Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 December 2002

Set in Vietnam 1952, Thomas Fowler (Caine) is a journalist for the London times who reports on Vietnam’s plight to be liberated from France.  He enjoys his work but seems more interested in his much younger mistress, Phuong (Hai Yen).  Fowler wants to take Phuong back to London when he completes his time in Vietnam but his wife, waiting back in London, is refusing to give a divorce.  Phuong’s sister sees there’s no hope in their relationship and begs for her to find a younger, more eligible man.

Alden Pyle (Fraser) then arrives as an aid worker from America.  He meets Fowler at a cafe and the two become friends and draw from each other’s experiences.  But Pyle too has become smitten by Phuong and is not afraid to hide his affections.  The softly-spoken Fowler is having his world shaken.  He get a call from the London office asking him to return home, a letter from his wife refusing a divorce once and for all, and a close friend is walking off with his true love.

In a last ditched bid to stay in Vietnam, Fowler gets word of trouble in the north.  Using his experience to uncover this story, he hopes London will grant him an extension of time to stay (and fight for Phuong).  They allow his request but Phuong will become, at least momentarily, a lesser priority as Fowler’s realises the importance of the story he is exposing.  Trouble is brewing in Vietnam...

The Quiet American is actually the first mainstream Hollywood film to be shot in Vietnam.  Directed by Australian Phillip Noyce (Rabbit-Proof Fence), it immaculately captures the setting and feeling of the time.  Michael Caine digs deep and delivers a career-defining performance which already has everyone talking.  The underrated Brendan Fraser will admit to making a lot of garbage, but as both this film and Gods And Monsters showed, he can pull it out when he has to.

Bottom line, it’s great storytelling.  The love triangle between Fowler, Pyle and Phuong is unconventional yet seems more realistic.  The destinies of these characters are not trivialised by a typically drawn-out ending.  Importantly, it doesn’t preach nor praise any actions of Americans.  In fact, there’s very little that’s “Hollywood” about The Quiet American and therein lies the appeal.

The film is lucky to have been released.  Financed by Miramax, studio head Harvey Weinstein didn’t feel appropriate to release the film so soon after the September 11 terrorist bombings.  Having seen the film, Weinstein should be institutionalised for coming to such a conclusion.  After lobbying from Noyce, Weinstein backed down but was aiming for an early 2003 release date so it wouldn’t clash with other Miramax Oscar contenders such as Gangs Of New York and Chicago.  Sigh.  Critics then intervened.  Columnist Jeffrey Wells saw the film and launched a huge campaign for it to be released in time for the Academy Awards.  Miramax finally conceded, the film has been released, and regardless of whether Oscar glory awaits, at least people now have the opportunity to see a very important film.

One of the most engrossing films of the season, one should be anything but “quiet” about spreading the word for The Quiet American.  Powerful.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2002

It’s a daunting task to condense the huge novel into three hours and significant changes have been made.  The heart of the story is still there and those in love with the books need to be wary that not everything will unravel as they expect.  At the end of The Fellowship Of The Ring, the characters were separated and rather than focus on one story, The Two Towers needs to show three.

Unlike the first film, which was “Frodo central”, our main story here is that of Aragorn’s (Mortensen).  Together with the dwarf Gimli (Rhys-Davies) and the elf Legolas (Bloom), he goes in search of the hobbits Pippin (Boyd) and Merry (Monaghan) who were captured by Orcs.  The travel to the land of Rohan where the king, Theoden, has become hypnotised by a spell from the evil wizard Saruman (Lee).  With the help of an old friend, the spell is broken and Theoden realises that Saruman is sending a massive army to obliterate his kingdom and “to destroy the world of men”.  Theoden orders his people to flee to the Rohan stronghold where the best stand a chance of defending themselves.

Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin have escaped danger and found their way into an enchanted forest.  There, the trees come alive and speak to the curious duo.  These mysterious beings, known as ents, are a dying breed but they also have their part in Middle Earth and won’t be a witness to their own destruction at the hands of Saruman.

