Adnerb the Movie Nerd

Movie reviews from a middle school teacher's perspective

A WHOLE LOTTA MOVIES

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It has been quite a summer! Even though I have been busy taking trips (one to Vermont and one to Disney World), I still found time to see movies. So here it goes, a whole bunch of reviews in the order that I liked the movies.

FREE GUY – This is my favorite movie in this group. It is mindless fun and I really enjoyed it. Ryan Reynolds (the Deadpool guy) stars as a wimpy bank teller who discovers he is actually a background character in a video game. His journey to rise above his coding and gain control of his own life is funny and entertaining. Reynold has a great supporting cast; including Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi and Lil Rel Howery (and Joe Keery from Stranger Things). Watch for couple of very funny short cameos!

STILLWATER: Now for something completely different. Matt Damon is a down on his luck oil rig worker who travels to Marseille, France to visit his daughter, who is serving time in prison for murder. She claims innocence and while he had been an indifferent failue as a dad, he supports her all the way. He spends a lot of time in Marseille proving her innocence, and connects with a single mom and her daughter. Things get rather complex. It’s a very different role for Damon, and he pulls it off well. The setting is in the seedier side of town, and gives an interesting perspective quite different from the more touristy environs of many movies. If you were expecting a Liam Neesem “Taken” story with a happy ending, this may not be the movie for you. However, if you want to see top level acting and something to make you think, you might want to check this out.

THE PROTEGE: This one reminded me a little bit of Atomic Blond. It stars Maggie Q as Anna and Samuel L. Jackson as Moody, a paid assassin. Anna is his protege. But they have no particular political or criminal agenda and only go after people who deserve it. You can plainly see in the trailors that Moody is murdered and Anna must bring the killers to justice. Ah ah ah, not so fast. Be ready for a few twists. And look for Michael Keaton in a role as a somewhat honorable, if unmerciful, professional of his own. If you love Samuel L. Jackson (and I do) you will not think you wasted your time watching this one.

SUICIDE SQUAD: I apologize ahead of time to all the Suicide Squad fans out there. The first movie was okay, but this one didn’t do a thing for me. I didn’t find it funny, thought the Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn tiresome, and the plot weak, confused even. We watched it on television, and felt we wasted a few hours (though at least we didn’t waste our money on movie tickets). I guess if you love the first one; you will enjoy this one, but honestly,there are other movies out there worth more of a view.

Shaft

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Sometimes you will see a movie that is full of cliches, stereotypes, and so much political incorectness that you are sorry you wasted your money.  This was not that movie.  Despite being loaded with all those things, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Samuel L. Jackson plays Shaft, the ultra-cool, ultra-gritty, ultra-violent detective who has a son, Shaft, Jr. (Jessie Usher), whom he hasn’t seen in 25 years.  Shaft Jr. is now an FBI analyst, who abhors violence, wears designer clothing and is pretty intent on pursuing a successful career path in the Bureau.  The two join forces when Jr.’s best friend, a rehabilitated veteran, turns up dead under mysterious curcumstances and he needs the help of his long absent dad.  Between Junior and his very modern and centered doctor girlfriend, as well as his mom who Shaft had left when Jr was a baby, there is alot of interplay and adjustments to be addressed. There is also a lot of violence, as to be expected; but a lot of humorous banter, which was not expected. Look for Richard Roundtree (the original Shaft) as the kick-butt grandfather. This is not the kind of movie that will get good reviews, or win awards, but I found it highly entertaining.

