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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 January 2012

Mavis Gary (Theron) is a talented writer.  She left her small town roots behind and moved to the “big city” where she has a nice apartment and a cute dog.  She’s responsible for a long running, profitable book series for which sales are strong.  She’s maintained her beautiful looks and is as happy as she’s ever been.

What I’ve just said is complete rubbish.  It’s not a description of Mavis Gary.  Rather, it’s the image that Mary wants to portray.  Deep down, she’s a struggling author who is battling depression and trying to regroup after a recent divorce.  She doesn’t want people to know that however.  She wants her family and friends to think that she’s successful, that she’s better than them.

Young Adult revolves around Mavis’s efforts to rekindle her relationship with her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade (Wilson).  Having been through one failed marriage, she now has “clarity” and believes that she and Buddy were always meant to be together.

Buddy is now married with a young child and yet, Mavis still thinks she has a chance.  She has returned to her hometown under the guise that she’s buying real estate but her real motive is to bump into Buddy and seduce him.

I’ve got to say – Mavis Gary is an absorbing individual and credit goes to Academy Award winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno) for creating her.  Before putting pen to paper, Cody has the idea of someone who “peaked in high school and wonders now in her 30s how she can recreate those circumstances and be the queen bee again.”  I love the idea.

I’m interested to see how audiences react to Mavis Gary.  It’s not often that the leading character in a comedy is so unlikeable.  Her borderline-psychotic behaviour will generate a raft of negative emotions – anger, disgust, sadness, embarrassment.  A good friend of mine couldn’t even look at the screen during certain scenes.  Mavis’s actions left him cringing with horror.

The bigger question is whether audiences will feel any sympathy?  There are several moments where we see past the façade and gain an insight into her fractured mindset.  Most of these scenes are shared with Matt Freehauf (Oswalt), a guy she bumps into at a dingy bar.  The two went to school together but Mavis has no memory of this.  She was part of the “popular group” whilst Matt was the complete opposite.

Their backgrounds are remarkably different but Mavis and Matt seem to have a lot in common today.  They both enjoy a drink and they both enjoy criticising others.  More importantly, they are both in need of a good friend.

I’m surprised Charlize Theron hasn’t take on more leading roles since her Oscar winning turn in Monster (released back in 2003) but Young Adult will remind the public of her ability.  She’s not afraid to play a character that is ugly on both the inside and outside.  Patton Oswalt (who worked with Diablo Cody on The United States Of Tara) is also very good.

The story takes a little while to get going but the plot developments in the final act are well worth the wait.  There’s a terrific scene at a baby shower followed by an intense conversation between Mavis and Matt’s sister (played by a scene-stealing Collette Wolfe).

Director Jason Reitman now has four feature films to his name – Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up In The Air and Young Adult.  Comedy is a tricky genre to perfect but Reitman’s attraction to edgier, darker material places him high on my list of favoured filmmakers.  I can’t wait for his next offering.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 December 2011

Election is one of the greatest films of all time.  I’m just putting that out there.  Starring Reece Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, the movie centred on a high school student election that went totally pear shaped.  It was a major achievement for writer-director Alexander Payne who proved that a story can be both tragic and hilarious.

The film earned Payne (along with co-writer Jim Taylor) an Academy Award nomination in 2000 for best adapted screenplay.  He didn’t take home the coveted statuette that night (losing to The Cider House Rules) but he did a few years later for Sideways, an enthralling tale about a depressed wine connoisseur.

After a 7 year absence where he was “distracted by other stuff”, Payne has finally returned to the big screen with The Descendants.  If you’re a fan of his previous works then you will love this!  It has been crafted from the Payne “mould” in the sense that it’s based on a novel, features complicated characters and delicately mixes comedy with drama.

The story is set in Hawaii but don’t expect to see anyone “sipping Mai Tais, shaking their hips and catching waves.”  Matt King (Clooney) makes this clear from the very start.  He’s a wealthy, hardworking lawyer who spends most of his day in an office (albeit with a nice view).  He hasn’t stood on a surfboard for more than decade.

Matt’s life is about to undergo a major adjustment however.  His wife (Hastie) is badly injured in a water-skiing accident and now lies in a coma on a hospital bed.  Her chances of recovery look bleak.  Accustomed to being the “back-up parent”, Matt realises he must spend time with his two daughters, 17-year-old Alex (Woodley) and 10-year-old Scottie (Miller), to help them deal with the situation.

