Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Death on the Nile

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, whodunits, Egypt, glamorous globetrotters or Kenneth Branagh; I have just the movie for you.  Sir Kenneth once again plays Hercule Poirot (returning as the classic Belgian detective with the little grey cells whom we last saw in Murder on the Orient Express),  He is taking a break from sleuthing by embarking on a relaxing vacation in Egypt.  Vacation abruptly turns into a murder investigation when one of the passengers on a private yacht is murdered.  It is obvious that someone on board is guilty of course, but who?  Therein lies the fun of the movie.  A myriad of characters and suspects are introduced.  All have hidden secrets and motives. There is the glamorous Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot) who stole her girlfriend’s (Emma Mackey) fiancée.  The latter is stalking Linnet and her ex fiancée.  Armie Hammer plays the sleazy playboy – who may or may not only be after his new wife’s money.  Then there is Hercule’s old friend, Bouc, and his snarky artistic mother Euphemia – as well as Linnet’s ex fiancé, her personal maid and her lawyer, who all have something to hide.  The writer has added a backstory to explain why Poirot wears such massive moustaches.  This was not in any of the books I have read (I think I have read just about all of them), but I felt it was well-done and added to Poirot’s character.  Also two additional characters have been added:  Jazz singer Sophie Okenedo and her manager played by Leticia Wright, both with their own suspicious pasts.  There are so many characters, though, that some really get the short end of the stick as far as time on camera:  Russell Brand, Rose Leslie, Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders immediately come to mind.  Anyway, this movie is exactly what you’d expect out of a whodunit – great scenery, lavish sets and costumes, tons of red herrings, a plethora of suspects and a twist ending.  The thing that keeps me from giving this movie my highest rating is I do think it was too long and dragged in the middle.  But still, I am a big fan of whodunits, and if you are too, you are still going to want to catch this one (and hopefully the next one).

Serenity

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

If you are a fan of the cult TV show “Firefly,”  I suggest that  you skip this movie, because you will be extremely disappointed by the title ( fellow nerds, you know what I’m talking about).  If you are not a fan of “Firefly,” I still suggest you that you skip this movie, because you are still going to be disappointed.  I expected way more from a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey, who are both Oscar winning actors.  If you have seen trailers for “Serenity;” you will likely have been misdirected, as I was, because this movie is totally not what the trailer leads you to expect.  Matthew McConaughey stars as Baker Dill, an Iraq war veteran and fishing boat captain who spends every spare moment hunting a giant tuna called Justice.  His ex-wife, Karen, shows up with a story of being abused by her current millionaire husband (played unconvincingly and as a bland stereotype by Jason Clarke) and the bruises to prove it.  She wants him to take her husband out on a fishing trip and kill  him by throwing him overboard for the sharks.  She offers  ten million dollars in cold, hard cash.  Karen is played by Anne Hathaway with her hair dyed a perplexing and unflattering blond.  Diane Lane and DJimon Honshu are wasted in minor supporting roles, that frankly, don’t really servie to support anything! Up until this point, the action was slow, but the plot  seemed to be headed in the familiar territoy of suspense thriller.  Here is where the movie falls apart, and even gets silly.   I won’t give away the big plot “surprise,” although I feel I would be doing a public service if I did!  Anyway, think of a really bad rip off of Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch,’ but without the myriad choices, and you will get the idea.  I read after the fact, that “Serenity” was scheduled to be released in September 2018, but was pulled and delayed until late January 2019.  It’s almost as if the distributors knew something, isn’t it?

Glass

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

If you liked M. Knight Shyamalan’s “Split” and “Unbreakable,” you are probably going to like “Glass,” even though it is not as good as either one.  That being said, it was nice to see some of these characters return.  I especially enjoyed Bruce Willis as David Dunn, the very reluctant super hero who uses his free time to find bad guys, and provide a little justice.  But he most notably is looking for  James McAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb.  As the story begins, Kevin, and his many personalities, have kidnapped some female cheerleaders, and some of the personalities are warning the young women that ‘The Beast’ is coming soon.  We know that bad things will happen when The Beast arrives.  Just in time, enter David Dunn, and before you know it, the authorities – who’ve been watching for the two of them – have them both in custody.  Things get murky from here on.  Kevin Crumb has some 30 personalities, and James McAvoy is so spot on as he plays each one to perfection.  At some points, he flips from one to another with such facility and realism that you will be amazed that he is playing them all so quickly and believeably.  Samuel L. Jackson is back as the very breakable Mr. Glass, but I found his character too one-dimensional and unbelievable..  It wouldn’t be an M. Knight movie, though without some twists, which I will not spoil of course.  Part of the problem with this movie that keeps it from being really good is the character of Dr. Staple  played by Sarah Paulson.  She gets way too much screen time as a shrink trying to prove that the three main characters are not the super heroes they seem to believe they are.  The addition of the characters of Glass’ mother, Dunn’s son and the one cheerleader who escaped Kevin’s earlier attentions spread out the plot points, but not always to best advantage.  They are essential to a resolution that is essentially unsatisfying and a touch of that M. Night weak-ish resolution we all know. These parts of the movie lag, and it gives you time to notice many plot holes that you wouldn’t have otherwise bothered looking for.   But there are not a lot of great movies playing out there right now, so if you want to see some great acting by James McAvoy, the return of Bruce Willis, and a scene-stealing twitch, this is the movie for you!

Winchester Mystery House

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

I was really interested in seeing this movie because I have toured the actual Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California!   During the years around the turning of the 20th Century, Sarah Winchester inherited a fortune from her husband, who was the majority stock holder in the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.  She feels guilty that these rifles caused so much death and pain, and believes she has been cursed as a result.  She thinks the ghosts of those hurt by the rifles are haunting her, and begins adding rooms to her house to keep them confined.  She has construction going on around the clock, seven days a week. All in all, her house ended up with 161 rooms. There are strange things  in this house (to go along with the strange goings on!).  Stairways that go nowhere, doors that open into nothing, cabinets that open to other rooms.  All of this is true and fascinating to see in person.  The movie speculates about what might be the reason for all of the construction and what Sarah thinks it will accomplish.  Helen Mirren brings her considerable acting chops  to the role, ably supported by Jason Clarke and Sarah Snook;  but even her prestige can’t hide the fact that this it is really an old fashioned  ghost story.  There are apparitions, mysterious noises, moving objects and a few scares.  I would recommend this movie just so you can  see what the real house looks like as they actually had permission to film in and around it.  Go for the ghosts, stay for the house!!

Suburbicon

By 2 Comments

Apple Rating:

What’s not to love?  A script written by the Coen Brothers,  directed by  George Clooney, and a stellar cast that includes  Matt Damon, Julianne Moore (playing twins no less!) and Oscar Issac.  So, why did I not love this movie?  Well……the first half of Suburbicon is extremely boring.  It starts out in a perfect, stereotypical middle class, white 60’s neighborhood where everything looks perfect.  Matt Damon’s character is married to a disabled woman who has a twin sister.  He seems the typical, button down good father and husband. During a home invasion, his wife ‘accidentally’ dies.  Is it an accident? In a plot twist reminiscent of the far, far better Fargo, we find out that Matt Damon’s character may not be the perfect Mr. Cleaver father after all. Mayhem ensues.  Interspersed within this plot is an almost completely different movie that involves the first Black family to move into all white suburbia.  By the time you get to the end of the movie, you feel like you have been hit on the head with a not very subtle point.  As always, the Coen Brothers include some dark humor and a few surprises, but it is just not enough.  Instead of going to see Suburbicon, I would recommend looking for Fargo on Netflix and watching William H. Macy “fleeing the interview.”