Action – Page 13 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“John Wick Chapter 4”

By Brett_G on April 3, 2023

8.8

The best action film this side of “Top Gun: Maverick.” Unlike anything you’ll see in the genre the rest of the year. The fight and stunt coordinators deserve academy awards. This movie is ballet level coordinated with a brutality that’s unrivaled in the cinema today. But not violence for the sake of violence. It’s feels believable and justified as we embark on this quest for revenge and ultimately freedom.

Bill Skarsgard continues his streak as a phenomenal villain. The table continues to do table things. Keanu continues to do his best work saying the fewest words. Strap in for a nearly 3 hour film that feels more tightly wound than most hour and a half pure action flicks, and enjoy the ride!

Action Amazon Prime

“Miss Meadows”

By Brett_G on April 3, 2023

7.1

So… it’s female “John Wick”… Jane Wick?

I hit play because of Katie Holmes. I was left speechless as the credits rolled at the conclusion of this hellacious curveball from the depths of Amazon Prime Video.

The acting may be cheesy, but the story is razor sharp and the action is divine. This movie had no right to be this good, but here we are. Don’t let the Sunday school teacher attire fool you…

Action Blockbuster Drama

“Creed 3”

By Brett_G on March 9, 2023

8.5

Strong “Dark Knight Rises” vibes with this one…

An enemy that knows our hero better than he knows himself. Pierces the veil and exposes them in a way that opens up a new narrative avenue that refreshes the series. A fantastic landing pad for a trilogy, but I’m sure they’ll keep going.

Jonathan Majors is the best villain in Hollywood in my book. His menacing presence in this rivals that of even his recent outing as Kang in “Ant Man: Quantumania.” Even without saying a word, his mere presence in the scene evokes a feeling of unease. It’s a true talent, and a gift to this film as Adonis is tested as he’s never been tested before.

The stakes may have been weakened in the third act, but it is a Rocky anthology film after all. Still a phenomenal addition to the franchise that I highly recommend!

Action Suspense/Thriller Throwback

“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.