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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 September 2007

Hairspray is a fun, light-hearted musical.  To use an old movie term, you can simply “sit back, relax and enjoy the show”.

The opening song sets the scene and introduces us to our leading lady.  Her name is Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) and she’s a young, overweight girl living in Baltimore.  The year is 1962.  To describe Tracy as effervescent would be an understatement.  She loves her family, loves her friends and loves to dance.  In almost every scene, there’s a beaming smile on her face.

Tracy’s favourite television program is The Corny Collins Show.  It’s a dance show which features young school kids from the Baltimore area.  It’s kind of like Young Talent Time (for those looking for an Australian equivalent).  Every afternoon, she races home from school and watches it with her best friend Penny (Bynes).  They turn up the volume and dance till they’re out of breath.

One day, host Corny Collins (Marsden) announces that they’re looking for a new dancer.  Tracy thinks this her opportunity and races down the studio to audition.  The show’s producer, Velma Von Tussle (Pfeiffer), takes one look at Tracy and turns her away.  Velma has no intention of letting some short, overweight girl be a part of the program.  They have standards to uphold.

Tracy’s rejection though is short lived.  The school heartthrob, Link Larkin (Efron), spots Tracy dancing in the detention hall.  He is a big fan of her creative moves.  Link uses his influence to get Tracy a spot on the show.  I’m not sure what Tracy is excited about most – the fact that she got the part or that she’s now friends with Link (who she has a major crush on).

Anyway, Tracy becomes a smash hit.  Her parents, Edna (Travolta) and Wilbur (Walken), couldn’t be happier.  The audience loves Tracy and her popularity is soon rivalling that of star Amber Von Tussle (Snow), the daughter of the show’s producer.  This is creating a lot of tension behind the scenes.  Tracy is oblivious to it all however – she just loves to express herself through the medium of dance.

There is a lot more to this story but you can see it for yourself to find out more.  That is unless you saw the original film which came in 1988.  Written and directed by John Waters, it featured a lesser known cast and only produced moderate returns at the box-office.  I’d be interested in knowing how many people have seen it.  I know I haven’t.  It 2002, Waters’ film was turned into Broadway show.  It won the Tony Award for best musical and is still showing today.

This remake of Hairspray, directed by Adam Shankman (A Walk To Remember) boasts some high profile stars and much bigger budget.  It’s the cast which I enjoyed most about the film.  John Travolta is fantastic as a woman and Michelle Pfeiffer is brilliant as the evil producer.  Christopher Walken is also at his quirky best.  Of the younger cast members, I liked Amanda Bynes (She’s The Man) best of all.  She’s ditzy but endearing.

I’ve said this about a few other recent musicals but it doesn’t quite match up to the high benchmark set by Chicago and Moulin Rouge.  I was bored by some of the earlier songs and it took a while for the film to warm up on me.  The second half is better than the first.  On the whole though, it’s a definitely film worth seeing.  If you’re a fan of musicals, you won’t want to miss it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 September 2007

After dishing out bad review on pretty much every animated film since The Incredibles (released in December 2004), my faith in animation has been restored with Ratatouille.  It’s a terrific film with a rather odd title.  It’s pronounced ra-ta-too-ee and for those not familiar, you’ll find out exactly what it means when you see the movie.

The central character in this delightful adventure is a rat named Remy (Oswalt).  Unlike the rest of his family, Remy hates eating food left in the garbage.  He has a heightened sense of taste which makes him a very fussy eater.  He’d love to be able to find fresh ingredients and cook up delicious meals for everyone to share.  Food is his passion.

It all goes wrong for Remy whilst trying to steal food from the home of an old lady.  She catches him in the act and comes after him with a shotgun (in a rather humorous fashion).  The whole colony of rats is then discovered and they flee for the nearest sewer.  In the mayhem that follows, Remy is separated from his family and he ends up lost under the streets of Paris.

When he pops his head above the surface, Remy is stunned to find himself outside a restaurant known as Gusteau’s.  Several years ago, it was one of the city’s most highly regarded restaurants.  It all turned sour however after a bad review from a leading food critic named Anton Ego.  It was too much for chef Auguste Gusteau who died not long after.

The restaurant is still open but it has never returned to its former glories.  It is now run by a Skinner, a spiteful chef who is looking to cash in on Gusteau’s good name.  Instead of focusing on the restaurant, Skinner has been selling a range of microwaveable dinners in supermarkets.  One of my favourite brand names was “Gusteau’s Tooth-Pick’n Chicken.”

