the Con is on…

“The Brothers Bloom” (2008)

dir. Rian Johnson

Like his first film (“Brick”) Johnson’s follow up (“The Brothers Bloom”) takes its cue from a crime sub-genre, the con film (see: David Mamet’s “House of Games” or “Spanish Prisoner”) in an attempt to transcend the genre while weaving an intricate and complex web of character, plot, style and romance. It even includes a cameo by con man, illusionist and cult film star Ricky Jay (Mamet, again) in the prologue. By far the single most compelling and emotional chapter of the story.

Johnson does away with some of the convoluted plot that made “Brick” such a hazy maze, opting for a more streamlined story-line. He also adds more substantial emotional terrain for the actors to traverse. However, Johnson’s stylistic flourishes detract from some of the drama and his compulsion to illustrate the meaning of the story through character’s dialogue erodes away much of its mystery. Almost as if he’s desperate for nobody to miss out on the message of the film. So periodically, he spells it out for us.*

As mainstream films go, “The Brothers Bloom” is innovative and captivating, artistic and accessible without being overbearing or smug. A crowd pleaser. Johnson is also an impressive force behind the camera whose attention to detail and playful sense of humour is another welcomed touch. Even if his ambitions get the better of him.

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*Another talented filmmaker equally capable of fashioning a compelling, original take  on a well-worn genre but incapable of resisting the urge to explain it away before the end titles, is Chris Nolan.

Robot Friends: Long awaited conclusion

The final chapter in the “Bobby and David” saga.

As far as I knew, the complete final chapter had gone “missing” since its original posting  but today I’m told it can be found on vimeo. Thus I give you the long awaited conclusion to one of the most heartfelt robot sagas in recent memory.

To catch up on what’s been going on thus far, you can watch previous episodes here: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5.

RUMOR ALERT: I’ve heard rumblings about a possible 7th episode or “epilogue” of some sort in the works to compliment the existing series. Let’s hope this is true. I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground for future murmurings on the matter.

ZZzzzzzz is for zombie

“Zombieland” (2009)

dir. Ruben Fleischer

The Horror genre – like its cousins the american action film or the romantic comedy – has become something of a staple in Hollywood and as such has been codified. The zombie film sub-genre has seen a re-emergence in recent years and most incarnations feature a standard set of situations and themes which are all too familiar. While movies like “28 Days Later” have broken free of the standard formula, and “Shaun of the Dead” has satirized its often comical conventions, most films understandably attempt to capitalize on its popularity without really offering anything new. And so I present to you “Zombieland.”

While marketed to audiences as a “Shaun of the Dead”-type romp, “Zombieland” neither understands the genre well enough to be a parody, nor is it actually funny enough to be considered a comedy. The jokes are tired and broad. The timing is off. There is no actual story-line, more like a series of episodes strung together with no real purpose or direction; the result of hapless filmmaking or filmmaking by committee. I’m not sure which of the two. (Maybe both?)

The genre hybrid is a difficult thing to pull off and requires the filmmakers take some risks. The creators of “Zombieland” play it too safe, borrowing freely from the “road film” the “rom com” and a splatter of others, in addition to the aforementioned zombie sub-genre, without much imagination. The film is mildly amusing with a fair bit of violence thrown in. There is a lot of potential; a good cast of actors, all of whom seem up to the challenge with a budget to boot but sadly nothing ever comes of it.

The film’s dead on its feet. (A bad zombie film deserves a bad pun).