Reviews
Fired Up
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Will Gluck |
| Written by: | Freedom Jones |
| Starring: | Nicholas D’Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer, Philip Baker Hall, John Michael Higgins, Molly Sims |
| Released: | April 23, 2009 |
| Grade: | B |
Fired Up is about two football jocks who go to cheerleading camp over the summer so that they can have their choice of over 300 chicks. Need I say any more?
I do enjoy a deep, meaningful drama. Already this year we’ve been treated to great films such as The Wrester, The Reader and Milk. That said, trashy comedies such as this still have their place in the world of cinema. Sometimes the best thing to do is sit back, turn off the brain and have a few laughs. Fired Up is a perfect example.
The two leading dudes are Nicholas D’Agosto (Heroes) and Eric Christian Olsen (Dumb And Dumberer). Nicholas plays Shawn - the smart, conservative guy. Eric plays Nick – the bold, outgoing guy. The girls at the camp know exactly what our two protagonists are up to but most don’t seem to mind.
Given the limited storyline, it’s no wonder that screenwriter Freedom Jones had trouble dragging it out for 90 minutes. His attempt at creating a semi-dramatic ending was ridiculous. On the other hand, he doesn’t seem to have had any trouble crafting some funny jokes. There are a few "laugh out loud" moment and the highlight involves a scene from the iconic cheerleading flick Bring It On.
I don’t think any of us are going to remember this film in six months time but it’s the only major new release showing in our multiplexes this week, so I guess it’ll just have to do.
Let The Right One In
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Tomas Alfredson |
| Written by: | John Ajvide Lindqvist |
| Starring: | Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg |
| Released: | April 23, 2009 |
| Grade: | A- |
Let The Right One In is a Swedish film that has been showered with acclaim since released last year. During the recent award season, it won numerous "best foreign language film" prizes. If you check out the Internet Movie Database, you’ll realise that it has also developed a cult-like following – it is ranked 192nd on the list of all-time greatest movies.
The central character is a softly spoken 12-year-old boy named Oskar (Hedebrant). He lives with his mother in an old apartment building and largely keeps to himself. Oskar is continually bullied by a group of kids in his class at school. Each time it happens, these bullies see a quiet, emotionless look on Oskar’s face. What they don’t see… is the burning desire that he carries within to get revenge.
Standing in the snow in the courtyard outside his building, Oskar meets Eli (Leandersson), a young girl who has moved in next door. When he asks how old she is, Eli responds with "12 years old… give or take". It’s a strange answer but we soon find out why. Eli is a vampire. She looks innocent enough but she has an insatiable thirst for human blood which will never be diminished.
Eli lives with her father, Hakan (Per Ragnar) who helps protect her daughter. He sneaks out at night, finds fresh victims, and drains them of their blood. This isn’t something that he enjoys doing. He’s not a pathological serial killer. Hakan does it for the love of his daughter and will do whatever is necessary to keep her alive and happy.
It may sound like a contraction but this is a beautiful film and a creepy film. I loved the world that has been created by director Tomas Alfredson. There isn’t a lot of dialogue but the visuals are striking. You will feel the coldness and hear the silence. Alfredson obviously subscribes to the theory that "a picture paints a thousand words".
So what becomes of Oskar and Eli? I’d like you to see this film to find out for yourself. It reminded me in many ways of Pan’s Labyrinth in that it is a modern day fairy tale with some dark themes. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best foreign language releases for the year.
Race To Witch Mountain
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Andy Fickman |
| Written by: | Matt Lopez, Mark Bomback |
| Starring: | Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Everett Scott |
| Released: | April 9, 2009 |
| Grade: | B- |
Race To Witch Mountain is based on the novel, Escape To Witch Mountain, written by Alexander Key. This isn’t the first time that it’s been adapted into a movie. Walt Disney Productions did it back in 1975 with a cast including Donald Pleasence, Kim Richards and Eddie Albert.
With no other fresh ideas (or so I assume), Disney have come up with a 2009 remake starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He plays Jack Bruno – a cab driver living in Las Vegas who has spent his fair share of time in jail. His world will forever change when two young, innocent kids find their way into the backseat of his taxi. They ask to be driven to an isolated, desert location and they give him an extraordinary wad of cash. Something is definitely not right.
Jack soon learns why. Sara (Robb) and Seth (Ludwig) are aliens. They have come to complete a very important mission which will save the Earth from total annihilation. Jack realises the importance of the situation and tries to do whatever he can to help.
What Sara and Seth need most is protection. There’s another, not so nice, alien creature who is trying to hunt them all down. They also need to worry about a top secret government department who have sent their best men to try to capture the aliens for their own scientific research.
I don’t think it’s a particularly exciting storyline, and I think the director has over-edited the action sequences, but hey, who cares right? This film isn’t targeted at 31-year-old film critics. It’s meant for kids and I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.
I have to ask, of the number of films that are released in any year, what percentage are sequels and remakes? I just tried to do a quick check but lost count in the process. I do know that this number is increasing. Is it possible that we’ll reach a point in the future, whether it be 50 years or 5,000 years, where every single good idea for a movie has been used? Will we even survive that long? That’s another good question but we’ll save that for another time...
Fast And Furious
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Justin Lin |
| Written by: | Chris Morgan |
| Starring: | Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso |
| Released: | April 16, 2009 |
| Grade: | B |
The Fast & The Furious was one of the biggest success stories of 2001. It made a lot of money at the box-office and was well received by the public. In my initial review, I described it as being "edge of your seat stuff".
