Capsule Reviews

A couple of movies I saw at screenings on Sunday.
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LBJ – quite good. The makeup for Woody Harrelson is a bit distracting, but surprisingly he did an absolutely terrific job with this.  They also do a seriously-good job dealing with a wide range of Johnson's life in only 93 minutes without feeling rushed or thing.  I've read the four biographies by Robert Caro, which I'm sure they used in part as source material, as well as Doris Kearns Goodwins book, and -- with quibbles -- the film handled it all respectably.
 
Murder on the Orient Express – I love Agatha Christie, and have read most of her novels, so I was obligated to go.  Very well-produced and shot, but sort of a mess-up of the classic story.  Some people never learn, and try to change her structure, never grasping that she wasn’t renowned for being a brilliant stylist, but rather because her plotting was masterful, intricate, and all the pieces fit properly.  Screw with that at all, even in small ways, and you risk things falling apart.  This doesn't fall apart, but the pieces don't fit as well as they should.