list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Brick on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Brick/256853/default.aspx Title: Brick
Year: 2006
Director: Rian Johnson
Plot: A tough-talking teen attempts to uncover his ex-girlfriend's killer in director Rian Johnson's hard-boiled high-school noir, told in the style of a Dashiell Hammett mystery. An outsider by nature, Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is forced to penetrate the elaborate ranks of the high-school social scene and its more insidious underbelly when the body of his former girlfriend Emily is found lying lifeless in a remote creek. Though the pair had been on the outs, Brendan can't seem to shake the hysterical phone call that he received from Emily the day before her body was discovered, a call in which she rattled off a number of cryptic words: "brick," "pin," "tug," "poor Frisco." He's determined to find the guilty party, and to do that he'll need to uncover the meaning behind her enigmatic phone call. From the highest-ranking athlete to the lowest-level burnout, no one is above suspicion of leaving her in that creek or putting her in the position to end up there. Brendan's skill for getting the right attention from the right people leads him to a local drug dealer of urban-legendary status (Lukas Haas), who walks with a cane and lives with his mother. As Brendan infiltrates the social and political web more deeply, his theory solidifies and each player's role becomes clear, from the shifty-eyed pot slinger to an upper-crust innocent who may well be a femme fatale. Brendan may soon be ready to make his case, even if it's too late for him to get out. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 135
Number of Lists: 93
Number of blog posts: 18
Number of discussion threads: 11
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:23:06 GMTBrick2006Rian JohnsonA tough-talking teen attempts to uncover his ex-girlfriend's killer in director <a href="/players/P___302822/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Rian Johnson</a>'s hard-boiled high-school noir, told in the style of a <a href="/players/P___187974/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dashiell Hammett</a> mystery. An outsider by nature, Brendan (<a href="/players/P____27836/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Joseph Gordon-Levitt</a>) is forced to penetrate the elaborate ranks of the high-school social scene and its more insidious underbelly when the body of his former girlfriend Emily is found lying lifeless in a remote creek. Though the pair had been on the outs, Brendan can't seem to shake the hysterical phone call that he received from Emily the day before her body was discovered, a call in which she rattled off a number of cryptic words: "brick," "pin," "tug," "poor Frisco." He's determined to find the guilty party, and to do that he'll need to uncover the meaning behind her enigmatic phone call. From the highest-ranking athlete to the lowest-level burnout, no one is above suspicion of leaving her in that creek or putting her in the position to end up there. Brendan's skill for getting the right attention from the right people leads him to a local drug dealer of urban-legendary status (<a href="/players/P____29440/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Lukas Haas</a>), who walks with a cane and lives with his mother. As Brendan infiltrates the social and political web more deeply, his theory solidifies and each player's role becomes clear, from the shifty-eyed pot slinger to an upper-crust innocent who may well be a femme fatale. Brendan may soon be ready to make his case, even if it's too late for him to get out. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide135Tag Target (>10)9318114http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t81581re2y3.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Brick/256853/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_July_13_Whodunit/625/43035/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/13/2009 8:23:06 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] Gosford Park is a great recent example of a whodunit. With such an amazing cast it definitely makes me miss Altman. What do you all think? [/quote] Gosford Park's one of my personal favorites. It was simply a great way to film a mystery. So much of the information you need to take in is constantly in the background. Here's a few more that came to mind: Deceiver was a good, not great whodunit style mystery with a really good performance by Tim Roth as an expert at telling lies. He is playing a very similar role on a new show that I can't remember the name of. The Spanish Prisoner is my favorite Mamet film. This one completely blew me away the first time I watched it and I really like to revisit it once every few years. Chinatown and Brick come to mind as a couple of good neo-noir mysteries with alotta flair. ( I try to make a Chinatown reference at least once a month) And who could forget Who Framed Roger Rabbit? P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-leeeeasse Eddie.. This movie reeks of cool.
]]>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:23:06 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme7/13/2009 8:23:06 PM[quote user="mercurial"] Gosford Park is a great recent example of a whodunit. With such an amazing cast it definitely makes me miss Altman. What do you all think? [/quote] Gosford Park's one of my personal favorites. It was simply a great way to film a mystery. So much of the information you need to take in is constantly in the background. Here's a few more that came to mind: Deceiver was a good, not great whodunit style mystery with a really good performance by Tim Roth as an expert at telling lies. He is playing a very similar role on a new show that I can't remember the name of. The Spanish Prisoner is my favorite Mamet film. This one completely blew me away the first time I watched it and I really like to revisit it once every few years. Chinatown and Brick come to mind as a couple of good neo-noir mysteries with alotta flair. ( I try to make a Chinatown reference at least once a month) And who could forget Who Framed Roger Rabbit? P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-leeeeasse Eddie.. This movie reeks of cool. http://www.spout.com/blogs/apulrang/archive/2009/4/25/41753.aspx Post By: apulrang
Post To: apulrang Blog
Post Date: 4/25/2009 1:31:35 PM
Body: Things I noticed on my tenth viewing of Brick: (with some help from a friend watching it for the first time) Brendan never actually tells Brain that he found Emily dead. And Brain never explicitly acknowledges the he understands this. Stoic as he is, Brendan doesn't seem upset enough at Emily's death, but his brief breakdown much later in the story makes up for this, and we instinctively know it's his grief over Emily's death. Is Brendan faking or exaggerating his injuries in order to mislead Laura or keep he off balance? On his way to the meeting at the flood runoff pipe, he staggers away, seemingly about to collapse. Then he suddenly straightens out and walks steadily and with purpose. I always thought we were seeing his mind's resolve overcome his body's breakdown in real time, but now I think he was faking it. One of the most sympathetic main characters, other than Brendan, turns out to be Emily's killer. This tipped me off to what should have been obvious all along. This is a true Noir film, in that it is very anti-woman. All of these guys are, to one degree or another, sympathetic, and they all come to grief or worse because of women who are either scheming or hapless. Still, Emily explains better than any true Noir the motivation behind at least her seemingly stupid behavior and decisions ... the cynicism of her Noir man drove her to it.
