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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 May 2008

The Spanish Film Festival recently wrapped up in Brisbane and one of the highlights from the program was The Orphanage.  It came with a strong reputation having won 7 Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of an Academy Award) including best original screenplay.  Now that the Festival is over, the film is getting a wider release in cinemas across Australia.

The title gives you a pretty good indication where this creepy thriller is set.  The building was once an orphanage but is now owned by Laura (Rueda) and her husband Carlos (Cayo).  Laura grew up there as a child and bought the home many years for sentimental reasons.  They have an adopted son named Simon (Princep) who is HIV positive.  They keep this information from him so that he can try to live a normal life.

Both Laura and Carlos have become concerned about Simon’s recent behaviour.  He has invisible friends who he talks to and plays strange games with.  It seems to be more than just a passing phase though.  He speaks of them with chilling clarity and is not at all concerned by the fact that his parents can’t see them.  It’s very spooky.

Since she bought the large house, Laura has dreamed of turning it into a home for disabled children.  She hosts a party to launch her idea which is attended by a number of interested people.  It’s all going well until Simon disappears.  Despite a full search of the home and the surrounding area, Simon cannot be found.

Months pass and there is still no trace of him.  Having exhausted all possible scenarios, Laura starts wondering if Simon’s disappearance is connected with his invisible friends.  Are these the crazy thoughts of a woman consumed by grief?  That’s all I’m going to tell you at this point.

The Orphanage is an intriguing movie that will slowly draw you in.  The suspense keeps building throughout.  You’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next and how it will end.  I love films like this – they keep me on the edge of my seat.

The film’s marketing has highlighted that one of the producers of the film is Mexican born filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.  I can see why he was attracted to the project.  The dark, paranormal storyline reminded me of the acclaimed Pan’s Labyrinth (which he directed in 2006).  Del Toro is one of the hottest properties in Hollywood at the moment and recently signed on to direct the two-film adaptation of J.R.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

If you’re looking for something a little different and you have an appreciation for foreign language films, then The Orphanage will be right up your alley.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 May 2008

I remember watching a TV documentary a few years ago about a group of college students who were able to “cheat” at blackjack and won a lot of money.  Put simply, they counted cards.  By remembering what cards had already been dealt, they knew which cards were still in the deck.  This helped them calculate odds which thereby improved their chances.

As someone obsessed with numbers (my day job is as an accountant), I found this story riveting.  These youngsters won millions of dollars by using simple mathematics.  If you are interested in the exact details, you can read the book written by Ben Mezrich on which the film is based.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t see the movie.  I think it’s great and I recommend it.  It’s just that it doesn’t go into a lot of detail regarding how they counted the cards and how they knew when to bet.  This is the Hollywood version where all the actors are good looking and a few elements of the story are embellished (to a large degree).

Ben Campbell (Sturgess) is a promising student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  He’s trying to land a scholarship which will get him into the Harvard School of Medicine.  It’s his only hope since he has no way of earning the $300,000 required to pay for the full course.

At a maths lecture, Professor Micky Rosa (Spacey) realises that Ben has a gift for numbers.  He invites him into a little “club” that he has formed.  Each week, Professor Rosa and a few selected students fly to Las Vegas and put their card counting system to work.  It’s won them all a lot of money.  Ben is reluctant to accept Professor Rosa’s invitation as he thinks what they do is dishonest.  He soon comes around however.  The lure of dollars is too tempting.

In Vegas, Ben quickly finds his feet.  He’s a natural.  In his first weekend, he comes away with around $17,000.  The team of 5 students use aliases and facial disguises so they don’t get caught.  Whilst card counting is not illegal, you don’t really want to get caught doing it.  Security men at casinos have been known to take the law into their own hands.

Ah, but what goes up must come down.  Video security expert Cole Williams (Fishburne) has tweaked that something isn’t right at a few of his casinos.  He sees that Ben has a knack for winning but can’t figure out how he’s doing it.  There’s trouble brewing within the team as well.  Factions are forming and egos are building.  Will they keep their cool and the secrets that they’ve been hiding?

21 is an entertaining film to watch.  Australian director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) has made the material fun and sexy.  It’s easy to follow and there are plenty of great individual moments (such as when Ben and Professor Rosa first exchange ideas in a lecture theatre.  There are also a few nice twists to the story in the later stages.  It has all the ingredients necessary to make it an easy-going crowd pleaser.

Newcomer Jim Sturgess does a great job playing Ben.  He’s a very apprehensive and reserved person in the opening scenes but you see him come out of his shell when harnesses his skills in Las Vegas.  Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne are also top-notch in their respective roles.  They help boost the film’s overall quality.

If you’re not sure if this film is for you, I suggest you throw your chips down and take a punt.  What have you got to lose?

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 May 2008

Warning: The following review contains controversy, incoherent gibberish and high-level grumpiness.  Reader discretion is advised.

What’s the deal with these “concert movies” that have sprung up in Australian cinemas?  Shine A Light is the third one I’ve seen this year.  It’s essentially a 2 hour movie where you watch the Rolling Stones play a concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

The opening 10 minutes or so are spent watching director Martin Scorsese (The Departed) try to organise the show with lead vocalist Mick Jagger.  They have differing opinions and there are funny scenes.  It’s not easy trying to play when you’ve got video cameras circling around the stage.  It’s a challenge for both the band and the director.

Unfortunately for me, this was the best part of the film.  The rest of it is the concert with a few old interviews thrown in after every 2 or 3 songs.  My problem is that I’m not a fan of the Rolling Stones.  I’ve got nothing against them personally but I’ve never been into their music and I didn’t know most of the songs they were singing.

