Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Captain Marvel

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Marvel did it again!  I don’t know how they keep putting out top-of-the-line, action filled, super hero movies – but they do.  Captain Marvel is another tour-de-force!  From the opening credits where they pay homage to Stan Lee to the end credits teasers, this movie is jam-packed with things to love.  First of all, Brie Larsen is great as Captain Marvel.  She plays Vers, a noble warrior who battles for the Kree, a super race of aliens who look just like us, have super-strength and are benignly governed by an A.I. called the Supeme Intelligence – who appears to each Kree in a different form.   Annette Benning plays the Supreme Intelligence that Brie Larson sees and speaks to.  But all is not as it appears to be of course, for it turns out that Vers is actually Carol Danvers (Vers, get it?) who was a hot shot military jet pilot on Earth.  Not to tell all the story, but a combat related incident gives her great powers and the Kree decide to take her to their homeworld and train her as a warrior. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember her life on Earth until she accidently crashes on her home planet chasing the Krull, shape shifting enemies of the Kree.  On Earth, she meets a young Nick Fury (a digitally rejuvinated Samuel L. Jackson) and his subordinate Agent Colson ( old friend Clark Gregg back in his familiar place).  There are a lot of talented actors rounding out the cast including: Jude Law, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, and Ben Mendelsohn just to name a few.  As in most of these movies, there is action, humor, a back story and even a cute animal, in this case a cat named Goose.  Even though Captain Marvel’s powers are considerable and very visual, I didn’t feel this movie is over-encumbered by special effects. These sort of movies are driven to varying degrees by CGI and other effects though, and these are impressively done.  I also hear that some people are upset and resentful that Captain Marvel is a woman and are trying to rig reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes to keep people away.  Don’t listen to this narrow minded and mysoginistic approach.  This movie is a thrilling and engaging entry into the Marvel Universe.  Don’t forget to stay until the very end to get a teaser for the upcoming “Avenger: Infinity Wars.”  My opinion is – kudos and well-done!

Fighting With My Family

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I know absolutely nothing about the WWE except for the fact that Hulk Hogan and The Rock started there.  I have never been a fan, don’t ever watch it; and yet, I love this heart warming little movie.  It is a mainly true story about an English family who all wrestle.  Patriarch Patrick Knight spent time in prison and his wife Julia was  a homeless oddball, but they found each other – and wrestling.  The whole family participates in a low-level traveling wrestling show, as well as conducting wrestling lessons for local kids..  But the Knights have hopes that one of their children will someday make it into the WWE.  Daughter Saraya Knight  looks like Wednesday Adams, and while she has skill and grit, lacks the confidence and inner strength she really needs. Her brother Zack “Zodiac” has potential with physical presence.  Great performances by Nick Frost and Lena Headey make the oddball Knight family almost endearling.  The scenes of various family members wrestling were entertaining, especially a very brave blind boy who wants to be famous.  Jack Lowden and Florence Pugh are fine as the two sibling wrestlers: one whose dream comes true  as WWE superstar Paige and the other who has to deal with disappointment.  They get an invite to try out for a chance to appear in the WWE. Only one gets to go on, and to face a unique set of challenges to overcome.  Dwayne Johnson makes a funny cameo as himself (a real life friend of Paige).  Stephen Merchant and Vince Vaugh are also successfully  featured, Vaughn as the hard nosed ‘coach’ who is tasked with preparing all the candidates for the one chance to perform.  “Fighting With My Family” is the kind of movie only the English could make; sweet, quirky, and endearing.    Apparently the real life of WWE star Paige could not be portrayed accuratley in a family-friendly movie, so it is probably just as well that the movie concentrates on her life and her family’s life before she became famous.  The story will remind you of “Rocky” at times, and that is not a bad thing!