It happens time and time again but I’m always amazed at how tragic events have an uncanny way of bringing people closer together.  On a broader scale, we saw it happen here in Brisbane a year ago with the devastating floods.  So many people opened their wallets and volunteered their time to assist those most in need.

It’s a point skilfully illustrated in The Descendants.  We will all encounter unavoidable tragedy at some stage in our lives.  The tough part is stepping back and realising that it can have positives.

The film boasts some beautiful sequences where Matt slowly bridges the divide between himself and his daughters.  Speaking insightfully and realistically, George Clooney, Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller are a delight to watch.  I particularly liked the way in which the kids are helping the father as much as he’s helping them.  I hate to pick out certain scenes but there’s a great moment where they all work together to “befriend” a couple (Lillard and Greer) who live by the beach.

As I alluded to above, the film has plenty of laughs to offset the heavy subject matter.  Most of them are provided by Alex’s new boyfriend, Sid (Krause), a dopey surfer who seems to always open his mouth at the wrong time.  Sid could easily have been a distracting, irritating character but Payne gives him depth and you’ll soon realise he’s a good kid with a calming influence.

I was lucky enough to talk to Alexander Payne on the red carpet at the film’s world premiere in Toronto last September.  I asked why he was attracted to Kaui Hart Hemmings’ novel and he said it was because of the “complicated yet credible human story in an exotic location”.  That’s a neat way of describing The Descendants and if Payne keeps telling such wonderful stories, I’ll remain a devoted fan!

You can see me talking with Alexander Payne and George Clooney at the world premiere below.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 January 2012

Traditionally, the most popular spy movies have revolved around super cool guys with super cool gadgets.  I speak of James Bond, Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne.  Unfortunately, the life of a real spy isn’t as glamorous.  The folk within the CIA and MI6 must quietly chuckle when they see Bond sipping on his martinis or sleeping with a beautiful woman.

Based on the novel by John le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy provides a gloomier, more realistic version of life inside the British Secret Intelligence Service, referred to in the film as the Circus.  The story is set in the early 1970s and broadly focuses on British attempts to infiltrate Soviet intelligence.  It’s also a chance to boost their credibility with their United States counterparts.

Unfortunately, the British Government believe there is a “mole” at the top of Circus who has been feeding highly classified documents to the Soviets.  They have selected the recently retired George Smiley (Oldman) to lead a hush-hush investigation and identify the spy.  He will work out of an old apartment building and will be fed information through a young agent (Cumberbatch) working inside the Circus office.

Four key suspects have been identified and they have been codenamed Tinker, Tailor, Soldier and Poorman.  As you can imagine, it won’t be an easy assignment.  These guys have ascended to the top of the Circus because they are already experts in trickery and deception.  Smiley’s biggest asset will be the secrecy of his investigation.  If these four don’t know they are being monitored, perhaps one of them will slip up.

Gary Oldman is an actor with a wide, impressive resume.  He’s starred in numerous Hollywood blockbusters (the Harry Potter series, the new Batman franchise) and he’s leant his voice to several animated features (Kung Fu Panda 2, Planet 51).  He’s more widely known however as playing the “bad guy”.  I speak of movies such as JFK, The Fifth Element, Air Force One and The Contender.  It’s hard to believe he hasn’t earned a single Academy Award nomination.

Perhaps that’s about to change.  With his greyed hair and thick, nerdish glasses, Oldman is brilliant as George Smiley.  Director Tomas Alfredson describes Smiley as a person “you’d immediately forget if you saw him on the street” and yet somehow, Oldman makes the character so interesting!  He’s the kind of guy who always keeps his emotions in check and hardly says a word.  He’s become an expert at listening to others and watching their body language for any sign of vulnerability.

Despite his success within the profession, Smiley is still a guy you’ll feel sorry for.  His wife recently left him and he now lives alone in a tired, run-down flat.  You don’t tend to make too many close friends when you live the life of a spy.  It’s a lonely existence.  The fact that he’s been called out of retirement has provided a dash of reinvigoration but it has also brought back some old, not-so-great memories.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy marks the first English language film for Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In).  I was particularly impressed with by the costume design and set decoration.  The heavy use of darker colours, such as brown and grey, suit the film’s ominous tone.  The curious office design within Circus is also likely to get your attention.

Some may remember an earlier adaptation of le Carré’s novel.  A five hour mini-series was made by the BBC in 1979 with Alec Guinness in the leading role.  Screenwriters Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan faced a tougher challenge condensing the story into just two hours for this feature film but they’ve done as well as can be expected.  The only negative is that you don’t get to know all the characters (and there are a lot of them) as well as you’d like.

