Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
8.4
Damn!
“There’s fuckery afoot…”
The ensemble cast, the action, the story… bravo! This film explodes onto the screen, and doesn’t slow down until the credits roll. The entire cast is at the height of their powers along with director Guy Ritchie, who has one of the best eyes and touch for action directing in the business. Just the right mix of action, heart, drama, and comedy. Get ready to “I’m going to hell for laughing at this” for 2 hours, and love every minute of it.
7.3
Seriously?!?!?! That’s how we’re going to leave this thing?!?
Get ready to be genuinely unsettled for two hours, and be left hanging in the end (in my opinion). Just as intense and jarring as the trailer, just when you think you have this film figured out, it takes a turn and keeps you guessing and off balance. Checks so many boxes… Open ended, old lady warning of bad things while also creeping everyone out, jump scares, ghosts, and the little girl with an imaginary friend(s). Imaginary friends are never good news in these things. Solid directing. Builds tension better than most these days. Jump scares and the natural mystique of the scenery used cleverly and sparingly, making them all the more effective.
Seeing as this film is based off the same source material, I’m excited to see what’s in store for “Haunting of Hill House: Season 2.”
7.9
Fantastic political drama/war flick. The “based on a true story” genre film that always comes out of nowhere to kick ass and take names at the box office this time of year.
The casting of this film was truly over the top, with great performances all around, from Peter Fonda’s curtain call to Bradley Whitford returning to D.C. to play a Washington insider/political game player. The story of William Pisenbarger’s heroism during operation Abilene, and the journey of his fellow servicemen’s quest to get him awarded the medal of honor was truly inspiring. Definitely a tear-jerker. Strap in, and get ready for a wild ride of a film.
6.7
Well, the title isn’t a lie… it does happen underwater. Somewhat copying the themes of “The Meg,” the film follows a doomed crew of explorers who drilled too deep and unleashed something unintended. Calamity ensues. Kristen Stewart is in her underwear 79.8% of the run-time. TJ Miller provides much needed comic relief to a group of total Debbie Downers. Meh…
Part of me was thinking “did Fox just green-light every crazy project 2 years out from the merger with Disney? Just for laughs?”
8.4
Get the tissues ready…
In the vein of “Patch Adams” and “Gifted Hands,” join the revolutionaries that ushered in the advent of cardiothoracic surgery as a profession, by challenging the age old medical wisdom of the time: “don’t touch the heart!” A tale of race, academia, character, and courage. One of Alan Rickman’s finest performances as the “too smart to interact with fellow humans fluently” surgeon Dr. Alfred Blalock. A wonderful job by Mos Def (now Yasiin Bey) as jack of all trades mechanic handyman, eventual Johns Hopkins surgical professor Dr. Vivien Thomas. This movie tackles a lot, and does it with such grace! Great story, great film. Highly recommend!
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 