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History has been made at the 2020 Academy Awards!  Parasite has become the first subtitled movie to win the Oscar for best picture in the 92 year history of the ceremony.  There have been times when I thought that streak would break (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Babel, Roma) but it’s taken until 2020 for it to finally happen.

Most categories played out as expected (favourite backers were happy).  The acting winners were all locks going in for example.  However, it all went wild when Bong Joon Ho won best director (breaking a run of 15 out of 16 DGA winners who have won the Oscar) and then Parasite itself taking best picture (breaking a run of 12 out of 14 PGA winners who have won the Oscar).

Here are the major winners…

Best Picture – Parasite

Best Director – Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)

Best Actor – Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Best Actress – Renee Zellweger (Judy)

Best Supporting Actor – Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Best Supporting Actress – Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Best Original Screenplay – Parasite

Best Adapted Screenplay – Jojo Rabbit

Best International Feature – Parasite

Best Animated Feature – Toy Story 4

Best Documentary Feature – American Factory

 

Oscars gambling

I outlined my Oscars bets last week and I am therefore pumped for Parasite’s win.  I had $100 on it at $10 back in early December and I tipped it as the winner in my e-newsletter from 19 November 2019.  It’s on a par with Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Mark Rylance and Spotlight as one of my great Oscar wins.  Coupled with my Jojo Rabbit screenplay win and my Globes win, it’s another healthy year of profit (my 5th straight).  Here’s my latest tally…

1996 – profit of $750 – won on Susan Sarandon

1997 – profit of $300 (cumulative profit $1,050) – won on Frances McDormand

1998 – loss of $250 (cumulative profit $800)

1999 – loss of $250 (cumulative profit $550)

2000 – profit of $620 (cumulative profit $1,170) – won on Kevin Spacey and Michael Caine

2001 – loss of $190 (cumulative profit $980) – won on director Steven Soderbergh

2002 – profit of $480 (cumulative profit $1,460) – won on Halle Berry

2003 – profit of $275 (cumulative profit $1,735) – won on Catherine Zeta-Jones and Adrien Brody

2004 – profit of $150 (cumulative profit $1,875) – won on Sean Penn

2005 – profit of $214 (cumulative profit $2,089) – won on Hilary Swank

2006 – profit of $350 (cumulative profit $2,439) – won on Reese Witherspoon

2007 – profit of $1,463 (cumulative profit $3,912) – won on Eddie Murphy at Globes, Alan Arkin & West Bank Story at Oscars

2008 – profit of $268 (cumulative profit of $4,280) – won on Tilda Swinton and the Coen brothers

2009 – profit of $253 (cumulative profit of $4,533) – won on Mickey Rourke & Kate Winslet at Globes, Kate Winslet at Oscars

2010 – loss of $830 (cumulative profit of $3,703)

2011 – profit of $30 (cumulative profit of $3,733) – won on Social Network at Globes, Tom Hooper & King’s Speech at Oscars

2012 – loss of $640 (cumulative profit of $3,093) – won on Jean Dujardin at Oscars

2013 – loss of $850 (cumulative profit of $2,243) – won on Ang Lee at Oscars

2014 – loss of $72 (cumulative profit of $2,171) – won on Matthew McConaughey at Globes and Oscars

2015 – loss of $50 (cumulative profit of $2,121) – won on Eddie Redmayne at Oscars

2016 – profit of $1,325 (cumulative profit of $3,446) – won on Mark Rylance and Spotlight at Oscars

2017 – profit of $870 (cumulative profit of $4,316) – won on Damien Chazelle, Casey Affleck, Emma Stone and Mahershala Ali at Oscars

2018 – profit of $330 (cumulative profit of $4,646) – won on Frances McDormand and Three Billboards at Globes and Frances McDormand at Oscars

2019 – profit of $1,022 (cumulative profit of $5,668) – won on Rami Malek and Green Book at Globes and Green Book at Oscars

2020 – profit of $1,042 (cumulative profit of $6,710) – won on Taron Egerton at Globes, and Jojo Rabbit (screenplay) and Parasite at Oscars

May the good times continue!