]]>Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:31:35 GMTapulrangapulrang Blog4/25/2009 1:31:35 PMThings I noticed on my tenth viewing of Brick: (with some help from a friend watching it for the first time) Brendan never actually tells Brain that he found Emily dead. And Brain never explicitly acknowledges the he understands this. Stoic as he is, Brendan doesn't seem upset enough at Emily's death, but his brief breakdown much later in the story makes up for this, and we instinctively know it's his grief over Emily's death. Is Brendan faking or exaggerating his injuries in order to mislead Laura or keep he off balance? On his way to the meeting at the flood runoff pipe, he staggers away, seemingly about to collapse. Then he suddenly straightens out and walks steadily and with purpose. I always thought we were seeing his mind's resolve overcome his body's breakdown in real time, but now I think he was faking it. One of the most sympathetic main characters, other than Brendan, turns out to be Emily's killer. This tipped me off to what should have been obvious all along. This is a true Noir film, in that it is very anti-woman. All of these guys are, to one degree or another, sympathetic, and they all come to grief or worse because of women who are either scheming or hapless. Still, Emily explains better than any true Noir the motivation behind at least her seemingly stupid behavior and decisions ... the cynicism of her Noir man drove her to it. http://www.spout.com/groups/Sundance/10_Worst_Sundance_Sensations/532/39566/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Sundance
Post Date: 1/15/2009 2:34:28 PM
Body: Reading Chris Campbell's 10 Worst Sundance Sensations is sort of like listening to someone bash your old friends. My affection for some of these films makes it hard to say whether I agree with any of his picks, which include Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, and Brick. I can't argue with someone who says Napoleon Dynamite isn't funny, but I will argue with Chris when he says "Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny." I don't mean to sound like a philosophy undergrad, but you asked for it, Chris: what is "funny"? He made me smile when he called Garden State a "homecoming of age" movie that spawned a hundred like it. Get this, though: "Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest." Obviously Chris knows a lot of talented idiots. I appreciated his writing about Brick, especially the part where he says "Who wouldn't rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?" Then I thought, 'I liked Brick. I thought it was gritty and exciting. How is Chris changing my mind when he's not even explaining why the movie is bad?' But maybe Chris's oldest selections are a good indicator of his judgment? I haven't seen Boxing Helena (1993) or The Brothers McMullen (1995), and I didn't even know Ed Burns was a writer/director! One of my coworkers just told me Burns was a really 'in vogue' filmmaker for a while. What do you guys think, are Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), and Zack Braff along the same lines? In another ten years, will people be saying, "I didn't know Zack Braff was a writer/director!"
]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:34:28 GMTSkyPilotSundance1/15/2009 2:34:28 PMReading Chris Campbell's 10 Worst Sundance Sensations is sort of like listening to someone bash your old friends. My affection for some of these films makes it hard to say whether I agree with any of his picks, which include Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, and Brick. I can't argue with someone who says Napoleon Dynamite isn't funny, but I will argue with Chris when he says "Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny." I don't mean to sound like a philosophy undergrad, but you asked for it, Chris: what is "funny"? He made me smile when he called Garden State a "homecoming of age" movie that spawned a hundred like it. Get this, though: "Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest." Obviously Chris knows a lot of talented idiots. I appreciated his writing about Brick, especially the part where he says "Who wouldn't rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?" Then I thought, 'I liked Brick. I thought it was gritty and exciting. How is Chris changing my mind when he's not even explaining why the movie is bad?' But maybe Chris's oldest selections are a good indicator of his judgment? I haven't seen Boxing Helena (1993) or The Brothers McMullen (1995), and I didn't even know Ed Burns was a writer/director! One of my coworkers just told me Burns was a really 'in vogue' filmmaker for a while. What do you guys think, are Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), and Zack Braff along the same lines? In another ten years, will people be saying, "I didn't know Zack Braff was a writer/director!" http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/13/39472.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/13/2009 5:01:36 PM
Body: Getting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about? It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad. 10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere) When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers? 9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere) Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film. 8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere) While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums. 7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere) 2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff. 6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere) Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least. 5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere) It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself. 4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere) One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years. 3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere) Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase. 2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere) It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented. 1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere) Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:01:36 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/13/2009 5:01:36 PMGetting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about? It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad. 10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere) When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers? 9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere) Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film. 8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere) While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums. 7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere) 2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff. 6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere) Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least. 5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere) It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself. 4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere) One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years. 3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere) Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase. 2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere) It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented. 1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere) Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_December_1_The_Anti_Hero/625/37830/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 12/1/2008 9:30:22 PM
Body: Great theme Leeroy! The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal Lector Sick, perverse yet you can't help rooting for him to get out of prison. A Clockwork Orange - Alex DeLarge Again, sick and perverse but you're still rooting for the bastard. The Professional - Leon Minimalist. Botanist. Cold-blooded killer. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Max You thought he wasn't gonna help those aboriginal kids, didn't you! Natural Born Killers - Mickey & Mallory Knox Bring on the arguments, but I loved this cute little couple. Kill Bill - Beatrix Kiddo Trained assassin that shows (almost) no mercy. Great female anti-hero. Pitch Black - Riddick Great role for Vin Diesel. He barely spoke the entire film. Constantine - John Constantine Smoker. Sinner. Blasphemer. Suicidal. But still cool a pretty cool guy. Hellboy - Anung un Rama, The Beast of the Apocalypse Again, smoker, blasphemer, jerk. But really nice to pyrokinetics, cats and the occasional human baby. From Dusk Till Dawn - Seth Gecko Mass murderer. Kidnapper. Bank Robber. But we all still think he's badass. Even if it is George Clooney. Brick - Brenden Frye Loner. Plays rough with the ladies. Blackmailer. Smart little hard-boiled detective. Point of No Return - Maggie Hayward Druggie. Runaway. B*#$h. But really likable towards the end. The Fifth Element - Korben Dallas Complete a*&#@le but does good and gets the alien chick. The Crow - Eric Draven Goth freak vigilante revenant (?) serial killer. But the good kind. Fight Club - Tyler Durden Thief. Terrorist. Womanizer. Soap Maker. Made every straight man just a little gay with his abnormally perfect abdominal muscles. The Boondock Saints - Connor & Murphy McManus Blah. Blah. Murderers. Blah. Blah. Alcoholics. Blah. Blah. Inspirational Vigilantes. Sin City - Marv Brutish ogre with a soft spot for big breasted woman.
