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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 June 2010

Such secrecy only heightens our curiosity.  There’s a significant percentage of the population who are drawn to novels written by the likes of Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlam and Dan Brown.  How much of their work is inspired by the truth?  Maybe it’s all just speculative fantasy?  We’ll never really know.

Farewell is something a little different however.  There’s a lot more truth to this than your average spy thriller.  The screenwriters have drawn from the novel by Sergei Kostine and listened to hours of actual interviews with members of the French Secret Service.  When word spread about the film being made, others came forward and gave their version of events under the condition of anonymity.

The story is set in the early 1980s in the midst of the Cold War.  President Ronald Reagan was oblivious to the fact that United States intelligence had been infiltrated by Russian spies.  The Russians were smuggling valuable information on matters such as the space program and nuclear weapons back home to the KGB.  It gave them a valuable edge.

Two men would change the course of the history.  To call them unlikely heroes would be an understatement.  The first was a disillusioned KGB agent unhappy with the Soviet government.  He was given the codename “Farewell”.  The second was a French engineer working in Moscow.  They weren’t trained spies and yet, they turned the tables on the KGB by smuggling its valuable secrets (including lists of spies) to the French Secret Service.  A key alliance between the French and the United States would then be forged.

It’s this riveting story which makes Farewell a film worth seeing.  The Cold War was an interesting period of history which hasn’t received much attention on the big screen (as opposed to World War II films).  I shook my head in amazement at some scenes.  How did these two guys manage to play such a big role in bringing down the Soviet empire?

French director Christian Carion (Joyeux Noel) struggles at time with the execution of the story.  Some of the dialogue involving Ronald Reagan and his advisers is laughable.  So too is the performance of Fred Ward as Reagan.  That said, I was impressed by Emir Kusturica and Guillaume Canet in the leading roles.  I slowly developed an emotional connection with both them and their families.  I sat anxiously in my seat… hoping that no harm to come to them.

I always feel uneasy when filmmakers do this but yes, a few elements of the tale have been changed to assist with the cinematic adaptation.  There were actually several French agents who helped “Farewell” sneak information out of Russia.  Characters names have also been changed.  I don’t think the Russian government was too impressed either as they denied Carion permission to film there.  Carion did manage to get a few shots of Moscow though by pretending to film a Coca-Cola advertisement.

Featuring a mix of English, French and Russian, Farewell is a solid thriller.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 June 2010

Unfortunately, things aren’t going to well in the career of Aldous Snow.  He was once a heavyweight within the music industry but it all fell apart following the release of his controversial single called “African Child”.  The song was described by one critic as “the worst thing to happen to Africa since apartheid”.

It’s been exactly ten years since Snow performed one of his most famous concerts – a sell out performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.  Aaron Green (Hill), a young intern at Pinnacle Studios, thinks it would be great if Snow performed a similar show to relaunch his career.  His boss (Combs) gives him the all clear and Green has 72 hours to pick Snow up from London, get him to a Today Show appearance in New York, and then be in Los Angeles for the concert.

It proves to be a much more difficult assignment that Aaron imagined.  All Snow wants to do is drink and party.  Given that the insecure Aaron has idolised Snow and his music since a child, he finds it very difficult to stand up to Snow and be authoritative.  What then follows is a series of crazy events involving everything from drug “smuggling” to large dildos.

There’s some funny stuff in this movie but it’s not as good as Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Some of the best scenes involve Snow and his ex-girlfriend (played by Australian Rose Byrne).  The highlight was seeing these two characters interviewed for a television show about the failure of African Child.

On the flip side, I think that some jokes were pretty flat.  Instead of coming up with witty dialogue, the script relies on gross-out moments instead (such as the drug smuggling incident).  I know plenty of people who will still find this humorous but I was expecting a little more.

As for the storyline, I felt it was a little weak.  It begins well but it’s struggling by the time we get to the sentimental third act.  Rose Byrne’s character fades into oblivion and I was bored by the subplot involving Aaron and his girlfriend (Moss).

Get Him To The Greek has had some positive early reviews but as I’ve learned over the years, everyone has a different sense of humour.  Some will love it, some will hate it and the rest will fall somewhere in between.  I think I’m smack-bang in the middle.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 June 2010

If you want my opinion (and you’re about to get it), I think this a beautiful film.  It reminded me in many ways of Tom Ford’s A Single Man which starred Colin Firth.  It features creative cinematography, a booming film score, and a noticeable lack of dialogue.  It’s the kind of movie where you observe the characters rather than listen to them.

The film is set in Italy and is about an incredibly wealthy family who own a large textile company.  Due to his failing health, the head of the company is stepping down.  He’s leaving control to his loyal son and, in somewhat of a surprise, to one of his grandsons.  Will they be able to take the company forward and protect the family name?

Central to the story is the wife of the new chairman.  Her name is Emma Recchi (Swinton) and she was born and raised in Russia.  She’s an interesting character to follow.  I don’t want to reveal too much about the story but events take place which leave her with much to think about.  They question her attachment to her lifestyle and her loyalty to her family.

Throughout the whole film, I found myself analysing every single character.  The film doesn’t explicitly tell us what they’re thinking.  Even some factual details are left out (such as information on the “race” which the grandson competes in).  It’s designed to challenge the audience and I applaud director Luca Guadagnino for his boldness.

