Documentary – Page 8 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Dumb Money”

By Brett_G on September 22, 2023September 22, 2023

8.2

“Run through lightning with your dick out.”

Of course a line from Pete Davidson, but also a perfect encapsulation of the film.

Strong “The Big Short” vibes with this one, with a dash of the brilliant Mark Twain quote “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often does rhyme.”

The film itself is perfectly made. A flawless snapshot of the moment. That all consuming insanity that preoccupied so many at the height of the pandemic. The crusade that pulled back the veil on a pillar of our American society and started a financial revolution.

The cast was immaculate and the script translated to the screen with just the right pace. It doesn’t spoon feed the viewer, but keeps you balanced between informed and entertained. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but packs the punch of an Oscar contender in message delivered.

The ending is complicated, as are most great stories. Life is sometimes best lived in the gray. The excitement of the complicated nature of it all.

Veering off my normal path, it coincided quite well with my recent reading (shocker, I don’t just watch things) “The Creature From Jekyll Island.” (Linked below) Sadly, the themes of picking winners and losers and hidden puppet masters and the world revolving around money resonated from the page to the big screen with this one-two punch. I highly recommend both, but will warn that neither is for the faint of heart.

What can I say? I like the film.

The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve https://a.co/d/eXiEbEs

Documentary Indie

“Just One Mile”

By Brett_G on September 18, 2023September 16, 2023

7.2

The champion of the running movies so far, in my book. Not because of the race, but because of the people. The deeper themes that run beneath the surface of this are superb. Watching people break down, push through, and rebuild each other is breathtaking. It’s human Kintsugi. The surprise Navy SEAL David Goggins type, I expected. The first timer pushing himself so far that it made me hurt on the couch, or the gentleman processing the passing of his father in between timed intervals of a race in the middle of nowhere? I did not see the peeling back of the thin veil covering the depths of humanity being torn open adversity. Get ready to fall much deeper into the viewing experience and to leave much more reinvigorated than ever anticipated.

Documentary Indie

“The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young”

By Brett_G on September 17, 2023September 16, 2023

6.5

Insane. This guy and the people running this race are insane.

Similar to the “Saw” franchise, I’m discovering that there is a genre of running films whose theme is creativity in torture. How can we push ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually to the brink in weirder ways. The map itself lets you know everything you need to know about the race. As is the theme with these movies, the true impact comes from the character studies, which are strong in this one.

Action Blockbuster Documentary Romance

“Oppenheimer”

By Brett_G on July 22, 2023July 22, 2023

8.9

In one word – haunting.

It was everything and nothing I expected at the same time. After listening to the source material, “American Prometheus,” (which I highly recommend) every second of this three hour runtime had an amplified impact for me. The message, the nuance, the attention to detail. All incredible.

The film is perfectly cast, and everyone turns in a career best performance. No matter how small the part, everyone brought their A-game.

The beauty contained in each frame was awe inspiring. Of course, I saw this in IMAX, on film. It’s a true blessing to have Celebration! Cinema in your backyard here in West Michigan. For this, and many other reasons. The place was packed, and I don’t think most were ready for what they were about to experience. Nolan at the height of his powers, and everyone glued to the edge of their seat.

Strap in, and enjoy the complex tale of brilliance, guilt, politics, and scientific discovery. They went a lot of places I didn’t expect them to, and ended on a much more powerful note than I anticipated. Well worth the hype!

Documentary

“Nuclear Now”

By Brett_G on June 16, 2023June 11, 2023

7.2

What “An Inconvenient Truth” should have been. I suppose that’s what happens when you trust the messaging to an actual filmmaker. Alas, Oliver Stone nails it. A well balanced tone and narrative leads to a much more palatable presentation. The infographics especially helped illustrate the data in a way that seemed particularly impactful.

In short, it’s the story of how humans stumbled upon a discovery that could have either saved or destroyed us. Of course, we first used it to try and destroy ourselves, because that’s what we do. Then, we fumbled the bag when it came to using the positive possibilities presented by nuclear generation technology.