Capo
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Post by Capo on Jul 7, 2008 17:42:50 GMT
Brick Rian Johnson 2005 | USA A teenager in a world full of hardboiled slang infiltrates a drug ring to find out who killed his ex-girlfriend. Is this as original as has been suggested? Perhaps, but it has all the markings of a directorial debut even so: energetic, confident, ambitious, and full of wasted potential. Its rejuvenation of noir in a fresh mise-en-scène makes for an erratically thrilling film, full of interesting names but ultimately cardboard characters; it is as stylish as it is emotionally empty - a success, perhaps, were it not for its attempt at some deeper core, wrapped too heavily in its own street jargon to be appreciated.
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Capo
Administrator
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Post by Capo on Jul 7, 2008 17:43:26 GMT
Posted this to remind myself I need to re-watch it.
Any thoughts? Agree/disagree with mine? I feel I'll like it a great deal more next time.
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jrod
Ghost writer
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Post by jrod on Feb 21, 2009 0:12:11 GMT
Came here after being fairly disappointed with the preview for Rian Johnson's next effort The Brothers Bloom.
Anyways, Brick does have the problems Capo mentions (weak characters, emotionally empty), but I enjoyed the style enough for it to make up for all that. It is described as a blend of film noir and high school, admittedly a concept that sounds kinda tacky, but Johnson executes it well enough. The plot flows more or less like that of The Big Sleep....overly complex and made even more complicated by characters talking a mile a minute, but somehow working because of those things. The random slang was fun too. I wonder what Id think of it on a second viewing.
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Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 21, 2009 12:23:52 GMT
I really liked this movie. Many people bellitle it, but i found it a smart and original take on the hard boiled detective premise. In fac,t after watchign this movie, i though "why nobody though of this before?". After the fact, it all seems so obvious.
And this movies again proves what an interesting and talented actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is. If they are ever to bring the Joker back for the 3rd Nolan Batmovie, i hope they hire him for the role (he will be the same age when Ledger died came 2012).
As for the language in this movie, it's obvious the movie created it's own universe, the same way the older hard boiled novels did too. It's stylization, this movie just uses that stylization in it's sleeve. I found the dialogues interesting and different then the usual "teen talk" that plagues movies... and reality, for that matter. To see this teens talk a far more literary language was cool, instead of that pseudo-californian stuff the teens talk nowdays that makes them sound dumb just by opening their mouths (and yes, it also happened back in my days when i was a teen, which is why i have no nostalgia for those stupid teen years).
I dig the movie's ambition, i dig it tried a new angle on two well known genres, i dig it's style, and i dig the hell out of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This guy is quality.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Feb 22, 2009 12:25:17 GMT
Yeah, but WHAT DID YOU REALLLLLLLY THINK OF the moovy?
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Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 22, 2009 12:42:37 GMT
I liked it.
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Capo
Administrator
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Post by Capo on Feb 23, 2009 15:46:37 GMT
Yeah, but what did you REALLY think though?
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Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 23, 2009 17:23:51 GMT
I liked it.
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Capo
Administrator
Posts: 7,847
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Post by Capo on Feb 23, 2009 17:33:20 GMT
Yeah, but what did you REALLY think?
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Post by ronnierocketago on Feb 24, 2009 7:37:09 GMT
Yeah, but what did you REALLY think? How can someone name a movie after a brick? 2 hours of a brick sounds boring. ;D
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Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 24, 2009 10:46:51 GMT
Ronnie, i'm sure a talented director could make an exciting movie about people bricking! Could even excite the teens into the marvelous adventure of mansory.
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Post by Valenti on Feb 24, 2009 21:36:47 GMT
Ronnie, i'm sure a talented director could make an exiting movie about people bricking! LOL
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jrod
Ghost writer
Posts: 970
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Post by jrod on Feb 24, 2009 21:39:50 GMT
they have those
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Post by arkadyrenko on Feb 24, 2009 22:11:10 GMT
The barn building scene in THE WITNESS doesn't count. Oh wait, you are talking about THE MONEY PIT, right?
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