Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“Palm Springs”

By Brett_G on July 11, 2020

8.4

That was a fun hour and a half! This may be my favorite “Groundhog Day” / “We get stuck in a time loop” movie. I am thoroughly impressed. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti (the mom from “How I Met Your Mother”) have legitimate chemistry and rock both the romantic and comedy of this rom-com for the ages! JK Simmons has the cameo of the summer. Everything about this is a win. An all around fun movie, with a lot of heart and a lot of laughs. Here’s to finding that special someone you’d get stuck in an infinite time loop with.

“Love Life”

By Brett_G on July 8, 2020July 26, 2020

7.9

They had me at Anna Kendrick. A modern love saga telling the tales of dating in 2020. All the crazy, fun, and awkwardness. A great kickoff series for HBO Max. Adorkable to the max.

The emotional journey caught me a bit off guard, and really came together in the end. I can’t wait to see where this goes if there’s a next season. “Sex and the City” updated for millennials. Get ready to shout “just break up already” and “yas girl” at the screen way more than you’d expect of yourself.

Horror/Thriller Shudder

“Hogzilla”

By Brett_G on July 7, 2020June 20, 2020

4.5

On par with “The Room” in the quality department. So bad it’s kind of entertaining film making. Shout-out to Shudder and “The Last Drive-In” for digging this gem out of the depths of the archives. (They had to actually find an editor to finish the film because they never finished it back in the day.) The movie about killer wild hogs that no one ever asked for, during the killer swine craze of never. A Shudder classic.

Suspense/Thriller

“Swallow”

By Brett_G on July 6, 2020June 20, 2020

7.1

Well, get ready to say “what the hell?!?!” a lot. Like, the whole time. Suspenseful, horrifying, and just plain strange. A great performance by Haley Bennett as she slowly loses her mind and reclaims her sanity at the same time. Definitely a love story gone very, very wrong. Still not quite sure I had my head wrapped around this one when the credits rolled.

Action Blockbuster Netflix

“Da 5 Bloods”

By Brett_G on July 5, 2020June 20, 2020

8.7

Spike Lee, one of the great directors of our time, at the height of his powers. A tale of friendship, service, pain, family, the often complicated nature of humanity. All wrapped in a history lesson. You can always count on walking away from a Spike Lee film with a lesson and some things to think about. The film is also gorgeous both in setting and how it is shot. A mix of “Last Vegas” and “Apocalypse Now.” A lot of film to take in, but well worth the runtime.