Friday, June 12, 2009

Mini Reviews: The Brothers Bloom, Space Jam, & Good Dick








The Brothers Bloom: Forget everything you know about the standard "confidence man" picture. The Brothers Bloom reinvents the gen
re. The Brothers Bloom succeeds on pretty much every level. It brings and old time, 1920s swagger to a present day-set confidence man movie. The characters, even the most minor ones, are expertly fleshed out and are so easy to accept because the actors play them so well. Rinko Kikuchi exemplifies this with her character Bang Bang. We are told about her by The Blooms (Brody,Ruffalo) and what they know is what what we come to know. Ruffalo delivers a career best performance. In most of the films I've seen Mark Ruffalo in, I've never bought him as the character he's played.Always thought he didn't fit the character; in The Brothers Bloom, Ruffalo found the character he was born to play and lights up the screen. The Brothers Bloom further proves Rian Johnson to be an amazingly talented filmmaker who is destined to be counted in the ranks of the best. Still need convincing? Go watch Brick in which Johnson reinvents another genre: noir.

Space Jam:
What can I say? I have some fond memories of this film. Saw it when I was in elementary school. I remember the days following, me and my friends would go around school quoting the lines and re-enacting our favorite parts. I watched Space Jam again tonight and after 13 years it still holds up surprisingly well. Space Jam was never just a kids movie. Sure, it might look like one but choosing to cast Michael Jordan, and build the story around his decision to retire from basketball and pursue baseball allows the film to play to various age groups. Everyone loves Michael Jordan, and that is ultimately what makes the movie succeed. It doesn't hurt, either, that MJ was so well adjusted to acting and reacting to multiple characters that he couldn't see. You'd expect him to had a hard time acting natural and appear a little awkward. However, Michael plays off the imaginary characters like a seasoned pro. There's plenty here: a good story, good acting from both the live action cast and voice over cast, humor for all ages, Bill Murray, and of course, the icon himself, Michael Jordan.



Good Dick:
Even though it has, perhaps, one of the worst, most misdirecting titles of any film I have ever seen, Good Dick was a very well done, emotional film. Rather then just spell out what's wrong with the main characters, Marianna Palka lets you put the pieces together yourself. THis leads to a much better understanding of the characters and you experience the highs and pit-fall lows with them. I couldn't get enough of the brilliant performance from Marianna Palka. She embodied her character and had such perfect expression and nuances. I was also impressed by TOm Arnold, in the brief scene he appeared in. His character is a terrible person, something you wouldn't really expect Tom Arnold to be able to portray, yet he performed brilliantly. In an age where every love story looks the same, Good Dick was a nice, new way to approach love, and all the highs and lows it brings with it.