fairbrother’s Film Reviews

201 Films have been rated or reviewed by fairbrother.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (Mission Impossible 5) (2015): Utter nonsense, of course, but who wants realism from this franchise? Its slickly formulaic escapism with location–hopping, gadget–porn, and risible faux spy–speak to punctuate the OTT action scenes (as thrilling/hilarious here as ever).
Christmas (2003): Hell is a bach full of whanau. Technically crude but formally precise, with a strong non–pro cast, this portrait of festive misery is scarily resonant – and bold enough to play palpable despair as black deadpan comedy. An under–rated work of Kiwi cinema.; DVD ~~$29.95~~ $22.45
Macbeth (2015): The Scottish play breathes (gasps?) afresh under Kurzel's assured direction. An evocative score and beautifully downbeat cinematography work wonders but it's Fassbender and Cotillard's committed intensity that cuts deepest. Grim, gruelling, and grippin
Tangerine (2015): Raw and raucous, in style and content alike, but never cheap: for all its implicit topicality, the film treats Street People as Real People, not ciphers for social comment. Funny, with infectious performances, and one of 2015's best final scenes.; DVD ~~$20~~ $15
Funny Games (1997): Funny? Ha ha. Here academic detachment, with the odd stunning fourth–wall break, underlines our complicity in on–screen cruelty: we don't HAVE to watch, and yet... Pretentious, maybe, but distinctly bold and unsettling.
Miller's Crossing (1990): A top cast relish cock–eyed archetype roles; the plot is tight and knotty as a noose; plus every line of dialogue has enough old–fashioned snap, crackle, and pop for three movies. A rarefied movie pleasure.
Grand Piano (2013): Once you adjust to its particular (mock–Italian) flavour of popcorn, and so long as you don't take it too seriously, this is a really fun, and rather suspenseful, little thriller. Genre–fans, dig in.
Counselor, The (2013): What probably seemed rich on the page feels pompously heavy–handed on the screen, like a Pinter/Mamet wannabe with designer–violence and "meaningful" misogyny in place of cruel wit. A frustrating misfire but, as these things go, a notable one.
Saw (2004): Though initially gripping, the plot\'s ludicrous knots are ultimately grating. Shame the script wasn\'t a draft sharper because the low budget is very well–used. Performances range from decent (Whannell, Bell) to hammy (Elwes) to embarrassing (Glover)
Amour (2012): The two leads inhabit the material without a breath of overstatement. The director observes with a sensitivity that rejects sentiment and keeps key ambiguities intact to encourage debate. Profoundly moving, plainly brilliant.

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fairbrother’s Film Reviews