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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 March 2008

When I was in grade 9 at high school (back in 1991), I had a choice of studying either history or geography.  I chose geography.  History sounded boring.  What as the point of learning about all these ancient people and events and then having to sit exams about them?  Geography felt more relevant and topical.

Funnily enough, my appreciation for movies has also developed my appreciation for history.  Last November, I saw Elizabeth: The Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett.  Whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of the film, it raised my interested in the subject matter.  I did a lot of internet research after I saw the movie to find out more about Queen Elizabeth and her 45 year reign as England’s monarch.  They were turbulent times.

For those who have seen the two Elizabeth movies, The Other Boleyn Girl is best described as a prequel.  It looks at the relationship between her father, King Henry VIII (played by Eric Bana) and her mother, Anne Boleyn (played by Natalie Portman).

Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509 but came under increasing pressure from the public when his wife, Catherine, could not provide a male heir.  It was suggested to the King that he take on a mistress.  Thomas Boleyn (Rylance) put forward both of his daughters, Anne and Mary (Johansson) as suitable candidates.

This may sound like a strange proposition but it was a sign of the times.  It was considered to be an honour to be the mistress of the King and Thomas thought that it would provide wealth and stability for his family.  Anne relished the opportunity.  She used her intelligence, beauty and charm to win the King’s favour.  Mary was reluctant on the other hand.  She preferred a simple life in the country and wasn’t too keen on fame and fortune.

Those familiar with the story will know how it ends.  I won’t reveal it for those less knowledgeable of 16^th Century English history (like me).  Like a great Shakespearean tragedy, there’s love, greed and betrayal.

I was sceptical about the film going into the cinema because of the casting of Australian Eric Bana (Chopper) and Americans Natalie Portman (Closer) and Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation).  Couldn’t they have found some English actors to play these roles?  It looked to me like the producers were casting some big name Hollywood stars to boost its exposure and box-office takings.

With the luxury of hindsight, I can safely say that all the performances are solid.  Writer Peter Morgan (The Queen) and director Justin Chadwick have done a great job in distinguishing each member of the cast.  There are a lot of characters but the story is easy to follow – that’s not an easy achievement.  The standout for me was Natalie Portman and her emotionally energetic performance.  She’s fantastic.  Also worth a mention are the great costumes from Academy Award winner Sandy Powell (Shakespeare In Love, The Aviator).

There’s a lot more this story and I’m sure a few people will be disappointed that certain details have been omitted to squash the film into its 115 minute running time.  It didn’t bother me though and I liked what I saw on screen.  If you’re looking for more detail, you can read the novel from Philippa Gregory (with the same title) on which the film is based.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 February 2008

We Own The Night is an American cop drama set in the late 1980s.  It centres on a Bobby Green (Phoenix), a youngish guy who runs a successful nightclub in Brooklyn.  It’s always packed with people and Bobby does whatever he can to make sure they all have a good time.  The owner is impressed with Bobby’s work and together, they’ve agreed to put together a plan to set up another nightclub in Manhattan.

Bobby’s father and brother are New York City police officers.  They are Bert (Duvall) and Joe (Wahlberg).  Bobby has always seen himself as the outsider of the family because unlike his brother Joe, he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps.  He never speaks of them and doesn’t see them very often.  He lives his own independent life by running the nightclub and spending time with his girlfriend, Amada (Mendes).

Bobby is about to connect with his father and brother once again but it’s not by choice.  Bobby’s club has become a haven for drug dealers in the area.  Deals have taken place and the police are interested in a Russian mobster named Vadim Nezhinski (Veadov).  As head of the narcotics division, Joe authorises a raid on the nightclub and takes a bunch of patrons into custody.  It’s not good for the image of the club and Bobby is less than impressed.  He lets his brother know exactly how he feels.

Everything changes though when Joe is shot outside his home.  Bobby learns that Vadim Nezhinski and his compatriots were behind it.  The gravity of the situation starts to sink in.  Bobby realises that these drug dealers are very powerful and that the lives of his family are in jeopardy.  It’s time… to take a side.  Bobby agrees to be an undercover operative to help bust those who are bringing the drugs into New York City.

We Own The Night is a decent film which has been written and directed by James Gray.  Gray’s last film, The Yards, was released back in 2000.  Both films star Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix so I’m guessing they all have an appreciation for each other’s work.

Whilst it’s easily watchable, We Own The Night didn’t have the heightened suspense factor that I was hoping for.   At times, it plays out like a predictable drama where you know exactly what’s going to happen next.  The performances are good but it’s not in the same league as a film like The Departed.  It’s good but nothing too special.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 March 2008

Man landing on the moon has always fascinated me.  With the limited technology we had in 1969, I can’t believe that we were able to fly someone 384,000 km to a satellite with no atmosphere and have them return safely.  That moment when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon was one of the greatest events of the 20^th Century.

In The Shadow Of The Moon is a documentary which looks at the Apollo program.  It was kick started by John F. Kennedy (in a famous speech) and ran from 1961 to 1975.  There were ten missions in total.  The film focuses largely on Apollo 11, the mission in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped into history.

Director David Sington has reunited most of the astronauts who were involved in the Apollo program.  We get to hear them reflect on their experiences and how their lives changed as a result.  There are some very interesting stories (some serious and some comical) to be heard.  You’ll be surprised to know what Buzz Aldrin was thinking to himself as he walked down the ladder of the lunar module to become the second man on the moon.

