Suspense/Thriller – Page 5 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“The Watchers”

By Brett_G on July 7, 2024July 4, 2024

6.7

Well, it’s definitely M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter at the helm. Ishana Night Shyamalan does her best to stick the landing of the patented twist ending that is her family legacy, and mostly nails it. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the lore that we delved into as an audience as this movie progressed. Some of the film seemed to be a pretty blatant ripoff of other films of late, such as “A Quiet Place” or “10 Cloverfield Lane.” That being said, it’s in the depth of storytelling that this one really finds its legs. In an attempt to be overly clever, the story falls into clunky territory, but overall, it wasn’t half bad.

Indie Suspense/Thriller

“The Last Stop in Yuma”

By Brett_G on July 6, 2024July 6, 2024

7.5

In the wise words of Karl from “Sling Blade”… “it ain’t got no gas in it.” The gas station may not have any gas, but the diner has rhubarb pie!

Somewhere between “Bad Times at the El Royale,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “The Hateful Eight”… (it was recommended as a comp to The Hateful Eight)

A fun whodunnit of sorts, that unfurls in an increasingly wacky manner as the runtime progresses. Really keeps you on your toes. I got a little worried about the third act, given our bridge into it (trying not to spoil the surprises)… but I’ll be damned if they didn’t stick the landing with 2 of the best needle drops I’ve heard in a long while. Both made me laugh at likely inappropriate, but intentional situations. A fun sleeper hit!

Indie Suspense/Thriller

“I Saw The TV Glow”

By Brett_G on May 26, 2024May 27, 2024

6.8

File this alongside “Broadcast Signal Intrusion” and “Censor” in the “what the f**k did I just watch?!?” section of my mind… But the third best of those three. There was a lot of potential left on the table here, but also may have been some breadcrumbs left unnoticed by yours truly. There was a lot to take in in the short runtime here. I applaud the originality and production quality of the “Stranger Things” – esque trip down repressed memory lane here. The imagery and soundtrack are second to none. This is what A24 does best.

Suspense/Thriller

“The Strangers: Chapter 1”

By Brett_G on May 26, 2024May 26, 2024

7.3

^This song pretty much sums up my review. Man, was this bad luck. The motivation boiling down to “because you were here” never ceases to be unsettling. This one was more of a mixed bag than I expected. For the first 90% of the runtime, they mostly had me. Tension, surprise cameos, and genuine dread. That being said, they lost the plot with the end. It was almost “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” cop-out ending level rug pull at the end. The silver lining/saving grace is that chapter 2 comes out later this year, and hopefully the fumbled ending was just lack of ideas for a smooth transition.

Action Suspense/Thriller

“Drive”

By Brett_G on April 2, 2024March 23, 2024

7.2

Between “Baby Driver” and “John Wick”… I give you, “Drive.”

I didn’t expect so much gore, but I also didn’t expect such a well made action movie either. A solid performance by Gosling, a tight storyline, and a nice interwoven crime caper to keep the action scenes tied together until the credits roll. Nicely done!