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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 July 2009

Christine Brown (Lohman) is a sweet, young girl who works as a bank loan officer.  She is keeping a very close eye on the vacant Assistant Manager’s desk.  It’s down to Christine and her compatriot to see who will earn the much valued promotion.  She’s doing whatever she can to impress the boss.

She will be put to the test when a hideous old lady walks up to her desk.  Her name is Sylvia Ganush (Raver) and she pleads to be given an extension on her mortgage payments.  She has owned the home for 30 years and has only fallen behind due to recent illness.  Christine is sympathetic but she denies Sylvia’s request.  She doesn’t want to be seen as being soft.

Now, it starts to get interesting.  Sylvia places a curse on Christine and leaves her with an ominous warning – “soon it will be you who comes begging to me.”  I’ll have to use that line when I next speak with my own bank.

It turns out that Sylvia does have the ability to conjure up an evil spirit.  Christine is soon visited by nasty paranormal being which leaves her well and truly shaken up.  Unable to call the Ghostbusters, she relies on a local fortune teller for advice.  He believes that the devil will be coming for her soul in three days time.  She must find a way to fend off satin before it’s too late.

For the horror genre, Drag Me To Hell offers everything that you’re looking for.  It has moments which will leave you jumping, moments that will leave you squirming and moments that will leave you chuckling.  One of its strongest attributes is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Sam Raimi also deserves credit for both his direction and his screenplay.  This is another positive on his strong resume which includes The Evil Dead, A Simple Plan and the Spider-Man trilogy.  With the help of cinematographer Peter Deming (Mulholland Dr.), he has created some particularly memorable scenes.  One in particular involves Christine looking at a floating handkerchief while waiting in the car park.  That’s all I can say.

I’ve sung the praises of Alison Lohman before in films such as Matchstick Men and White Oleander.  It’s hard to believe that she turns 30 years of age this September – she looks much younger.  She’s terrific in this film which sees her go through the full gamut of emotions.  Lohman was only cast in the role after Juno’s Ellen Page had to withdraw due to a scheduling conflict.

I can’t finish up without mentioning Loran Raver’s small part as the ghastly Sylvia Ganush.  What a memorable character.  If I have nightmares tonight, then she’s the reason!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2009

Thankfully, we now have a choice with the arrival of The Fox & The Child.  The problem is that this 2007 flick is only receiving a very small release in a handful of cinemas.  It’s worth making the effort though.

It’s the tale of a 10-year-old girl (played by Bertille Noel-Bruneau) and the year-long friendship she strikes up with a curious fox that lives in the woods near her home.  The fox is very wary of the girl at first but over time, the two grow to trust each other.  They go on long adventures – exploring every aspect of the beautiful landscape.  There are moments of excitement and moments of danger.

I have to say that I enjoyed watching an innocent, G-rated flick with some originality.  I’m growing tired of the action packed animated adventures that have emanated from the United States.  This flick is live action and has just a single actor – a curious, red-headed girl.  We never meet her parents… or anyone else for that matter.  The film’s entire focus is on her escapades.

The film is French but you don’t need to worry about subtitles as the young girl’s voice has been dubbed into English.  This helps open the film up to a younger audience but I found it slightly distracting to see the girl’s lips move out of sync with the dialogue.  This version also has an English narrator with the wonderful Kate Winslet doing a great job.

The most striking aspect of The Fox & The Child are the visuals from Luc Jacquet and his team of editors and cinematographers.  There were many scenes which left me in awe.  How did he get the camera so close to these animals?  The imagery is just as good as Jacquet’s acclaimed March Of The Penguins, which won him an Academy Award for best documentary in 2006.

The girl’s naivety is revealed late in the film and valuable lessons are learned.  It was refreshing to see a film which doesn’t shy away from such conflicts.  This is a 10 year old girl who makes silly mistakes, just like a 10 year old girl would.  Not just for kids, The Fox & The Child is the kind of film that will perk you up on a sleepy, Sunday afternoon.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 July 2009

On a sunny morning in July 2005, I lined up outside the Victoria Palace Theatre in London for tickets to see Billy Elliot: The Musical.  I arrived at 8:30am and had to wait three and a half hours for the ticket counter to open.

The time flew by however because in my hands was a copy of the recently released Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince.  Totally engrossed, I read each page quicker than the last, anxiously waiting to find out what was in store for Harry and his friends.

Last night, I saw the cinematic adaptation of this book.  Let’s just say that my level of excitement was not even close to that which I experienced four years ago.  Something major has been lost in translating J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book to the big screen.

There’s a noticeable lack of action, a lack of suspense.  Some characters are woefully underdeveloped and too much emphasis is placed on the story’s romantic elements.  This is the worst film in the series to date.

In this much darker adventure, Harry (Radcliffe) and his fellow students have returned to Hogwarts School with trepidation.  The evil Lord Voldemort has returned (see the fifth film for more information) and wizarding world are bracing themselves for another attack.  Nowhere is safe.

The school’s headmaster, Professor Dumbledore (Gambon), knows that Voldemort’s power is increasing.  He must be stopped before it is too late.  Dumbledore reluctantly asks for Harry’s help and provides information on how Voldemort came to be.  As a child, Voldemort was one of Hogwart’s most gifted students but there was always something different about him.  He had an insatiable thirst for the dark arts.

