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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 February 2000

Steve (Giannopoulos) is a dole bludger who on a return trip from the Unemployment Office, backs his car into the limo of Raelene, the government minister for employment.  Demanding $3,000 for damages to the car, Raelene doesn’t want to cause a fuss and hands over the cheque but she’s out for revenge and sets him up on a dole-bludging expose on 24 Hours (a current affairs show hosted by Darryn Hinch).

I’m not going to elaborate much further on the supporting cast because they aren’t all that interesting.  The best jokes are mere toilet humour filled with unnecessary foul language.  I can honestly say I did not laugh once during the film’s entirety.

Australian producers are so conservative they feel they give audiences cheap laughs because they know they’re going to work.  It’s rare gems like Muriel’s Wedding that take chances, pay off and develop real talent.  The Wog Boy does not fit the preceding description and is basically The Craic all over again (with an Italian theme in replace of an Irish one).

The audience at my screening were chuckling away and The Wog Boy is sure to rake in a few dollars.  All I can say is brace yourself because love them or hate them, more “popcorn” films like this are coming our way...

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 February 2000

Chase (Grenier), is Nicole’s next-door neighbour.  They were best friends growing up but as time passed they drifted and went their separate ways.  He’s just been dumped by his girlfriend and is flat out depressed.

You see where I’m going with this can’t you?  The two of them put on the facade that they are dating each other to make their ex's jealous.  Lo and behold, they fall in love and live happily ever after.  Sorry if I’m spoiling the ending but come on, like you didn’t know?

Brittany Spears’ similarly titled song has proved the major advertising point for this new teen romantic comedy.  It just another way studios are luring the audience and lord knows, they need to with this film - with Melissa Joan Hart as the star, they’re certainly not going to be flocking to Drive Me Crazy.

To an extent I did enjoy this film.  The characters actually seem to have some interesting and enlightening features.  There are a few nice surprises along the way and given the genre’s audience, it’s bound to please.

I’m not going out of a limb to highly recommend this but given my expectations, I was slightly startled.  Perhaps Hollywood is on the way to redeeming itself for the sad line of teen comedies that have preceded it.  Don’t worry though, there’s still a long way to go yet...

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 February 2000

Andy’s goal in life was to be different.  I guess it’s that little bit of him in all of us that makes this movie so appealing.  Kaufman took his comedy to a new level by setting up elaborate comedy situations that left audiences baffled - was he joking or not?  One early story had him disguised as a loudmouthed lounge singer named Tony Clifton.  Despite Kaufman being a relatively famous celebrity - audiences never knew that Clifton was actually Kaufman - it was his gift.

Looking at all this, it’s hard to see what point it serves to make a movie about the life of Andy Kaufman and frankly it’s not the kind of movie that’ll change your life.  It’s just amazing to see behind the scenes and get a close look at all the tricks and jokes he managed to pull - it’s like seeing a magician reveal his tricks.

I love director Milos Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, The People Vs. Larry Flynt) and my admiration for him has only increased upon seeing Man On The Moon.  It’s the most difficult movie to pull off that I’ve seen in a long time.  It would be so easy to lose the audience but Foreman keeps you intrigued.  Take the opening of the movie for example which is something I’ve not seen before but couldn’t be more appropriate.  Milos is the man!

I cannot continue further without commenting on the recent realisation of Jim Carrey.  How far he has come since Ace Ventura launched his career on the big screen.  Every role he takes on now just illustrates further the broad range that is Jim Carrey.  After seeing The Truman Show I commented how Carrey was the only actor who could have played the role of Truman Burbank.  After seeing Man On The Moon, that statement can only be reiterated.  Not only does he play Kaufman like a dream, he also shares his birthday (January 17) - was it destiny or what?  It is a burning tragedy that he was overlooked for an Oscar nomination for both roles because he did deserve it.

Milos Forman always finds illustrious casts for his movies.  Casting Courtney Love is a gamble he’s taken before and it works again here.  Danny DeVito is also wonderful especially since he knew and worked with real Kaufman on Taxi and the real George Shaprio even makes an appearance as the club owner who fires Kaufman in the film’s opening.

Many still believe that Kaufman’s death was staged and that he’s still alive today looking back and loving his greatest joke of all.  Andy Kaufman - misunderstood, complicated, genius.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 February 2000

It’s easy to see why Darabont was attracted to the project.  Like Shawshank, it was based on a Stephen King novel, is set in a prison and is a story of hope.  Whilst Shawshank was an unanticipated sleeper, The Green Mile never had that luxury and has been touted as a big release for some time, perhaps to its disadvantage.

We are introduced to our leading character, Paul Edgecomb (Hanks) at a retirement home and it is from there that he reflects on the summer of 1935.  Whilst head of E-Block on the infamous “Green Mile” (where prisoners on death row sit out their last days), a new inmate arrives by the name of John Coffey (Duncan).  A man of gigantic proportions, Coffey is awaiting his date with the “chair” after being convicted of raping and murdering two young girls.

There was something different about Coffey.  He was always quiet, afraid and distant from his surroundings.  Paul had seen many walk the Mile, but had never seen a man convicted of such a heinous crime exhibit such behaviour.  Yes, there was something special about John Coffey, and every memory from every moment of his stay on the Green Mile would remain with Paul Edgecomb for the rest of his long life.

Prepare yourself for the heavy Southern accents as Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast pour them on.  Tom Hanks is wonderful in his role and is supported by a renowned cast including David Morse and James Cromwell.  As good as they are, their portrayal in the film is poor - the dialogue forces the characters to overplay their roles when it wasn’t at all required.  Percy (played by Doug Hutchinson) is a prime example.  Darabont seems to focus on the story at the expense of the characters (the opposite of King’s great book) and the movie suffers accordingly.

This is connected with the film’s major flaw - it’s length.  When you’ve got a bunch of characters that aren’t all that interesting, delivering dialogue as if it’s been read out of book, no film is going to hold your attention for three hours and ten minutes.  Honestly, the film could have been told in less than two hours and been better for it.  Darabont obsession with keeping strictly to the novel and leaving little to waste was a bad error in judgement.

To use an interesting story, when I saw the film for the first time two reels were played out of order. As such, there was a segment in the film where roughly twenty minutes was omitted and the audience was none the wiser.  It showed just how much of the film really was unnecessary.

Although I may seem harshly negative, the film has redeeming qualities exemplified by the cast but after three hours, their appeal wears then and what’s left could only be described as nothing more than “run-off-the-mill”.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 February 2000

Kate Capshaw stars as Helen, the owner of the local bookstore who discovers an unaddressed, passionate love letter hidden in between two cushions of the bookstore’s couch.  Thinking it’s addressed to her, she goes in search of its owner and what ensues is a series of stupid twists in which everyone reads the letter and thinks its from their own secret admirer.

None of the cast are particularly funny and the late arrival of Blythe Danner and Gloria Stuart do nothing more than dig the movie into a deeper hole.

Interestingly enough, this film was released the same week as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in the United States which I think says volumes about what executives thought of its chances in the marketplace.  They knew it stunk and so they released it at the worst possible time.

What more can you say.  This is just another is a long line of romantic comedies that just have no spark, no interest, no laughs and just no idea.