Blockbuster – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“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 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 Blockbuster Science Fiction

“Avatar: The Way of Water”

By Brett_G on December 20, 2022

8.5

If you enjoyed the first one, you’ll love this one.

The story itself isn’t much to write home about, but let’s be honest, that’s not why you’re here. We’re all here in front of the biggest screen we could find (preferably IMAX) to watch this in 3D because it’s the most beautiful film since “Interstellar.” Similarly, the special effects are scary good. The CGI water is so realistic it will have you questioning reality. It makes almost all other CGI since the original seem like a waste of time. In a word – breathtaking. So much so, you’ll forgive the director for wandering of for 45 minutes in the middle to just show off the technical capabilities of the special effects studio.

Story-wise, I couldn’t help but applaud the “homages” to other classic films such as (as quickly as I could mentally note): JAWS, Moby Dick, Fast and the Furious, Avatar, Titanic (including the exact score and shot of the flooding hallway), Blackfish, Interstellar, and so many more. But again, it’s so damn beautiful and well done, you’ll forgive it. In summary, it’s a story about family. Wrapped in a story about the importance of love as a cornerstone of humanity, similar to “Interstellar.”

The third act makes it all worth it, as Cameron revisits his action directing chops and delivers a superb final 45 minutes that leaves you on the edge of your seat cheering for number three. A true master of his craft, even if he only delivers one film per decade.

Action Blockbuster Drama

“Top Gun: Maverick”

By Brett_G on December 6, 2022December 6, 2022

8.8

Worth. The. Wait.

Saw it twice opening weekend in IMAX.

Holy Shit.

Strap in for one of the best action films of the 21st century. Tom Cruise may be weird off screen, but I’ll be damned, he’s one of the best to ever do it on-screen. Pure nostalgia, soaked in adrenaline, hurled at the screen at Mach 3. With a 2 minute scene between Maverick and Iceman that has more heart and levity in it than most entire drama’s in the past decade. Bravo not only to the old man, but this amazing young cast with hopefully bright futures ahead of them all! This is how it’s done!