Category: Blockbuster

Blockbuster Suspense/Thriller

“The Deep”

By Brett_G on

6.5

So… what to say about this one. *strokes beard*

If you’ve read the book “Jaws,” you know it’s far more horny than the film adaptation. For this reason, the film’s story was able to become much more rich with multi-dimensional characters and deeper relationships between them. Instead of Hooper just perving on Chief Brody’s wife.

This film, based on another Benchley novel, missed that memo. And clearly just tried to coast off the fumes of JAWS. Honestly, if you’re looking for that, watch JAWS 2. It’s much better. This one is just a bunch of unexciting underwater scenes with bubbling sound effects for 15-minute intervals—diving off a boat that looks like the Orca’s cousin. Instead of a shark, there are eels.

This time, Quint joins in on the scuba diving, and almost dies as a result. Instead, the wife ends up as a damsel in distress just as often as they go scuba diving. Overall, this thing’s a hot mess. Nothing you can’t see watching an aquarium screen saver. Robert Shaw’s acting and Jaqueline Bisset preferring to scuba in a tight whit t shirt can’t even save this one.

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Action Blockbuster

“Greenland”

By Brett_G on

5.5

I’ll save you two hours of your life. Remember the whackadoodle notion that the U.S. was going to buy Greenland? This movie is just as, if not more baffling.

So few f**ks were given, Gerard Butler is Scottish for half of the movie… and his character’s from Florida.

Get ready to snooze your way through the most boring, cheap, light on everything possibly cool disaster movie, where the biggest disaster is that it didn’t end a half hour earlier. Honestly, go watch “Airplane!” or “San Andreas” instead.

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Action Blockbuster

“Sicario”

By Brett_G on

8.5

A masterclass in suspenseful filmmaking. The action is razor-focused. The characters are developed in a way that beautifully balances depth with intrigue.

All three leads fit perfectly within their characters. Emily Blunt serves well as a stand-in for the audience, playing off the other characters as she peels back each menacing layer of the narrative onion. Josh Brolin plays the charismatic bad(?) guy that you can’t help but get behind from time to time. Benicio Del Torro has an immense presence on the screen, serving as a man of few words who speaks volumes with the little dialogue he does have. He really serves as the mooring in reality and sanity for the story in the end, as the only consistent character. Even if he is consistently sinister with just enough heart and logic behind him that you go “I kinda get it.”

A thought-provoking film, regardless of your politics and level of violence tolerance. Nuance that is often lacking in today’s storytelling. Plus, the score is amazing. Highly recommend.

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Blockbuster Documentary Suspense/Thriller

“Antebellum”

By Brett_G on

Definition – existing before a war, especially : existing before the American Civil War.

Now I understand why the band shouldn’t have used it in the first place. Good lord, don’t they hire PR teams to say ”probably not the best idea.”

Back to the movie… Get ready to get uncomfortable, but in a productive way. If this film doesn’t make you uncomfortable, there is another conversation to be had. Janelle Monáe kills it as our two main characters. An absolute powerhouse performance.

The cinematography is downright breathtaking. The score is perfectly complementing the visual elements. The attention to detail, second to none. So many easter eggs to be discovered within almost every frame, driving you to a second viewing to immerse yourself in every nuanced “a-ha” moment fully. Hauntingly beautiful comes to mind.

You won’t expect or believe what you see upon first viewing. The film wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was better than I could have imagined.

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