Sadly, Neil Armstrong does not appear in this documentary.  Sington tried to convince him but said that Armstrong was reluctant to do interviews in front of a camera.  They did converse via email however.  Whilst I don’t think Armstrong’s non-appearance hurts the film, I still wish I could have heard his own thoughts.  I’ll have to read his authorised biography (written by James Hansen) which was released in 2005.

The film includes a bunch of “never before seen footage”.  For those interested in the space program, this will make it must see viewing.  For me personally, the highlight was watching the old news stories (with anchormen such as Walter Cronkite) commentate the events as they happened.  I also liked seeing the footage of people glued to their television screens across the globe.  It was a story that united the planet.

I liked In The Shadow Of The Moon but it was a little repetitive in places.  The astronauts all seemed to have similar thoughts about what it was like to travel through space and to see the Earth from such as great distance.  As I’ve already alluded to above, I preferred watching the old archival footage as opposed to listening to the modern day interviews.  It’s just a matter of personal preference I guess.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 February 2008

Two guys find out they only have a few months to live.  They’d never met before but became friends after sharing the same room at the hospital.  Between them, they put together a “bucket list” – a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket.  With a new lease on life, they begin their quest to tick as many things off the list as possible.

That pretty much sums up The Bucket List.  It may sound like a sad film but The Bucket List is better described as a feel good movie.  Once these guys come to the realisation that there isn’t long left in their lives, they use their time wisely.  Each passing day seems to have more and more value.  They do some fun, crazy things together.  There’s plenty of food for thought and I’m sure it’ll have many thinking about what they’d do in the same situation.

Given that the film will reduce most audience members to tears, I feel a little guilty in heavily criticising it.  I liked the film’s spirit but I hated the farcical storyline.  At times, it felt like I was watching a cheesy American sitcom where all the characters are phony and the situations they find themselves in are ludicrous.

To provide a little more background information, Carter (Freeman) is a mechanic who has worked hard for 45 years.  For as long as he has been married, he’s put his wife and kids first.  There are a lot of things he’d like to have done but never really got around to it.  Edward (Nicholson) is a multi-millionaire who has a lot of investments.  He has the reputation for being a hard-nosed businessman and doesn’t seem to have many true friends.  He never married and lives alone.  As you can tell, these guys are an odd couple.  They’d never have been friends outside of these circumstances.

Cater and Edward go on a trip around the world and see places like the Great Pyramids in Egypt and the Great Wall of China.  They fly in Edward’s private plane and are accompanied by an assistant (Hayes) who organises everything for them.  I guess if you’re going to go out in style, it helps to have plenty of money.  This is another reason why I think this story is too hard to believe.  Couldn’t these characters have been a little more realistic?  Maybe I’m being too picky.

Seeing The Bucket List again is not something I’ll be putting on my own bucket list.  Life’s just too short.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 March 2008

In The Valley Of Elah begins with a phone call.  Retired army man Hank Deerfield (Jones) picks up the receiver and is told by a military official in New Mexico that his son, Mike, has gone AWOL.  He hasn’t been seen on base since last Saturday.  This comes as a shock to Hank and his wife Joan (Sarandon).  They didn’t even know that their son was back in the U.S. – they thought he was still on a tour of duty in Iraq.

Hank drives from his home in Texas to the base in New Mexico to find out what’s going on.  He suspects something is wrong – it’s not like his son to run off and not contact anyone.  Hank’s worst thoughts are confirmed when Mike’s body is found in scrub off an isolated road.  The body was almost unidentifiable – it had been set on fire and cut into several pieces.

As the reality sets in, Hank finds himself on a pursuit for the truth.  Who could have done this to his son?  He finds a sympathetic friend in a young police detective named Emily Sanders (Theron).  Not happy with the investigation being conducted by the army police, Emily and Hank do their own sleuthing.  They realise there were inconsistencies in the witness statements and problems with the way the crime scene was examined.

Their quest for answers won’t be easy however.  The army police don’t like being “shown up” by a retired officer and an inexperienced police detective.  Furthermore, there are those who know the truth that are doing their best to throw Emily and Hank off their trail.

We’ve all seen these who-done-it thrillers before.  Most of the time, a brainy detective picks up on a bunch of clues (that no one else sees) and solves the crime.  I’m often critical that it’s just too easy.  In The Valley Of Elah is a little different and this is what elevates it above those predictable thrillers that I just spoke of.  There are a few “red herrings” and Emily and Hank make their fair share of mistakes along the way.  You can sense that Emily is a little out of her depth and that Hank sometimes acts with his grieving heart instead of his head.  They’re an interesting duo.

The writer-director of the film is Paul Haggis.  Haggis is one of the best screenwriters in the business today.  In the last four years, he’s penned the scripts for Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags Of Our Fathers and Casino Royale.  He’s a very talented craftsman and this film further solidifies this reputation.  Haggis avoids standard clichés and has a knack for writing plausible dialogue.

In The Valley Of Elah earned Tommy Lee Jones an Academy Award nomination for best actor (he lost to Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood).  It’s a terrific performance from Jones and having recently praised him No Country For Old Men, I’m convinced that he’s in the best form of his career.  He never over acts and keeps things simple.  Jones is a class act.

We don’t usually see a lot of quality movies in the post-Oscars slump but here we have an exception.  It’s a good one.