Brick (2005) 110 Minutes

While the rain may have forced us indoors once again, it didn’t force Wildcard Slim off of his A game.

‘Brick’ continued the Noir Jam Netti put us on with last week’s well-received ‘Night and the City.’ Where Netti’s Pick paid homage to the passing of some cinematic legends, Slim introduced the Crew to a large ensemble of young actors just making their mark.

Pat Towne joined the Crew after the presentation, but even with his boisterous presence there was no denying it was an intimate Crew on hand for this gumshoe tale. Wiener continued his interminable absence, and Jaja has returned to her old policy of not even responding to the Movienight roll call. Buffy, though under the weather, was ready to rally and join the Crew, but a germ shy Tooda requested she stay home. Also staying home was Netti, who was busy shooting a film while we settled in front of the flat screen. In the end, Nubs, Tooda and Bourbon Cookie were the only ones present for Slim’s Selection.

‘Brick’ marks the debut of a great many unknowns including writer/director Rian Johnson, Lukas Hass, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Matt O’Leary, & Noah Fleiss. The legendary Richard Roundtree (‘Shaft’) also debuts with this Pick.

Wiener is slated as SELECTOR next week, but only time will tell if he will show. He has yet to bring a Selection in 2008.

“No more of these informal chats! If you have a disciplinary issue with me, write me up or suspend me... and I'll see you at the Parent-Teacher conference.”

Written and Directed by: Rian Johnson

BBD Comments:

Slim goes two for two!! I have never even heard of ‘Brick,’ but this film is a damn good time. Further, now that the SELECTOR will sometimes be forced Indoors, it seems that the quality of an Indoor Selection is part of the terrain that marks a fine Pick. ‘Brick’ looked beautiful on the flat-screen, and I didn’t regret being stuck Indoors at all as the film seemed so well suited for the intimate and smoky atmosphere that our Indoor Venue provides.

The script is the star of this film, and it was wonderful to follow up the native noir language of Netti’s excellent ‘Night and the City’ with the modern iteration of the form that ‘Brick’ represents.

Sorry to keep it brief, but if you keep it up we’re gonna have to change “Wild Card Slim” into “Pocket Aces Slim” - well done, my friend.

Onwards.

Nubs Comments:

It is ironic that the title of this film, ‘Brick,’ is usually the slang term for a badly missed basketball shot, for I feel it was the opposite, a slam dunk by Wildcard. I was privileged to be one of the few people to have viewed this recent gem before. As is usually the case with Movienight, I appreciated it much more in this viewing. That was mainly because of how Wildcard maestroed it in perfectly to the jam session following ‘Night and the City.’ It was also because I could actually hear and follow most of the dialogue in Tooda’s surround sound adequate tight quarters as opposed to my first setting in my living room trying not to wake up sleeping infants.

All I kept thinking throughout was that, it’s really well done. The idea, “Noir murder mystery in High School,” seems like it could be a very good joke that dies quicker than our femme fatale, except that, it’s really well done. The filmmakers did their work and make every scene and character fit perfectly into the formula that we have loved since films were black, or Noir. ‘Brick’ celebrates more the snappy dialogue, the anti-hero, and the story over the dark black and white look associated with the genre, but the setting of desolate California suburbs fits the bill fine.

Any pretentiousness given off by this ambitious little thriller is always negated by a great deal of tongue and cheek. I was impressed with the ingenuity the first time I saw it. I was impressed that Wildcard had the fortitude to bring this after ‘Night and the City.’ Furthermore, I am constantly impressed at how the jam session and our little forum continue to soar…and kill.

SELECTOR Comments:

Taken verbatim from the pages of the “How to Successfully Make a Film Noir” manual, ‘Brick’ achieves in modern-day noir filmmaking what so many other contemporary noir films have attempted unsuccessfully. Aside from the breathtaking cinematography, crisp and seedy characters and detective-like plot, ‘Brick’ also has the best dialogue I’ve just about ever heard in a film. Much like ‘Rushmore,’ every single line of dialogue in ‘Brick’ is practically quote-worthy…and correct. How often do you hear the term, “Why don’t you take a powder!” when asking someone to leave? Or, “I’ve got knives in my eyes,” when telling someone you’re exhausted. Ripped right from the lips of everybody “in the know” from the 1940s, ‘Brick’ nails the dialogue without getting too cheesy.

We have our perfect antihero, our perfect storyline, our perfect dialogue, and our perfect caper. Like I stated in my preamble, I love the film noir theme we are submerged in right now. And I really wanted to show a film that embodied that same dark theme of ‘Night and the City’ the previous week, but added a few contemporary touches along the way.

And even though we were indoors and lacking most of the Crew, I think we all shared a damn good time. Now go home and get some sleep…I’ve got knives in my eyes.

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