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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 May 2007

I’m a big fan of poker and play regularly with my friends.  I am also a big fan of director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys).  Sadly, the combination of these two ingredients has resulted in a less than stellar outcome.

Lucky You is the story of Huck Cheever (Bana), a poker player living in Vegas.  He may have talent playing reading other players but his boldness is his weakness.  As a result, he hasn’t a cent in the bank and very few assets.  The amount of time he spends gambling is also a hindrance to his social life.  He can never keep a girlfriend and he has few friends outside of the casino.

Making life tougher for Huck is the fact that his dad is a poker champion.  L.C. Cheever (Duvall) has won two world championships and is a legend in poker circles.  The fact that he’s hasn’t achieved the greatness of his father has been difficult for Huck to deal with.  His efforts to impress his father on the poker tables always have always ended in disaster.

At a get-together, Huck meets Billie (Barrymore), a wanna-be singer who has come to Las Vegas to find work.  She lands a gig at a small club and the two celebrate by hitting the poker tables.  It’s a fun night as Huck teaches Billie the art of playing Texas Hold’em poker.  Their relationship soon deteriorates however as Billie realises the troubles that come with dating an unsuccessful professional gambler.

The film is littered with cameos from real life poker players.  There’s Daniel Negrano, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth.  I could list a dozen more but they’ll mean very little to those who don’t play.  Strangely though, these poker players don’t say anything nor are they identified by name.  I’d have liked to have seen them integrated more into the story.

For non-poker fans, you should be warned that there’s a lot of poker playing in the film.  Close to half the film is spent sitting at a poker table watching cards being dealt, chips being spilled and players being analysed.  Whilst these scenes are somewhat suspenseful, the rest of the film felt flat.  The character development felt rushed and underdone.  I was also confused by some of the supporting characters (such as Huck’s gambling buddies) and their significance in the film.

Despite the limitations in the story, director Curtis Hanson has still made a good-looking film.  Through the lens, he shows us the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts of Las Vegas.  I also think he’s done a great job picking up familiar poker sounds.  I love the noise of poker chips being shuffled and cards being dealt.

At just over two hours in duration, Lucky You is an average movie with a few redeeming qualities.  You can gamble if you wish but it may be in your best interests to keep your wallet in your pocket.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 April 2007

Maybe I’m hard to please but I’m tired of these Chinese movies that all feel the same.  They are set in ancient times, have lavish costumes and sets, feature the same actors and include plenty of martial arts sequences.  I speak of films such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House Of Flying Daggers and Fearless.  These movies all look great on the big screen but the increasing lack of originality has left me somewhat disinterested.  Why can’t I see a film set in modern day China?

Curse Of The Golden Flower is set in 10^th Century.  Emperor Ping (Chow) and Empress Phoenix (Gong) rule the land from their lavish Imperial Palace.  They have two sons – Jai and Yu.  The first person in line to the thrown however is the Crown Prince Wan, the Emperor’s son from a former marriage.

What follows is reminiscent of a Shakespearean tragedy.  The family disintegrates with a mix of lies, betrayal and sabotage.  Some act out of love and honour whilst others are in search of wealth and power.  The myriad of storylines left me confused at times but I won’t reveal anything else for those who wish to see the film for themselves (and who are prepared to pay closer attention than I did).

The last film I saw from director Yimou Zhang was House Of Flying Daggers.  It was a beautiful film visually and I have no choice but to make the same statement here.  Curse Of The Golden Flower looks incredible.  It was filmed at the Forbidden City which tourists can visit in Beijing, China.  Just wait till you see the rainbow of colours inside.  The costumes also deserve a mention as they were recently honoured with an Academy Award nomination.

As I eluded to earlier, the story being told in Flower didn’t excite me.  I had trouble following the events and much of it felt repetitive.  Why did I have to watch the Empress drink her medicine so many times?  Too much time is wasted in the lead-up to the dramatic finale.  Put simply – it’s a two hour snooze fest with glimpses of promise.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 May 2007

It often takes time for a play or musical to make the transition from the stage to the big screen.  That is not the case with The History Boys.  Capitalising on its popularity in both the UK and the United States, a cinematic version has already been made.  This movie features the entire original cast from when the play first debuted in London in May 2004.

