Blog — 3 Brothers Film

TIFF21: Terrorizers

Ho Wi Ding’s provocative Taiwanese drama about loneliness and voyeurism clarifies its themes and narrative in startling fashion.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Festival CircuitAren BergstromSeptember 16, 2021Terrorizers, Taiwan, Ho Wi Ding, Natasha Sung, Austin Lin, Moon Lee, Annie Chen, JC Lin, Pipi Yin, Ning Ding, Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF21Comment

TIFF21: Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash

Despite its ridiculous title, Edwin’s Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash is more sedate arthouse picture than martial arts extravaganza.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Festival CircuitAren BergstromSeptember 14, 2021Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF21, Edwin, Vengeance Is Mine All Others Pay Cash, Eka Kurniawan, Marthino Lio, Ladya Cheryl, Sal Priadi, Reza Rahadian, Ratu FelishaComment

Review: The Green Knight (2021)

David Lowery’s adaptation of the Arthurian poem is a strange, bold, and bewitching act of revisionism.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: In TheatresAren BergstromSeptember 10, 2021The Green Knight, David Lowery, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Ralph Ineson, Barry Keoghan, Erin Kellyman, Kate DickieComment

Review: Candyman (1992)

Bernard Rose’s modern horror classic is a striking film with a memorable villain and a potent subconscious effect.

Aren's Reviews, Flash Back, ReviewsAren BergstromSeptember 1, 2021Candyman, Bernard Rose, Clive Barker, Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Vanessa Estelle Williams, Kasi Lemmons, DeJuan Guy, Gilbert Lewis, Carolyn Lowery Comment

Review: Don't Breathe 2 (2021)

Rodo Sayagues’ follow-up to the 2016 home invasion horror film is a surprisingly effective and nasty sequel.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: In TheatresAren BergstromAugust 30, 2021Don't Breathe 2, Rodo Sayagues, Fede Alvarez, Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, Madelyn GraceComment

Review: The Suicide Squad (2021)

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad plays like Guardians of the Galaxy with more violence and swearing.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: In TheatresAren BergstromAugust 16, 2021The Suicide Squad, James Gunn, DCEU, Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi.Comment

Review: Zola (2020)

A film as ironically distanced, and ultimately, disposable as a Twitter thread.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: In TheatresAren BergstromAugust 3, 2021Zola, Janicza Bravo, Jeremy O. Harris, Aziah Zola King, David Kushner, Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Ari'el Stachel, Colman DomingoComment

Review: Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021)

The conclusion of Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy comes undone due to its narrative structure.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: At HomeAren BergstromJuly 30, 2021Fear Street, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, Leigh Janiak, Phil Graziadei, Kate Trefry, R. L. Stine, Kiana Madeira, Ashley Zukerman, Gillian Jacobs, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Darrell Britt-GibsonComment

Review: Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021)

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is the best film in the trilogy due to its well constructed relationships and emotional storytelling.

Review: Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)

Fear Street Part One: 1994 plays like Stranger Things, but for teen fans of horror movies.

Review: No Sudden Move (2021)

In its best moments, No Sudden Move recalls the easygoing crime plotting of Elmore Leonard.

Review: F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

F9 escalates the series into the realm of pure spectacle and melodrama.

Review: Oxygen (2021)

Alexandre Aja’s confined-space thriller mines plenty of claustrophobic tension, but ultimately doesn’t trust the strength of its limited premise to hold the viewer’s interest.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: At HomeAren BergstromJune 30, 2021Oxygen, Netflix, Alexandre Aja, Christie LeBlanc, Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik ZidiComment

Review: Unhinged (2020)

Unhinged is a trashy exploitation flick that uses a bloated and creepy Russell Crowe to fuel its blunt-force thrills.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Current: At HomeAren BergstromJune 9, 2021Unhinged, Derrick Borte, Carl Ellsworth, Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson, Austin P. McKenzieComment

Review: The Fast and the Furious (2001)

This rip-off of Point Break still coasts on the fumes of Vin Diesel’s star power 20 years after its release.

Review: The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

Ida Lupino’s tense film noir anticipates later horror movies in its portrait of uncompromising evil.

Aren's Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, ReviewsAren BergstromMay 28, 2021The Hitch-Hiker, Ida Lupino, Collier Young, Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William TalmanComment

Review: The Woman in the Window (2021)

Joe Wright’s adaptation of the popular bestseller is baffling, cynical trash that wastes a good cast and crew.

Review: One False Move (1992)

Carl Franklin’s neo-noir is fast, tense, and quietly revealing about how people are and the way the world works.

Aren's Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, ReviewsAren BergstromMay 14, 2021One False Move, Carl Franklin, Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson, Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Michael Beach, Earl Billings, Jim MetzlerComment

Hot Docs 2021: Come Back Anytime

John Daschbach’s documentary about Masamoto Ueda and his ramen restaurant, Bizentei, is a gentle portrait of community.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, The Festival CircuitAren BergstromMay 6, 2021Hot Docs 2021, John Daschbach, Masamoto Ueda, Come Back AnytimeComment

Review: Seconds (1966)

John Frankenheimer’s Seconds deconstructs America in the 1960s and exposes the paranoia and anxieties bubbling under the surface of American culture.

Aren's Reviews, Reviews, Overlooked and Under-AppreciatedAren BergstromMay 3, 2021John Frankenheimer, Lewis John Carlino, David Ely, Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph, Will Geer, Jeff Corey, Richard Anderson, Murray Hamilton, Karl Swenson, Khigh Dhiegh, Frances Reid, SecondsComment