.  A little oomph was missing.

B.

Is it well written?

Absolutely.  Just not that of my favorite wrier.

B+.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Jessica Chastain is wonderful, as is Kevin Costner as her father.

A+. 

Well shot?

A little slow, compared to his writing style.  He should have put it in somebody else's hands.

C-.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

No.

C-.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

Immediately

A.

Is it too long? Too short?

Seems just a little long.

B-

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?.

Yes, and yes.

A.

Is it predictable?

Not to me.

A.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

Yes.  I kept looking for fixes.  They are  definitely there.  Mainly peppier direction.

B+

Is it funny?

Often.

B+.

.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Not mine.
C-.

Is it impressive?

Yes.  The whole is better than the sum of its parts. 

A.

Overall grade: A.

This is still a very good movie.  There just aren't any "You can't handle the truth!" Moments 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.

Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".

They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.

So this is the only way you can find them.,

You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne and Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.

Check them out.

You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.

Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.

The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays" and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are not e-books.

But they are available for people without Kindle.

I have many readings and signings lined up for those, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.

If you'd like one of the paperbacks, personally autographed, contact me at macchus999@comcast.net

And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne and Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------