Horror/Thriller

“The Human Centipede”

By Brett_G on

6.1

I found myself asking “but why?” quite a lot in this hour and a half. Leave it to me to try and find the deeper meaning here. Shocker – this was my first time watching this one front to back. I now understand the cult following.

In the vein of “Hostel” and “Terrifer,” this movie cranks the gore up to 11, and doesn’t let up until you’ve either lost your lunch or have left the theater. For the brave that forge on until the credits roll… congratulations? We can now never speak of this again, unless it’s to use it as the bar by which we measure the “WTF” factor of future features. Not since “Cannibal Holocaust” have I been more concerned with trying to find some sort of purpose to cling to and not since “Terrifier 2” have I been less inclined to enjoy a snack during a feature presentation.

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Documentary

“Stop Making Sense”

By Brett_G on

8.1

Who knew? There is water… at the bottom of the ocean!

I don’t think it ever started make sense, subverting not only the concert film genre, but also the pillars of live music production. But I’ll be damned if it wasn’t the most entertaining tight hour and a half of razor sharp cacophony ever put to film. The only people having more fun are the artists on stage. Their chemistry is almost as palpable as their incredible talents. I want to call it minimalistic, but despite the feeling of a “lack” of design… there’s a naturally choreographed beauty in almost every frame of this concert FILM. Bravo to David Byrne and crew!

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Horror/Thriller

“It Lives Inside”

By Brett_G on

7.3

… And you thought farts were the worst thing that could be trapped in a jar.

This film really nailed a pervasive feeling of dread through beautiful cinematography and clever setups from start to finish, minus the finale. It went full “Mother” and showed the monster too much in the final battle and kind of took me out of it. Until then, it had me hooked and on the edge of my seat as we followed Sam on her journey into possession. A possession that may have followed the typical tenets of the genre, but did so in a way that felt surprisingly fresh. I found myself genuinely invested in the characters and having a much more visceral reaction to the scares than I expected. The contrast in music was so expertly curated, and really helped take the actions on the screen to another level when paired with the breathtaking sound design.

Side note – since the wannabe boyfriend is dead (spoiler alert), can I snag his gorgeous red Mach 1? Please, movie?!?!

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Documentary Drama

“Dumb Money”

By Brett_G on

8.2

“Run through lightning with your dick out.”

Of course a line from Pete Davidson, but also a perfect encapsulation of the film.

Strong “The Big Short” vibes with this one, with a dash of the brilliant Mark Twain quote “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often does rhyme.”

The film itself is perfectly made. A flawless snapshot of the moment. That all consuming insanity that preoccupied so many at the height of the pandemic. The crusade that pulled back the veil on a pillar of our American society and started a financial revolution.

The cast was immaculate and the script translated to the screen with just the right pace. It doesn’t spoon feed the viewer, but keeps you balanced between informed and entertained. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but packs the punch of an Oscar contender in message delivered.

The ending is complicated, as are most great stories. Life is sometimes best lived in the gray. The excitement of the complicated nature of it all.

Veering off my normal path, it coincided quite well with my recent reading (shocker, I don’t just watch things) “The Creature From Jekyll Island.” (Linked below) Sadly, the themes of picking winners and losers and hidden puppet masters and the world revolving around money resonated from the page to the big screen with this one-two punch. I highly recommend both, but will warn that neither is for the faint of heart.

What can I say? I like the film.

The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve https://a.co/d/eXiEbEs

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Horror/Thriller

“The Nun 2”

By Brett_G on

6.8

This one’s complicated. I had low expectations that the movie hurdled with ease early on. There are some incredibly well crafted scares and sequences here. However, it falls into the traps we’ve come to expect from the “Conjuring” universe and ended up being okay for the most part. We’re tipping the scale into the “ok now, you’re diluting the brand now” territory. Which I hate to admit, because this universe has been some of the best studio horror of the past decade.

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