Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
5.0
Disappointed in EON Productions. (The production company behind the James Bond Franchise) Come on, guys! And Paramount should know better by now… Clunky, poorly directed action. Choppy at best story development. One dimensional characters throughout. What attempted to be a “strong woman gets destroyed and comes back to be the next Bryan Mills from ‘Taken'” lands somewhere between Mr. Bean and Frank from “Naked Gun.” Ouch… Blake Lively being cornered by a shark for 2 hours was worlds better.
7.5
He may only officially make a small cameo introducing a wedding speech, but this is a pure Michael Bay movie through and through. One last time… one last ride. Let’s roll! Get ready for this film to penetrate your soul. Explosions, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith playing their most stereotypical characters in a long time. Put some extra stank on Mike Laaawreyyy, and kick some ass with the old boys and new crew of tactical SWAT in the Miami PD? Vanessa Hudgens is bae. And hilarious. All in all, you get exactly what you expect, and it’s an extremely fun 2 hours at the cinema.
9.2
Finally caved after seeing enough commercials at the theater, and binged in a week and a half. Loved EVERY SECOND of it! The wittiest comedy/drama this side of “The West Wing,” bravo to the cast and creator on creating such an immersive and entertaining world. The interconnecting stories involving such effortlessly rich characters had me hooked 10 minutes into the first episode. Dialogue so rich and dense, yet so rapid fire… just wow. The set designs and cinematography are gorgeous. A masterpiece that fires on all cylinders. Didn’t expect to love this as much as I have, and can’t wait for season 4!
Tits Up!
5.0
If you’ve seen one “behind the music,” you’ve seen ‘em all… the top of the mountain is lonely, the star(s) surround themselves with bobble head yes-people. They trade normal life and aspirations for fame and fortune. They all feel like “they’re the only one who’s ever had to go through this.” Want to take a stand, but either a) overestimate their influence on the world around them or b) underestimate the cost of decisions. Wanting the best of both worlds. Fascinating to see how destructive fame and success can be…
5.9
… and they thought changing the title was going to trick us. Well, that was an hour and a half of my life I can never get back. A cross between “Dr. Strange” and “The Witch,” or just watching “The Witch” on acid. Dark cinematography, unexplained creepiness, and almost nothing going on the whole time. Had it not been for the girl in the back row of the theater trying to cough up a lung, I almost fell asleep. Swing and a miss.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 