What I’ll remember most about I Am Love is its striking visuals.  From the opening credits to the closing credits, this is special stuff.  It may appear random at times (with its abrupt editing and forever changing camera angles) but you get the sense that every single shot has been carefully thought out.  John Adams score also deserves praise and will soon find a place in my soundtrack collection.

I see over 200 films a year and I’m always impressed when something comes along which is outside the "norm".  I Am Love does just that and I hope you’re one of the lucky few who appreciates it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 June 2010

What made it even more interesting was that Blitz’s follow up was not another documentary but rather a fiction piece he wrote himself.  According to my computer history, I downloaded the trailer for Rocket Science back in August 2007.  The film received a limited release in the U.S. later that year and made next-to-nothing at the box-office.  I didn’t expect an Australian cinematic release but I was hoping to catch it at a film festival or perhaps on DVD.  Neither scenario presented itself.

Now, seemingly out of nowhere, the film is getting its own small release in Australian cinemas.  I guess I have Anna Kendrick to thank.  This was the role which launched her career.  She subsequently went on to star in the Twilight series and earned an Academy Award nomination earlier this year for her great performance in Up In The Air.  Having her name on the posters for Rocket Science might give it the boost it needs at the Australian box-office.

The film centres on a shy teenager named Hal Hefner (Thompson) who goes to a small school in New Jersey.  Hal has always had a stuttering problem which has made it hard for him to make friends.  Life isn’t too rosy at home either with his parents recently separating.  Hal and his bullying older brother now live solely with their mother.

Out of the blue, Hal is approached by Ginny Ryerson (Kendrick), a domineering girl who leads the school’s debate team.  She sees potential in Hal and thinks he’d be perfect as her new debate partner.  Hal doesn’t know what’s going on.  He’s a dreadful public speaker.  Why would Ginny be interested in him?  Hal goes along for the ride however.  He’s developed a crush on Ginny and it’s the perfect chance to spend time with her.

So how will this tale pan out?  You’re going to have to see it for yourself.  I was worried that it would cheapen itself with a Hollywood-ised ending but not so.  It fits in perfectly with what precedes it and ends on an appropriate note.  Credit must go to Jeffrey Blitz for his script.

Anna Kendrick is terrific but the standout performance for me was Reece Thompson in the leading role.  I’d never heard of him before but he plays Hal Hefner with such adoring innocence.  You’ll be cheering for him all the way through.  I watched an interview with him on the internet and he speaks so fluently in real life.  It makes his continual stuttering throughout the film even more impressive.

These performances packaged with some great one-liners and a snazzy soundtrack all adds up to a very likeable movie.  The wait has been worth it.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 June 2010

It may have been the first but I think it’s also one of the best.  Both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 set an early benchmark for computer animation which has not yet been surpassed.  I’m not speaking about the quality of the animation (which yes, has improved) but rather the quality of the story being told.  I’ve seen a few films which are just as good (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) but I’ll always have a place in my heart for the Toy Story series.

There are two main reasons.  Firstly, the characters are all so memorable.  Woody and Buzz Lightyear are central to the stories but plenty of screen time goes to the supporting players who are just as funny.  I speak of Rex the dinosaur, Hamm the pig, and my personal favourites, Mr and Mrs Potato Head (voiced impeccably by Don Rickles and Estelle Harris).

Secondly, the stories are laced with a beautiful layer of sentimentality.  Always in the background is the young boy named Andy who owns and plays with these toys.  As he has grown up, his interest in them has slowly faded away.  One part of me wants to get all tear-jerky whilst the other part accepts that this is reality.  These stories are fictional (obviously) but we do experience similar feelings in our real lives.  As times change, so too do our priorities and our friendships.

In this adventure, Andy is on the verge of going to college.  He hasn’t played with his toys in many years and they sit in an old chest in his bedroom.  There’s a cute scene at the start of the film where the toys devise a cunning plan of getting Andy to play with them.  It’s not a success.

Now that he’s leaving home, Andy’s mother asks what he wants done with the toys.  Andy wants them stored in the attic but due to a mix-up, they end up being donated to a nearby child care centre.  There, they meet a bunch of new toys led by a mild-mannered teddy bear named Lotso (Beatty).  He tells them that they’ve come to the right place.  With all the kids who attend the centre, they’re guaranteed to be played with for a long, long time.

Something is amiss however.  Lotso is not as cuddly as he looks.  He forces our beloved toys into the toddlers section of the child care centre.  After just one day of being “played with”, the toys are sore bruised.  It’s only a matter of time before they’ll be broken by these over-excited kids and sent to the scrap heap.  They must find a way of breaking out before it’s too late.

Toy Story 3 is another great chapter in the series.  It’s not quite as good as the first two films but I could easily sit through it multiple times.  With such a rich array of fun characters, there’s seldom a dull moment.  The new toys are all great with special mentions going to a psychotic monkey and a metrosexual Ken doll.  I chuckled at almost every scene shared between Ken and Barbie.

There’s an exciting action finale which highlights the incredible talent of the animations team.  I recently spoke with Australian animator Simon Allen who mentioned that it took roughly a week to come up with just 5 seconds of film!  You’ve only got to look in the background of some shots to understand why.  The level of detail is incredible.  The public keep demanding more from their animated films and somehow, the animators keep delivering.

Above all else though, Toy Story 3 is a fun adventure with plenty of laughs and a strong narrative.  It will undoubtedly capture the attention of both kids and adults.  It’s almost impossible not to like.