]]>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:30:22 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme12/1/2008 9:30:22 PMGreat theme Leeroy! The Silence of the Lambs - Hannibal Lector Sick, perverse yet you can't help rooting for him to get out of prison. A Clockwork Orange - Alex DeLarge Again, sick and perverse but you're still rooting for the bastard. The Professional - Leon Minimalist. Botanist. Cold-blooded killer. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Max You thought he wasn't gonna help those aboriginal kids, didn't you! Natural Born Killers - Mickey &amp; Mallory Knox Bring on the arguments, but I loved this cute little couple. Kill Bill - Beatrix Kiddo Trained assassin that shows (almost) no mercy. Great female anti-hero. Pitch Black - Riddick Great role for Vin Diesel. He barely spoke the entire film. Constantine - John Constantine Smoker. Sinner. Blasphemer. Suicidal. But still cool a pretty cool guy. Hellboy - Anung un Rama, The Beast of the Apocalypse Again, smoker, blasphemer, jerk. But really nice to pyrokinetics, cats and the occasional human baby. From Dusk Till Dawn - Seth Gecko Mass murderer. Kidnapper. Bank Robber. But we all still think he's badass. Even if it is George Clooney. Brick - Brenden Frye Loner. Plays rough with the ladies. Blackmailer. Smart little hard-boiled detective. Point of No Return - Maggie Hayward Druggie. Runaway. B*#$h. But really likable towards the end. The Fifth Element - Korben Dallas Complete a*&amp;#@le but does good and gets the alien chick. The Crow - Eric Draven Goth freak vigilante revenant (?) serial killer. But the good kind. Fight Club - Tyler Durden Thief. Terrorist. Womanizer. Soap Maker. Made every straight man just a little gay with his abnormally perfect abdominal muscles. The Boondock Saints - Connor &amp; Murphy McManus Blah. Blah. Murderers. Blah. Blah. Alcoholics. Blah. Blah. Inspirational Vigilantes. Sin City - Marv Brutish ogre with a soft spot for big breasted woman. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/24/35514.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/24/2008 7:01:15 PM
Body: Fantastic Fest is hosting four “Secret Screenings” of movies that haven’t been released yet, and the first one unspooled last night to a theater full of people who had no idea what they were about to see. Rian Johnson was in town with a print of his movie The Brothers Bloom, and one lucky audience got to see it several months early. It’s hard to watch Bloom and not think about the world that Wes Anderson’s films inhabit. Places where people travel by steamship, are always immaculately dressed, and consist of extreme caricatures. Johnson’s first feature Brick had that quality, and The Brothers Bloom has it in spades. It’s a fantasy world that Johnson himself probably wouldn’t mind living in, and I’m sure he’d have a fair share of people willing to follow him. At least one theater full of people last night wouldn’t have minded. Bloom is the story of two brothers, Bloom and Stephen, who bounce from house to house as foster children while cooking up elaborate confidence schemes to line their pockets with. In one of their first successes, they lure the local children to a mud-drenched cave in search of a fairy. Although they are found out and lose the admission ticket cash, they’d previously set up a profit-sharing percentage with the local drycleaner. What makes these cons work so well are Stephen’s elaborate plans, which often involve hand-drawn flowcharts and maps, and Bloom always serves as his central hook. As a result, Bloom is often the central face of these cons, and it keeps him from getting the girl, and he’s playing puppet to his older brother’s machinations. Throughout the opening scenes, when the brothers are young, con-artist expert and cardsharp extraordinaire Ricky Jay provides the narration. When we see the brothers again, they’ve aged through the miracle of movie magic into Brody and Ruffalo, and they’ve been joined by a silent third partner, Bang Bang, played by Rinko Kikuchi from Babel. By then they’ve been working the con circuit for years, and have become fairly successful at it. However, Bloom has become more and more melancholy, and longs for “an unwritten life,” meaning one where his brother hasn’t scripted everything out for him. He wants out of the con business so he can set out on his own. The only problem is, once Stephen grants him this wish, he winds up drunk and running low on cash. Stephen has no trouble finding him, and he lures him back for “one last con and then you’re out.” Bloom agrees, but the problem is that the he falls for the next mark, eccentric millionaire Penelope (played by Rachel Weisz) and despite his efforts to remain aloof, it throws a monkey wrench into the works. Especially once she discovers that they are con men and she wants to be one as well. That’s where the bulk of the movie takes place. The only problem with movies about cons, like House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner and even The Sting, is that you’re not quite sure what to believe, because in the end almost everything has been part of the con. Bloom is no different, and at times you realize that you’ve known what was going to happen all along, but it still holds one sad secret in surprise at the very end of the film. At least, it looks like a surprise. It’s doubtful there will ever be a The Brothers Bloom 2: Bloomin’ Onion or anything, but if there is…you won’t be caught off-guard. I have to admit that I’m not the biggest Adrien Brody fan on the planet, but he manages to charm in his role as the depressed Bloom, and Rachel Weisz somehow finds an entirely untapped well of oddness within her psyche that was probably hinted at back when her librarian character got drunk in The Mummy. She’s disarmingly approachable as a sad and lonely heiress. Ruffalo is cheerily robust in her role as the the ringmaster of all the cons and maintains a huge smile throughout the movie, but it’s really Rinko Kikuchi who owns this film. Her mute Bang Bang character is not only gorgeous, but she manages to convey more by not speaking than most actors can with a three-page monologue. Rounding out the cast is Robbie Coltrane as a co-conspirator who joins their long con, although Johnson had originally wanted Ricky Jay for this role, and Bob Dylan as the narrator. When he couldn’t get Jay because of scheduling issues, he got him to narrate instead and decided that worked out well because he didn’t know how he could possibly direct Dylan. Dylan’s participation probably wouldn’t have really affected the film that much, but Ricky Jay is honestly a perfect choice in the role of The Curator. Not that Coltrane didn’t do a good job, but given Jay’s obsession and earnest love for confidence games, it would have been great to see what he could have done with the part. While Bloom doesn’t carve new cinematic ground, it does create a new fantasy world for the art of the con game, and it remains buoyed by earnest performances throughout. While some reviewers have complained that it feels a bit too long in the middle, I could have easily watched another half hour, because I wanted to remain in that world just a bit longer. Bloom opens on January 19th. Hopefully it won’t get lost in the post-Christmas/pre-Sundance dead zone for movies. