basically a lesser version of in bruges, but rinko coochie is awesome.

Mmmmm - - a con movie...

...eye leica da con flicks!

And I especially like to see an "exposed" con story like The Brother Bloom - - it's like the watchmaker unscrewing the back of your timepiece and giving you a glimpse of the way your time ticks.

And this is actually a ROM-CON-COM - - pretty rare in my memory (Though other faves in the con movie genre include: House of Games, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Nine Queens, Matchstick Men, The Grifters... so I suppose there's bit 'o' the old romance in all of them...)

And unbelievably, it features two of my least favorite actors: Tweedle Brody and Tweedle Ruffalo. Yet, somehow they exceed my diminished expectations - - go figure?!? (Of course, I have enjoyed each of them despite my spite - - eg: Adrien in The Jacket and Mark in... well... never.) This fortunately is balanced by the luminous Rachel Weisz who's acting is it's own source of light. She's great here... through and through. And then, last but not least, the silent comedienne Rinko Kikuchi. Cool!

Then there's the famous director dude - - you know... the guy who fucked up Brick - - Rian Johnson. Yeah, there's some who might dispute that, and I realize it's a case of half empty/half full - - he made Brick good even with his fuckery! And he's clearly learned his lesson with the clarity with which he draws out this film. The con is a roller coaster in which you safely navigate the twists of the tale, yet still feel the full effects of it's g-forces at every turn.

Add to that the comic gems laden throughout it's firmament - - one tiny vignette features a cat with only one leg due to an unusual accident - - try to picture that in an assuredly uplifting manner!

It ably proves it's oft repeated slogan: "The best con is one in which everyone gets what they want." By the end of this film the producers have extracted the ten dollar bill from your pocket and you get to walk home with a smile on your face...


The Brothers Bloom is a Win-Win!


out of

Of course Bradley, I knew this was going to be a great movie as I even promoted it for 2 weeks straight in my weekly movie thread. As it was very slowly rolled out.

That is a very odd comparison - - one is a con movie and the other is a philosophical hitman movie - - even their senses of humor strike quite different tones. So, I have no idea what you're on about...

Nope...



...this is just another one of those stupid reviews I have to write.

Yup Bradley as never before has a movie ever been given multiple mentions in my weekly upcoming movie thread!

and Bradley, bet you pre-wrote the above review after you sensed the greatness of this movie from the way I was promoting it.

The Brothers Bloom is an absolutely wonderful film across the board. There is the action, the comedy, and the romance all put together within a con artist background. The film has one of the best ensembles of the year ranging from Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, and the always lovely Rachel Weisz. The film never seems to lose its beat as it keeps its roots from the beginning as a journey of two con artist brothers with Bloom (Brody) deciding to make the con within the film to be his last one. They are bot professionals either as there are many quirky incidents especially revolving around Weisz. One of the year's best. ***1/2

it is a very good movie by james joyce, he is good at taking leopold and adding his brother wolferl to this story, i prefer the scene where they are both sitting on the toilet and read a newspaper which says "ZEITUNG - PAUSENCLOWN METULSKI ERMORDET"; in this lies the genius of joyce who is able to take lepard bloom and wolferl bloom and misches them with körschgen, the lutänn, in this gritty portrait of dublin in the 19001s, he also chose asian actors which is another stroke of genital smith because it enhances the thematic relevance of this movie experiment which also references the brothers lumière (leichtbulb and konrad-kronleuchter), the brothers kalamari and the brothers of mankind, which we all are - it therefore and thereby becomes monumental, a testimony of modern civilization and our place in the universes, e.g. the one we live in.

3/10

It's not comparable and anyhow this was better and much more stylish/flashy.
Loved the cinematography, In Bruges was good, not great.

B+


I have yet to see Ryan Johnson's debut success Brick, but judging by this I probably won't be disappointed. The Brothers Bloom is a fun, stylish and very dark comedy carried by a solid cast and nice set-pieces. Rachel Weisz as Penelope and Rinko Kikuchi as Bang Bang in particular elevate this film (I would have loved to find out how Weisz was able to convince the police to let her go, though!). Adrien Brody is solid too and Mark Ruffalo (of whom I am not exactly a fan) at least manages not to annoy.

What felt somewhat weird was the wild mixture between very slight and serious (especially considering the film's ending). Some movies manage to walk that line very well (In Bruges), in this one it is a rather mixed bag. But it's still an overall enjoyable romp with a few nice surprises along the way.

Oh and I love the scene in which they blow up the tower of the Prague Castle. Just awesome