fairbrother’s Film Reviews

201 Films have been rated or reviewed by fairbrother.

Una (2016): Strong material. Strong leads. Frustrating direction: the play's built–in claustrophobia is diminished by over–filming and over–editing, presumably meant to make it "more cinematic", but ironically forestalling full engagement.
Seven Psychopaths (2012): If the whole is little more than a shaggy–dog joke, pitching "quirky" self–awareness with hard–to–take violence, its tough to deny that there are some inspired bits too – laughs–wise and shocks–wise – plus several wicked performances.
OJ: Made in America (TV Series) (2016): Aroview is on–the–money. This fulfills its "true crime" duties in spades and with a very even hand but, more impressive, uses that framework to dissect complex facets of American culture in a lucid, revealing manner. Unmissable.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The (1986): Hooper refuses to give his mid–Reagan–era audience the sequel they expected, instead giving them the the coked–up, cartoon horror movie they deserved: very sick, knowingly excessive, often hilarious. Dennis Hopper's even nuttier here than in Blue Velvet.
Reservoir Dogs (1992): A sort of Glengarry Glen Ross ala John Woo, this maybe immature, but it packs a bigger wallop than anything else Tarantino's made since: tense, shocking, hilarious. Terrific performances all round (indelible soundtrack, too).; DVD ~~$24.95~~ $18.70
Jackie Brown (1998): Tarantino's most grownup, underrated film: his sparkling hipster–jive is still here, but the violence is toned down, allowing real feeling to creep in among the banter (for once). Too long, for sure, but the cast make a meal of every scene.
Cheap Thrills (2013): How much is your dignity worth? Or a friendship? Or your pinky finger...? A premise like this could easily go awry but sharp writing, solid acting, and resourceful direction keep this one on track: scary, funny, and appallingly relevant.; DVD $29.95
Meet the Feebles (1990): More inspired homemade schlock from PJ & Co. A cheerfully dumb, disgusting comedy with kitschy–catchy songs, buckets of body fluids, and inter–species relationships ranging from adorable to abominable... The PC brigade have been warned!
Goodnight Mommy (Ich seh ich seh) (2014): You can see exactly where it's headed right from the first shot – so the "mystery and suspense" are mostly frustrating and, once it becomes outright horror, it's so cold it numbs instead of chilling. Worth it if you have the taste for Artsploitation.
Paterson (2016): Jarmusch still has the knack for saying everything with almost nothing: there's no conventional drama or comedy and yet the film feels spellbindingly perfect. A little miracle that, like a fine poem, treads softly but leaves indelible tracks.; DVD $29.95 | Blu-Ray $34.95

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fairbrother’s Film Reviews