Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

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Dr. Strange is my favorite Marvel character, and I have waited for six years to see this sequel.  Benedict Cumberbatch is compelling as the titular Doctor, who must travel to different “multiverses” in order to help a teenage girl (Xochitl Gomez) save not only our world but others as well from Elizabeth Olson’s Scarlet Witch.  (And, an alternative universe Dr. Strange turns out to have initiated all the multiverse problems due to his own ego and over confidence!) This is an entertaining, action-packed movie, which is to be expected from Marvel.  The special effects dazzle, incredibly so.    There are some cool surprise appearances by old favorites and new super heroes that I won’t spoil, but I am hoping that they will be seen in future Marvel movies.  Other people featured are Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, the Doctor’s lost love in several different universes and, of course, Benedict Wong as the Sorcerer Supreme.  Also, look for a short sequence involving a fight with music that I loved. However, this was not a completely satisfying movie.  It was extremely hard to follow the plot.  It is confusing to meet multiple characters in different universes.  And for a Marvel movie there was not a lot of the humor I have come to expect.  However, I do think this is a worthy entry into the Dr. Strange canon and I can’t wait to see the next one.  Obviously – stay to the end of the credits. All of the credits! There are two, but the one at the very end will make you laugh.

The Northman

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The Northman is about a young Viking heir, Prince Amieth, who witnesses the murder of his father, King Aurandil War-Raven at the hands of his brother, Fjolnir (a la the Lion King).  Ethan Hawke plays the ill-fated king who I honestly did not recognize – as was the case with other characters like Willem Dafoe as Heimir the Fool and Bjork as Seeress the blind prophetess.  Prince Amieth (Alexander Skarsgard) vows to avenge his father’s death and rescue his kidnapped mother played by Nicole Kidman.  Unfortunately for Fjolnir (Claes Bang), the kingdom he steals from his brother is stolen from him and he flees to Iceland with  Prince Amieth’s mother.  The Prince pretends to be a slave in order to get to Iceland for his revenge.  In the process, he meets a slave girl on his journey played by Ana Taylor-Joy and she becomes his love and his support in his quest.  But the road to vengeance is bumpy for them both.  There is a lot of fighting, torture, murder and pain. This is an extremely violent movie, but then Vikings were violent people.  A common Christian prayer at the time was “a furore normanorum, libera nos Domine! (from the fury of the Norsemen, deliver us O Lord). Animal lovers take care as there are two gruesome beheadings of horses.  I also did not enjoy the very realistic Viking funeral.  The Viking lore interspersed throughout the movie was fascinating to me and it appears they did a lot of research into the lifestyle.  The setting (especially when they get to Iceland) and cinematography were exquisite.  The plot has a few surprises, and I love it when I do not anticipate events in a movie.  All in all, if you like realistic violence, Viking mythology and breathtaking scenery, and people with unusual names ( Finnr the Nose-Stub, I’m talking about you) you just might enjoy the Northman.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

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Did you know that Nicholas Cage has made over 100 movies?  Many of them have been less than stellar, some highly entertaining, and he even won an Oscar (a loong time ago) for “Leaving Las Vegas.” (My favorite role of his:  Moonstruck)  In his newest outing Nicholas Cage plays…………Nicholas Cage!!  What an interesting idea.  Cage doesn’t hesitate to make fun of his financial difficulties, bad movie choices, spending habits and complicated  family life.  The plot revolves around an eccentric millionaire who is Cage’s biggest fan and wants to pay him $1,000,000 to attend his birthday party.  The wealthy fan is played by Pedro Pascal who won many admirers with his heartbreaking portrayal of Oberon Martell in “Game of Thrones” and as the helmet wearing Mandalorian.  They make a cute couple, so to speak.  Anyway it turns out that The Super Fan might be a cartel boss.  But there’s a complication (side story, that is).  A CIA agent played by Tiffany Haddish and her partner are trying to take down the big cartel, and she ends up recruiting Cage to get valuable intel on a kidnapping that has political fallout.  This is a somewhat enjoyable romp, not as funny as “The Lost City” but still, what were you expecting?  It will help your enjoyment of this movie if you haven’t seen any of the trailers so that the funny parts are a surprise.  I loved the references to past Nicholas Cage movies and the room full of memorabilia was a trip.  This is very light fare, but sometimes, that is just what you need.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

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Hi everyone!  I think I have turned a corner since breaking my arm.  I just haven’t felt comfortable typing reviews (even though we have seen movies every weekend as usual).  My arms is getting to the point where I have a better range of motion, and typing is not as much of a chore as it was – so here comes my first review since The Batman on March 7!  This is the third Fantastic Beasts movie out of what is supposed to be five.  I was charmed by the first one, didn’t like the second one at all, and thought this one was better, but not great.  When the movies stick with Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, who roams the world looking for fantastic creatures, the movie is enjoyable.  Also, Dan Fogler as the muggle baker Jacob Kowalski is a scene stealer and lights up every scene he is in.  But the rest of the movie is missing something and that is saying a lot when other characters are played by some great actors, namely Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore and Mads Mickkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald.  The plot, involves Grindelwald, who is manipulating people and events to seize control of the wizarding world and ultimately begin a war to destroy all muggles.  There is also a secret Dumbledore child, a cute animal called a quilin (looks like a tiny deer), a bunch of look alike suitcases,  and a new method of traveling by the pages of a book.  This whole Fantastic Beasts franchise doesn’t seem to contain the spark, or whatever you call it, that the original Harry Potter books had in abundance.  Maybe it misses the comradeship and trust of the Hogwarts students and their teachers. Maybe it’s that the plot lines are more murky and even somewhat disconnected and harder to follow. It just lacks that something special that the Potter saga has. Even so, if you liked the first movie, I think you will like this one too.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS

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What a strange year it has been!  I haven’t been able to write movie reviews since chipping a bone in my elbow.  I hope to be back into doing them once I’ve healed.  I didn’t get to review “The Outfit” (highly recommend with an Oscar-worthy performance by Mark Rylance) and “The Lost City” (entertaining fluff with Channing Tatum, Sandra Bullock, and Brad Pitt).  Anyway, even though they’ll have to be pretty short, I am getting on with the predictions.

I am usually super confident about my choices, but this year is a big exception.  If I get a few of these right, I will be happy.  I was not able to see many of the nominated movies because of limited runs and exclusive streaming rights.  Anyway, the following are what I think will win, not who I think should win.

PICTURE:   The Power of the Dog  (Coda would not be a surprise)

DIRECTOR:  Jane Campion (nailed it)

ACTRESS:  Jessica Chastain (nailed it)

ACTOR:  Will Smith (nailed it)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:  Ariana DeBose (nailed it)

SUPPORTING ACTOR:  Troy Koster (nailed it)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:  Belfast (nailed it)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:  The Power of the Dog

ANIMATED FEATURE:  Encanto (nailed it)

ORIGINAL SONG:  Dos Oruguitas

ORIGINAL SCORE:  Dune (nailed it)

 

SO THIS YEAR MY SCORE WAS 8 OUT OF 11  —  NOT BAD FOR THIS CRAZY YEAR!!

 

What do you think?  See you on the red carpet!