Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Emma

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Wow! This is one gorgeous movie! I couldn’t take my eyes off of the amazing costumes, lush scenery, and don’t even get me started on the unending parade of desserts. Oh to be living in the Regency Era of 1815 Britian! Jane Austin’s ‘Emma’ is lavishly filmed by director Autumn de Wilde. For those of you unfamiliar with the story (read people!),Emma (Ana Taylor-Joy) is a spoiled, extremely rich young lady who meddles and interferes with everyone’s business. Through misunderstandings and down right stupidity, Emma almost ruins the lives of several people, while thinking she is doing them a favor. Her childhood friend, George Knightly (Johnny Flynn) is constantly dressing her down for her bone-headed decisions, and seems to be the only one with the guts to stand up to her. I loved Emma’s hypochondriac father, played with a wonderfully wry approach by Bill Nighy, and the always delightful Miranda Hart as Miss Bates. The downside to this movie for some of you will be that it takes its time. But I think it moves slowly so that you can savor the eye-popping surroundings. They did a tremendous job setting the costumes, homes,landscape, and environment. If you love Jane Austin books/movies, you are going to enjoy this movie immensely.

The Invisible Man

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Reading about this movie, I was sure it would be a so-so “B” movie, just entertaining enough to pass a sleepy February Leap Day.  I was kind of pleasantly surprised, I must admit.  The movie opens with Cecilia’s (Elisabeth Moss) elaborate escape from her abusive, brillant and and very wealthy husband – a genius with optics. She hides out with a friend and his daughter, afraid to even leave the house.  A few months later he commits suicide and leaves his millions to Cecilia.  There is a condition though; she must not commit a crime or be found mentally incompetent.  The movie becomes down right creepy from there.  I am not spoiling anything, I think, that can’t be seen in the trailers.  It seems that Cecilia is being haunted by something, or someone, who has been getting into her mind and apparently into her house.  What makes this movie stand out from this usual genre is the performance of Elizabeth Moss.  She is riveting as the abused woman whom no one believes, even her own sister.  The woman who has an inner strength she discovers as she faces the mysterious events going on around her. If you like suspense that verges on horror, I think you will enjoy “The Invisible Man.”

Call of the Wild

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Finally!  A modern remake of one of the beloved novels from my childhood.  “Call of the Wild” is the story of Buck, an exuberant family pet, part St. Bernard and part Scottish Shepherd.  Anyway you look at it, he is a big, powerful dog.  Buck is dognapped and shipped up north to the Klondike where big dogs are needed to pull the sleds of the would-be gold miners in the Goldrush of the 1890’s.  In this harsh climate he  meets a series of masters, some kind, some not so kind.  One of those masters is Harrison Ford playing John Thornton, Buck’s last and the most compassionate of his owers.  If you have never read the book, I think you will find this movie satisfying and even inspirational.  If you are an aficiando of the book, you will find it a little less so, but still a solid movie.  I am confused, though, as to why one of the most powerful scenes in the book was completely left out of the movie.  In that scene, to help John Thornton win a bet, Buck breaks a frozen sled free from ice and pulls the load of 1000 pounds of flour 100 yards.  However, not in the movie! The movie also glosses over some of the harsh treatment Buck gets, which really makes you relate to what he goes through, but shows enough for us to get the idea.  The movie is also marred by some pretty noticable continuity errors.  Where does John Thornton get the canoe?  Why is he going on a long journey with no supplies in his canoe  only to have them magically appear when the canoe goes around a corner?  Where did the tent magically come from?  My biggest quibble is with the CGI Buck though.  He comes across as bigger than life.  It is hard to feel for his suffering when he is a big, powerful dog who could easily best most men he come in contact with.  The book also ends a little differently than the book which has some Native-American Yeehats massacre John Thronton.  Even with these few misfires, the setting is spot-on and Harrison Ford’s narration and acting makes this a worthy, if flawed, adaptation.

Fantasy Island

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I think this movie might have more of a following among younger people who have never heard of the original Fantasy Island, but I doubt it.  The original T.V. show featured Mr. Roark and his mysterious butler ( assisstant? helper?) Tatoo.  Mr. Roark granted guests a wish of some kind that usually ended up teaching them a moral lesson.  They always left the island wiser, happier and very much alive.  This new version captures none of the charm of the original.  The new Mr. Roark is played by Michael Pena. I have liked him in many roles; but he’s no Ricardo Montalban, he’s just plain miscast.   He has a female assisstant who tells Mr. Roark when the plane with the guests has arrived.  The movie goes right off any relation to the original, and  completely downhill, from there.  Eventually we find out that Mr. Roark is not granting any wishes- it is the Fantasy Island itself that is sort of controlling the action via some funky water found in a cave in the heart of the island.  Unlike the original, guests can and do get hurt, and even killed.  Welcome guests, to Murder Island! But this is no Rated R horror movie, more like a cheapo  SciFi channel schlockfest.  The acting isn’t great and the plot is almost funny (but it isn’t trying to be), and more than almost murky and overly complex. *****SPOILER ALERT*****  Don’t read any further if you plan on seeing this movie in the theatre (you aren’t, are you?)  How is this for poor writing?  At the end of the movie Mr. Roark ends up with a new aide, who has become doomed to remain on this island. He is played by Jimmy O. Yang.  Mr. Roark wonders what he should call his new assistant.  It is decided he will go by the tattoo he got on his shoulder in college.  What does the tattoo say?  Tattoo of course!  Clever? Not really.

OSCAR PREDICTION TIME!

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Well here we go again – it’s Oscar Time.  I love the Oscars because they are glitzy, kitchy, unpredictable, and always reflect the good and bad of today’s society.  I have been watching and predicting the outcome of The Academy Awards for over 50 years – sometimes getting all of them right, and other times not so much.  This year I am going to predict who I think will win, and if different, who I think should have won.

BEST ACTOR:  Joaquin Phoenix is a shoe-in for playing the Joker in “Joker,” and I have to agree his performance was mesmerizing, and frightening!

BEST ACTRESS: Rene Zellweger  gave a heart-rending performance as  Judy Garland and I would pick her to get the Oscar as well.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:  Brad Pitt is going to earn his first Oscar for  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:  Laura Dern is the favorite here and I think the academy is going to give it to this well-liked actress.

BEST DIRECTOR:  This is a hard category to predict.  I think the academy might give this one to “Parasite” director  Bong Joon-ho; but if they don’t, I think Sam Mendes is deserving also.

BEST PICTURE:  This is the hardest category to predict.  A few weeks ago, I was convinced that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was definitely going to get Quentin Tarantino his first academy award.  But now that he hasn’t scored any other major awards, I  think the Academy isn’t going to go rogue and give him one.  The Oscar might go to “Parasite,” but since it will  probably win in the foreign category – I am going to go out on a limb and say that “1917″ will win (with apologies to my son Matt).

BEST ORIGINAL SCREEN PLAY:  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is a pretty dark horse for this one as I think they will give it to “Parasite,” but I am going to go with Tarantino anyway,

BEST ADAPTED SCREEN PLAY:  “Jojo Rabbit” was one of the most original stories I have seen in a long time ,so I am hoping this is the winner.

BEST FOREIGN FILM:  “Parasite.”

BEST SONG: Elton John and Bernie Taupen’s “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.”   I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if “Stand Up” wins from the movie “Harriet.”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: John Williams is not going to win in this category and I really want him to, so he is my prediction.  You can’t get any more iconic than “Star Wars” music.

There you go; my picks for the 2019 Oscars.  What do you think?