You may have heard that there’s money to be made in pointless sequels to classic movies. That’s the idea behind Predator: The Sequel, which is currently filming here in Austin, Texas. Although the movie will feature the classic, be-dreaded alien, the story looks to be much different than the original. For one, the roughnecks you see in the picture above won’t be there. The movie stars Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, and Walt Goggins. Apparently, the three play brothers who’s father has just died. They embark on a voyage of self-discovery on a train through India, and, on the way, learn something about each other, and themselves, and each other. Also, the movie is called The Darjeeling Limited.

Robert Rodriguez has done some great stuff in the past, so who knows, maybe Predators will be great too. But, after the news that he was turning his faux trailer for Machete into a full-length feature, I’m wonder if he’s just looking for excuses to cut stuff up.

Topher Grace and Adrien Brody have been confirmed for the lead roles in Robert Rodriquez’ remake of 1987’s “Predator”.  Although Grace and Brody are no Schwarzenegger, I trust that Rodriguez knows what he is doing.  He must have something interesting in the works, because Grace and Brody are really delicate men.  After recent movies like “Planet Terror” and “Sin City”, I am excited to see what Rodriguez will do with this remake.

Look forward to Rodriguez’ “Machete” to tide you over until July 7th when “Predator” is set to be released.

The Brothers Bloom was an enjoyable watch. It wasn’t hilarious, it wasn’t sad, it wasn’t fast paced, it wasn’t too long, I guess I should start with what it was. The Brothers Bloom is a film about two brothers who grow up to be Con(fidence) men. It shows them from their humble beginnings as children when they execute their first con, and then jumps to their final few grifts. There’s some solid characters within the story, and not just the brothers. The two female leads, Rinko Kikuchi and Rachel Weisz, stand out as “Bang Bang,” and “Penelope Stamp,” respectively. They truly steal the show. Rian Johsnon, who directed Brick (2005), which I didn’t but now will see, has a very interesting style of direction. The atmosphere had just the right amount of creepy to effectively pull off a dark comedy.

Johnson points out early in the script that the use of symbolism will be often and apparent. Everything, from the way the characters wave to each other to the outfits they wear, says something about the story and the character representing the story. In fact the name of the film itself symbolizes the light-hearted take on dark events clearly with the play on the names of popular storytellers the Brothers Grimm. I look forward to seeing more of Rian Johnson’s work in the future, and after watching Brick, there will be no more material to catch up on. More Rian Johnson A.S.A.P. Hollywood!

Speaking of people there should be more of in the film world, Mark Ruffalo turns in another great performance. I’m not sure which film it was, but somewhere between Safe Men and Zodiac, Mark Ruffalo became one of the top 20 actors working today. Crazy little tidbit I just realized, Ruffalo plays Stephen in this, and Max Records plays the younger counterpart. Both were in the opening scenes of Where the Wild Things Are together. The character of Stephen is certainly the more interesting of the two brothers, but that’s probably due to the performance, as he certainly has the most boring motivation of any of the four leads. As I said earlier the true scene-stealers were the ladies, as even without words, Bang Bang had more screen presence than Adrien Brody, who was forgettable in his turn as “Bloom.” Rachel Weisz is either really funny, really lucky Adrien Brody makes her seem funnier due to his dryness, or both. She nailed her role as an over-the-top New Jersey Heiress shut in with no friends and tons of hobbies.

Kikuchi and Ruffalo

I could live without ever seeing another film about Con Men. It’s just played out to me at this point. The Brothers Bloom had it’s own spin on the deal, and that made it watchable, but I’m certainly not as enthused as I’d be about this movie if I didn’t have to watch Matchstick Men, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Sting, Confidence, etc. It takes a lot to get something original from a source tapped as many times as this one, but I certainly can’t say I didn’t enjoy the Brothers Bloom, so Johnson pulled it off somehow.

Some supporting roles that deserve to be mentioned are Robbie Coltrane and Maximlian Schell. Coltrane played “The Curator,” and was great in his drunken haze. Schell was the films main Antagonist, who is only on screen for about two minutes all together, but does enough in that time to show why the titular brothers loathe his existence. It was also nice to see the quick exchange between Ruffalo, Schell, and a wine bottle. The most intense moment of the film I’d say. While I’m talking about great supporting characters in the film, did I mention Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang? Oh, I did.

