Posts tagged Films

Before the catastrophic failure that befell me yesterday I watched The Brothers Bloom.

My expectations for this film were already through the roof after seeing some of the reviews it was getting and the fact it was made by Rian Johnson who made Brick a film that 2 1 of my servers are named after. But, what can I say? I loved it! I was rewatching it when my server fell over (because it was too awesome – that kills hard drives doesn’t it?) and less than 48 hours after my first viewing.

Every great film has a great opening and this film is no different. As I don’t want to spoil the film too much for you there is just the original sketches and I believe Rian Johnson doing the voice over.

The dialogue in this film is spectacular; witty, genuinely funny and multilayered. Brick was very dialogue heavy and some people didn’t like it because it was quite tricky to follow but The Brothers Bloom is much more “middle of the road”. It is less stylised and hence uses common language which helps to make the whole film much more approachable and the characters more relatable. The depth of the characters wrapped up in the lines of dialogue is vast and complex and just increases on repeat viewings. Unlike most “mystery” films made recently this film makes sure you are never sure what is really true at any point during the film. I kept watching as I wanted to know what was really happening.

Interesting characters and good acting builds upon the script and directing with Rachael Weisz as Penelope was awesome; a character that grows over the film and still keeps an air of mystery about her. Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody were great as the brothers Stephen and Bloom respectively. Their relationship while flawed is both complex and completely believable especially as you learn more about them over the film. Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang says more than a nearly mute character ever has.

As I said at the beginning this is a great film and one I recommend everyone goes out and rents straight away and I must say it looks stunning on Blu-Ray although you wouldn’t lose anything by watching it on DVD. I really hope Rian Johnson keeps making films because if he can inject the same level of depth and quality into his next projects then I will be more than happy.

P.S. I also loved the fan service with the use of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Nora Zehetner at the party in the bar who both played major roles in Brick.