Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
7.9
Such a beautiful sendoff for Tony Todd. That’s what this one was really about in the end. The rest of the movie hits the required “Final Destination” beats to a t, and the cast does a great job of committing to the bit as they get picked off in increasingly creative ways. Familial cosmic connection, cool kills, and a bit of emotional weight. Chef’s kiss.
8.8
Partially exactly what I expected, but so much more at the same time. In the spirit of “The Great Gatsby,” the brothers chase their dreams of throwing a great party and meet poetic ends. The music, the cast, the scenery… Everything fires on all cylinders here! The ending giving Tarantino a run for his money had me speechless. The vampire angle surprisingly fits and doesn’t disrupt the momentum or seem silly. Instead, it fits remarkably well as an allegory. One of the best of 2025!
7.6
So many twists and turns that it almost tips the scales into comical territory, but the drama feeds the dedication to hit “continue watching.” A solid Netflix whodunit series with a nice mix of ridiculousness to keep things interesting. Brittany Snow has a very interesting post “Pitch Perfect” career so far. You’ll say “what the hell am I watching?!?” at least once per episode.
7.6
I was highly skeptical of this one going in. Unsure if it would be too thin a premise to support the runtime, leaving me loathing my choice of movie for the week. It pleasantly surprised me! The relationship hit me as genuine, the setup worked remarkably well to establish believability, and the tension could be cut with a knife almost the entire perfectly balanced runtime. Really well done!
7.9
Hard to believe this comes from the guy who made “Magic Mike.” I’m here to tell you, there’s a hidden genius in those films under the veneer of male strippers. But I digress…
A well done, tight runtime, razor focused whodunit that Michael Fassbender was made to lead. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and scratching your head throughout. Extremely well done and a welcomed breath of fresh air amongst what has been a ROUGH start to the year, movies-wise.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 