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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 July 2008

Without a doubt, The Dark Knight is the most anticipated movie of 2008.  The Batman franchise was reinvigorated with Batman Begins (released in 2005) and everyone has been waiting anxiously to see what happens next.  Over the past few weeks, a lot of people have been asking whether I’d seen the film and if it was any good.

I can finally say that… yes, I’ve seen the film.  I can also say that… yes, it’s good.  One must be careful though not to get too caught up in the hype.  If you go into the cinema expecting to see a masterpiece, you will be disappointed.  It’s not perfect and there are a few weak spots.  Still, of all the major blockbusters that we’ve been treated to in recent months, this one gets my vote as the best.

With the same director at the helm, The Dark Knight has been made in a similar vein to Batman Begins.  The overall tone of the film is gloomy and sinister.  This isn’t a light-hearted superhero flick (ala Ironman or Indiana Jones).  Gotham City is a depressing place.  It’s hard to distinguish the heroes from the villains.

There are two new characters of note in this sequel.  Harvey Dent (Eckhart) is Gotham’s new District Attorney.  The enthusiastic Dent is determined to clean up the streets and put the powerful mobsters behind bars.  Bruce Wayne (Bale) aka Batman is impressed with Dent’s work and his happy to see someone else standing up against injustice.

Then, there is The Joker (Ledger).  With a creepy voice and a face covered in make up, The Joker is a psychopathic madman.  He doesn’t appear to be after money and power.  He just loves the fun of being a villain.  The Joker’s actions may appear crazy but this guy has brains.  He wants to strip Batman of his “hero status” and will do so by turning the public against him.

In the first movie, director Christopher Nolan had to spend a great deal of time developing the Batman character.  That isn’t necessary here and it gives Nolan more time to expand on the supporting players.  Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman and Maggie Gyllenhall are all great.  I only wish that Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman could have had more screen time.

This is a solid two and a half hours worth of drama.  Every character, at some point, makes an important decision that will affect the life of someone else.  Do they act in the best interests of themselves or in the best interests of others?  Are there times when a lie is better than the truth?  Watching these moral dilemmas unfold was the highlight of the film for me.

If I have a criticism, it’s that The Joker’s plans seemed a little too elaborate.  I don’t want to give anything away but I was left wondering how he was able to set up some of his explosions.  He’d look even more obvious given his appearance.  Was the last film this unrealistic?  I shouldn’t be too judgemental because this is a fantasy flick and Batman himself isn’t the most believable character.

Everyone is going to see this film (well, practically everyone) and the majority are going to be happy with what they see.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2008

Three months ago, a baseball-sized orb came down through the atmosphere and landed in the bedroom of a young boy named Josh (Myers).  He told his mum (Banks) that it came from outer space but she didn’t believe him of course.

Now, the rightful owners of the orb have come to get it back.  Their alien spaceship lands near the Statue of Liberty but its arrival is very inconspicuous.  Why?  Because the spaceship is in the shape of a human being.  It can walk and talk as a regular person would.  Tiny aliens can be found living inside of this robot-like ship.  For some unexplained reason, the aliens speak English and look like a miniature version of normal humans.  Their leader is simply known as Captain (Murphy).

The aliens have come to Earth to steal the water from our oceans.  They need the salt to help replenish the dwindling resources of their own planet.  The orb has the power to suck up all our water and transport it back to their alien world.

In his quest to complete the mission, the Captain realises that Earthlings aren’t the inferior species that he thought them to be.  He realises that they have powerful feelings and some fun forms of entertainment.  Can he go through with the mission and risk destroying the planet?

When I saw Meet Dave, I was expecting a film will a little more intelligence.  I assumed it was a silly adult comedy.  Now that I’ve seen it, I can best describe it as a kids flick.  The storyline is basic and there aren’t too many parts to the film which require deep thought. 

Eddie Murphy is one of my least favourite actors but I’ll be honest and say that he’s not too bad in this movie.  He’s the right choice for the role and he comes across well.  Unfortunately, he’s let down by a script which is full of plot holes and unanswered questions.  It’s ridiculous.  The ending is the worst part – a rushed mess that still befuddles me.  It’s as if the writers just went home and gave up.  That’s what I’m going to do too.  End of review.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 July 2008

Each year, I compile a list of my top 10 favourite actors and actress.  You can look at these lists in the “columns” section of my website if you’d like to know more.  Since 2005, the same two people have been top of these lists – Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney.  They’re awesome!  Even though they’ve been in a tonne of great movies, The Savages marks the first time they’ve appeared together.

Jon and Wendy Savage are a middle-aged brother and sister.  Jon (Hoffman) is a professor of philosophy living in Buffalo.  Wendy (Linney) is a playwright living in New York City.  Neither of them appears to be very happy.  Their jobs are going nowhere and both are involved in complicated relationships.  Over time, they have slowly drifted apart.

Their regular lives are put on hold when they learn their elderly father, Lenny (Bosco), needs help.  He is suffering from dementia and has found himself with nowhere to live.  Jon and Wendy have never been close to their dad and aren’t particularly enthusiastic about the situation they now find themselves in.  They’ve got better things to do.

It’s a depressing subject matter but one that many people will be able to relate to – to have to care and look after a dying parent.  Jon and Wendy have trouble finding a decent nursing home that has places available and which is also affordable.  They also have to ask their father difficult questions such as whether he wants to be buried or cremated.

These events stir deep-seeded emotions in both Jon and Wendy.  Having spent years trying to distance themselves, they now find themselves drawn back into the “family”.  They will be forced to confront issues that they have long suppressed.

