Title: Anthropoid

Director: Sean Ellis

Released: July 1, 2016 (Czech Republic at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)

Runtime: 2 hours

Available to stream on: Kanopy and Prime Video

IMDb synopsis: Based on the extraordinary true story of Operation Anthropoid, the WWII mission to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution and the Reich’s third in command after Hitler and Himmler.

Sometimes when you see that a movie is based on actual events you find yourself wondering why you’d never heard of the events before. Anthropoid (2016) is one of those times.

Josef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy), a Slovakian soldier, and Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan), a Czech soldier, parachute into their Nazi occupied homeland on a mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bohte), third in command of the Nazi party.

Things get off to a rough start as Josef injures his foot while parachuting in. They then are found by traitors posing as resistance fighters but luckily Josef shoots one of them, the other manages to escape. Josef and Jan take the traitors’ truck and get themselves to Prague.

While on their way to meet up with the other resistance fighters, Josef and Jan stop by a veterinarian by the name of Dr. Eduard (Sean Mahon) who manages to treat Josef’s injured foot. Finally, they manage to make it to the other fighters, led by Uncle Hajský (Toby Jones) and Ladislav Vaněk (Marcin Dorocinski). When Josef and Jan inform the others of their plan, not everyone is on board. Some, such as Vaněk, believe that they should verify with London before continuing.

Josef stresses the importance of acting quickly and that there is no time to sit and wait to see what London says. He has his orders, and he plans on seeing them through. Uncle agrees and the planning stages begin.

Now, wouldn’t it be nice if everything went according to plan? Of course, but Josef and Jan have no such luck. They receive word that Heydrich is set to leave Prague, the time to act is now.

But are they ready?

Can they trust those that they’re reliant on?

What happens if they fail?

Well, if you’ve seen the movie before or are familiar with the event, you already know. However, if you haven’t seen the movie and aren’t familiar with Operation Anthropoid, this is where your homework begins.

Anthropoid (2016) is the unique war movie that keeps you engaged and invested despite focusing heavily on the drama aspect. All of the hiding, scheming, and planning that go into Operation Anthropoid I found to be fascinating.

Overall, I enjoyed the acting as well. From Disco Pigs to Oppenheimer, there’s rarely a time where I see Cillian Murphy in a role and go, “Huh, I mean, he wasn’t bad, but…”, and that rings true here as well. And it’s a good thing too, because Cillian carries Jamie Dornan from beginning to end.

Sean Ellis wore a lot of hats behind the camera here. He directed, co-wrote along with Anthony Frewin, produced, and was director of photography. The decision to have British actors speak with Czech accents was a little off-putting at first, but after maybe fifteen minutes I didn’t mind, and it wasn’t taking me out of what was happening.

Unfortunately, what did take me out of it was the way everything was shot. Yes, there were some instances where handheld added to the intensity of the scene. But the entire movie didn’t need to be shot that way.

That being said, overall, I really enjoyed Anthropoid (2016). It’s an interesting true story that is well-written and acted. If you haven’t seen it but have any interest in WWII, I would recommend giving it at least one viewing.

So, if you’ve seen Anthropoid (2016), what are your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Next week we’ll have the letter “G”. Want a preview of who the crew member will be and the movie they worked on that we’ll cover?

Keep an eye out on Threads and Instagram this Wednesday!

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Title: I, Tonya

Director: Craig Gillespie

Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes

Watched via: Hulu

IMDb synopsis: Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Wow does this one pack a whole lot into its runtime of just under two hours. We are given a look at the life of Tonya Harding from the beginnings of her figure skating career all the way through the infamous incident and the subsequent fallout.

We start very early on in her life, with her beginnings as a “soft 4” year old where she skates her way into lessons. As Tonya gets older and is beginning to climb the ranks, we see the beginnings of her relationship with Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). These two are as good for each other as orange juice and toothpaste. It is an incredibly abusive relationship but given that “tough love” from her mother means she loves her, surely it is the same with Jeff. Right? Wrong. This relationship would prove to be the downfall of her career.

