Drama – Page 19 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Maybe I Do”

By Brett_G on February 8, 2023February 8, 2023

6.7

What started as a case of “holy shit this is a toxic relationship. Don’t fall for this ultimatum, buddy.” Evolved into an awkwardly funny rom-com, and somehow landed the plan as a play projected on the silver screen of sorts.

Great performances by all involved, even if the characters didn’t quite fit in certain scenes. But that may have been intentional to drive narrative tension and discomfort for the sake of illustrating the uncomfortable nature of the topics at hand.

At the end of the day – relationships take work. And it’s kind of an awkward situation when your partner is willing to put in the work with someone else and not their partner. Even worse when you meet “the other person.” Even worse when you challenge them to a fist fight. There’s definitely some charming moments sprinkled amongst the awkwardness. Not my favorite, but not as bad as the first 20 minutes led me to believe I was in for.

Drama Indie

“Broker”

By Brett_G on January 21, 2023January 21, 2023

7.9

An… inspirational movie about human trafficking… with heart? Yep. I’m just as surprised as you are.

A murder mystery, buddy cop movie, and family drama all wrapped into one film. With a dash of “the hangover” story arc with the baby Carlos. Such an odd cast of characters’ paths colliding to form unlikely bonds and twists of fate from beginning to end. Similar to “Parasite,” it holds a mirror up and shines a light into a dark corner of humanity that we all are aware of, but also too often ignore. The messiness of humanity is on full display here, but also the tremendous power of love and camaraderie that can exist between veritable strangers, connected by nothing more than the common thread that connects us all as fellow humans. Well worth the subtitles, this leaves you with great questions and a good feeling towards our ability to coexist on this earth as people. Another great sleeper hit of this year’s Oscar season.

Drama Indie

“The Whale”

By Brett_G on January 21, 2023January 21, 2023

8.7

As a wise friend and fellow movie aficionado Brennan stated, “It’s great, but you won’t ever want to watch it again.” That hit the nail on the head. This movie is fantastic, but one viewing is enough to sear it into your memory forever. The subject matter here is as heavy as they come, and the performances are for the ages.

Both the best and worst of humanity are on full display for two hours, and play off of each other in a beautiful mess reflective of the humanity that it’s commenting on. Brendan Fraser deserves every reward possible for his performance, but so do the rest of this cast. Every member, no matter how much or how little time they spend on screen, provides a tremendous value to the viewer and contributes immensely to the narrative.

Do not watch if you’re not ready for a good cry. By the time the credits rolled, every person in my theater, myself included, was some degree of sobbing. It was a wild experience, and a fantastic movie. Another A24 homerun.

Drama Romance

“Babylon”

By Brett_G on December 30, 2022

7.1

In one word: Chaotic… or long.

Throughout, this film is gorgeous. For that, I will not fault it. The first hour is superb. After that, it feels every second of the 3+ hour runtime and gets WEIRD. If you have a weak stomach, or a back injury that prevents you from sitting for long periods of time, this is not the move. I’m amazed they skated by with the R rating.

Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie are exquisite. The entire supporting cast is full of rockstars and amazing cameos. The music and cinematography are to die for. It’s just the strange structure and poor pacing that kill it in the end.

Oscar bait gone too far… much like the scene of an elephant defecating on a man. I shit you not. (Rimshot)

Apple Tv+ Documentary Drama

“WeCrashed”

By Brett_G on December 23, 2022

7.5

… still a more believable accent than his Mario Bros. Impression that was Paola Gucci in “House of Gucci.” And Anne Hathaway grounds the madman in a realism that almost makes him likable. Makes his moves understandable until they cross over into unthinkably incoherent.

This is one of those “Hollywood can’t write a story this wild” situations where they try to pigeonhole the story to fit into a series narrative, and almost stick the landing. The soundtrack is a banger, nonetheless. Another AppleTV+ winner.