Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Darkest Hour

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I predict an Oscar nomination for Gary Oldman in a riveting tour-de-force playing Winston Churchill in ‘The Darkest Hour.’   The movie depicts a few key weeks right before and immediately after Churchill became prime minister in 1940.  He was a flawed man, cantankerous and opinionated, but the right man at the right time to lead his country into a war against the seemingly unstoppable Nazi war machine.  Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ took us through what happened through the eyes of people who were there.  Joe Wright’s ‘Darkest Hour’ demonstrates the strategy and politics of how Churchill, with practically his whole party against him, the party leaders still seeking appeasement, remained steadfast in the defense of good against evil, and came up with the plan given the code name  Operation Dynamo.  We also get to see Churchill’s humanity as he banters with his wife (played by Kristin Scott Thomas, who should have had more screen time) and rides the underground to get a feeling of what the ordinary people think.  This movie is a good introduction to this tumultuous time  and might make people research the reasons and background of how Churchill led the British and their Commonwealth at a time they truly ‘stood alone’ against what seemed impossible odds (the United States wouldn’t send aid to the British at this stage of the war, as they faced their “Darkest Hour,’ because of our isolationism and neutrality. It is almost saddening seeing Oldman, as Churchill, reacting to Roosevelt’s inability to send help).  Another thing I loved about this movie was the use of some of Churchill’s speeches. He was a top rate orator and wrote his own, unlike most politicians today. Because he wrote them, they sound honest, powerful and inspiring.  I highly recommend this movie to people who like to see the behind the scenes history of great leaders – warts and all!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

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Are you a fan of the Star Wars movies?  You can bet I am and I was eager and excited to see this latest installment.  All the characters we loved from the last installment like Rey, Poe, Finn BB-8,  and Kylo Ren, are back as well as old favorites like Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, R2D2, and C3PO.  What a cast! This movie also boasts a great script, spot on direction and wonderful and sweeping scenery.  In a nutshell:  The Last Jedi has everything I want to see in a Star Wars movie.  If you are like me, someone who loves and watches tons of movies, it is hard to come up with something new and inventive that actually surprises me.  “The Last Jedi” did it though, and how!  Once it gets going, the action is fast paced and shifts from story line to story line fluidly, keeping the viewer interested and looking forward to the next scene. Scenes between Luke (Mark Hamill) and Rey (Dasiy Ridely) evoke those between Luke and his teacher,Yoda.  Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey continue to have some kind of a connection through the Force that we all know will  not end well for one of them, but adds exposition and a dimension to the Force that hitherto has been unexploited, in the movies at least .   Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Issac) continue to shine in their supporting roles.  New comer Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico was surprisingly poignant as a maintenance worker who has a key role in helping the Resistance.  There are too many minor characters to name, but Benecio del Toro and Laura Dern are just two of the many standouts.  Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t end up wanting to own an “ice fox.”  Porgs aside, the ice foxes are absolutely cute and cool. Director and writer Rian Johnson has done a masterful job of respecting the episodes that came before and at the same injecting new life and humor into the eighth episode in a saga that happens in a galaxy far, far away!

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

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You may not have heard of this movie, but when the academy award season hits, I think you will find some nominations going to this little gem.  Frances McDormand gives a first rate performance in this dark drama, with hints of comedy, which is quirky in a Coen Brothers way.  In fact, I actually laughed out loud during this movie more than I have during some of the so-called comedies I’ve seen lately.  McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, a hard edged, uncompromising woman who is still reeling from the brutal unsolved murder of her teen aged daughter. The easy going, somewhat bucolic, police department seems to her to have forgotten all about her daughter, which causes her to do some drastic things, which build and lead to unintended consequences.   Mildred pays for three billboards that she hopes will motivate the local cops to take notice and do something to solve the crime.   These billboards spark various acts of violence and even civil disobedience that end in a lesson in what happens when people let rage and anger dictate their actions.  Woody Harrelson is fine as the sheriff, but the surprise gem in this movie is Sam Rockwell, as a seemingly dimwitted, rather crass police officer who lives with his mother, lets anger get the better of him; but who finds redemption in the end.   I would not be surprised if he gets an Oscar nod for his performance.    If you want to get away from super hero movies and big budget special effects, I highly recommend seeing this movie.

Wonder

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Anyone who has been following my movie ramblings knows that I usually read the book that a movie is based on.  “Wonder” was no exception, so I knew exactly what to expect from the plot of this movie.  AND I STILL CRIED!!  This is a very thoughtful and gentle movie told with compassion and empathy.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, this is the story of Auggie Pullman, born with terrible facial deformities that have necessitated over 20 operations.  Auggie, doesn’t like to go out without his astronaut helmet on to cover his face, which has caused small children to cry and adults to turn away.  Luckily his mother, played with moving compassion by Julia Roberts, has been able to home school him.  However, it is time for Auggie to find his way in the world and his parents decide he is ready to try a small private school where he will enter fifth grade as a middle schooler.   As you can imagine, many children are not kind to Auggie, but this movie ends up being a Valentine to all who have every been victimized by a bully.  Auggie is played with tremendous pathos and humor by Jacob Tremblay who manages to seem very human even under tons of prosthetics and make up.  Owen Wilson is just right as his supportive dad and Izabela Vidovic is great as the neglected sister who never gives up on her little brother.  I give the film makers  kudos for making this movie feel real and not making it too overly sappy.  The simple message of this story, “Be Kind” will resonant with many long after the credits have stopped rolling.

The Justice League

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Batman and Wonder Woman band together in this movie to organize a group of super heroes to, you guessed it, save the world!  These DC super heroes are not as interesting as the Marvel ones.  There are several reasons for this.  First of all, the writing is kind of lackluster and doesn’t have the snap or pizzazz of the recent Thor movie or even Guardians of the Galaxy.  Next, this movie kind of jumps over the back stories for The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.  These characters could have been fleshed out more, especially since they didn’t get a prior movie to establish who they are and what they’re about. As someone who is totally unfamiliar with the comic books, I would have appreciated more back story for these characters instead of merely a sentence or two of exposition.   Last of all, killing Superman off and then bringing him back from the dead just seemed kind of dumb.  On the other hand, this is not a bad movie.  Aquaman, as played by Jason Momoa, is a hunk, and definitely not one of your cookie cutter hero types.  Ezra Miller makes a humorous and interesting, and even a bit endearing, Flash.  As she has previously demonstrated, Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman.  Ray Fisher as Cyborg didn’t get enough screen time for me to decide if I liked his performance (or his character).  I also felt Amy Adams was wasted as Lois Lane, but then, how much dialogue can you have between her and “zombie superman?”  (Even though he wasn’t really a zombie, just re-animated).  Jeremy Irons as Alfred handles his sardonic dialogue with a stiff British upper lip as he deadpans several references to Wonder Woman and Batman not taking the opportunity to romance it up a bit.  All in all, this is an enjoyable movie and I am sure you will be entertained.  However, if you only have time to see one super hero movie, you might be better off seeing Thor Ragnarok!