Brick, a detective story
polycounter lvl 18
www.brickmovie.net/
it's in limited release these days (I had to drive to Chicago to see it), but for the love of all that is hard-boiled, if you like classic noir or detective films, SEE THIS MOVIE.
The basic rundown: it's a classic, Dashielle Hammett style Noir, but played out in a contemporary high school. I know that sounds either like just a joke set-up or a really cornball throw-away idea, but it's invested with such conviction that it works really well. Unbelievably well. It's got very stylized, staccato dialogue that recalls classic noir without copying it; takes a bit to get into, but once you're in, you're in all the way.
It was shot on 35mm on a handful of locations and relatively small cast for about half a million dollars, which is of course paltry compared to most films these days. Not dirt-poor indie, maybe, but it's enough money to make the film look really moody and atmospheric--because hey, good shot composition don't cost a dime.
Anyhow, I'm not going to prattle on about how I was all smiles coming out of the theater, or how the interplay with genre conventions makes for some very big laughs in the movie--I repeat, if you enjoy classic noir or a good detective yarn, you cannot miss this movie. Brilliant stuff. Check out the trailer on the website above, or this review from the OAV: http://www.avclub.com/content/node/46825
Currently scoring a 75% fresh rating on rottentomatoes, in case you trust that particular metric
it's in limited release these days (I had to drive to Chicago to see it), but for the love of all that is hard-boiled, if you like classic noir or detective films, SEE THIS MOVIE.
The basic rundown: it's a classic, Dashielle Hammett style Noir, but played out in a contemporary high school. I know that sounds either like just a joke set-up or a really cornball throw-away idea, but it's invested with such conviction that it works really well. Unbelievably well. It's got very stylized, staccato dialogue that recalls classic noir without copying it; takes a bit to get into, but once you're in, you're in all the way.
It was shot on 35mm on a handful of locations and relatively small cast for about half a million dollars, which is of course paltry compared to most films these days. Not dirt-poor indie, maybe, but it's enough money to make the film look really moody and atmospheric--because hey, good shot composition don't cost a dime.
Anyhow, I'm not going to prattle on about how I was all smiles coming out of the theater, or how the interplay with genre conventions makes for some very big laughs in the movie--I repeat, if you enjoy classic noir or a good detective yarn, you cannot miss this movie. Brilliant stuff. Check out the trailer on the website above, or this review from the OAV: http://www.avclub.com/content/node/46825
Currently scoring a 75% fresh rating on rottentomatoes, in case you trust that particular metric
Replies
But I stress that this is no way "one of those" high school movies, you know. The kind of self-aware, condescending movies about high school, falsely nostalgic or otherwise. Rian Johnson (the director) says that the classics like Maltese Falcon and the Big Sleep were influences, as well as the Coen Brothers, so I challenge Ror and other cinephiles to give this movie a shot.
Only trouble is, as you can see from the website, right now it's only in select cities. Hopefully in one near you.