 

Oscars competition

A huge congratulations to Rob Eddy who has won my 20th Annual Pick the Oscars competition.  No one managed 6 out of 6 (many came unstuck with Parasite winning picture) but we had 6 entrants coming close with 5 out of 6.  It therefore came down to the tie-breaker question – the best picture presenter was Jane Fonda who is 82 years of age.  Rob was spot on with his age prediction.  Others to get 5 out of 6 were Sam Dagan, Peter Wickins, Jenny Goodman, Katie Read and Jimmy Orsag.

Make sure you enter again next year!

Well, that’s it for me.  I’m off to enjoy a drink!

Since 2011, I have been pulling together a list of the best movies of the year according to the Brisbane-based critics who I run into regularly at preview screenings.  Those films to have topped prior year lists have been Drive in 2011, Argo in 2012, Gravity in 2013, Boyhood in 2014, Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015La La Land in 2016, Get Out in 2017 and The Favourite in 2018.

To come up with an overall top 10, I’ve used a simple points system and applied it to the list of each critic. It is as follows:
 - 3 points for the top film on each list.
 - 2 points for the films ranked between 2nd and 5th on each list.
 - 1 point for the films ranked between 6th and 10th on each list.

If two films finished on the same score, the film that appeared on the most number of top 10 lists is ranked higher (as an indication of wider approval).

In the 9 years that I’ve putting together this list, we’ve never had such a comprehensive winner.  Parasite is the clear choice of Brisbane critics as the best film of 2019.  The Palme d’Or winner from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho was ranked in the “top 10” by 11 of 12 critics (it was only my list where it was missing!) and 6 critics had it as their top movie of the year.

Parasite finished 14 points ahead of the second place getter, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (the previous record winning margin was La La Land by 10 points in 2016).  The other two films to appear on more than 50% of the critics’ respective “top 10” lists were Knives Out in 3rd place and Us in 4th place.

Another milestone this year was the inclusion of 3 foreign language films in the top 10.  In addition to Parasite, both Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Pain and Glory made the cut with 3 critics naming Antonio Banderas (the star of Pain and Glory) as giving the year’s best performance.

The remaining films on the list included two Netflix dramas, The Irishman and Marriage Story, and two comedies, Jojo Rabbit and Booksmart.

 

On that note, here are the top 10 movies of 2019 according to Brisbane critics…

Brisbane Film Critics - Top 10 of 2019
1.  Parasite
2.  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3.  Knives Out
4.  Us
5.  Portrait of a Lady on Fire
6.  The Irishman
7.  Jojo Rabbit
8.  Marriage Story
9.  Booksmart
10.  Pain and Glory

You can view a table of all the votes and final scores by clicking here.

A big thanks to all the critics who were able to contribute. Hopefully we'll do it again next year!

You can check out information on all the Brisbane critics (along with their choices for the best and worst of 2019) below.
 


 

Matthew ToomeyMatthew Toomey

Born in Brisbane, Matt Toomey was introduced to the world of cinema when he landed a job at a video store fresh out of high school in 1995. A few years later, he started his own website and reviewed movies regularly on a community radio station. In 2005, he joined the team at 612ABC and can be heard reviewing the latest releases every Thursday morning. He can also be heard weekly on regional ABC throughout Queensland.