Throughout this, Frodo Baggins (Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Astin) set off for Mordor but discover they are being followed by a mysteriously unknown creature known as Gollum.  As hinted at in the first film, Gollum once held the ring of power but lost it to Bilbo Baggins.  They sense Gollum wants to steal the ring back but surprisingly, Gollum is happy to show them the way to Mt Doom, the only place where the ring can be destroyed.  Samwise is doubtful but Frodo, with the ring taking an increasing hold over him, feels Gollum can be trusted.

There’s no let up in the pace and the three hours flies by in an instant.  With the introductions aside, there’s opportunity to explore more storylines and more characters.  Aragorn’s story dominates more than half of the film, as it should.  As is common knowledge, all three films were shot together.

Therefore, every item of praise I awarded The Fellowship Of The Ring needs to be reiterated here.  The special effects, the cinematography, the editing, the acting, the music, the directing, the writing… all awesome!  Is there a bad word that can be said?

It is an amazing production but would never work without the depth of the story.  These are richly developed characters and whilst being a world of fantasy, Tolkien’s themes about power and corruption apply to any world, including our own.  Some of the romantic themes needed a little more work but the climactic action scene is something to behold.

Now, we await the grand finale and the jewel in the crown for director Peter Jackson.  The cast have hinted the third film, The Return Of The King, will be the greatest.  I don’t doubt them for an instant.  365 days to go and counting…

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 December 2002

Well if think that’s creepy, check out Robin Williams.  He is Sy Parrish and for 11 years has been the department manager of the photo development section at the Sav-Mart shopping complex.  Living alone with no wife or kids, Sy’s demeanor is placid and inconspicuous.  He’s the last person you’d expect of anything remotely wrong.

But there’s a lot more to Sy than anyone knows.  As regular customers during his entire service, Nina Yorkin (Nielsen) has always brought her family’s prized images to Sy to developing.  Nina is happily married to Will (Vartan) and they have a nine-year-old son, Jake (Smith).  To Sy, they are the perfect American family.

Over time, his fascination has become a very bizarre obsession.  He keeps copies of their pictures to hang on his walls and put in his photo frames.  He fantasises about being part of the family.  He’s now started stalking them by following them around town and watching them in their home from across the street.  His increasing closeness to the family is about to reach boiling point when two events flip his warped world upside down.  A meeting with his boss and a reel from a new customer will force Sy to take action to keep his dream alive...

Such an original film can only come from a first-time director who is yet to be corrupted by Hollywood dollars.  Mark Romanek’s film was debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and had it’s first screening outside the United States at this year’s Brisbane International Film Festival.  The bland colours and slow, simple dialogue simple give the film a low-budget art-house feel but it’s the perfect setting to add an element of unpredictability to Sy and his fate.

Robin Williams is almost unrecognisable.  With bleached hair, glasses and considerable make-up, he is not called upon for his usual overexhuberant comedy.  His character is docile and a complete departure from any role Williams has tackled before.  Assisted by his character’s gradual development through the screenplay, Williams keeps us guessing to the very end (and beyond).

Maintaining the intrigue of the build up, the conclusion does offer a slightly unexpected twist.  However, the resolution of Sy’s character seemed insignificant and the lack of clarity did take the gloss off this final print.  More was expected.  Incidentally, the music score from Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek is great and perfectly in tune with the eeriness of the story.

Make sure you allow a little more than an hour to see this film develop.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2002

How can I even begin to describe this film?  It’s a bizarre mix of both truth and fiction.  The story begins with Kaufman (played by Nicolas Cage) on the set of Malkovich and ignored by everyone as just another member of the crew.  Kaufman maybe of the most talented screenwriters in the industry but he is extremely self-conscious.  He worries intently about other’s perceptions of him and overanalyses situations before taking no action.  I have no idea if the real Kaufman is like this.

Am I going too fast?  I need to back up a little.  The leading character in Adaptation is called Charlie Kaufman, the same name as the writer.  The Kaufman in the movie shares many similarities with the real Kaufman but since we know so little about the real Kaufman, it’s hard to say just how much is true and how much isn’t.  What we do know is that the real Kaufman doesn’t have an identical twin brother called Donald, like he does in the film.  This is of course despite the fact that Donald Kaufman is listed in the credits as a screenwriter.

