The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

It is somewhat fitting that this should be the first of the year's Academy Best Picture nominees that I see, because it was almost certainly the longest in development: Aaron Sorkin wrote it in 2007. We can only imagine how it would have differed if the original plan for Steven Spielberg to direct had panned out. I did detect a bit of Spielberg flavor before I knew that, but no, it's Sorkin's second turn as a screen director.

After a rather brisk intro, most of the film runs from the start of the trial to the end. For those like me who've been a little hazy, the Chicago 7 are Vietnam War protesters charged with deliberately inciting a riot at the '68 Democratic National Convention. In truth, eight men are on trial most of the time, but Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) doesn't belong there and eventually gets a mistrial declared. The others are Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins), and John Froines (Daniel Flaherty). Defense counsel William Kunstler (Mark Rylance -- have a few Brits as Americans) sees an uphill battle as unrelated Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) is plainly unfair and probably senile. Several of the defendants figure it's political theater and would rather make their message heard than try to get acquitted.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

This movie is not getting ratings as high as I thought when my dad and I went to see it. Part of that may be backlash against now-scandalous Johnny Depp as the title character, but that's not the only reason. Things get pretty different from the immediate predecessor.

The year is 1927, and most of the events take place in Paris. If you were hoping to see Voldemort forerunner Gellert Grindelwald go on trial, I'm afraid he escapes in the midst of extradition to Britain early on. (Even when playing a wanted murderer laying low, Depp refuses to look ordinary on screen anymore.) His objective is to find Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), the young adult wizard finally in control of his immense powers, and recruit him to slaughter or subjugate all muggles. Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), presently a Defense Against the Dark Art professor, taps beast collector Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to reach Credence and talk him out of that crusade. In addition to the obvious challenges, Newt must contend with a distrustful Ministry of Magic and one Yusuf Kuma (William Nadylam), who wants to kill Credence for personal reasons.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Dr. Strange is a tough act to follow, and here I am following it with another major studio's massive spectacle about sorcery. But as a fan of both the Harry Potter books and the accompanying booklet of the same title, I eagerly accepted my parents' invitation to see it with them on Thanksgiving.

Given the booklet's existence as a mere fictional bestiary, this could not really be an adaptation in the same sense as the HP movies. Instead, it's about a brief adventure of wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in 1926, the year before his bestiary is said to be published. Since Harry's main set of adventures takes place in the '90s, we get none of the same actors and very few familiar names -- apart from Newt, just occasional mentions of headmaster Albus Dumbledore and his fugitive former friend Gellert Grindelwald. Author J.K. Rowling did write the story, so we can still count on it for fidelity -- and indeed, it still feels like the same realm.

At this point, Newt's not doing any biology research exactly. He comes to New York City in order to look for a rare beast to acquire. Unfortunately, he brings several other magical beasts in a magical suitcase that is not as secure as needed. This garners the undesired attention of random non-wizard Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and disgraced policewitch Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), the latter of whom would have Newt punished and Jacob's memory wiped immediately if not for compromising circumstances. The bigger problem comes when something publicly kills in a way that no normal animal could. Newt insists it's none of his pets, but he takes it upon himself to determine what it is and how they can stop it before the whole city knows that magic exists.

The Theory of Everything (2014)

Yes, I see modern releases in theaters sometimes. In this case, a very good yet sparsely attended theater. Perhaps not many people care to see a movie about a theoretical physicist. Or a man who can move less and less as the story continues (which of course feels much faster on screen). Or both. It did remind me at times of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the most depressing movie I ever...loved. But TToE is much less depressing, and not just because the protagonist is still alive.