Working as a cleaner at the restaurant is a young boy named Linguini.  He’s been struggling to hold down a job and it doesn’t look like he’ll last long here either.  The only thing he seems to be good at is making mistakes.

On one busy evening, Remy sneaks into the kitchen, pushes a few ingredients into a boiling pot and creates a delicious soup.  No one sees the rat of course and they all think this new soup was somehow created by the clumsy cleaner.  Only Linguini knows what really happened and it gives him an idea.  This unlikely duo develops a partnership whereby Remy will come up with the recipes and Linguini will do the cooking.  It will be their little secret.

If you want to keep someone’s attention, you have to be a good storyteller.  Writer-director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) has proven that in Ratatouille.  My plot description above (which is longer than what I’d usually write) only scratches the surface of what is a rich, intricate tale.  There’s a message to be taken from the film but it’s not force-fed down your throat like many recent animated flicks.  First and foremost, Bird’s film tells a great story.

In doing so, Bird and his team of collaborators have come up with some brilliant characters.  Linguini and Remy (voiced by unknown actors Patton Oswalt and Lou Romano) are immensely likeable and I was cheering for them all the way through.  I particularly loved hearing veteran actor Peter O’Toole voice the food critic, Anton Ego.  There’s a terrific monologue from O’Toole at the end of the film where he speaks of the “bitter truth” about being a critic.

Even if you can’t pronounce the title, make sure you don’t pass up the tasty dish which is Ratatouille.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 September 2007

In 2003, a book called Forbidden Love was released across the globe.  It told the story of a young woman who was murdered in Jordan by her family for falling in love with a Christian man (as opposed to a Muslim).  The author was Norma Khouri, a friend of the girl who was killed.  Khouri wanted the world to know about this tragedy and other “honour killings” that have taken place in Jordan.

The book certainly made an impact.  It sold more than 250,000 copies and was a major news story.  Khouri appeared on talk shows and became somewhat of a celebrity.  People wanted to know even more about this shocking atrocity.

What happened next was equally as shocking.  In July 2004, Malcolm Knox of the Sydney Morning Herald published a front page story that exposed Norma Khouri as a fraud.  He claimed that Khouri wasn’t in Jordan at the time that the killing occurred and that many other parts of her story were dubious.  Knox’s claims made international news and it won him the 2004 Walkley Award for investigative journalism in Australia.

The above details are covered in the first half-hour of Forbidden Lies, a riveting documentary from Australian filmmaker Anna Broinowski.  What follows in the next 75 minutes will leave you utterly amazed.  Khouri’s story has more twists and turns than a Hollywood thriller.  If it wasn’t real then I wouldn’t have believed it.

What is most remarkable about this documentary is that Norma Khouri agreed to appear in it.  Her whole life is being scrutinised and yet she is there to defend her position.  She’s either brave or crazy.  She has an answer to everything – even when being called a liar by her husband and close friends.

Watching this film is like being in the jury of a major court case.  Everyone has a different version of “the truth” and you have to decide who you’re going to believe and which side you’re going to take.  It’s not just Norma Khouri’s credibility that comes under the microscope.  You’ll be analysing every person who has been interviewed and wondering if they have a hidden agenda.

It’s a gutsy idea for a documentary and Anna Broinowski has done a terrific job in keeping the audience interested.  The story is structured so that each plot development is more stunning than the last.  Further, the interviews are intermingled with re-enacted scenes to help visualise certain events.

I often speak about movies that provide for great conversation afterwards.  Forbidden Lies is a perfect example.  It’s value for money both inside and outside the cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 August 2007

Once is the best romantic film I’ve seen in a long time.  It’s simple and it’s honest.  I first saw it at the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) four weeks ago and I’ve been struggling to get it out of head.  I’m still humming songs from the soundtrack.

Set in Dublin, there is a guy (Hansard) who repairs vacuum cleaners for a living.  It’s his dad’s business and it doesn’t provide much income but it’s enough to get by on.  His mother died several years ago and both he and his father live together in a small house.  They don’t have a lot of money but you can tell they are nice people.  They make the most of what they have.

When he’s not working at the vacuum shop, this guy goes busking on the streets of London.  He takes his guitar, finds a nice open spot and plays popular music for people to enjoy.  Nothing gives him more satisfaction than brightening the day of a group of passers-by.  If can pick up a few extra dollars then it’s even better.

