For the second straight year, I’ve tried to put together a list of the best movies of 2012 according to Brisbane-based film critics. Drive topped last year's rankings and you can read that blog by clicking here. I've spoken to critics who I regularly run into at film previews and asked them to submit their top 10 lists along with a few other details. To come up with an overall top 10 list, I’m using a simple points system.  It is as follows:

-	3 points – the top film on each list.
-	2 points – the films ranked between 2nd and 5th on each list.
-	1 point – the films ranked between 6th and 10th on each list.

If two films finished on the same score, the film that appeared on the most number of top 10 lists was ranked higher (as an indication of wider approval). One film towered above the others - Argo. It featured on 7 of the 11 lists (more than any other movie) and was the number 1 selection by 5 different critics - Rob Hudson, Michael Dalton, Peter Gray, Jason Reed and Garry Williams.  Sharing second place were the only two films that also appeared on more than 50% of the lists - Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson's great comedy) and Looper (a creative sci-fi thriller from Rian Johnson). As was the case last year, the list contains a wide range of genres including horror (The Cabin In The Woods), action (The Dark Knight Rises) and the downright strange (Holy Motors). It was certainly a varied year for Australian cinema. When asked for the best local release of the year, 7 different films were mentioned. The only movies named more than once were Wish You Were Here, Lore and The Sapphires. Curiously, 3 different Australian films were named on lists as the year's worst - Kath & Kimderella, Mental and Housos Vs. Authority.  On that note, here is the top 10 according to Brisbane critics for 2012…

Brisbane Film Critics - Top 10 Of 2012
	1.	Argo
	2.	Looper
	2.	Moonrise Kingdom
	4.	The Cabin In The Woods
	5.	Holy Motors
	5.	Shame
	7.	A Separation
	7.	The Dark Knight Rises
	9.	The Master
	10.	The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

You can view a table of all the votes and final scores by clicking here. A big thanks to all the critics who were able to contribute.  Hopefully we'll do it again next year! You can check out information on all the Brisbane critics (along with their choices for the best and worst of 2012) below.

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Matthew Toomey Born in Brisbane, Matt Toomey was introduced to the world of cinema when he landed a job at a video store fresh out of high school in 1995. A few years later, he started his own website and reviewed movies regularly on a community radio station. In 2005, he joined the team at 612ABC and can be heard reviewing the latest releases every Thursday on Brisbane’s highest rated breakfast program with Spencer Howson. He can also be heard nationally every second Sunday at 1:30pm on ABC Digital. Website:  www.thefilmpie.com Twitter:  @icestorm77

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Shame
2.	A Separation
3.	Margin Call
4.	Searching For Sugar Man
5.	The King Of Devil's Island
6.	Take This Waltz
7.	The Descendants
8.	The Avengers
9.	Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
10.	Beasts Of The Southern Wild

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	Zero Dark Thirty
2.	First Position
3.	Undefeated
4.	Facing Mirrors
5.	West Of Memphis

Best Australian Film:

A Few Best Men

Best Animated Film:

Wreck-It-Ralph

Best Documentary:

Searching For Sugar Man

Best Performance:

Sarah Polley (Take This Waltz)

Worst Film:

The Door

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Hit & Run

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Tim Milfull Tim was a long-time contributor to the now defunct Brisbane street press publications Rave Magazine and The Independent. He is now a freelance writer, and his thoughts about film can be found on his blog and on Twitter. Website: www.milfull.com Twitter: @milfull

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	The Raid
2.	This Must Be The Place
3.	The Artist
4.	Cafe de Flore
5.	Holy Motors
6.	Beasts Of The Southern Wild
7.	Shame
8.	A Separation
9.	Searching For Sugar Man
10.	Monsieur Lazhar

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	Pieta
2.	Postcard (Ichimai no hagaki)
3.	Alps (Alpeis)
4.	Rampart
5.	Berberian Sound Studio

Best Australian Film:

The King Is Dead

Best Animated Film:

Wreck-It-Ralph

Best Documentary:

Searching For Sugar Man

Best Performance:

Denis Lavant (Holy Motors)

Worst Film:

