Brody's Choice
You won't have to deal with Rian Johnson's The Brothers Bloom (Summit, 1.16.09) for another few months yet, but the essence of its faux-comic attitude is pretty much summed up in the "yellow sports car crashing into the stone wall" bit. It's in the trailer posted below. If you find it the least bit amusing, then maybe TBB will work for you. If you find it perplexing -- a nothing moment times infinity -- then you may share my reaction.
One of my complaints about this mostly terrible film -- minor but hugely irritating -- is that Adrien Brody's character's last name is Bloom, as is his brother Stephen, who's played by Mark Ruffalo...and yet Brody is repeatedly addressed as "Bloom" and Ruffalo is called "Stephen." I fell in hate with the movie over this point alone.
Here's an explanation of sorts from Brody, in an interview transcript sent to me this morning:
Questioner: "So it's called The Brothers Bloom, and your character's name is Bloom, so does that make you Bloom Bloom?"
Brody: "We had this discussion. (laughs.) I don't know. I have no idea. That's pretty much it. We joked around about what the first name might be, but we all settled on being happy with Bloom. Someone mentioned that it's the Brothers Bloom, like a verb, which is, actually, a nice observation. So, it is what it is. Ferdinand Bloom -- there you go. It just wouldn't be as cool. Ferdinand just doesn't flow as much."
This is how professional filmmakers sort through script issues and figure things out? They shrug their shoulders and say, "I don't know, doesn't really add up, but let's go with it anyway"?
This, I submit, is one possible indication why Adrien Brody's career hasn't really gone anywhere since he won his Pianist Oscar. If you don't bring some level of discerning intelligence to the basics, you're putting yourself at the whims of morons. If an element in a film is utterly nonsensical, you have to stand up and say "why are we going with this? what good is it doing? how does it elevate or enhance the film?"
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on September 20, 2008 at 9:40 AM
comment #1
dangovich
says ...
For what it's worth, I thought it was a good trailer.
Posted by dangovich
at September 20, 2008 11:38 AM
comment #2
MilkMan
says ...
Ugh.
Go to the source, Rian. Glomming off of Wes Anderson is getting old. You're not the first and you won't be the last. Find your own voice. You seem pretty good at doing impersonations. So does Danny Gans.
Posted by MilkMan
at September 20, 2008 11:41 AM
comment #3
BurmaShave
says ...
Can't believe this is being dumped in January. Is it really that bad? Or is it being platformed?
Posted by BurmaShave
at September 20, 2008 11:57 AM
comment #4
gruver1
says ...
Wells to Burma Shave: It's that bad. Did you read my Toronto reaction? 20-something walkouts?
Posted by gruver1
at September 20, 2008 12:03 PM
comment #5
calraigh
says ...
I can't believe this exists. I was bored and pissed off all at the same time.Even Weisz deserves some sort of retribution for this. '' It totally isss!! ''. Die. Quickly.
Posted by calraigh
at September 20, 2008 12:25 PM
comment #6
BurmaShave
says ...
Yeh gruver I read it, I was just holding out some small hope. The release date seals it though. I'll be catching this on Starz in fall 2009.
Posted by BurmaShave
at September 20, 2008 12:31 PM
comment #7
jackman
says ...
"Even Weisz deserves some sort of retribution for this.'
Rachel Weisz was the only good thing about the film. In fact, Weisz does deserves an Oscar nomination for her great performance but the film really did not deserve her performance.
"Can't believe this is being dumped in January"
its coming out in December for Oscar consideration but other than Rachel's performance, the film does not deserve any.
Posted by jackman
at September 20, 2008 12:49 PM
comment #8
Roman
says ...
Wells, you are once again spewing complete nonsense. In any other movie you may be right, but in a movie that tries to be whimsical there is no such thing a nonsense character name. Bloom Bloom works.
Posted by Roman
at September 20, 2008 2:19 PM
comment #9
MilkMan
says ...
i hope you have a blog Roman because i could read your stuff all the time
you have a very strong voice
you sound like you're wearing a suit
i don't know a lot of people like you
most people sound like they're wearing shorts
there are people who sound topless
roman sounds like he's wearing a tie
he sounds freshly shaved.
I have stubble on my nose.
I wonder what Roman thinks about names that are so contrived that they call attention to themselves as constructions, because no one wants to be winked at for two hours.
DFW was Wittgenstein's Grandson.
Posted by MilkMan
at September 20, 2008 2:31 PM
comment #10
ZayTonday
says ...
Wells, I'd bet that those same people would have walked out during Brick. Brothers Bloom is obviously going overboard with the quirk which was one of the main reasons I loved Brick so much. But I could see how this could turn some people off.
Did you enjoy Brick, Wells?
Posted by ZayTonday
at September 20, 2008 3:14 PM
comment #11
ZayTonday
says ...
Oh and Burma: Brick got dumped in January too.