The Brothers Bloom is an interesting experience with familiar material, but I guess every movie is based on familiar material these days. Rian Johnson shows he’s going to have an interesting future in the business, and brings a lot out of a great cast. Always nice to see the writer/director be so successful at seeing his image all the way through. This film is just the right length to keep from getting repetitive, but is also just not funny enough to demand repeat viewings.

Rating: Rent, Borrow, or Watch onDemand

Some say it’s all about the dresses when it comes time to the Oscars, but I think the real excitement comes when the awardees deliver their speech. Some are better than others and we have had some shockers including Gwyneth Paltrow (sob, sob, sob), Halle Berry ( started off so well but when you start thanking your lawyer it’s time to get off the stage) and Angelina Jolie ( ” I am so in love with my brother right now”) but there have also been some brilliant speeches…and LittleRedSarah gives her best oscar speech too….

Adrian Brody. Perfection.

Writer/director Rian Johnson makes a sophomoric film with “The Brothers Bloom,” but only in that it is his second major release.  This movie was great!  I might even venture to say that Johnson is the Stanley Kubrick for my generation.

Honestly I have been skeptical of Johnson’s first film, “Brick,” that this was just a fad.  The dialogue was hip and any English major would love the literary references, as well as poetic devices in any movie, but the story was a little crazy, a high school drama that I felt was too far into the realm of imagination to take seriously.  I have changed, it seems.

“The Brothers Bloom” was definitely, stylistically Johnson.  Released in 2008 (long awaited, three years since the release of “Brick”), the film was intelligent, making use of tropes and standard literary fare.  At one point I thought this would be a great book, but it stands on it’s own two feet as a film.  It was original in story and scenes were poetically shot.  The action was all there, drama, comedy, etc.

It stirs up emotions, too.  It was largely, beautifully shot on location in Montenegro, Czech Republic, Romania, and Serbia.  There are twists at the end.

Adrian Brody (“The Darjeeling Limited”), Rachel Weisz (“Sunshine”), Mark Ruffalo (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), a newly arrived Japanese actress, Rinko Kikuchi, and Robbie Coltrane (from the Harry Potter movies) make this one unmissable.

Comme j’adore le mois d’Octobre, l’Halloween et les films d’horreur, j’ai décidé de faire le premier Horreur-o-thon des Bipolaires! En effet, j’écouterai un film de peur par jour jusqu’au 31, alors revenez lire mes critiques quotidiennes…si vous en avez le courage! MOUAHAHAHAAA!

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Parfois, il m’arrive de vouloir donner une deuxième chance à certains films, comme dans le cas d’Alien Resurrection, que j’ai trouvé meilleur la 2e fois.  Par contre, j’avais aussi donné une deuxième chance à Dreamcatcher, et c’était encore PIRE la 2e fois (des étrons-aliens? WTF?).  Alors, qu’est-ce que j’ai pensé de The Village de M. Night Shyamalan, que je n’avais vu qu’en 2004 lors de sa sortie et que j’ai réécouté hier?Tout d’abord, il ne faut pas voir The Village comme un film d’horreur, sinon vous serez déçus comme tout le monde l’a été lors de sa sortie.  En effet, il s’agit plutôt d’un thriller psychologique avec des éléments surnaturels (à première vue).

Dans une communauté paisible des années 1800, une trève entre les habitants du village et des monstres mystérieux vivant dans les bois l’entourant commence à se faire difficile, à cause du curieux Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) qui s’y avanture malgré les ordres.  L’atmosphère de vieille légende Américaine présentée par Mr. Shyalaman  Shyamalaman Night fonctionne à merveille, avec un éclairage aux chandelles inquiétant et des forêts menaçants. Par contre, les personnages sont plutôt ennuyants (bien qu’incarnés de façon idéale par les acteurs) et le film avance très trop lentement.

De plus, bien que  ne peut résister à mettre un twist à la fin de tous ses films avec différents degrés de succès, cette fois, il réussit plus ou moins à surprendre le spectateur.  Mais, sa force est de proposer un aspect psychologique sur lequel le public peut se pencher après le visionnement.  Vous verrez.

Note finale: 6.5/10

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Meilleure citation: “Do your very best not to scream.” (C’est assez impossible de ne pas crier quand quelqu’un te dit ça.)

Meilleure mort: Je ne me rappelle pas de morts, mais la tentative de meurtre sur Joaquin par Adrien “idiot du village” Brody est assez surprenante.

