Drama Indie

“Licorice Pizza”

By Brett_G on

8.1

This film makes about as much sense as the title. Be warned.

That being said, all involved deliver brilliant performances in this twisted tale of fame, romance, adolescence, entrepreneurship, showbusiness, and politics. This struck me as a cross between “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” More running than any film this side of a Tom Cruise flick, this film’s soundtrack will make you want to dance in the aisles. Fascinating, inventive camera shots. A fun, inspiring original plot. A marvelous addition to Oscar season.

No comments
Year In Review

“Year In Review – 2021”

By Brett_G on

Well, we’ve almost made it! 2020 2.0 couldn’t stop us from enjoying another year of movies. They may change our theatrical release dates, but they will never take our streaming! Thankfully, I was able to see more movies in a theater instead of at home on the couch. There’s still a sense of magic there for me. Unfortunately, I’ve found myself slacking more this year than last, which I feel bad about. I have a list of 20 or so movies I need to catch up on. With school, travel (seeing a movie on Mackinac Island!), and other life curveballs, I have often found escape in a darkened theater only to have words for a review find escapism from me. As part of a process improvement class, I devised a rapid improvement initiative to keep myself more on track here. My New Year’s resolution is to stick to a more regular schedule of programming here by implementing that plan.

Again, I thank all of you for stopping by and allowing me to be a small part of your lives. Here’s to a great 2022! Without further adieu, here are my top movies of 2021 in no particular order… (No, “Wonder Woman 1984” did not make the cut, and I almost put “Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar” on here)

Pig

Finding You

Four Good Days

A Mouthful of Air

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Last Night in Soho

Halloween Kills

Free Guy

Schulz Saves America

Jared Freid: Socially Distanced, Of Course

Nobody

Censor

The Fear Street Trilogy

A Quiet Place 2

James Bond: No Time To Die

May be an image of 1 person
A snow-draped Vogue Theater to see “Julia” this past week.
May be an image of one or more people, screen and indoor
“Somewhere in Time” at Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island, sitting close to Christopher Reeve’s seat during a pivotal scene of the movie filmed in the theater.
No comments
Documentary Drama

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

By Brett_G on

7.8

Oh… megachurches. Doing the Lord’s work.

Also, what is the lead singer of Midland doing here?!

This movie was much hornier than I anticipated… You’ll see what I mean if you brave this one. Unfortunately, you’ll need to go to church after the credits roll.

The story itself is biopic gold and cements Jessica Chastain as one of the best in the Biz for these roles, after also knocking “Molly’s Game” out of the park. Girl meets boy, falls in love, amass an immense fortune based on fraud, fights the law, and the law wins. But, unfortunately, in a shocking twist, Jerry Falwell turns out to not be holier than thou.

Overall, this film was incredibly entertaining, engaging, and enlightening. It was a fun roller coaster ride through one of American history’s great rise and fall stories. Poor Tammy just wanted to play with her puppets and sing…

No comments
Drama Indie

“Nine Days”

By Brett_G on

7.9

Serene Simplicity

This film accomplishes so much with so little on the screen. The meaning of every frame, every action, every word is magnified by the framing of this journey to enlightenment we find these characters on. It’s definitely one you have to focus on to catch the details in order to fully enjoy. The meaning of life, the meaning of the connection between beings, purpose, societal constructs… all tackled with a breathtaking balance by the time the credits roll. Definitely not a popcorn flick. Don’t watch when you want to mush-mind. When you want a thinker, this is it for 2021. It’s just as strange as the trailer would lead you to believe, but much more profound and fulfilling than one would expect walking in.

No comments
Comedy Drama

“The French Dispatch”

By Brett_G on

6.8

As with most Wes Anderson films, I was fascinated by what I saw but cannot explain what it was that I saw.

There was love, there was war, there was nudity. Young love. Old love. A guy with an incredible memory. A “revolution.” And the death of a legend in journalism.

Don’t cry in the theater.

I tried to make this sound like I wrote it this way.

No comments