Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Jurassic World Dominion

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Let me start out be saying DO NOT listen to the critics (except for me, but I am more of a reviewer anyway And besides, I know better!).  Critics are panning this movie big time and I just don’t get it.  I was very entertained throughout the whole movie.  The plot, in a nutshell, has dinosaurs loose all over the world.  People are trying to learn how to live with them, but mankind, no surprise, is not being kind.  Some are being hunted and used as sport in giant fight pits, some are turned into side show carnival food, while some are being protected in dino sanctuaries.  But overwhelming all of that is a worse problem. A certain evil biotech company has made genetically altered dino-grasshoppers that are threatening the entire food crop producers of the world (except in areas they control).  This is where the original Jurassic Park crew meets the Jurassic World actors.  I loved this whole part of the movie.  It was so cool to see Ellie Satler (Laura Dern) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) reunited along with Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm.  Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt are back too.  Not only do these five band together to save the earth, they are out to rescue a young girl whose genetics hold a key to the future for us all.  One of the best things I like about this movie was the little tributes to the original.  There are allusions to electric fences, a shaving cream can, the original Jurassic Park logo, Samuel L. Jackson’s “hold on to your butts” line and Ian Malcolm’s many wives and kids.  I am not saying this is the best movie of the year (I think I would give Top Gun that distinction) but for fans of the Jurassic movies this is definitely a must see.  On a side note, if you have never read the original novel by Michael Crichton, I highly recommend you put this book at the top of your summer reading list.

Rocketman

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Well let me start out by saying that I thought before I even got to the theatre that I was not going to like this movie.  For some reason, I don’t care for the lead actor, Taron Egerton.  I don’t know why, I just don’t like him.  That being said, I did enjoy “Rocketman.”  First of all, how can you go wrong with a movie full of music written by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin?  Many of my favorites were here, including “Crocodile Rock,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Saturday Night’s Alright” and “Your Song.”  What I found compelling was the story of how shy, pudgy, Reginald Dwight evolved into the flamboyant and oh so talented Elton John.  There are some quite good performances in this movie, including an almost unrecognizeable Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s unhappy philandering mom.  Taron Egerton might not have had the shear brillance of Rami Malik as Freddie Mercury, but he did give a believable performance.  I also enjoyed Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin, the writing partner who enjoyed the trappings of being a rock star without actually having to get on a stage. I was fascinated with the creative process the duo used when they first started writing songs, after both answered ads for songwriters.  Bernie wrote lyrcs, mailed them to Elton, who would create the music without any direct contact and input from Bernie.  There is one thing I didn’t care for though, and that was the musical numbers.  I felt they were forced and didn’t really add to the plot. In fact, they were like an Academy Awards show production number and I found them distracting.  Elton and Bernie’s songs were the most enjoyable when they were being sung on stage, or when we saw the evolution of how the song was created.  All in all, this movie much better than I thought it would be and I think you would probably enjoy it.  Unless you hate Elton John songs.  Then I would stay home.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

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I am pretty sure that I would want to visit a Jurassic Park as envisioned by Steven Spielberg and the original book by Michael Crichton.  Yes, things went wrong; but if scientists could bring dinosaurs back safely, admit it, you couldn’t stay away either.  However, I can’t imagine many people would want to go to a Jurassic World, with its sheer commercialism and lack of feeling and empathy, its wanton disregard for anything other than making money.  The newest entry into the Jurassic frachise demonstrates the pessimistic notion that people will do anything, and I mean anything, to feed their greed.  The movie opens with the abandoned island doomed because of an impending volcanic erruption.  All dinosaurs will perish. This is a big moral dilemma.  Should these creatures, who were engineered in a laboratory and have no business livng in our century, be saved – or should  nature be allowed to take its course?  Luckily (or is it?) for the dinosaurs, Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), the former business partner of John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) and the team that created the original park, wants  to step in and save as many of these noble creatures as possible,  To this end, he hires Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and others, to retrieve the dinosaurs and place them in a reserve where no one will be able to bother and/or exploit them.  As you can imagine, this may be his intent, but it’s not the real plan.  Lockwood’s assisstant and right hand man Eli (Rafe Spall) has plans that are utterly mean and cruel.  This is a character beyond redemption! (Pretty much as all the bad guys in these movies are).  But you will find everything you would ever want to see in a Jurassic movie in this one: gorgeous scenery, realistic dinosaurs, evil scientists and a cautionary quote from Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum).  All of this being said, Jurassic World is scary, emotional and exciting.  I won’t spoil it here, but Jurassic World has one of the most sequel-worthy endings in the history of franchise summmer movies.  I’m betting Chris and Bryce have already been committed to a resolve-the-teasers movie! So, there will be a sequel; oh yes, you will want to go see it!

Gold

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‘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.