Blockbuster Horror/Thriller

“Spiral”

By Brett_G on

5.8

I was really looking forward to this one… so much for wishful thinking.

It tried to straddle the psychological thriller aspect of the original and the bloodlustful, senseless gore of the next 7 films. These don’t go together, apparently. It failed on both. Jerky editing, horrific pacing, and a storyline that confuses the audience instead of intriguing them

That being said, no one in the world says “muthafucka” quite like Samuel L. Jackson.

They kept it tight, at an hour and a half runtime, which was great. Any longer, and I would have been even more harsh. The theme of hating cops was timely, but got lost with a throwaway villain out past their skis. And… STOP trying to redo the puppet! It’s not going to happen. Get ready to feel underwhelmed walking out of the theater.

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Drama Indie

“Four Good Days”

By Brett_G on

8.1

Get ready to get sad. Then mad. Then worry. Then sad again. Then happy? I think it’s happily ever after, but damn… if it wasn’t a rough path to get there.

Huge Kudos to Mila Kunis and Glenn Close for taking on these roles. For a mainstream film, this story goes down some dark rabbit holes. It’s fairly unafraid to go places that help give the narrative much more weight and impact in the end. Stephen Root is a bit of a sleeper hit, though, serving to provide perfectly timed perspective to the other cast around him. Without him, I don’t think the story lands half of the punches it does.

May have to set your morals aside for the third act, or be ready to process some things. In the end, an incredible story to bring to the big screen.

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Drama Indie

“Minari”

By Brett_G on

8.5

A24 made this?!? I mean, there is a fire in the third act that reflects flickering light in the face of the cast that serves as a potent metaphor. But it’s not one of their family members ablaze, and there’s no witch in the woods who steals the children. Very out of character for them.

That said, this was an incredibly heartfelt and impactful family drama about the struggle to find the “American Dream” as an immigrant family. I loved the way that the story wove together so many different perspectives. American Culture, Korean Culture, Midwestern culture. The similarities and differences. What ties us all together as a community and what makes us unique as individuals.

Well worth having to read subtitles. I look forward to the film market becoming more international in the future, because of films like this.

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Horror/Thriller

“Separation”

By Brett_G on

4.5

Take it from the gentleman snoring behind me in the theater two-thirds of the way through… save your time and money. This one is rough. It’s too slow, hard to understand, and never really makes much sense. This is why the feature length tale of “the crooked man” stumbled trying to make its way into the Conjuring universe.

The special effects were well done, but there was nothing tying the scenes together or moving the story forward. Very meh…

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Comedy Drama

“Here Today”

By Brett_G on

8.3

“It’s the perfect time for jokes!”

The better version of “The Father.” There, I said it! This movie should have been in the running for best picture instead.

I spent at least 2/3 of the runtime misty-eyed. But I also laughed more genuinely than most films are able to achieve. Such a horrific story and situation that forces moments of profound beauty and perspective.

Tiffany Haddish kicks ass in a drama role in this one. Just as unexpected as Billy Crystal. They both toe the line of seriousness and humor with grace not many have. It illustrates the balance between the two we often struggle with within our own lives. This is why I prefer this version of “old man losing his marbles” to “The Father.” The films have very different approaches with a similar intent of bringing awareness to Alzheimer’s/dementia. I just preferred this more human feeling, struggle to be lighthearted in the face of darkness approach. Very well done and worth the time and tears.

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