Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Bad Times at the El Royale

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What’s not to like about a movie where you can see Jeff Bridges and Chris Hemsworth acting together?  And throw in Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and a slew of others to round out the field and Bad Times at the El Royale will have you guessing from the get go as to what is going on and what’s going to happen to whom! Oh and did I mention that Hemsworth spends a lot of time without his shirt on?  This is one strange but interesting movie!  The El Royale is a fictional motel that straddles the state line between Nevada and California.  Which state do you want to stay in? If you opt for the California side, you will have sunshine but no alcohol, as that side of the hotel lost it’s liquour license.  If you stay on the Nevada side, it looks like rain but no gambling for a similar reason.  But it doesn’t really matter at all. Everyone who stays at the Royale on this particular night has something to hide, even the confused appearing desk clerk.  Jeff Bridges is Father Daniel Flynn.  Or is he?  What’s his interest in Darlene Sweet, the singer on her way to a gig in Reno?  What’s Dakota Johnson’s Emily Summerspring really after? One part Quentin Tarentino, one part film noir and one part Wes Anderson; this film will take you places you weren’t expecting.  I was especially impressed with Cynthia Ervio who plays the down-on-her-luck singer with integrity and plenty of grit. Chris Hemsworth is delicously creepy as Billy Lee, a cult leader a la Charles Manson at his most frightful. The action is fast paced and violence abounds. I found Bad Times at the El Royale, suspenseful, surprising and just a little bit proposterous… but never dull.

First Man

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‘First Man’ is a well made film that explores the mostly forgotten aspects of the story of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.  It is a pretty accurate portrayal of not only the steps NASA’s space program went through to reach that goal, but also the emotional toil the space program took on Armstrong and his family.  We are given an in-depth look at how the astronauts trained and what it was like to be in an early space capsule.  I learned a lot about Neil Armstrong (as portrayed by Ryan Gosling) that I didn’t know.  He comes across generally as an emotionally stunted stoic, barely talking to his wife and sons, terse and distant with his peers;  and yet the movie touchingly depicts his soft vulnerable side too.  To Armstrong, going to the moon was not a big ego trip to become a celebrity; it was his job.   I understand that some people are up in arms because the movie doesn’t show Armstrong actually planting the American flag on the moon; and have implied that this movie is insufficiently American-centric, or even anti-American.  Those are definitely people who have not seen the film and perhaps should actually see it before commenting (the flag is shown on the moon in background, and there is scarcely any way the events can be portrayed as done by anyone but Americans).  I do not want to spoil the film, but there is another focus of this movie that comes out, something else that happened up there.  This isn’t a movie for everyone though.  It is not as exciting or fast paced as say “Apollo 13” or even “The Right Stuff.”  I was also disappointed in the way Claire Foy, playing Armstrong’s wife Janet, was underused.  I do understand this wasn’t her story,  I just wished she had been given more screen time.  All in all I think anyone interested in the early days of the space program will want to see this movie.

A Star is Born

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This is the fourth time that “A Star in Born” has been remade.  The first time was in 1937, and the last, til now, in 1976 – starring Barbra Striesand.  It must be a pretty good story to get this much play in Hollywood – and it is!  The plot is not complicated.  An alcoholic rock star is starting to decline because of his addiction although he is still immensly popular.  He meets a talented singer-song writer who can’t catch a break.  He is blown away by her talent and decides to help her.  You can guess the rest.  They fall in love and as her career takes off, his begins to fade.  What makes the fourth remake of this simple plot shine though are the stars!  Bradley Cooper is perfectly cast (he directs too) and, suprise, suprise – he can sing!  He needs to because the other lead is played by Lady Gaga and her singing is breathtaking!  Check out her rendition of ‘La Vie en Rose’ at the beginning of the movie.  You will come away feeling that she can’t possibly top that – but she does!!  I read that Lady Gaga, Bradly Cooper and Lukas Nelson (Willie Nelson’s son) wrote the songs – and they are all great.  “Shallow” is a terrific song and one that I will definitely add to my play list.  This is a wonderful, albeit sad, movie and I highly recommend it to music lovers everywhere!!

The House With a Clock in Its Walls

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I liked this movie.   This is a good one for adults to bring older children to.  The younger ones will find it spooky, and both adults and kids will find plenty to chuckle at.  The story centers on nerdish orphan Lewis Barnavelt (Owenn Vaccarro), who comes to live with his very eccentric Uncle Jonathan, played by Jack Black, and his uncle’s mysterious friend, Miss Zimmerman, played by Cate Blanchett.  They live in a deliciously creepy house full of furniture that moves, intriguing objects and secret rooms.  It turns out there is a mysterious clock hidden somewhere in the house, ticking away and counting down, which will cause the destruction of the human race if not found and stopped! Barnavelt discovers his uncle is a warlock and eventually talks him into letting him become an apprentice.  He hopes sorcery and magic will help him win friends. It doesn’t, but he unwittingly brings about impending doom by resurrecting a great evil.  However, his magical assistance to his uncle and his friend helps them face that evil. I loved the word play between Blanchett and Black, who clearly are having a good time making this movie.  Do not go if you are looking for true horror or a great script.  Do go if you want to watch an ambiable family friendly movie that has fun with the John Bellairs 1973 novel.

Farhenheit 11/9

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SPOILER ALERT:  If you are a fan of Donald Trump, you are not going to like this movie.  You may as well stay home and watch Netflix.  Award winning film maker Michael Moore has done it again, taking an unrelentingly harsh look at how and what political America has devolved into.  He pulls no punches in this very informative look at how and why America has become so divided today – and there’s plenty of blame to go around.  He also explores why he thinks President Trump was able to get elected the way he did.  But Trump is not the only focus of this film.  As I say, there’s a lot to blame, and Democrats and Republicans are equally culpable. It gets a little uneven as he shifts to cover several different issues.  The water crisis in Flint Michigan gets a lot of play.  I learned some things I didn’t know and Moore clearly explained to me what this crisis is all about.  He also shines a light on the student protesters of Stoneman Douglas High School, and how the massacre fueled their activism and involvement.  As a teacher, the highlight of the movie for me was the teacher strike movement that hit many states this past year.  I loved seeing these teachers standing up for and demanding what they should have been given all along.  Richard Ojeda, a West Virginia Democrat and Veteran was my favorite character in this movie.  Look him up on Google – he is a fiesty and combative first time congressional candidate.  Not everyone enjoys Michael Moore movies, but no matter what you think of him, he will make you think, if you’re open minded enough.  I feel you will come out of this movie with a little hope that our country can be turned around!