Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Bullet Train

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Brad Pitt plays a very unlucky assassin nicknamed Ladybug who is tasked with finding and removing a particular briefcase by his handler (voiced by Sandra Bullock). The action takes place entirely on a high speed train in Japan (A ‘bullet train.’ Coincidence? Unh unh).  Ladybug discovers that seemingly everyone on the train has an ulterior motive for being on board, AND for wanting the briefcase. No surprise that the gloves are off, and they all will stop at nothing to get it.  Some of his adversaries include Bad Bunny playing the Wolf, Joey King as Prince, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Tangerine, and Bryan Tyree Henry as Lemon.  The man behind it all has a complicated back story, but it will become clear that he’s earned his sobriquet ‘White Death.’ (The ever daunting Michael Shannon). This movie reminded me a lot of Pulp Fiction because of the witty dialogue, violence, and timeline mash ups. The action is fast paced and full of twists and unforeseen turns. Right in the middle of the action, for example, the movie shows you the journey of a water bottle from the vending machine where it is purchased through it’s appearance on the train and it’s inventive use as a weapon.   Oh and don’t forget some tongue-in-cheek cameos by Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds. This is an extremely violent, but yet, highly entertaining summer pop-corn movie.  I wouldn’t take young kids to see it, but otherwise, if you go, I doubt you will be bored.

Thor: Love and Thunder

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Thor: Love and Thunder is a sequel to Thor: Ragnarok which came out in 2017.  Both movies were directed by (and in the later he also doubles as writer and actor)  Taika Waititi.  So you know the movie will be fun and maybe a little silly but highly entertaining.  Waititi definitely delivers the goods.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) begins the movie where the first one left off with an overweight Thor fighting the good fight with The Guardians of the Galaxy.  In search of inner peace, he shapes up, and parts ways with the Guardians in order to answer a call.  Apparently Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) has made it his mission to destroy ALL gods in the universe. So Thor leaves the Guardians in order to help defend the transplanted remains of Asgard (which has been turned in to a Disney-like tourist attraction) from Gorr’s attacks. While he’s doing that, a former character returns, now wielding Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer! Now that we have the plot details out of the way, we can sit back and watch the fun.  One of my favorite moments was seeing Russell Crowe camp it up as Zeus.  Other fun roles were played by Sam Neill, Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Melissa McCarthy as the Asgardian Players and Taika Waititi  as Kong, Thor’s wacky sidekick.  Other people you will see in various parts big and small are Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander, Idris Elba, and a cute group of courageous kids.  As in all Marvel movies, there are end credits: two to be exact.  You will miss the second one if you do not stay to the very end.  I found myself laughing out loud at some of the writing, which is quite clever, but I found the story itself a little lackluster.  For mindless summer entertainment though , I don’t think you will be disappointed.   Oh, and fun fact – Chris Hemsworth’s daughter, India Rose plays the titular Love.

Top Gun: Maverick

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No matter what you think of Tom Cruise as a person, he consistently makes interesting, action-packed movies.  “Top Gun: Maverick” is no exception.  The first one came out in 1986, so the sequel was over 35 years in the making!  I saw the original back in the day, but to be honest, didn’t remember what it had been about.  It doesn’t matter because any questions you might have are probably answered in this movie!  Anyway, “Top Gun: Maverick” is top-notch entertainment and is a definite sign that movies are bouncing back.  Tom Cruise reprises his role as the unconventional pilot Pete Mitchell, nicknamed Maverick,  who this time around is being tasked to train other top guns to undertake a very dangerous mission.  Jennifer Connolly is Penny Benjamin,  the woman that he never seems to quite be able to commit to.  Miles Teller is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), who died in an accident in the original.  He has a grudge against Maverick, because of that.  The issues will become clear as the movie unfolds.  There is a poignant appearance by Val Kilmer, whose real life health problems mirror those of his character.  This is a very fast paced, high energy action packed movie from beginning to end.  I enjoyed every minute even when I knew exactly what was going to happen, it didn’t matter.  I think you will enjoy this movie whether you are a fan of the first movie or have never even heard of Tom Cruise!  DO NOT wait until this is on television.  You will not  want to miss the breath taking action and sweeping cinematography on the big screen.  And having Hans Zimmer and Lady Gaga involved with the music isn’t bad either.  If I could do it, this movie would rate two gold apples!

The King’ s Man

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“The King’s Man” is an origin story that comes before the two way more entertaining Kingsman films.  Did we really  need an origin story?  I say no, and I really didn’t care for this one. According to the misleading trailer, this looked very much in the vein of the first two which gave us a ton of intrigue, plus Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Samuel L. Jackson and even Elton John.  This one has Ralph Fiennes and Djmon Hounsou (whom I love) but doesn’t give him much to do.   The story starts with Ralph, as the Duke of Oxford, losing his wife as a civilian casualty of the Boer War. She dies in his arms before the eyes of their horrified small son. He vows to do everything necessary to keep his son safe, as it was her dying wish.  In the meantime, some of history’s most evil criminals plot to change events and exacerbate bad situations in World War I to ensure the British lose.  (Playing very fast and loose with history.  There are some plain silly scenes like the one where President Wilson is being blackmailed with a phony sexy film roll!) The worst was a complete waste of 20 minutes or more with Rhys Ifans playing a highly improbable and totally disgusting Rasputin. The real Rasputin, bad as he was, was a choir boy in comparison.  That whole part of the movie could have been edited out with no loss to the story (such as it is).  Most of the action takes place in the last twenty minutes and is fairly well done.  But, I was very disappointed in this one and didn’t feel it kept to the spirit of the first two.  If you must see it, wait until it is streaming, no use throwing your money away.

Red Notice

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What were you expecting out of a movie with Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Godot? Well, you won’t be disappointed, for that is exactly what you’re going to get!! Ryan Reynolds (Booth) plays his usual wise-cracking, Deadpool-ish character who describes himself as the World’s Greatest Art Thief. Dwayne Johnson (Hartley) is the intrepid FBI agent out to bring him to justice, and Gal Godot is the mysterious “Bishop,” who is beautiful, smart, and kicks butt like Wonder Woman. Yes, you have seen these characters in these same parts before, but that does not detract from the fun. The ludicrous plot has much to do with possessing all three of the ancient golden eggs said to have been given to Cleopatra by Marc Anthony. Two of these eggs are in private hands, but the third has been lost to time. Booth claims he knows where it is. The person who can deliver the lost third egg to a rich Egyptian collector – so he can give it to his daughter, yep her name is Cleopatra, on her birthday – will be $800 million richer. I advise you to forget the plot and just enjoy the banter, chases, escapes, and surprises. The action is virtually unending, the twists and betrayals many and surprising, and the effects are awesome. Look for a delicious cameo by a famous English singer-songwriter. This movie won’t win any Oscars, but it’s a fun ride, and will certainly entertain you for a few hours.