Dumbledore believes that the key to destroying Voldemort lies with an old friend, Professor Horace Slughorn (Broadbent).  He has invited the Professor to teach potions at Hogwarts this year… not because he is a great teacher but because Dumbledore seeks something from him.  Harry will be instrumental in Dumbledore’s plan.

As a backdrop to this main storyline, there are number of light-hearted, romantic subplots.  Love maybe in the air but Cupid’s arrows seem to be off the mark.  Harry likes Ginny but is too afraid to admit it.  The same goes for Ron and Hermoine who both find themselves entangled with a not-so-perfect match.

I wasn’t bored by Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince but I think that these movies have lost their sparkle.  Director David Yates, who also made the last film, hasn’t left much of a signature.  There’s nothing new, nothing fresh.  Nicholas Hooper’s film score is dull and the special effects were anything but.  Scenes were included for reasons unbeknown to me.  Why even show the Quidditch match?

As disenchanted as I felt, there are elements of the film to enjoy.  The underrated Jim Broadbent (Iris, Topsy-Turvy) is terrific as Professor Slughorn.  Daniel Radcliffe has a humorous few moments after drinking a special tonic which brings good luck.  It was good to see him liven up and it took the edge off the otherwise depressing story.

The final book, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, will be split into two movies – one released in 2010 and the other in 2011.  I’m disappointed to hear that director David Yates will be at the helm for both flicks.  Hopefully he will lift his game or else this much anticipated series will slip away into antiquity.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 July 2009

I’m giving this film a mildly positive review because, above all else, it is an “experience”.  It has its flaws and I don’t have any plans to see it for a second time but hey, it generated an emotional response.  Some scenes left me crying with laughter.  Other scenes left me shocked and offended.

For those who aren’t yet familiar with the fictional Bruno, he’s a flamboyantly gay Austrian “fashionista”.  Cohen is currently touring the world to promote the film and he always remains in character.  It’s all part of his act and it’s a similar marketing strategy to that which he used for Borat.  There’s no doubt that he’s got people talking… especially after his appearance with Kevin Rudd on Rove.

Bruno isn’t a new character.  Cohen created him back in 1998 and he has popped up numerous times on Da Ali G Show.  Following the success of Borat, Universal decided that Bruno deserved a full-length feature film of his very own and this leads us to where we are today.

The overriding premise of the film is about Bruno travelling to the United States and doing his utmost to become famous.  He tries to get a role in a movie, he tries to start his own talk show and he even tries adopting an African baby.  Forget the story though.  In reality, it’s just a bunch of skits – some funny than others.

I found the first half the most entertaining.  Two moments in particular that left me laughing heartedly – when Bruno screens a preview of his new talk show to a test audience, and when Bruno tries to interview Harrison Ford.  There is a lot more to chuckle over including Bruno’s impromptu walk down the catwalk at a fashion show.

The novelty started to wear off in the second half when I reached the conclusion that most of the scenes were staged.  With cameras everywhere, there’s no way that these people didn’t know they were being set up.  An example is Bruno’s trip to a military base where he tries to transform into a heterosexual.  I’m sure there were legitimate set ups, like the Ron Paul scene for example, but the overriding falseness to the whole film left a bad taste in my mouth.

On the whole, I have to ask what Cohen is out to achieve with a film like this?  Is it purely just for laughs and shock value?  If so, he has delivered.  Or is he trying to go deeper - to highlight some of the bigotry and discrimination that exists within our world?  If so, then he has failed.  This film says nothing about the general population.  It just makes fun of celebrities and extremists.

The film was originally rated R but a few small cuts have been made to have it reclassified as MA here in Australia.  The changes will give more of the younger demographic a chance to see the film and that should give the box-office a boost.  I was disappointed with the extremely short running time.  Do you really get value for money when a film clocks in at less than 80 minutes?  A lot of dud material must have been left on the cutting room floor.

This isn’t as good as Borat and I think most people will agree with that statement.  That said, I’m not asking for my time back.  I’m glad to have seen it.  

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 July 2009

Things are about to change however.  Her latest tour, which she thinks will be her last, will turn out to be a wild adventure.  Central to it all is an elderly man named Irv (Dreyfuss) who gives Georgia some much needed advice.  He tells her to lighten up and start appreciating the greatness of life.  It gets even better for Georgia when she starts falling in love with her new, young bus driver (Georgoulis).

I didn’t think I’d be a huge fan of this movie but it’s heart-warming and sentimental.  Sure it’s corny in places but Nia Vardalos (who we all remember from My Big Fat Greek Wedding) is a likeable heroine.  I wanted her to find the happiness that she deserved.

Richard Dreyfuss (Mr. Holland’s Opus, The American President) was my favourite of the large cast.  Dreyfuss is a wonderful actor and it’s a shame we don’t see him in more films these days.  He and Vardalos share some nice moments together.

Released in the same week as new Harry Potter movie, My Life In Ruins won’t be the most popular flick at the box-office but it’s good to see a decent alternative to those not interested in wizards and muggles.