Posted by ZayTonday
at September 20, 2008 3:15 PM
comment #12
ZayTonday
says ...
I just hope Rian got his brother to score this flick too. The score for Brick should have won the Oscar IMO. Gustavo Santaolalla's score which won that year was boring and amateur.
Posted by ZayTonday
at September 20, 2008 3:17 PM
comment #13
Krazy Eyes
says ...
Jeff: Don't forget to mention that you left before 60 minutes into the film and didn't see the whole thing. You might not think it's a big deal but it will help other realize that they can ignore your comments since you haven't actually seen the film.
Kind of like that Geezer who fell asleep during Burn After Reading but then felt like trashing it anyway.
Posted by Krazy Eyes
at September 20, 2008 3:30 PM
comment #14
MilkMan
says ...
Some you are creepy.
The only reason you come here is to tell Jeff that he's wrong about everything. With your veiled threats and innuendo, like you know Jeff, like you're big shots.
Jeff walked out of a movie and now he's not qualified to talk about it?
You've never stopped watching something, never seen it again, and still had an opinion on what it is that you saw?
You give equal understanding to all people and things?
Righghghghghght.
Why don't you tell us what a nice person you are, tell us about your reserves and reserves of compassion for that which you can't stand, be it a movie, or an idea.
But that's not what you come here to do.
You come here to attack the site's host and owner.
You're a coward.
All of you that pollute this site with your hate.
Nothing but lurkers.
Creeps.
Posted by MilkMan
at September 20, 2008 3:57 PM
comment #15
TheJeff
says ...
Not seeing half of the film doesn't disqualify Jeff from having an opinion, but it's certainly a major caveat for those who might take his opinion seriously. It's worth pointing out that many legitimate film critics who have seen the film in its entirety (like Mike D'Angelo) like it a lot.
As has been pointed out, it is not being "dumped" in January. It opens in NY and LA on December 19th, and expands throughout the following month.
Posted by TheJeff
at September 20, 2008 10:03 PM
comment #16
Roman
says ...
"I wonder what Roman thinks about names that are so contrived that they call attention to themselves as constructions, because no one wants to be winked at for two hours. "
Did you have a problem with Humbert Humbert too?
Oh, I guess you didn't because
You are an idiot.
First of all, at no point during a movie (as far as I remember) was the Brody's character reffered to is Bloom Bloom or anything of the like. It's not even an issue because it wasn't overtly obvious.
You hear that? That's the sound of one eye winking at you. Go and listen to Duran Duran your Butterfly Sniper.
Second, and the real reason behind my comment, Well's implication that Brody's not a proffesional and his carreer "failed" and because he didn't force his director change his characters name (by the way, Wells seems to be bothered - and I mean really bothered - by the darndest things - see his Godfather goof post), is so utterly ridicolous that I felt someone had to call him on it.
By the way, MilkMan, you sound like you are a hunchback. Think about it.
Posted by Roman
at September 20, 2008 10:34 PM
comment #17
Roman
says ...
Which reminds me. In my opinion, Brody is a fine actor and deserved a supp. Oscar nod for his performance in 'The Village'.
And while he was miscast in 'King Kong', he really made the most out the role, and by the end of the film he came into his own.
I'd say his movie choices so far had been pretty decent. Maybe I should go rent 'The Jacket'.
Posted by Roman
at September 20, 2008 10:36 PM
comment #18
swordandpen
says ...
"Which reminds me. In my opinion, Brody is a fine actor and deserved a supp. Oscar nod for his performance in 'The Village'."
I think Brody is a good actor, but his performance in "The Village" was the worst thing in a godawful movie.
Posted by swordandpen
at September 21, 2008 4:19 AM
comment #19
Roman
says ...
I disagree, I think his performance was not only brilliant (and what great casting) but also complitely fit the character he was to be playing.
I guess one would have to like the movie to appreciate the performance though.
Posted by Roman
at September 21, 2008 11:03 AM
comment #20
Deathtongue_Groupie
says ...
Gustavo Santaolalla should have been disqualified for re-using music he wrote for "Deadwood" in the first place.
Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie
at September 21, 2008 3:01 PM
comment #21
Deathtongue_Groupie
says ...
Surprised Well, being an East Coast boy, didn't also include the fact that they try to get away with calling the house Weisz supposedly lives in "the largest private home on the East Coast" in his reasons for hating it.
Only if the movie takes place in an alternate reality where Biltmore Estate in NC doesn't exist would it be so.
Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie
at September 21, 2008 3:09 PM
comment #22
Roman
says ...
Why is it so hard to understand that in the world of the movie there may be a private propery that is bigger than the Biltmore Estate?
Posted by Roman
at September 21, 2008 8:28 PM
comment #23
janee
says ...
Si vous etes interesses par le dossier, ou desirez en savoir plus, contactez-moi par mail, et je vous mettrai en contact.
Best regards,Jane, CEO of cluster high availability
Posted by janee
at May 18, 2011 3:30 AM