A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

I have a crush on Chris Pine since he did that movie with Linsday Lohan —I don't remember the title, it was something about luck, I think— so of course I wanted to see A Wrinkle in Time when it hit theatres. But then the bad, really bad reviews came and I skipped it. And I'm glad because I finally gave it a chance and it was a huge waste of time. 

The film follows Meg Murry (Storm Reid), her younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and her classmate Calvin (Levi Miller) as they join three magical beigns —Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey)— to travel across the universe to search for her father (Chris Pine) who disappeared four years earlier.

I haven't read Madeleine L'Engle's novel so I don't know who is to be blamed for it, but the plot is absolutely not well put together, it does not flow smoothly as it just  jumps from place to place —at least, that's what it felt like—, it's filled with clichés and holes, and it's extremely boring.

The characters aren't any better than the plot. They are shallow, to say the least, every single one of them. It's impossible to connect with them and care about them. They have no development whatsoever and make the most idiotic decisions ever, and for no apparent reason. In other words, they are bland and uninteresting.

Just like the actors who play them. While Chris Pine tries to do something with that little he's given —there isn't a lot to do though—, the rest of the cast is just terrible. Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey are dull, and Mindy Kaling is annoying as hell and the kid actors simply can't act. When will Disney start hiring talented actors instead of these pretty but cringy kids? Also, Zach Galifianakis plays a character who had the potential to be wonderful if Michael Peña played him. Instead, they had Peña play a bland dude with red eyes.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

If anything, A Wrinkle in Time is visually beautiful with its nice cinematography and great special effects. Unfortunately, this cannot make up for the messy plot, the lack of any kind of action that would prevent it from being dreadfully boring, and a cast can't do anything or doesn't know what to do with the script. I can't believe Ava DuVernay, the same woman who directed Selma, made this. I just can't.

Miss Sloane (2016)

I knew absolutely nothing about Miss Sloane when I started watching. I only knew the lead was Jessica Chastain and that her performance had been critically acclaimed and that's basically the reason I checked it out.

Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is a ruthless lobbyist who always does whatever it takes to win. But when she is asked to work for a fun lobby looking to boost sells amongst women, she quits her job and joins a small anti-gun movement headed by Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong) to fight it. 

The film starts off slowly, taking all the time it needs to develop and deliver a plot that is highly intriguing, engaging and suspenseful and that has several clever and brilliant twists along the way. What there's to like about it is that it presents us both sides of the argument. It explores the issues of gun control very well, showing strategies from both sides and interesting, well-thought debates. 

That said, Miss Sloane could have been about anything else really and be just as compelling because it has a very strong female lead and as well as one of the most fascinating in recent years. Elizabeth Sloane is a powerful woman in a man's world. She doesn't care what it takes to win. If there's a line to cross or something unethical to be done in order to reach her goal, she sure will go for it. She is arrogant, self-centered, manipulative and unlikable, but despite this, I ended up admiring her for her ambition, her determination and her intellect. 

What I liked the most about her --and it was mentioned by other people as well-- is that we are not given a character background. She is a heartless bitch, pardon my French, but thank god there's no childhood trauma or whatever thrown at us to explain why she is the way she is. She never cared about anything but now, all of the sudden, she quits her job and joins an anti-gun movement. Does she do it because of something that happened to her or for pure greed and power? We don't know and that's what makes the character so compelling and fascinating. 

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And the performance by Jessica Chastain as Miss Sloane is mind-blowing. She adds a lot of depth to her character delivering some impressive emotional scenes, and makes you root for her. Chastain is backed up by an equally strong supporting cast. Mark Strong is great as Sloane's frustrated boss, Gugu Mbatha-Raw is great as Sloane's colleague who plays a crucial role in the story, and Michael Stuhlbarg does great as Sloane's ex-colleague and opponent. 

Whether you are pro or against guns, you should check out Miss Sloane because it's a brilliant, suspenseful political thriller and character study that will keep you glued to the screen for 2+ hours.