Simon Brookfield, Author at We Got This Covered

Simon Brookfield

Simon Brookfield is staff writer and associate editor of We Got This Covered. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in business but is a huge film fan and writes movie news, features and reviews for this and other entertainment sites.

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The Stag Review

Trite, crude and often far removed from any semblance of reality, the guys-night-out-bachelor-party-dude-bro-road-trip-farce-flick, which stretches from White Castle to Vegas, has become a cliché in approach alone (though that's certainly not to arrogantly overlook the fact that there are still some gems to be found along that well traveled road). The Stag (also known as The Bachelor Weekend Stateside) certainly abides by certain conventions associated with this comedy subgenre, but more often than not it opts for earnestness over vulgarity and simplicity over bombast. It's an admirable decision to say the least, but if it works within its own targeted slice of cinema is another matter entirety.

The Best Offer Review

With so many would be subversive thrillers abandoning all sense towards their climax, instead opting for asinine twists that obliterate any goodwill built up from earlier acts, The Best Offer represents a rare instance where a bit of insanity would have been welcome. As it stands, this arthouse effort is an overlong, hollow lark that takes us on a journey with its damaged characters before resolving precisely as expected and with no resonant emotional element to help elevate it above the blandness.

Open Grave Review

A bleak and twisted “murder” mystery in the vein of Identity with the sensibilities of Saw, Open Grave delights in toying with the audience’s deductive prowess and is as much as a whodunit as it is a whyisit (hereby coined) presenting us, initially at least, with a simple setup which then quickly spirals into a surreal nightmare for all those involved. Strong performances from relative unknowns and up and comers, plenty of stomach churning imagery (made all the more hard hitting for our characters due to the fact it’s all shrouded in mystery) and revelations that emerge in an unforced manner, all make for an intense watch. The ironic downside to this bloody riddle is that it offers up so many tantalizing options for what will comprise its climax, the actual outcome (though strong) seems diluted against the crazy postulations that were swirling about my mind.

Birth Of The Living Dead Review

It’s not often one can trace back the origins of an entire genre to one body of work, let alone have that seminal entity still directly influence all its successors in one way or another. We can from time to time point out overt homages to a keystone effort or see themes and imagery blatantly stolen, but in the case of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, we’ve simply seen a genre organically (and sometimes brilliantly) evolve within the confines of the trendsetter’s mould.

Mr. Nobody Review

Strangely shelved after a very well received debut at Venice in 2009 at which it received the Golden Osella, Mr. Nobody is finally getting some semblance of an official release Stateside, and after taking on this heady sci-fi romance it’s now even more perplexing as to why it didn’t receive distribution much earlier. From writer-director Jaco Van Dormael, this winding, narratively fractured film strides a difficult line which divides the maudlin and the touching. While at times it descends into misguided grandiosity despite there being more than enough heft to be found in the material, Mr. Nobody will at the least leave you exhausted, if not ponderous, and at the most actively examining the mistakes of your past and promise of your future.

Blue Caprice Review

Those who demand easy answers in movies and clear cut motives from the characters will likely find Blue Caprice an unfulfilling and distant character study, one which centers on the Beltway Sniper attacks that left Washington paralyzed for three weeks in 2002. The brilliance of director Alexandre Moors' feature debut, in addition to quietly powerful performances from its two main leads, is that it offers no definite answers as to why this massacre transpired.

Jayne Mansfield’s Car Review

Despite an assemblage of some of the greatest working actors today, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, starring, written and directed by Billy Bob Thorton, is amid the most boring and tedious efforts in recent memory. In every vein it epitomizes the definition of the term: the characters are collectively uninteresting, underdeveloped or overwrought, the pacing mundane and unfocused and the dialogue so overstuffed and suffocating that it loses all meaning, a fate that the film as a whole suffers. There are glimpses of an interesting character study/dysfunctional family dynamic film buried somewhere within this period drama, but as it stands it’s insufferably valueless.

A Single Shot Review

David M. Rosenthal’s A Single Shot joins the ranks of some superior 2013 thrillers, the uniting factor being their complete grasp of a sense of place and time and their ability to unconditionally exploit their setting for the benefit of the story and characters. Mud, The Frozen Ground, Scenic Route and now this poetic backwoods chiller all place a compelling central character in a potentially life threatening ordeal and surrounds them with superior supporting players and executes their motives and actions with fluidity and respect. This year has so far seen a resurgence in this type of yarn – a stripped down, character based story that extracts its involving tenseness through simple actions, not bombast and explosions.

Following an extensive stint during the 1980’s and early 1990’s purveying iconic crime dramas – works that would all but define his career – Brian De Palma as of late seems infatuated with deeply seeded noir and twisting thrillers with a noticeable erotic leaning. Passion is his third late stage foray after both Femme Fatale and The Black Dhalia into this sordid world and while not as woefully misguided as that latter period effort, this remake of 2010 French film Crime d’amour is more laughable than thrilling. As the dunderheaded revelations pile up against its debauched backdrop, Passion plays out more like a made for television adaptation of an erotic novel than a riveting tale of corporate backstabbing and misplaced trust.

Scenic Route Review

Entombed by a nightmarish quality, Scenic Route finds two old friends stranded in Death Valley after their vehicle succumbs to the surroundings (and a misguided ploy by one of the duo). The strengths of this thriller, which embraces both psychological and more straightforward approaches to the genre, comes from many facets. Be it the potent performances from Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, strong writing from scribe Kyle Killen and a well realized vision of the setting and situation, Scenic Route offers no clear answers but what it does better than most is provide multiple outcomes that are equally compelling across the board. Even what I suppose could be considered the less probable conclusions explore themes even more complex that those of the “reasonable” variety.