fairbrother’s Film Reviews

201 Films have been rated or reviewed by fairbrother.

Hell or High Water (2016): Exceptionally satisfying crime drama that delivers the requisite thrills with grit, wit, thematic depth, and emotional resonance. Bridges and Foster give especially fine performances. An unassuming bullseye.; DVD ~~$15~~ $11.25, $29.95 | Blu-Ray $34.95
Wind River (2017): The script is bow–taut and arrow–sharp, the acting understated but forthright. As a hybrid western/thriller, it's compelling, satisfying genre entertainment; as an expose of systemic injustice, it's clear–eyed and stirring.
Hereditary (2018): It's a genuinely scary occult tale but Hereditary's true power lies in its wrenching vision of that horror most horror films dare not touch: grief. Collette is astonishing – to say the rest of the cast hold their own is no small praise.
Peep Show (TV Series) (2003-2015): Despicably cynical, shamefully relatable, and utterly hilarious. You'll feel bad for laughing so hard.
Signs (2002): Gibson's presence maybe divisive, but Signs is so genuinely scary it feels like a new suspense classic... until the final five minutes, which collapse into such clumsy, insulting nonsense you wanna slap the screen. D'oh!
Drive (2011): Refn's emphatic stylization channels Michael Mann, Walter Hill, and Brian De Palma: if Tarantino told stories with pictures instead of dialogue, they might be like this. The result's a formal wet–dream, but so doggedly "cool" it starts to ring hollow.; DVD ~~$19.95~~ $14.95
Extract (2009): Televisual rather than cinematic, yes, but if you catch its droll wavelength it's very funny, sharply–acted (even Ben Affleck kills!), and (for a US sex comedy) refreshingly dry. Like Judge's other films, it gets funnier with repeat views.
Fight Club (1999): The taunting nihilism is brash but true to its subject: dangerously misguided machismo. The fierce cynicism and manic social angst are perhaps even more pertinent 20 years later. A flawed but phenomenal horror–comedy.
A Quiet Place (2018): An A–grade B–movie. Digital monsters notwithstanding, it's effectively old–fashioned, delivering suspense and chills with a cinematic confidence worthy of prime Spielberg. Well–acted, also, and not a second too long.; DVD ~~$15~~ $11.25
Aliens (1986): Like the original Alien, only hijacked by a Vietnam war flick. Cameron's nerve and verve pay off, fantastically: first half, all nervy build–up, second half, all thrills and spills. The pre–digital FX rock. A modern classic, surely?

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fairbrother’s Film Reviews