One evening, a Czech girl (Irglova) walks past and hears the guy playing some of his original songs.  She’s impressed and starts up a conversation.  They share a love of music and a love of life.  Over the next few days, they spend a lot of time together.  They chat about their past and their also their hopes for the future.  The world around them seems to stop – all they want to do is enjoy each other’s company.

The guy has always dreamed of leaving his small job behind and making it professionally as a singer-songwriter.  But it’s always been just that – a dream.  It’s the kind of thing that you hope will happen but deep down, you know it probably won’t.  The girl’s arrival changes all that.  Her enthusiasm for his songs and her willingness to help out is inspiring.  Together, they take out a business loan and hire a music studio for a weekend.  The plan is to make a demo tape which can be sent out to the major music studios.  With any luck, someone will be interested.

You’ll have noticed that I haven’t referred to either the guy or the girl by name.  That’s because they are never mentioned during the movie.  It’s another reason why the film seems so uncomplicated and easy to watch.

The male star of the film is Glen Hansard, lead vocalist of an Irish band known as The Frames.  They have released six albums since 1990 and opened for Bob Dylan on his recent tour of Australia.  As the female lead, Marketa Irglova is also a very talented piano player and song writer.  Hansard and Irglova first met in Prague and eventually released an album together called The Swell Season.

Writer-director John Carney (who was a former member of The Frames) came up with the idea for the film and Hansard agreed to write the songs.  Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins) was cast in the leading role and production was about to begin.

Fortunately (as it would turn out), Murphy pulled out of the project and so did the producers.  Carney convinced Hansard to step into the feature role, despite the fact he had never acted before, and managed to make the film for just $150,000.  The end result is a beautiful motion picture which won the audience award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival (which celebrates independent cinema).

When I saw this film at BIFF, it was introduced as being the “perfect first date movie”.  It’s an apt description.  Once is filled with happy moments and it subscribes to a theory that I have longed believed in – that good things happen to good people.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 September 2007

As a child, I used to watch the local rugby league here in Brisbane.  I can remember the fierce duals between teams such as Brothers and Wynnum-Manly in the mid 1980s.  It was what many people did on a Sunday afternoon – they headed down to their local league club and watched a game of footy.  With the development of the national competition (which started with the introduction of the Broncos in 1988), interest in the Brisbane rugby league soon fell away.  I don’t think I’ve been to a local game since the 1987 grand final.

It’s a simple truth that sports change over time.  We may not like it but it cannot be helped.  No matter what the sport, you’ll always hear someone saying how much better it used to be in the “old days”.  This notion is explored The Final Winter, a great new Australian film from directors Brian Andrews and Jane Forrest.

Set in Sydney in the early 1980s, Grub Henderson (Nable) is a star player for the Newtown Jets.  He’s been part of the team for over a decade and is highly respected by his fellow team mates and coach Jack Cooper (Johns).  He’s at an age though that has some people talking retirement.  It’s a scary thought for Grub who doesn’t know what he’ll do without a football career.  It’s straining his relationship with his wife (Hill) and two young daughters.

Murray “Colgate” Perry (Jarratt) is a real estate agent who has just been appointed the new CEO of the Jets.  Colgate is part of a new breed.  He senses the game is becoming more professional and that the club should be run as a business.  He’s prepared to get rid of some of the loyal, long-serving players (who have been with the club since they were juniors) to bring in more high-profile talent.  It’s all about increasing crowds and boosting profit.

This doesn’t sit well with Grub and his frustrations come to a head in the penultimate game of the season.  He is sent off by the referee for a high shot on an opposition player (who just so happens to be his brother).  Grub has been asked to front the tribunal and many believe that he’ll get a lengthy suspension.  His troubles have gone from bad to worse.

The Final Winter is a tribute to rugby league in the 1980s.  You have to laugh when you see the players smoking at half time and enjoying a beer after training.  It will leave you thinking just how much has changed in the past 25 years.  The game has become more professional but has it come at a cost?  It’s an interesting question.

Writer Matt Nable came up with the idea for the film back in 1995.  It’s taken a long time and a lot of drafts to see his idea come to fruition.  I’m glad he stuck with it because this is a top movie that will appeal to a lot of people.  Like films such as The Castle and Kenny, it celebrates Aussie culture and our love for the game of rugby league.