Action Suspense/Thriller Throwback

“Straw Dogs”

By Brett_G on

7.1

Another recommendation of the “Video Archives” podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary. Lived up to the hype. The show continues to be a staple in my weekly listening rotation and leads me down some interesting cinematic rabbit holes such as this. A welcomed reprieve from the predictability that can run rampant in todays cinematic releases from time to time.

It’s a very strange film, and takes a while to get going, but once it gets where it’s going… holy crap.

Content warning: not for the faint of heart and beware to those sensitive to sexual assault.

The relationship between the main couple is so tenuous that it takes a while for the viewer to gain their bearing with what’s really going on between the pair. There’s so much subtextual happening the entire runtime that it keeps you in a state of fight or flight from beginning to end. The only clue that comes full circle is the bear trap. You don’t keep a fully operational bear trap on your wall just because…

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Disney+ Documentary

“Making the Wish”

By Brett_G on

6.8

Was this basically a commercial for Disney Cruise Line? Yes. Yes it was.

Did I look at the cost of a cruise and pass out from the price to spend less than a week on this particular ship? Yes. Yes I did.

Was this still a fascinating documentary about cruise ship construction and how intricate the planning and execution is on one of these ships, illustrating the true magic it takes to pull it all off? You bet it is.

I couldn’t decide what to watch the other night, but didn’t want to dedicate a full 2+ hours to a full movie, so I landed on this. Not too shabby…

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Action Blockbuster

“Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania”

By Brett_G on

6.5

A handful of great moments. A great villain. A mediocre movie overall. “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” still reigns supreme as the greatest multiverse movie.

What should have been where the multiverse saga FINALLY taking shape and gaining direction and momentum turned into a blob. Better yet, a blob with holes. (Inside joke you’d have to have seen the movie to get.)

It’s a CGI fueled assault on the senses, with very little humanity to ground it or story threads to tie it to anything in else in the MCU. This was as much a Star Wars movie as it was part of the MCU. I felt like George Lucas deserved royalties for this.

Maybe somewhere along the way they’ll find their way once again, but for now… Marvel’s wandering in the wilderness and the “Fast & Furious” franchise has better continuity and believability.

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Horror/Thriller Indie

“Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey”

By Brett_G on

6.9

Absolutely bonkers.

The forced creativity resulting from the reportedly less than $100,000 budget really led to an inventive film overall, even if it’s uncomfortable and increasingly strange at every turn.

It’s “The Strangers,” meets “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” dressed in Spirit Halloween. The most fun I’ve had in a packed theater since “Terrifier 2,” but this film keeps the runtime in check at a tight hour and a half. Here’s to hoping there’s more demented public domain character horror films in store for us in the years to come! This was hilariously, horrifically amazing.

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Horror/Thriller

“Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge”

By Brett_G on

5.9

Opera too high brow? Well, have I got the phantom movie for you! White masked recluse and all!

This movie was hilariously bad, even by slasher standards, but I did find myself eventually surrendering to the absurdity to enjoy some laughter at the ridiculousness killing my brain cells with each unlikely onscreen murder.

Side Note: “Phantom of the Opera” is my favorite Broadway musical, so this one was subject to a strict lens and high bar.

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