Blockbuster Drama Suspense/Thriller

“Death on the Nile”

By Brett_G on

7.9

At first, I honestly thought I had walked into and sat in the wrong movie theater. First, we start out in World War 1, then move on to Dirty Dancing… Heavy on the dirty. I mean, I know it’s Armie Hammer, but damn.

I’ll watch anything that has Gal Gadot in it, so of course, my butt was in a seat for this whodunnit. The gist of it is if you like “Murder on the Orient Express,” you’ll like this. There are many of the same tropes, but just enough differentiation to keep you intrigued as each new clue is uncovered and suspect eliminated, either figuratively or literally. We get the origin story of Poirot’s mustache that no one asked for but gives his character an incredible boost of depth and complexity that helps him become someone you actually root for by the end of the film. I called the ending as the movie was getting started, but I thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride to the climactic conclusion. Well done “Clue” spin-off in yet another exotic locale.

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Netflix Suspense/Thriller

“Archive 81”

By Brett_G on

8.2

They had it… They freaking had it!!! Why does everything have to have franchise potential?!?!

The narrative momentum, the closure we all yearn for in conclusion, the goodwill we build as an audience interacting with these characters… all taken out back and shot. Can I hold a seance and time travel to a point in time where I forget how much I despise this ending?

Aside from the way they crash-landed the plane, this series was spectacular. The way it built tension, caused me to care about the characters, and kept me on the edge of my seat was everything I could have asked for in a Netflix series based on a podcast. Then it ended with me angrily yelling at my TV.

I filed this one alongside “Censor” and “Broadcast Signal Intrusion” as one of the best pieces of original horror/thriller material in the past two or three years. I’d take the “what the hell was that?!?” ending of “Censor” over this. They lost a full point based on the ending.

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Horror/Thriller

“The Cursed”

By Brett_G on

8.5

“As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have poured out my wrath upon you.” – Ezekiel 22:22

This one blew me away, I’m not going to lie. I came out thoroughly impressed by how far and above this one hurdled my expectations. Biblical/religion-based horror at the height of its powers. Pulled off by a fantastic cast of mostly new faces. This is a masterclass in horror filmmaking, from directing to cinematography.

Lessons to be learned :

  1. Don’t mess with the gypsy women.
  2. If someone threatens you with a curse on your family, don’t dismiss it.
  3. Silver bullets come in handy. Always have a few handy.
  4. For the love of all that is holy… DON’T GO INTO THE OMINOUS FOG ALONE!!!

I spent the majority of the runtime a clenched ball of nerves and still have a kink in my neck from turning away from a couple of well-executed jump scares. This one caught me off guard in the best way, and I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of the genre. It’s up there with the A24 stable of unsettling colonial horror.

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Comedy

“Bring Back Apu”

By Brett_G on

8.2

Finally! Akaash Singh comes out with a fantastic half-hour special that perfectly complements his “Flagrant 2” podcast (which I also highly recommend) counterpart Andrew Schulz’s exceptional “Schulz Saves America.” So get ready to be just the right amount of uncomfortable while you confront some of the timeliest material in the game today. This crew doesn’t miss!

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Amazon Prime Rom-Com

“I Want You Back”

By Brett_G on

7.8

Oh my god! They fell in love WITH EACH OTHER after trying to force their failed relationships?!?!? NO WAY!!!

Cynicism aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Not only because I loved the cast, but because it was a well-told story with heart. Heartful people committing heartless acts with good intentions. That tension leads to some great chemistry and humor. Prime Video gunning for Netflix’s domination of the romantic comedy genre with this one.

I think we’ve all been there and can all see where and how this one ends, but it’s still a fun ride. Unless you’re currently in the “I’m going to win them back” stage of a breakup. In which case, I feel for you. (Not that I’ve ever done it *wink*) You will get through this and be able to laugh at the complete ass you are about to make of yourself. It’s all in the name of character growth. The key is to buy chocolate or ice cream you can later eat yourself to drown the humiliation. Then you can watch this movie and laugh instead of cry.

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