Author: Brett_G

“The Zone of Interest”

7.6

So… this is an hour and a half of the chainsaw in the motel shower scene from “Scarface,” and should definitely win all the awards for its brilliant sound design.

The devil’s quite literally in the details with this one, and it executes subtlety to near perfection. It’s definitely a thinker, and not a modern blockbuster on the movie IQ scale. To contrast such beauty with such haunting atrocity is a tall task. It’s not a light movie, obviously. When our protagonist family is inconvenienced by the ash of the deceased contaminating the night sky, daring to interrupt their slumber… you’re in for a complicated emotional ride. To have such normal life existing so close to the worst of humanity… it’s a bold choice, and one that I felt paid off by the time the credits rolled.

“Lisa Frankenstein”

7.9

Well that was a pleasant surprise!

Not since “Warm Bodies” has a film nailed the zombie rom-com in my book, and not since “Ready Player One” have I seen this many subtle nods to films of yesteryear cleverly shoehorned into so many frames.

Joe Chrest continues his run as “awkward dad.” Cole Sprouse rocks it as the lovable lug that our heroine can’t help but nurture as they slowly come to bring out the best in each other. Saving the best for last… Kathryn Newton. Holy shit, did she ever nail this! The perfect blend of wit, snark, and sensuality. She elevates every scene she’s in and simply steals the show by the time the credits roll. I honestly can’t see this movie working with anyone else. A testament to her brilliance in the role. A true sleeper hit, perfect for a makeup Valentine’s Day date this weekend!

“The Monk and the Gun”

7.1

The chill older gentleman slowly whittling a giant phallus really brought everything together for me. Props to that guy.

A really interesting reflection on the need for government, the ways in which we as people choose to operate said governing body, and human nature as it exists in different communities and cultures. When “democracy fails” because too many people agree… that might indicate a problem, no? No matter the catastrophe though, James Bond will be the glue that holds us all together until the bitter end.

“All The President’s Men”

7.4

Better as a book…

Not that the movie was bad, and I understand it’s a classic and an important story. However, the book was better in this case. I know this is sacrilege as a movie critic.

The performances are spot on and the script really does a great job of hitting the essential marks in the story, but there’s only so much they could fit into the runtime, and there was simply too much to fit into a reasonable runtime. Definitely one of those “Hollywood can’t write something this crazy” stories, that Hollywood struggled to translate to the silver screen.