Cinematic Sommelier
7.5
A surprisingly fun music documentary. Basically “behind the music: Nickelback” but with more personality and the fact that they had to address being one of the most inexplicably hated bands in music history… the price of infamy. Even if they really haven’t ever made a bad song. Rock on!
8.4
Ah, young love… and intrusive, obsessive thoughts.
All of the John Green Easter eggs… *chef’s kiss. I totally didn’t coordinate drinking a Dr. Pepper while I watched this.
“You’re old-new, it’s different” was the most adorable, heartfelt half insult I’ve heard in a long time. The thing that John Green movies do better than most is relatability. There’s a realness in the stories that is undeniable. This film is no exception. The magical ambiance of a small town Applebees double date is undefeated.
The philosophy wrestled with is something I haven’t had to confront in a hot minute, but is so approachable in the way that’s it’s handled. The return of the god-turtle mythology to the big screen was an unforeseen connection. I never thought anyone this side of Stephen King would touch that.
All this to say what we have here is a wonderfully weird, exceptionally human story that was put on the big screen with a tremendous amount of care.
Tell your friends you love them.
7.4
Thank the lord she sat on the piano to hit a random note and interrupt their make out session. Had they missed that must-do, it would have been an automatic deduction of points.
I feel like I’ve seen this movie a thousand times… but not necessarily in a bad way. Is it predictable? Oh hell yeah. Does it still hit? Every time.
Oh no… they fell in love with “the idea of” each other and not each other?!? But then had to wrestle with the fact that they actually got to know each other?!? But she’s old enough to be his mother?!? But he’s got a Yung Gravy level MILF habit?!?
Don’t take it too seriously, and you’ll have some fun frolicking across the globe with our couple here. The runtime was a tad long and the second to third act acrobatics got a little cringey, but all in all it was solid.
6.8
Maika Monroe just can’t catch a break… first she was stalked by the invisible, unstoppable force in “It Follows” (one of my all-time favorite thrillers), and now she’s stalked by the ever-nefarious Dane DeHaan in this “Uber gone awry” horror thriller.
Hulu really has this market cornered after Netflix lost its way.
I was sad to see things come unwound as we made the turn into the third act. The person who recommended this one and I were equally perplexed by some of the creative decisions the creative team made along the way that subtracted from what could have been an amazing film, taking it down a notch to good.
7.6
The tennis threesome movie… love triangle movie? A bit of both. Similar to “Snack Shack,” they let love get in the way of their craft. (Although, cards on the table, I liked “Snack Shack” way more.)
This one is far from a fairy tale love story, and includes some of the most creative camera work since “Madame Web.” It was more than I expected in some ways and less in others. More of a mixed bag than I anticipated. As expected, the three leads really knock is out of the court with their respective performances, and the tension is at an 11 the entire runtime. It was really a masterclass in holding your foot to the floor in a genre that isn’t notorious for that kind of narrative structure.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 