Reviews
The Spanish Apartment
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Cedric Klapisch |
| Written by: | Cedric Klapisch |
| Starring: | Romain Duris, Judith Godreche, Audrey Tautou, Cecile De France, Kelly Reilly, Kevin Bishop |
| Released: | December 18, 2003 |
| Grade: | A |
If you’re young and have ever wanted to travel or work in Europe, The Spanish Apartment is the must-see movie of the year. I first caught the film back in August when it screened at the Brisbane International Film Festival. So positive was the response, it was voted by the festival audience as their number one film. Not bad when you consider it was competing against over 100 other feature films. This praise has contributed to the decision of the Fox Searchlight to release the film nationwide in a select number of cinemas across Australia.
The story centres around Xavier (Duris), a 25-year-old French student who knows the time has come to settle down and find a full-time job. Attending a job interview (which was arranged by his father), Xavier is told that with the rise of the European Union has resulted in an increased demand for foreign economists. He suggests that Xavier study economics in Spain for a year and that a job at the company will be assured.
It’s his first time away from home and Xavier feels sad that he has left his mother and girlfriend (Tautou) behind in Paris. His university course in Barcelona is being funded by a government scholarship program and he’s hoping to make the most of it although daunted by a language he hardly knows and a city that is completely new to him. He meets a freshly married couple at the airport who are very helpful in offering him short term accommodation. But the apprehension will soon be behind him and the fun’s about to begin.
Looking for apartments in the paper, Xavier finds the dream place. It’s not a flashy residence but its home to five other students all looking to study hard and party even harder. Each comes from a different country but there are no boundaries here. Xavier’s gone from a life of predictable monotony in France to a life of enthusiastic pleasure in Spain.
The Spanish Apartment is a film which captures and enthuses on the screen all those emotions that cannot be put into words. The trepidation of leaving home, the intrigue of other cultures, the complications of love, the importance of friendships and the invaluable qualities of true life experiences. Writer/director Cedric Klapisch tells an honest story perfectly balanced against light hearted comedy and scene stealing one-liners.
The film features dialogue in not just English but also French, Spanish, Danish and Catalan. Subtitles will guide you through so that none of the film’s spirit is lost. It’s hard to believe Klapisch envisioned shooting a film with so many languages – it must have been a nightmare getting funding. He’s no slouch in the director’s chair either. He’s assembled a vibrant, youthful cast and uses well-chosen editing techniques (such as split-screens and fast-forwards) to enhance their performances. He doesn’t appear until half way through the film but English actor Kevin Bishop steals every scene in which he appears as Wendy’s annoying brother, William.
I’ve often believed it’s best to see a film twice before one can give an accurate review. At the first screening, you learn and at the second screening, you appreciate. Having attended two sold-out sessions of The Spanish Apartment, I can fully stand behind my critique and judging from audience responses, I am not alone.
S.W.A.T.
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Clark Johnson |
| Written by: | David Ayer, David MeKenna |
| Starring: | Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Olivier Martinez |
| Released: | November 27, 2003 |
| Grade: | C |
I’m sure when the real members of S.W.A.T. saw this movie, they rolled around on the floor with laughter. What we have here is a horribly unrealistic situation. How can such smart professionals (considered the elite of the LAPD) get themselves in such dumb situations? Then, then somehow find their intelligence and remedy the problems with miraculous recoveries.
Riddled with clichés, this a very unenjoyable film for any audience who takes pride a decent story. We open with S.W.A.T. members Jim Street (Farrell) and partner Brian Gamble trying to resolve a hostage situation in a bank. I would have thought banks had better security but Jim and Brian sneak unnoticed down an air duct and eliminate the robbers. Unfortunately, one of the hostages is inadvertently shot and the two are removed from field duty by the “token” angry Chief of Police. Has anyone seen a movie before where the Chief isn’t a prick?
