Brick

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

This movie won the award at Sundance Festival for best movie, and it came out to DVD on Tuesday. I didn't get a chance to see this in the Ritz so i took it home from work and watched it.

The movie was very well done, from the cinematography to the acting. Its a little slow to start but picks up and was very entertaining.

Its a detective style movie, but with a good storyline and it plays out really well. It ties all the ends which is something most movies have been lacking lately. No real big actors except for this one chick ive seen in one other movie, but shes hot so no biggy. You practically know who did what about half way through, but it still keeps you in there with no real surprising twists, but closes it with a really good ending.

Very down to earth movie thats rated R for drugs, but there is hardly any cursing, and very little violence. At points its hard to follow but you get caught right back up and don't feel like you missed anything. A very smart movie, and id suggest seeing it if you haven't already.

I really thought this movie was done perfectly so im giving it a 10/10.

If you are into those hardcore action flicks this might not be the movie for you, but i still think its worth a watch..

[Drinsic Darkwood]

Excellent movie. It had a very surreal, noir-ish feel to it. I've heard a few complaints that it's convoluted, but that adjective seems to get slapped onto anything that isn't the Fast and the Furious these days. It was easy enough to follow, and as you said, it ties everything up very well. Great acting, great directing, and it kept my interest the entire way.

Absolutely worth seeing.

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

Great recommendation. What a great movie.

[Neziroth]

Picked it up on your recommendation.

Didn't Garden State win the Sundance Festival too? I thought it did so I assumed the Sundance Festival had good taste.

I wasn't let down, though I do think the main character came off a bit super-heroish. I don't know, he didn't seem realistic, but maybe that was the point.

Good movie though, very enjoyable.

[sarlen]

Spoilers here!! Dont read if you want to see the movie!


Picked up this movie tonight based on the above reviews.

First the good: The movie it self has a good story, good acting (for the most part), and I really liked the cinamatography(sp?).

The bad:

[Show]

some of the dialog was weak, the kid himself was "to good" at times, and the plot part where he gets next to "The Pin" was piss poor, I mean come on, the scene prior to it he is talking with his bud how "The Pin" may be legend/hoax cut to next scene and hes invited in to meet with him? seems a bit much, the dues he has to pay to see him is getting his ass kicked just didnt sell me.

I like the big action flicks as much as the next guy but I can also appreciate the movies that are about story, charecter development and camera angles, although this movie was good I'm glad I didnt buy it. I score it 7/10

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

Spoilers here!! Dont read if you want to see the movie!


Picked up this movie tonight based on the above reviews.

First the good: The movie it self has a good story, good acting (for the most part), and I really liked the cinamatography(sp?).

The bad:

[Show]

some of the dialog was weak, the kid himself was "to good" at times, and the plot part where he gets next to "The Pin" was piss poor, I mean come on, the scene prior to it he is talking with his bud how "The Pin" may be legend/hoax cut to next scene and hes invited in to meet with him? seems a bit much, the dues he has to pay to see him is getting his ass kicked just didnt sell me.

I like the big action flicks as much as the next guy but I can also appreciate the movies that are about story, charecter development and camera angles, although this movie was good I'm glad I didnt buy it. I score it 7/10

[Show]

The whole meaning of him badgering Tug was to meet with "The Pin." I thought it played it out well and felt that it was coming. "The Pin" became the underlying shadow as soon as Brain started talking about possibilities. It was just a matter of him getting to "The Pin." He fought the jock in the parking lot knowing it was one of "The Pin's" drug pushers, so he rattled the cage. Tug knew about it, and once he started fucking with Tug the pin decided to call him in. I think that when he threw the stone at Tugs car, tug drove off to call "The Pin" and then came back to pick him up. It all makes sense if you think about it. Yes the main character did have a superheroesque type of behavior, but thats what the writer was going for. Based on the characters past it seems that this is not the first time he has had to do something on these lines, but he may have messed up the first time. Add that to the fact that he loved the girl, and you get what the main character became, a hero.

[Canelek]

Seemed more like the director was trying to impress his film school buddies. I thought it got a bit too convoluted before trying to create likeable characters.

May give it another try at some point when I am not in the easily bored mood, which was this weekend.

[Winnow]

This really isn't a high school movie! It's a murder mystery.

Likes:

-The main character getting beat up and actually suffering from it is somewhat refreshing. It's rare for the main character not to pop right back to normal a scene or two later. Good job there.

-The story had enough twists and turns to keep it interesting

-The main actor is the same guy that co-stared with Heath ledger in Ten Things I Hate About You. (he was the guy that wanted to date the younger sister) The way he looked and talked in this movie reminded me of Matt Dillon. While that's not necessarily a good thing, it was impressive to see him change his style and play a non geek role.