Confused yet?  I haven’t even began to describe the plot.  Kaufman (this is the one in the film) wants to adapt a novel written by Susan Orlean called The Orchard Thief.  Orlean is a writer for The New Yorker who met a lover of orchards, John Laroche and initially wrote an article on him before expanding it into a novel.

The film is topsy-turvy but can be broken down into two stories, three years apart, which are told simultaneously.  The first is that of Charlie struggling to adapt the novel.  He realises that it can’t be done because the novel has no story - a beautiful book but nothing actually happens in it.  As he struggles, his twin brother has decided to write a screenplay of his own.  After attending a screen writing seminar, he effortlessly puts together a commercialised thriller about a serial killer with multiple personality disorder.

The second story is that of Susan Orlean writing the article/book in the first place.  We see her initially meeting Laroche, developing a friendship with him as she writes the article, and then re-evaluating her own dull life in a search for something better.  Once again, I have no idea if the real Laroche or Orlean are anything like these film “adaptations”.

If you think it’s all nuts, wait for the ending.  The perfect term would be to call it ironic.  That’s all I’ll say.  Director Spike Jonze blurs the two stories together with effortless ease and despite an initial jaggedness in the beginning, the film flows perfectly.  Included in the film are some hilarious behind-the-scenes stuff from Malkovich with help from its stars.  Those familiar with Wonder Boys and L.A. Confidential will also find delight in seeing the unusual casting choice for Orlean’s husband.

Cage delivers his best performance since Leaving Las Vegas.  The special effects that enable him to appear with himself on screen are seamless and you’ll actually believe there are two of him.  Cage also does a wonderful job of differentiating the two characters.  Despite the fact they look the same, you can tell which is which from their dialogue and mannerisms.  It’s a cherished role for any actor and Cage’s slight similarities with the real Kaufman would have contributed to his casting.

See it if you dare.  It’s a movie for true film aficionados and whilst it’ll make about one tenth of the box-office gross of a thriller about a serial killer with multiple personality disorder, it’ll provide about ten times more satisfaction.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2002

If you’ve paid close attention to the trailers, The Tuxedo was made by Dreamworks Studios.  I’m a huge fan of this Steven Spielberg founded company, as they set a standard of producing quality films.  Since opening in the late 90s, they’ve churned out such Oscar winners as American Beauty, Saving Private Ryan, Almost Famous, Shrek and Gladiator.  So despite my reluctance towards the casting of Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt, my fingers were crossed in hope of a pleasant surprise.

Luck wasn’t on my side as The Tuxedo disappointed in amazing fashion.  The premise is that agent Clark Devlin (Isaacs) has a billion dollar tuxedo that can do almost anything.  With it, he has no trouble capturing the bad guys and saving the day.  His recently hired limo driver is Jimmy Tong (Chan) who sees his boss badly injured in an attack on both their lives.  In his final words before slipping into a coma, Devlin tells Jimmy to wear the tuxedo.

Clothes make the man and for Jimmy, this is the ultimate outfit.  Back at the agency’s head office, a new agent is appointed to work along side Devlin, Delilah Blaine (Hewitt).  As she’s never met the real Clark Devlin, and with Jimmy going along with the charade that he is Clark Devlin, the two go in chase of a villain who is threatening to poison the country’s water supply.

Delilah’s character astounds me.  She’s supposed to be a secret agent and yet is brilliantly smart in some scenes, and unbelievably dumb in others.  The longer it went on, the more frustrated I became with her.  Chan’s opportunities to perform stunts are limited.  I hope it wasn’t director Kevin Donovan intention to rely on Chan’s acting abilities.  When actual fight sequences do take place, the film is edited so quickly, it’s impossible to tell what’s going on and who’s doing what.

On the dawn of the Oscar season, and with Christmas holidays in full swing, this is a substandard release.  There’s no need to get dressed up for this one.  In fact, there’s no identifiable reason to go at all.