Murder on the Orient Express features star-studded cast

Movie Title:     Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)

Grade:  B

Rating: PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

In a Nutshell:  With an incredible A-list cast, this is a well-made, stylish “Who-dunnit” mystery directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the Belgium inspector Hercule Poirot.  

It’s extremely picturesque and beautiful, yet slowly fizzles with a disappointing reveal of who the murderer is.

 

Uplifting theme: 

• “We seek the truth from within, not without.” – Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh)
• “Sometimes the law of man is not enough.” – Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz)
• “poison of deep grief”, healing, peace
• Revenge 
• Right vs. wrong and everything in between
• Truth

Things I liked:

• The period pieces and costumes of the 1930’s are beautiful.
• You don’t often see movies that take their time telling the story.  Both the time period and the style of movie-making seemed old-fashioned.  It was shot in 65 mm and really immerses you in the various environments.  The sets are incredible.
• The all-star cast includes the talented Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leslie Odom Jr., Daisy Ridley and Derek Jacobi.  Kenneth Branagh was absolutely outstanding. You might wonder how old Judi Dench is…She was born in 1934, making her 82 years old.
• There was some humor, although the tone was a bit inconsistent, beginning with a very light feel and then remaining mostly dark for the rest of the film.
• There were some really great camera sequences.  One scene was shot from above the characters as they talked.  Another scene was shot from outside the train as it scanned the people walking down the hall through the windows.  You really feel the movement of the train and feel like you're on one.
• There is a reference to a murder on the Nile, possibly a sneak peek into a sequel, but definitely a reference to another one of Agatha Christie's books called Agatha Christie's Poirot: Death on the Nile.  Speaking of the author, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express was her best-selling novel.
• The movie begins at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem with some gorgeous vistas and a funny sequence.  One of these days, I'm going there.
• There are some beautiful vistas in Istanbul.  One of these days, I’m going there too. 
• Michelle Pfeiffer sings "Never Forget", which was co-written by director/actor Kenneth Branagh. Wow, he was really busy with this film.
• The photo of Katherine, Hercule Poirot's lost love, is actually Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh's real ex-wife.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some say it grinds to a halt, rather than get more intense.  Yeah, it's true.  The ending is anti-climatic.
• In the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express, the star-studded ensemble had equal moments of importance; whereas this version doesn't have much character arc and kind of fizzles.  A lot of movie critics are comparing it to the movie Clue which was able to develop characters much better.
• Daisy Ridley’s character is way too young for her character, who should be much older.
• Sergei Polunin is a famous ballet dancer in real life, but we don’t get to see him dance at all!  Instead, we get to see him beat up some people.
• All of the actors were great, but felt underutilized.  So much talent wasted.
• I heard a lady sitting near me say, “That mustache has to go!” Hercule Poirot’s double-decker mustache is ridiculous, but his mustache mask is even worse.  Ha ha   When the 1974 movie of Murder on the Orient Express  Agatha Christie was still alive and she commented on how much she didn't like Albert Finney's mustache on his Hercule Poirot's character.

Interesting lines:

• “Romance never goes unpunished.” – Hercule Poirot
• “To a man with a hammer, everything is a nail.” – Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley’s character is actually quoting Mark Twain.)
• “There is right.  There is wrong.  There is nothing in between.” – Hercule Poirot  (He learns about grey areas.)
• “Vice is where the devil finds his darlings.” – Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz) 

Funny lines:

• “Did we die?” – Hercule Poirot 

Tips for parents: 

• Young children may get bored, as it’s a “talking” movie that unfolds slowly.
• There are some subtitles when two people speak German.
• French is spoken, but there are no subtitles.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

The Great Wall opens in China first

Movie Title:  The Great Wall

Grade:  C+

Rating:  PG-13, 104 minutes

In a Nutshell:  China!  I went on a little speaking tour in China last summer and fell in love with the country, so it was fun to see bits of China again, even if a lot of it was through CGI.  

Still, there are some beautiful Chinese elements throughout the movie, including a lot of Mandarin, which is something I have been trying to learn for many months.

