High school is way more dramatic than I remember it being.
Brick
Why I Saw It: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is on my “seek out” list, and I really enjoyed what Writer/Director Rian Johnson did with The Brothers Bloom… and I’m anticipating enjoying Johnson’s follow-up to Brick with Looper, so I figured I’d see all three of the movies he’s written & directed.
What Was It About? With high school as a backdrop, this mystery revolves around the death of a classmate and the investigation into organized crime.
Rating: 8.3 out of 10
Memorable Performances: This isn’t my favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt performance, but it was a memorable one. Lukas Haas gave a really good performance, as did Nora Zehetner. Meagan Good wasn’t featured much, but she did well with what she had. It was fun to see Richard Roundtree as the Assistant Vice Principal.
Potential Nominations for Film Quest ’12:
- Best Actor – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Best Supporting Actress – Nora Zehetner
Favorite Parts: I loved the part near the ending where everything goes down in the basement at The Pin’s house, especially from a stylistic standpoint. Then when JGL’s character talks with Zehetner’s character on the football field, it provides some great closure to the film and wraps things up nicely.
The Regrettable Aspects: There isn’t much of anything I would change about this film, aside from maybe dropping an extra hint or two along the way to help us figure out what was going on. The ultimate revelation makes sense, but there aren’t any moments which viewers can look back upon and see that they should’ve figured it out all along.
Would I watch it again? At some point I’ll watch all three of Rian Johnson’s films in a given week, but probably not in 2013.
To Whom Would I Recommend It? To anyone who enjoys a mystery and won’t write-off this film on its face simply because it involves high schoolers.
Next up, CASA DE MI PADRE.
Guys Film Quest 