*Brendan answers the pay phone

Emily: [over the phone] I screwed up real bad, you know.

Brendan Frye: Screwed up how?

Emily: Look, I did what she said with the brick. I didn't know it was bad, but The Pin's on it now for poor Frisco, and they're playing it all on me.

Brendan Frye: Slow down, now. What?

Emily: You gotta help me Brendan, please. I think Tug...
[car drives past Brendan]

Emily: oh no!
[she hangs up]



Brick
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Nora Zehetner
Written and Directed by Rian Johnson


THE CASE: After his ex-girlfriend turns up dead, a teenage loner confronts and mixes it up with a notorious high school crime ring, uncovering a web of secrets and lies.


THE GOOD: Brick is a wonderful first effort on the part of writer/director Rian Johnson. It is film noir at its best and happens to take place in high school. The characters are ones you would recognize from say The Maltese Falcon -- but they are a lot younger and a lot fresher. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From the Sun) gives a career defining performance and mixes it up with some familiar faces like Nora Zehetner (you probably will recognize her from NBC’s Heroes), Emilie de Ravin (Lost), and Lukas Haas. They all create a very believable world, but it is not hard when they are working with such great material. The best thing about Brick is the dialogue. The dialogue for this film pops with originality and is basically a new language of its own. Words and phrases that you have never heard before are used, but yet they make sense. From the film noir homages to the original dialogue and the wonderful cast -- Brick screams cool.


THE BAD: Pay attention. Brick is so layered with colloquialisms and plot twists that I swear if you lose concentration for just a second, you will lose your place in the story. The dialogue is so unique that some people may have a hard time keeping up. But like I said, just pay attention and you should be okay.


THE LAW: You have to see Brick. It isn’t often that a film this original and fun comes along, so I beg you to please check it out. Brick will inspire you with its creativity and will remind you that you don’t need millions of dollars to make a good film.