Looper (Dir: Rian Johnson)

[Tweak Da Leak]

Veronica Mars > Brick

Did what Brick was trying to do 1000x better.

[drizzle]

Isn't having high school kids in these ridiculous situations saying this ridiculous stuff a satire in and of itself?

see my comment about the rapping grandma.

"wow, alot of noir tropes fit incredibly well into a high school landscape..

the thing about that is that they don't. at all.

the two statements i quoted actually negate each other. if noir tropes fit incredibly well into a highschool landscape, then they couldn't make for ridiculous situations of kids saying ridiculous stuff...

[The Ivy League Nigga]

Brick was not a satire.

[drizzle]

i think Brick hatred is the only thing me and Sherm ever agreed on in this forum completely, with no buts or caveats

[perfectprism]

the thing about that is that they don't. at all.

angsty but brainy misfit-->detective, principal--->cop on the detective's ass, prissy girl everyone is in love with--->femme fatale, quiet nerd no one notices--->informant...pretty clear comparisons to make

the two statements i quoted actually negate each other. if noir tropes fit incredibly well into a highschool landscape, then they couldn't make for ridiculous situations of kids saying ridiculous stuff...

they fit well on paper, so taking those well known archetypes and putting them in a unique setting forces attention and scrutiny on them, which is the point of a spoof/satire/homage/whatever. put a new spin on things on and see what sticks. would of been pointless to try and tone it down and make it more realistic or whatever it is that bothers people when the idea seems to be exaggeration and allegiance of and to hard-boiled mystery stories.

[Pronay]

mondo poster:

[None]

Veronica Mars > Brick

Did what Brick was trying to do 1000x better.

[Gregg Popabitch]

i think Brick hatred is the only thing me and Sherm ever agreed on in this forum completely, with no buts or caveats

Which is the both of you will relive this day continuously unless one of you does the correct thing.

And then, and only then, will one of you be free to live the rest of your years while the other is trapped in Groundhog Day.

[The Ivy League Nigga]

i think Brick hatred is the only thing me and Sherm ever agreed on in this forum completely, with no buts or caveats

Isn't having high school kids in these ridiculous situations saying this ridiculous stuff a satire in and of itself?

see my comment about the rapping grandma.

"wow, alot of noir tropes fit incredibly well into a high school landscape..

the thing about that is that they don't. at all.

the two statements i quoted actually negate each other. if noir tropes fit incredibly well into a highschool landscape, then they couldn't make for ridiculous situations of kids saying ridiculous stuff...

Driz sorta identified the main problem with Brick: it takes a healthy dose of cognitive dissonance to enjoy it at all...

To find Brick clever or funny or charming or ironic or to think it's a parody ( ), you have to believe that teens are talking and acting like hard-boiled 40's detectives and criminals. That's pretty much its major selling point.

Then, you have to simultaneously believe that teens are engaged in an incredibly earnest crime conspiracy involving large-scale drug distribution and murder. Which is ridiculous since a hallmark of teenagers is their absolute inability to keep even the most frivolous piece of gossip secret for more than a week.

So what you're left with is a bunch of characters who, besides looking young and going to highschool, bear no resemblance to actual teenagers. And a one-note joke that totally relies on the viewer accepting said characters as teens.

[Gregg Popabitch]

i think Brick hatred is the only thing me and Sherm ever agreed on in this forum completely, with no buts or caveats

Isn't having high school kids in these ridiculous situations saying this ridiculous stuff a satire in and of itself?

see my comment about the rapping grandma.

"wow, alot of noir tropes fit incredibly well into a high school landscape..

the thing about that is that they don't. at all.

the two statements i quoted actually negate each other. if noir tropes fit incredibly well into a highschool landscape, then they couldn't make for ridiculous situations of kids saying ridiculous stuff...

Driz sorta identified the main problem with Brick: it takes a healthy dose of cognitive dissonance to enjoy it at all...

To find Brick clever or funny or charming or ironic or to think it's a parody ( ), you have to believe that teens are talking and acting like hard-boiled 40's detectives and criminals. That's pretty much its major selling point.

Then, you have to simultaneously believe that teens are engaged in an incredibly earnest crime conspiracy involving large-scale drug distribution and murder. Which is ridiculous since a hallmark of teenagers is their absolute inability to keep even the most frivolous piece of gossip secret for more than a week.