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:01:15 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/24/2008 7:01:15 PM Fantastic Fest is hosting four “Secret Screenings” of movies that haven’t been released yet, and the first one unspooled last night to a theater full of people who had no idea what they were about to see. Rian Johnson was in town with a print of his movie The Brothers Bloom, and one lucky audience got to see it several months early. It’s hard to watch Bloom and not think about the world that Wes Anderson’s films inhabit. Places where people travel by steamship, are always immaculately dressed, and consist of extreme caricatures. Johnson’s first feature Brick had that quality, and The Brothers Bloom has it in spades. It’s a fantasy world that Johnson himself probably wouldn’t mind living in, and I’m sure he’d have a fair share of people willing to follow him. At least one theater full of people last night wouldn’t have minded. Bloom is the story of two brothers, Bloom and Stephen, who bounce from house to house as foster children while cooking up elaborate confidence schemes to line their pockets with. In one of their first successes, they lure the local children to a mud-drenched cave in search of a fairy. Although they are found out and lose the admission ticket cash, they’d previously set up a profit-sharing percentage with the local drycleaner. What makes these cons work so well are Stephen’s elaborate plans, which often involve hand-drawn flowcharts and maps, and Bloom always serves as his central hook. As a result, Bloom is often the central face of these cons, and it keeps him from getting the girl, and he’s playing puppet to his older brother’s machinations. Throughout the opening scenes, when the brothers are young, con-artist expert and cardsharp extraordinaire Ricky Jay provides the narration. When we see the brothers again, they’ve aged through the miracle of movie magic into Brody and Ruffalo, and they’ve been joined by a silent third partner, Bang Bang, played by Rinko Kikuchi from Babel. By then they’ve been working the con circuit for years, and have become fairly successful at it. However, Bloom has become more and more melancholy, and longs for “an unwritten life,” meaning one where his brother hasn’t scripted everything out for him. He wants out of the con business so he can set out on his own. The only problem is, once Stephen grants him this wish, he winds up drunk and running low on cash. Stephen has no trouble finding him, and he lures him back for “one last con and then you’re out.” Bloom agrees, but the problem is that the he falls for the next mark, eccentric millionaire Penelope (played by Rachel Weisz) and despite his efforts to remain aloof, it throws a monkey wrench into the works. Especially once she discovers that they are con men and she wants to be one as well. That’s where the bulk of the movie takes place. The only problem with movies about cons, like House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner and even The Sting, is that you’re not quite sure what to believe, because in the end almost everything has been part of the con. Bloom is no different, and at times you realize that you’ve known what was going to happen all along, but it still holds one sad secret in surprise at the very end of the film. At least, it looks like a surprise. It’s doubtful there will ever be a The Brothers Bloom 2: Bloomin’ Onion or anything, but if there is…you won’t be caught off-guard. I have to admit that I’m not the biggest Adrien Brody fan on the planet, but he manages to charm in his role as the depressed Bloom, and Rachel Weisz somehow finds an entirely untapped well of oddness within her psyche that was probably hinted at back when her librarian character got drunk in The Mummy. She’s disarmingly approachable as a sad and lonely heiress. Ruffalo is cheerily robust in her role as the the ringmaster of all the cons and maintains a huge smile throughout the movie, but it’s really Rinko Kikuchi who owns this film. Her mute Bang Bang character is not only gorgeous, but she manages to convey more by not speaking than most actors can with a three-page monologue. Rounding out the cast is Robbie Coltrane as a co-conspirator who joins their long con, although Johnson had originally wanted Ricky Jay for this role, and Bob Dylan as the narrator. When he couldn’t get Jay because of scheduling issues, he got him to narrate instead and decided that worked out well because he didn’t know how he could possibly direct Dylan. Dylan’s participation probably wouldn’t have really affected the film that much, but Ricky Jay is honestly a perfect choice in the role of The Curator. Not that Coltrane didn’t do a good job, but given Jay’s obsession and earnest love for confidence games, it would have been great to see what he could have done with the part. While Bloom doesn’t carve new cinematic ground, it does create a new fantasy world for the art of the con game, and it remains buoyed by earnest performances throughout. While some reviewers have complained that it feels a bit too long in the middle, I could have easily watched another half hour, because I wanted to remain in that world just a bit longer. Bloom opens on January 19th. Hopefully it won’t get lost in the post-Christmas/pre-Sundance dead zone for movies. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/18/35271.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/18/2008 11:00:56 AM
