Repeat offender.
So, why no post on the Oscars, you ask? Because Sandra Bullock winning Best Actress and The Hurt Locker winning everything else completely cancels each other out, so I'm entirely neutral when it comes to this year's Academy Awards. That's why.
So that's out of the way. Over and done with.
However, since I do feel like blathering about random films, here's this:
I have a very broad taste in films, ranging from the utterly enchanting Irish brogue of Once to the completely bonkers undead zombie mayhem of Planet Terror; from the magically realistic (or vice versa) fairy tale that is Pan's labyrinth to killin' those damn nazis in Inglourious Basterds. My point is: I'll watch anything that looks even remotely interesting and original, and I'll make up my mind about it once I've seen it. Which means I watch a lot of films.
But there are a few films, precious few, that I keep coming back to year after year after year. These are films that have that elusive umph, that hook (whether it is narrative, performance, cinematography,etc.) that keeps me enthralled, no matter how often I am witness to it. This is about one of these films.
Brick.
Brick tells the simple story of high school kid Brendan Frye, a brooding loner attempting to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of troubled ex-girlfriend Emily. So far, so average, but what makes Brick so utterly splendid is that it attempts to revive a genre that has become impossible to take seriously due to decades worth of cliché-riddled satirisations: the film noir. You'll find no trenchcoats or shadowy streets here.
Written and directed by first-timer Rian Johnson who was heavily influenced by Dashiell Hammett, Brick offers an intriguing exercise in style and tension set in a modern day suburban California high school (shot at Johnson's former high school in San Clemente, which adds to the authenticity) populated with students that talk and act like they walked straight out of a Hammett thriller.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (of Third Rock from the Sun fame, though I am sure he tires of hearing that) handles the tricky retro cool dialogue with deadpan aplomb and sincerity; he gets the rhythm of the dialogue and the air of the character just right. He goes from nerdy lone wolf to surprising tough guy to heartbroken without you ever noticing the shift. Gordon-Levitt is ever excellent, especially here.
But I'm gushing. This reads like a poorly written review, and the film deserves more. Just go watch it.
Eating lunch will never be the same again.
So that's out of the way. Over and done with.
However, since I do feel like blathering about random films, here's this:
I have a very broad taste in films, ranging from the utterly enchanting Irish brogue of Once to the completely bonkers undead zombie mayhem of Planet Terror; from the magically realistic (or vice versa) fairy tale that is Pan's labyrinth to killin' those damn nazis in Inglourious Basterds. My point is: I'll watch anything that looks even remotely interesting and original, and I'll make up my mind about it once I've seen it. Which means I watch a lot of films.
But there are a few films, precious few, that I keep coming back to year after year after year. These are films that have that elusive umph, that hook (whether it is narrative, performance, cinematography,etc.) that keeps me enthralled, no matter how often I am witness to it. This is about one of these films.
Brick.
Brick tells the simple story of high school kid Brendan Frye, a brooding loner attempting to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of troubled ex-girlfriend Emily. So far, so average, but what makes Brick so utterly splendid is that it attempts to revive a genre that has become impossible to take seriously due to decades worth of cliché-riddled satirisations: the film noir. You'll find no trenchcoats or shadowy streets here.
Written and directed by first-timer Rian Johnson who was heavily influenced by Dashiell Hammett, Brick offers an intriguing exercise in style and tension set in a modern day suburban California high school (shot at Johnson's former high school in San Clemente, which adds to the authenticity) populated with students that talk and act like they walked straight out of a Hammett thriller.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (of Third Rock from the Sun fame, though I am sure he tires of hearing that) handles the tricky retro cool dialogue with deadpan aplomb and sincerity; he gets the rhythm of the dialogue and the air of the character just right. He goes from nerdy lone wolf to surprising tough guy to heartbroken without you ever noticing the shift. Gordon-Levitt is ever excellent, especially here.
But I'm gushing. This reads like a poorly written review, and the film deserves more. Just go watch it.
Eating lunch will never be the same again.
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