This leaves in a tricky dilemma.  How do I review this movie?  Is it even a movie?  One of the best music documentaries I’ve ever seen was called DiG!  It was released in 2004 and took a behind the scenes look at The Dandy Warhols (who went on to fame and fortune) and The Brian Jonestown Massacre (who could never get their careers off the ground).  I didn’t know either of these bands either but what made the film interesting was that it took us behind the scenes.  I learned just how up and down the music industry can be.

My point is that a documentary such as DiG! could appeal to anyone.  I know nothing about music but still found it fascinating.  On the other hand, Shine A Light will only appeal to fans of the Rolling Stones.  I can tell you that watching this movie was one of the most boring 2 hours of my year so far.  That’s just how it was for me.  I realise a lot of people (especially Stones fans) will think I’m being ridiculous.  They probably have a point.  I don’t know.  I’m completely lost.

As mind-numbingly tedious as I found the subject material, I do appreciate good cinematography when I see it.  Martin Scorsese and his team have done a terrific job capturing the concert.  There’s a range of cool camera angles and you get an appreciation of just how much passion the musicians put into their performances.  The sound capture is also superb.  I know it’s not as good as a real concert (since you can’t jump, scream and sing) but it still generates an atmosphere.

The biggest talking point that I take away from the film is whether these concert movies are going to become more common in cinemas.  Am I going to have to sit through a two-and-a-half hour Justin Timberlake concert?  Will I be forced to endure a three hour Celine Dion marathon.  I hope the answer is no.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 May 2008

Jack Fuller (Kutcher) is a womanising slob who can’t hold down a job.  Joy McNally (Diaz) is a superficial control-freak who has been dumped by her fiancé.  They don’t know each other but both are in Las Vegas on a whirlwind holiday looking to escape their troubles.

They will meet in bizarre circumstances.  I won’t say how because it’s too hard to explain and quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered.  What ends up happening is the two go on an all-night alcohol fuelled bender.  When Joy wakes up the next morning, she is horrified to find a wedding ring on her finger.  That’s right – in all the carnage from the night before, this drunken duo somehow found the time to get married in a Vegas chapel.  Oops.

Over breakfast the next morning, Jack and Joy realise that it was all a terrible mistake.  They have nothing in common and after a few feisty arguments, they agree to get a quick annulment.  That all changes when Jack slips a coin into a poker machine and wins a $3,000,000 jackpot.  Joy thinks she should be entitled to half because it was her coin and because she’s married to Jack.

They take it to the courts and in a Judge Judy like decision, the judge sentences them to “six months hard marriage”.  He is tired of young people wanting quick divorces and he plans on making an example of them.  He freezes the $3 million and says they won’t see a dime unless they try to make their marriage work.  He also states that they must see a marriage counsellor once a week.

Look, what can I say?  I hated this film.  The storyline is ludicrous.  I have nothing against silly comedies but they still have to have an element of realism.  Jack and Joy do some cruel things to each other and we are expected to laugh.  Then in the later stages of the film, they start realising the errors of their ways and we are expected to feel sympathetic and happy for them.  Give me a break!

Jack and Joy are self-centred phonies.  I can’t think of anyone who would want to be friends with them in real life.  They are horrible people and Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher only make them more dislikeable with their overacting.  The fact that Jack and Joy start falling for each other once they get to know each other makes very little sense to me.  Don’t fret if you think I’ve just given away the ending.  It’s blatantly obvious from the very start and it’s given away in the film’s trailer.

I saw this film at an advance screening and I overheard positive comments from some of the patrons on leaving the cinema.  I am prepared to acknowledge that there are moviegoers out there who will like this film.  They will see it as a fun and relaxed 90 minutes.  I saw it as an insulting waste of 90 minutes.  To each their own.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 May 2008

The last Indiana Jones film was released back in 1989.  In terms of moviemaking, much has changed over the last two decades.  Action films are now filled with special effects and fast-paced editing.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s just natural evolution.

I read a recent interview with Steven Spielberg where he talked about the making of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.  He wanted to make it just like a traditional action flick – where you can always see what’s going on and there are heaps of cool stunts.  I appreciate this style and think it suits the movie.  When you see the simple opening credits, you’d be forgiven for thinking this movie was actually made back in the 1980s.

This time around, Indiana (Ford) finds himself on a quest to locate a crystal skull.  He thought it was a mere legend but a letter from an old friend has him thinking otherwise.  He’s not the only one looking for it.  There’s a group of KGB agents being led by psychic Irina Spalko (Blanchett) who want it for their own purposes.  Helping Indiana on his quest is a new young friend named Mutt Williams (LaBeouf).  Mutt’s trying to find his mum who was kidnapped by the nasty Russians. 

It’s a silly story with a strange ending but I still enjoyed watching it.  The action sequences were the clear highlight – they kept me glued to the screen.  The best moment is a lengthy car chase where the bad guys chase the good guys through a jungle.  The scene includes some flesh eat ants and a death-defying waterfall escape.  It’s thrilling to watch but humorous at the same time.

Before I get too carried away, you have to remember that this still has its fair share of clichés.  It’s not breaking any new ground in terms of its originality.  The film features my most annoying cliché – the one where baddies can’t kill anyone despite the fact they are shooting multiple times at point blank range.  There should be training program where villains can go and learn these basic skills.  It’d at least make it a fair fight.

Of the cast, Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett turn in the best performances.  LaBeouf brings youth to the movie and he has the right personality for the role.  The way he continually combs his hair was a nice touch.  Blanchett has an amusing accent and you can tell she had fun playing the villain.

I had some doubts about this sequel but for the most part, it lives up to the hype.  It’s a good, old fashioned adventure that is best watched in a packed cinema with a large bucket of popcorn.