The Words

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Pitch Perfect

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Sarah Ward Sarah Ward is a freelance film critic, writer and festival devotee. Her written contributions can be found across a range of cinema, culture and festival websites including Arts Hub, Trespass Magazine, At The Cinema, KOFFIA, the Spanish Film Festival, SBS Film’s Social Review and her own site, Play/Pause. In addition, she has worked for a number of entertainment and arts organisations, including her current role at the Brisbane International Film Festival. Websites: www.artshub.com.au                www.trespassmag.com                www.atthecinema.net                www.playslashpause.com Twitter: @swardplay

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Shame
2.	Margaret
3.	The Master
4.	Holy Motors
5.	Hugo
6.	The Artist
7.	Argo
8.	Killing Them Softly
9.	Beasts Of The Southern Wild
10.	Looper

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	Zero Dark Thirty
2.	Amour
3.	No
4.	The Hunt
5.	Sister

Best Australian Film:

Lore

Best Animated Film:

The Secret World Of Arrietty

Best Documentary:

Searching For Sugar Man

Best Performance:

Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Worst Film:

Kath & Kimderella

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Dredd

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Baz McAlister Baz has been a freelance film writer for much of the past decade, and obsessed with film for much of four decades. He’s a sucker for cheesy action. The first film he went to see without parental accompaniment was Ghostbusters. In the early ‘80s he saw Jaws on TV and wouldn’t go near the sea, or even walk on blue carpets, for a year. He’s dropped serious coin on Star Wars memorabilia. He thinks Tony Scott had more talent than Ridley Scott, and likes Paul WS Anderson more than Paul Thomas Anderson. Website: bazmcalister.wordpress.com Twitter: @bazmcalister

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	The Grey
2.	The Cabin In The Woods
3.	Killing Them Softly
4.	Safety Not Guaranteed
5.	Ted
6.	The Avengers
7.	Ruby Sparks
8.	The Raid
9.	Moonrise Kingdom
10.	The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Best Australian Film:

Any Questions For Ben?

Best Animated Film:

Wreck-It-Ralph

Best Documentary:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Best Performance:

Liam Neeson (The Grey)

Worst Film:

On The Road

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

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Garry Williams Garry Williams is a reviewer for the 4ZZZ-FM Film Club broadcast each Thursdays from 6-7pm on 102.1FM. Website: n/a Twitter: n/a

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Argo
2.	Samsara
3.	The Dark Knight Rises
4.	Bernie
5.	Marley
6.	Moonrise Kingdom
7.	The Avengers
8.	Looper
9.	The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
10.	Margaret

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	West Of Memphis
2.	Pink Ribbons Inc.
3.	The Art Of Rap
4.	Hara Kiri: Death Of A Samurai
5.	Side By Side

Best Australian Film:

Wish You Were Here

Best Animated Film:

Wolf Children

Best Documentary:

Marley

Best Performance:

Denis Lavant (Holy Motors)

Worst Film:

Hope Springs

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Katy Perry: Part Of Me

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Laurence Barber Laurence Barber is a film and television student, writer and Twitter maven with too much time on his hands and yet too little time to watch everything he wants to. His reviews can be found at The 500 Club, on his blog, The Film Fix, and often in abbreviated form on Twitter. Website: thefilmfix.wordpress.com Twitter: @bortlb

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Holy Motors (tie)
1.	A Separation (tie)
3.	Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present
4.	The Master
5.	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
6.	Lore
7.	Weekend
8.	The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
9.	Searching For Sugar Man
10.	Samsara

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	No
2.	The Hunt
3.	Yossi
4.	The Impostor
5.	Sound Of My Voice

Best Australian Film:

Lore

Best Animated Film:

From Up On Poppy Hill

Best Documentary:

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

Best Performance:

Denis Lavant (Holy Motors)

Worst Film:

Mental

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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Rob Hudson Rob Hudson is a movie and music reviewer for modmove.com. Website: modmove.com Twitter: @modmove

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Argo
2.	Moonrise Kingdom
3.	Hugo
4.	The Dark Knight Rises
5.	Looper
6.	Marley
7.	Skyfall
8.	The Cabin In The Woods
9.	Lawless
10.	The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	Life Of Pi

Best Australian Film:

Iron Sky

Best Animated Film:

Frankenweenie

Best Documentary:

Marley

Best Performance:

Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Worst Film:

