Drama – Page 2 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game”

By Brett_G on April 3, 2023

7.9

Did you know that pinball was illegal in large parts of the U.S. for decades? Yeah, neither did I.

Get ready for the strangest dramatic-documentary in years as we join Roger Sharpe, pinball aficionado and columnist for GQ on his quest to document the history of the game and save its future. And actually be invested in it the whole way. I’m as surprised as you are, but here we are… time to get nostalgic and be left google mapping nearby arcades after this one. What better reason to fight city hall? Just when you thought the government banning alcohol in the United States was dumb…

https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/did-you-know-pinball-was-illegal-in-nyc-for-over-30-years

Drama Indie

“A Good Person”

By Brett_G on April 2, 2023

8.6

Broken people hurting, but also helping fellow broken people. The best and worst of humanity, and the sometimes close proximity of the two in our lives as we cross paths. A brilliant study in grief, redemption, addiction, and perseverance. Morgan Freeman kicks ass, as expected, but damn… Florence Pugh is a powerhouse on the big screen!

Make sure to have a box of tissues at the ready, and fair warning, they get into some deep shit here. It’s not for the faint of heart or those who are not in the best place emotionally to see depictions of attempted suicide, blacking out, or sexual assault.

Documentary Drama

“Spinning Gold”

By Brett_G on April 2, 2023April 2, 2023

6.5

Good, not great. Reading the book ruined the movie.

I recommend “And Party Every Day” instead. The full story of this meteoric rise and spectacular fall from grace, and everything in between is something far better than Hollywood could ever put to film. Outside of the copious amounts of cocaine, they got that right. Casablanca Records was a one of a kind story with characters so complex that this film had massive shoes to fill. Unfortunately, it came out very vanilla.

As a huge KISS fan, they did the band dirty in this film. So much history misrepresented. For shame, movie!

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-casablanca-records-story

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!

Drama

“Jesus Revolution”

By Brett_G on March 9, 2023

7.8

Join a Christian revolution to land a hot blonde? I’ll buy it. Respect the game.

The Jesus metaphor with this one is thrown out the window in favor of an actual Jesus lookalike. This film expertly delves into humility, hubris, and their roles in the human condition on our journeys to self realization sharing this big old rock we call earth.

Kelsey Grammar and company mail it as a cast, and make this one of the most palatable prophecy pictures I’ve seen on the silver screen in a long time. Very well done!