Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
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.
7.4
3 films in, Poirot’s still got it!
What starts off with the twist of a haunting/exorcism type story slowly works its way back into the familiar whodunnit formula we’ve come to know and love with this series.
The cast this time around really knocked it out of the park, especially Tina Fey. Beth Dutton gives her a run for her money, though. Overall, a well done murder mystery!
6.8
I think they were going for “Seven” here… but ended up with a by the numbers cop drama. It never got that deep, despite it’s best efforts.
Ben Mendelsohn and Shailene Woodley carry a lot of water to get this one across the finish line. it has it’s moments where it goes full “shock and awe,” and some potentially intriguing threads, but they fail to fully pull those threads or veer off the beaten path enough to have piqued my interest above general intrigue. It was a solid movie, just not as good as I was hoping it would be.
6.9
Nicholas Cage’s filmography has jumped the shark, and I am here for it!
A ridiculously simple premise with ridiculously ridiculous accents and execution. I don’t really know what to say to explain this one…
Turn your brain off, and enjoy the ride!
6.8
You’re not ready for this movie. I wasn’t ready for this movie. No one is ready for this movie.
Paul Schrader, the same man who brought the Abu Ghraib reckoning masked in a poker playing road trip coming of age film to life brings us… this. A white supremacist who falls in love with a black woman masked as a love story intertwined with a revenge tale masquerading as a film about horticulture. It’s a lot to take in, and definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s clunky at times, but similar to “The Card Counter,” this film deals in the most tense of situations. There’s really no breathing room until the credits roll.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 