Paranormal Activity 4

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

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David Edwards David Edwards is the editor and film critic for The Blurb, a website that provides the latest news and reviews for arts entertainment in Australia. Website: www.theblurb.com.au Twitter: n/a

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Moonrise Kingdom
2.	The Dark Knight Rises
3.	Your Sister's Sister
4.	The Master
5.	Looper
6.	The Descendants
7.	Argo
8.	Frankenweenie
9.	Young Adult
10.	Bernie

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	ParaNorman
2.	Barbara
3.	Red Lights

Best Australian Film:

No pick

Best Animated Film:

Frankenweenie

Best Performance:

John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Worst Film:

Housos Vs. Authority

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Your Sister's Sister

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Michael Dalton Michael Dalton is the editor and film critic for the "Screen" section of M/C Reviews. Website: reviews.media-culture.org.au Twitter: n/a

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Argo
2.	Bernie
3.	Le Havre
4.	The Cabin In The Woods
5.	Holy Motors
6.	A Separation
7.	The Raid
8.	Moonrise Kingdom
9.	The Words
10.	Frankenweenie

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	Sleep Tight
2.	The Hunt
3.	Maniac
4.	Wrinkles
5.	The Impostor

Best Australian Film:

Wish You Were Here

Best Animated Film:

The Secret World Of Arrietty

Best Documentary:

Searching For Sugar Man

Best Performance:

John Hakwes (The Sessions)

Worst Film:

To Rome With Love

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Safe House

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Peter Gray Peter Gray is a Brisbane based freelance entertainment writer specialising in film. Currently the entertainment reporter/film reviewer for QNews, Queensland’s largest LGBT publication, and regular contributor to M/C Reviews and Hush Hush Biz. Website: reviews.media-culture.org.au Twitter: @ratedpdg

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Argo
2.	Shame
3.	The Avengers
4.	The Cabin In The Woods
5.	Skyfall
6.	Looper
7.	The Dark Knight Rises
8.	Beasts Of The Southern Wild
9.	The Intouchables
10.	The Muppets

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	Compliance
2.	Killer Joe
3.	ParaNorman
4.	Smashed
5.	Excision

Best Australian Film:

The Sapphires

Best Animated Film:

Brave

Best Documentary:

Searching For Sugar Man

Best Performance:

Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe)

Worst Film:

Kath & Kimderella

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Hit & Run

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Jason Reed Jason Reed is a screenwriter who spent over a decade working in the Brisbane cinema industry and worked as a projectionist for the Brisbane International Film Festival. He has been interviewed on ABC Radio, written for Filmink, local street press such as Rave Magazine and Scene and online publication The 500 Club. Website: 500.the400club.org Twitter: @jprfilm

Top 10 Released Films:
1.	Argo
2.	Looper
3.	Martha Marcy May Marlene
4.	The Cabin In The Woods
5.	Liberal Arts
6.	The Artist
7.	The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
8.	Safety Not Guaranteed
9.	The Muppets
10.	Moonrise Kingdom

Top Unreleased Films:
1.	The Sound Of My Voice
2.	Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present
3.	Compliance
4.	Despite The Gods

Best Australian Film:

The Sapphires

Best Animated Film:

Wreck-It-Ralph

Best Documentary:

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

Best Performance:

Ben Affleck (Argo)

Worst Film:

Bachelorette

Most Surprised To Enjoy:

Magic Mike

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Les Misérables has been touted as one of this year’s awards season contenders – something that director Tom Hooper knows all about. Two years ago, he took home the best director Oscar for The King’s Speech.

Hooper was recently in Sydney to promote Les Misérables (along with star Hugh Jackman). I was lucky to get 10 minutes on the phone with him to talk about the Oscars and the mountain of work behind the film.

You can listen to a 4 minute extract from the interview by clicking here.

Matt: I need to start off by thanking you. Two years ago, I put $200 on you to win the Oscar for best director for The King’s Speech. This is the first time I’ve had the chance to thank someone that I’ve actually backed at the Oscars, so thank you Tom!

Tom: So what odds did you get?

Matt: I got $3.50.

Tom: Oh wow.

Matt: Yeah, it was early on. When everyone thought The Social Network was going to win but I had a hunch that The King’s Speech would come through and so I’m very grateful for that.

