Action – Page 13 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Straw Dogs”

By Brett_G on February 19, 2023

7.1

Another recommendation of the “Video Archives” podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. Lived up to the hype. The show continues to be a staple in my weekly listening rotation and leads me down some interesting cinematic rabbit holes such as this. A welcomed reprieve from the predictability that can run rampant in todays cinematic releases from time to time.

It’s a very strange film, and takes a while to get going, but once it gets where it’s going… holy crap.

Content warning: not for the faint of heart and beware to those sensitive to sexual assault.

The relationship between the main couple is so tenuous that it takes a while for the viewer to gain their bearing with what’s really going on between the pair. There’s so much subtextual happening the entire runtime that it keeps you in a state of fight or flight from beginning to end. The only clue that comes full circle is the bear trap. You don’t keep a fully operational bear trap on your wall just because…

Action Blockbuster

“Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania”

By Brett_G on February 17, 2023

6.5

A handful of great moments. A great villain. A mediocre movie overall. “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” still reigns supreme as the greatest multiverse movie.

What should have been where the multiverse saga FINALLY taking shape and gaining direction and momentum turned into a blob. Better yet, a blob with holes. (Inside joke you’d have to have seen the movie to get.)

It’s a CGI fueled assault on the senses, with very little humanity to ground it or story threads to tie it to anything in else in the MCU. This was as much a Star Wars movie as it was part of the MCU. I felt like George Lucas deserved royalties for this.

Maybe somewhere along the way they’ll find their way once again, but for now… Marvel’s wandering in the wilderness and the “Fast & Furious” franchise has better continuity and believability.

Action Blockbuster

“Plane”

By Brett_G on January 18, 2023

7.5

“They say redemption can be found in the most unusual places.”

Pretty damn good action thriller. Gerard Butler and Mike Colter team up to save a plane full of people from a remote island warlord in charge of a rebel force who holds them for ransom. Of course, with a little assistance from a Seal Team 6 type bunch of “fixers.” A war room. Gerard Butler doing Gerard Butler things. A tight runtime with little fat, and only one action scene with shaky cam. All in all, a good day. Well done! Much better than I was expecting, given the asinine marketing campaign and brain dead title.

Action Suspense/Thriller

“Mr. Brooks”

By Brett_G on January 2, 2023

7.9

One of my favorite action sleeper hits. Costner and Cook have fantastic chemistry as the mentor/mentee in the murderous arts. Costner does a great job of portraying the struggle of leading a double life while also exuding a calm coolness almost the entire time. The twist at the end always elicits a cheer from yours truly. It blew my mind the first time I watched it.

Action Comedy

“Malibu High”

By Brett_G on January 1, 2023January 1, 2023

6.1

In a story arch as unlikely as the “50 shades” trilogy, our main character Kim goes from nymphomaniac to professional assassin in the blink of an eye, with little to no explanation. This may also be the only film I’ve ever seen other than “Old School” (you’re my boy, blue!) where an elderly man is killed simply by the power of a nice pair.

The soundtrack had me in stitches as it never matched what was going on on screen. The acting was laughable. But it was an entertaining hour and a half, I’ll give it that. A thank you to “Cinema Speculation” for this odd rabbit hole to travel down.