Look, everyone knows the story of the incident with Nancy Kerrigan. But do they know how everything really went down? Well, a large portion of this movie goes into explaining how and why everything built up the way it did and why things ultimately went down the way they did. And that is the most interesting part of the entire film for me. I will not go into the details here. If you have seen it, you know. If you haven’t seen it yet, well carve an hour and fifty-nine minutes out of your day to go remedy that.

Allison Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as LaVona Harding and absolutely deserved it. The parenting philosophy of “tough love equals true love” that LaVona uses has a lifelong impact on her daughter and we see that, continuously, as the film plays out. A lot of the comedy is dark humor, and nobody delivers better than Janney here. Yes, LaVona says and does some absolutely horrible things to her daughter. However, Janney is able to leave a very small part of you feeling empathetic for LaVona despite what she has said and/or done.

When you think of someone who makes the most of their screentime no matter the role, who comes to mind? One of your answers should be Paul Walter Hauser. He keeps that trend alive here with his role as Shawn Eckardt, egomaniac and former bodyguard for Tonya Harding. While not on the screen for a substantial amount of time, he makes his time memorable with his comedic timing and delivery.

But let’s be real, with this film, it is Margot’s world and we’re all just living in it. No, she didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Actress, but she should have. Her performance here as Tonya Harding was nothing short of incredible. She was perfect to take on the role of the bad girl of figure skating. The look, the attitude, she nailed it all. While she might be best known for the role of Harley Quinn, this is hands down my favorite Margot Robbie performance that I have seen thus far on our journey. Actually, one could argue that this is my favorite overall Margot Robbie performance.

Well, that’s enough about what I think. What do you think? What are your thoughts on I, Tonya (2017)? Let me know in the comments below or by reaching out to me on social media!

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What is up next? Our next stop on the Margot Robbie filmography watch through will bring us to 2017’s Goodbye Christopher Robin. While not currently streaming anywhere, it is currently available to rent on most major platforms for $3.99.

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Title: The Big Short

Director: Adam McKay

Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

Watched via: Blu-ray (currently unavailable to stream but is available for rent for $3.99 (HD) on Amazon and Apple.)

IMDb synopsis: In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

Hedge fund manager Michael Burry (Christian Bale), through his own research, believes that the housing market in the United States is propped up with popsicle sticks and crazy glue and is a bubble just waiting to burst. He believes that if he were to short (bet against) the housing market that he would profit quite handsomely. However, the big banks think Burry is a nut job and gladly accept his money. Why wouldn’t they want to take a bet against something that has never happened in American history?

But wait, what makes up the popsicle sticks and crazy glue holding the market together? Subprime loans. Well, what is a subprime loan? Enter the woman of the hour, Margot Robbie, to explain.

As far as Margot Robbie goes, that is it. She shows up on-screen at 13:50 and at 14:54 we see the last of her in this film. But, she does leave us with a memorable quote. “So, whenever you hear ‘subprime’, think ‘shit’.”

You might be thinking, “Hold on, was that Ryan Gosling narrating?”, and you would be correct. Gosling serves as our narrator but also plays the role of Jared Vennett, a trader for Deutsche Bank. Vennett hears about what Burry is doing and believes he too can cash-in by shorting the housing market. In his own attempt to find a bank willing to take the bet, Vennett accidentally dials FrontPoint Partners.

FrontPoint is run by Mark Baum (Steve Carell) who, self-admittedly, will call out an injustice when he sees it despite the surroundings or situation. On his team, Baum has Danny Moses (Rafe Spall), Porter Collins (Hamish Linklater), and Vinny Daniel (Jeremy Strong). While skeptical, Baum and his team agree to hear out Vennett and invite him to hear his pitch. In his pitch about a credit default swap, Vennett explains how bad bonds are then packaged together as CDOs, or Collateral Debt Obligations. Don’t worry though, we have Anthony Bourdain to help us understand what exactly a CDO is.