Tom: I’m very glad to have made you money. It was obviously the thing that was driving me. (laughs)

Matt: We’re about to go into another awards season and I wanted to ask one question about the Oscars. What’s it like there when you sitting in your seat, they’re reading out the nominees and envelope is about to opened? What goes through your mind?

Tom: The thing that would probably surprise people is that no one knows the results. Some people think that everyone knows but it’s actually the best kept secret in Hollywood.

What becomes really stressful over that weekend is the fact that if you win, you have to stand up and make a speech live in front of half a billion people. That fact becomes more significant than whether you win or not. Particularly for someone who is not an actor, it’s hard to do that.

I remember Ricky Gervais gave me some great advice. He said if you’re lucky enough to win, concentrate on getting to the microphone without falling flat on your face. If you can manage that, congratulate yourself and then think “well I’ve done that, how bad can it be?”

Matt: Well let’s talk about Les Misérables which is your follow up to The King’s Speech. It’s hard to think of a project that would carry more in terms of public expectation. So many people have seen this around the world with different actors in various formats. It’s such a wonderful musical. What convinced you to take it on?

Tom: There was something very special about being given the chance to do this. It’s a worldwide phenomenon that’s been going for 26 years and 60 million people have seen it. So many people hold it very close to their heart.

I just thought it was an amazing privilege to get to tell a story that so many people hold dear in this way. I felt that I had a double duty (1) to really work out what people love so much about the show and try to nurture that and protect that, and (2) to think about all the people who haven’t seen the show or don’t think that musicals are for them and somehow bring them into this experience so that they can also enjoy this great story.

Matt: Can you remember when you first saw the musical yourself?

Tom: I was one of the few people on the planet not to see it as a kid. I saw it two and a half years ago. I’d heard a rumour that they were thinking about making it into a movie and I thought that maybe I should go and see it.

I had this extraordinary experience in the theatre, particularly at the end. There’s this scene where Jean Valjean in sort of passing to the side and the crowd starts singing “The People’s Song” like an echo and I got a complete shiver up my spine and was moved to tears by that moment.

It got me thinking about my dad and the thought that one day he’s going to pass away and how am I going to feel about it. The power of the musical is the way that you connect it to the themes or worries that you have in your own life. You cry for the characters but also for things that you’re thinking about.

Matt: Many would already know that you made the decision for the actors to sing the songs as they’re performing – as opposed to them miming stuff that was recorded in the studio. It’s a great idea but how hard was that in reality? Especially in the action packed scenes where people are running all over the place and there are guns going off?

Tom: It was all about preparing. Filmmakers have experimented with this in the past. Alan Parker in The Commitments did the band songs live. What’s not been done is a sung-through musical live and so there was a great deal of preparation to make this dream come true. There was an amazing collaboration between the people on the crew to make it work.

Matt: I’m thrilled to see two Aussies in leading roles – Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Did that take some convincing with the studio? Russell isn’t exactly known for his singing skills.

Tom: I’m half Australian in that my mum is from Adelaide. I cast an Australian playing the English King Edward VIII in The King’s Speech so I’m very open. I don’t need any persuading about how brilliant Australian actors are.

Once you’ve cast Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and you’re looking for an actor who the audience might believe could crush this guy and getter the better of this guy, it’s a pretty short list. If you’re going to say “who could get the better of Wolverine?” then you can’t help be thinking of Gladiator.

Matt: Yes! That’s well put. How did you come across Eddie Redmayne? I know he’s done theatre before but I didn’t realise he had such a beautiful voice.

Tom: I worked with Eddie about seven years ago making a mini-series called Elizabeth I which starred Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons. I cast Eddie as a young rebellious aristocrat and it was one of his first screen roles. He was utterly brilliant in this film and I’ve been quite good mates with him ever since. I’ve seen a couple of these plays that he’s done where he’s won a Tony Award and an Olivier Award.

He heard that I was doing Les Misérables and so he recorded himself on an iPhone from a trailer in Texas. He sang “Empty Chairs At Empty Tables” a cappella and sent it in. That’s when I discovered he had this extraordinary voice. I was so thrilled because he’s one of the nicest guys going around and he’s a great actor.

Matt: One of the things that struck me about the film was the cinematography and the close-ups when these actors are performing their solo numbers. We’re are right there in their face and really do feel the emotions that they’re going through. Was that always your intention with that style? The solo with Anne Hathaway was particularly good.

