Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Pet Sematary

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I am a fan of Stephen King but I have never read this book ,nor did I see the original movie.  However, when I heard this version featured John Lithgow, I knew I would have to see it.  Tha main story follows the The Creed family, who have just moved from Boston to a quieter life in a small Maine town.  No more ER night shifts for Dr. Louis Creed, who looks forward to being able to spend more time with his children, Gage and Ellie.  Things get off to a creepy start when Ellie stumbles upon a pet cemetery or “sematary” as spelled by the town’s children, while exploring. They have been burying their pets in the forest for generations.  Louis (played by Jason Clark) didn’t realize this cemetery was on his property as it is huge and he hasn’t really checked it out. The cemetery is bordered on several sides by a high log wall. The cemetery is scary enough, but Ellie, and her Mom witness  a burial procession composed of kids in very creepy masks.  Ellie is a bright and curious child, and decides to go back to investigate the high log pile.  She begins to climb up the wall.  She is stung by a bee and falls, but luckily old man Jud (John Lithgow) helps her and takes out the stinger -the beginning of a fast friendship. SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT:  Unfortunately their beloved cat, Churchill, is hit by a truck and dies.  Jud knows Ellie is heartbroken, and is insistant that he help Dr. Creed bury the cat in the cemetery.  Things get real weird when he suggests they bury the cat in a secret area on the other side of the barrier.  Apparently, there are mystical powers that can resurrect the dead, but your loved ones may not come back “right.”  And indeed, after the mysterious reappearance of “dead” Churchill, things begin to literally go to the dark side.  At Ellie’s birthday party, things take a dreadful turn.  You can guess… The movie does a good job with creating atmosphere and I give a lot of kudos to Jete Laurence, who plays daughter Ellie.  She is the right amount of niave and creepy!   I read somewhere that Stephen King doesn’t like this story much and that he feels it is his darkest tale.  I have to agree with him.  This story doesn’t offer a hopeful ending.  But then, you don’t go into a King story expecting a “they lived happily ever after.”

Serenity

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If you are a fan of the cult TV show “Firefly,”  I suggest that  you skip this movie, because you will be extremely disappointed by the title ( fellow nerds, you know what I’m talking about).  If you are not a fan of “Firefly,” I still suggest you that you skip this movie, because you are still going to be disappointed.  I expected way more from a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey, who are both Oscar winning actors.  If you have seen trailers for “Serenity;” you will likely have been misdirected, as I was, because this movie is totally not what the trailer leads you to expect.  Matthew McConaughey stars as Baker Dill, an Iraq war veteran and fishing boat captain who spends every spare moment hunting a giant tuna called Justice.  His ex-wife, Karen, shows up with a story of being abused by her current millionaire husband (played unconvincingly and as a bland stereotype by Jason Clarke) and the bruises to prove it.  She wants him to take her husband out on a fishing trip and kill  him by throwing him overboard for the sharks.  She offers  ten million dollars in cold, hard cash.  Karen is played by Anne Hathaway with her hair dyed a perplexing and unflattering blond.  Diane Lane and DJimon Honshu are wasted in minor supporting roles, that frankly, don’t really servie to support anything! Up until this point, the action was slow, but the plot  seemed to be headed in the familiar territoy of suspense thriller.  Here is where the movie falls apart, and even gets silly.   I won’t give away the big plot “surprise,” although I feel I would be doing a public service if I did!  Anyway, think of a really bad rip off of Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch,’ but without the myriad choices, and you will get the idea.  I read after the fact, that “Serenity” was scheduled to be released in September 2018, but was pulled and delayed until late January 2019.  It’s almost as if the distributors knew something, isn’t it?

Winchester Mystery House

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I was really interested in seeing this movie because I have toured the actual Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California!   During the years around the turning of the 20th Century, Sarah Winchester inherited a fortune from her husband, who was the majority stock holder in the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.  She feels guilty that these rifles caused so much death and pain, and believes she has been cursed as a result.  She thinks the ghosts of those hurt by the rifles are haunting her, and begins adding rooms to her house to keep them confined.  She has construction going on around the clock, seven days a week. All in all, her house ended up with 161 rooms. There are strange things  in this house (to go along with the strange goings on!).  Stairways that go nowhere, doors that open into nothing, cabinets that open to other rooms.  All of this is true and fascinating to see in person.  The movie speculates about what might be the reason for all of the construction and what Sarah thinks it will accomplish.  Helen Mirren brings her considerable acting chops  to the role, ably supported by Jason Clarke and Sarah Snook;  but even her prestige can’t hide the fact that this it is really an old fashioned  ghost story.  There are apparitions, mysterious noises, moving objects and a few scares.  I would recommend this movie just so you can  see what the real house looks like as they actually had permission to film in and around it.  Go for the ghosts, stay for the house!!