I, Tonya

A well-made but violent dark-comedy about that well-covered incident before the 1994 Olympics. Robbie (who also produced) is excellent and Janney will probably win an Oscar. In the 90’s, the media portrayed Tonya Harding as a master-manipulator; a femme fatale who tricked her husband into carrying out her evil bidding. But in this depiction, there is a brutal cycle of abuse. Harding gets smacked around A LOT by her husband, and for many complicated reasons, she can’t shake him off. When the story is told in a different way, you can see that she was a victim of circumstance, and didn’t have the support system to overcome the rotten people in her life. In some ways, it’s the perfect, juicy film noir. In other ways, it’s an American tragedy.

Paddington 2

We regretted not seeing the first movie in the theater since it was better than we thought it would be and skillfully sentimental. This behaves more like an action movie (albeit one for toddlers), in which the action culminates on a speeding train. It’s very well-done, big-budget, family fare with some charming word-play and Britishy shenanigans. Kudos to Hugh Grant for delivering, full-bore, his hilariously narcissistic but non-threatening antagonist.

All the Money in the World

This is a true docudrama, unfolding realistically and never stopping for any emotional reflection. Michelle Williams, the best (as always), must deliver any emotion with her eyes, her body language, her “instrument”, because it’s not on the page. Sir Ridley seems determined to keep the pace moving, which makes this a somewhat dry, impersonal experience. The Mark Wahlberg part could have been played by any macho leading man, which brings an extra level of irony to the whole public squabble about the pay difference. Nevertheless, Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty is electric. What a historically rotten prick, and a great performance from Plummer. The facts about this incident and how it all unfolded are the best thing about this movie, and add new context during your next drive by the Getty Center. It’s very watchable, but tissues will not be needed.