This visually stunning film was released in China first and features some of the biggest blockbuster actors in China.  Directed by Yimou Zhang, the film was made in China and cost the equivalent of $150 million dollars, the most money China has ever spent on a movie.  It’s only the second time an American-Chinese collaboration has created a feature film (the first one was Skiptrace, which I saw while I was in China).  Unfortunately, both movies fall short for most Americans.  Will it make a lot of money?  Absolutely…in China.  Not so much in the USA.

Here is a picture of me and my two sons when we were in China!

Uplifting theme: 

• “All we can do is prepare.” – Strategist Wang (Andy Lau)
• “Trust in each other in all ways and in all times.” – Commander Lin Mei (the beautiful Jing Tian)
• Honor, respect, trust.

Things I liked:

• I love Matt Daman in anything. 
• I love Willem Dafoe in anything, although he’s a mousy coward in this one.  In fact, he was super annoying and I wanted him to die.
• Beautiful, colorful costumes by Mayes Rubeo! 
• Gives new meaning to base jumping.
• Fun slow-mo shots.
• You get to see the monsters up close.
• I’ve always wanted to go to a Chinese lantern festival.  This scene in the film is so pretty.  Hopefully next summer I’ll see one when I go back to China!
• Lots of humor.
• It’s fun to see in 3D and on the big screen.  Visually, it’s impressive.
• The musical score was invigorating.

Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of the CGI and stunts look really good, but sometimes it’s pretty fake-looking.
• Jurassic Park meets China.
• The Chinese characters hold the moral high ground over the white guys in the movie.
• The characters are very one-dimensional who suffer from poor dialogue that doesn’t give us much back story or reason to care about them.  The story could have really benefited from time spent exploring the theme of honor, respect, and trust.
• The First Act was intriguing.  The Second Act was ok.  The 3^rd Act was extremely predictable and silly.
• There’s a lot of exposition.  don't TELL us everything. SHOW us.
• I asked one of my friends in China what he thought of the movie.  He said, “It sucked.”   

Interesting lines:

• “This is the first war I’ve seen worth fighting.” – William Garin (Matt Daman)
• “I am alive because I trust no one.” – William Garin

Funny lines:

• “I haven’t surrendered in a while.” – Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal)

“It’ll come back to you.” – William Garin

• “Maybe they’ll hang us now.  I could use the rest.” – Pero Tovar
• “You smell like animals.” – (Willem Dafoe)

“Thank you.” – William

• “I didn’t sign up for this.” – Pero

‘Which part?”- William

“All of it….but mostly the monsters.” – Pero

• “We are honored to be honored.” – William

“Is that the best you’ve got?” – Pero

• “So, how’s life without me?” – William

“A little slow.” - Pero

Tips for parents:

• There are some scary monsters that might scare young children.

The Fault in Our Stars has very few faults

Movie Title:  The Fault in Our Stars

PG-13, 2 hours 5 minutes

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell:   I’m going to have to read this book.  The movie is based on the #1 bestselling novel by John Green and only whets your appetite with meaty nuggets of wisdom about life and love.  Get your tissues ready.  The movie starts with Hazel Grace, a teenager who battles every day with lung cancer: “I believe we have a choice in this world about how to tell sad stories.  One the one hand, you can sugar-coat it, the way they do in movies and romance novels for beautiful people to learn beautiful lessons, when nothing’s too messed up that can’t be fixed with an apology or a Peter Gabriel song.  I like that version as much as the next girl does, believe me.  It’s just not the truth.  This is the truth.  Sorry.”

Uplifting theme: 

• They say you can write your own eulogy.  How?  Write what you want to happen in your life and then live it.
• Death is unbearable, but so is living a life without love and less than what you are capable of.
• There is an honesty to the way people with incurable diseases live.  Unlike the rest of us who pretend that we can have as many days and nights as we want, those who stare death in the face every day truly understand the value of time.
• The movie isn’t so much about dying, but living in the face of death and after a loved one dies.

