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Two adaptations/remakes this week, both pretty good. I’m cautiously glad to be coming out of Jan/Feb dumping grounds, because now is when the movie season normally starts to really pick up. But with the delay of the new James Bond movie until November, I wonder if more films that need China’s box office will follow suit. If they do, I only have like 500 movies at home …

On a semi-related note, wash your damn hands, everybody.

I’ve never read Jane Austen’s EMMA, but I had no problem following the new film adaptation because I’ve seen Clueless twice — no, really. Coming to this story in the “wrong” order made me really appreciate what a good adaptation that is … Anyway, this adaptation is good, too! The strong cast is led by Anya Taylor-Joy from Thoroughbreds, and features the requisite number of “hey, it’s that person from that other thing!” British actors. The filmmaking is not always head-turning, but the good scenes are great; director Autumn de Wilde has a great eye for comedic reaction shots, and her production team outdid themselves with a range of appealing sets, costumes and hairstyles.

3:10 TO YUMA is a well-paced, well-directed western from James Mangold, but it’s missing some of the emotional depth of his later films, Logan and Ford v Ferrari. Christian Bale plays a rancher/Civil War veteran assigned to escort a notorious criminal, played by Russell Crowe, to prison; both actors are convincing enough to break out of their famous faces, which is not always a given. I also liked the action set-pieces, including a chase through a demolition site and another across the roofs of small Old West town. However, I didn’t buy some crucial decisions made by characters in the final act, which retroactively made the longer journey feel a little disappointing.

(new additions in bold)

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