Anyway, Brian’s a rebel and immediate quits the force. Jim’s happy to see him go and works in the office’s ammunition department waiting for a chance to get back out there. That chance comes when the police force cops some bad press (for a reason which isn’t explained) and the Chief calls in old friend Hondo Harrelson (Jackson) to assemble a hot shot team to reclaim the streets. He assembles a five member crew with Jim receiving the final spot.
They train hard, are put to the test in some training runs, and coincidentally enough, they get the chance to display their talent for real. An underworld drug dealer (Martinez) wanted in 12 countries has been arrested and is being held in the local jail. He is to be transported to a federal prison but there lies a unique problem. The dealer has gone on the news to offer $100m to anyone who can break him out and there’s a lot of fruit-loops in Los Angeles who are going to try.
All I can say is that Arnie has a lot of work ahead of him as Governor of California. It seems that in this beautiful place, there are violent shootouts in the street every day with semi-automatic weapons. People also carry around surface-to-air missiles to shoot helicopters from the sky. George Bush needn’t worry about Iraq when this stuff is going on in his own backyard. Could all this be any stupider?
The acting too leaves a lot to be desired. The bad guys are so obvious and 10 minutes into the film I correctly predicted which good guys would magically switch sides. There’s no method acting here – it’s straight out of a textbook. Stars Samuel J. Jackson and Colin Farrell share some nice scenes early on (which gave me a glimmer of hope) but any character development becomes lost amid a barrage of bullets.
Reviewing a film like S.W.A.T. is just too easy. The holes are so obvious. The criticisms are just flowing off the keyboard. I didn’t have to think in the theatre and I’m not having to think very hard now either. Can’t be a good sign.
The School Of Rock
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Richard Linklater |
| Written by: | Mike White |
| Starring: | Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman |
| Released: | November 20, 2003 |
| Grade: | B |
Dewey Finn (Black) is a lover of rock music but little else. He doesn’t have a job and all he focuses on is creating music with his four member band. There’s an upcoming competition where $10,000 is awarded to best group and it’s the prospect Dewey has to put money in the bank. Dewey’s been relying on roommate Ned Schneebly (White) to pay his rent for him but Ned’s girlfriend Patty (Silverman) tells him to put his foot down and boot him out.
Knowing he’s going to need a job, a simple phone call will rectify the situation. You see, Ned is a substitute teacher and Dewey gets a call from the principal of a prestigious primary school, Rosalie Mullins (Cusack), to see if Ned would like a few weeks work teaching some third-graders. The light blubs go off in Dewey’s head, he passes himself off as Ned and turns up that afternoon to begin work as a teacher.
Dewey knows about as much as these kids do when it comes to maths, English and geography. But there’s one topic he knows better than any other – rock ‘n’ roll. Over the next three weeks, he will teach nothing but it. When his band sacks him and finds a replacement lead singer, another crazy idea comes to Dewey. He’s going to train and transform these kids into a band of their own and win the $10,000 prize.
Jack Black (Shallow Hal, High Fidelity) leads from the front with an insanely passionate performance. He’s a musician himself and a great friend to fellow actor Mike White (who plays Ned Schneebly). White wrote the film’s screenplay and I’m sure he had Black in mind as he put pen to paper. It’s the third film White has written in the past two years with The School Of Rock following The Good Girl (with Jennifer Aniston) and Orange County (which also featured Black).
Is this screenplay from Black and White a little too “black and white”? Ha ha! How’s that for a lame joke? Seriously, I had some fun but that little voice in the back of my head wouldn’t let me surrender. There whole idea is ludicrous and my mind was too frequently distracted. How could not one of the parents have said something to the principal? How could such young kids master the art of rock in less than a month? How could they pull the wool over the eyes all the other teachers and students? Perhaps I am too easily annoyed.
What had me most excited by The School Of Rock was hearing it was directed by 42-year-old director Richard Linklater who prides himself in originality. Just last year I praised his low-budget independent film Tape (which starred Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) but many more will know some of his other works including Waking Life, Before Sunrise and Dazed & Confused. I did enjoy the cinematography of the production by aside, it didn’t feel like a true Linklater film.