Website: thefilmpie.com
Twitter: @ToomeyMatt

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. If Beale Street Could Talk
2. Eighth Grade
3. The Guilty
4. The Nightingale
5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
6. The Report
7. The Australian Dream
8. Toy Story 4
9. Dogman
10. Burning
 
Best Australian Film:
The Nightingale
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
The Australian Dream
Best Performance:
Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)
Worst Film:
After
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Cold Pursuit
If Beale Street Could Talk

 

Sarah WardSarah Ward

Sarah Ward is a freelance film critic, arts and culture writer, and film festival organiser. She is the Australia-based critic for Screen International, the film and weekend editor for Concrete Playground, a writer for the Goethe-Institut Australien’s Kino in Oz, and a contributor to Flicks Australia, SBS, SBS Movies and ScreenHub. Her work has been published by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, AACTA, Birth.Movies.Death, Junkee, FilmInk, Lumina, Senses of Cinema, Broadsheet, Televised Revolution, ArtsHub, Metro Magazine, Screen Education and the World Film Locations book series. She is also the editor of Trespass Magazine, a film and TV critic for ABC radio Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, and has worked with the Brisbane International Film Festival, Queensland Film Festival, Sydney Underground Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival.

Websites: concreteplayground.com
screendaily.com/sarah-ward/1100859.contributor
goethe.de/ins/au/en/kul/sup/kio.html
flicks.com.au/author/sarah-ward/
sbs.com.au/guide/person/sarah-ward
sbs.com.au/movies/person/sarah-ward
birthmoviesdeath.com/author/sarah.ward
trespassmag.com
Twitter: @swardplay

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Parasite
2. The Nightingale
3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
4. Pain and Glory
5. Us
6. High Life
7. Burning
8. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
9. Marriage Story
10. The Irishman
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Little Joe
2. Synonyms
3. True History of the Kelly Gang
4. I Lost My Body
5. Atlantics
 
Best Australian Film:
The Nightingale
Best Animated Film:
Weathering with You
Best Documentary:
Varda by Agnes
Best Performance:
Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)
Worst Film:
Cats
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Crawl
Parasite

 

Garry WilliamsGarry Williams

Garry Williams is a reviewer for Film Club, a radio program broadcast on 4ZZZ-FM (102.1FM) each Thursday from 6-7pm.

Website: 4zzz.org.au/program/film-club
Twitter: @thegeegenie

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Woman at War
2. Parasite
3. Sorry We Missed You
4. Joker
5. Us
6. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
7. The Irishman
8. Pain and Glory
9. Official Secrets
10. The Report
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Capital in the 20th Century
2. The Spy Gone North
3. Memory: The Origins of Alien
4. Untouchable
5. Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
 
Best Australian Film:
Acute Misfortune
Best Animated Film:
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Best Documentary:
2040
Best Performance:
Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)
Worst Film:
The Nightingale
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Rocketman
Woman at War

 

Peter GrayPeter Gray

Peter Gray is a Brisbane based freelance entertainment writer specialising in film. Currently the entertainment reporter/film reviewer for QNews, Queensland’s largest LGBT publication, and regular contributor to Brisbanista, The AU Reviews and This is Film.

Website: rottentomatoes.com/critic/peter-gray/movies
brisbanista.com.au
thisisfilm.com
qnews.com.au
Twitter: @ratedPDG

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Parasite
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3. Pain and Glory
4. Marriage Story
5. Booksmart
6. Us
7. Destroyer
8. Midsommar
9. The Farewell
10. Hustlers
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Dolemite Is My Name
2. The Day Shall Come
3. Little Monsters
4. The Perfection
5. In Fabric
 
Best Australian Film:
The Nightingale
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
The Australian Dream
Best Performance:
Florence Pugh (Midsommar)
Worst Film:
Cats
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Child's Play
Parasite

 

Ella DonaldElla Donald

Ella is a journalist, writer, and academic. She teaches at the University of Queensland, she's a regular contributor to GQ magazine, also she writes profiles, features, and interviews for publications like Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, ABC, and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Website: elladonaldwriter.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ellafdonald

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
2. Mystify: Michael Hutchence
3. Parasite
4. Knives Out
5. Jojo Rabbit
6. Woman at War
7. Booksmart
8. Little Woods
9. Ford v Ferrari
10. Vox Lux
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Little Women
2. Dark Waters
3. Matthias et Maxime
4. Homecoming
5. A Hidden Life
 
Best Australian Film:
Mystify: Michael Hutchence
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
Mystify: Michael Hutchence
Best Performance:
Brad Pitt (Ad Astra)
Worst Film:
Joker
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Charlie's Angels
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

 

David EdwardsDavid Edwards

David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb Magazine and writes about film and television.

