Drama Suspense/Thriller

“Conclave”

By Brett_G on

7.8

One word – intense.

Sorry, almost forgot – Peace be with you.

Like “Bridge of Spies” from a few years ago, but far better, in my humble opinion.

This cast is absolutely stellar. There’s so much fire power that there was an underlying temptation to overpower each scene, but they all turned in perfectly balanced performances anchored in intensity and restraint with each passing frame, in a sort of dance with one another as we all worked our way to the credits rolling.

I NEVER expected the twist in the third act… I was genuinely shocked by that bomb they dropped.

Even if you’re not Catholic, you’ll find something to enjoy in this one. A procedural drama masterclass.

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Comedy Drama Romance

“Goodrich”

By Brett_G on

7.8

This movie was surprisingly sweet! I knew it would be good with Mika Kunis and Michael Keaton, but not THIS good. It really packed an emotional punch at times, but also had these laugh out loud, gut busting moments mixed it. It effortlessly traveled the full spectrum of emotion and character exploration. I was thoroughly impressed! May we all gain this type of perspective and wisdom with age…

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Drama Romance

“We Live in Time”

By Brett_G on

6.8

Been a hot second since a movie gave me blue balls…

Can we please leave the non-linear storytelling to Christopher Nolan from now on? This thing is all over the place. And not in an intriguing way. In a “does that hairstyle mean we’re in a flashback?” way.

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh have amazing chemistry, and there are some fun sequences… but it just left SO MUCH just… I don’t even know where. I had so much hope, movie!

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Horror/Thriller

“Smile 2”

By Brett_G on

7.9

Part of my initial beef with this movie was the number of times I had to watch the same trailer for it at my local AMC. I had to work not to hold that against it.

Working past that, I really enjoyed this one! It adequately expanded on the lore without losing the magic that made the original standout in a year of great horror flicks. Great jump scares, some legitimately terrifying twisting of reality (what’s real and what’s not), and a fair amount more gore than expected (the “Terrifier” effect on modern horror). Naomi Scott really makes the movie with her strong performance in the lead position. Without her, I’m not sure this one works and am not sure we would get the impending third installment. She really kills it (no pun intended) from beginning to end here.

Studio horror continuing its comeback, and I’m here for it!

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