Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Love and Monsters”

By Brett_G on October 20, 2020

8.5

WAY better than this film had any right to be. A strong message of living your life with a sense of bravery anchored in purpose. Beautiful special effects, world building, and storytelling. A cast with a natural chemistry, perfectly assigned to their roles. All set to a rocking soundtrack with a masterful mix in of classics. Like I said, on paper this makes no sense, but it works beautifully and had me terrified, cheering, tearful, and ultimately satisfied. Glad to still have gems like this one out of the woodwork in the hot mess that is watching movies in 2020.

Horror/Thriller Shudder

“The Cleansing Hour”

By Brett_G on October 20, 2020

7.1

Solid.

I went in with a pretty low bar, but this film hurdles it with ease—surprisingly great performances across the board. An insane ending I did not see coming. Good scares, strong special effects. A welcomed addition to Shudders 61 das of Halloween. It’s hard to score originality points with an exorcism movie, but they manage to reel me in with a few moments in this one. Overall, they follow the tried and true “amateur exorcist gets in over their head” formula, with a few new twists that add some excellent curveball factor.

Horror/Thriller Shudder

“Society”

By Brett_G on October 18, 2020October 17, 2020

6.8

This movie is the discomfort of hearing the word “moist” put to film. It also happens to be very moist in the third act. A literal butt head. The strangest finishing move in a fight I’ve seen in a long time. Prepare to be both amused and bemused by this cult classic that could almost serve as a “Purge” prequel. Bet Bill’s ready to go back to Baywatch after this weird weekend.

Comedy Horror/Thriller

“The Wolf of Snow Hollow”

By Brett_G on October 18, 2020October 17, 2020

6.1

Uh… I’m still not sure what it is I just watched.

There was a werewolf, an angry for no reason sheriff deputy, and a senile sheriff. Past that, I couldn’t really tell you. I laughed at the pure absurdity a couple times, but left completely confused. Very well could be that I missed some deeper meaning here. If you are aware of this hidden pearl of knowledge, feel free to enlighten me.

Action

“Honest Thief”

By Brett_G on October 17, 2020October 17, 2020

7.9

… and you thought you hated Jai Courtney before. Sheesh, this guy can’t catch a break on exclusively playing unlikeable characters.

Liam Neeson does Liam Neeson things. This time, his girlfriend is taken, blowing up his plans for a normal life. Kate Walsh does a fantastic job as Liam’s accomplice, as does Jeffrey Donovan as his enabler at the Bureau. Strap in, and watch everything go boom in this edge of your seat thriller. Then, get ready to go “awe…” right before the credits roll. It’s a wild ride.