Y’as-tu des tits?!: C’estl’ancien temps, t’avais plus de chances de voir des perdrix possédées par Satan que des totons.

Saviez-vous que…: Sigourney Weaver a fait des cauchemars pendant 2 semaines après avoir lu le script? Je m’attendais à plus courageux de la part de Ripley.

The fantastic George Clooney leads the voice in Fantastic Mr. Fox. In this Wes Anderson film based from the book of Roald Dahl, other Hollywood A-listers lent their voices – Meryll Streep, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, Michael Gambon and more. Opens on November 25.

Adrian Brody smirks after winning a bet with Jeffrey Wright.

(TriStar) Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonce Knowles, Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer, Columbus Short, Emmanuelle Chriqui. Directed by Darnell Martin

Once in a great while, fortune and talent come together in a great confluence that allows the most unlikely of people to join together to become legends.

Leonard Chess (Brody), a Polish émigré to Chicago, has grand ambitions. Hoping to marry the love of his life Revetta (Chriqui), he opens a bar on the predominantly African-American South Side of Chicago. Hoping to draw in the local crowd, he hires local talent to play his stage. One of the first guys he finds is a gifted guitarist who goes by the name of Muddy Waters (Wright).

Muddy had been a Mississippi sharecropper before being “discovered” by Smithsonian-Folkways recording archivists, and being prompted to move to Chicago to play the Blues. His wife Geneva (Union) puts up with the rough living conditions and the late nights, turning a blind eye to his many infidelities.

So impressive is Muddy’s prowess that Chess buys a recording studio and founds a recording company he names after himself. However, Muddy’s career really goes into overdrive when he finds gifted harmonica player Little Walter (Short). Walter has a unique style that employs electric amplification, something only just coming into style back then. However, his abrasive personality and drinking problem leads him to be fired from Muddy’s band, although they still record together. Walter’s solo career, however, takes off on its own.

With songwriter/engineer Willie Dixon (Cedric) in the house, Chess has assembled a winning team which only gets better with the arrival of Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and the great Chuck Berry (Mos Def). Berry’s unique blend of blues, country and r&b creates a bastard child that can only be labeled “rock and roll.” His music begins to cross over lines to white audiences and becomes Chess Records’ most successful artist.

Add into this mix the incredibly talented (and incredibly troubled) Etta James (Knowles) and you have a recipe for game-changing music, as well as for ego-driven conflicts. As the ‘60s dawn and musical tastes begin to change, the influence of the Chess artists becomes apparent even as their record sales begin to dwindle. Not everybody, sadly, will make it out alive.

Martin has a cinematic love letter to an era and to a record label in particular. Music underwent a profound change in the 1950s, and Chess and Sun Records were both at the forefront of that change – the birth of rock and roll out of country (Sun Records with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins) and the blues (Chess Records). Only Motown Records in the ‘60s would have the same kind of effect on the musical landscape that these two labels did.

Leonard Chess actually co-founded the label with his brother Phillip, who for some odd reason is not even mentioned here. In any case, Brody gives a solid performance as the label head, who gave his artists Cadillacs when they completed their first record, but who may have played fast and loose with royalty payments.

Knowles, who has shown some real acting skills in Dreamgirls and Austin Powers: Goldmember, continues to impress with a powerful portrayal as Etta James. She captures the artists’ outer bravura as well as her inner fears and demons. Short, similarly, captures the larger-than-life aspects of an artist who burned brightly and was snuffed out all too soon.

It’s a shame that in a movie about Chess Records, little of the original music from these artists was used. Instead, the producers chose to have the songs re-recorded (Knowles does her own vocals on James’ hits ”At Last” and “I’d Rather Be Blind”), mostly by the actors playing the artists. While it’s admirable that the actors did their own singing, I’d rather have heard the original versions by Muddy Waters, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

The filmmakers obviously have a reverence for Chess Records and its legacy. They gathered a strong cast and gave them some strong material to work with. This is a movie that helps illustrate the development of modern music, which is of more than passing interest to anyone who loves it. While the movie didn’t fare particularly well on its theatrical run, it is more than worth checking out. Yes, it’s an imperfect glimpse into the past but ultimately, a satisfying tribute to a label and the people on it who, together, changed music forever.

WHY RENT THIS: The story of Chess Records is an important historical event in the history of modern music and the movie covers it respectfully. Solid performances from an impressive cast, especially Knowles and Short.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The movie plays a little fast and loose with the facts, and oddly, doesn’t use the music from the actual performers and instead recreates these iconic songs with the actors lending their voices.

