Brett_G

“Spaceship Earth”

By Brett_G on May 14, 2020

7.1

Cult? Scientists? Hippies? All three?

The storied tale of the strange architectural marvel in the middle of the Arizona desert and the people who inhabited it as human subjects in a grand experiment are on full display here. Jumpsuits and all. From their beginnings in shipbuilding, to traveling the world to use their talents amassing a small fortune and trying to save the planet, the team’s individual journeys all led them to the same bio-dome. Fascinating to see not only the ecological but also psychological effects of the experiment. Did not expect the Steve Bannon cameo at the end, no matter how on-brand it was in the nature of his involvement.

Similar in excitement level and educational value to the EPCOT attraction.

Documentary

“Hustlers”

By Brett_G on May 13, 2020April 28, 2020

6.7

Female version of “The Big Short?” Perhaps a hybrid between “Magic Mike” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” J-Lo steals the show, as predicted. Film itself I felt could have been about 20 minutes shorter. Felt like it wandered a bit in the transition from second to third act. Overall, a solid addition to the cinematic stripper-verse, and not as bad as “Showgirls.”

“Valley Girl (1983)”

By Brett_G on May 12, 2020

6.7

Like, a totally rad movie. One of Nicholas Cage’s first (and best) roles of his career. Just enough lunacy to fit the character who’s a bit of an outsider, who gets the girl in the end. Amazing 80’s soundtrack. Hanging out at the mall. Neon color galore. Very 80’s. Somewhat of a John Hughes type love story, checking all of the character and storyline boxes as it moves along.

Action Classic Suspense/Thriller

“Duel”

By Brett_G on May 11, 2020

7.9

Spielberg’s genius on full display! A game of cat and mouse on the open road. Really, you could circumvent an entire road rage course by just showing this film as what can happen when things go awry on the highway. So simple, yet so effective! A master class in tension building and cinematography. Spielbergs eye for framing and storytelling are evident in even his earliest of works. And… it gave us the infamous noise from the shark death in “JAWS.” (I’m a film nerd, and yes, learned about this by watching all of the special features of both movies.)

Hulu Streaming

“All Night”

By Brett_G on May 9, 2020

7.9

A John Hughes-esque masterpiece! In the spirit of every teen “coming of age” story, this series hits all the right beats. A lot of unknowns combine for some amazing surprise chemistry as a cast and really pull the rabbit out of the hat with this one. Extremely cheesy, but equally entertaining and heartwarming. Strong dose of nostalgia.