Body: Rian Johnson is the director of the innovative modern-day film noir Brick, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and The Brothers Bloom is his impressive followup. While Brick is certainly set in a world of its own, with everyone in a contemporary high school speaking in 30s and 40s detective-speak, The Brothers Bloom takes place in a fantasy world chock full of steamships, fancy cars, and mysterious settings. He gets impressive performances out of Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz reinvents herself nicely, and Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi is terrific with an extremely tiny amount of dialogue. It’s well worth seeing when it comes out in January. I sat down with Rian in Toronto and he told me about writing a part for Bob Dylan, his feelings about being compared to Wes Anderson, and his next project: a dark science fiction movie called Looper. Well, I want to start off, I was a huge champion of Brick at Sundance. Oh, cool. Thank you. We actually had a big debate after the film when we were having lunch. Most of the people we were with were like, “At the very end she leans over and whispers a word in his ear. She didn’t say anything that we could hear, right?” And I’m like, “No, she said motherfucker.” Right. And we saw you afterward and I went up and asked you, and you said, “No, she says motherfucker.” [laughs] I was wondering. Do a lot of people have that reaction, or did you guys think about dialing that down on the soundtrack? Yeah. I wanted it to be up on there so that you could hear it but you couldn’t. It’s probably more accurately represented on DVD actually in terms of the exact balance. But of course at screenings, I had like told myself, if people ask, I won’t tell. But of course I’m such a pussy when people come up and ask. Well, I was glad to know, because it was one of those things that would eat away at you. Yeah, yeah. If you crank it up on the DVD, you can hear it pretty clearly. I think, yeah. And I always thought that people would be able to hear it. But there you go. OK, good to know. Well, there you go. Mystery solved. [Editor’s note: In both the screenplay and the novella of the film, that moment reads like this – She brings her head to his, puts her lips to his ear, breathes warm breath, and says two words. The first is Mother- the second is low, guttural and lost to the whistling wind. She turns and walks briskly away. So maybe that was his original intention. At any rate, you know what it is in the movie now.] What inspired you to make The Brothers Bloom? I read the short poem you had written. That sort of was the beginning genesis of the film? Yeah, I wrote that before I wrote most of the rest of the script. I wrote that and then it was a while before I came back to it and wrote the rest of it. I guess it started with con man movies. That’s one of my favorite genres and the idea of doing something in that world appealed to me. But then what got me really going on it was the challenge of doing a character-based con man movie, or specifically a con man movie with a love story in it. Just because as a fan of con man movies and as an audience member, you come into them with such a specific expectation. The thing that kind of defines success in the con man movie, typically, is whether you get fooled at the end, which is typically a question of who fucks over who in the end. And you may be surprised by that, but it’s a surprise that you expect to have. So for me, the challenge or the marching orders, the thing that kind of got me excited, was can you do a con man movie where the audience knows coming in that they can’t trust anyone and thus can’t emotionally invest in them? Can you make that the actual issue at stake? Can you make that the main character’s main problem, have the audience identify with him, and then have some emotional stakes in it? And have the end twist misdirect a little, so you think the end twist is about the plot, but actually have the real twist in the end be an emotional payoff. That was kind of the thing that got me rolling on it, kind of the emphasis. And then for me, it very much also became about story telling, and how story telling works for good and for ill in our lives I guess. I subscribe to that Criterion newsletter. They came to you last year I think and asked what are some of your top films? Oh, yeah, yeah. I think House of Games, was that on your list? It was mentioned in the same email. Yeah, I think they were just about to put out the House of Games thing, which is a great disc. Did you get that? Yeah I bought that, you bet. The commentary is actually really fun. It’s fantastic. Yeah, it’s great. Is that that how you got Ricky Jay involved? No, I had been a fan of Ricky’s for years and years and years actually. Kind of an embarrassingly big fan actually. And just as like a little geeky hobby, I mess around with card stuff, mostly because of being a Ricky Jay fan. And actually it’s weird; one of my very best friends from college was Ricky’s assistant for years. And so there was always this strange thing when I hung out with my friend, because he knew I was a big fan of Ricky’s. And so there was that strange neither of us brought it up thing for years. But then actually at some point, I forget when it happened, but I was able to meet Ricky through him. We got to know each other a little bit. I actually wrote a part in this movie, originally the Robbie Coltrane part in for Ricky. But he couldn’t come out there for it, and we were lucky enough to get Robbie for it. Yeah, he was great in that role. Yeah. Yeah, he did a good job. Our initial idea was to try and get Bob Dylan to do the opening narration actually. Wow, what happened? I realized there’s no way I could have directed that, you know what I mean? Who knows what we would have gotten. Sure. So, I was really happy. I was initially a little reticent just because of the whole Magnolia thing. But at the end of the day, it’s such a different thing. It’s such a different movie. And it just made so much sense to have Ricky’s fingerprint on this movie somehow. He’s got such a great voice too. Yeah, totally. The role of Bang Bang, I’ve never seen an actress do so much with so little. She has maybe one full line of dialogue if you add it all together. Right, right, right. How much of that was her look and what the actress brought to the role? Well, that was exactly what I was kind of terrified with in going to actresses, is the fact that on the page it looks like there’s nothing there, you know? Whereas in my mind it was always actually a really substantial character in the movie. It was just a nonverbal character, which for me, that’s one of the things I was specifically really excited about with the movie is creating a nonverbal performance, finding someone who was into that. Besides Harpo Marx and being a big Marx Brothers movie fan, I had been going to see… there’s a show called “Snowshow” in New York that was put on by this troupe of clowns led by Slava who was very famous over in Russia. Actually Joseph Gordon Levitt was the one who got me into it. He’s friends with all those guys. Nonverbal performance in terms of clowning is really respected as an art form over there. And there’s so much that can be done with it. When I met Rinko, she was genuinely excited about creating a character