Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
7.2
It’s kind of real life “Point Break.” But the FBI is doing anything but play along. The enigmatic main character was hard to turn away from and ever intriguing as this story unfolded. Netflix nailing another documentary. I wish they had delved more into the treehouse, but also understood it was one of a million interesting details in this saga. A fun couple of hours!
8.2
If you enjoy the comedy of Shane Gillis, you’ll find a streaming home for a ~3 hours here. I don’t think there was a work appropriate joke the entire run time, but found myself belly laughing every episode. The absurdity mixed with authenticity is what really makes this thing work. You almost forget they’re here to sell tires until we’re reminded right before (hopefully) season 2.
7.3
Setting your romantic movie in Paris is a cheat code. A tad unfair, no?
This one reminded me of “A Good Person” from last year. A strong entry in the “broken people helping other broken people through shared imperfections” genre. I appreciate the honest messiness between and within the characters, and the genuine discomfort injected into the second and third act. A little bit of awkwardness goes a long way in authenticity. Dan Levy and crew kill it. A solid Netflix entry to start the year!
7.4
I may have over-hyped this one in my head a bit. It even got me to subscribe to Netflix for a month to watch it. (It’s one of the few streaming services I don’t have unless they suck me in with a release like this that I would have had to travel to CHICAGO to see)
It’s absolutely gorgeous, and Michael Fassbender is perfect in this role. But the the film itself was… surprisingly okay for me. It was solid, but not life-changing as some (including myself) had been expecting.
6.7
Unexpectedly middle of the road. There was way too much firepower in this cast for this to be this blah…
Couple having trouble getting pregnant meets couple who takes “wrap it” a little too literally and learns the hard way that cling wrap doesn’t work the same, despite the logic that might dictate that plastic is plastic. Then everyone’s life gets ruined in a unique way and you end the movie sad for all involved in a way you never really expect… mostly because the movie never gives you any inkling it’s coming.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 