After listening to Vennett’s pitch, Baum and his team are still a little skeptical but start to believe that Vennett actually might be right on this one. In fact, they not only believe that Burry’s information checks out but that the bond agencies are grossly overrating these “bad” bonds.

This brings us to the last bit of introductions to our key players. Enter garage-based hedge fund Brownfield, made up of Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock). They both just want a seat at the table with the big dogs. Unfortunately, they lack the experience and clout for a seat at the table. We, the audience, see this first hand as Charlie and Jamie are all but laughed at during a lobby meeting with JP Morgan Chase. However, as they are standing there after the meeting, they find Vennett’s prospectus and want in. But, in order to be taken seriously, Charlie and Jamie know they need help. So they decide to call a former trader who was also a neighbor, Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt). Despite being retired and out of the game, Rickert agrees to help Charlie and Jamie after looking through the data.

From that point on, we are off to the races. If you did not live through it, or have not seen The Big Short (2015) before, please go watch the film. Yes, a quick Google search will tell you whether or not Burry was right and how everything played out. But, the way the story is told here deserves to be experienced at least once.

When this scenario was actually playing out, I was old enough to have a slight grasp as to what was happening but young enough to be in a position where it had no major impact on me at the time. It wasn’t until The Big Short (2015) first landed on streaming that I saw it for the first time. That was the one and only viewing for me prior to revisiting it for this post. I remember liking it initially, but after a long overdue rewatch, I absolutely love it.

Yes, the story is fascinating. And yes, the music from Nicholas Britell works wonderfully in leaning into the swirl of emotions you feel as the story plays out. But, the performances we get are what make The Big Short (2015) so special to me.

Full disclosure, I forgot that Ryan Gosling was even in this, let alone that he was the narrator. Whenever anyone mentions The Big Short (2015), my mind instantly goes to Bale and Carell. That isn’t to take anything away from Gosling though, he is great as Jared Vennett. He and Steve Carell have a special kind of connection. We were able to see it in on full display in 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love and they pick up right where they left off here. An absolute joy to see those two trade jabs and work together on-screen. For Carell, he was fresh off of 2014’s Foxcatcher and delivers another powerhouse performance as Mark Baum. While he never disappoints in comedic roles, I hope it is a very long time before we see the end of Steve Carell in more serious and dramatic roles.

All of that being said, the two performances that I arguably enjoyed the most were turned in by Christian Bale and Brad Pitt. Bale has this ability to immerse himself into a role to such an extent that you forget you are even watching a performance, and he does it again here. No stone goes unturned with him. He wants to know and master every little minute intricacy of his character. As Michael Burry, that included learning to play drums and wearing a prosthetic eye to match the glass eye of the real Michael Burry.

As for Brad Pitt, it might seem an odd choice that his portrayal of Ben Rickert is one of my favorites of the film. Much like with Bale, you almost forget that you are watching Brad Pitt act. In Pitt’s case, it helps that his makeup and costume make him almost unrecognizable. But that isn’t the only thing. I think it is the humaneness of his character that appeals to me. Ben Rickert knows that the system is crooked and he also understands that for every winner there are just as many, if not more, that come out as losers. We are able to see this on full display as he, Charlie, and Jamie are all leaving Las Vegas.

Knowing they pulled of deals that will make them filthy rich, Charlie and Jamie can’t help but celebrate as they walk through the casino on their way out. But it is Ben who points out that millions of people are going to suffer as a result of them being right. He tells them that it is ok to be happy but just don’t dance around about it.

Granted, she was only on the screen for just over a minute, but of all the Margot Robbie films we have watched, this is by far my favorite…so far. It also is very easily my favorite Adam McKay movie that he has directed.

So, what are your thoughts on The Big Short (2015)? Tell me all about it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

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Well, what is coming up next? Next up in our Margot Robbie filmography watch through we will be visiting 2016’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Unfortunately, this one also is not currently available to stream. However, it is available to rent in HD for $3.99 on all major platforms.

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