Drama – Page 26 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“The Matrix: Resurrection”

By Brett_G on January 24, 2022January 18, 2022

6.8

If you liked the original, you’ll like this one.

I opted to catch this on HBO Max, and don’t feel like I missed much story-wise. Ideally, the spectacle would have been nice on an IMAX screen, but the overall impact would have been about the same. I felt like the runtime moved in bullet time, and the story was a fairly lazy rehash of the original, with updated special effects to distract you from this fact. Unfortunately for the movie, it doesn’t keep the narrative movement consistent enough to distract the viewer from this fact for very long. In a year full of rebooting franchises, this one seemed the least needed, and most lazily done I’ve seen in a long while.

Action Drama

“Logan Lucky”

By Brett_G on January 23, 2022January 18, 2022

7.7

This film left me as befuddled as the sheriff’s deputy pondering how to handcuff a one-armed man.

I can’t believe I’ve missed this one for this long. You can tell it’s the creative team behind the “Oceans” franchise. This film is fun from beginning to end. Interesting characters, great action, and classic misdirection and mystery. Excellent performances by all, but especially Daniel Craig and Adam Driver. They really don’t miss.

Action Blockbuster Drama

“Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”

By Brett_G on January 21, 2022January 22, 2022

8.1

Part Batman. Part Bruce Lee’s “Game of Death.” Part Black Panther… this was much better than expected for an MCU installment about a hero I had never heard of. The eastern influence on this story, from the journey of our main character to assume his family’s crest and a curse to the soundtrack, it’s a welcomed change of pace for Marvel. The action is off the charts good. The fighting is even somewhat original. This was a breath of fresh air in this stage of the maturing Marvel Cinematic Universe. The set pieces in this one reminded me of the best of “Avatar.”

Ignore the CGI cluster that is the Marvel third act, and enjoy this strong entry into the post-infinity Marvel saga.

Blockbuster Drama

“House of Gucci”

By Brett_G on January 9, 2022January 4, 2022

7.8

So much pettiness, so little time, so many family members to keep track of. One of the dumbest public missteps since Jerry Springer tried to pay a sex worker with a check. Lesson: don’t hire a hitman on the cheap.

Who would have believed that Lady Gaga would be the best actor in a film alongside such powerhouse names? Not I, but here we are. The woman commands your attention every time she’s on-screen, elevates Adam Driver’s already fantastic performance, and is worlds better than whatever offensively Mario Brothers impression Italian accent Jared Leto landed on. How did no one tell him that his entire character was overshot?

The film may be about a half-hour too long, but every frame is absolutely gorgeous to take in. Ridley Scott focuses his talents usually stretched over an epic scale film onto an intimate family drama, and the attention to detail shows in every scene.

Side Note: Sperry’s Movie House is AMAZING! The heated, massaging recliners, the prime location, the delicious food… Home run!

Action Drama

“The Green Knight”

By Brett_G on January 6, 2022January 4, 2022

6.8

Well, that was… something.

Clearly based on a fable from the days of old, this film embraces A24’s “what the hell did I just watch?” method of filmmaking. You may not fully understand what it is that you just watched, but I can assure you that you will leave absolutely fascinated by it. Also, maybe a little disturbed. If I had to come up with a motto for this film, it would be “drunk decisions often lead to the best adventures.”