without words, not seeing it as well I guess I’ll do the best I can with this, or not seeing it as why aren’t I in this script? Where are all my lines? But having the same perspective I did on it, which is that it’s an opportunity to do something truly unique. And the fact that there’s so much talking in there, and there’s so many words in there, I think actually makes her pop out more, because I think her silence is much louder than another line would be. You know? As a writer also, it was a good exercise, because the temptation and one of the things I think I’m trying to learn as a writer is you immediately want to put everything into words. You immediately want to say everything. So what was written, like a lot of stage directions for her? Not even a ton, because it would have ended up being like a 160 page script if I had written all of that. So I kind of had to sit Rinko down and explain to her how present she was going to be, how whenever the audience was unsure about how to feel about a scene, I wanted their eyes to go straight to Bang Bang. You know? She was the all knowing, all seeing eye. Yeah, and someone delivered one of the funniest lines in the film to her. The guy was like, “I’m really into anime.” Yeah, that’s our producer, Ram Bergman. That was very funny. So the look of the film is so amazing. A lot of  times when we were discussing it afterward, we kept saying, and this is not meant to be a sleight at all, it feels like a Wes Anderson sort of film. I’m sure you must have heard that comparison. Yeah. Yeah. How do you feel about that comparison? It’s not bad company to be in, but at the same time, you also want to have your own movie. Well, I think it’s…Yeah I’m a big Wes Anderson fan, and I’m very flattered by the comparison. At the same time, I think if you take a good look at the movie and a good look at his movies, they’re obviously very different. And I know that the creation of it, for me, wasn’t from any sort of place of imitation of him. I wasn’t looking at his movies and trying to do that. I think it’s coming right out of a movie, it’s always the quickest and easiest way to describe it is comparing it to another movie, I think. But the quickest way of doing something is not always the most accurate, and I think. I don’t know. The comparison is very flattering I guess. So what’s next? What are you going to be doing? A science fiction movie I’m actually writing right now. Really? Yeah, it’s a really dark, very different than Bloom, very dark, very violent, actually, science fiction movie called Looper. It’s a completely different world and I’m really excited about chewing on it. Great, well I can’t wait to see that eventually. Good luck with all of it. Thanks, thank you very much. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:00:56 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/18/2008 11:00:56 AM Rian Johnson is the director of the innovative modern-day film noir Brick, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, and The Brothers Bloom is his impressive followup. While Brick is certainly set in a world of its own, with everyone in a contemporary high school speaking in 30s and 40s detective-speak, The Brothers Bloom takes place in a fantasy world chock full of steamships, fancy cars, and mysterious settings. He gets impressive performances out of Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz reinvents herself nicely, and Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi is terrific with an extremely tiny amount of dialogue. It’s well worth seeing when it comes out in January. I sat down with Rian in Toronto and he told me about writing a part for Bob Dylan, his feelings about being compared to Wes Anderson, and his next project: a dark science fiction movie called Looper. Well, I want to start off, I was a huge champion of Brick at Sundance. Oh, cool. Thank you. We actually had a big debate after the film when we were having lunch. Most of the people we were with were like, “At the very end she leans over and whispers a word in his ear. She didn’t say anything that we could hear, right?” And I’m like, “No, she said motherfucker.” Right. And we saw you afterward and I went up and asked you, and you said, “No, she says motherfucker.” [laughs] I was wondering. Do a lot of people have that reaction, or did you guys think about dialing that down on the soundtrack? Yeah. I wanted it to be up on there so that you could hear it but you couldn’t. It’s probably more accurately represented on DVD actually in terms of the exact balance. But of course at screenings, I had like told myself, if people ask, I won’t tell. But of course I’m such a pussy when people come up and ask. Well, I was glad to know, because it was one of those things that would eat away at you. Yeah, yeah. If you crank it up on the DVD, you can hear it pretty clearly. I think, yeah. And I always thought that people would be able to hear it. But there you go. OK, good to know. Well, there you go. Mystery solved. [Editor’s note: In both the screenplay and the novella of the film, that moment reads like this – She brings her head to his, puts her lips to his ear, breathes warm breath, and says two words. The first is Mother- the second is low, guttural and lost to the whistling wind. She turns and walks briskly away. So maybe that was his original intention. At any rate, you know what it is in the movie now.] What inspired you to make The Brothers Bloom? I read the short poem you had written. That sort of was the beginning genesis of the film? Yeah, I wrote that before I wrote most of the rest of the script. I wrote that and then it was a while before I came back to it and wrote the rest of it. I guess it started with con man movies. That’s one of my favorite genres and the idea of doing something in that world appealed to me. But then what got me really going on it was the challenge of doing a character-based con man movie, or specifically a con man movie with a love story in it. Just because as a fan of con man movies and as an audience member, you come into them with such a specific expectation. The thing that kind of defines success in the con man movie, typically, is whether you get fooled at the end, which is typically a question of who fucks over who in the end. And you may be surprised by that, but it’s a surprise that you expect to have. So for me, the challenge or the marching orders, the thing that kind of got me excited, was can you do a con man movie where the audience knows coming in that they can’t trust anyone and thus can’t emotionally invest in them? Can you make that the actual issue at stake? Can you make that the main character’s main problem, have the audience identify with him, and then