Website: www.theblurb.com.au
Twitter: @TheBlurbMag

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Parasite
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3. The Farewell
4. Birds of Passage
5. Booksmart
6. Knives Out
7. Jojo Rabbit
8. If Beale Street Could Talk
9. The White Crow
10. Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. 1917
2. The Sound of Silence
3. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
 
Best Australian Film:
Judy and Punch
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Best Performance:
Awkwafina (The Farewell)
Worst Film:
Promised
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Zombieland: Double Tap
Parasite

 

Dave CreweDave Crewe

Freelance film critic with a fondness for arthouse and grindhouse films in roughly equal measure. Obsessed with David Lynch. Founding editor of ccpopculture, and freelances for SBS Movies, Junkee, The Brag, Metro Magazine and Screen Education, amongst others.

Website: ccpopculture.com
Twitter: @dacrewe

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Ad Astra
2. Parasite
3. Pain and Glory
4. The Irishman
5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
6. Hustlers
7. Avengers: Endgame
8. If Beale Street Could Talk
9. Rocketman
10. Us
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Knife + Heart
2. Under the Silver Lake
3. Colour Out of Space
4. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
5. So Long, My Son
 
Best Australian Film:
The Furies
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly
Best Performance:
Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory)
Worst Film:
Secret Obsession
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Terminator: Dark Fate
Ad Astra

 

Rob HudsonRob Hudson

Rob Hudson is the editor of popular culture website modmove.com and reviews film, theatre and music.

Website: modmove.com
Twitter: @modmove

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Parasite
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3. The Irishman
4. Knives Out
5. Jojo Rabbit
6. Hotel Mumbai
7. Booksmart
8. Avengers: Endgame
9. The Nightingale
10. Us
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Dolemite Is My Name
2. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
3. Love, Antosha
4. Hail Satan?
5. Velvet Buzzsaw
 
Best Australian Film:
The Nightingale
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
Apollo 11
Best Performance:
Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
Worst Film:
Playing with Fire
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Ready or Not
Parasite

 

Baz McAlisterBaz McAlister

Walkley Award finalist Baz McAlister is a writer and deputy night editor at The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail, and co-hosts 'Force Material', a podcast about the secrets, history and influences of Star Wars.

Website: bazmcalister.wordpress.com
www.forcematerial.com
Twitter: @bazmcalister

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Jojo Rabbit
2. Us
3. Parasite
4. Knives Out
5. Midsommar
6. Avengers: Endgame
7. Booksmart
8. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
9. The Kid Who Would Be King
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
 
Best Australian Film:
The Nightingale
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Documentary:
Free Solo
Best Performance:
Lupita Nyong'o (Us)
Worst Film:
Rambo: Last Blood
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Jojo Rabbit

 

Adam RabocziAdam Roboczi

Adam Raboczi is a reviewer for 4ZZZ’s Film Club (Thursdays @ 6pm) and manages the show’s Facebook page.  He can currently be blamed for adding the dreaded CGI to movies.

Website: 4zzzfm.org.au/program/film-club
facebook.com/4zzzFilmClub/
Twitter: n/a

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Parasite
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
3. Burning
4. Knives Out
5. Marriage Story
6. Midsommar
7. The House That Jack Built
8. The Farewell
9. Woman at War
10. Dragged Across Concrete
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. In Fabric
2. Her Smell
3. Dolemite Is My Name
4. Dogs Don't Wear Pants
5. The Art of Self-Defense
 
Best Australian Film:
The Nightingale
Best Animated Film:
Frozen 2
Best Documentary:
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
Best Performance:
Elizabeth Moss (Her Smell)
Worst Film:
Cats
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Wild Rose
Parasite

 

Nick L'BarrowNick L'Barrow

Talking about all the latest releases via 60 second video reviews on Instagram! Also, a contributing writer for Novastream and panellist on various podcasts for the Finely Taylored YouTube channel.

