Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
6.8
Figured I’d check this one out, since I love Zoey Deutch. Man, was I in for a weird 2 hour ride. A nosedive into the… strange… world of debt collection agencies. Part mob movie, part “the big short” fourth wall breaking exposition voiceovers. All capped off with hot wings. A lot of wings references. Buffalo seems like an interesting place to live if it’s anything like the city depicted here. Definitely a nice change of pace form the middle of the road films lately.
8.4
Much better than expected! And I expected a lot. Costner and Harrelson shine in this film about vigilante justice, the sometimes thin lines between right and wrong, and the toll that living the life of an old school lawman could take on one’s soul. The storytelling of their early days together as Texas Rangers opened up a window into the two main characters’ souls. Well veiled exposition. In the vein of “titanic” and other works of historical fiction, knowing the ending had very little bearing on my overall enjoyment, as this film was just so damn well done! Netflix movies and series tend to have a cinematic richness to them that is often unrivaled in modern entertainment, even with their recent uptick in content output volume. Well worth the watch, even if I am a little late to the party on this one.
7.5
If you leave
I won’t cry
I won’t waste one single day
But if you leave, don’t look back… I’ll be running the other way…
Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there. Anyways. Classic 80’s rom-com from the maestro John Hughes. James Spader’s lustrous locks always come as a shock, as he stars alongside his “Mannequin” co-star Andrew McCarthy in this all star lineup. Almost felt bad for Duckie… almost. That blonde he ends up with at the end?!? Molly Ringwald in another perfectly adorkable lead role. Really fires on all cylinders. Not quite “Sixteen Candles” or “The Breakfast Club,” but close.
4.5
Like, gag me with a spoon, that was rough.
Jessica Rothe and the soundtrack earned all 4.5 of those stars. Had to make up for a lot of Logan Paul. Although, his character is supposed to be a tool, so… good casting?
For some odd reason, they took a decent 80’s movie, forgot to write half of a script, and filled the gaps with musical numbers. I mean, the soundtrack was pretty bitchin’, but couldn’t fully pull this one out of a narrative tailspin. And subjected so many promising young actors and actresses to this ball and chain of a film.
It was colorful and full of everything 80’s, but a pretty hollow shell of an actual film.
8.3
A little on the nose to be coming from Amazon. A company developed virtual reality that your consciousness is uploaded into after death? And it turns out that the parent tech company is evil? Little close to home, don’t you think?
The show itself was a pleasant surprise. Very well done! The cast have a great chemistry, the jokes all land without feeling like stale VR jokes. The love story develops naturally. And the scenery is gorgeous.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 