have some emotional stakes in it? And have the end twist misdirect a little, so you think the end twist is about the plot, but actually have the real twist in the end be an emotional payoff. That was kind of the thing that got me rolling on it, kind of the emphasis. And then for me, it very much also became about story telling, and how story telling works for good and for ill in our lives I guess. I subscribe to that Criterion newsletter. They came to you last year I think and asked what are some of your top films? Oh, yeah, yeah. I think House of Games, was that on your list? It was mentioned in the same email. Yeah, I think they were just about to put out the House of Games thing, which is a great disc. Did you get that? Yeah I bought that, you bet. The commentary is actually really fun. It’s fantastic. Yeah, it’s great. Is that that how you got Ricky Jay involved? No, I had been a fan of Ricky’s for years and years and years actually. Kind of an embarrassingly big fan actually. And just as like a little geeky hobby, I mess around with card stuff, mostly because of being a Ricky Jay fan. And actually it’s weird; one of my very best friends from college was Ricky’s assistant for years. And so there was always this strange thing when I hung out with my friend, because he knew I was a big fan of Ricky’s. And so there was that strange neither of us brought it up thing for years. But then actually at some point, I forget when it happened, but I was able to meet Ricky through him. We got to know each other a little bit. I actually wrote a part in this movie, originally the Robbie Coltrane part in for Ricky. But he couldn’t come out there for it, and we were lucky enough to get Robbie for it. Yeah, he was great in that role. Yeah. Yeah, he did a good job. Our initial idea was to try and get Bob Dylan to do the opening narration actually. Wow, what happened? I realized there’s no way I could have directed that, you know what I mean? Who knows what we would have gotten. Sure. So, I was really happy. I was initially a little reticent just because of the whole Magnolia thing. But at the end of the day, it’s such a different thing. It’s such a different movie. And it just made so much sense to have Ricky’s fingerprint on this movie somehow. He’s got such a great voice too. Yeah, totally. The role of Bang Bang, I’ve never seen an actress do so much with so little. She has maybe one full line of dialogue if you add it all together. Right, right, right. How much of that was her look and what the actress brought to the role? Well, that was exactly what I was kind of terrified with in going to actresses, is the fact that on the page it looks like there’s nothing there, you know? Whereas in my mind it was always actually a really substantial character in the movie. It was just a nonverbal character, which for me, that’s one of the things I was specifically really excited about with the movie is creating a nonverbal performance, finding someone who was into that. Besides Harpo Marx and being a big Marx Brothers movie fan, I had been going to see… there’s a show called “Snowshow” in New York that was put on by this troupe of clowns led by Slava who was very famous over in Russia. Actually Joseph Gordon Levitt was the one who got me into it. He’s friends with all those guys. Nonverbal performance in terms of clowning is really respected as an art form over there. And there’s so much that can be done with it. When I met Rinko, she was genuinely excited about creating a character without words, not seeing it as well I guess I’ll do the best I can with this, or not seeing it as why aren’t I in this script? Where are all my lines? But having the same perspective I did on it, which is that it’s an opportunity to do something truly unique. And the fact that there’s so much talking in there, and there’s so many words in there, I think actually makes her pop out more, because I think her silence is much louder than another line would be. You know? As a writer also, it was a good exercise, because the temptation and one of the things I think I’m trying to learn as a writer is you immediately want to put everything into words. You immediately want to say everything. So what was written, like a lot of stage directions for her? Not even a ton, because it would have ended up being like a 160 page script if I had written all of that. So I kind of had to sit Rinko down and explain to her how present she was going to be, how whenever the audience was unsure about how to feel about a scene, I wanted their eyes to go straight to Bang Bang. You know? She was the all knowing, all seeing eye. Yeah, and someone delivered one of the funniest lines in the film to her. The guy was like, “I’m really into anime.” Yeah, that’s our producer, Ram Bergman. That was very funny. So the look of the film is so amazing. A lot of  times when we were discussing it afterward, we kept saying, and this is not meant to be a sleight at all, it feels like a Wes Anderson sort of film. I’m sure you must have heard that comparison. Yeah. Yeah. How do you feel about that comparison? It’s not bad company to be in, but at the same time, you also want to have your own movie. Well, I think it’s…Yeah I’m a big Wes Anderson fan, and I’m very flattered by the comparison. At the same time, I think if you take a good look at the movie and a good look at his movies, they’re obviously very different. And I know that the creation of it, for me, wasn’t from any sort of place of imitation of him. I wasn’t looking at his movies and trying to do that. I think it’s coming right out of a movie, it’s always the quickest and easiest way to describe it is comparing it to another movie, I think. But the quickest way of doing something is not always the most accurate, and I think. I don’t know. The comparison is very flattering I guess. So what’s next? What are you going to be doing? A science fiction movie I’m actually writing right now. Really? Yeah, it’s a really dark, very different than Bloom, very dark, very violent, actually, science fiction movie called Looper. It’s a completely different world and I’m really excited about chewing on it. Great, well I can’t wait to see that eventually. Good luck with all of it. Thanks, thank you very much. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/12/35054.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/12/2008 9:02:25 AM
