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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 January 2006

Based on his own autobiography, Walk The Line brings to the screen the true life story of musician Johnny Cash.  His career began in 1955 when as a 23-year-old, he recorded his first songs for Sun Records.  His first big hit was “I Walk The Line” and other songs you may remember include “A Boy Named Sue”, “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Ring Of Fire”.

After a brief introduction, Walk The Line chronicles Cash’s life from his early success through to a famous concert at the London Gardens in 1968.  If his accomplishments were achieved with ease, then this movie probably wouldn’t have been made.  We love to see stories of people triumphing over adversity and Johnny Cash did just that.  He battled alcoholism, struggled to overcome a drug addiction and had a difficult marriage with his first wife, Vivian.  These problems are the focus of James Mangold’s film.

Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator) plays Johnny Cash and those in the know have been buzzing about his performance for some months.  Reese Witherspoon (Just Like Heaven, Election) plays June Carter, a fellow artist who Cash had an on-again, off-again relationship with for many years.  Their performances are incredible and both will earn Academy Award nominations.  I particularly loved Reese’s Southern accent and I think she’s a shoe-in to claim the Oscar.  You’ll be happy to know that both actors sung all the film’s songs themselves.  They sound great too.  Both had six months training from music producer T-Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

As well made as the film is, I was disappointed by the film’s lack of adventurousness.  Twelve months ago we were treated to Ray, the life story of Ray Charles with Jamie Foxx in the leading role.  Charles too had marital problems and battled his own drug addiction.  Walk The Line feels very similar and at 136 minutes, my patience grew thin.  I was also discouraged by some of the tacky dialogue and I believe the story has been over-Hollywood-ised.

Extremely popular when released in the United States last November, Walk The Line should be equally successful here in Australia.  Johnny Cash has a huge fan-base and his death in 2003 did nothing to diminish that.  His story will be of interest to many.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 January 2006

A family walks into a talent agency and says “we have an act which we think you might be interested in”.  Thus begins what is said to be one of the most famous jokes amongst comedians.  The task is then coming up with the most horrifying, sick, grotesque act imaginable.  Nothing is sacred.  The act often involves incest, bestiality, rape, defecation and other unspeakable sexual acts.  The joke finishes when the talent agent asks the name of the act and the family responds with “the Aristocrats!”

Don’t worry if you don’t think this is at all funny.  You wouldn’t be alone.  It’s one of those jokes where the punch line isn’t important.  It’s all in the delivery.  The joke is the perfect guise for comedians to push every boundary.  They strive to outdo each other and come up with an even longer, sicker act than the person who last told it.

Believe it or not, a 90-minute documentary has been made on this famous joke and you are now reading a review of it.  Over 100 comedians have contributed with many telling their own version it.  They include (in alphabetical order) Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Billy Connolly, Andy Dick, Phyllis Diller, Carrie Fisher, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Idle, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Larry Miller, Trey Parker, Kevin Pollak, Paul Reiser, Andy Richter, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Bob Saget, Harry Shearer, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Fred Willard, Robin Williams and Steven Wright.  Need more?

What is funny is the fact that I hardly laughed in this film.  Correct me if I’m wrong but I think our society has become desensitised to such offensive language.  Crude jokes, no matter how crude, have reached a peak, a saturation point.  There’s very little you can say that someone hasn’t already said before.  The line has been pushed to its very limit.

The documentary is interesting from a commentary point of view.  Some of the comedians talk about the different styles of comedy and what goes on behind the scenes in the comedic world.  On the other hand, listening to pretty much the same joke over and over again wore me out.  A chuckled a few times but not nearly as much as I expected.  To really enjoy comedy, you have to be in the mood for it and perhaps I wasn’t on this occasion.

As blasé as I sound about the subject material, I am certain that some viewers will be offended.  As a guide, if you’re disturbed by some of the shows on the Comedy Channel (ala South Park) then save your money.  You’ll only be walking out after 15 minutes.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 January 2006

Word has spread and all in Venice know of Casanova (Ledger).  Few know him by face but all know him by reputation.  He is the ultimate lover, a man who knows how to satisfy every woman’s deepest desires.  His greatest asset is his long… list of conquests.  With that much experience, it’s no wonder that men want to be him and women want to be with him.

Unfortunately for Casanova, his activities have raised eyebrows within the Catholic Church.  His disregard for the sanctity of love and marriage has forced them to take action.  Bishop Pucci (Irons) has been sent from Rome to find the devious Casanova and bring him to justice.

To avoid the Church’s wrath, a good friend suggests to Casanova he get married.  It will fool others into thinking he’s a reformed individual.  Casanova has chosen a beautiful young girl named Vittoria, closely guarded by her father and renowned for her virginity.  His problems appear to have been solved.

That is until Casanova meets his perfect opposite.  Her name is Francesca (Miller) and her confident demeanour and opinionated views have captured his attention.  She loathes Casanova and finds it sad that he can sleep with so many women and yet never find true love.  Knowing he would have no chance if he were to reveal his identify, Casanova takes on a “nom de plume”.  Pretending to be wealthy lard salesman named Paprizzio, his seduction of Francesca begins…

Casanova is a light-hearted farce which I enjoyed for its wit.  Everyone is deceiving everyone and it’s funny to see the crazy situations they become involved in.  There’s one scene in which Casanova is seated at a table with Victoria’s father (who thinks he is Casanova) and Francesca and her mother (who think he is Paprizzio).  I should also mention that promiscuous Victoria is currently under the table.  You have to laugh as Casanova tries to worm his way out of another curly predicament.