Captain Marvel

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Marvel did it again!  I don’t know how they keep putting out top-of-the-line, action filled, super hero movies – but they do.  Captain Marvel is another tour-de-force!  From the opening credits where they pay homage to Stan Lee to the end credits teasers, this movie is jam-packed with things to love.  First of all, Brie Larsen is great as Captain Marvel.  She plays Vers, a noble warrior who battles for the Kree, a super race of aliens who look just like us, have super-strength and are benignly governed by an A.I. called the Supeme Intelligence – who appears to each Kree in a different form.   Annette Benning plays the Supreme Intelligence that Brie Larson sees and speaks to.  But all is not as it appears to be of course, for it turns out that Vers is actually Carol Danvers (Vers, get it?) who was a hot shot military jet pilot on Earth.  Not to tell all the story, but a combat related incident gives her great powers and the Kree decide to take her to their homeworld and train her as a warrior. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember her life on Earth until she accidently crashes on her home planet chasing the Krull, shape shifting enemies of the Kree.  On Earth, she meets a young Nick Fury (a digitally rejuvinated Samuel L. Jackson) and his subordinate Agent Colson ( old friend Clark Gregg back in his familiar place).  There are a lot of talented actors rounding out the cast including: Jude Law, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, and Ben Mendelsohn just to name a few.  As in most of these movies, there is action, humor, a back story and even a cute animal, in this case a cat named Goose.  Even though Captain Marvel’s powers are considerable and very visual, I didn’t feel this movie is over-encumbered by special effects. These sort of movies are driven to varying degrees by CGI and other effects though, and these are impressively done.  I also hear that some people are upset and resentful that Captain Marvel is a woman and are trying to rig reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes to keep people away.  Don’t listen to this narrow minded and mysoginistic approach.  This movie is a thrilling and engaging entry into the Marvel Universe.  Don’t forget to stay until the very end to get a teaser for the upcoming “Avenger: Infinity Wars.”  My opinion is – kudos and well-done!

Glass

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If you liked M. Knight Shyamalan’s “Split” and “Unbreakable,” you are probably going to like “Glass,” even though it is not as good as either one.  That being said, it was nice to see some of these characters return.  I especially enjoyed Bruce Willis as David Dunn, the very reluctant super hero who uses his free time to find bad guys, and provide a little justice.  But he most notably is looking for  James McAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb.  As the story begins, Kevin, and his many personalities, have kidnapped some female cheerleaders, and some of the personalities are warning the young women that ‘The Beast’ is coming soon.  We know that bad things will happen when The Beast arrives.  Just in time, enter David Dunn, and before you know it, the authorities – who’ve been watching for the two of them – have them both in custody.  Things get murky from here on.  Kevin Crumb has some 30 personalities, and James McAvoy is so spot on as he plays each one to perfection.  At some points, he flips from one to another with such facility and realism that you will be amazed that he is playing them all so quickly and believeably.  Samuel L. Jackson is back as the very breakable Mr. Glass, but I found his character too one-dimensional and unbelievable..  It wouldn’t be an M. Knight movie, though without some twists, which I will not spoil of course.  Part of the problem with this movie that keeps it from being really good is the character of Dr. Staple  played by Sarah Paulson.  She gets way too much screen time as a shrink trying to prove that the three main characters are not the super heroes they seem to believe they are.  The addition of the characters of Glass’ mother, Dunn’s son and the one cheerleader who escaped Kevin’s earlier attentions spread out the plot points, but not always to best advantage.  They are essential to a resolution that is essentially unsatisfying and a touch of that M. Night weak-ish resolution we all know. These parts of the movie lag, and it gives you time to notice many plot holes that you wouldn’t have otherwise bothered looking for.   But there are not a lot of great movies playing out there right now, so if you want to see some great acting by James McAvoy, the return of Bruce Willis, and a scene-stealing twitch, this is the movie for you!

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

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I must admit that when it comes to Samuel L. Jackson, I will see him in just about anything.  Even a movie on a plane with a bunch of snakes.   For a teacher about to go back to work, this was a good diversion. He plays the hitman of the title, and he needs a bodyguard because he is the only surviving witness who can testify against bad Eastern European President Gary Oldman.  Ryan Reynolds plays the down on his luck Grade A protection agent who is tasked to guard the life of this world’s most notorious hitman. It turns out they have met before and both have tried to kill the other. Plus, Sam knocked off one of Ryan’s clients in the past, which caused him to go downhill. And…there are more little plot quirks!  As you might expect, this summer buddy comedy is full  of action packed car chases, witty banter, menacing bad guys and even a little pathos.  Gary Oldman is fine as the villain, but I think you will be surprised by Selma Hayek’s character, who is married to Jackson’s character and  possibly uses even  more profanity than Jackson does. So if you like Ryan  Reynolds and Samuel Jackson and want to see them in an amusing fluff of a movie, you won’t be disappointed.