Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“The Morning Show”

By Brett_G on March 1, 2020March 1, 2020

8.7

Hell of a legacy project for Jennifer Aniston. Steve Carell delves into a devious villain again, with a strong follow-up to the dad you root against the entire runtime of “The Way Way Back.” All involved deliver some of their best performances, in what turns into some of the quickest wit and high velocity dialogue you’ll experience this side of an Aaron Sorkin project. Handles heavy subject matter with grace and the respect it deserves, doesn’t shy away from the gray, and draws clear moral boundary lines when called upon. Brilliant balance in script and performance. And a cliffhanger for the ages! Can’t wait to see where this goes, and where Apple TV+ asserts itself in the streaming wars with high quality prestige pieces like this. Well done!

Documentary

“Tread”

By Brett_G on March 1, 2020

6.8

He had me in the first half, I’m not gonna lie… poor guy got screwed over by the town, hurt his business, created unnecessary obstacles to him growing his livelihood in a small town. Then, he lost his marbles sitting in his hot tub one night, and hatched a plan for one of the most memorable criminal rampages in modern history. Almost as unbelievable as the classic horror film “Killdozer” comes this script Hollywood writers spend their days trying to come up with.

Amazon Prime Documentary

“At The Drive-In”

By Brett_G on March 1, 2020

7.3

The cinematic answer to the question “why do you love movies?” Specifically, seeing movies at a theater. This tale of a drive-in in danger of closing, and a band of film lovers banding together to save a landmark and create memories to last a lifetime is an inspiration for chasing your dreams and fighting for what you believe in. The beauty of the community of film is on full display (no pun intended) in this great find scanning through Amazon Prime. The word of mouth documentary film that is to die for at a film festival. If I’m ever passing through Pennsylvania…

Horror/Thriller Suspense/Thriller

“The Invisible Man”

By Brett_G on February 27, 2020

8.3

Couple this with her performance in “Us”… Elisabeth Moss plays crazy almost a little too well. This film had me on the edge of my seat and verifiably uncomfortable almost the entire runtime. The mental anguish is definitely shared between on-screen characters and audience members. The first horror/thriller in a minute that I haven’t been upset at the 2 hour vs. a 1.5 hour runtime. The extra time meant extra intensity, and going deeper into this twisted tale. Some of the best sound design and directing I’ve seen in quite some time. Chilling, never cheesy. Kudos.

Horror/Thriller Indie Suspense/Thriller

“The Lodge”

By Brett_G on February 21, 2020

8.1

Somewhere within “The Shining,” “Hereditary,” and “Midsommar” lies this film. What begins as a straightforward tale of cabin fever gone awry quickly unravels into one of the most shocking and unsettling endings I’ve seen in quite some time. Classic A24 style, but not made by A24. Was wondering what happened to this film after it’s initial release and hype from Sundance… glad to see it finally see an official release and live up to, if not exceed the hype. Very artfully executed horror. Not a gore film, but more tense thriller with horror elements. Beware the faint of heart.