Body: As the Toronto International Film Festival draws to a close, we talk with Karina Longworth and Kevin Kelly about their experience. The Coen Brothers’ new film Burn After Reading gets a mixed reaction, apparently it’s better if you get to see it with Adrien Brody. Brody’s new film, The Brothers Bloom, by Brick director Rian Johnson, is one of Kevin’s favorites. The Fall, a lush surrealist epic directed by Tarsem (yes, he only goes by one name), is out on DVD. Adam and I mull it over, comparing it to the 1973 campy classic Zardoz, starring a half-naked Sean Connery. Lastly, I interview Michelle Byrd, executive director of IFP about Independent Film Week, taking place in New York September 14-19. I should note that I accidentally mispronounced her name as “Boyd,” my apologies. It’s sort of funny if you imagine I have a strong Brooklyn accent for just that one word. (Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday) 0:00 - Intro, a listener shares his woeful Crispin Glover tale 5:12 - Kevin and Karina’s dispatch from Toronto 19:45 - The Fall 30:46 - Michelle Byrd interview filmcouch-87 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:02:25 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/12/2008 9:02:25 AM As the Toronto International Film Festival draws to a close, we talk with Karina Longworth and Kevin Kelly about their experience. The Coen Brothers’ new film Burn After Reading gets a mixed reaction, apparently it’s better if you get to see it with Adrien Brody. Brody’s new film, The Brothers Bloom, by Brick director Rian Johnson, is one of Kevin’s favorites. The Fall, a lush surrealist epic directed by Tarsem (yes, he only goes by one name), is out on DVD. Adam and I mull it over, comparing it to the 1973 campy classic Zardoz, starring a half-naked Sean Connery. Lastly, I interview Michelle Byrd, executive director of IFP about Independent Film Week, taking place in New York September 14-19. I should note that I accidentally mispronounced her name as “Boyd,” my apologies. It’s sort of funny if you imagine I have a strong Brooklyn accent for just that one word. (Subscribe to FilmCouch–Spout’s weekly movie podcast–in the iTunes store or to our RSS feed and an episode will download each Friday) 0:00 - Intro, a listener shares his woeful Crispin Glover tale 5:12 - Kevin and Karina’s dispatch from Toronto 19:45 - The Fall 30:46 - Michelle Byrd interview filmcouch-87 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/chrismorrell/archive/2008/8/28/34501.aspx Post By: chrismorrell
Post To: chrismorrell Blog
Post Date: 8/28/2008 1:57:13 PM
Body: This is the second time i've seen it..I wondered if,as the "Film-Geek" that i undoubtedly am, that i would change my mind about this, and just love it unabashedly, but ,no,my views didnt really change.I'm with Leeroy711.Apart from the stylised dialogue,which is a real hoot first time round,it just comes up a bit thin. Some of that dialogue is just plain laughable,i'm thinking of the scenes with Richard Rowntree,at the college?..(they emulate the scenes the "gumshoe" would have with the "official" investigators...like"i've got the D.A's office on my back" etc...)..you see i'm wanting to love it on it's own terms,but when i start laughing AT it,i just wish i was watching "Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid"..the last word in spoof "noir"..but that's just me.
]]>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:57:13 GMTchrismorrellchrismorrell Blog8/28/2008 1:57:13 PM This is the second time i've seen it..I wondered if,as the "Film-Geek" that i undoubtedly am, that i would change my mind about this, and just love it unabashedly, but ,no,my views didnt really change.I'm with Leeroy711.Apart from the stylised dialogue,which is a real hoot first time round,it just comes up a bit thin. Some of that dialogue is just plain laughable,i'm thinking of the scenes with Richard Rowntree,at the college?..(they emulate the scenes the "gumshoe" would have with the "official" investigators...like"i've got the D.A's office on my back" etc...)..you see i'm wanting to love it on it's own terms,but when i start laughing AT it,i just wish i was watching "Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid"..the last word in spoof "noir"..but that's just me. http://www.spout.com/blogs/leeroy711/archive/2008/7/11/32434.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: leeroy711 Blog
Post Date: 7/11/2008 12:21:49 PM
Body: Overall, I liked this film. It had an intelligent plot, better than average camerawork and a couple of pretty descent characters. I didn’t have a problem with the jargon, per se… I only had a problem with the backdrop. I generally think that this would have made an incredible film had it not been told from a high-school student’s point of view. This film has all of the classic clichés and nuances of a great piece of film noir. We have the classic femme fatale, the lead characters spends most of his time getting beat up, and oh yeah, the jargon. The problem with these things is that the fact that these are high-school students playing them out. It really gave me the impression, much of the time that I was watching an elaborate high-school play in which the kids were portraying adults. Unfortunately it was more of the other way around. I really didn’t see any aspect of this story that hinged on the age of the characters. It makes me wonder why it was made in this way. Overall I liked it but I did find myself laughing at some of the parts that (because of the inappropriate backdrop) just delved into the silly spoof realm of film.
]]>Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:21:49 GMTleeroy711leeroy711 Blog7/11/2008 12:21:49 PM Overall, I liked this film. It had an intelligent plot, better than average camerawork and a couple of pretty descent characters. I didn&rsquo;t have a problem with the jargon, per se&hellip; I only had a problem with the backdrop. I generally think that this would have made an incredible film had it not been told from a high-school student&rsquo;s point of view. This film has all of the classic clich&eacute;s and nuances of a great piece of film noir. We have the classic femme fatale, the lead characters spends most of his time getting beat up, and oh yeah, the jargon. The problem with these things is that the fact that these are high-school students playing them out. It really gave me the impression, much of the time that I was watching an elaborate high-school play in which the kids were portraying adults. Unfortunately it was more of the other way around. I really didn&rsquo;t see any aspect of this story that hinged on the age of the characters. It makes me wonder why it was made in this way. Overall I liked it but I did find myself laughing at some of the parts that (because of the inappropriate backdrop) just delved into the silly spoof realm of film. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:10:58 GMT609316942Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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