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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 January 2011

Mike Leigh is a wonderful filmmaker.  That statement will come as no surprise to those who have seen his previous works (Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky).  I always walk away feeling much love for his ordinary, everyday characters and the ordinary, everyday world they inhabit.  He certainly has a knack for capturing the “human condition”.

Another Year is more of the same.  It revolves around two sixty-somethings who have been happily married for many years.  Tom (Broadbent) is a geologist and Gerri (Sheen) is a medical counsellor.  They spend their spare time catching up with friends and tending to their vegetable garden.  They don’t mind a quiet drink either.

They may not seem like the most exciting couple but Tom and Gerri enjoy life.  I know I’d love to have them as friends.  I can best describe them as a subtler version of the bubbly Sally Hawkins character in Happy-Go-Lucky.  They have a great spirit and don’t let their worries get them down.   I wish more people were like them.

The film is spread over the course of a year and features lengthy, dialogue driven sequences where Tom and Gerri catch up with friends and family.  These friends don’t always share the same rosy outlook on life.  They’ve got problems and when given a little alcohol, everything comes out into the open.  It’s like watching a train wreck unfold.  You dare not look and yet you cannot turn away.

The screenplay is fantastic but I’ll always remember this film for the touching performance of Lesley Manville.  She plays Mary, a long-time friend of Gerri who has never been able to find the right guy.  She’s got a lot of love to give but her actions are often misguided.  I don’t know how but I was laughing at her whilst feeling sorry for her at the same time.  It’s a shame that Manville hasn’t picked up more attention during the recent awards season.

For those unfamiliar, Mike Leigh uses a rather unorthodox method when creating his movies.  He starts no script and only a rough idea about the characters.  Once the actors are hired, he lets them develop the roles on their own before bringing them all together in a room.  He can then watch them interact (whilst in character) and the dialogue creates itself.   It may sound strange but this film proves how effective the method can be.

With plenty to say about the value of life, love and friendship, Another Year is one of Mike Leigh’s best.  Beautiful stuff.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 December 2010

Becky Fuller (McAdams) loves a challenge.  Despite her relative inexperience, she’s just landed the job as producer of Daybreak, a morning show which is broadcast nationally across the United States.  It may sound like a dream job but it’s anything but.  Daybreak’s ratings are horrendous.  It’s sitting in fourth place – miles behind the always popular Today Show.  Becky has been told by her boss (Goldblum) that if the ratings don’t improve, the show will be canned.

After sacking the male anchor on her first day, Becky goes in search of a replacement.  The man she finds his Mike Pomeroy (Ford), a veteran who has been covering high-profile news stories for close to 40 years.  Becky is excited.  Mike is not.  He wants nothing to do with the show.  He hates the idea of breakfast shows with their cooking segments, entertainment reports and repetitive infomercials.  He’d rather be covering serious political issues.

Mike doesn’t have a choice unfortunately.  He’s bound by his contact with the network.  You can probably see where this is going and yes, it’s a recipe for disaster.  Mike is going to make Becky’s job as difficult as possible.  He refuses to follow orders while off the air.  He refuses to engage with his co-anchor (Keaton) while on the air.  All he wants is to be off the show.

It comes down the age old question – what happens with an immovable object meets and unstoppable force?  Who is going to budge first?  Will Becky concede defeat and get rid of Mike?  Or can she find a way to change his gloomy temperament?  Perhaps neither will come to fruition.  The ratings are trending downwards and time is running out.

There’s a subplot to this main storyline that revolves around Becky’s relationship with Adam Bennett (Wilson), a fellow employee.  The confident demeanour she displays at work doesn’t extend to her love life.  In fact, she’s very insecure.  Becky sums it up best when she says “I don't know if a man is interested in me until I see him naked.”

You always know where a movie like this is heading but there’s still a lot to like about Morning Glory.  Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Sherlock Holmes) proves that she can carry a romantic comedy.  Her talkative, bubbly personality will win the hearts of many in the audience.  She’s the best thing in the movie. 

We haven’t seen much of Harrison Ford in recent years but it’s nice to see him back on screen in a light-hearted role.  I’d love to know how easy it was for him to play this tired, forlorn character.  He certainly looks the part.  Perhaps that’s why Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Changing Lanes) decided to cast him.

I’m not from the television industry but I’ve been told the “behind the scenes” stuff on Daybreak is a close reflection of reality.  There are the early starts, the tension between anchors, the struggles to get big-name guests and difficulty in finding fresh, original stories.  Those who enjoy a dose of Sunrise or The Today Show here in Australia might find it eye-opening.  I enjoyed this part of the story more than Becky’s up-and-down relationship with Adam.

