Drama – Page 20 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Magic Mike’s Last Dance”

By Brett_G on February 12, 2023February 11, 2023

7.7

I slipped in a puddle on my way out of the theater, but the movie was surprisingly great…

Dare I say, this was the best of the trilogy, AND has more heat in the first 5 minutes than the entirety of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy. The stripper-verse ends up having character arcs and everything! AND, Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum… both still got it!

Well directed, well written, well executed. I’m as shocked as you are. Almost as shocked as the theater of all women who commended me for braving an opening night showing.

“Knock at the Cabin”

By Brett_G on February 11, 2023

7.9

Holy crap was this a surprise! A good one, too boot! Unlike “old,” Shyamalan lands the plane with the help of a fantastic cast and tight narrative in this one! Dave Bautista separates from the pack of WWE stars turned actors as my current favorite. The breadth and depth of roles he’s willing to take on is promising compared to The Rock’s one size fits all persona and whatever we want to call John Cena’s trajectory at the moment.

Kristen Cui nails it as Wen, and really gives a nice dose of innocence to the screen amongst all of the malevolence and chaos. The supporting cast also does a great job of carrying their weight, but not being overbearing. It’s really well executed, and not trying to be anything it’s not, which I greatly appreciated.

Drama Indie Romance

“Empire of Light”

By Brett_G on February 8, 2023February 8, 2023

6.7

It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a movie this calculated to win Oscar’s. There’s typically one every year that crosses the line into being ham-handed with its intent.

While there may not be much in the way of story here, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, along with perfectly cast set pieces. Past that, it’s a movie about loving movies, race relations, feminism, and mental illness… checking off all the boxes on a “let’s win some awards” bingo card more so than treating any of the subjects with much care, unfortunately.

Drama Romance

“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.