Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
6.7
He protected our computers from viruses for decades but couldn’t save his own mind from slipping into madness. As stated in the trailer, I was reminded of Colonel Kurtz from “Apocalypse Now.” A man descending into madness and taking the locals with him on the journey. Only to have it all come crashing down in the end, in a blaze of glory.
5.5
Beautiful shots of Northern Michigan, and a healthy message of seeking help if you are struggling with depression.
Movie wise? Meh.
8.5
Turns out Saul Goodman never needed Mike to be his enforcer after all. Also turns out that Doc Brown was sandbagging it when he was taken out by Libyan terrorists in the parking lot of the Twin Pines mall that fateful night in 1985.
Everything about this film is beautiful—the soundtrack, the stunt choreography, the script… all well refined and expertly executed. A tight hour and a half runtime keeps this film from getting bogged down by unnecessary plotlines or extraneous scenes. Of course, it’s the Russians causing a ruckus. Of course, he’s going to go full John Wick, kick-ass, and take names. However, this movie does what I love to call subtle exposition better than most action flicks I’ve seen of late. The backstory isn’t just dumped on the audience but slowly exposed throughout the film without you even knowing it’s happening as a member of the audience.
Extremely well done. Well worth a watch!
8.7
Wow… between this and “Chernobyl”… HBO’s docuseries are knocking it out of the park! The characters and story here are the stuff Hollywood only dreams about. Agent Matthews steals the show, though. He was born to break this case. You’ll spend six episodes on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next twist and turn to this epic tale of deceit. You’ll also never look at McDonalds or Monopoly the same way ever again.
5.0
If you’ve seen one “behind the music,” you’ve seen ‘em all… the top of the mountain is lonely, the star(s) surround themselves with bobble head yes-people. They trade normal life and aspirations for fame and fortune. They all feel like “they’re the only one who’s ever had to go through this.” Want to take a stand, but either a) overestimate their influence on the world around them or b) underestimate the cost of decisions. Wanting the best of both worlds. Fascinating to see how destructive fame and success can be…
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 