I’m hard to please when it comes to romantic but Morning Glory has a strong leading character and a fun premise.  That’s good enough for me.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 January 2011

The Fighter is based on the true life story of Micky Ward (Whalberg).  The film opens in 1993 with Micky preparing for a fight in Las Vegas.  Coming off a string of losses, he sees it as a chance to get back on track.  He can use the cash to move into a bigger apartment and try to get custody of his young daughter (who is living with his ex wife).

Things didn’t go to plan.  Micky’s opponent withdrew prior to the fight due to illness and a last minute replacement was found.  Mike Mungin weighed a lot more than Micky but apparently he was some ex-con who had “just got off the couch”.  That was not the case.  Micky was slaughtered in the bout.  With a stitched up face and a wounded pride, he returned to his home in Massachusetts and starting looking for a new career path.

As we quickly learn, Micky’s problems aren’t due to a lack of talent.  It’s his family that are dragging him down.  The two people central to this destruction are his mother, Alice (Leo), and his older brother and coach, Dickie (Bale).

I can best describe Alice as a domineering matriarch.  She reminded me a little of Jackie Weaver’s character in Animal Kingdom.  Alice has everyone in the family on a string.  She’s been Micky’s manager since he started boxing and she seems to be more interested in her own reputation than that of her son.

Dickie was once a promising boxer himself but he’s now turned to a world of drugs.  A film crew are putting together a documentary on his addiction and his downward spiral.  I was puzzled as to why he would let them film him but I quickly realised that Dickie didn’t know what was going on around him.  He was a mess.

The spark that reignites Micky’s life is a feisty bartender named Charlene (Adams).  They fall in love and soon move in together.  Micky’s family resent Charlene and the way she’s “stolen” Micky from them but she’s not afraid to stand up for herself.  There are some very funny arguments between them and she easily was my favourite character in the film.

Yes, this is a film about boxing but it’s more about a person’s struggle to grow up and break away from an interfering family.  Micky wants to turn his back on his mother’s guilt-trips and his brother’s erratic behaviour but it’s difficult.  It’s an interesting paradox in that Micky can defend himself so valiantly in the boxing ring and yet he struggles to do so outside of it.

The film has received a string of nominations for its performances and with good reason.  Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo are all great.  I did smirk at the casting of the attractive Wahlberg alongside his “trailer trash” sisters.  It was hard to believe they all came out of the same womb.  At the preview screening I attended, the audience laughed every time the sisters appeared on screen.  They didn’t even have to say anything to be funny.

It takes a little while for the story to get going but the second half of the film is excellent.  The characters are fully developed and the boxing sequences are enthralling.  You’ve always got a ringside seat to the action.  I was unfamiliar with Micky Ward’s story prior to seeing the film and that only added to the suspense.

The Fighter is a story we’ve heard before.  An athlete hits rock bottom and is looking to give the sport away.  He then “rediscovers” himself and goes on to become a champion.  Don’t let the seemingly predictable nature of this tale perturb you interest however.  Who doesn’t enjoy a great underdog story?  The fact that it’s filled with such strong characters makes it even better.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 December 2010

Walt Disney produced America’s first animated feature film in 1937.  Based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a tremendous success.  It is regarded as one of the best animated films of all time.

A lot has changed over the past 73 years but Walt Disney Animation Studios (as it is known today) has stuck to its winning formula.  They have taken iconic stores and brought them to life on the big screen for both kids and adults to enjoy.  There are too many examples to name.

Tangled is a milestone in that it’s the 50^th animated feature film within the Walt Disney Animated Classic series.  It too is based on a fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm – that of Rapunzel.  If you’re wondering why Disney didn’t call the film Rapunzel, apparently they were worried that it wouldn’t appeal to a young male audience.  Doesn’t make any sense to me but ok, I’ll go with it.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Rapunzel is a young lady who has spent her entire existence living atop a tall tower.  She has often wanted to leave home and see the world but her mother, Gothel, has other ideas.  She tells Rapunzel that it’s too dangerous and that she must stay hidden within the tower for her own safety.

What Rapunzel doesn’t know is that her mother is pure evil.  In fact, she’s not even her mother at all.  Rapunzel was born a princess to a nearby kingdom but was kidnapped by Gothel just after she was born.  Why you ask?  Rapunzel’s hair contains amazing powers and provided it is never cut, Gothel can use it to remain eternally youthful.

Upsetting the apple cart is a mischievous thief by the name of Flynn Ryder.  After stealing a valuable crown from the castle, he flees into the forest and comes across the well-hidden tower.  It’s a little rocky at first (evidenced by a frying pan to the head) but Flynn and Rapunzel become close.  With Gothel away on a short trip, the two sneak out and go in search of adventure.

