fairbrother’s Film Reviews

201 Films have been rated or reviewed by fairbrother.

Onibaba (the Hole) (1964): Conjures a mesmerising atmosphere: of time, place, and (most remarkably) eroticism tinged with dread. Spooky stuff, indeed.
Lone Star (1996): Covering enormous ground at a leisurely pace, Lone Star is that rare treat: a film which, although effortlessly cinematic, manages the depth, scope, and chewy richness of a good novel. Sayles' writing (and casting) has seldom been better.
Food, Inc. (2008): Admirably well–intended, if a bit too "light" to take as seriously as, say, Fast Food Nation or Our Daily Bread (both well–worth seeing). Still interesting most of the way, with some alaraming facts and – best of all – tips about what we can do to help.
Shifty (2008): Though conventional, even in it's lo–fi "grittiness", Shifty has us invest in the characters (to the point I was yelling at them on–screen), and as such, had me hanging on the plot with baited breath. A worthy addition to the street–thriller genre.
Get Him to the Greek (2010): Can't believe I'm saying this, but: if only they had the Farrelly Brothers' panache... Brand's character is such a douchebag you hope he overdoses. Mocking pop–culture feels awfully rich when you're so clearly, ecstatically, in it's vacuous thrall.
Persepolis (2007): Though speficially Iranian (and specifically female), Satrapi's story expresses universal human–truths with such simple observation that it will resonate with anyone. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it left me floored; I couldn't have loved it more.
Network (1976): The kind of classic that, once seen, redefines your notion of a classic. Paddy Chayefsky's script is rightly regarded as one of the finest ever written – articulate, witty, observant, outrageous. Bleakly funny and more vital now than ever.
Sherlock Holmes (2009): To be fair, I didn't see the ending. So, who knows? It may, in the last act, have miraculously stopped being an insultingly dumb, obnoxiously smug, gratingly "stylised" feature–length commercial... But prob'ly not. I taste bile just thinking about it.
Inception (2010): An eye–popping, jaw–dropping spectacle founded on genuinely intriguing ideas. Ultra–slick production, slam–bang action, and a most curious ensemble. Comparisons with The Matrix are valid, but Inception has it beat hands–down on story and character.
Innocents, The (1961): As good a ghost (?) story as I've ever seen. Beautifully scored and photographed, elegantly menacing. It made my hair stand on end... and then, afterward, the implications sink in and it's haunting in an entirely other sense.

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fairbrother’s Film Reviews