I am lacking in time to fully divulge on these films at the present, so I'll just lay out what I've seen recently.
1. Brick (2006) Directed by Rian Johnson
A detective story set around a contemporary California high school, BRICK dares to combine the teen and film noir genres. In mixing these two disparate worlds, Director Rian Johnson creates many comically jarring and ironic moments. When loner Brendan Frye (a barely recognizable Joseph Gordon-Levitt of THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN) gets a desperate-sounding call from his ex-love Emily (Emilie de Ravin), he feels compelled to help her, plunging himself into the seedy world of teenage crime that pulled her away from him in the first place. Throughout this journey, Brendan plays a hard-boiled type reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart's iconic Sam Spade character. Johnson's script invests heavily in the fiction of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and is filled with other archetypical characters like the femme fatale (Nora Zehetner), the eccentric crime lord (a brilliant Lukas Haas), and the dame in distress (de Ravin). As teens trade in their cell phones for things as old-fashioned as pay phones and 1940s gangster vocabulary, occasional references to detention and first period provide a humorous contrast with the otherwise unbelievable complex, precocious, and largely parentless world that these teens inhabit. With its heavy reliance on references to old noir classics like THE MALTESE FALCON and THE BIG SLEEP, the film may risk alienating viewers not familiar with these older films. Seeing teenagers speaking in coded detective-movie-style lingo is entertaining, but mixed with the often overlapping, fast-paced but muttered dialogue, it also proves to be distracting at points. People eager to see a predictable teen drama may be confused by BRICK, as its goal is to turn the genre on its head, earning inevitable comparisons to films like 2001's surreal teen fantasy DONNIE DARKO. Because of the film's attention to detail and witty yet hard-to-follow dialogue, BRICK may be better appreciated on second viewing.
(Rotten Tomatoes)
Acting (7/10) The lead is quite good, as is his nerdy friend. Overall, the classy, rapid fire dialouge gives each character something more than the acting itself.
Plot (6.5/10) Very detail orientated and bound to leave some people lost, but does craft a cool film noir out of the california suburbs.
Cinematography (8.5/10) Lots of great angles and shots. Cool color scheme to the whole movie
Originality (8.5./10) Certainly not something you expect from a movie involving high schoolers. Very ambitious and many fine points to be discovered. The movie website has a great messageboard with ongoing converstation about Brick.
Overall: B
2. Insomnia (2002) Directed by Christopher Nolan
In a remote Alaskan town called Nightmute, the murder of a teenage girl has shocked the tight-knit community. The Los Angeles Police Department sends two of its cops--both under investigation by Internal Affairs--to try to solve the crime in Christopher Nolan's film based on Erik Skjoldbjærg's 1997 Norwegian film starring Stellan Skarsgård. The experienced, weathered Will Dormer (Al Pacino) has nothing in life except for the force. His younger partner, Hap (Martin Donovan), has a family to support and is willing to turn state's evidence to protect them. Local cop Ellie Burr is excited to work with her hero, Dormer--until she starts uncovering some questionable situations. It isn't long before Dormer finds the murderer--writer Walter Finch, played with subtle nuances by Robin Williams--but Finch knows a secret that could bring Dormer down. Director Nolan, who stunned audiences with 2001's inventive MEMENTO, here crafts an atmospheric psychological thriller that is bathed in whites and grays. The acting is uniformly excellent, especially Pacino's performance as a cop on the edge and Williams as a soft-spoken, low-rent crime novelist. Because it never gets dark in Alaska at this time of year, Dormer (a play off the Spanish word "dormir," which means "to sleep") is unable to fall asleep, light always streaming into his hotel room; watching him slowly unravel is a treat.
(Rotten Tomatoes)
Acting (7/10) Al Pacino is quite good in his role as a haggard cop, as is Robin Williams as the quietly disturbed writer. Hiliary Swank is good, doesn't stand out though.
Plot (8/10) Pretty cool story and setting for this thriller. Manages to avoid many of the bland pitfalls and predictible "twists" that litter many similar films. Much more of a character study embedded in a murder mystery.
Cinematography (8/10) Nolan is, as always, at the top of his game. Takes advantage of the fact that it's always sunny even in such a dark scenario. Fog scene is excellent as are the large Alaskan landscape shots.
Originality (8.5/10) Leave it to Christopher Nolan to take a seemingly basic thriller story and craft it into something both complex and tasteful. Exciting crime cinema at its best.
Overall Grade: B+
3. Magnolia (1999) Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
In a single day in Los Angeles, a number of interconnected lives are changed forever. A lonely police officer (John C. Reilly) falls in love with a disturbed cocaine addict (Melora Walters). Her father (Philip Baker Hall), the host of the game show "What Do Kids Know?" has terminal cancer and tries to make amends for his past mistakes. A former champion of the show (William H. Macy) struggles to find love while the current champion (Jeremy Blackman) suffocates under the pressures of being a boy genius. An elderly man (Jason Robards) lies on his deathbed, tended by nurse Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman), while his trophy wife (Julianne Moore) wrestles with grief and guilt, and his estranged son (Tom Cruise), an infomercial host, teaches workshops on how to trick women into having sex. Throughout all of this, past deeds are lamented and strange forces loom in the air. Director Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to BOOGIE NIGHTS is an extravagant, emotional epic inspired by such films as Robert Altman's NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS, with a sprawling cast of characters searching for love and meaning in a chaotic world. The cast delivers uniformly excellent performances, most notably Tom Cruise's Oscar-nominated role as the sleazy Frank T.J. Mackey
Acting (9/10) Excellent, colorful cast of characteres all around. What else would you expect from a cast that includes such greats as PSH and William H. Macy. Tom Cruise, inconsistent in his performances, is perfect for his role in Magnolia.
Plot (9/10) The large combination of plots that connect on both literal and figurative levels makes Magnolia a true masterpiece. The themes of childhood and parenting are huge as are the truly good characters (nurse and policeman) trying to do something for the better in this world. The Exodus references/ wholly awesome ending add a great touch as well.
Cinematography (9/10) Some excellent single shot passages and great editing together of shots in which multiple characters are seen with Aimee Mann singing beautifully in the background. Overall the music is great.
Originality (9.5/10) An epic of a film that has the best first thiry minutes of any movie I've ever seen. Scene with all the characters singing from their lonely perches is stunning as well. Paul Thomas Anderson is a master who put three hours of pure, gut wrenching human bliss into a compilation of stories that all share one common thread. Not a "Crash" style movie where everything connects perfectly, the ending is highly ambigous, yet I was left greatly moved. Just Excellent all around.
My Grade: A (Add this one to my top ten favorites)
