Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

OSCAR PREDICTIONS

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Oscar season is upon us and I love it!  I don’t think I have missed an Oscar presentation in over 50 years!  I was watching when a man streaked across the stage behind David Niven.  I saw Charlie Chaplin get his honorary Oscar and a 15 minute standing ovation.  I got to see Sidney Poitier and Halle Berry make history.  I even watched as Jack Palance (who was in his 70’s) did one armed push-ups on stage.  I wonder what memorable event will happen this year?  The most fun is in forecasting who will win, and then watching and adding up your winning predictions.  So here they are – the people I think will win that coveted statue.

BEST ACTOR:  This will go to Gary Oldman, who gave an impressive tour-de-force as Winston Churchill in “The Finest Hour”.

BEST ACTRESS:  I am certain that Francis McDormand will earn an Oscar as the heart-wrenching mother of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:  Sam Rockwell gave a compelling performance as a racist police officer who gets a little redemption in “Three Billboards”.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:  This was really hard to predict but I think it will be Allison Janney as the cruel mother in “I,Tonya”.

BEST MOVIE:  I have been vacillating between two movies, not quite sure who Hollywood is going to go with.  Well, I guess I will go with …………”The Shape of Water”.  I mean, who can argue with a woman who falls in love with a merman?

BEST DIRECTOR:  Guillermo del Toro

 

These are my main picks, but I will throw in a few bonus prognostications just for the fun of it —

ANIMATED MOVIE:  “Loving Vincent”

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:  “Mudbound”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:  “Three Billboards”

ORIGINAL SCORE:  Hans Zimmer for “Dunkirk”

ORIGINAL SONG:  This is the only one I am going out on my own on.  I have no idea what the members of the Academy will do, but I vote for “Remember Me” from “Coco”.  I just really liked that song.

 

I would really love to hear what  you think.  Leave a comment with your choices, grab some popcorn and watch with me on March 4!

 

 

Hostiles

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Hostiles was a boring, long movie that I would recommend you don’t go see.  It is unrelentingly depressing.  The main idea of the movie sounds promising.  Christian Bale plays Captain Joseph Blocker,  a grizzled, long serving cavalryman about to retire.  He is given one last mission, to escort a Cheyenne Chief, played by Wes Studi, from New Mexico to Montana on the orders of President Harrison.  The problem is that Blocker hates Indians, who have killed many of his friends while he has been killing many of them.  Along the way, he meets a young widow (Rosamund Pike) who has survived a Comanche attack that saw her husband and three children killed in front of her.  These reluctant travelers eventually form a bond and come to see each other as individual people.  The film is well acted, realistic and atmospheric; but that is sometimes not enough.  There are horrible murders, a gang rape, suicide, unending heartache and a bitter-sweet ending. Yet somehow, the movie still manages to come across as dull, almost boring. You would be better off seeing just about any other movie or perhaps visiting the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

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I loved the duo of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in the very funny ‘Central Intelligence.’  However, I admit I wasn’t expecting much out of their latest pairing in this updated version of ‘Jumanji.’  I have to admit, though, that I laughed quite heartily through most of this movie.  Jack Black and Karen Gillan were fine too.  In a shift from the unwilling participants of the original movie,  there are now four teenagers who stumble across an old video game called ‘Jumanji,’ while cleaning an old school storeroom (they have all been assigned detention for various reasons). They start the game, and choose avatars before things begin to go in an odd direction and they stop playing.  However, in that inexplicable magic that only happens in the movies, they are whisked into the game anyway, where they are turned into the avatars they chose.  How they cope with their new bodies (one female is now in a male  body) and complete their mission makes for  interesting comedy and some good old out loud laughs.  No, it’s not Oscar material in any way, it’s not a deep or edge pushing show.  But, if  you are looking for a fun movie for a few laughs and a good time, look no further!

Coco

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I love a movie where I can be entertained and learn a little something too. Coco is that kind of movie!  You should know going in that this is a kid’s movie, so there isn’t any violence or romance to speak of.  You will  leave with a little tear in your eye though and you may even find yourself humming the main song, “Remember Me.”  Miguel dreams of becoming a musician.  The problem is music has been banned in his family ever since his great grandfather left his great grandmother and her daughter Coco in search of fame and fortune – as a musician!  While he tries to prove his talent, during the annual Dia de los Muertos celebration, Miguel is accidentally transported to the colorful and uniquely rendered Land of the Dead so that he can find his great grandfather and fulfill his destiny.  Along the way, he meets his relatives who have ‘gone to the other side,’ and finds the true story of what family is, and who his family really are. There is some catchy music along the way, and of course, a happy ending.  I learned a lot about the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead – Dia de los Muertos.  Some of the voices you may recognize include Benjamin Bratt, Edward James Olmos, and Cheech Marin.  The visuals of this movie are exquisite and inventive.  This is a fine movie to take your kids to and to be honest, you might just enjoy it too.

It

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The town of Derry, Maine seems like one of those quaint, old-fashioned places where Floyd the Barber might cut your hair or Sheriff Taylor might help you get a cat out of a tree.  But things are not all as they seem.  Kids mysteriously disappear at a rate of 6 times the national average. No one seems to care, or even notice, outside of a few “missing” posters around town.  What is going on?  The story, in case you didn’t know, starts with the disappearance of little Georgie Denbrough, chasing a paper boat down the street during a storm, watching in dismay as it slips into a rain gutter.  As he looks, the creepy face of the ‘dancing circus clown,’ who calls  himself Pennywise appears, luring the unsuspecting innocent closer and closer until…..  Cut to Georgie’s brother Bill and his group of friends.  They are all kind of nerdy, and each one of them has been bullied or abused in some way, They have become their own band of brothers, including a brave young girl who has faced her own bad home life.  They call themselves The Loser’s Club.  As they head into summer vacation, they all begin to have terrifying visions of the creepy, malevolent Pennywise.  The friends face up to the local school bullies and defeat them, discovering strength in their friendship and support.  After sharing their experiences, they realize that they must band together to face and overcome their worst fears- the only way to defeat the evil clown. I really liked this movie.  First of all it is funny, and I wasn’t expecting that.  Also, this movie is sweet and endearing because of the Losers who all work together to help each other; and learn the power and value of friendship and loyalty.  Last of all, this movie definitely earned its R rating.  Bill Skarsgard is deliciously creepy as the clown who haunts the sewers of Derry.  However, do not go to this movie expecting to see a simple horror movie, this movie is much more than that.