Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
8.2
The infamous tale of the rise and fall of Dirk Diggler. From the heights of the adult film industry to the lows of unspeakable acts in the shopping center parking lot… a tale as old as time. More legendary Hollywood stars than any Oceans film, and a rocking soundtrack, this classic film really fires on all cylinders… unlike Dirk’s Little Dirk after he develops a drug problem and goes off the rails. Lace up your roller skates, and get ready for a wild 2 hour ride…
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.
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.”
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.
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.)
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 