Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 June 2011

I’ve always felt that the best way to see a film is to know nothing about it beforehand.  That’s very difficult in today’s information age however.  It’s hard to avoid the trailers in cinemas, commercials on television and posters at bus stations.  Let’s not forget that all of the above are readily available on the internet to view at any time.

In putting together Super 8, director JJ Abrams wanted to “preserve the experience for the audience”.  Instead of giving away the entire story, he chose to slowly leak information and build a sense of intrigue.  This is best illustrated by the film’s posters.  They describe the movie as being “from writer-director JJ Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg”.  That’s about it.  If you can discern much else then you’re more astute than me.

What I can reveal is that Super 8 is set in a small American town in the year 1979.  A tight-knit group of kids are spending their summer making a zombie movie with the hope of entering it into a film festival.  They sneak out late one night to shoot a key scene on the platform of an old train station.

It’s a night that will change their lives forever.  A train comes through the station at high speed and smashes into a pick-up truck being driven along the tracks.  It causes one hell of an explosion.  Debris is strewn everywhere and the kids are lucky to survive.  Shocked and shaken, they quickly grab their equipment and flee the scene before the authorities arrive.  They wish to maintain the illusion that they’re all sound asleep at home.

I won’t say much more about the storyline but Super 8 is one of the best films of the year.  It’s so much fun to watch these cheeky, loveable kids pull together and navigate their way through this extraordinary adventure.  It reminded me of movies I watched repeatedly growing up such as E.T. and The Goonies.

All of the abovementioned films have one key ingredient – kids acting like kids.  I’m not sure what process JJ Abrams went through with the casting he has managed to find an amazing group of youngsters.  They all look so relaxed and natural in front of the camera.

Despite having no previous acting experience, Joel Courtney is wonderful as the film’s central character, Joe Lamb.  He starts out as a shy, reserved kid trying to cope with the death of his mother.  As the story develops, Joe will be forced to “come out of his shell”, confront an unbelievable situation and fight for the people he loves.  The list includes the pretty Alice Daniard (Fanning), his long-term crush from school.  The scenes shared by these two are adorable.

I’ve seen a few critics/bloggers who weren’t sold on the ending but let me say, without giving anything away, that I have no problems with it.  First and foremost, this is a coming of age story.  I’m glad it didn’t generate into something that took the attention away from Joe and his friends.

From the poignancy of the first scene (such a haunting shot) to the laughs during the closing credits, Super 8 is everything I could ask for from a motion picture.  You must see this... if only to feel young again!

You can read/listen to my interview with director JJ Abrams by clicking here.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 May 2011

There’s a Thai restaurant just off campus at the University of Queensland where I eat lunch at least once a week with some great work friends.  I order the same dish every time.  The lady behind the counter usually smiles and asks if I want to try something different but I cannot be persuaded.  I enjoy my cashew chicken and I’m not yet ready to venture into other parts of the menu.

That seems to be the approach adopted by writer-director Todd Phillips with The Hangover: Part II.  The first film was one of the biggest success stories from the 2009 cinematic year.  Despite not featuring any big-name stars, it grossed $467m internationally and went on to win the Golden Globe for best musical or comedy.

Phillips knows what his customers want and now’s not the time to be changing the recipe.  Sticking with the same winning formula, Phillips has made a near carbon copy of the original.  This makes it less surprising but still entertaining.

After a brief introduction, we get to the scene where the guys wake up in a filthy hotel room (this time in Bangkok) with no recollection of the previous night.  One of them is missing and the rest have roughly 24 hours to track him down and make it to the wedding on time.

What follows is a chaotic adventure featuring everything from an alcohol-loving monk to a chain-smoking monkey.  It won’t “blow you away” but you have to chuckle at some of the bizarre situations in which they find themselves.  As with the previous film, some of the biggest laughs are saved for the very end.  A humorous photo montage fills in many of the remaining blanks.

The film’s key-note performance again comes from Zach Galifianakis as Alan.  How is it possible for someone to be so likeable and unlikeable at the same time?  Despite all of his insanely inappropriate comments (some left me cringing in my seat with horror), you’ll still feel sympathetic.  You just want to see things work out for him in the end.

The Hangover: Part II is fun for the most part but things felt less random and more scripted this time around.  Some events aren’t as exciting as they should be (such as when Bradley Cooper gets shot) and the location of the missing friend is resolved too simply.  More should also have been made of Paul Giamatti’s role as a ruthless entrepreneur.  That said, I can’t dislike any film that manages to weave the 1982 Flock Of Seagulls hit “I Ran” into the soundtrack.

It’ll be interesting to see where they take this series if the studio continues with further instalments.  What does the future hold?  Can they keep repeating the same storyline and expect to draw a huge audience?  Will I keep ordering my cashew chicken at lunch?  Only time will tell.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 May 2011

The Cuban missile crisis was one of the most significant events of the 20^th century.  It was perhaps the closest that the world has come to a nuclear war.  The United States had planted nuclear weapons in Europe with the capability of striking targets in the Soviet Union.  The Soviets responded with their own threats having smuggled a series of offensive missiles into Cuba.   The crisis was only averted after an agreement was reached between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev on 28 October 1962.