If there’s one thing Linklater does in this film, it’s keeping the audience in their seats until the very end of the closing credits. Jack Black and the kids sing “It’s A Long Way To The Top” and no one was sneaking out early. It certainly is a long way to the top in this industry and yes, this film is worth a look, but no, it hasn’t come close to reaching the top.
Mystic River
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Clint Eastwood |
| Written by: | Brian Helgeland |
| Starring: | Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney |
| Released: | November 20, 2003 |
| Grade: | A |
What goes around, comes around.
As kids, Jimmy Markum (Penn), Sean Devine (Bacon) and Dave Boyle (Robbins) were best friends. That was until Dave was kidnapped by a stranger passing himself off as a police officer. After four days, Dave escaped his captors but the hours of sexual abuse would leave him a changed individual
Twenty years have now passed and the friendships have faded away. Jimmy spent a few years in jail but has now settled down and has three daughters with his wife Annabeth (Linney). Sean is a police officer but is still scarred from his wife who unexpectedly left him six months ago. Dave is married to Celeste (Harden) and has a small boy but he’s still distant and very difficult to be close to.
On an otherwise ordinary Saturday night, a girl is murdered. That girl is Katie Markum, Jimmy’s eldest daughter. Sean is in charge of the case and finds himself reacquainted with his childhood friend. Jimmy isn’t making Sean’s job easy because the enraged father has hired his own goons to investigate the crime and “take care of” the person responsible.
Call it irony but one of the leading suspects is Dave Boyle. Celeste knows her husband got home late that night with his chest cut and his hands covered in blood. The aloof Dave said he was attacked by a mugger but Celeste is in an unenviable position. She thinks her husband is lying to her but should she betray her husband’s trust by informing the police?
When you look at the cast and crew, you’ll realise nothing could go wrong with the production. There’s director Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven), writer Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) and stars Sean Penn (Dead Man Walking), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption), Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13), Laura Linney (You Can Count On Me), Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock) and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix). Take a deep breath and think about how promising that sounds.
Eastwood may be in his 70s but he’s a man with the experience of directing over 20 feature motion pictures. He appreciates the sombre tone of this thriller and keeps it deliberate and unglamorous. He performs wonderful tricks with the lighting. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice there are a number of shots in darkness where only one half of a character’s face can be seen. Such cinematography is not an accident – it is the sign of a director with direction.
Sean Penn gives a heartfelt performance as Katie’s father. The talk is that Penn will earn himself a deserved Oscar nomination this year (it would be his fourth). He isn’t a fan of award shows and the fact that doesn’t usually attend hurts his chances but this could be his year. The other standout would be Marcia Gay Harden as Dave’s wife. There’s a particular scene at the end of the picture which I can’t elaborate on but highlights how great an actress she is.
Based on the popular novel from Dennis Lehane (which I haven’t read but am assured it’s very good), we are looking at one of the year’s best pictures. It is a powerful tale with every human emotion on display.
Elf
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Jon Favreau |
| Written by: | David Berenbaum |
| Starring: | Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel |
| Released: | November 27, 2003 |
| Grade: | C+ |
Even the most festive of patrons will be struggling to find much cheer in this year’s biggest Christmas relief – Elf. Comedian Will Ferrell stars as Buddy – an elf who works for Santa building presents at the North Pole. There’s something obviously different about Buddy though – his height. He’s twice as tall as the other elves but has never suspected anything wrong about it.
Overhearing a conversation, Buddy finds out he’s not really an elf. When just a baby, he inadvertently crawled into Santa’s sack of toys and wound up being taken home with him. Buddy was an orphan so Santa (Asner) took him under his wing and Papa Elf (Newhart) raised him. On learning this, Buddy is also given some important information from Santa. His mother has died but his father is still alive and never knew that he was born. So Buddy sets out for New York City to track dad and become part of his own family for the first time.
