The Brothers Bloom

The Brothers Bloom opened the 44th Chicago International Film Festival. Writer, director Rian Johnson and Oscar winner Rachel Weisz were on hand to talk about the making of the film. Weisz commented that not many comedies are thrown her way and this film presented a chance to show off her comedic side……and we are glad she did!

The Brothers Bloom: Rian Johnson, the creative force behind the superb 2006 film Brick has another success with his sophomore outing The Brothers Bloom. As he did with the film Brick, Johnson creates a distinct type of universe to tell his story, this time almost giving off a Wes Anderson type of vibe. The story centers on two brothers who make a living conning very rich people out of money. The brothers are played by Mark Ruffalo (Stephen) and Adrien Brody (Bloom). For their last con they target a beautiful heiress named Penelope (Rachel Weisz). It is her inventive character that makes the film so funny and also so charming. Of course, during “the hook” of the con, Bloom and Penelope fall in love with each other. However, instead of following all other con movies, this movie goes in another direction. The story ends up not focusing on some big con at the end or a “who conned who”, but rather focuses on the relationship between the two brothers and the relationship between Bloom and Penelope. The Brothers Bloom is a very funny movie with the humor being more of the witty variety. This is due to the three main characters being so well written and very well developed. I am not trying to con anyone when I say you should see this movie….it is just an easy one to enjoy!

Ry's Rating: B+

If this movie had Parents they would be: The Darjeeling Limited & The Sting

With a runtime of 109 minutes

This film is rated PG-13

Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married: Anne Hathaway stars in this intimate, unorthodox family drama. We are introduced to her character, Kim as she is leaving rehab to attend her sister Rachel’s wedding. The beginning of the film is set-up well as we can tell Kim is still not in a healthy state of mind to be around a large group of people and of course there is a herd of family and friends staying at her house for the wedding. This scenario leads to some humorous moments during the early scenes of the picture and all the while keeps unlocking portions of Kim’s troubled past. The drama unfolds more as we learn how the whole family is scarred because of Kim’s drug abuse and a fatal mistake she made while she was high. The story is not an easy one to tell and a lot of credit has to go to Anne Hathaway for her performance. She brought an understanding to the character. She did not overplay the role and she saved her best for the movie’s most crucial scenes concerning the guilt she has to live with every day of her life. Now it would not be the movies if the wedding was not turned into a multicultural event. This film does not even attempt to explain all of the affluent and diverse people that attend the wedding. The wedding celebration scenes with live music and dancing go on way too long and take away from the emotion I had vested in the story. When the lights went up we had a good drama with an excellent performance, but I felt if the story had a tighter grip…..we could have squeezed much more passion out of it.

Ry's Rating: B

If this movie had parents they would be: SherryBaby & Margot at the Wedding

With a runtime of 113 minutes

This film is rated R

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem star in Woody Allen’s latest comedic take on love and lust. Two best friends – Vicky and Cristina (Johansson) plan to spend a summer in Barcelona studying the culture. Early into their stay they are approached by a Spanish painter - Juan Antonio (Bardem), who offers or I should say suggests that they go on a trip with him and partake in….um…cough “extracurricular activities” together. Cristina is immediately drawn to his passion and is more willing to accept the offer than her friend. However, in due time both girls separately fall prey to his enthusiasm for love. The situation then gets turned on its head when Juan Antonio’s crazy ex-lover (Cruz) shows up. In typical Allen fashion all of the characters are refined, sophisticated, and into the arts. Allen’s strong suit is his sharp writing and his ability to get his characters into outlandish situations and this film is full of those moments. The film is equipped with a narrator from start to finish. Although he has some funny lines, I felt Allen could have done much more with this element. The ending of the movie was also a little bit of a let down for me as I did not feel satisfied with any of the characters’ evolutions. This is probably the best comedy Allen has penned in 15 years, but it is still far short of his greater works.

Ry's Rating: B -

If this movie had parents they would be: Wild Things & Melinda and Melinda

With a runtime of 96 minutes

This film is rated PG-13

Bullets of Interest

• This is the 39th film directed by Woody Allen
• It is the 3rd time he has worked with Johansson
• 1st Woody Allen movie to take place in Spain

The Clone Wars Review

CK, an esteemed film director and a good friend of mine was lucky enough to catch an early screening of the new Star Wars animated film - his guest review is below. Thanks CK


Star Wars, The Clone Wars: There is a new Star Wars film, sort of. This Friday the newest entry into the most successful film franchise of all time will be released at your local multiplex. The Clone Wars is a 90 minute amped up Saturday morning cartoon for the big screen. The project was initially developed just for television, but supposedly once Executive Producer George Lucas saw the first three episodes he thought they looked so good that they would work as a feature. He was right for the most part. The plot centers around a kidnapping conspiracy involving the son of the infamous Jabba the Hutt (taking place sometime between Episode 2 and 3). It’s not an epic feature type story-line, it was never meant to be. Those looking for the 7th gigantic Star Wars film will most likely not find it here. What you will find is some great looking action, nice animation, a lot of wonderful nods to Episodes 4-6, and a good introduction to a promising family series. Lucasfilm has done a nice job of balancing the series between young kids and the adult crowd who grew up with the franchise.
CK Rating: C+ / but as far as launching a new TV series: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Star Wars & Atlantis: The Lost Empire

With a runtime of 98 minutes
This film is rated PG