Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
7.6
Serving as his own director of cinematography, this may just be one of Quentin’s best. Very different from his usual style, but I appreciated the way the rawness of the storytelling really fit the story. Kurt Russell plays a great madman in what reminded me of the Spielberg classic “Duel.” A menacing presence, haunting those who dare trespass on the open road.
7.7
Recommended by a friend by way of a review that concluded “it’s f**ked.”
Well, I’ll simply add one word to reach peak summation of this film. “It’s f**ked up.” One of the more disturbing films I’ve seen in ages. To quote Charlie Sheen in “Scary Movie 3”: “I will never believe what I just saw.”
Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Strap into your straight jacket, and get ready to take a drive to crazy town. Every twist and turn leading the viewer closer and closer to the edge of madness. And then an ending that will leave you saying “what the hell just happened?!? You can’t do that. That ain’t right. Oh no…” Just a loving father who’s trying to save his marriage and daughter from a traumatic event…
Fun fact: I have a hard time watching movies with healthcare scenarios. I lost count of the number of times I said out loud to myself “that’s not how that works, movie!”
8.1
The most I’ve seen a crowd react to a movie in a long time! What I thought was going to be a “Taken” rip-off turned out to be so much more. We laughed, we cried, we cheered… This movie really came out of nowhere to be surprisingly brilliant. Bravo Neeson!
8.3
Couple this with her performance in “Us”… Elisabeth Moss plays crazy almost a little too well. This film had me on the edge of my seat and verifiably uncomfortable almost the entire runtime. The mental anguish is definitely shared between on-screen characters and audience members. The first horror/thriller in a minute that I haven’t been upset at the 2 hour vs. a 1.5 hour runtime. The extra time meant extra intensity, and going deeper into this twisted tale. Some of the best sound design and directing I’ve seen in quite some time. Chilling, never cheesy. Kudos.
8.1
Somewhere within “The Shining,” “Hereditary,” and “Midsommar” lies this film. What begins as a straightforward tale of cabin fever gone awry quickly unravels into one of the most shocking and unsettling endings I’ve seen in quite some time. Classic A24 style, but not made by A24. Was wondering what happened to this film after it’s initial release and hype from Sundance… glad to see it finally see an official release and live up to, if not exceed the hype. Very artfully executed horror. Not a gore film, but more tense thriller with horror elements. Beware the faint of heart.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 