Suspense/Thriller – Page 3 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Heretic”

By Brett_G on November 9, 2024November 9, 2024

8.2

Hugh Grant is so damn charming… you don’t want to believe that he’s as evil as he is here. Which coincidentally, makes him the perfect villain in this film and cranks the tension up to an 11.

What could have easily fallen flat as a “philosophy 101” lecture masquerading as a more depth-filled work actually ended up being genuinely intriguing and sinister. The twists and turns feel naturally methodical and the pacing is perfection, keeping the tension at the brink of boiling over almost the entire runtime, which was perfectly balanced for this type of film. Not dragging, but also not rushed. Extremely well done!

Drama Suspense/Thriller

“Conclave”

By Brett_G on October 30, 2024November 9, 2024

7.8

One word – intense.

Sorry, almost forgot – Peace be with you.

Like “Bridge of Spies” from a few years ago, but far better, in my humble opinion.

This cast is absolutely stellar. There’s so much fire power that there was an underlying temptation to overpower each scene, but they all turned in perfectly balanced performances anchored in intensity and restraint with each passing frame, in a sort of dance with one another as we all worked our way to the credits rolling.

I NEVER expected the twist in the third act… I was genuinely shocked by that bomb they dropped.

Even if you’re not Catholic, you’ll find something to enjoy in this one. A procedural drama masterclass.

Netflix Suspense/Thriller

“Woman of the Hour”

By Brett_G on October 23, 2024October 20, 2024

6.8

With this being Anna Kendrick’s debut in the director chair, and me loving Anna Kendrick, I went a little easier on it. Overall, I expected more… but I wasn’t completely disappointed. It has its moments where it really takes off and becomes truly creepy. That said, this subject had so much potential that I felt was missed and left us hanging a bit. A solid movie that had the potential to be great. “Late Night With the Devil” was my comp, and a much better film in my opinion.

Horror/Thriller Shudder Suspense/Thriller

“Speak No Evil” (2024) / (2022)

By Brett_G on September 16, 2024September 14, 2024

7.9 / 8.1

As a die-hard Shudder fan, I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t realize that this was a remake of a fairly recent foreign horror film.

As for the American version, James McAvoy really makes it all work. Without him and his perfected mask slips and eventual descent into madness, I’m not sure they pull it off. I was genuinely uncomfortable from beginning to end. There’s just enough “off” in each scene to keep you on edge and keep you guessing where the next turn will lead. I will also never hear the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame” the same ever again.

Onto the foreign version… they really went all out. Where I didn’t think the remake pulled any punches, it turns out that there was indeed more room for things to get worse… much, much worse… This one is definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.

Indie Science Fiction Suspense/Thriller

“Cuckoo”

By Brett_G on September 10, 2024September 15, 2024

7.4

I didn’t expect the symbolism to be so on the nose here. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what I was in for other than “weird” with this one. Thankfully, it delivers on weird, and so much more by the time the credits roll. I’m not really sure what the lesson was, other than to trust your gut and to refrain from wearing headphones while biking at night, but damn… it was a hellacious ride.

With the ambiance of “The Human Centipede” and “Shutter Island,” you spend the entire runtime on edge and guessing what’s going to unravel next. Hunter Schafer is the glue that really holds this one together and makes things work. Without her, there’s no way this one makes it to the end. If you don’t mind weird, this was a nice veer off the beaten path into the weeds of lesser known films at the multi-plex.