It’s heavy going at times but there are also a lot of funny scenes in The Savages.  Jon and Wendy are quirky characters and it’s no surprise that Hoffman and Linney were attracted to the role.  At times, you’ll laugh at them.  At other times, you’ll sympathise with them.  Writer-director Tamara Jenkins deserves credit for her script.  It earned her an Academy Award nomination earlier this year for best original screenplay (losing out to Juno).  Linney also picked up a nomination for best actress.

The title is a little misleading (it makes the movie sound like a cheap thriller) but I can assure you that this a quality film that comes highly recommended.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2008

For her entire life, Sophie (Seyfried) has been raised by her mother, Donna (Streep), on a picturesque Greek island.  Donna has run a small resort on the island for close to 20 years and Sophie has always been there to help out.  The time has come though for Sophie to leave the nest.  She has met the man of her dreams (Cooper) and they are to be married.  A beautiful wedding has been planned.

Sophie has felt however that a part of her life has been missing.  She has never met her father and doesn’t even know who he is.  Her mother has kept the story a close secret.  Sophie would have loved for her dad to be able to walk her down the aisle at the wedding ceremony.

Sophie wants the truth and has come up with a plan.  After finding one of her mother’s old diaries, she learns that Donna was sleeping with three different men around the time that she conceived.  Without her mother’s knowledge, Sophie has tracked down these guys and sent them wedding invitations.  They are Sam Carmichael (Brosnan), Harry Bright (Firth) and Bill Austin (Skasgard).  Believe it or not, they have all accepted the invitation!  Sophie’s hoping that when they show up, she’ll be able to find out who her father is.

Ah, but it won’t be that easy.  The arrival of these three gentlemen sends the wedding preparations into complete chaos.  No one seems to know what is going on.  Old secrets will be revealed and new secrets will be created.  It’s a well-written story and I’m not going to reveal the twists for those yet to see it.

This film is based on the musical of the same name.  Mamma Mia! debuted on London’s West End in 1999 and became a smash-hit.  It has been performed in many countries including here in Australia.  Between 2001 and 2005, it was seen in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.  I’ve never seen the live musical myself but I’ve been told by many people that it was fantastic.

Now I see why.  This cinematic adaptation is a blast.  I thought it started out a little slowly but I quickly warmed to the silly story, the terrific performances and the memorable ABBA songs.  I’ve never really been an ABBA fan but now I have a few of their songs firmly implanted in my brain.  I just can’t get them out of my head!

The director of the film is Phyllida Lloyd and the writer is Catherine Johnson.  These two women were responsible for the creation of the original musical in the late 1990s.  It’s great to see that they were given the opportunity to make the movie version.  Lloyd described it as “the most challenging project of my career”.  For those familiar with the musical, there are a few changes.  Small alterations have been made to the order of songs, the dialogue and the locations.  I think the film is a little disjointed at times (jumping from character to character) but for the most part, Lloyd and Johnson have done a superb job.  The set and costume designers also deserve praise.

Most of the cast are fantastic.  Meryl Streep had been a long-time fan of the musical and had always wanted to play Donna if it was turned into a movie.  Streep got her wish and she’s wonderful.  Also a standout was Christine Baranski (Chicago) who plays Tanya, one of Donna’s best friends.  The scene where she sings “Does Your Mother Know” on the beach is one of the film’s high points.

Do I like this film?  I do, I do, I do, I do, I do.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 July 2008

Salute is an Australian documentary about a guy called Peter Norman.  Do you know who he is?  I didn’t have a clue before I saw this movie.  My friends hadn’t heard of him either.

Peter Norman was arguably Australia’s greatest ever sprinter.  He won the 200m title at the Australian Championship for five consecutive years between 1966 and 1970. The most impressive statistic for me that Norman still holds the Australian record of 20.06 seconds for 200m.  It has stood for almost 40 years.

Norman set the record in the 200m final at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.  It won him the silver medal.  Two African American athletes filled the other placings  – Tommie Smith won the gold and John Carlos won the bronze.

It’s not the race that is most remembered from this day but rather the victory ceremony which followed.  As Smith and Carlos stood on the victory podium, they bowed their heads and raised a clenched fist into the air.  Each was wearing a black glove.  Norman stood with his head raised but wore a white badge on his green and gold jacket which said “Olympic Project for Human Rights”. 

Smith, Carlos and Norman were making their voices heard.  They wanted to highlight the racial oppression that was taking place across the globe.  Norman said after the race that “every man is born equal and should be treated that way.”

Their actions caused a massive uproar.  All three athletes were harassed by officials and by the media for using the Olympics to promote their “political” message.  Smith and Carlos were expelled from the Games and Norman received a reprimand from Australia’s Olympic administration.  Their persecution did not end there.  The rest of their lives would be forever shaped by the events of October 16, 1968.

I have three reasons to recommend this film.  Firstly, it is interesting.  As someone who hasn’t heard this story before, I was fascinated.  It’s the kind of documentary that made me want to do more research on leaving the theatre.  I needed to find out more about the people involved.

Secondly, it is thought provoking.  Did their actions make a difference?  Has the world changed in terms of racial discrimination over the past 40 years?  Do the Olympics really promote equality and friendship?  The biggest question for me was why hadn’t I heard of Peter Norman before despite all of his achievements?  It’s puzzling that he wasn’t included as part of the major festivities at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Finally, the film is relevant.  In the past few months, we’ve seen people protesting against the upcoming Olympics in Beijing because of China’s occupation of Tibet.  Some people agree with the protests and others do not.  In a way, it’s similar situation to that which we saw in 1968.  Will we see further Tibetan protests when the Games kick off in August?  What action will the International Olympic Committee take?  How will we see these events in 40 years time?

Salute has been put together by Matthew Norman, the nephew of Peter.  It includes a mix of archival footage and current day interviews.  You’ll hear the thoughts of Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos in their own words.  I love a good documentary and this film will show you why.