FAMILY VALUES: Lots of sex and sexual situations, as well as drug use and some racially-motivated violence. Not for small fries.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The part of Leonard Chess was originally to have been played by Matt Dillon, but he had to bow up due to scheduling conflicts. Adrien Brody wound up taking the part.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: The Blu-Ray includes an interactive playlist maker that allows you to create and share playlists of the songs in the movie.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: Zombieland

I had never seen the Darjeeling Limited before. Sometime after seeing The Life Aquatic I decided I wasn’t connecting emotionally to his movies. So I skipped this one.

But Jenn makes a pretty good argument and so we watched this. And of course it is pretty amazing.

Bleak, but amazing.

My father hates to fly, so our family used to take the train to South Dakota every summer. A few times we had sleeper cars. I loved the sleeper cars because it seemed like an old movie.

Fem un repàs de les pel·lícules de la Secció Oficial que competiran per endur-se els premis del 42è Festival de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya. Entre les que opten a premi, trobem produccions espanyoles, com la pel·lícula que inaugurarà el festival, l’esperada REC 2, i Ingrid, de les quals ja vàrem parlar a BCNCultura, i Hierro, òpera prima de Gabe Ibañez protagonitzada per Elena Anaya. A més de les ja citades, destaquen altres propostes amb un marcat to hiperrealista que buscaran tant el patiment i l’angoixa com l’admiració i els aplaudiments. Enter the Void, Kinatay i The Children són algunes de les pel·lícules faran les delícies d’espectadors i de membres del jurat, impacients per passar-ho meravellosament malament gaudint de cinema de qualitat terrorífica.

Gaspar Noé (Irreversible, Solo contra todos), presentarà Enter the Void; la pel·lícula, estrenada a Cannes i com sempre passa amb les seves pel·lis, no va passar desapercebuda gràcies a la cruesa narrativa i temàtica, com és habitual en el cineasta argentí. Enter the Void, història rodada a Tokio, narra les viviències d’ un jove inestable que es fa càrrec de la seva germana petita després de la brutal mort de llurs pares. La contundència de Gaspar Noé és sempre un bon reclam per veure les seves pel·lis, contrastant amb una fotografia preciosista de la capital nipona. Nathaniel Brown, Marina Stone, Sara Stockbridge, Paz de la Huerta i Olly Alexander són els protagonistes.

Kinatay de Brillante Mendoza, padrí del nou cinema filipí representat per directors joves com Raya Martín o Máximo Oliveros. La trama no s’està per romanços, i l’estil narratiu per menys: consisteix en un brutal segrest amb final infeliç, rodat amb primers plans desbordats de tensió i terror. Brillante Mendoza va endur-se el premi de millor director al darrer Festival de Cannes. La pel·lícula té una posada en escena demolidora i un ritme narratiu vertiginós, accentuant la duríssima trama. Coco Martín, actor habitual de Mendoza, és el protagonista; interpreta a un jove que necessitat de diners es veu implicat en un salvatge segrest. Mercedes Cabral i Maria Isabel López encapçalen el repartiment d’aquest thriller ultrarrealista habitat per prostitutes, drogues, negocis clandestins i sang.

Entre les altres noms que competiran en la Secció Oficial trobem el de Vincenzo Natali. El director de Cube torna a Sitges amb Splice, interpretada per Adrian Brody i Sarah Polley. El debat sobre els límits de la ciència i les friccions morals que provoca està servit: interpreten a dos investigadors que busquen donar un salt en l’evolució genètica. L’anglesa The Children, dirigida per Tom Shankland, proposa una trama, al més pur estil de Los chicos del maíz i de ¿Quién puede matar a un niño?, on els adorables nens es veuen contagiats per un virus que els converteix en assassins d’adults. Pels més morbosos trobem Ne te retourne pas, de Marina de Van, amb Monica Belluci i Sophie Marceau, on una escriptora pateix una série de canvis físics que la trastornen de tal manera que no sap ni qui és.

