Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

The Grinch

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I think the following exchange sums up my feelings about this movie.  There was a mom and her son (he looked to be around 4) sitting next to us in the theatre.  About halfway into the movie the boy turns to his mom and says. “I don’t like this movie, can we go home now?”  Hey kid – I’m with you!  I wasn’t going to see this movie at all, but I thought with Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the Grinch, maybe he would be up to the task, or at least add one reliably interesting element.  I was wrong.  You might remember how Jay Ward and the Warner Brothers deftly crafted their comedy cartoons so there were elements that appealed to the adult, some that appealed to the kid, and some that covered all the bases. This writer and his team definitely weren’t able to do this.  That being said,  if you are a kid between the age of 5-10, you might find this a somewhat enjoyable holiday entry.  I must say that except for a scene of the Grinch shopping in town (his interactions with the townspeople are WAY off Suess’ script), he never seemed very mean or even that scary. He’s bland, homogenized into a pale imitation of the original. The otherwise pointless inclusion of a cliched giant moose character probably helped them expand it from the television half hour to a movie length story.  The new music is pedestrian, not very catchy; but the worst is the reimagined Cindy Lou Who who is now an incredibly spunky hockey playing girl with an equally incredibly saintly single mother.   This one should have Dr. Suess rising from the grave faster than Jacob Marley’s ghost!  If I had a child or grandchild who was in the right age range for this movie, I still wouldn’t take them to see it.  Instead, we would microwave some popcorn, snuggle under a nice warm blanket, and watch the original made for televsion version.  Boris Karloff – you are missed!!

Johnny English Strikes Again

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Johnny English reminds me of Maxwell Smart, that inept CONTROL agent 86 from the 60’s spy TV comedy “Get Smart.” In the third (and probably last) movie in the series, Rowan Atkinson, as Johnny English,  bumbles his way through a series of misadventures, and yet saves the day without even knowing exactly why or how he did it.  This time around Johnny is retired and teaching Geography in a small, country boarding school – away from the intrigues of London.  Some of the funniest bits in the movie are Johnny teaching spy skills, like camoflauge and bomb building, to his enthusiastic students.  Through a series of serendipitous events, Johnny English is one of the few agents who have not been compromised by a massive security breach.  It was fun to see old timers Michael Gambon, Edward Fox and Charles Dance as the other agents who haven’t been exposed.  But it turns out they are very unlucky agents, and their cameos were all too brief.  You will not laugh out loud like  you would in a broad comedy, but there are isolated islands of chuckles.  Emma Thompson stars as the Prime Minister who will do anything, and I mean anything, to keep her job.  The movie lags in between the comedy bits, so I really can’t recommend you go see this at the theatres.  That is too bad, because I loved the first two Johnny English movies and had high hopes for this one.  Sometimes, you can go to the well once too often.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

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The Spy Who Dumped Me, a spy-comedy-buddy movie starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon is a so-so film. It’s being promoted as an action comedy feature, and I must admit there is a lot of action in this movie.  But..the action isn’t really new or terribly exciting.  I was hoping that with Mila and Kate involved, there would at least be some great comic moments, and I tried really hard to find something to laugh at in the first half, but I was not successful.  I did laugh here and there in the second half, mainly at Kate McKinnon, but not enough to recommend it.  I laughed more during Ant-Man and the Wasp to be honest.  Sam Heugan provided some of the action, and eye candy relief without wearing his Highland gear from Outlander.  But still, this is definitely one to skip at the theatres.

Ant-Man and The Wasp

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“InfinityWar” was such an intense entry in the Marvel catalogue that I found Ant-Man and the Wasp a refreshing change.  Don’t get me wrong, this movie has everything you expect  to find in a Marvel movie; such as nonstop acton, interesting villians, back stories and special effects. This movie, however, felt a little smaller and more intimate and I loved that!  The script is very witty and Paul Rudd knows how to deliver the laughs.  Also, there is some true chemistry between his character and Evangeline Lily as The Wasp.  Walter Goggins is excellent as the very human villian, and Hannah John-Kamen is the mysterious “Ghost,” both of them wanting to steal the secrets of the quantum realm but for different reasons.  Michael Douglas is back as Hank Pym, who wants to journey into that quantum realm, where it is just possible his wife (Michelle Pfieffer) who disappeared 30 years ago may still be alive. Don’t worry too much about the plot, the real treat in this movie is the clever special effects. Various peoople (and cars) grow and shrink making for hilarious circumstances.  I know I don’t have to tell you this, but stay until the end of the credits; there are actually two scenes, one in the middle of the credits and one at the end.  Both of them will give you a little hint as to what will be happening in the next Avenger movie.  If you are looking for a super hero movie with a sweet romance, witty dialogue and a gigantic Hello Kitty Pez dispenser, this is the movie for you!

Ocean’s 8

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I liked this movie.  It is light hearted and fun.  Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, sister of the famous Daniel Ocean from three past movies (2 great and 1 terrible), who has recently passed away (although  there  are several jokes about the fact that no one is 100% positive that he actually is in his crypt).  She has been in jail for five years, apparently framed by her former boy friend and partner in crime, Claude Becker (portrayed by Thorin Oaken…er, Richard Armitage).  She’s had a LOT of time to think, and when she gets out, she is ready to pull off a seemingly impossible  (aren’t they all?) heist that involves stealing a necklace – worth an incredible $150,000,000! – from the Met’s Annual Gala and the neck of the self centered Daphne Kugler (Anne Hathaway).  Watching how she pulls this off with partners like Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna is entertaining.  Director Gary Ross even throws in a few cameos from some of the original players of Ocean’s 11-13.  Hathaway makes a really good mark, one with more on the ball than you might think, and Armitage lightly oozes the charm as the boyfriend who may or may not be part of a revenge subplot.  The schemes are not as intricate and developed as the Clooney vehicles, but there are some good twists, some good performances and plenty of eye-catching fashion.  Ocean’s 8 may not be an intense ride like Dead Pool or Infinity War, but for a summer popcorn movie – It definitely fills the bill.