If you enjoy an intelligent, realistic spy thriller, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is not to be missed.

You can read my interview with star Gary Oldman by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2011

Few could argue about the success of the first Sherlock Holmes movie.  Released just over two years ago, it reeled in more than $200m in the United States and more than $25m here in Australia.  It confirmed Robert Downey Jr’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s biggest drawcards and it set in motion plans for a sequel.

This adventure begins with the increasingly eccentric Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr) trying to unravel another complex conspiracy.  He believes that the renowned Professor Moriarty (Harris) is up to mischief but can’t figure his plan or his motivations.  Unfortunately for Holmes, his loyal partner is not at his side to help.  Dr Watson (Law) has retired from the “sleuthing business” and is ready to start a less-stressful existence with his bride-to-be (Reilly).

It turns out to be a very short retirement.  Watson is drawn back into Holmes’ crazy world after being attacked at his own impromptu buck’s party.  Holmes goes to the aid of a mysterious fortune teller (Rapace) and the trio manage to escape unscathed.  That’s not the end of it however.  They’re going to have to work together if they’re any hope of evading Moriarty’s persistent henchmen and uncovering his fiendish plot.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the original film but it was still entertaining.  I can’t say the same in this instance.  These characters have become too smart for their own good.  The never-ending banter between Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law gets tired quickly.  They speak eloquently but that doesn’t make it funny.

Also disappointing is new addition Noomi Rapace.  After wowing everyone with her performance in The Girl In The Dragon Tattoo series, why did the writers give her such a small, repressed role?  She hardly says a word!  I much preferred the spark and flair of Rachel McAdams in the first movie.  On that note, it’s nice to see McAdams make a small cameo in A Game Of Shadows – she’s easily the best thing in it.

Director Guy Ritchie has changed too much in terms of the film’s style.  The gloomy lighting and filthy streets help transport the audience to 1890s London.  Hans Zimmer’s folksy score (which earned him an Academy Award nomination two years ago) also returns and will linger in your mind as the closing credits start to roll.  I’m not sold on the slow-mo, fast-mo action sequences but hey, at least it’s trying to be different.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows has missed its chance to take this new franchise in a forward direction.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 December 2011

Hollywood remakes are nothing new but I can’t ever recall one being released so close to the original.  The Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was released in Australian on 25 March 2010.  It went on to become one of the most successful foreign language films ever at our box-office with 16 weeks inside the top 20 and a total take of $5.5m.

This leads into an interesting question – how successful will this new version be?  I have my doubts.  If you were one of the many who saw the original two years ago, how keen are you to see the exact same story told again?  Very few changes have been made to the screenplay and I have to admit that knowing all the twists did lessen the film-going experience.  It doesn’t have the same suspense factor.

If you didn’t see the original movie, what was your reason?  If you were perturbed by the subtitles then yes, you’ll find your problems have been solved.  You can watch this film without worrying about words flashing by at the bottom of the screen (made even more difficult for those sitting in the front row).  If you had another reason, well, I don’t know if I can help you.  The premise, the performances and the film’s graphic nature are all fairly similar.

I’m tempted to “cut and paste” the plot overview that I wrote as part of my review in 2010.  For those unfamiliar with the tale, renowned journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) has been approached by the wealthy Henrik Vanger (Plummer) and asked to investigate the death of Henrik’s niece 40 years ago.  He is reluctant at first but in return, Henrik promises valuable information that will help clear Mikael’s name in a nasty, public lawsuit.

In solving the mystery, Mikael will be assisted by an unlikely person – a young computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Mara).  To use the term “assisted” is an understatement.  Throughout much of the film, it feels like Lisbeth is doing most of the work.  An attractive develops between the pair and Lisbeth senses that her troubled life may have turned in a positive direction.

In reviewing this film, I’m going to ignore the Swedish version (which was also great) and judge it on its own merits.  In that regard, it’s very good.  The story is interesting and the performances are strong.  Rooney Mara (The Social Network) seemed an odd choice when the cast was first announced but she dominates with her powerful portrayal of the feisty yet vulnerable Lisbeth Salander.

I wished director David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) had of tackled something more original with his follow up to the brilliant The Social Network.  That said, this is still a slick, gripping thriller and Fincher’s stylish fingerprints can be seen all the way through.  From the flashy opening credits to the unexpected use of Enya’s Orinoco Flow, Fincher knows how to hold your attention.  It’s something he’s always been good at.