The father is Walter (Caan) who works as a book publisher in the Empire State Building. He’s not on Santa’s nice list and is a pretty cruddy person to be honest. He’s married but spends little time with his wife and son. His latest children’s book came back from the printer with the last two pages missing but he decided to sell it to stores anyway. He’s clearly in need of some Christmas spirit and the arrival of Buddy the Elf will turn his world upside down.
Actor Will Ferrell began his career on American TV’s Saturday Night Live but he’s now classed as a fully fledged movie star. He’s had major roles in A Night At The Roxbury, Zoolander and Old School. He’s the headline act in Elf but he’s given no support at all from the script and its writer, David Berenbaum. I know the film is pitched at kids but there are few jokes even for them. Nothing more than a sarcastic chuckle was uttered from my mouth. This idea should not have been green-lighted without a lot more work.
This time every year we have movies about Santa and how people just don’t believe in him anymore. I’ve seen it all before and don’t feel like seeing it too many more times.
Nicholas Nickleby
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Douglas McGrath |
| Written by: | Douglas McGrath |
| Starring: | Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Christopher Plummer, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Anne Hathaway, Juliet Stevenson, Timothy Spall, Alan Cumming, Nathan Lane, Dame Edna Everage, Edward Fox |
| Released: | November 20, 2003 |
| Grade: | B+ |
I’ve always wanted to write a review for a film like this with elegant English prose. Unfortunately, it’s a talent I severely lack so I’ll save the effort and not lose track. I haven’t read a single Charles Dickens novel before and was surprised by the welcome introduction which preceded this film at the advance screening I attended. Instead of the usual trailers and advertisements, a volunteer from a bookstore stood in front of the sold out audience and read some passages from the great novel. It idyllically set the mood, the lights dimmed and it all began.
Nicholas Nickleby (Hunnam), his sister and mother have been burdened by the untimely death of their father. With almost no money left, the family has gone to London to plead help from Uncle Ralph (Plummer). Ralph arranges employment for Nicholas as a teacher at school for boys. The principal is the evil Wackford Squeers (Broadbent) who, along with his wife (Stevenson), treat the boys with utter distaste. Nicholas befriends an orphan named Smike (Bell) and the two become inseparable.
They both flee the horrible institution and come across a small acting troop lead by Vincent Crummles (Lane). He finds a part for both Nickleby and Smike in his latest performance of Romeo & Juliet and the two find happiness for the first time in a long while. It is all short-lived when Nickleby gets word that his sister is in trouble and Smike finds out that Squeers wants him back.
It’s an enjoyable story and many people before me have read the novel and felt the same. This isn’t the first film adaptation and it won’t be the last. Strangely, it’s taken twelve months for its release in Australia. The film was nominated for best comedy/musical at last year’s Golden Globe Awards with Adaptation, About A Boy, Chicago and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. When you consider all those films are no available to rent on video, you’ll appreciate just how long a wait it has been.
I could say something positive about the entire ensemble so let’s begin. Charlie Hunnam is a star on the rise and is wonderful in his first major cinematic role. It’s the first film I’ve seen Jamie Bell in since Billy Elliot (a personal favourite) and he proves his BAFTA best actor award win three years ago was not undeserved. I’ve followed Christopher Plummer ever since The Insider and he’s perfectly cast. I only recently raved about Timothy Spall in Gettin’ Square but here is his again in a fun role. Nathan Lane’s one of the funniest in the business and does his reputation no harm. I’m running out of space here but I’ve got to include Jim Broadbent (Topsy-Turvy), American Anne Hathaway, Alan Cumming and even, wait for it, Dame Edna Everage.
There’s a sweet score from Rachel Portman who worked with writer-director Douglas McGrath on Emma (which starred Gwyneth Paltrow). Before I get too carried away, the criticisms should be overlooked. It’s difficult to cram a famous novel into a little over two hours but even so, the ending feels strained and drawn out. The delightful comedy, which gave Nicholas Nickleby its edge in the first half, falls away and the dramatic finale needed more life.
It’ll always hard to drag audiences to period piece movies and this’ll be no exception. So do try hard to keep it’s a film you’d like to see.