De Grace, Thirst, Yatterman i The Countess vàrem parlar fa uns dies. De Mr. Nobody, Cold Soul, Accident i Dorian Gray, ho fem ara. Aquest última és l’adaptació del clàssic a càrrec d’ Oliver Parker (Otelo). Ben Barnes (Crónicas de Narnia) és Dorian Gray, Colin Firth és Lord Henry Wotton, amb Rebecca Hall com a Emily Wotton completant l’atractiu repartiment. Mr. Nobody, de Jaco Van Dormael i protagonitzat per Diane Kruger, Jared Leto i Sarah Polley, explica la història d’un home de 120 anys; la dita xinesa sobre l’ anomenat efecte mariposa és el rerefons de la pel·li. De Cold Souls sabem que està protagonitzada pel sempre efectiu Paul Giamatti; d’Accident, que és un thriller urbà dirigit pel director de Hong Kong Soi Cheang i produït per Johnnie To i que va passar força desapercebuda dissabte a la Mostra de Venècia.

Només manquen 24 dies per l’inici del festival. És el moment de fer-se la llista de pel·lícules que un vol veure. Nosaltres de moment apuntem Thirst, Kinatay, Enter The Void i The Children, de la que us ofreim el tràiler a continuació.

Meu próximo filme vai ser uma merda, mas aposto que você vai se surpreender no final! - M. Night Shyamalan

Todo metier tem sua trupe de picaretas. Nas artes plásticas, um cara que se banhava em cocô de pombo chamado Salvador Dali fez uma das obras mais cafonas da História da Arte e é até hoje considerado um gênio.

Já no cinema, posso elencar vários. Um deles é famoso por fazer filmes que na verdade se assemelham muito a uma carta enigmática do passatempo da Mônica, o que seria uma proposta até válida, não fosse o fato de que ninguém se dá conta disso. O nome desse picareta é David Lynch. Assistir Cidade dos Sonhos não é uma experiência cinematográfica de regojizo, e sim uma massagem no seu ego: quanto mais você decifra a charada, mais inteligente você se sente. Ninguém liga que o filme é feio, mal atuado, chato e arrogante: afinal, estamos falando de uma obra-prima, não é mesmo?

No Universo da picaretagem, o cara que mais me deixa puto é um diretor sem talento chamado M. Night Shyamalan. Você deve conhecê-lo por filmes como O Sexto Sentido, Corpo Fechado e A Vila.

São filmes ruins, em todo sentido da palavra, mas com um final que ninguém esperava. Ou seja, é como comer uma baguete envelhecida com um pedaço de bacon no miolo.

Eu não sou contra finais surpreendentes. Muito pelo contrário. Adoro Psicose, por exemplo, e gosto de ver Norman Bates de vestido como a cereja de um bolo saboroso e refinado. Aliás, quando eu vi o filme eu já sabia do final, minha mãe me contou quando viu o VHS em cima da mesa. Foi meio sem noção da parte dela? Sim, mas no frigir dos ovos aquilo me ensinou que um filme não é feito de final, e sim dele todo, então valeu manhê!

Também sou fã de Lost, mesmo porque Lost, ao contrário de Sexto Sentido, é um produto honesto, ele não faz uma dramaturgia qualquer com um final revelador, mas passa os 40 minutos de cada episódio brincando com isso, produzindo pistas falsas e contaminando o roteiro inteiro com a proposta final. Ver Lost é participar de uma grande gincana dramatúrgica: é como um filme do David Lynch, só que sem a parte da masturbação canhestra.

Agora, ver 2 horas de uma mina cegueta andando pra lá e pra cá e o Adrian Brody fazendo papel de retardado é exatamente aquilo que eu não chamo de entretenimento, muito menos de arte. A atuação do Adrian Brody no filme A Vila me constrange, porque parece que ele aprendeu a atuar com o Batoré, aquele cara que acha que é bonito ser feio. E olha que o Adrian Brody é um belo de um ator.

Eu até imagino o Shyamalan no set cortando o take e dizendo: “Cara, sua atuação tá ótima, elegante, e digna de um Oscar, mas eu quero uma coisa mais Batoré mesmo”.

Vai ser ruim assim na puta que te pariu!

Sometimes good actors happen to bad movies, but more often good actors happen to average movies. Such is the case with Greg Pritkin’s half stirring/half frustrating ”Dummy,” an odd movie about a socially stunted man (Adrian Brody) closing in on 30 who still lives with his parents and relates to people through his ventriloquist dummy. Sounds a little kooky, and perhaps a little gimmicky, too? “Dummy” is both, but mostly the movie clicks along enjoyably enough for four reasons: Brody, Illeana Douglas, Milla Jovovich and Vera Farmiga. This is a lesson in character acting and a kind of survival guide for good actors who find themselves in movies that don’t deserve them.

