Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

The Snowman

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

I had high hopes for this one.  I recently read the book by Jo Nesbo.  He has written seven other books that feature Norwegian detective Harry Hole.  The book was no “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” but was still an interesting read.  I wish the movie had been even 1/10 as good as the novel!  I wonder how people who didn’t read the novel were able to follow the plot, because I was confused and I knew what was happening….kind of.  The action jumped around a lot, and they did not develop the characters well.  You don’t find yourself interested or invested in them, even the main people!  Michael Fassbender is a great actor, but even he couldn’t imbue the character of Harry Hole with any real life or interest.  You never find yourself getting behind him as an investigator. Toby Jones and J.K. Simmons were wasted in their roles, as was a rather debilitated looking Val Kilmer. This was another movie where those involved made inexplicable changes to the plot that added nothing to the story.  For what it’s worth (and no spoiling here) the main story is that a serial killer is killing promiscuous women and sometimes using their heads as a topping for his snow creations.  Detective Hole and his new partner are on the case.  Who is the killer?  What is going on?  Who cares?  This is definitely not one that I would recommend.

Wind River

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

“Wind River” opens with an intense moment: a young girl running barefoot in the bleak Wyoming snow.  During the course of this engaging movie, we find out who she is, where she is, and why she is running.  This is a great crime drama, along the lines of “Hell or High Water”.  Taylor Sheridan wrote  both movies and has tried his hand at directing this one.  What a great job at that!  This is a character driven drama with gut wrenching performances by Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham, Graham Greene and Jon Bernthal.  Something horrific has happened on the Wind River Reservation and rookie FBI agent Olsen teams with game tracker Renner who is haunted by a past tragedy.  There are no annoying subplots or even periods or comic relief, just a well-told story.  If you liked “Hell or High Water” you are going to enjoy this one too.  Don’t look for a sweet happy ending, as this movie will show us, on the reservation there are no happy endings, only a kind of redemption.  This is a little Indie movie though, so if you want to see it on a big screen (and you really should) HURRY!

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

I must admit that when it comes to Samuel L. Jackson, I will see him in just about anything.  Even a movie on a plane with a bunch of snakes.   For a teacher about to go back to work, this was a good diversion. He plays the hitman of the title, and he needs a bodyguard because he is the only surviving witness who can testify against bad Eastern European President Gary Oldman.  Ryan Reynolds plays the down on his luck Grade A protection agent who is tasked to guard the life of this world’s most notorious hitman. It turns out they have met before and both have tried to kill the other. Plus, Sam knocked off one of Ryan’s clients in the past, which caused him to go downhill. And…there are more little plot quirks!  As you might expect, this summer buddy comedy is full  of action packed car chases, witty banter, menacing bad guys and even a little pathos.  Gary Oldman is fine as the villain, but I think you will be surprised by Selma Hayek’s character, who is married to Jackson’s character and  possibly uses even  more profanity than Jackson does. So if you like Ryan  Reynolds and Samuel Jackson and want to see them in an amusing fluff of a movie, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Going in Style

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

The stars of ‘Going in Style,’ Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin are all Oscar winners.  They play elderly gentlemen who decide to rob a bank in retribution for being screwed over by shifty pension managers and dodgy banks (kind of like “Hell or High Water” which was a better although more somber movie).  There are some genuinely funny and heartwarming moments.  All three actors are masters at their craft.  But there are some negatives too.   I feel the casting of Ann-Margret as the love interest of Alan Arkin was terrible!  Why is it okay for these older men to be cast wrinkles and all, but the actresses of the same age have to have so much plastic surgery that they look fake and just a little creepy?  It would be so refreshing to see a great actress like say Katherine Ross, Rachel Ward or Diane Keaton playing these parts with their natural beauty.  Her mask-like features really distracted from the whole love story.  Also, the first half hour of the movie dragged; it wasn’t until they started cleverly and humorously planning their heist that the movie really took off.  This is a pleasant enough movie, but I think you can wait until it is on Netflix to watch it.

Ghost in the Shell

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

In this sci-fi thriller movie version of the Japanese anime series, Scarlett Johansson plays Major, a cyber-enhanced human (well, she has a human brain anyway).  I love these futuristic dystopian movies that depict life in a brave, new world of tomorrow, especially if cyborgs or robots are involved.  In this movie, Major is a human whose brain is put into a “shell” or synthetic body after being ‘saved’ from a terrible boating tragedy.  The “ghost” is her essence, or spirit.  She is turned into the perfect soldier and is tasked with stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals from doing their nefarious deeds.  The cinematography is exquisite and had me totally immersed in futuristic Tokyo.  Scarlett Johansson is pretty good playing a robotic-like woman who is starting to realize that her creators may not be telling her the complete truth about what has been done to her.  I also liked Pilou Asbaek as her sidekick Batou, who has a soft spot for dogs.  However, I found the story was slow-paced and the plot very simplistic.  Despite, those drawbacks, and poor reviews from other venues, I think if you see this movie, you will enjoy it.