Tom: It’s interesting that you ask that. I didn’t say to Anne “this is one camera, it’s a big close up, there are no cuts, do it one take, action.” From the auditions onwards, I felt I was casting actors were able to “hold the camera” in this way and were able to tell the story and sing these songs using close ups.

When you’re doing a musical the old fashioned way where you’re lip-syncing to playback, I don’t think that any actor would be able to lip-sync perfectly unbroken for 3 minutes. So the way you get around that is to shoot them wider and you keep cutting. Because if you cut then you can slip the sync of the shot and you make the illusion of the sync better. It forces you down a heavily edited route.

When you’re live, there’s no reason to disguise a sync problem because there isn’t one. You can let the camera meditate on the actor and put them right in the centre of it.

Matt: The challenges of adapting a novel into a movie have been well documented and it takes a lot of condensing. How does it work with a musical because Les Misérables the musical is three hours which is similar in length to this film…

Tom: The film is 2 hours, 29 and a half minutes long. I need to say that because I can’t tell you how much I worked to get it down under 2 and a half hours. Some people say it’s almost 3 hours and I go “noooooo, I spent weeks in the cutting room getting it under 2 and a half hours.”

Matt: Was that part of the deal? Did it have to come in under a certain length?

Tom: No. I just felt like I didn’t want it to be a marathon. I wanted it to be something that you’ll go back to again and again. I think 2 and a half hours is a good length for this kind of story. It’s a huge story with a huge number of characters and there’s a lot to pack in but I wanted to make it at a pace that’s entertaining and never drops the ball.

Matt: Did you have to do a bit of trimming from the musical? Cut a few songs and scenes?

Tom: We ended up only having to cut one song from the show which is called “Dog Eat Dog”. As I got to know the musical well, I realised that there were little ways of doing cuts inside songs that were quite stealthy. We managed to save and protect almost all of the music which is fantastic because the music is so great and so loved.

Matt: I’ll finish up by asking one last question - where to from here in the career of Tom Hooper? Have you got another mammoth challenge lined up?

Tom: I think the best thing for me to do would be to sleep. I’ve never worked so hard making a film. I cut my sleep right back to get it done and I worked every, every hour while I was awake. It was a massive, complex film and it’d be nice to stop and rest for a few days.

You can check out my review of the film by clicking here.

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Kodi Smit-McPhee is Australian, he’s 16 years old, and he’s worked alongside the likes of Eric Bana, Viggo Mortensen and Chloe Grace Moretz.  Once I got over my initial jealously, I had a phone chat with Kodi (who was calling in from Los Angeles) about his life in Hollywood and his role in ParaNorman, a new animated feature that is soon to be released in Australia cinemas (on 10 January 2013). 

You can listen to an extract from the interview by downloading it here. 

Anyway, here’s how it went down…

Matt:  I remember first seeing you in Romulus, My Father and since then you’ve gone on to do some bigger films like The Road and Let Me In.  Where are you based these days – here in Australia or over in the United States?

Kodi:  After about three years, it set in that Los Angeles was my second home.  I’m here more than in Australia now.  I try to get back every few of years and visit for a couple of months to see my friends and family.

Matt:  So what’s it like as a 16-year-old living within the hustle and bustle of Hollywood?  Is it something you like or is it a bit crazy?

Kodi:  It can be crazy sometimes.   My family is here which is really good and they give me a lot of support.   But I love it here.  I’m just doing what I love and as long as I get back to Australia every now and again, it’s all going good.

Matt:  Do you hang out with a lot of other actors in Hollywood or do you prefer to stay away from that scene when not making movies?

Kodi:  To tell the truth, as a down-to-earth Australian, I try to stay out of that world when I’m not making films.  I have some friends who are totally out of the business and that helps keep me grounded.

Matt:  Is your schooling finished or are you still trying to balance that up in between movies?

Kodi:  No.  I’m still trying to do that.  I have to do home schooling here because I do quite a bit of travelling.  I have to do a few hours every day and juggle that alongside by work.

Matt:  Let’s talk about ParaNorman.  How’d you get approached about this film and your leading role as the voice of Norman Babcock?

Kodi:  I was actually in Australia when they approached me about it.  I didn’t know much about the project because it was kind of secretive.  I just recorded it, sent it off and found out that I got the job.

