Brett_G

“Civil War”

By Brett_G on April 11, 2024April 11, 2024

3.0

… And all of those points are for the soundtrack. That’s it.

53 movies in. I’m calling it. WORST of the year. In the running for worst of the decade. It’s up there with “Cats.”

I’ll save you 2 hours of your life you can never get back. Don’t do it. 2 hours is an INSANE runtime for this genre, but then they make it 2 hours of violent torture porn. I don’t need to see you sprinkling Lime powder on a mass grave. There’s no need for this movie to exist. Don’t give me any analysis about this having a deeper meaning or societal commentary. I call bullshit. This makes “The Hunt” and “The Purge: Election Year” look Oscar-worthy. A shovel to the face would have been more subtle than this movie trying to make a point. I’m actually surprised that wasn’t a scene here. I can’t drag this movie enough. A24… come on… get your shit together.

Documentary Indie

“Marqueetown”

By Brett_G on April 11, 2024April 8, 2024

7.8

Definitely one of the dorkier things I’ve done in a long time, but loved every frame of this one. Movies and Marquette – what’s not to love?

A tale of the rise, fall, and resurgence of independent film exhibition. The spirit of “Midwest nice.” The heartwarming story of a small town coming together to make dreams come true. For a movie geek such as myself, this was like home for an hour and a half. AND, I happened to be sitting behind someone who starred in the movie. AND was able to recognize one of the actors as one of the co-stars of “Quicksand,” another Northern Michigan original screened at the Vogue in Manistee.

As shared in the post-show Q&A, look for this one to be on PBS/Streaming in October!

https://www.marqueetown.com

Comedy TV

“Sirens”

By Brett_G on April 10, 2024April 10, 2024

8.8

After countless healthcare Tik Tok influencers telling me I had to see this show. That it was the most realistic portrayal of EMS alongside “Scrubs” portrayal of medical residency… I gave it a try. My verdict? HOW DID THIS GET CANCELLED AFTER ONLY 2 SEASONS?!?!? I binged the entire thing in 3 days.

The characters, the scenarios, the camaraderie. I felt a kinship in the “you can’t make this shit up” nature of every episode. Trauma bonding at its finest. There isn’t a character or frame wasted in this masterpiece. Not since “Mindhunter” have I been this mad about being left hanging after such a short, albeit glorious run. Also – T and Maeve… *Swoon

Comedy Drama

“Wicked Little Letters”

By Brett_G on April 9, 2024April 8, 2024

6.9

Get ready to say “oh, you fucking wanker!” A LOT. The misogyny is strong with this one. Not that it doesn’t shine a light on how far we’ve come as a society and isn’t period accurate… and it does show how dumb it is to put “woman” in a job title… but still. It was CRINGE.

Jessie Buckley and Anjana Vasan’s chemistry really makes this one tick. It was incredibly fun to watch their relationship evolve as the film went on, and to see just how far the shenanigans would go before the credits rolled. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but a great time at the cinema, swearing like a sailor.

Horror/Thriller

“The First Omen”

By Brett_G on April 8, 2024April 8, 2024

7.2

If Ralph Ineson comes into frame, you know shit’s about to go down. Ever since “The Witch,” trouble isn’t too far away when he’s in the frame. With that warning out of the way, Nell Tiger Free absolutely kills it as the main character. I found many parallels to “Immaculate,” but with the more established lore of the “Omen” franchise. Nuns, nuns on fire, the anti-Christ… ya know, just a typical Tuesday Girl’s Night. Through fire and flame, venture with our mistress of misfortune and uncover the secrets of the Vatican… well, the parallel Vatican whose trying to run an overly-complicated marketing campaign for the Catholic faith. Very strange, but well done studio horror flick!