Written by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub

In 2005 I saw the exceptional movie “Brick”. I was completely blown away by what writer/director Rian Johnson’s did with such a limited budget, and I hoped he was a new voice just getting started.

Thankfully, Rian’s follow up “The Brothers Bloom” shows just how capable a filmmaker he is, and I love it just as much as “Brick”. Actually, I think I like it even more.

For those who haven’t heard of “The Brothers Bloom”, you can watch the first seven minutes here. But if you want to see the footage for the first time in a movie theater…all you need to know is Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo are two brothers and con men. For their last job, they go after Rachel Weisz’s character and things don’t go exactly as planned. I could say a lot more, but this movie will be a lot better the less you know.

If you’ve been reading Collider for awhile and you trust my opinion, then trust me now when I say “The Brothers Bloom” is an exceptional film and one that’s absolutely worth paying to see. The film opens this Friday in New York and Los Angeles, and over the next few weeks it will expand into many other cities.

Anyway, I recently got to talk with Rian about making the movie, why he filmed in Prague, what he is like on set, and a whole lot more. Since the interview is a bit long, it’s broken up into two parts.

Again, can’t recommend “The Brothers Bloom” enough.

Rian Johnson part 1

·         What’s the publicity process been like for him

·         Is he nervous about going against some of the big summer movies

·         When did Summit get involved with the film. He talks about how he got the money to make the movie

·         We talk about studio notes

·         I ask if he just wanted a vacation in Prague and that’s why he filmed there – talks about his history of traveling…or lack there of

·         How does he know when a script or scene is done

·         Did he always know how a scene would play out or did he tinker on set with tone and dialogue

Rian Johnson part 2

·         What ideas changed while filming the movie – Rian talks about how the movie changed in the editing room and what changed

·         DVD/Blu-ray talk – what deleted scenes and cool stuff will be on the DVD. He says a lot more in the Russia section will be added

·         Says he is against an extended cut of the film

·         Says he is not going to pull a George Lucas

·         We talk about filming in Prague

·         How is his next project coming together – it’s sci-fi

·         Says it isn’t a studio movie with big set pieces. It’s character based