I then came over to America and read the script.  The company had done films like Coraline so I was blown away by how big this film was going to be.  It was such a really good script and I was excited to get to work on it.

Matt:  Of course, with an animated film, I realise that a lot of time is spent in the recording studio where you don’t often get to interact with other actors.  Was that the case here?  Did you see a lot of the other actors in the film?

Kodi:  I did.  I saw more than I thought I would.  When I get to work with people in the recording booth, it’s a lot of fun because the scene becomes alive and you get to interact with someone as opposed to sitting in a dark booth all day by yourself.

Matt:  Do you get any say in the look of your character and how he appears on screen or is that all in the hands of the animators?

Kodi:  Thankfully, that’s all up to the animators and they do an amazing job.  I actually got to go to Oregon one day to see them all working and it’s just insane.  It’s something that I could never do and so I thank God that I’m an actor and am not having to compete against those guys.

Matt:  Because you spent so much time within a recording studio, what was it like seeing it on the big screen for the first time?

Kodi:  I was working on it for 2 years and everyone else was working on it for 4 years.  It was really attached to me and so finally seeing it come out and seeing everyone relax was great.

Matt:  It’s largely an American film and you have to take on a generic American-type accent.  Is that easy for you to do or does it take a lot of practice to get the accent just right?

Kodi:  The American accent is actually pretty easy.  I learned it when I was 8 years old with the help of a dialect coach when I started to get into acting.  Learning it so young, it’s stuck with me now and it’s easy to turn on and off.

Matt:  Are you a fan of animated features in general?  Did you watch a lot of them growing up?

Kodi:  Yeah!  I love animation.  When they told me I was going to be in a stop-motion animated film, which is one of the rarest forms of animation, it was an awesome feeling.

Growing up, I really liked The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach.  They were two films that I watched repeatedly.

Matt:  I’ll finish up by asking about the new version of Romeo & Juliet that is being released in 2013.  What can you tell us about that and your role in the film?

Kodi:  Yes, I play Benvolio who is Romeo’s cousin.   The reason that they are making another Romeo & Juliet is so that there’s something for this generation.  It was a lot of fun and I got to shoot it in Rome.  I also got to learn horse riding and sword fighting.  It was cool experience.


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The first big action release of 2013 is Jack Reacher, based on the novel by Lee Child.  You can check out my review by clicking here.  Director Christopher McQuarrie was recently in Australia to talk about the film and I was fortunate to speak with him for 10 minutes.  It was a very interesting conversation…

You can download the full audio from the interview by clicking here. 

Matt:  Whenever I hear the name Christopher McQuarrie, the first thing I think about is The Usual Suspects – one of your first ever writing credits.  It’s regarded today as one of the best ever movies with a “twist”.  When you were writing that script, did you always think it was something special?

Christopher:  Not like that, no.  There were no expectations whatsoever.  Bryan Singer and I made that movie more as an inside joke to ourselves and I don’t think we ever anticipated what it would be today.

Matt:  Wow.  But it won you an Oscar back in 1996.  Was that a big boost to your filmaking career?

Christopher:  That was a big boost to my bank account.  I got paid more to write movies that I didn’t really want to write about.

Matt:  Out of curiosity, where do you keep your Oscar statue?  

Christopher:  Now I keep it at home but for years my parents had joint custody.

Matt:  Trying to break into the film industry, did you always see writing as a transition into directing?

Christopher:  Not always.  There came a point shortly after The Usual Suspects where there were movies that I wanted to make and I saw them so specifically and I wanted to make them myself.  The Way Of The Gun was meant to be the foray into that but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.

Matt:  I was reading that you helped out the script of last year’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol but you weren’t listed as one of the film’s final writers.  Does that often happen in Hollywood?  Are you helping friends out on the side with some of their projects?

Christopher:  Yes, all the time.  It’s a very strange and cryptic process.  Strangely, there’s more of my work in Ghost Protocol than there is in The Tourist and yet I ended up with credit on The Tourist which I didn't pursue credit on and I didn’t end up with credit on Mission: Impossible where I did pursue credit.

Matt:  Tom Cruise was involved with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and he was also in Valkyrie which you co-wrote the script for back in 2008.  You guys must know each other fairly well so how did you first meet?

