Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Thor: Love and Thunder

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Thor: Love and Thunder is a sequel to Thor: Ragnarok which came out in 2017.  Both movies were directed by (and in the later he also doubles as writer and actor)  Taika Waititi.  So you know the movie will be fun and maybe a little silly but highly entertaining.  Waititi definitely delivers the goods.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) begins the movie where the first one left off with an overweight Thor fighting the good fight with The Guardians of the Galaxy.  In search of inner peace, he shapes up, and parts ways with the Guardians in order to answer a call.  Apparently Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) has made it his mission to destroy ALL gods in the universe. So Thor leaves the Guardians in order to help defend the transplanted remains of Asgard (which has been turned in to a Disney-like tourist attraction) from Gorr’s attacks. While he’s doing that, a former character returns, now wielding Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer! Now that we have the plot details out of the way, we can sit back and watch the fun.  One of my favorite moments was seeing Russell Crowe camp it up as Zeus.  Other fun roles were played by Sam Neill, Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Melissa McCarthy as the Asgardian Players and Taika Waititi  as Kong, Thor’s wacky sidekick.  Other people you will see in various parts big and small are Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Jaimie Alexander, Idris Elba, and a cute group of courageous kids.  As in all Marvel movies, there are end credits: two to be exact.  You will miss the second one if you do not stay to the very end.  I found myself laughing out loud at some of the writing, which is quite clever, but I found the story itself a little lackluster.  For mindless summer entertainment though , I don’t think you will be disappointed.   Oh, and fun fact – Chris Hemsworth’s daughter, India Rose plays the titular Love.

Men In Black:International

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The Men in Black have returned to protect the Earth against the aliens that live hidden amongst us (and the real baddies that want to invade us).  This time around Chris Hemsworth plays Agent H, a super-hot but rather laid back agent who teams up with rookie Agent M (played by Tessa Thompson).  They are tasked with a mission – to take down a hive species thing that takes them to Paris, Marrakesh and London.  Along the way, they pick up the obligatory cute wise-cracking little alien and must steal back the most powerful weapon in the universe, which seems pretty easily mislaid/taken/lost.  I found the whole thing kind of boring.  If you have seen any of the previous Men In Black movies, you have basically seen this movie.  There is the requisite mole ( I won’t tell you who, but you will figure it out anyway).  I loved seeing Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson as higher ups in the organization; but neither really had much to do with the plot or action, Thompson especially.  The special effects are top-notch and there were a few funny moments, but the story and writing fell flat.  They’ve gone to the well that one time too many.  I found myself looking at my phone several times just to see if it was almost over.  Honestly, if you are going to spend for a show and movie eats, there are better movies out there.  My suggestion is to watch the original Men in Black on Netflix.

Bad Times at the El Royale

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What’s not to like about a movie where you can see Jeff Bridges and Chris Hemsworth acting together?  And throw in Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and a slew of others to round out the field and Bad Times at the El Royale will have you guessing from the get go as to what is going on and what’s going to happen to whom! Oh and did I mention that Hemsworth spends a lot of time without his shirt on?  This is one strange but interesting movie!  The El Royale is a fictional motel that straddles the state line between Nevada and California.  Which state do you want to stay in? If you opt for the California side, you will have sunshine but no alcohol, as that side of the hotel lost it’s liquour license.  If you stay on the Nevada side, it looks like rain but no gambling for a similar reason.  But it doesn’t really matter at all. Everyone who stays at the Royale on this particular night has something to hide, even the confused appearing desk clerk.  Jeff Bridges is Father Daniel Flynn.  Or is he?  What’s his interest in Darlene Sweet, the singer on her way to a gig in Reno?  What’s Dakota Johnson’s Emily Summerspring really after? One part Quentin Tarentino, one part film noir and one part Wes Anderson; this film will take you places you weren’t expecting.  I was especially impressed with Cynthia Ervio who plays the down-on-her-luck singer with integrity and plenty of grit. Chris Hemsworth is delicously creepy as Billy Lee, a cult leader a la Charles Manson at his most frightful. The action is fast paced and violence abounds. I found Bad Times at the El Royale, suspenseful, surprising and just a little bit proposterous… but never dull.

Avengers: Infinity War

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This is 160 minutes of movie jam-packed with every possible thing you could ever want in a super hero movie.  First of all, want to see your favorite Marvel character?   Everyone from Teenage Groot and Dr. Strange to Vision and Black Panther are here.  Want to see epic batles?  You will  see several, including an amazingly complex one that threatens Wakanda.    Do you love witty banter?  The script writers have your back.  Long for a terrible villian who is complicated by a twisted reality in which he feels he is doing the universe a favor by almost destroying it?  Josh Brolin’s Thanos will  not disappoint you.  One concern I would have about this much anticiapted movie would be for people who haven’t been following these movies in the Marvel Universe.  You are going to be confused by the myriad of characters who are all following threads that started in their various earlier movies.  But don’t worry too much, the screenwriters have tied together a pretty cogent, understandable story. It was fun to see the Avengers meet the Gauardians of the Galaxy for the first time.  I loved seeing Bruce Banner have a problem turning into the Hulk.  There is also a cute cameo by Peter Dinklage as a rather large dwarf. ********** SPOILER ALERT**********  This is a very ejoyable movie, but be warned, there are  major characer deaths that will upset some fans.  In fact, the end of this movie will leave some of you very unsatisfied and disillusioned.  But don’t be downhearted, this is only the first half of Infinity Wars.  The conclusion will be released in March 2019.  I have a feeling that all will be put right in the Avengers Universe (and Marvel’s future money earnings).

Thor Ragnarok

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Some super hero movies get so bogged down in cinematic effects that they lose that magic spark that makes super heroes so appealing.  Luckily that is not the case for this one.  First of all, there is a lot more wit and humor than is usual even for the Marvel Universe movies. Thor, as played by Chris Hemsworth is not only pleasant on the eyes ,but is quite the comedian and will have you laughing many times at the witty dialogue.  His character has come a long way from that duck-out-of-water of his first movie. Yes, there are still plenty of special effects, but I didn’t mind because I was having too much fun watching.  Cate Blanchett is deliciously evil as Thor’s visually striking sister, Hela, who wants to destroy Asgard.  When she appears at the beginning of the movie, Thor finds himself without his hammer and ends up on a planet ruled by Jeff Goldblum playing a wacky, oh wait a minute, playing Jeff Goldblum.  If you have seen any of the trailers you know that Thor and The Hulk will be forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena. Thor and Hulk eventually escape. They have to, events in Asgard are coming to war and rebellion, and there is plenty of action as Thor and his companions strive to save the real Asgard.  Not sure what that means?  Go see this movie and all will become clear, it’s worth it!  Other standouts are Tom Hiddleston, Karl Urban, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins and Benedict Cumberbatch.  Look for a fun trio of cameo appearances by Matt Damon, Sam Neill and Luke Hemsworh.  Stan Lee makes his usual cameo too,and I think it is my favorite.  This is an entertaining and funny movie and I think that just about everyone will find something to enjoy.