Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“To Catch a Killer”

By Brett_G on October 3, 2023September 16, 2023

6.8

I think they were going for “Seven” here… but ended up with a by the numbers cop drama. It never got that deep, despite it’s best efforts.

Ben Mendelsohn and Shailene Woodley carry a lot of water to get this one across the finish line. it has it’s moments where it goes full “shock and awe,” and some potentially intriguing threads, but they fail to fully pull those threads or veer off the beaten path enough to have piqued my interest above general intrigue. It was a solid movie, just not as good as I was hoping it would be.

“The Pod Generation”

By Brett_G on October 2, 2023September 16, 2023

7.9

Are you afraid of the future?

Do you question the motives behind maternity processes?

Do I have the film for you! I myself do not have children, and I’d be fascinated to know the way it would change my perspective on this one. From gender to societal roles and implications, this film takes a deep dive into much broader territory than I was expecting. There’s so much going on, yet it feels perfectly natural and palatable as the story unfolds and our characters journey on into the unknowns of a changing relationship with themselves, each other, and the world around them. Here I thought I’d never get to use “nature vs. nurture” in one of these things, yet here we are. It’s a fitting distillation of this film’s core.

Comedy

“Joy Ride”

By Brett_G on October 1, 2023September 16, 2023

6.9

If you liked “The Hangover” trilogy or “Girls’ Night Out,” you’ll like this one. The cast is perfection, and the third act will pack much more of a punch than your expecting. You won’t see the shedding a tear from heartfelt closure coming from this one.

Action Blockbuster Drama

“The Equalizer 3”

By Brett_G on September 30, 2023September 17, 2023

8.1

He did it again! Denzel and crew stuck the landing and nailed the conclusion of the trilogy. This time with the additional impact of a reunion with Dakota Fanning, a chemistry you can feel permeate the story and provide a strong heart to the story that I was afraid would be missing in this one without the usual supporting cast, following the events of Part 2. They haven’t lost a beat since “Man on Fire.”

You won’t find better choreography and kill count outside of “John Wick,” with only “Nobody” giving them a run for their money.

I found this film to have a return to form and a softer touch than 2. There was no lack of bloodshed, but moments between Fanning and Washington, paired with attention to detail like the score paying homage to Nina Rota’s “Godfather” theme to fit the Italian locale… I appreciated the well rounded nature of this stuck landing. Incredibly well done and well worth a watch!

Action

“Sound of Freedom”

By Brett_G on September 29, 2023September 16, 2023

7.2

I could feel it trying to be “Taken” or “Sicario.”

It’s a solid action flick with the added impact of being based on a true story that Hollywood took some license with. Lucky for this particular story, I will watch anything that Jim Caviezel is in. The action and characters are really well done, and everything under the hood is firing on all cylinders.

Addressing the “controversy”: I rarely, if ever watch the news. Especially cable news. I had no idea the hair on fire this one was causing when I saw it. Aside from a sprinkling in of “saving God’s children” in the third act and the marketing campaign being based on an “us versus the world” narrative… they really made a mountain out of a molehill here. The irony of the guy blogging about movies on the internet having to tell people – stop taking movies so seriously. And no shit a movie’s going to have a rough time getting a theatrical release without a distributor. It’s the downside of the studio system, and one of the beauties of the internet and the proliferation of smaller studios, distributors, and theater chains/individual theaters.