I liked Tangled but I wouldn’t consider it in the upper echelon when ranking Disney’s best.  I saw the film almost a month ago and I struggle to remember many of the details when putting together this review.  My point is that it’s a nice way to spend two hours but it’s not that memorable.  It lacks the emotion that I remember from so many other animated classics.

Perhaps others feel the same way.  Tangled has battled its way to just $144m at the box-office in the United States over the past 5 weeks.  That’s well below what’s you’d expect from a Disney film.  It looks even worse when you compare it against its budget of $260m (making it the most expensive animated film ever made).  Maybe they should have stuck with Rapunzel as the title!

I feel like I’m being overly harsh because there’s still a lot to like about Tangled.  There’s a nice balance of action, suspense and comedy.  A feisty horse named Maximus will leave plenty of audience members smiling.  The quality of animation is superb… although I suggest you choose the 2D option if you’re looking to save a few dollars.  The extra effects aren’t worth it.  Damn!  I’ve just finished on another negative.  Perhaps we’ll just leave it at that.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 January 2011

In the more than 20 years that I’ve been competing in golf tournaments, there’s one goal that I’m yet to achieve – to play a bogey-free round.  In my eyes, it’s the equivalent of perfection.  It’s a round of golf without a single mistake – where every hole is completed in par or better.  I’ve been close so many times and it’s been the cause of much angst and heartbreak.

This pursuit of perfection is at the heart of Darren Aronofsky’s (The Wrestler, Requiem For A Dream) new film, Black Swan.  For many years, Nina (Portman) has dedicated herself to being a renowned ballet dancer.  I must strong emphasise the word “dedicated”.  Nina has given up everything to follow this career path.  She has no friends, she rarely socialises and she’s never had a meaningful relationship.  She simply practices for hours every day, putting her lightweight body through an incredible level of stress.

Her hard work has paid off.  The studio’s artistic director, Thomas (Cassel), has cast Nina in the lead role of his new production.  She will play the Swan Queen in a fresh adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.  For those that don’t know the tale, it’s about a beautiful woman who is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer.  She can only be returned to human form if a man pledges his love for her.  A handsome prince looks set to break the spell but he too is deceived by the sorcerer.  Realising that there’s only one way that they can be together, the prince and the swan make the ultimate sacrifice.

There are two parts to the role of the Swan Queen and Thomas knows that Nina would be perfect as the White Swan.  She’s beautiful, she’s virtuous and she’s precise.  His concerns are with the second half of the play and whether Nina can transform into the darker, seductive Black Swan.  It requires passion, flamboyance, spontaneity.  These not so perfect qualities can’t be learned from a textbook.  They come though life experience, an area lacking in Nina’s repertoire.

The fact that Nina can’t perfect the role won’t stop her from trying.  She realises that she must discover the “Black Swan” within.  She starts rebelling against her overbearing mother (Hershey).  She gives in to Thomas’s aggressive flirtations.  She goes out drinking with a rival dancer (Kunis) who knows how to have a good time.

This film is about a ballet dancer but it could just as easily be about any artist in pursuit of a dream.  Sometimes, we must lose ourselves before we can discover who we really are.  Darren Aronofsky illustrates this psychological quandary by blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.  Which of the scenes in this movie are real?  Which are an hallucination?  You’ll be trying to answer these questions long after you’ve left the cinema.  I don’t think multiple viewings will help either.

Be warned – Black Swan is a brutal film-going experience.  Aronofsky wants to put the audience through the wringer and give them something to remember.  He weaves moments of unexpected horror into the hazy storyline.  Some parts will leave you squirming in your seat.  Others will leave you with an increased heart rate.

Natalie Portman has been lauded for her performance as Nina and with good reason.  Just like her character, you can see that she’s thrown everything into the role.  She may be rewarded with a first Academy Award in a few weeks time.  I was equally impressed with Vincent Cassel at Thomas.  He’s such an intriguing guy – is he genuine or is he manipulating Nina for his own benefit?  On the flipside, I didn’t think too much of Mila Kunis as Nina’s rival.  I’m surprised by the numerous award nominations she’s already received this season.

I’m a long-time admirer of Darren Aronofsky but I’m not raving about Black Swan like many other critics.  The parallels between Nina’s story and the Swan Lake story seem almost too obvious.  I got the message early on and there weren’t any great revelations in the film’s finale.  I also had trouble believing in Nina’s “transformation”.  It felt rushed and the ending (which I also have concerns about) sneaks up too quickly.

So will I ever achieve my elusive bogey-free round?  Am I foolish to be aiming for perfection in an imperfect world?  Or will the pursuit of this almost unobtainable goal drive me to improve?  It’s a fine line and Black Swan left me thinking.