Blog — 3 Brothers Film

Halloween Horror: The Fog (1980)

The Fog is a compelling mood piece, with atmospheric scares and great low-budget special effects.

Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Aren's Reviews, Halloween Horror IIAren BergstromOctober 6, 2020John Carpenter, The Fog, Debra Hill, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hal Holbrook, Janet LeighComment

Satoshi Kon: Millennium Actress (2001)

Millennium Actress is a beautiful examination of the relationships between actors and the movies they make, and viewers and the movies they watch.

Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Satoshi Kon, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromAugust 25, 2020Satoshi Kon Retrospective, Satoshi Kon, Millennium Actress, Sadayuki Murai, Miyoko Shoji, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa, Shozo Iizuka, Shoko Tsuda, Hirotaka Suzuoko, Hisako Kyoda, Koichi Yamadera, Masane TsukayamaComment

Review: The Walking Hills (1949)

John Sturges’ Western plays like a minor variation of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

Review: George Washington (2000)

Twenty years later, David Gordon Green’s debut feature George Washington remains a beautiful cinematic memory.

Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Reviews, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromJuly 7, 2020George Washington, David Gordon Green, Candace Evanofski, Curtis Cotton III, Donald Holden, Damian Jewan Lee, Rachael Handy, Paul Schneider, Eddie Rouse, Janet TaylorComment

Review: The Harder They Fall (1956)

Humphrey Bogart’s final film is a bruising noir and a chance to watch the titan of Old Hollywood spar with Rod Steiger, another acting icon.

Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Reviews, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromJune 24, 2020The Harder They Fall, Mark Robson, film noir, Philip Yordan, Budd Schulberg, Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling, Mike Lane Comment

Review: The Anderson Tapes (1971)

Sidney Lumet’s 1971 heist thriller starring Sean Connery is diverting genre fun that’s made more interesting through its experimental formal presentation.

Review: The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)

Before they made Wild Wild Country, Maclain and Chapman Way directed this winning documentary about the Portland Mavericks, an independent baseball team run by TV actor (and father of Kurt) Bing Russell.

Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromJune 3, 2020The Battered Bastards of Baseball, Maclain Way, Chapman Way, Portland Mavericks, Kurt Russell, Bing RussellComment

Review: Cemetery of Splendour (2015)

Joe’s 2015 feature captures the karmic drift between the waking and dreaming worlds.

Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromMay 6, 2020Cemetery of Splendour, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jenjira Pongpas, Banlop Lomnoi, Jarinpattra Rueangram, Petcharat ChaiburiComment

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Like an Expanded Universe novel, Solo opens up the Star Wars world in imaginative, if inessential, ways.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

The Star Wars anthology film Rogue One brings a focus to sacrifice, heroism, and the cost of war, with a rousing and entertaining exploration of the backstory to A New Hope.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

With his final film in the Star Wars saga, George Lucas creates a shocking, beautiful tragedy.

Reviews, Star Wars, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromDecember 5, 2019Star Wars Retrospective, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars, George Lucas, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Frank OzComment

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

A full appreciation of Attack of the Clones requires the upheaval of some established viewpoints on the film.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Twenty years after it launched the Prequel Trilogy, The Phantom Menace remains a pivotal film in both the Star Wars saga and the transformation of global film culture.

Halloween Horror: Christine (1983)

Christine finds John Carpenter working at the height of his formal powers, transforming a ridiculous concept into a thrilling film.

Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Aren's Reviews, Halloween Horror IIAren BergstromOctober 22, 2019Christine, John Carpenter, Bill Phillips, Stephen King, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, Harry Dean Stanton, Christine Belford, Robert BlossomComment

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Return of the Jedi is both a technological marvel and one of cinema’s most powerful redemption narratives.

Review: Kindergarten Cop (1990)

Kindergarten Cop is sentimental, but also a strong encapsulation of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s strengths as a performer.

Reviews, Overlooked and Under-Appreciated, Aren's ReviewsAren BergstromAugust 9, 2019Kindergarten Cop, Ivan Reitman, Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker, Arnold SchwarzeneggerComment

Review: Armageddon (1998)

While it is often dismissed as a prime example of bad, American action films, Michael Bay’s Armageddon is actually carefully constructed, developing its film style in service of a powerful work of American propaganda.