Things I liked:

• As an author myself, I loved the part of the story that features Hazel Grace’s relationship with a writer of a book she is obsessed with.  I love the title of the book “Imperial Affliction” and the fact that the story ends in the middle of a sentence. Hazel says “It’s so truthful.  You just die.  You die in the middle of a sentence.”
• I loved Augustus’ cigarette metaphor: “They don’t kill you unless you light them, and I’ve never lit one.  It’s a metaphor.  See, you put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.  A metaphor.”  Not that I would go so far as to buy cigarettes to put between my lips, but I love the feeling of empowerment and defiance that image evokes.
• I loved seeing the bridges in Amsterdam that Hazel and Gus sailed underneath.  It’s on my Bucket List.
• I thought it was cute that two of the couples in the movie have a word they lovingly repeated to each other like “always” or Hazel and Gus’ “OK.”  One word can say so much.
• I liked Hazel and Gus’ conversation about believing in something after this life.  Gus said he absolutely did…“Otherwise, what’s the point?”
• It’s always great to see Willem Dafoe in anything.
• There is warmth, humor, and honesty in the story-telling.  Cancer weepies can often be too contrived and manipulative, but there is enough snark and wisdom in this film to pull it off.

Things I didn’t like:

• Only in Chick Flicks do teenage boys fall all over themselves to win a girl’s affection.  Guys: take note…it works every time.
• The music tends to cue you on when to cry, but you do it anyway.
• Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I really hate watching pre-marital sex scenes.  I also hate it when people make fun of well-intentioned Christians, like Hazel and Gus do in their cancer therapy session when their group leader starts singing to give them hope.

Did you know?

• The imaginative playground with the skeleton where Hazel and Gus have a picnic is actually located on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and is called “Funky Bones.”
• Dozens of web sites have been created by fans who want to continue talking about this book and movie.
• Sheilene Woodley (Hazel Grace) and Ansel Elgort (Augustus) did a fantastic job.  They played brother and sister in Divergent and have great chemistry together.  Sheilene admits they have more of a brother-sister relationship in real life…not romantic.  You can read my movie review about Divergent here.

Interesting lines:

• “That’s the thing about pain: it demands to be felt.”   - Augustus
• “I wouldn’t mind.  It would be my privilege to have my heart broken by you.”  - Augustus
• “I’m a grenade.  One day I’m going to explode and obliterate everything in my wake and I don’t know…It’s just my responsibility to minimize the casualties.”  - Hazel Grace
• “Everything’s coming up Waters.”  - Hazel Grace
• “You two are so adorable.”  - Mom

“We’re just friends.”  - Hazel Grace

 “Well, she is.  I’m not.” – Augustus

• The waiter in the beautiful Amsterdam restaurant asked Hazel Grace and Gus “Do you know what Don Perignon said after he invented champagne?”  “Come quickly!  I’m tasting the stars!”  The waiter then told them“We’ve bottled all the stars for you, my young friends.”
• “I want this Dragon Carrot Risotti to become a person so that I can take it to Vegas and marry it.”  - Gus
• “You’re American.”  - Van Houten’s assistant   

“Incurably so.”  - Author Peter  Van Houten

• “You gave me a forever within a numbered days and, for that, I am eternally grateful.”  - Hazel to Gus
• “If you want the rainbow, you have to deal with the rain.”  - sign that hangs on Gus’ wall at home.
• “Funerals are not for the dead.  They’re for the living.”  - Hazel Grace
• “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have a say in who hurts you and I like my choices.”  - Gus
• “I fell in love the way you fall asleep…slowly, then all at once.”  - Hazel
• “Embrace your destiny and leave your mark on the world.”  - Augustus

Funny lines:

• “So yeah, that just happened.  I’ve been trying to tell you… I’m kinda awesome.”  - Augustus
• Hazel, Gus and Isaac egg a house and Hazel says “Guys, I think we should wait until it’s dark.”  Gus reminds her that Isaac is blind and says “It’s all dark to Isaac.” 
• Hazel asks Isaac, who just broke up with his girlfriend, “Do you want to talk about it?”  His honest reply: “No, I just want to cry and play video games.”

Tips for parents:  Pre-marital sex, groping, 1 F-bomb and some other profanity.  The movie creates some good opportunities to talk to your children about:

• Disabilities
• Terminal illness & lung diseases
• Anne Frank
• Amsterdam
• Death
• The Trolley Problem

The rest of the story: This love story has a sad, but romantic real-life ending.  Katie Prager died 5 days after her husband died due to complications from cystic fibrosis and a lung transplant.  She was only 26 years old.  To learn more about the real couple in this movie, watch this video clip from CNN:  http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/fault-in-our-stars-wife-dies-5-days-after-husband/vi-BBwv9Nu?ocid=spartanntp