OSCAR PREDICTIONS

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Well it is that time of year again!  Who will take  home a coveted Oscar?  Who will give the best acceptance speech?  Who will read out the wrong winner?  We will find out the answers to all of these questions (and the plain old ‘best’ awards themselves) on February 24th.  As a full-fledged Oscar nerd, I am ready to make my picks for this years’ winners.  This is the first year in a long time that I am not confident in all my picks.  There a lot of tight races, and I think there will be several upsets.  Be that as it may. here is my list of who I think will win (not necessarily who I want to win)

BEST ACTOR:  Rami Malek

BEST ACTRESS:  Glen Close

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:  Mahershala Ali

BEST SUPPORT ACTRESS:  Regina King

BEST DIRECTOR:  Alfonso Curan

BEST PICTURE:  Green Book (I am the least confident with this one)

BEST SONG:  Shallow

BEST ORIGINAL SCREEN PLAY: Green Book

BEST ADAPTED SCREEN PLAY:  BlackKklansman

BEST ANIMATED MOVE:  Into the Spiderverse

 

What do you all think?  I would love to hear your opinions.  Please leave a comment and may the best predictions win!!!

 

POSTSCRIPT:  Yay for me!  I got 9 out of ten correct.  The only one I missed was Olivia Coleman winning best actress.  This was well-deserved but a surprise none-the-less!

Alita: Battle Angel

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“Alita: Battle Angel” is an adaptation of a manga series titled Gunnm  so you know it is going to be weird, dark and strange.  Alita is a cyborg whose head and partial torso are found in a garbage dump by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) who puts these discarded machines back together.  He also moonlights as  a bounty hunter who turns in the bad guys for a reward.  Waltz is surprisingly subdued in the Ido role, and appears to be sleepwalkiing through a pretty under developed character.  Other supporting players are Marshala Ali and Jennifer Connolly, whose roles are also poorly developed and add little of interest to the narrative other than conventional and trite ‘bad guy’ activities.  Edward Norton makes the briefest apperance, not  even getting a minute of screen time. He’s unidentifiable anyway. The special effects are pretty incredible though.  Iron City and the world of a futuristic motor ball competition are well developed; and Aita is definitely a great fighter, using a combination of martial arts, speed, strength and an almost impenvious cyborg body.  Despite the action, I found many parts of the story slow and even down right boring.  Characters are not developed, one dimensional even.  There is so much that people like me who haven’t read the original source will not understand and may even find confusing.  There were also many opportunities to inject a little humor or fun into the proceedings, but  no such luck.  I guess if you are looking for a movie with great CGI and special effects, some good fight scenes but not much of a plot and wooden acting – this is the movie for you.

The Upside

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“The Upside” is based on the true story of a wealthy French aristocrat who was paralyzed in a paragliding accident, and the ex-con who becomes his caretaker.  This new American version  changes up some of the details, but the basic concept of a man and his assisstant remains.  Emmy winner Bryan Cranston plays Phillip, a quadrapelgc who is despondent and angry that he wasn’t allowed to die after the accident happened.  He is in the market for a new caretaker and this is where Kevin Hart makes his appearance.  He plays ex-con Dell, who has an exwife, a kid who he never sees, and a ton of back child support payments.  He is about to be sent back to jail unless he can prove he is seriously looking for work.  Dell stumbles upon the interview, thinking he is there for a janitorial position.  Phillip seizes this  opportunity to hire the worst prospect for the job and hopes that Dell won’t know how to take care of him properly and he can finally join his dead wife.  This is a very stale premise that has been overdone in movies and television, and yet in this movie it works.  I give a lot of credit to the chemistry between Bryan Cranson and Kevin Hart.  The are very good together.  Dell helps to mellow Phillip and give him many reasons to want to live and enjoy life.  In return, Phillip gives Dell a steady job and the seed money to venture out on his own.  I notice that many critics gave this movie a low rating, but don’t listen to them.  This is funny and heartwarming and I think you will enjoy it.  My favorite scene had to do with a painting that a pretentious rich guy thinks was painted by Banksy.  This movie doesn’t have a deep message like “Green Book” or a ground-breaking performance like “Bohemian Rapsody” but it is entertaining and satisfying.  I suggest you give it a try.