Brody leads this sublime cast as Steven, a man with no social skills and, thanks to his smothering parents (Jessica Walter and Ron Leibman, both in fine form), no dignity. But he does have two things: a new dummy and a faithful best friend, Fangora (Jovovich), a foul-mouthed dweeb who aspires to be singer. Getting fired from his go-nowhere job is all the push he needs to become a ventriloquist — his lifelong dream – and he lands a few jobs with help from his unemployment counselor Lorena (Farmiga). The two begin a tentative flirtation that, at times, threatens to become one of the sweetest, strangest couplings since “Harold and Maude.”

Here is where frustration rears its ugly head. Actors as good as Brody, who seems as at ease playing a social pariah as he does a hip hustler, and Farmiga, who could make Courtney Love a sympathetic character, deserve better than a subplot about a stalker (Jared Harris) chasing Steven’s sister Heidi (Douglas), who also lives at home. It feels tacked on, as if Pritkin finished the script, then thought to himself “Oh no! I need comic relief!” What about all the endearing oddness? The subplot almost renders it meaningless. Worse, there’s the insulting wrap-up that doesn’t fit the plot or suit the characters, who end up standing around barely concealing their exasperation.  You get the sense there, in those last few minutes, that this isn’t what they signed on for. Hear hear.

Still, hating a movie with such strong acting doesn’t seem fair (or, according to my genetic code, possible). The actors rise above the worst parts of this material and make us forget Pritkin’s attempts to insult our intelligence. Leibman and Walter are funny but believable as Steven’s parents, who treat him as an oddball because they’re not sure how to handle a grown man who talks to a dummy. (Walter in particular has killer instincts for line delivery — listen for zingers like “better an unwed mother than just plain unwed.”) Douglas, forever the character actress, never the star, registers the humiliation of being reduced to begging her mother for the car keys. Farmiga adds another spot-on performance to her eclectic resume, showing us what Lorena sees in a shy misfit like Steven and making us see it as well. As for Brody, this is just another example of why he’s one his generation’s finest actors. In less capable hands, Steven could have been too menacing or off-putting. Brody has better instincts than that, and he finds the right balance of awkwardness and heart in Steven. He’s just a guy who was too scared to let life in until he had a good reason.

The real shocker here, however, is Milla Jovovich. This is amazing, energetic stuff from someone who’s made a career of kicking zombie ass and maintaining her CoverGirl finish while doing it. Whether she’s spewing profanity that gets her kicked out of Target or chasing a dream to become a Yiddish folk singer, Fangora’s the kind of character you don’t forget. That Jovovich gives us little glimpses into her post-high school anxieties, her fear of becoming what her mother expects — a nobody — is an unexpected bonus. In a movie like “Dummy,” that has ambition but no will to use it, that’s a nice surprise.

Grade: C

Some filmmakers are totally in love with words; for others, it’s the view from the camera. Rian Johnson seems particularly enamored with both, and I’m head-over-heels for his new picture, The Brothers Bloom. Johnson proved himself a masterful stylist and an auteur to keep an eye on with his savvy, endlessly inventive noir Brick, but his latest is something else altogether: A comedic caper, a con-men comedy that’s as lavishly stylish and giddily creative as Brick, but also so different that immediately moves Johnson to the upper rung of young cinematic storytellers. After a movie as striking and distinct as Brick, a lesser filmmakers might have written himself into a corner; instead, Johnson blows the door open and reveals that his horizons are endless, crating a unique style that borrows from the Marx Brothers, Wes Anderson, Woody Allen at his nuttiest and most out-there, and the great con-men classics of old, like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels– and finds in those influences a voice that’s almost preternaturally assured and one-of-a-kind. Chalk it up to inspiration: Brothers Bloom is a comedy with heart, a mad rush of invention and storytelling finesse that matches Wes Anderson’s visual flair but unearths a whole new level of emotion. The characters that Johnson develops are altogether fully-formed, surprising, and real– give some of the credit to a group of knockout performances, particularly the show-stealing Rachel Weisz and the very fine Adrian Brody, in his best work since The Pianist– and the whole movie is simply a joy: A wonderfully rich and heartfelt movie with a conscience and a keen wit, but, above all, a zeal for storytelling. Like Mark Ruffalo’s character in the movie, Johnson and his cast deserve a big “wow” for this one.