Category: Drama

Drama Indie

“The Whale”

By Brett_G on

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.

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Drama Romance

“Babylon”

By Brett_G on

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)

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Apple Tv+ Documentary Drama

“WeCrashed”

By Brett_G on

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.

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Apple Tv+ Documentary Drama

“Five Days at Memorial”

By Brett_G on

8.3

… because any longer, and there’d be no one left with the stomach to survive watching this heart-wrenching tale.

Based on the events at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during and immediately following Hurricane Katrina, follow along on one of the move visceral deep dives into clinical ethics I can think of ever seeing put to film. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

Perfectly cast, each character brings their all, but also doesn’t overshadow anyone else. There’s a nice balance to everything as we all dive into the darkness together. Unfathomable decisions stemming from an unthinkable scenario playing out. Unprecedented times leading to unprecedented decisions and actions. The best and worst of humanity on full display.

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