Christopher:  We first met just prior to Valkyrie.  It was around the time he’d gone off to reboot United Artists and I had never had a meeting with his company.  I suggested on a lark to my manager that we have a meeting with Don Granger who is now the producer on Reacher.  A meeting with Don Granger led to a meeting with Paula Wagner which led to a meeting with Tom Cruise.

Matt:  Tom Cruise is the star of this film but he’s also one of the producers.  How does that relationship work?  You’re telling him what to do in front of the camera but then he’s overseeing the whole filmmaking process itself?

Christopher:  Yeah, it’s not anything that’s cut and dry.  Those are official titles that don’t really explain what the collaborative relationship is between myself, Don and Tom where we all seem to be functioning together as a team.  

Matt:  And with Cruise being the producer here was he always the man lined up for the role of Jack Reacher or were there other actors in mind?

Christopher:  No and in fact, it was quite the opposite.  I never expected that to be the case.  When the project came to me, I simply assumed that Tom wasn’t going to be in the movie.  Given my track record as a director, I really wasn’t expecting to be put on a list with the other directors that he’d worked with.  I was actually surprised when he read it in his capacity as a producer and then hear him say that he wanted to do it.

Matt:  The most curious casting decision for me was Werner Herzog as the villain.  I know him as an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker as opposed to an action bad guy.  How did he come across your radar?

Christopher:  I told Mindy Marin, the casting director, that I wanted someone lesser known to a wider audience.  I wanted someone European.  I felt that the essence of what would make the character threatening is that he was someone with whom we are not familiar.  The first name that she suggested was Werner.

Matt:  I love the film’s dialogue-free introduction as we see the crime take place but I was curious about the decision to reveal the identity of the killer early on.  Is that how it played out in the book?  Or was there thought to keeping it hidden and more of a surprise later on?

Christopher:  That’s a great question and you’re the first person who has asked me that.  In the book, the identity of the killer is kept secret throughout and it’s ultimately a mystery that Reacher uncovers.  The challenge is that Lee Child shows you the crime and of course because he’s writing a book, he doesn’t have to show you the killer’s face.  When you’re trying to shoot that same scene, you would have to so clearly hide the killer’s face that it would be obvious that you’re concealing his identity.  

We knew very early on that taking that as an element of the book and putting that literally into the movie was going to put a burden on the film.  The audience was going to be way ahead of you.  They were going to know right from the very beginning that it was a set up.  I said to Don Granger that I believe I can only sustain this for about 10 minutes.  I don’t think I can sustain this mystery for the whole movie.

Nor do I want to make another movie, having worked on films like The Tourist, where you have to hide someone’s identity the whole time.  It’s exhausting and it limits your ability to move from scene to scene.  So I decided early on that I was going to reveal that to the audience and conceal it from Reacher.

Interestingly enough, when the film was finished, we cut a version like that.  We had the material so I could hide the shooter’s identity and reveal that Barr wasn’t the shooter until late in the movie.  With test audiences, that film scored much lower.

Matt:  Wow.  There’s a great car chase sequence in the film and from the point of view of the guy sitting in the director’s chair, how easy is that to pull off?  Does a lot of planning go into a scene like that?

Christopher:  Yes, endless planning.  There was endless planning on storyboarding and designing and working it out.  There was a huge amount because we shot it at night and there were huge lighting concerns.  The whole bridge had to be lit, the alleys had to be lit, a helicopter had to be co-ordinated for that sequence.

There’s also the driving and the time that Tom spent on his own, on the days that he wasn’t working, practicing over and over again.  He drove every stunt in that car chase.

Matt:  The title of the book is One Shot but then the title of the film has been changed to the name of the leading character – Jack Reacher.  Is that sort of decision that you as a director get involved with or is more the studio trying to market the film?

Christopher:  Yeah, that’s a marketing decision.  It’s an alchemy that I don’t really understand and so I leave that up to them.

Matt:  I’ll finish up by noting that the Internet Movie Database lists you as a possible writer for Top Gun 2.  Is there any truth in that and any chance the film will get off the ground?

Christopher:  Whether or not you’ll see the film get off the ground is anyone’s guess.  I’m not involved with it though.  I was involved in the very early discussions of it and there was some talk that I was going to write it but then Reacher happened and so I went one way and that movie went another.

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