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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 September 2009

Academy Award winning director Stephen Soderbergh (Traffic) has now brought the next part of Che’s life to the screening in truly epic style.  When it premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, it clocked in at a whopping 4 hours and 28 minutes.  It was always going to be a tough sell trying to get the public to watch such a long movie and so it has now been released in two parts – each just over two hours in duration.

Here in Australia, both films are being released simultaneously this week.  They’re simply titled Che: Part One and Che: Part Two.  The advantage is that if you are too tired to sit through them both, you can always watch the first instalment and then come back at a later time to watch the next part.

I think it’s silly to review both films separately so I’m covering them both in this review.  The first movie looks at Che’s role in the successful revolution within Cuba in the late 1950s.  He teamed up with Fidel Castro and their army overthrew the existing government.  The second movie is set in the mid 1960s and looks at Che’s not-so-successful attempts to create a similar revolution in Bolivia.

History buffs will probably know these stories well but much of it was new to me.  Che was a fascinating person and he is played brilliantly in these films by Benecio Del Toro (Traffic).  It has a documentary-like feel and I felt like a fly on the wall – peering into Che’s life and watching his actions without his knowledge.

The screenplays are based on the diaries which Che Guevara kept during the Cuban and Bolivian revolutions.  Soderbegh and his team also interviewed many people who knew Che to help make the films as realistic and authentic as possible.  There are always going to be disagreements about how certain characters/groups are portrayed but I was happy with the balance which I saw on screen.

You might also be interested to know that the two films were shot using different methods.  The first was shot in Puerto Rico and Mexico with steady camerawork and a wide-screen ratio.  The second was shot in Spain using just handheld cameras and tripods.  The colourings are a little different also.

With all those facts out of the way, my reaction to the films themselves is that they are good without being great.  They are definitely too long.  Some scenes tend to drag and there won’t be enough “action” to satisfy some moviegoers.  I had to do more research on the internet to find out more about Che after I saw the films.  Whilst that can sometimes be a good thing, I think it’s a weakness in this case.  The long-winded “talking” scenes could easily have been trimmed.

So to avoid the risk of my own review going over time, I’ll leave it at that and leave the film for you to judge on your own merits.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 September 2009

I guess you could say art is imitating life in that Adam Sandler plays the role of George Simmons.  It’s a character he should be familiar with.  In fact, the opening scenes of the film are old home movie footage of Sandler performing prank phone calls.  These were taken many years ago by director Judd Apatow before Sandler became a household name.

The premise of Funny People is that George is going to die.  He’s been told by his doctor that he has a terminal illness and that there’s very little they can do.  George is prescribed some experimental medicine but advised that it has a less than 10% of making any difference.

As you’d expect, this news comes a huge shock.  It leaves George thinking about his life and all the things he wishes he could have achieved.  His biggest regret is that he let the love of his life slip through his fingers.  Her name Laura (Mann) and despite the fact that she is now married, he would like to win her back.

One of George’s other great loves is stand up comedy.  It’s how he started his career and it’s how he’s decided to finish it.  If he is to return to the comedy club scene, George realises that he needs help.  He needs someone to write some fresh, funny material.  At a local gig, he meets a struggling comedian by the name of Ira Wright (Rogen).  George sees potential in Ira and hires him as his personal assistant.

A rather odd relationship develops between the pair with each becoming reliant on the other.  Yes, they’re using each other for their work but their friendship seems to be more valuable.  George needs someone to confide in about his pain and suffering.  Ira needs someone to give him self-confidence and belief.  They’re a good pair.

There’s a lot to like about the movie and Judd Apatow is one of the hottest filmmakers in the business today.  His credits include The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.  He also wrote the script for last year’s Pineapple Express.  This is an interesting story – much darker than his earlier works.  The stand up comedy scenes will make you laugh, as will the hilarious cameos.  Keep your eyes peeled for Eminem, Ray Romano, Andy Dick and James Taylor.

That said, this isn’t Apatow’s best film.  It’s too long at 146 minutes and some of the sub-plots were unnecessary.  Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) plays Ira’s flatmate who has a starring role in a network sitcom.  We see clips of it occasionally and even go onto the set.  How this adds anything to the overall story is a mystery to me.

I’m also undecided about the film’s ending.  I hate taking about finales in my reviews (so as not to spoil it for viewers) so I’ll try to be cryptic.  Let’s just say that I’m not sure how I was supposed to feel about the George and Ira characters when the story wrapped up.  Did I like them or not?  I don’t know.

On that note, I’ll sign off and let you decide for yourself whether you wish to be entertained by these funny people.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 September 2009

Unfortunately, his movies just aren’t for me.  I don’t want to sound demeaning (although I probably will) but his films appeal to people very different from me.  I like original scripts, creative direction and realistic performances.  If you saw more than 200 films a year, I’d like to think that you’d develop similar tastes.

In this new film, Murphy plays Evan Danielson – a financial adviser who has risen through the ranks at a prestigious company.  His rival within the firm is Johnny Whitefeather (Church), an unorthodox analyst who focuses more on appearances than his client’s portfolios.  It still has Evan feeling a little uneasy – particularly when Johnny starts poaching his own clients.

