Garrett's Review Blog

I'm Ready for My Close-Up Hey everyone! Here's my fourth weekly catch up, where we look at all of the films I've watched this week. The episode of The Drive Back this week didn't have a film that we had to watch, so these are all films I watched of my own choosing (for better or for worse). It's a special Catching Up since most of the films are either really good or really bad. Let's start with a film I've been wanting to watch for three years now.  Mandy (2018)  SCORE: 91 /100  Directed By: Panos Cosmatos Starring: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache Synopsis: The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance. Quick Review: Mandy is an acid trip, through and through. It's by and far the most original movie that I've seen in an incredibly long time. It's a gorgeous revenge thriller, high...

Here's Looking at You, Film Hey everyone! Here's my third weekly catch up, where we look at all of the films I've watched this week. There was one film covered on the podcast this week, and a slew of others that I watched throughout the week. Some are sequels to movies last week, while others are standalone! Let's start with the film reviewed on The Drive Back this week. La La Land (2016) REVIEWED ON PODCAST SCORE: 92 /100  Directed By: Damian Chezelle Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Rosemarie DeWitt Synopsis: While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future. Quick Review: La La Land is a gorgeous and moving musical throwback to old Hollywood. It’s an absolute joy to watch, and leaves you happier than you were when you started it.  If you'd like to watch it, it's available on Hulu. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) SCORE: 29 /100  Directed ...

Play it Again, Garrett.  Hey everyone! Here's my second weekly catch up, where we look at all of the films I've watched this week. There were two films covered on the podcast this week, and a slew of others that I watched throughout the week. What's interesting is that there are four movies we reviewed on the podcast that never made it to episode for a number of reasons, so I included them here! Were they all masterpieces? Or do we have a few dumpster fire films? Let's find out! Let's start with the films reviewed on The Drive Back this week.  Parasite (2019) REVIEWED ON PODCAST SCORE: 99 /100 (MUST WATCH) Directed By: Bong Joon Ho Starring: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Cho Synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan. Quick Review: Unflinching, uncompromising, funny, and relevant. Parasite more than earns its near perfect reputation amongst film fans...

Say His Name SCORE: 88 /100 Directed by: Nia Da Costa Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams Synopsis: A sequel to the horror film Candyman from 1992 that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began.  ****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: First off, can we get a round of applause for Nia Da Costa? She's the first black female director to have a film debut at the number one spot at the box office! That's an incredible achievement, and I'm happy to say that the film is great to match that achievement. I never thought I'd come out of a major Hollywood horror movie this satisfied, ever.  Da Costa brings a level of artistic flair to Candyman that I'd usually expect out of an A24 film like The Witch of The Green Knight. She's managed to create a horror film that feels as relevant now as it was when the original debuted in 1992. I particularly love ...

Something to Marvel At SCORE: 92 /100 Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton Starring: Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng'er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, Ronny Chieng, Benedict Wong, Ben Kingsley Synopsis: Shang-Chi, master of unarmed weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.  ****THIS WILL BE AS SPOILER-FREE AS IT CAN**** REVIEW:  Shang-Chi is Marvel's best solo hero film since Black Panther, and is rightfully deserving of its praise. This film is fun, emotional, and full of imaginative visuals and inventive choreography. However, like all Marvel films, it does have a few flaws.  Among the few flaws are its inconsistent humor and its third act, which I will attempt to explain without spoilers. Marvel's humor has always been inconsistent, ranging between funny and cringey. In Shang-Chi, the humor is more on the funny side, but several times the humor just doesn't work. I think that fans...

The Good, The OK, and The Ugly Hey everyone! I thought I'd try out a new idea by giving short reviews for films that I've watched over the last week in addition to the ones I review here and on The Drive Back. Each film below is one that I've seen over the last week, either on the show or on my own, and will provide a quick summary and review score. Films that were discussed on the podcast will have a shorter review than ones I've watched on my own. I will not include new releases like Shang-Chi or Candyman, which I am currently finishing my written reviews for separately. So let's give it a shot! Let's start with the films reviewed on The Drive Back this week.  How to Train Your Dragon (2010) REVIEWED ON PODCAST SCORE: 73 /100 Podcast Episode Link:  https://youtu.be/BiE6ILjdRqM Directed By: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera Synopsis: A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely frien...