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thebrothersbev
Reviews
White Noise (2022)
Not a total disaster
A disaster of a disaster movie with many endearing qualities, including sound mixing that would make Robert Altman's head explode and the most choreographed end credit sequence since Buckaroo Banzai. As fun and fascinating as it is incoherent and pretentious, White Noise is an ambitious but ill conceived Hollywood spectacle disguised as a pessimistic, antiestablishment indie. Fortunately, the film is too lighthearted to double down on its halfhearted cynicism, so the end result is a bombastic, Baumbachstic romp with plenty for Adam Driver to do as he navigates through the intentional and unintentional chaos.
Grade: B-
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Intermittently nice and not nice, but never dull
Laugh, cry, squirm a little, it is all just part of being human. A brutally honest romp, which dares to dance with the unpleasant, yet hilarious awkwardness in begging the question "why can't people just be nice?" The Banshees of Inisherin made me want to cry because it made me realize how long it has been since I have seen an actual film. One with compelling performances, especially by Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan, and a captivating story with no hint of an agenda outside of wanting to feed one's soul. Whether or not it rightfully sweeps the Oscars, this McDonagh masterpiece is an utter triumph.
Grade: A-
Black Friday (2021)
It's nothing special, but does it need to be?
Black Friday is sure to disappoint many a whinny fanboy, but this holiday-horror is no turkey. The cast is good enough and the filmmaking is competent. The whole thing goes through the motions like a C student who is too lazy to try harder. The premise is worthwhile, even if the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe due to budgetary restraints, or perhaps because it is another pseudo-zombie flick being cranked out in the 2020s to capitalize on the recent mainstream popularity of the genre/sub-genre (thank you, The Walking Dead). The good news is that Bruce Campbell and Devon Sawa are a couple of pros who know the routine and are willing to go through the motions with glee, if only because they need the money. The movie is lame, no question, but that does not equate to bad. Actually, like Thanksgiving with the fam year after year, the familiarity of it all is rather comforting.
Grade: B-
Halloween Ends (2022)
Halloween Offends
This is not a Halloween film, nor is it a film to watch on Halloween because it is not a horror movie. It is a horrific movie. Fried Green Tomatoes is scarier that this pretentious, audacious, disrespectful, nonsensical, meandering, and obscenely offensive slog. Michael Myers' involvement in his own sendoff is little more than a cameo role while Laurie Strode is reduced to a Golden Girl who has been sidelined in order to tell the "story" of Halloween Ends aka Corey's Song. Corey Cunningham is the worst character ever. The unintentional Towelie of the Halloween franchise. Granted, the material is unsalvageable, but it doesn't help matters that Rohan Campbell is the weakest actor in a cast full of weak actors. Even Curtis is sleepwalking here. She clearly hasn't been eating her Activia.
Grade: F.
Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)
Jeepers creepers, please gouge out my peepers!
This is less a review than a warning. Jeepers Creepers: Reborn is the worst movie, horror or otherwise, that I have ever seen, and I have seen Jeepers Creepers 3. This sorry excuse for celluloid is cruel and unusual torture. I have been to CGI Hell and back and consider it my responsibility to tell of the agony that awaits anyone naïve enough to give up their hard earned money to these thieving sadists masquerading as filmmakers. How dare they give the loyal fans of this once mighty franchise hope only to hurt us again, and the hurt is inexplicably worse. Yes, somehow JC4 manages to outdo the unbearable suckfest that is JC3. And speaking of JC, the SOBs responsible for this disgrace had better get right with Jesus because if there is any justice in this world, the Creeper is real and he's hungry for talentless hacks.
The Gentlemen (2019)
A true gentlemen is more FU than PC.
Two hours of bad men behaving as such. The Gentlemen is Guy Ritchie's The Irishman, so don't go into this steeped in mortality, anti-morality tale expecting Lock, Stock, RocknRolla, or especially Snatch because you will be disappointed. Admittedly, I went into this film anticipating a giddily in-your-face wild ride and initially did not know how to process what ended up being a surprisingly refined and mature bit of nastiness. However, I soon understood that even Guy Ritchie must grow old with the rest of us, which is something that he clearly understands as well. At face value, The Gentlemen appears devoid of sentimentality, but upon closer examination, one could argue that crime films don't get more sentimental. Honest either. It seems Ritchie, much like other seasoned auteurs, has reached that magical point in his career where he no longer caters to audiences, who are calling the film "boring," or critics, who are attacking the film for being "offensive." I would argue that The Gentlemen is neither, but rather the cinematic equivalent to a man of a certain age. It moves at its own pace, no matter how painstaking, voices its own opinion, no matter how unpopular, and flaunts its own style, no matter how passé. While not without its flaws, specifically one or two moments of unnecessary convolution, The Gentlemen starts 2020 off strong and potentially marks the start of a bold new era for Guy Ritchie. Sure, it's sexist, racist, violent, dated, mean-spirited, and countless other shades of deplorable, but it is also genuine. It proves that a punch to the gut can come from the heart, and I find that endearingly charming, like an old dog peeing on the carpet. Truly, never has such an inappropriate film felt so appropriate. Oh and what a soundtrack! B
Villains (2019)
To Quote Hunter S. Thompson...
"It never got weird enough for me." Villains is not a bad film, nor is it one I regret watching. It is brisk, quirky, and without any offensively glaring issues other than it plays it safe. This little genre film had potential in regards to all aspects of filmmaking (the writing, direction, acting, etc.) but it also had an air of reserve that suggests inexperience. Villains is so concerned with going down easy for the mainstream that it never attempts to be anything past standard. I wanted to love this film in the way I love Funny Games, Bound, and virtually everything by John Waters, but instead I find myself going back to one word when someone asks me to describe Villains... "meh."
Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones (2019)
Those with a true sense of humor will love it and those with a false sense of sanctity will loath it.
Chappelle is honest first, which inadvertently makes him hilarious second. I admire his brand of comedy because it is not a cheap or deliberate attempt to shock, but rather the truth spoken unapologetically and with conviction. The most remarkable thing about Chappelle is that he is intelligent yet humble, which is what sets him apart. I know this special in particular received scathing reviews from critics, which is fine, especially in 2019, because people hate what they fear and what they fear is anything different. Stay different, Dave. The haters will survive.
Topic Time with Harrison Young (2010)
Young is old school... and I love it!
Harrison Young is the coolest talk show host on television and needs to be on a major network. He is such a likable and one of a kind personality who I know for a fact entertains adults and kids alike. I appreciate the deliberate pacing of Topic Time. No insane editing or rapid, disorienting effects, just good old charm. Whether Mr. Young intended this or not, his show pays beautiful homage to the golden years of talk shows. Carson, Griffin, etc. and I look forward to many more years of tuning in to Topic Time.