Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Hidden Figures

By 4 Comments

Apple Rating:

This movie definitely deserves the Oscar buzz it is getting.  Those of you who have been reading this blog know that I love movies based on true stories, and this was no exception.  Did you know that African American women contributed to the NASA space program in the early 1960s?  I sure didn’t!  This movie explores the lives of three ground-breaking women who did just that.  Janelle Monae plays Mary Jackson, who became NASA’s first Black engineer.  Ocatavia Spenser plays Dorothy Vaughn who became the first Black female supervisor and one of the first female supervisors at NASA.  The meat of the story though is Taraji P. Henson’s Katherine Johnson, the mathematician par excellence who calculated trajectories for the Mercury Program, as well as Apollo 11 and Apollo 13. Kevin Costner also gives a  good performance as the director of the Space Task Group.  Jim Parsons appears as an engineer who, like all too many, resented and mistrusted the presence of a woman in the previously male only group of engineers and math whizzes; but comes to value her intelligence and hard work in the end.  This is a moving story about some amazing women who didn’t let anyone stand in their way.  I hope you get a chance to see this spectacular movie!

John Wick Chapter 2

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

Are you tired of movies where the hero kills hundreds of people in every possible way imaginable, is shot at as many times and is barely hurt, and all done by an actor who barely speaks wooden lines?  If not, do I have the movie for you!  I notice that “John Wick” is getting decent reviews elsewhere but  can’t recommend it, even though I enjoyed the first one.  Keanu Reeves stars as yet another hit man trying unsuccessfully to retire.  The bright spot in the movie is Ian McShane who once again plays Winston, a  suave and sophisticated owner of a hotel that caters to the criminal elite.  Lance Reddick also shines as the hotel desk clerk with a soft spot for dogs.  You really won’t see anything new in this movie, but I suppose sometimes we all yearn for the familiar.

Lion

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

I have enjoyed Dev Patel’s performances ever since seeing him in the Oscar winning “Slum Dog Millionaire.”  “The Most Exotic Marigold Hotel” movies and the HBO series “Newsroom” gave him a chance to show different aspects of his acting skills.  His newest film, “Lion” blows those performances out of the water.  Patel has been deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for playing the grown up Indian boy Saroo.  His character is based on the real story of a young Indian boy who is separated from his family by tragic circumstances and ends up trapped on a train that dumps him 1200 miles away from home and in an area of India where his language, Hindi, is not commonly spoken.  How this little boy survives on his own for months as a street urchin and is finally adopted would be enough for a whole movie, and yet that is only 1/2 the story.  The second half of the movie is where Patel shines as the grown up Saroo who has been lovingly raised by Australian parents.  He longs, though, to be reunited with his birth mother and siblings, if only so they can know he is still alive.  This sweet journey will make anyone with a heart reach for a tissue.   Please go enjoy this wonderful movie as I am sure it won’t be out long and is worth seeing on the big screen.

Gold

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

‘Gold’, stars Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a modern prospector on hard times.  He inherits his dad’s mining concern, but times turn bad and Kenny and a few loyal employees are forced to give up their nice offices and conduct business in a bar after their company goes under. Then comes the turn of fortune that looks to put them back in the money!  Matthew gives a solid performance.  He had to gain a lot of weight to play Wells as a middle aged and dissolute man, but one still with hope.  Bryce Dallas Howard is also featured, but she really doesn’t have much to do.  Edgar Ramirez gives a great performance as the partner whose gold discovery in Indonesia turns the company around, or does it?  After you see the movie, look up the real story of  John Felderhof (fictionalized to Kenny Wells). It is every bit as bizarre and intriguing as the movie!  This movie is not as good as Wolf of Wall Street, which I was reminded of as I watched, but it is still worth seeing.

Split

By 3 Comments

Apple Rating:

It is nice to see M. Night Shyamalan directing a movie that rises above some of his recent movies, like “The Last Airbender.”  “Split” harkens back to some of Shyamalan’s earlier movies like “Sixth Sense” and “Signs” and the more recent “The Visit”.  This is a well-done thriller that keeps you guessing.  The tour de force performance of James McAvoy would be compelling even in a movie of lower calibre.  His character has 23 (or perhaps 24) distinct personalities all trying to materialize and dominate the others.  Whether he is playing nine year old Hedwig or refined Patricia, McAvoy is compelling and creepy.  The plot revolves around three abducted girls who are being held by one of the personalities.  In the meantime, the original personality is being treated by Dr. Fletcher, played as somewhat dimwitted (she makes some poor decisions in my opinion) by Betty Buckley.  Of course Mr. Shyamalan will appear in a small role, but the surprise is the cameo at the very end of the movie.  No spoilers, but you will not understand the cameo if you haven’t seen some of M. Night’s earlier works.  If  you like psychological thrillers, I recommend you give this one a try.