Website: instagram.com/nicksflicksfix
novastreamnetwork.com
Twitter: n/a

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Parasite
2. The Irishman
3. Marriage Story
4. Knives Out
5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
6. Jojo Rabbit
7. Ford v Ferrari
8. Joker
9. Ad Astra
10. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
 
Top Unreleased Films:
1. Monos
2. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
3. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
4. Paddleton
5. Dolemite Is My Name
 
Best Australian Film:
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan
Best Animated Film:
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Best Documentary:
The Australian Dream
Best Performance:
Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
Worst Film:
Playing with Fire
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Good Boys
Parasite

 

Shayne GrieveShayne Grieve

Shayne currently teaches Film and TV at Grace Lutheran College and tries to justify all his cinema visits as professional development.

Website: thisisfilm.com
Twitter: @ShayneTIF

 
Top 10 Released Films:
1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
2. The Irishman
3. Parasite
4. Avengers: Endgame
5. Us
6. Marriage Story
7. Ad Astra
8. Knives Out
9. If Beale Street Could Talk
10. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
 
Best Animated Film:
Toy Story 4
Best Performance:
Adam Driver (Marriage Story)
Worst Film:
Hellboy
Most Surprised To Enjoy:
Hustlers
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

As is tradition, I like to finish up each year by unveiling my top 10 movies.  I had the chance to see and review just over 200 films in 2019.

A quick (unfortunate) shout-out to my worst films of the year – After, Swimming with Men, The Kitchen, The Trouble with You, Promised, The House That Jack Built, 47 Metres Down: Uncaged, Angel Has Fallen and Rambo: Last Blood.  I’m sure those films will have their fans… but I’m not one of them.

In terms of the best, excellent films I couldn’t squeeze into my top 10 list this year include Cold Pursuit, Mary Poppins Returns, Free Solo, Woman at War, Pain and Glory, Booksmart, Wild Rose, Avengers: Endgame, The Farewell, Official Secrets, Pavarotti and Parasite.

On that note though, here are my top 10 films of 2019 in reverse order…

10. Burning (out Apr 18) is an absorbing drama-thriller from South Korea. It's the tale of an introverted young man who bumps into a girl he knew from school but hasn't seen in years. This is a film with some great conversations and plenty of twists and turns. Lots to think about afterwards.

9. Dogman (out Aug 29) is a gut-wrenching, sad Italian drama about a kind-hearted dog groomer who, in trying to make a better life for his young daughter, falls in with the wrong crowd. Great performances. Powerful themes.

8. Toy Story 4 (out Jun 20) is another funny, intelligent, sentimental movie within this successful franchise that will appeal to audiences of all ages. The terrific script is filled with great dialogue, cool new characters and exquisite metaphors. If you’re looking for a reason to smile, Toy Story 4 will provide.

7. The Australian Dream (out Aug 22) is an affecting documentary that delves into the racial abuse endured by AFL footballer Adam Goodes during the final years of his playing career and the reasons it left such an impact. With a wide range of interviewees, my wish is that every Australian see this film.

6. The Report (out Nov 14) is centred on a former FBI employee asked to lead a Senate investigation into the CIA's “enhanced interrogation” techniques in the years following the September 11 attacks. There’s a lot to take away from this movie. It has something to say about the use of torture, the mental strain of being an investigator, and the role of government and subsequent accountability. Great performances from Adam Driver and Annette Bening.

5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (out Dec 26) is a beautiful French drama about a female artist engaged to paint the portrait of a woman who is soon to be wed.  This is a patient drama that builds to a powerful, moving climax.  As the artist studies her subject matter, so too do we as the audience.  It’s a movie that relies more on eye movement and less on dialogue.

