The Bearded Trio

MOLLY'S GAME Starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner,  Michael Cera, Chris O'Dowd, Bill Camp Based on the book by Molly Bloom Written for the Screen and Directed by Aaron Sorkin Reviewed by Patrick & Paul Gibbs  Out of four The story of Molly Bloom is a story about resilience in the face of obstacles. It's also a story about stubbornness, pride, fragile egos, scheming and money. In short, it has almost everything that writer Aaron Sorkin would need to create a film that fits his signature brand of very clever (sometimes too clever) dialogue and character study set against a colorful backdrop.  Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) preparing for a downhill run. (Image Courtesy STX Films) Bloom (playe here by Jessica Chastain) was charged in April of 2013 with running a high-stakes poker game that originated out of the Viper Room in Los Angeles and attracted wealthy individuals, sports figures and Hollywood celebrities, and j...

THE DARK TOWER Starring Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Claudia Kim, Fran Kranz, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Jackie Earle Haley Based on the novels by Stephen King Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman &Jeff Pinkner and Anders Thomas Jensen & Nikolaj Arcel Directed by Nicolaj Arcel   Out Of Four M atthew McConaughey set out across the desert, and Idris Elba followed.  That, in a nutshell, is what the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower gets gloriously right. Idris Elba as Roland of Gilead (Image Courtesy Sony Pictures) In fact, one whole star of this review is for Elba. His Roland of Gilead is like Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in the first X-Men - he's instantly definitive in the role, and leaves the feeling that it's just going to get better as we see more - and whatever complaints you may have with the film, he kills with his heart. It's also important to note that any blame for the film...