All posts by bryanbuser

Rush (1991)

rush movie posterI wish Jason Patric (Downloading Nancy, Sleepers) would have landed a leading role on a gritty premium cable detective show (think of a darker True Detective that spanned multiple seasons with the same cast). His two best roles are that of an undercover narcotics officer willing to bend the law for the greater good. The first is the underrated Narc, a 2002 film that paired him opposite Ray Liotta. Eleven years earlier, Lili Fini Zanuck’s Rush further defined him as one of the most talented up-and-coming actors, following leading roles in movies like The Lost BoysThe Beast, and After Dark, My Sweet.

Continue reading Rush (1991)

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

mission impossible dead reckoning part 1 movie posterIn a summer movie season that has seen the unlikely pairing of Oppenheimer and Barbie dominate the box office, two surefire franchises have found it a bit more difficult than anticipated to generate sales. While  Oppenheimer and Barbie have both faired well with critics and audiences, Christopher McQuarrie’s (The Way of the Gun, Jack ReacherMission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One has scored just as well, but whose box office revenue may have been slighted due to the Oppenheimer/Barbie dual release date two weeks after. It may have made the Mission Impossible franchise’s seventh movie out of sight, out of mind a little too quickly. Dead Reckoning Part One is a film that should be seen in the theater, which many will agree with. Saying that it is better than Oppenheimer and Barbie is an unpopular opinion but one that I believe to be true. The novelty of Oppenheimer and Barbie is undoubtedly an allure over the seventh installment of a franchise and is something I do understand and appreciate. However, as a whole, I found Dead Reckoning Part One to be far more entertaining and better executed.

Continue reading Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Oppenheimer (2023)

oppenheimer movie posterBarbieheimer, the crafty, endearing portmanteau of Barbie and Oppenheimer, the two biggest blockbusters of the summer, became mainstream weeks months before the dual-day release of each movie. Moviegoers flocked to the theaters in greater fashion than even 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. This ultra-successful and undeniably popular film has become universally accepted as bringing people back to theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic. Some would say that it saved movie theaters entirely. As someone who sees two, three, or sometimes even more movies in the theater in any given month, and often being one of a small handful of patrons, I am in that camp.

Continue reading Oppenheimer (2023)

Barbie (2023)

barbie movie posterSometimes when someone is describing a movie to someone who might be on the fence about it, they might say something like, “Yes, it’s a kids’ movie, but it’s made for adults. So much of the humor will go straight over a child’s head.” This rarely, if ever, works and can be a terrible tactic. Yet, here I find myself again writing a review for a movie that I knew I was not going to enjoy (though I knew I would see it regardless because of the hype, favorable review, and gnawing curiosity) under the pretense that the movie was made for me when it was not. However, that was not the half of it. With most animated films, children are likely to be entertained and understand the story, even if that story parallels an overarching story intended more to reach adults. Greta Gerwig’s (Lady Bird, Little WomenBarbie had all the shininess of Mattel’s most iconic toy and was often shot in such a simplistic way that it felt like it was perhaps aimed toward children, but this was not a kids’ movie. Its clever and ubiquitous marketing campaign seemed more interested in selling out as many theaters as possible for as long as possible before revealing its plot. It did work. The film grossed over $150 million domestically in its first three days. To the film’s credit, it was a PG-13 film, though I bought into the intrigue so much that I hadn’t even looked at the rating until I left the theater.

Continue reading Barbie (2023)

Zodiac (2007)

zodiac movie posterJake Gyllenhaal (NightcrawlerStronger) makes every movie he is in better than it would otherwise be, regardless of it it’s a great movie, a terrible movie, or anything in between. Director David Fincher (Se7en, The Social Network) doesn’t make bad films. With Gyllenhaal and Fincher together, along with an ensemble that includes Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 3, Natural Born Killers), Mark Ruffalo (FoxcatcherSpotlight), Anthony Edwards (Top Gun, NBC’s ER), Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Young Guns), Brian Cox, (The Ring, HBO’s Succession), and John Carroll Lynch (The Trial of the Chicago 7Jackie), Zodiac was bound for success. While the film connected on all fronts, it felt like it left something to be desired, though this would undoubtedly be true for anyone familiar with the story.

Continue reading Zodiac (2007)