The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008) — With Weisz, Ruffalo, Brody
 

Just took a short break to watch some TV and Cinemax was playing Brick in HD. I'm really mad that I never got out to see this in theatres because it's truly a fantastic film. (One theatre in Philadelphia was playing only this movie on all its screens and it was still selling out; sadly at the time I had no idea what the movie was about).

Well, the director of Brick has just completed shooting The Brothers Bloom in Belgrade. It apparently deals with two con-men (played by Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo) and a silent partner (Babel's Rinko Kikuchi). Rachel Weisz is either the girlfriend (according to IMDB) or a millionaire mark (according to Wikipedia).

Looks like some of the idiosyncracies of Brick will be carried over. Rian said that, the film is not a "period [piece] but it’s very much its own world, if that makes any sense."

The budget was reportedly $20MM and it's due for a wide release through Universal's Focus.

There's no release date as of yet, just 2008.

:thumbsup: I'm there

:up: Universal so this will be on HD-DVD. Yes, I think that far in advance. :)

Loved Brick so I am there opening night.

"Brick" was one of my favorite films of last year, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

It all sounds good so far. I liked Brick alot and I love Weisz and Brody. Although it seems (just a little) strange that Weisz has signed onto another conman movie.

Another? You mean like The Fountain and Constant Gardener?

IMDB is reporting a release date of April 11. No trailer in sight though.

Here's the trailer. Looks pretty entertaining.

Release date seems to be October 24th. I'm in. Not sure which movie I saw the trailer before, but I remember thinking, "I'll definitely see that." Didn't even realize it was from the director of Brick, which I absolutely love.

K

looks good to me.

We've come so far since then.

Anyway, giving this a bump. This looks real good.

Apple Tailer

Oohh "Brick" director did this? Yay, I'm totally down now.

Looks very entertaining.

= J

The new, limited release date is sometime in mid-to-late December, with it gaining a wide audience in early January 2009.

I'll attempt to find a link to the page where I read that.

EDIT: The source is JoBlo, which states that "...THE BROTHERS BLOOM has unfortunately been bumped back from an October 24th release to a limited release on December 19th, followed by a wide release on January 16th 2009."

There is an interview from the director, in which he explains exactly why this is the case, on the site.

After I saw the trailer I was a bit shocked. I didn't expect there to be a lot of humor in this and it seemed a bit lighter than expected. If it's a Wes Anderson-type drama, then I won't hold it against the director.

Too bad it's been pushed back.

Variety didn't like it.

Chicago Sun-Times' more positive review includes this wonderful image from the film:

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd114/besh1/bbl2.jpg

Off with her head!

Someone else pointed out this quote as an illustration of time, but what I thought was ironic is that both halves are wrong. Summit is releasing the movie.

I thought that The Brothers Bloom would be a run-of-the-mill con man flick. I was pleasantly surprised. Rian Johnson didn't just write the cleverest script this year, he managed to create a whole fun world for his characters to run wild in. It's the 1920s with the odd cellphone reference and sports car, where people ride in trains and steamships without batting an eye at how absurd everything is.

... Mark Ruffalo is a great actor who's never given a substantial role - I don't think I've seen him in anything that fit him since You Can Count On Me - but Johnson serves him up a meaty role and Ruffalo attacks it with gusto. He's so much fun to watch, charming his way through the picture. Brody is Brody, and that's good. While they're the con artists, it's the ladies that make off with this picture - Rinko Kikuchi's mute performance is an instant winner, and Rachel Weisz turns in one of the most bubbly, eccentric performances I've ever seen her do. She's amazing, really she is. She makes her quirky, lonely heiress incredibly appealing, playing the role as silly and flighty, but never stupid. When one of the brothers falls in love with her, it's easy to see why. He's just catching up with the audience.

... That's just the cast. The film constantly looks great, mixing romantic international locations with beautiful production design and costumes that look like they've stepped out of a forgotten decade (but never looked better). Rian Johnson also fills the film up with visual jokes and asides, often while characters are talking about something important, from the scribbled scene transitions to the cardplay.

... I'd be lying if I said it all worked, since there's a few tricks that don't hit. Maximillian Schell as a russian mentor to the con men seems to enter and leave the film with little rhyme, reason or resolution, leading to an ending that dissatisfied a few of the people in the crowd that I saw this with. But not me, and I fail to see how the loose ends could somehow eclipse the good time the film gave me (how can you hate a movie with a one-legged kitten in a roller skate?). The Brothers Bloom may one of my favourite films this year. It's already won me over.

Pushed back again to May 15th.

Re: The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008) — With Weisz, Ruffalo, Brody
 

Re: The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008) — With Weisz, Ruffalo, Brody
 

You're right. I immediately thought of Brick which was with Universal. Had this movie been distributed by Universal it probably would've came out by now.

Re: The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008) — With Weisz, Ruffalo, Brody
 

:lol:

It's been pushed back for that long...

= J