Indie – Page 8 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Drive Away Dolls”

By Brett_G on March 27, 2024March 26, 2024

7.2

You know, come to think of it, this is a better version of “Love Lies Bleeding” but without the bodybuilding. I finally figured out the connection!

A fun road trip caper with unlikely… heroes(?) At least we finally get the answer to the age old question “what’s in the box?!?” and it does not disappoint.

Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan “Thelma & Louise” it with just enough twists along the way to keep it fresh and just a tad nostalgic. They may not pick up a Brad Pitt lookalike hitchhiker, but they do stumble upon a softball team that pinch hits in his place as a temporary love interest for our dynamic duo as Jamie slowly but surely gets Marian’s nose out of her book and headfirst into… adventure.

Indie Suspense/Thriller

“Love Lies Bleeding”

By Brett_G on March 26, 2024March 23, 2024

5.8

I still can’t tell you exactly what the point of all this was. There’s gun running, body building, she hulk, and… Dave Franco. That’s all I got. It was a strange one, which I knew going in since it’s from A24, but I expected a little bit more by the time the credits rolled.

Drama Indie

“How to Have Sex”

By Brett_G on February 16, 2024February 16, 2024

4.5

Hint – this ain’t it. The “50 Shades” trilogy is a better example. I never thought I’d say that.

I was going to make a joke to start this one, but after trudging my way through, I couldn’t muster comic relief. Maybe they were going for “pain is the purpose,” but leave that to the “Promising Young Woman”’s of the world. AND WHY IS EVERYONE SMOKING IN EVERY SCENE?!?!?

The bright side – it was only an hour and a half of my life I can’t get back.

Drama Indie

“The Teacher’s Lounge”

By Brett_G on February 16, 2024February 15, 2024

7.2

Kids can be assholes… adults can be assholes… you know what? Everyone’s an asshole!

Seriously though, this is an hour and a half of examples of why teachers don’t get paid enough and why we can’t keep any in the profession anywhere in the world. The microcosm illustrating the broader degradation of societal trust in each other and the sinister consequences that closely follow the descent caused by it are on full display here. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been this genuinely uncomfortable in a movie in a long time, for essentially the entire runtime. It’s almost kind of redeemed in the third act, though. Almost… I’m still not quite sure how to interpret the final frames.

Comedy Drama Indie

“Scrambled”

By Brett_G on February 4, 2024February 4, 2024

7.7

An eggcelent film.

Reminiscent of “The Pod Generation” from last year, this one delves into the complicated, beautiful, messy dynamics of reproductive health in modern society. Leah McKendrick absolutely kills it here. Her performance, especially a tender moment in the third act alongside Vee Kumari had me on the edge of my seat and bought in from the first frame. Never have I ever expected myself to actually laugh out loud during a scene set in a miscarriage support group, but here we are… only to mere minutes later be inspired and a little misty eyed by the ensuing speech. Movie didn’t play it safe, and I appreciated that. The exploration of this territory with the necessary nuance and levity to counter the natural weight has been a renaissance of sorts.