4. The Nightingale (out Aug 29) is a confronting, powerful drama that is not easily forgotten. Set in 1820s Tasmania, it's the tale of a flawed, strong-willed woman (Aisling Franciosi) who seeks vengeance against an abusive British soldier (Sam Claflin). Filled with exceptional performances, this is both an absorbing character study and a gripping history lesson.

3. The Guilty (out Feb 28) is a Danish film about a guy who sits at a desk in an office and talks on the phone for 80 minutes. It may sound dreadfully dull but this is one of the best releases of the year. I was hooked from the opening scene to the closing credits. The less you know going in, the better. Trust me.

2. Eighth Grade (out Jan 24) is an outstanding debut feature from first-time director Bo Burnham. It's the story of a shy, nervous, anxious girl trying to make friends and navigate her way through the final week of middle school. Newcomer Elsie Fisher has created a fascinating leading character. I was cringing (in a good way) at some of the dialogue..

1. If Beale Street Could Talk (out Feb 14) is from director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and is adapted from the 1974 novel by James Baldwin. Part of the film is a beautiful, poetic love story and part of the film is a sad, anger-inducing tale of racism in America. Winner of the best supporting actress Oscar for star Regina King.

Paul Feig Interview

He’s been in Australia for a few days to promote his latest film, Last Christmas, and I was fortunate enough to speak with Paul Feig about the film and his approach to filmmaking…

Matt:  We all know the saying dying is easy, comedy is hard. You’re someone who has made some terrific comedies like Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. I’ve gotta ask, what’s the secret?

Paul:  You have to find really talented, funny people and you need a great script that is funny… and then you have to play it dead serious.  You don’t want to try to be jokey or funny because the only thing that can make something not funny is people trying to be funny.

Matt:  One feature of all your recent films is that they’re female-driven with some great actresses in leading roles. Is that something you always set out to do?

Paul:  Yeah.  I’ve always loved working with women and I also love stories about women.  I’ve seen such poor portrayals of women over the past few decades on screen, especially in comedies, where they’re often relegated to being props and supporters of the funny men.  It never felt fair to me.  The women were one-dimensional whereas the men got to be three-dimensional.  There’s really nothing else I want to do to be quite honest.  There are so many women’s stories to be told and I love doing it.

Matt:  You’ve been ahead of the curve in that regard.  Do you think Hollywood is getting the message?  Are we going to see more female-driven comedies to even the balance up?

Paul:  Yeah, they’re definitely waking up.  It’s still ridiculous that they’ve been asleep for that.  More than half of the population of the planet are women and they somehow thing people don’t want to see movies starring women.  It’s getting better.  Bridesmaids helped by showing there’s an audience and that money can be made.  That’s the only thing that Hollywood ultimately understands.  There’s still a long way to go because the percentages are very low.

Matt:  Let’s talk about Last Christmas which we now have the chance to see. I believe it was Emma Thompson who came up with the first semblance of a storyline. When did you become involved with the project?

Paul:  I only got involved about a year and a half ago.  Emma had been developing the script with Bryony Kimmings and her husband, Greg Wise, for about 8 years.  At one point, she had the opportunity to sit with George Michael and talk to him about it.  He read some stuff and really loved it and wanted to be involved with the music when it was finished but sadly he passed away.

It’s been a long road.  When it got to me, it was in really good shape.  As a director, you go through it with the writer who just so happened to be Dame Emma Thompson and we tried a few things.  She was a great collaborator and we just kept making it better and better. 

Matt:  So what was it about the script that jumped out at you when you first had the chance to see it?

Paul:  The whole thing worked.  It was compelling.  I loved the lead character that Emilia Clarke plays.  She’s a very challenging character in a way that women don’t often get to be on screen.  We’ve seen movies start out with men who are misbehaving and lashing out and audience go along with it.  If you dare have a woman do that, they’ll say “she’s not likeable”.  It’s not fair.  Why can’t a woman be three-dimensional and be misbehaving and start out in a place where she needs to find out who she is.  I really responded to that.  The script was also funny and emotional and I loved how dramatic it was.  It kind of all came together as part of a perfect storm.

