Blockbuster – Page 9 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Fast 10”

By Brett_G on June 9, 2023June 5, 2023

6.1

Why do I keep doing this? Better yet, why do we all keep doing this and making sure these gross a billion dollars?

Best summed up by a direct quote from the movie, “I’d make a freight train take a dirt road.” That perfectly sums up the absurdity of the story, the nonsensical nature of the execution, and the difficulty of making it to the post credit scene where Vin sells us on giving this another go-round in a couple years. Because we’ve all had too many Coronas and have inhaled too much NOS. This is beginning to make Transformers look Oscar-worthy.

“The Covenant”

By Brett_G on April 25, 2023

8.1

Holy shit this is intense. From every angle. Not only does the action leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, but the emotional impact will leave you slumped in your chair trying to recover before the next barrage of violence in these 2 men’s pursuits of honor, commitment, friendship, and brotherhood. It’s a beautiful display of the best and worst of humanity, and how they often coexist side by side in our world, mixing in a gray middle at times, left to our own perceptions.

Guy Ritchie can do no wrong with the action, but where this film goes above and beyond is in the characters. The story is demonstrated expertly, instead of spoon fed to the audience. There’s an understanding reached while going on this journey together, and it leads to much more impactful twists and turns. I found myself enveloped by this film in a way not many achieve. Bravo!

Action Blockbuster

“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 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 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.