You’re probably wondering what the hell this has to do with X-Men: First Class.  Don’t worry.  I’m not going off on some strange tangent.  I remembered to take my medication this morning.  It turns out the writers behind this flick have found an imaginative way to weave this real life event into this fictional tale of villains and superheroes.  As well as being entertaining, it’s also a creatively disguised history lesson for those who didn’t pay attention at school.

It turns out that a sinister character by the name of Sebastian Shaw (Bacon) is out to destroy the world.  He and his mutant crew are using their special powers to inflame tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Shaw wants to eliminate the human race so that the mutants can live in peace and without fear of reprisal.

Not all mutants feel that way.  The telepathic Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and the magnetic Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) are working with a secret government organisation to stop Shaw.  They’ve assembled a team of young, ambitious mutants who will risk their lives to prevent a nuclear war.  Perhaps Kennedy and Khrushchev didn’t deserve the credit after all.

X-Men: First Class is an amusing, action packed ride.  It clocks in at just over two hours and there’s seldom a dull moment.  Its strength comes from the assortment of cool characters.  Evidenced from his pick up lines, James McAvoy seems to have the most fun as the suave Charles Xavier.

The younger cast members also deserve credit and there’s a great sequence where they explore their superpowers for the first time.  I mustn’t forget January Jones’s breasts (as opposed to January Jones herself) who have a “big” role to play.

I’ve read many positive reviews for X-Men: First Class so far but I admit that it’s not without flaws.  By including so many characters, director Michael Vaughn (Kick-Ass) has bitten off too much.  Introductions are rushed and it’s hard to get to know them all.  What was Havok doing in jail when they first found him?  Why did some of the mutants change sides so easily?  It’ll be easy to absorb for those familiar with the comic books but others may be puzzled.

I also think an opportunity has been missed to take this series down a darker road (ala The Dark Knight).  These mutants are scarred, troubled.  They have grown up knowing they were different and have always had to hide their superpowers from others.  I can live with his approach but it feels like Vaughn was afraid to pull the curtain back and truly expose the mutants’ fragile state.  He’s kept things simpler, easier to handle.

The best example I can offer is the curious relationship between Xavier and Raven (played by Jennifer Lawrence).  It’s the best subplot in the film and there’s an obvious sexual tension between them but Vaughn decides not to pursue it in enough depth.  I found this juicy stuff much more interesting than the "seen it before" action scenes.

I realise this is a prequel to the earlier movies but it’s not often that you see a franchise with this much stamina.  This is the fifth X-Men film to be released (following on from the underwhelming Wolverine) and it shows that we have a lot more to learn about these mutants and the struggles to find acceptance.  I look forward to the next instalment.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 May 2011

Last weekend, I slipped down to one of my favourite cinemas to check out Oceans, a new documentary that looks at a range of sea creatures and the curious world in which they inhabit.  I munched on my popcorn, sipped my coke and enjoyed the ride.  It was a great way to spend a relaxing Saturday morning.

To provide me with those 90 minutes of entertainment, directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud (Travelling Birds) invested 7 years of their lives.  They ventured to some of the world’s most stunning locations and shot a total of 480 hours worth of footage.  It came as no surprise to learn that the editing process took almost a year.

My reaction throughout much of the movie was one of astonishment.  Oceans contains some of the most beautiful imagery ever seen in a feature-length documentary.  I kept thinking to myself – how did they get so close to these creatures and film things so clearly?  If this weren’t a documentary, I’d have sworn that several scenes were put together using special effects.

In trying to depict the life of these curious sea creatures, the filmmakers sought out areas that had been unaffected by over-fishing and pollution.  Their toughest assignment was trying to capture underwater footage of the blue whale feeding on krill (which apparently had never been done before).  It took “28 weeks of patience” and “thousands of failures” according to director Jacques Perrin but finally they got what they wanted.

The only problem with the film is the unnecessary narration track provided by Pierce Brosnan.  He rambles on with pointless commentary instead of letting the visuals do the talking.  Put simply, it’s a distraction.  Hopefully the DVD version will include an option to “switch off narration”.  It will also allow us to better appreciate Bruno Coulais’s score.

Containing everything from a shark nabbing its “lunch” to a female walrus nurturing its baby, Oceans is for people of all ages and is a fun, enlightening film to watch.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 May 2011

Having opened the Brisbane International Film Festival last November, Cane Toads: The Conquest is now receiving a limited release in cinemas across Australia.  It’s been billed as “Australia’s first 3D movie” but don’t go along expecting an Avatar-like experience.  This is an unorthodox documentary about one of this country’s least liked creatures.

The movie opens with information on how cane toads were first introduced in Australia.  We then move west across the country and see the enormity of the plague first hand.  Much has been done to try to stop the spread of cane toads but it’s a battle yet to be won.  It’s hard to fight an adversary who is endlessly reproducing!

I applaud the efforts of director Mark Lewis in making this film but unfortunately, I don’t find cane toads all that interesting.  He’s tried to spice things up with a little comedy (a good move) but it all feels too forced, too obvious.  A humorous scene involving a couple and their pet dog (injured after trying to eat a cane toad) was unconvincing.

I don’t want to sound too disparaging because there were a few laughs at the preview screening I attended.  The audience wasn’t perturbed by the slimy subject matter and they took amusement from those who have kept cane toads as pets.  We even meet one interviewee who has started up his own travelling toad museum.

The market for Cane Toads: The Conquest seems to be limited but if you’re looking for something other than the big Hollywood blockbusters that are clogging our cinemas, this might be for you.