Matt:  There are reasons but Kate’s self-centred and a very hard person to like before she starts to wise up. Is that tricky as a filmmaker? Working out how to push and illustrate the character’s flaws before they start down a different path?

Paul:  Yeah, you have to be careful.  Whether a character is male or female, people will go “okay, I’m so frustrated with this person and I can’t invest in them”.  You have to walk the line a little bit.  At the same time, we wanted to make sure we pushed it right to the edge.  We all know these people in our lives who are in a bad place.  If you see something in them or know something in their past that is redeemable, you want them to be healed and you want them to work things out.  That’s kind of the feeling we wanted with this.  Emilia Clarke is wonderful on screen.  You do invest in her even when she’s misbehaving.

Matt:  I have to ask about the store and there’s a great line where someone says to Kate “oh you must love your job” because it’s a Christmas themed place where everyone is supposed to be happy and festive when that’s not really the case. It says a lot about how we perceive the season.

Paul:  Yeah, that’s why Christmas movies are so interesting to do.  It’s this clash of forced happiness with getting together with family and friends.  It sounds lovely but often it’s not.  A lot of issues come out but you’re still surrounded by love and rebirth.  It’s a nice, beautiful clash of everything.  This movie could exist if it wasn’t set at Christmas time and I think it would work just as well but there’s something about that backdrop and being able to do it in London that is wonderful.

Matt:  You’ve mentioned that the film is shot in London and part of Henry Golding’s character is to find some hidden, secret parts of London that he shows off to Emilia Clarke’s character.  How did you settle on which locations to use?

Paul:  It was both easy and hard.  I’m a lover of London and its one of my favourite places in the world.  I see it through the eyes of someone from the outside and not somebody who lives there and has gotten used to it.  It’s like a Sophie’s Choice of which locations you use.  There are so many great places around.

I didn’t even know if we’d be able to do it because a lot of the film is set in Covent Garden because that’s where the Christmas store is.  I remember thinking that I’d have to find some place that looks like Covent Garden because they’d never let us shoot there but then it turned out the city was very welcoming to us.  We just had to shoot at very odd hours when no one was out.  A lot of our shooting on the streets of London started at 2am in the morning and would go through to sunrise.  It was tough.  We were tired a lot of the time.

Matt:  So is the Christmas store a real place?

Paul:   No, it’s completely made up.  If you go to Covent Garden, there’s a couple of passageways that go through and so we built the store into one of those passageways and the interior was built on a sound stage. 

Matt:  You’ve thrown yourself into cameos in some of your films.  Did you think about it for this one?  Or where you in there and I missed you?

Paul:  No.  I’ve done that in the past but now I’m not doing it as much.  I too much respect for this movie than to sully it with me.  With these amazing actors, I wouldn’t even dare share the screen with the likes of Dame Emma Thompson.

Matt:  A lot is being said at the moment about Netflix and other streaming services.  Big movies like Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is largely avoiding cinemas and going to Netflix.  Are you a fan of that or will you always be making movies for the big screen?

Paul:  Yeah, I’m a big screen guy.  There’s nothing like the experience of seeing a movie in a theatre.  That’s why movie stars are movie stars.  They’re up 50 feet high doing things in front of you.  The streamers have a great place.  I produced a movie called Someone Great that’s on Netflix now.  It’s an $8 million movie with a first-time female director who also wrote it.  She wanted to direct it, I wanted her direct it, but I don’t think a movie studio would do it and take the chance.  Netflix are great for that but when it comes to big movies, they’ve got to be seen on the big screen.

Matt:  What are you working on at the moment? What will we see from you next?

Paul:  I’m hoping it’ll be a monster movie that I’ve written for Universal Studios.  It’s based on the old movies of the 30s like Frankenstein and Dracula.  I love the feel of those old movies because they’re scary but also really fun.  It’s called Dark Army and I really hope the studio wants to make it.