Since then, the series has had a few "accidents" and to use another metaphor, has spent a fair amount of time in the repair shop. Paul Walker was the only member of the cast to return for the sequel (2 Fast 2 Furious) and the less that is said about The Fast The Furious: Tokyo Drift, the better.
The good news is that this franchise is back on the open road and is travelling at full speed. As the advertising points out, all of the original cast have returned for Fast & Furious. None of them have gone onto super stardom since the first flick so perhaps they’ve returned for the pay cheque? Maybe they’ve reunited to do a little reminiscing.
Whatever their motivations, their appearance has gotten the public off their backsides and into movie theatres. When it opened in the United States last week, it made $71m in its first three days. That’s the biggest opening since The Dark Knight in July 2008.
When I went to the preview screening, my attention was largely on the action scenes. The special effects are obvious but it’s still exhilarating. The problem I now have is that I’m a little sketchy about the plot. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention? Maybe there wasn’t any story to begin with?
All I’ll say is that Dominic (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) are both out to capture a nasty Mexican drug dealer. They have differing motivations but are equal in terms of their unrelenting passion. They throw their bodies around with reckless abandon. Their juiced up cars go through the ringer as well. Presented with the same situation, I think I would have died 20 times over.
The best parts of the movie are when the actors keep their mouths shut and the action does the talking. The dialogue is laughable in places. But like I said, there are some very cool action sequences that more than compensate. One of the highlights is a car chase through an underground tunnel on the Mexican border.
Vroom, vroom!
Summer Hours
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Olivier Assayas |
| Written by: | Olivier Assayas |
| Starring: | Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jeremie Renier, Edith Scob, Dominique Reymond, Isabelle Sadoyan |
| Released: | April 2, 2009 |
| Grade: | A |
Summer Hours is the moving tale of two brothers and a sister who have to make some tough, emotional decisions following the death of their 75 year old mother, Helene (Scob). The biggest question is what to do with their mother’s gorgeous country house and its collection of paintings and drawings.
Frederic (Berling), Jeremie (Renier) and Adrienne (Binoche) all have precious memories of their upbringing at the house. Times have changed however and these three siblings have changed with them. Adrienne now lives in New York and is engaged to be married. Jeremie is about to accept a job offer in China and will move there with his wife and three children. Frederic is the only one still living in France but he too is busy with his own family and his career in economics.
Should they keep the house in the family, or should they sell it? Should they keep the paintings and artefacts, or should they share it with the world by donating it to a museum? The Musee d’Orsey has already indicated its interest in a number of 19th Century furniture pieces.
There’s so much more to this story that I won’t go into but I can be describe it as a reflective, thought provoking piece. It is told by writer-director Olivier Assayas in fragments. It’s as if we’re a fly on the wall. Popping in and out of their lives every once and a while to see what they’re up to. We slowly move around the room, taking in not only their conversation but the view around them. In the background is a soft, comforting film score to help keep you at ease.
The film doesn’t focus on one central character either. Some poignant thoughts are provided by Helene, who we see a few months before she passed away at her 75th birthday party. We see the long serving housekeeper, Eloise (Sadoyan), struggle with the realisation that her own life must take a new path. The grandchildren have their place in the film also with the coming-of-age actions of Frederic’s daughter providing a fitting finale.
I was telling someone recently that "beauty is in the eye of beholder" and let me just say, when it comes to cinema, this is my definition of beautiful.
Elegy
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Isabel Coixet |
| Written by: | Nicholas Meyer |
| Starring: | Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz, Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard, Deborah Harry |
| Released: | April 9, 2009 |
| Grade: | A |
I’ve always liked the term "carpe diem" - a Latin term which is commonly translated into "seize the day". These were the thoughts I had walking out of the cinema after seeing Elegy, the new film from Spanish director Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me, The Secret Life Of Words). Time is precious and we should make the most of it.
Before I get too melodramatic, let me explain why this film is so great. It’s the story of David Kepesh (Kingsley), a 62-year-old literary professor living in Manhattan. I’ll cut to the chase and say that he loves women. He really loves women. David has seduced and slept with countless beauties throughout his life. He was married once but it didn’t really suit his free-loving lifestyle.
Talking to a friend, David makes the comment that "the biggest surprise in a man’s life is old age". It’s a realisation that he’s struggling to deal with. He’s not as active, not as virile as he once was. I’d be interested to know what you make of David. Will you see him as a sleazy womaniser finally getting what he deserves? Or will you feel sorry for this lonely, insecure man and hope that he can find true love in the later years of his life? It’s a terrific two-sided performance from Ben Kingsley who ensures the character’s complexities are fully illustrated.
David’s eyes are currently fixated by a 24-year-old Cuban who is taking one of his classes. Her name is Consuela (Cruz). David has a rule of not getting involved with his students… while they’re still his students. And so, he makes his move at a special graduation party which he throws each year in his own home. His charms easily win over Consuela and she agrees to accompany him to an upcoming play.
Soon enough, a passionate relationship develops. They spend every moment they can together. Where is this heading, however? David realises he his falling in love with Consuela but doubts and jealousies are clouding his mind. With a massive age difference between them, he’s worried that she’ll leave him for someone her own age. He subsequently becomes possessive and controlling of Consuela’s behaviour.
There are no car chases, no vampires and no toilet jokes in Elegy. This is a heavy, powerful exploration of two people and the relationship that they share. I know it won’t set the box-office alight but I found it to be a credibly moving film. Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast) and Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona) deserve every piece of praise they have already received.
Based on the novel by Philip Roth novel, Elegy is one of the finest romantic dramas that I’ve seen in some time.