Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Death on the Nile

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, whodunits, Egypt, glamorous globetrotters or Kenneth Branagh; I have just the movie for you.  Sir Kenneth once again plays Hercule Poirot (returning as the classic Belgian detective with the little grey cells whom we last saw in Murder on the Orient Express),  He is taking a break from sleuthing by embarking on a relaxing vacation in Egypt.  Vacation abruptly turns into a murder investigation when one of the passengers on a private yacht is murdered.  It is obvious that someone on board is guilty of course, but who?  Therein lies the fun of the movie.  A myriad of characters and suspects are introduced.  All have hidden secrets and motives. There is the glamorous Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot) who stole her girlfriend’s (Emma Mackey) fiancée.  The latter is stalking Linnet and her ex fiancée.  Armie Hammer plays the sleazy playboy – who may or may not only be after his new wife’s money.  Then there is Hercule’s old friend, Bouc, and his snarky artistic mother Euphemia – as well as Linnet’s ex fiancé, her personal maid and her lawyer, who all have something to hide.  The writer has added a backstory to explain why Poirot wears such massive moustaches.  This was not in any of the books I have read (I think I have read just about all of them), but I felt it was well-done and added to Poirot’s character.  Also two additional characters have been added:  Jazz singer Sophie Okenedo and her manager played by Leticia Wright, both with their own suspicious pasts.  There are so many characters, though, that some really get the short end of the stick as far as time on camera:  Russell Brand, Rose Leslie, Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders immediately come to mind.  Anyway, this movie is exactly what you’d expect out of a whodunit – great scenery, lavish sets and costumes, tons of red herrings, a plethora of suspects and a twist ending.  The thing that keeps me from giving this movie my highest rating is I do think it was too long and dragged in the middle.  But still, I am a big fan of whodunits, and if you are too, you are still going to want to catch this one (and hopefully the next one).

Red Notice

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

What were you expecting out of a movie with Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Godot? Well, you won’t be disappointed, for that is exactly what you’re going to get!! Ryan Reynolds (Booth) plays his usual wise-cracking, Deadpool-ish character who describes himself as the World’s Greatest Art Thief. Dwayne Johnson (Hartley) is the intrepid FBI agent out to bring him to justice, and Gal Godot is the mysterious “Bishop,” who is beautiful, smart, and kicks butt like Wonder Woman. Yes, you have seen these characters in these same parts before, but that does not detract from the fun. The ludicrous plot has much to do with possessing all three of the ancient golden eggs said to have been given to Cleopatra by Marc Anthony. Two of these eggs are in private hands, but the third has been lost to time. Booth claims he knows where it is. The person who can deliver the lost third egg to a rich Egyptian collector – so he can give it to his daughter, yep her name is Cleopatra, on her birthday – will be $800 million richer. I advise you to forget the plot and just enjoy the banter, chases, escapes, and surprises. The action is virtually unending, the twists and betrayals many and surprising, and the effects are awesome. Look for a delicious cameo by a famous English singer-songwriter. This movie won’t win any Oscars, but it’s a fun ride, and will certainly entertain you for a few hours.

The Justice League

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

Batman and Wonder Woman band together in this movie to organize a group of super heroes to, you guessed it, save the world!  These DC super heroes are not as interesting as the Marvel ones.  There are several reasons for this.  First of all, the writing is kind of lackluster and doesn’t have the snap or pizzazz of the recent Thor movie or even Guardians of the Galaxy.  Next, this movie kind of jumps over the back stories for The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.  These characters could have been fleshed out more, especially since they didn’t get a prior movie to establish who they are and what they’re about. As someone who is totally unfamiliar with the comic books, I would have appreciated more back story for these characters instead of merely a sentence or two of exposition.   Last of all, killing Superman off and then bringing him back from the dead just seemed kind of dumb.  On the other hand, this is not a bad movie.  Aquaman, as played by Jason Momoa, is a hunk, and definitely not one of your cookie cutter hero types.  Ezra Miller makes a humorous and interesting, and even a bit endearing, Flash.  As she has previously demonstrated, Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman.  Ray Fisher as Cyborg didn’t get enough screen time for me to decide if I liked his performance (or his character).  I also felt Amy Adams was wasted as Lois Lane, but then, how much dialogue can you have between her and “zombie superman?”  (Even though he wasn’t really a zombie, just re-animated).  Jeremy Irons as Alfred handles his sardonic dialogue with a stiff British upper lip as he deadpans several references to Wonder Woman and Batman not taking the opportunity to romance it up a bit.  All in all, this is an enjoyable movie and I am sure you will be entertained.  However, if you only have time to see one super hero movie, you might be better off seeing Thor Ragnarok!

Wonder Woman

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

Wow!  Long live Wonder Woman!  This movie has everything a great super hero movie should have; interesting back story,  a doomed romance, historical events, light-hearted comedy, kick-ass fighting and great special effects.  The heroine of this epic, directed by Patty Jenkins, is played convincingly by Gal Gadot.  Her Diana Prince is actually an Amazonian princess, the daughter of Zeus, and the secret weapon (unbeknownst to her) that will one day be the downfall of  Ares, who has destroyed the other gods, and is trying his hardest to destroy mankind too.  Gal Gadot does an excellent job playing the innocent Diane, when she is brought from her island into the real world and introduced to the new and odd behaviors of mankind, including the atrocities humans perform on each other in times of war.  Chris Pine is dreamy as always as the American  pilot who crashes on her island paradise and falls in love with the beautiful warrior.  Pine, Gadot, and  a trio of interesting side-kicks, band together to fight for humanity.  Unlike most super heroes, Gal Gadot really makes us feel that she truly cares for the people she has sworn to protect; and that love, will indeed, cure all.  There is enough over the top action to satisfy the most die hard super hero movie connoisseur, and enough fresh story-telling to satisfy those who are tired of this genre.  Which ever side of the love/hate super hero movies side of the fence you are on, this movie is for you!