-it was also cool to see Elf Girl from HEROES in this movie. (she looks like an elf in this movie as well)

Dislikes:

-The dialog. The high school students tried to talk like some kind of modernized gangsters from the 20's. A little of that jibberish is OK but it was a tad overdone IMO.

-High School had zilch to do with this movie except for the use of lockers and the one scene with the Principal that seemed out of place with the rest of the story. They could have just mentioned it in the funky dialog that he was able to get the principal off his back for a few days.

-there's no chance in hell "Pin" would leave his place unguarded with drugs and cash.

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Overall an entertaining movie with the quirks easy to overlook. 8.1/10

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Peeps who liked this movie might like Paranoid Park. There's no slugfests but it's an interesting story with a little of the surreal feel to it like Brick has.

[Fairweather Pure]

Brick was a blind buy for me. I saw it on sale for 4.99 at Best Buy, and something in my mind remembered it had good reviews or something. I'm a sucker for 5$ movies

So, I watched it when I was alone one night. Ten minutes in, I really didn't know what to make of it. By the time the main character has his little talk with the Principle's Assistant (referred to as PA in the film instead of DA in a noir film), I was hooked. The writer/directer takes a simple story and adds complexitiy and depth by adding layer upon layer of intersting dialogue and characters transposed from classic noir into a high school setting. Doing this accomplished a very important task in recreating a modern detective noir. Guns were downplayed a great deal. They make brief appreances, but getting your ass beat is the primary form of enforcement here, just like the movies of old. It also put the law in the background, moving the detective and his wits to the front. It's rather amazing how well the noir archtypes fit into a high school setting. There was an equivilant for every stereotypical noir character.

I would say I didn't get all the subtleties of the movie until around the third viewing. Meaning, you can watch it once and understand the relationships between the various characters and the overall story, but dissecting and absorbing the conversations take a couple more viewings to fully appreciate since they fly fast and often with all the noir-speak. The first time I saw it, I think I had a "deer in the headlights" feeling through almost the entire movie.

Here's a quick snip of a typical exchange from the movie:

Brendan Frye: Emily said four words I didn't know. Tell me if they catch. Brick?
The Brain: No.
Brendan Frye: Or Bad Brick?
The Brain: Nope.
Brendan Frye: Tug?
The Brain: Tug? Tug might be a drink, like milk and vodka, or something.
Brendan Frye: Poor Frisco?
The Brain: Frisco? Frisco Farr was a sophomore last year, real trash. Maybe had a class a week, I didn't know him then, haven't seen him around.
Brendan Frye: Pin?
The Brain: Pin. The Pin?
Brendan Frye: The Pin, yeah?
The Brain: The Pin is kinda a local spook story, yeah know the King Pin.
Brendan Frye: Yeah, I've heard it.
The Brain: Same thing, he's supposed to be old, like 26. Lives in town.
Brendan Frye: Dope runner, right?
The Brain: Big time. See the Pin pipes it from the lowest scraper for Brad Bramish to sell, maybe. Ask any dope rat where their junk sprang and they'll say they scraped it from that, who scored it from this, who bought it off so, and after four or five connections the list always ends with The Pin. But I bet you, if you got every rat in town together and said "Show your hands" if any of them've actually seen The Pin, you'd get a crowd of full pockets.
Brendan Frye: You think The Pin's just a tale to take whatever heat?
The Brain: Hmm... So what's first?
Brendan Frye: Show of hands.

The above conversation is spoken between 2 teenagers and it's very fluid. The actors speak this stuff like a second language. There is no hesitation on thier part. They speak it completely naturally, even though the audiance may be a sentence or two behind, they rapid fire off these complex lines like everyone inherently understands what they're saying.

Even if you miss a line here or there, you can infer from body language, situation, tone, ect. and get the gist of what they are trying to convey on a first viewing.

I fed you Jerr to see him get eaten not to see you fed.

That was one of many great lines spoken in this movie that flew over my head the first time, but I caught later.

Anyway, besides all of the dialogue, it also has a great story with great acting and some fun characters. By the end, everything is tied up nicely for the viewer and the complex story is basically laid out for the audience. The elf chick from Heros did very well, but I think all the acting was excellent, especially considering how non-traditional the movie was.

I give the movie a 9/10. It has this mesmerizing quality, not unlike Donnie Darko. I can't put my finger on any particular reason why I enjoy either movie so much. It's the sum of thier parts that entertains me.