So what you're left with is a bunch of characters who, besides looking young and going to highschool, bear no resemblance to actual teenagers. And a one-note joke that totally relies on the viewer accepting said characters as teens.

So you're saying that the 21 Jumpstreet movie does this infinitely times better?

[LilLeftBrain]

Veronica Mars > Brick

Did what Brick was trying to do 1000x better.

nobody would really say otherwise would they
that ru's a marshmallow
brick shit

[Gregg Popabitch]

Thing is, I understand what Perfectpriasm is talking about. I never took it as a serious movie either. It's so completely ridiculous overall that I don't know how you can take it seriously. I saw it within the past year too so I'm late on to the scene but it's fresh in my mind. I felt that it was entertaining.

But i don't feel strong enough about it to care to argue for it's case.

[perfectprism]

yeah, I don't view it as anything more than a fun little riff on one of my favorite genres. always just found the hate baffling from people I otherwise agree with about most movies. I think the overly stylized dialogue and over the top characters sets off film/nerd rage sensors and helps set up personal biases before detractors can find give themselves a chance to like the movie. It happened to me too at first, but then it kind of clicked and I let myself enjoy the thing for what was.

Dude is obviously a polarizing writer/director because he is dedicated to originality and taking chances (see his breaking bad output) and is steadfast about his vision, but that is half the fun for me while some are irked and offput.

Brothers Bloom was better anyway.

Found this 10 minute short he made while apparently writing Looper. Student film type steez, worth the time:

http://vimeo.com/1559454#at=0

edit: ^ If a mod could embed that I'd apreesh, couldn't get it to work

[craig]

Sooo....What did y'all think of Looper? I thought it was pretty good. I was kind of surprised at how much I liked it.

[The Ivy League Nigga]

[Mindbender Futurama]

Sooo....What did y'all think of Looper? I thought it was pretty good. I was kind of surprised at how much I liked it.

it's the fucking best mainstream movie of the year, damn near.

shit OWNS.

it's like a flawless fucking movie for the first 45 minutes. literally every shot, every idea, every plot shift, and every word. IMMACULATE.

then they get to the farm, and it gets a bit rickety, but pulls magic out of its ass by the end, and makes a perfect fucking circle with itself.

its the one movie that came out this year that is GUARANTEED to be considered a CLASSIC.

as soon as it goes to DVD, if not instantly. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have virtually never been better actors, and this is one of the illest time travel movies in decades, if not ever.

and damn, homie! this shit is fucking mad gory. plus: THE CHILDREN!!! WAOW

[Spartan]

its the one movie that came out this year that is GUARANTEED to be considered a CLASSIC.

That would be Dredd.

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

its the one movie that came out this year that is GUARANTEED to be considered a CLASSIC.

That would be The Muppets.

Fixed.

Really liked Looper, but it's being slightly overrated in the press.

Never even heard of Brick, but I want to see it now after the Drizzle/Employee exchange earlier in the thread.

[Trademark]

Sooo....What did y'all think of Looper? I thought it was pretty good. I was kind of surprised at how much I liked it.

it's the fucking best mainstream movie of the year, damn near.

shit OWNS.

it's like a flawless fucking movie for the first 45 minutes. literally every shot, every idea, every plot shift, and every word. IMMACULATE.

then they get to the farm, and it gets a bit rickety, but pulls magic out of its ass by the end, and makes a perfect fucking circle with itself.

its the one movie that came out this year that is GUARANTEED to be considered a CLASSIC.

as soon as it goes to DVD, if not instantly. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have virtually never been better actors, and this is one of the illest time travel movies in decades, if not ever.

and damn, homie! this shit is fucking mad gory. plus: THE CHILDREN!!! WAOW

is the movie ruined for anyone else?

[None]

Sooo....What did y'all think of Looper? I thought it was pretty good. I was kind of surprised at how much I liked it.

it's the fucking best mainstream movie of the year, damn near.

shit OWNS.

it's like a flawless fucking movie for the first 45 minutes. literally every shot, every idea, every plot shift, and every word. IMMACULATE.

then they get to the farm, and it gets a bit rickety, but pulls magic out of its ass by the end, and makes a perfect fucking circle with itself.

its the one movie that came out this year that is GUARANTEED to be considered a CLASSIC.

as soon as it goes to DVD, if not instantly. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have virtually never been better actors, and this is one of the illest time travel movies in decades, if not ever.

and damn, homie! this shit is fucking mad gory. plus: THE CHILDREN!!! WAOW

is the movie ruined for anyone else?