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat), Casanova was filmed on location in Venice.  The lavish costumes and special effects do a great job of transporting us back into the 18^th Century (where the film is set).  Those that have been to Venice will recognise many of the locations and it does justice to what is regarded as one of the world’s most romantic cities.

So what is the ideal release date in Australia for such a film?  The answer is Valentine’s Day and Casanova will give romantics much to swoon about.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 January 2006

Brokeback Mountain premiered in September 2005 at the Venice Film Festival and the buzz has been growing ever since.  It has won a “mountain” of awards and features on almost every U.S. critic’s top 10 list.  The film has received as much attention for its subject material as it has for its quality.  Labelled “the gay cowboy movie”, a handful of cinemas in the United States have refused to screen the film.  The funny thing is that this heavy media attention will only increase public awareness of the film.  As they say, any publicity is good publicity.

Those that go along to Brokeback Mountain are in for a treat.  It is the story of Ennis (Ledger) and Jack (Gyllenhaal), two cowboys who first met in 1963.  The pair spent the summer together herding sheep across the mountainous terrain of Wyoming.  At first, there was a friendship but then something deeper, more complicated developed between them.  Ennis and Jack became lovers and in the vast seclusion of the Wyoming landscape, they could be who they wanted to be.

The summer soon ended and both reluctantly returned to the real world they had forgotten.  They understood that their romance could not continue.  Cowboys have such a tough reputation and if anyone were to find out, they could be killed.  Ennis goes on to marry a sweet country girl named Alma (Williams) and Jack moves to Texas to marry a wealthy rodeo-girl named Lureen (Hathaway).

Love is a powerful force however and Ennis and Jack have never forgotten the summer of 1963.  Several years later, Jack tracks Ennis down and the two start going on fishing trips together.  Alma suspects the truth when the trips become more and more frequent and the pair never return with any fish.  It’s a shattering realisation for Alma who realises her marriage is a sham.

Based on a short story from E. Annie Proulx (The Shipping News), Brokeback Mountain is directed by the great Ang Lee (Sense & Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon).  The film’s best quality is its lack of dialogue.  It’s a trait I love in movies – instead of listening to characters, we study them and wonder what is going on inside their heads.  The answers are not laid out plainly before us.

The film’s huge emotional impact can be attributed to the incredible performances of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.  Ennis is the quieter of the duo, trying hard to suppress his feelings.  Jack is more talkative and more open to the idea that they could be together forever one day.  They may have different personalities but they share the same heart-breaking problem – they cannot be with the person they love.

With its sweeping country vistas and a guitar-laced soundtrack from Argentinean composer Gustavo Santaolalla (The Motorcycle Diaries), Brokeback Mountain is one of the rawest, most honest romantic dramas seen in recent years.  Perhaps this is why it is connecting so resolutely with audiences.  As the front runner for this year’s Academy Award for best picture, it’s destined to be remembered.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 January 2006

I confess that I’m a lot more interested in the game of soccer, or should I say “football”, than I was a year ago.  I’ve been to a few Queensland Roar games in the A-League and I watched Australia’s gripping World Cup qualifying win against Uruguay on television.  The sport is increasing its profile in this country and I’ll state the obvious in that the upcoming World Cup finals will only Australia’s interest in the sport.

Goal! is the story of Santiago Munez (Becker), a young Mexican living in Los Angeles.  He plays in the local league and dreams one day of being a professional footballer.  These are not the dreams of his over-bearing father who strongly wants him to follow in his footsteps and run the family’s cleaning business.

At a regular weekend match, Santiago is spotted by Glen Foy (Dillane), a former scouter and player for English club Newcastle United.  Foy calls the club and pulling in all his favours, arranges a trial.  The chance of a lifetime has arrived but there will be many obstacles to overcome…

The film chronicles Santiago’s trials with Newcastle United leading up to his eventually selection in the team.  The story doesn’t end there however because two planned sequels are in the works – one which sees Santiago transferred to Real Madrid and another which sees him compete in the 2006 World Cup.

It’s completely fictitious but I was captivated by Santiago’s story.  I’ll even admit to shedding a small tear of joy during the finale.  Cinderella-like sporting movies are my weakness.  This rags-to-riches story is filled with clichés and predictable obstacles but Santiago is a likeable character and you can’t help but cheer for him.

The film will be seen differently by those with a much more intimate knowledge of the “world game”.  Reading forums on the internet, I notice that some soccer fans are critical of the plot holes and inconsistencies.  I understand their annoyances because as a golfer, I am driven to distraction by films such as The Legend Of Bagger Vance, Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore.

Many scenes were filmed in Newcastle and their famous home stadium, St James Park, on full display.  Director Danny Cannon has mixed his scenes with footage from actual Newcastle games and it looks very believable.  Also keep your eyes peeled for cameos by real stars including as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Alan Shearer.  Goal! is a winner.