Garrett's Review Blog

Hello! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday! Time for another Catching Up post! We didn't have any films to watch this week for the podcast, so it's all movies I watched in my own time. I will also be taking the rest of the month off from watching all of these movies. It's a time intensive activity, and I want to enjoy the holiday season. I've also started writing my book again, and I want to focus on that so I can get it to a manuscript level. I'll be back in the first few weeks of January! Let's start with one of my highlights for the year! The Mitchells vs The Machines (2021)  SCORE: 82 /100  Directed By: Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph Synopsis: A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope. Quick Review: The Mitchells vs the Machines is one of the better a...

Welcome to another Catching Up, where we looked at all of the movies I watched in a given week. This week had a mammoth eleven films to watch for the podcast, and my usual smattering of others. Due to me being sick this week, and spending more time asleep than in front of my TV, I caught up on a lot of movie re-watches and reviews I never posted here. Let's not waste any time and jump right in with the movies for the podcast this week! Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) REVIEWED ON PODCAST SCORE: 95 /100 (MUST WATCH) Directed By: George Lucas Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford Synopsis: Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee, and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader. Quick Review: The original Star Wars is a landmark moment in film history, and it continues to inspire young filmmakers and fans alike.  ...

Globally Mediocre SCORE:  42 /100 Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds Synopsis: An FBI agent tracks the world's most wanted art thieves as they're both out to steal a priceless set of historical artifacts. ****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: I had no idea that Red Notice existed until I saw it trending on Netflix. Since it was a "major" release for them, I decided to check it out. What I can report is a sub-standard adventure-heist film with type-cast actors and predictable story beats. Riding the predictable train is the cast. Dwayne Johnson plays your typical Dwayne Johnson character, and Ryan Reynolds just plays himself. While I enjoy these two actors usually, I feel that their usual schticks get more tired here, and the actors' own personality is supposed to make the characters seem better written. I'd like to know how much of the script was improvised. Gal Gadot is the only really enjoyable p...

Welcome back to another Catching Up, where I go over all of the films I've watched during the past week. We only had one film to watch for the podcast this week, and included are the usual smattering of others. This week, I tried to get to the films that I don't have to re-watch again to score, since plans this week will interfere with my usual "one movie a day" goal. So let's jump into the film we watched for the show this week.  Your Name. (2016) REVIEWED ON PODCAST SCORE: 95 /100 (MUST WATCH) Directed By: Makoto Shinkai Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita Synopsis: Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart? Quick Review: Your Name. is a beautiful work of animation that centers on two realistic and likable characters, and is only let down by the insistent pop music interruptions.  If you'd like to watch it, it's available to rent only. Monty Py...

Who Wants Revenge? SCORE: 75 /100 Directed by: Jeymes Samuel Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King Synopsis: When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge in this Western. ****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: Netflix has finally released The Harder They Fall, and I'm glad to say it's a good, not great, western. While it may not be the most original or captivating story, it does more than enough to distance itself from its contemporaries. The biggest positive for this film is its cast. Everyone here is clearly having the time of their lives, and it shows. Jonathan Majors continues to be an incredible lead, Lakeith Stanfield is impressive with his range as always, and Idris Elba is a fantastic villain as always. Regina Hall is flat out intimidating, and Zazie Beetz is always fun to watch. It's really the cast that sells the world and the story, and they do a magnificent job.  Director Jeymes Samu...

Hello again! Welcome to another Catching Up post where I review all the films I've seen within the last week. We had two films from the podcast this week, as well as the usual smattering of others I happen to watch as well. One of the films we reviewed already showed up in one of my Catching Up posts, so I'll link it below. Let's not waste time, and dive right in to the podcast reviews this week! Inside Out (2015) REVIEWED ON THE PODCAST SCORE: 95 /100 (MUST WATCH) Directed By: Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black Synopsis: After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school. Quick Review: Thoughtful, emotional, funny, and incredibly imaginative, Inside Out resides toward the top of Pixar’s catalogue for a reason. If you'd like to watch it, it's available on Disney+. Episode Link:  ...

Imperfect Beauty SCORE: 70 /100 Directed by: Chloe Zhao Starring: Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Angelina Jolie Synopsis: The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations. ****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: I think it's incredible that this film has a low critic score. It really doesn't deserve a 53 on Metacritic. That being said, it's not a perfect film, and certainly wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. There's a lot of good here, so let's talk that first. Chloe Zhao has brought us another beautiful film that is unlike any other in the MCU. It's bold some moments, and more reserved in others, she clearly knows how to balance the mundane with the spectacle. She clearly had a vision for this film, and it shows.  The acting here is also great across the board, with the standouts being Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Lauren Ridloff. This isn't to diminish an...

Hello again everyone! Here is another Catching Up post for the last week. We had only one film to watch for the podcast, and it was a spooky one for Halloween! This week tended to favor HBO Max for no particular reason, and the last two films were watched on Halloween with my friends! (Shout out to Nadia, Kevin, and Stacey) I did watch a trilogy for its annual rewatch, but now I get to talk about it here! So let's dive in, and start with the film we watched for the podcast this week!  Killer Klowns for Outer Space (1988) REVIEWED ON THE PODCAST SCORE: 75 /100  Directed By: Stephen Chiodo Starring: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson Synopsis: Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town. Quick Review: Killer Klowns from Outer Space is so much fun, just don't take it too seriously. It's a type of film that we don't get anymore, and should be cherished.  If you'd like to watch it, it's available for rent only. The Runnin...