Evan has spends so much time working that he has little room in his life for anything else.  His wife recently left him and he rarely gets to spend any quality time with his young daughter, Tricia.  That all changes when Tricia’s behaviour becomes concerning.  She spends much of her day with her head under a blanket and talks to invisible friends.  Her teachers at school are worried.

You don’t need to be worried though.  This isn’t a film about a dark, troubled kid.  It becomes rather light-hearted in fact when these invisible friends start providing share market tips which she passes on to her father.  Evan doesn’t believe his daughter at first but he’s quickly convinced when they all come true.  Lo and behold, he starts spending a lot more time with Tricia – but is it because he loves her… or because he is using her?

Imagine That promotes family values and other feel-good stuff but the story is too far-fetched to be taken seriously.  I can’t see many adults finding this entertaining and I worry that kids will find it confusing with all its references to mergers, acquisitions and stock prices.  The film was a huge flop when released in the United States back in June so I know I’m not alone with my opinion.  It made just $16m which wouldn’t even have covered Murphy’s salary.

I haven’t seen some of the other kids flicks on offer but I can confidently proclaim that this should not be your first choice if you’re taking your young ones to the cinema in these school holidays.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 September 2009

Eight years later, Kokkinos’ follow up was The Book Of Revelation.  Just as shocking, it told the tale of a male dancer (played by Tom Long) who was kidnapped and sexually abused by three masked women.  I remember hearing Kokkinos speak about her movie at the 2006 Brisbane International Film Festival but there was nothing she could say to change my perspective.  I hated the film.

And now we return to the current day and age to speak about Kokkinos’ third film – Blessed.  I was a little apprehensive before I saw it but I can now safely report that it’s a very good film.  Not quite as good as Head On but powerful nevertheless.

Her first two films focused on the vulnerability of men but Kokkinos has gone for something different this time around.  Blessed looks at different relationships that children share with their mothers.  It’s based on the play Who’s Afraid Of The Working Class? which was first performed in Melbourne in 1998.

In this cinematic adaptation, the stories of five different families are told.  I won’t go into a lot of detail but suffice to say that they all have their troubles.  The most forceful story is that of a neglectful mother who cannot cope with her two young kids.  Frances O’Connor (Mansfield Park) plays the mum and her passionate performance left me quite shaken by film’s end.  Also great is Miranda Otto (In My Father’s Den) who plays a misguided poker machine addict.

Instead of telling the story in a more conventional manner, the film has been split into two distinct halves.  The first half focuses on the children and the second half focuses on the mothers.  It’s a creative idea but I don’t know if it helps in anyway.  Given that some characters are not developed until well into the movie, it took a while for it to leave an “impact”.  The emotion packed finale is worth the wait though.

Blessed boasts a strong ensemble cast and I must give credit to the younger performers who are all superb.  There’s a memorable conversation early on between a young boy (played by Harrison Gilbertson) and an elderly woman (played by Monica Maughan) that illustrates my point.

With a reflective score from Cezary Skubiszewski (Two Hands), Blessed will probably affect people in different ways.  How you see each character will differ depending on your own upbringing and experiences.  Whatever your thoughts, I see this as yet another top film in a year of outstanding Australian cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 September 2009

500 Days Of Summer is a creativity told tale about two people who fall in and out of love.  Tom Hansen and Summer Finn are played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin) and Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man), two of the best twenty-something actors working in Hollywood today.  They aren’t afraid to take a chance and I can see why they were attracted to this low-budget independent film.

There are a few reasons why this is above your average romantic comedy/drama.  What I enjoyed most was the way in which director Marc Webb tells the story and illustrates the ups and down of any romance.  It is told over 500 days but not in chronological order.  We start on day 1, finish on day 500, but everything in between is jumbled… for good reason.

This method gives the film a hip, fresh feel.  When I usually watch a romantic flick, I become bored by the fact that it’s so predictable.  I sit in my seat, waiting for the inevitable.  Not so here.  It was nice to watch a movie that leaves you asking questions at the start – like why did they break up? – and then provides the answers in an inventive manner. It’s no surprise that 500 Days Of Summer has developed a cult like following and currently sits in the top 250 films of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Also a little different is the relationship between Tom and Summer.  It’s usually the girl who falls in love and the guy who has the fear of commitment.  It’s the complete opposite this time around.  From the day he first sees her, Tom is head over heels.  Summer isn’t as enthusiastic and states straight up that she doesn’t believe in love and just wants to be friends.  Either way, something’s got to give.

This is a well made film from director Marc Webb.  He has captured some beautiful shots of Los Angeles and used a great soundtrack.  I don’t want to overlook some of the smaller details either.  Tom works as a greeting card writer and you’ll see what effect his relationship has on his work when you hear some of his card ideas.

I thought the ending was slightly anti-climactic but this is still a terrific movie.  Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel make a great pairing and I can’t wait to see it again.