Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Star Trek Beyond

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I have been watching the Star Trek franchise for over forty years.  I loved the original television series with William Shatner and company.  I am equally captivated with the newest reboot staring Chris Pine.   These beloved characters just keep getting better!  “Star Trek Beyond” definitely lived up to my expectations.  There was lots of action, great special effects, humorous dialog and an appealing new character who I could see joining the Enterprise for a fourth movie.  If you enjoyed the first two Star Trek movies, there is nothing in this movie that will disappoint you.  On a bittersweet note, this will be the last time Chekov makes an appearance in these movies due to the recent death of Anton Yelchin.

 

Ghostbusters

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This is a fun movie!  I love it when a reboot can pay homage to the original and then go its own entertaining way.  The four female ghostbusters are spot on and each brings their own unique comedic style to their roles.  There are fun cameos from most of the original cast; although my favorite was Dan Aykroyd because he gets to say…..well no spoilers here.  The real surprise for me though was Chris Hemsworth.  His dreamy Thor is the main reason I am an Avengers fan.  But evidently he is not just another pretty face- Hemsworth  has some comedic chops and holds his own with these funny ladies.   I was surprised to see Andy Garcia in this movie but he did a fine job playing the usual truth bending politician.  If you are tired of seeing serious adult-oriented action movies full of shooting and explosions, I  highly recommend this fun piece of comedy fluff (well, there my be a few explosions here).  Also, don’t forget to stay until after the credits for another reference to the original movie and perhaps  teaser for a Ghostbusters II?  I hope so!

The Infiltrator

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Very well-done movie based on the true story about a U.S. Customs official who goes deep undercover to infiltrate the Medillin Colombian drug trafficking empire.  Bryan Cranston is top-notch as agent Bob Mazur, who teams up with Emir Abreu, played by the always entertaining John Leguizamo,  Their goal to infiltrate the cartel’s money laundering operation is of course very dangerous and stressful.  This is a thinking man’s move,  with more dialogue than action. Even so, I was on the edge of my seat wondering if one small slip (involving a state-of-the-art briefcase) or a misplaced word (forgetting a detail of the fake identity) would cause the intricate sting operation to fall apart and cost Mazur, and his wife and children, their lives.  If you need lots of nonstop action, I would skip this movie.  However, if you want to see a great performance by Bryan Cranston and learn how Bob Mazur and company were able to pull off a two year sting that uncovered drug kingpin Pablo Escavar’s money laundering operation and led to the arrest and conviction of over 100 people, this movie is definitely worth seeing!

The BFG

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The Big Friendly Giant, as played by Oscar winning actor Mark Rylance, is a kind, warm and welcoming giant.  He shanghais a young orphan named Sophie (played with just the right amount of feisty innocence by Ruby Barnhill)  because she accidentally sees him while looking out of her window late one night, and takes her to Giantland.  The BFG and the  little “human bean”  get off to a rocky start but become fast friends.  He protects her from the big carnivorous giants (he is a much smaller giant, they call him “Runt”, and is a vegetarian) and she helps him catch and bottle dreams.  The CGI effects are spectacular.  I especially enjoyed the meeting between the BFG and the Queen of England ( surprisingly well played by Penelope Wilton).  He introduces himself by saying he is her “humbug servant” and shares the secret of having a good  whizzpop (the BFG delightfully mangles the English language throughout the movie).  How Sophie, the Queen and the BFG work together to defeat the evil giants, with names like Bloodbottler and Maidmasher, is clever and exciting.  This is the last screen play that Melissa Mathison wrote before passing away at the age of 65.  I think she would have been proud of the way the whole thing turned out.

Retro Review – Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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How many of you have seen a great movie in a theatre and 45 years later you get to see it again…in a theatre?  I recently had that privilege through the wonderful people at Fathom Events in honor of  Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’s forty-fifth anniversary.   I first saw it in 1971 when I was a mere sprout.  At that time, no one I knew had ever heard of the movie (or the book for that matter) and I had no idea what to expect.  I was thoroughly enchanted and have been a fan ever since.  Wow, what a movie!  Gene Wilder  brings Willie Wonka to glorious, whimsical life with a single gleam in his eye or a hilarious one-liner.  The five children who are lucky enough to find the sought after Golden Tickets are perfectly cast. This group is thinned out one by one as a result of their ill-mannered behavior, each  to a well-deserved fate.  The Oompa Loompas and their well-timed singing is still catchy and informative.  At the heart of the movie, though, is Charlie Bucket himself, played with such innocent simplicity and depth by Peter Ostrum.  I felt for him every time he didn’t get that ticket, and when he finally did, I wanted to cheer!!  I admit, I had tears in my eyes when Mr. Wonka says to Charlie, “Don’t forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wished for, he lived happily ever after.”  If the only version of this story you have seen is the Johnny Depp version, I feel sorry for you.  Please do yourself a favor and find a copy of this movie.   To  quote Mr.Wonka for the last time,   “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it,”  as you are immersed and mesmerized by this sublime movie classic.