Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Lion

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I have enjoyed Dev Patel’s performances ever since seeing him in the Oscar winning “Slum Dog Millionaire.”  “The Most Exotic Marigold Hotel” movies and the HBO series “Newsroom” gave him a chance to show different aspects of his acting skills.  His newest film, “Lion” blows those performances out of the water.  Patel has been deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for playing the grown up Indian boy Saroo.  His character is based on the real story of a young Indian boy who is separated from his family by tragic circumstances and ends up trapped on a train that dumps him 1200 miles away from home and in an area of India where his language, Hindi, is not commonly spoken.  How this little boy survives on his own for months as a street urchin and is finally adopted would be enough for a whole movie, and yet that is only 1/2 the story.  The second half of the movie is where Patel shines as the grown up Saroo who has been lovingly raised by Australian parents.  He longs, though, to be reunited with his birth mother and siblings, if only so they can know he is still alive.  This sweet journey will make anyone with a heart reach for a tissue.   Please go enjoy this wonderful movie as I am sure it won’t be out long and is worth seeing on the big screen.

Gold

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‘Gold’, stars Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a modern prospector on hard times.  He inherits his dad’s mining concern, but times turn bad and Kenny and a few loyal employees are forced to give up their nice offices and conduct business in a bar after their company goes under. Then comes the turn of fortune that looks to put them back in the money!  Matthew gives a solid performance.  He had to gain a lot of weight to play Wells as a middle aged and dissolute man, but one still with hope.  Bryce Dallas Howard is also featured, but she really doesn’t have much to do.  Edgar Ramirez gives a great performance as the partner whose gold discovery in Indonesia turns the company around, or does it?  After you see the movie, look up the real story of  John Felderhof (fictionalized to Kenny Wells). It is every bit as bizarre and intriguing as the movie!  This movie is not as good as Wolf of Wall Street, which I was reminded of as I watched, but it is still worth seeing.

Split

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It is nice to see M. Night Shyamalan directing a movie that rises above some of his recent movies, like “The Last Airbender.”  “Split” harkens back to some of Shyamalan’s earlier movies like “Sixth Sense” and “Signs” and the more recent “The Visit”.  This is a well-done thriller that keeps you guessing.  The tour de force performance of James McAvoy would be compelling even in a movie of lower calibre.  His character has 23 (or perhaps 24) distinct personalities all trying to materialize and dominate the others.  Whether he is playing nine year old Hedwig or refined Patricia, McAvoy is compelling and creepy.  The plot revolves around three abducted girls who are being held by one of the personalities.  In the meantime, the original personality is being treated by Dr. Fletcher, played as somewhat dimwitted (she makes some poor decisions in my opinion) by Betty Buckley.  Of course Mr. Shyamalan will appear in a small role, but the surprise is the cameo at the very end of the movie.  No spoilers, but you will not understand the cameo if you haven’t seen some of M. Night’s earlier works.  If  you like psychological thrillers, I recommend you give this one a try.

LaLa Land

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Do you enjoy watching those big, splashy musicals that Hollywood made in the ’40s and ’50s?  Movies like “The Harvey Girls” “An American in Paris” or “Singing in the Rain”?  If so, La La Land is going to put a song in your heart and some boogie in your feet.  This is one wonderful movie.  Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling seem at first to be two unlikely actors to pull off an old-fashioned musical.  And yet they do!  The songs are modern and the lyrics are a delight.  La La Land tells the story of Mia and Sebastian, who have both come to “The Land of Broken Dreams” to make it big.   Mia wants to be an actress while Sebastian is a dedicated jazz musician who dreams of owning his own jazz club.  The movie shows the ups and downs and highs and lows of their pursuits with music and dance enhancing that journey.  John Legend is also featured and helps to move the plot along rather nicely.  This is a wonderful movie, and if  you love music, you will not be disappointed.

Silence

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I want to start out by saying that Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors.  From ‘Casino’ to ‘Good Fellows,’ from ‘Shutter Island’ to ‘Hugo,’ he has never disappointed me.  So it is with a heavy heart that I must not recommend this movie.  The plot sounded intriguing:  the true story of Portuguese missionaries in Japan in search of their missing mentor at a time when Christianity is outlawed and priests are forbidden.  A lot of people, including me, may not be familiar with this period of history.  It took Scorsese 28 years to bring Shusaku Endo’s acclaimed book to the screen; and the scenery, costumes and cinematography are indeed breath taking.  However, the story of two men hiding and starving for a great deal of the movie doesn’t make for a pleasant viewing experience for the theater goer.  There are scenes after scenes of people being killed in gruesome ways, of the poor peasants suffering and the inability of the two priests, handcuffed by their Jesuit orthodoxy, to actually be of help.  This movie is depressing from beginning to end.  I would wait to see it at home, when you can break up this 160 minute movie into smaller chunks.  I can not fault the acting of Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neesan, Ciaran Hinds or the heartbreaking performance by Tadanobu Asano, the “Johnny Depp” of Japanese Cinema.  His portrayal of the man who seems to worship and yet betray the priests is incredible.  This is the kind of movie that might win some awards, but most people will not want to watch it to find out why.  If I love a  movie, I want to see it again and again; this was not one of those movies.