Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

LaLa Land

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Do you enjoy watching those big, splashy musicals that Hollywood made in the ’40s and ’50s?  Movies like “The Harvey Girls” “An American in Paris” or “Singing in the Rain”?  If so, La La Land is going to put a song in your heart and some boogie in your feet.  This is one wonderful movie.  Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling seem at first to be two unlikely actors to pull off an old-fashioned musical.  And yet they do!  The songs are modern and the lyrics are a delight.  La La Land tells the story of Mia and Sebastian, who have both come to “The Land of Broken Dreams” to make it big.   Mia wants to be an actress while Sebastian is a dedicated jazz musician who dreams of owning his own jazz club.  The movie shows the ups and downs and highs and lows of their pursuits with music and dance enhancing that journey.  John Legend is also featured and helps to move the plot along rather nicely.  This is a wonderful movie, and if  you love music, you will not be disappointed.

Silence

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I want to start out by saying that Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors.  From ‘Casino’ to ‘Good Fellows,’ from ‘Shutter Island’ to ‘Hugo,’ he has never disappointed me.  So it is with a heavy heart that I must not recommend this movie.  The plot sounded intriguing:  the true story of Portuguese missionaries in Japan in search of their missing mentor at a time when Christianity is outlawed and priests are forbidden.  A lot of people, including me, may not be familiar with this period of history.  It took Scorsese 28 years to bring Shusaku Endo’s acclaimed book to the screen; and the scenery, costumes and cinematography are indeed breath taking.  However, the story of two men hiding and starving for a great deal of the movie doesn’t make for a pleasant viewing experience for the theater goer.  There are scenes after scenes of people being killed in gruesome ways, of the poor peasants suffering and the inability of the two priests, handcuffed by their Jesuit orthodoxy, to actually be of help.  This movie is depressing from beginning to end.  I would wait to see it at home, when you can break up this 160 minute movie into smaller chunks.  I can not fault the acting of Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neesan, Ciaran Hinds or the heartbreaking performance by Tadanobu Asano, the “Johnny Depp” of Japanese Cinema.  His portrayal of the man who seems to worship and yet betray the priests is incredible.  This is the kind of movie that might win some awards, but most people will not want to watch it to find out why.  If I love a  movie, I want to see it again and again; this was not one of those movies.

Patriots Day

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I found this to be a very well-done movie that recreates the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013.  This movie reminded me of some of the events and taught me some things about the investigation that I didn’t know.  Mark Wahlberg plays a composite of several police officers who were on site when the bombing took place and helped with the subsequent manhunt.  J. K. Simmons adds a little well placed comedy relief to this story.   The movie also features some of the survivors at the end, including Dun Meng (played by Jimmy O. Yang) whose carjacking and escape ultimately led to the capture of the Tsarnaev brothers.  You will need to dab your eyes several time throughout the story but especially when retired baseball player David “Big Poppy” Ortiz gives a short, inspiring speech at the end.  Also featured in minor roles are Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, Michelle Monaghan.  This is definitely a movie worth watching!

Passengers

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Do not listen to some of the poor reviews this movie is getting- I thoroughly enjoyed this sci-fi love story, and think you will too.  Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are passengers on a 120-year journey to another planet. Something goes wrong and their hibernation pods wake them up 90 years early.  Themes explored in this movie are: making the most of whatever situation you find yourself in, living life to the fullest, overcoming isolation and finding love in the most unlikely places. There is a central ethical dilemma that should cause discussion among friends who see this movie together.  Would you have made the same decision Pratt’s character is forced to make?  I loved Michael Sheen as a witty android bartender who accidentally spills the beans on Pratt’s choice.  Laurence Fishburne is surprisingly poignant in his brief appearance as Gus Mancuso ,who brings some much needed pathos and some timely advice.  Andy Garcia is the only actor I found with an unsatisfying part in this movie; he appears for about 5 seconds and has no lines.  I hope he at last earned a decent paycheck! I highly recommend this movie and think you should see it for yourself and make up your own mind.

Why Him?

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Listen, this movie is definitely mindless entertainment, with hit or miss comedy.  That being said, if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas for a few hours, there are worse ways to spend an evening.  James Franco plays an internet millionaire who has fallen in love with Bryan Cranston’s daughter ( I can only assume that the Emmy award winning actor was paid well for this movie).  James Franco is super-eccentric.  He has a paperless bathroom and a chef who serves food that looks exactly like newspaper (this in honor of his future father-in-law who owns a printing business).  Keegan-Micheal Key plays an equally eccentric “butler” who sneak attacks his employer a la The Pink Panther.  I did laugh in some spots, but my advice is to wait until you can watch this one on television and go see Rogue One or Fantastic Beasts instead.