As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews.
TODAY’S CRITIC: Lafronda Stumn
Lafronda Stumn is a student at Madisonville Community College and intends to graduate with an Associate's degree in Associate of the Arts. She plans on earning a Bachelors Degree in Motion Picture Studies and English at Wright State University. Her favorite Directors are Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Spike Lee, and her favorite actors are Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Halle Berry. Lafronda contacted this page looking for a place to get published and I enjoy giving people that very kind of opportunity. This is her 16th guest review for Every Movie Has a Lesson. Welcome as always, Lafronda!
HER REVIEW: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin is one of the most celebrated writers working right now. To his award-winning work on the West Wing, his excellent work as a screenwriter on such films as A Few Good Men, The American President, and his Oscar-winning work for the film, The Social Network. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is Sorkin's second directorial feature, along with being the writer. The film is about the 1968 Democratic Convention brawls that occurred that night, and the defendants are Abby Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins), and John Froines (Daniel Flattery). They are all represented by William Kunstler (Mark Rylance) and Leonard Weinglass (Ben Shankman). There is an 8th defendant Bobby Seale who had nothing to do with the violent protests of the Chicago 7 and refused the defense of Kunstler and Weinglass.
Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Richard Schulz, the federal prosecutor who is apprehensive about taking the case but changes his mind. Frank Langella is the Judge who the most unethical judge of his time.
The Trial goes on for about six months, and Seale's constant outbursts, who was barely there and accused the government of making a statement that is on Trial because he is a part of the Black Panther Party. Abby Hoffman cracks jokes, and when Kunstler defends Seale, the other members of the seven. The judge hands out contempt charges as he was giving away free money.
Abby Hoffman does stand up in a night club talking about what happened that night at the convention. The narrative goes back and forth between trial sequences. Scenes that stood out the most are Seale paying the consequences for speaking out one too many times as the trail. Hoffman and Hayden disagree about how they should move forward if there is not a conviction. Hayden accuses Hoffman of being too superficial about social justice. An optional juror being dismissed sounds fishy by the defense attorneys. There is a problematic scene where the six defendants and a black maid questions Hayden for standing up for him during the Trial. Hayden's response is what it should have been. Finally, an extended standoff at the park in Chicago between protesters and the police is well choreographed.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 does do an excellent job of juggling so many characters in so many situations that Sorkin's direction is smooth and precise. The best performances for me are by Rylance, Redmayne, and Langella. Rylance, in particular, gives excellent dialogue scenes with Frank Langella's character in the courtroom. What's missing is more scenes of snappy dialogue with the other characters. The writing is not in the same league as in The Social Network or A Few Good Men. The emotions about Seale's predicament and the Black Panther party are not fully realized as I would've liked for it to be. As it stands, I believe it is a good film that could've been a great one if Sorkin could've taken another crack at the screenplay.
CONCLUSION
Thank you again, Lafronda! You are welcome anytime. Friends, if you see a movie that I don't see and want to be featured on my website, hit up my website's Facebook page and you can be my next GUEST CRITIC!
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