Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

Vengeance and Medieval

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There  is more to going to the movies than seeing big blockbusters like Top Gun or Jurassic Park:  Dominion.  I would like to talk about two lesser-known movies that have not gotten a lot of attention, but may be of interest to you.  They may  no longer be in the theatres, so you might have to watch on a streaming service.

Vengeance is a black comedy written and directed by B.J. Novak (Ryan on The Office) and he also stars.  The movie tells the story of a self-absorbed and commitment phobic urban blogger named Ben Manalowitz .  Ben is asked to attend the funeral of a girl he hooked up with a few times, and barely remembers.  Her Texas family is under the impression that they were seriously involved and he plays along with them thinking he will get some interesting ideas for his blog.  He finds out her brother believes she was murdered, and wants Ben to help find the culprit.  As the story goes on, Ben finds the truth not only of what happened to the victim; but a few truths about family and trust, and himself as well. The script is very witty and warm, and full of interesting and thought provoking conversations.

Medieval is an entirely different story than Vengeance.  Medieval is a Czech drama that is one of those ‘based in actual events’ tales ( ones that are always stretched and/or changed around) based on the life of Jan Zizka, a Bohemian military commander who never lost a battle.  In this movie, he is fighting the efforts of  feuding brothers’ armies (from the Holy Roman Empire and the Teutonic Order no less) to ascend to the Emperor’s throne (the last Holy Roman Emperor having just died). He is a national hero in The Czech Republic. There is a fine cast, Ben Foster plays Jan, Matthew Goode is King Sigismund and Michael Cain plays the political Lord Bores.  Medieval is extremely violent, although the violence is realistic to the time period (1300’s).  What I liked about this movie is that I learned about a very interesting historical person that I had never heard of.  I went online and read everything I could about this fascinating guy.

Going in Style

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The stars of ‘Going in Style,’ Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin are all Oscar winners.  They play elderly gentlemen who decide to rob a bank in retribution for being screwed over by shifty pension managers and dodgy banks (kind of like “Hell or High Water” which was a better although more somber movie).  There are some genuinely funny and heartwarming moments.  All three actors are masters at their craft.  But there are some negatives too.   I feel the casting of Ann-Margret as the love interest of Alan Arkin was terrible!  Why is it okay for these older men to be cast wrinkles and all, but the actresses of the same age have to have so much plastic surgery that they look fake and just a little creepy?  It would be so refreshing to see a great actress like say Katherine Ross, Rachel Ward or Diane Keaton playing these parts with their natural beauty.  Her mask-like features really distracted from the whole love story.  Also, the first half hour of the movie dragged; it wasn’t until they started cleverly and humorously planning their heist that the movie really took off.  This is a pleasant enough movie, but I think you can wait until it is on Netflix to watch it.

Now You See Me 2

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I am a big fan of magic.  I love to be amazed by card tricks, illusions,  and magicians such as Penn and Teller.  My favorite unit to teach my sixth graders is a unit on Harry Houdini.  I liked the first “Now You See Me” and looked forward to seeing this sequel.  Unfortunately I was disappointed.   The plot was okay, if confusing, and the actors are all very likeable.  Daniel Radcliffe even gets to play a bad guy!  The special effects are great – but that is the problem for me.  The special effects magic looked contrived and unconvincing.  I would love to see more  realistic looking illusions like we saw in the first movie.   There is a silly subplot involving Woody Harrelson  playing his original character and his goofy twin brother.  With the talents of Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco,Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Lizzie Caplan  and  Michael Caine, I expected a great movie, not just an adequate one.