Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

The Honest Thief

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

These are strange times to be going to a theatre. The last two times we have gone, the theatre lobby as well as the theatre itself, have been eerily empty. The theatres are doing everything they can to help people feel safe, and yet most people aren’t going. There are several reasons for this: great movies on Netflix et al, lack of good movies being released, and limited concession food. Out of all of these reasons, theatres would get more business if the studios would release some good movies. Aside from “Tenent,” the only thing being offered are reruns or grade “B” movies. “The Honest Thief” is a B movie that wouldn’t have stayed in town more than a week or two pre Covid-19. With the lack of grade “A” movies out there, this one seems down right epic! It is the type of story that has served Liam Neesen well. He plays nice guy Tom Carter. The only thing is, he has been busily robbing banks. There is a reason he’s been doing this, and his justification is eventually revealed. But he’s decided to stop his criminal activities after he meets storage facility manager Annie (Kate Walsh). He calls the FBI and offers to make a deal to return the $8,000,000 he’s stolen for a lighter sentence so he can marry Annie with a clear conscience. However, that amount of loot is pretty seductive, and he gets set up by two rogue FBI agents. These agents
of course plan to just take the money and make sure Tom is taken out in the process. But like all good bad plans, things go very awry and Tom and Kate have to take on the baddies. Just like he did in the “Taken” movies, Neesen will have to use his talents and skills (and he does again have a set of skills) to persevere. This was a decently made movie of this sort, and it will do until the next Wonder Woman or James Bond movie comes along. You don’t have to go out of your way to see it, but it won’t be a disappointment either.

Men In Black:International

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

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.

Silence

By Leave a Comment

Apple Rating:

I want to start out by saying that Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors.  From ‘Casino’ to ‘Good Fellows,’ from ‘Shutter Island’ to ‘Hugo,’ he has never disappointed me.  So it is with a heavy heart that I must not recommend this movie.  The plot sounded intriguing:  the true story of Portuguese missionaries in Japan in search of their missing mentor at a time when Christianity is outlawed and priests are forbidden.  A lot of people, including me, may not be familiar with this period of history.  It took Scorsese 28 years to bring Shusaku Endo’s acclaimed book to the screen; and the scenery, costumes and cinematography are indeed breath taking.  However, the story of two men hiding and starving for a great deal of the movie doesn’t make for a pleasant viewing experience for the theater goer.  There are scenes after scenes of people being killed in gruesome ways, of the poor peasants suffering and the inability of the two priests, handcuffed by their Jesuit orthodoxy, to actually be of help.  This movie is depressing from beginning to end.  I would wait to see it at home, when you can break up this 160 minute movie into smaller chunks.  I can not fault the acting of Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neesan, Ciaran Hinds or the heartbreaking performance by Tadanobu Asano, the “Johnny Depp” of Japanese Cinema.  His portrayal of the man who seems to worship and yet betray the priests is incredible.  This is the kind of movie that might win some awards, but most people will not want to watch it to find out why.  If I love a  movie, I want to see it again and again; this was not one of those movies.