Saw the movie before I read it, so I still really dug it. But I had to stop after the first two lines. Otherwise I'd get a bad case of Bruce Willis face. Only thought throughout the movie was, "JGL, you ain't no damn Bruce Willis!"

[perlman]

I thought it was great as well. Jeff Daniels was funny as hell. Not so much because of his lines but how he delivered them. "Don't go to France. Go to China."

I thought it was funny seeing Bruce Willis lose his hair in real time.

SSSSSPOOOIILLLLEERRRRSSSS

Anyone else think for a second JGL was also somehow the kid and therefore banged his mom? It doesn't make sense but for a second I was especially how they show him on the train and how she strokes his hair in the end, then it cuts to the kid. I also think the kid may have invented time travel. Also did anyone think that dumbass with the silver gun was young Jeff Daniels? They seemed to have a weird connection.

ENNNNNNNDDDD SPPOOIIIILLLELERRRRRSSS

[Dan]

Pooper

http://5secondfilms.com/watch/pooper

[LilLeftBrain]

[Mindbender Futurama]

Sooo....What did y'all think of Looper? I thought it was pretty good. I was kind of surprised at how much I liked it.

it's the fucking best mainstream movie of the year, damn near.

shit OWNS.

it's like a flawless fucking movie for the first 45 minutes. literally every shot, every idea, every plot shift, and every word. IMMACULATE.

then they get to the farm, and it gets a bit rickety, but pulls magic out of its ass by the end, and makes a perfect fucking circle with itself.

its the one movie that came out this year that is GUARANTEED to be considered a CLASSIC.

as soon as it goes to DVD, if not instantly. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have virtually never been better actors, and this is one of the illest time travel movies in decades, if not ever.

and damn, homie! this shit is fucking mad gory. plus: THE CHILDREN!!! WAOW

is the movie ruined for anyone else?

you are the first child Bruce Willis thinks is the Rainmaker.

[Ramen]

^

[Cash Rulz]

Great movie. Very well written and well acted (except for JGL's faces which were hilarious). The plot twist were unbelievably creative and I think the movie worked itself out beautifully in the end.

Surprised since the trailer was so chow.

[None]

I'm still marveling at how beautifully shot and edited the transition between JGL to Bruce Willis was in the middle of the movie.

[perfectprism]

I'm still marveling at how beautifully shot and edited the transition between JGL to Bruce Willis was in the middle of the movie.

This was impressive to me too. It was really refreshing to see a mainstream AAA-ish type project challenge traditional narrative structure and succeed. There was alot of stuff happening very quickly but they held it together and all the different threads of the movie flowed organically into and out of each other brilliantly. Really just a wonderful spectacle of a movie and an emotional rollercoaster like I haven't felt in a while. The ambiguous morality was also nice to see. Suffers a bit from talky dialogue, but that is kind of Rian Johnson's writing style I guess. The world of the movie also seemed sort of disjointed to me at times.

The kid was one of the best child actors I have ever seen. I actually thought they were using subversive CGI at one point to make his eyes more expressive or something because it just didn't compute how adult his emotions seemed.

Probably the closest I've come in a while to considering a movie an instant classic, not so much because of its quality as a stand alone movie, but more in the context of its impact in the landscape of today's hollywood blockbusters, its deft execution of a unique premise and visual style, and its ability to keep the viewer guessing until a satisfying emotional payoff like all great movies do. Plus it has that scene, the scene that everyone will always remember, like the Joker pencil scene. September was a hell of a month for movies.

[Pronay]

The kid was one of the best child actors I have ever seen.

agreed. lol'd at JGL's Willis mannerisms when he was first brought in to speak with Abe. glad I saw this in a theater

[perfectprism]

i think Brick hatred is the only thing me and Sherm ever agreed on in this forum completely, with no buts or caveats

Which is the both of you will relive this day continuously unless one of you does the correct thing.

And then, and only then, will one of you be free to live the rest of your years while the other is trapped in Groundhog Day.

btw I just read over this thread again for some reason and had a good guffaw at picturing drizzle and sherm in a ho-hum existential loop

quoting is the lifeblood of HLB, real recognize real