Cinematic Sommelier
7.4
Did you enjoy the “Final Destination” series? Then you’ll like this one.
A welcomed twist on the “teens getting picked off after opening a door to the other side” genre, with solid characters, well crafted jump scares and tension filled kill sequences. A really well done spooky flick that hopefully doesn’t succumb to being just a warm up for the heavy hitters later this year. When it comes to originality like this, the more the merrier!
7.1
Did I watch this to have a more well informed conversation with a girl? The world may never know… don’t worry, I’ll still have free time to watch too many movies.
I struggled to get past the basis of the film being a woman who literally can’t not obey verbal commands… but I eventually was able to surrender to the fairytale charms.
The story may not necessarily be that original, but it has its moments. And, I mean, it’s Anne Hathaway…
Solid, right down the middle, not too shabby fairy tale… tale.
8.9
This one was recommended with a heavy helping of hype… and it exceeded every bit of it! The definition of “firing on all cylinders.”
I was sold immediately on the soundtrack, and will watch anything Emily Blunt is in. That being said, they somehow shoehorned in more meta commentary than a “Deadpool” movie, a love story, an action movie, a murder mystery, and a tip of the cap to stunt doubles for the ages! Unexpected as “Nobody” in 2021, this one I thought would be good, but blew past that to be on my current shortlist for best of the year. Holy crap.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a match for having this much fun in the cinema! Strap in and enjoy the ride!
7.5
Since there’s no official trailer for this one, may my videos from Comerica Park Summer 2022 make do.
You may think this one is a little low, and you’d be right. As a TV special, it’s exactly what you expect. You can’t go wrong with Billy Joel in concert. But it’s NOTHING compared to seeing him LIVE. There’s nothing like it, and no TV special can truly capture that magic. So pull up a chair and a bottle of red (or white), and enjoy the master at work…
7.2
If Matt Bettinelli-Olpin is your director, your final girl will end up victorious, covered in blood, asking “what the fuck just happened?” Alongside the audience. Holy crap was that a wild ride, in the best way!
Much like 2019’s “Ready or Not,” I was not fully ready for this one. The story has so many twists and turns, you’re on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. More humor than expected, and as a fellow movie aficionado commented, much better developed characters than your typical studio horror film. We agreed on another, recovering our friendship after some disagreement over “Imaginary” earlier this year.
Alisha Weir and Kathryn Newton steal the show! Finally pulling me out of the rough run of mediocrity I’ve gotten stuck in the past couple of weeks with new releases.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 