Set in a middle-class school in Sheffield in the year 1983, the film follows a group of final year students and their quest to earn at place at either Cambridge or Oxford, the two most prestigious universities in the country.  Their two history teachers are Hector (Griffiths) and Mrs. Lintott (Tour).  They may have differing styles but they are well regarded.  Both are doing their utmost to give their students every chance at a successful life.

The Headmaster (Merrison) is concerned however.  He is worried that the school’s reputation will suffer if these students aren’t accepted into a top-class university.  Looking to give them a little “polish”, he employs a young teacher from Cambridge named Mr. Irwin (Moore).  Irwin’s focus is on making the class stand out.  He wants them to think outside of the square, for better or worse.

I really enjoyed watching this film.  Whilst my plot description may sound simplistic, there’s a lot of grey in the story.  It’s as if there’s something to like and dislike about each character.  It doesn’t happen often but I didn’t look at my watch once throughout the movie.  To use a metaphor, I was glued to the screen.

The movie has been written and directed by the same two people responsible for the play – Alan Bennett and Nicholas Hytner.  At times, I did feel like I was watching a video-taped version of the play as opposed to a free-flowing film.  Some of the discussions between the students in the classroom felt over rehearsed and unnatural.  Still, I enjoyed the intelligent dialogue.  Some insightful conversations are shared between characters on issues such as education, history, religion and sexuality.

Top performances are turned in from most of the cast.  I’d expect nothing less given that they had all performed for months at the Lyttelton Theatre in London.  As the two experienced educators, Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour are fantastic.  They bring depth and originality to their characters.  The same can’t be said of Clive Merrison as the Headmaster who was too one-sided.

There were a few elements to the story I’d have liked to have been explored further but on the whole, The History Boys has plenty to offer.  The early scenes provide plenty of laughs and the later scenes give you much to think about.  If given the chance, I’d love to see the stage play.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 April 2007

At the top of my reviews, I always list the director, writer and stars of the film.  It’s the easiest part of my reviews as it requires no thought – I simply grab the info from the Internet Movie Database.  I’ve run into a problem however with Paris, je t’aime as its structure is unlike any mainstream film that I’ve seen before.  It has 22 directors, 23 writers and 44 actors.

If you’re wondering how this can be, it’s because Paris, je t’aime is a compilation of short films which have been put together by some of the world’s most recognisable directors.  They were each given 5 minutes to tell a love story set in Paris.  This helps explain the English translation of the title which is Paris, I Love You.

As there are twenty different stories, there’s no point trying to provide a plot description.  This makes it a rather interesting movie-going experience because instead of seeing one big film, it feels like you’re seeing twenty tiny films.  For this reason, there aren’t the lulls that you’d expect in your usual two-hour flick.  The cast, the story and the style are always changing and this should keep your attention.

As you’d expect however, some tales are more interesting than others.  If you see the movies with others, you can debate which were the most enjoyable on the way home from the theatre.  It should come as no surprise that my favourite stories were those from my favourite directors.  These would be the scenes directed by Ethan and Joel Coen (Fargo), Gus Van Sant (Elephant), Tom Twyker (Run Lola Run) and Alexander Payne (Sideways).  Payne’s film (which appears at the very end) was my favourite.

The most recognisable members of the cast would be Steve Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman and Gena Rowlands.  There are plenty of other familiar faces and those that see plenty of movies, will easily spot them.  If you’re planning on seeing this film because you’re a fan of a certain actor, keep in mind that you won’t be seeing too much of them!

I went to Paris three years ago but now having seen Paris, je t’aime, I realise that there are some amazing places within the city that I haven’t experienced.  It makes me want to go back.  Collectively, the filmmakers have done a great job at capturing Paris’s beauty and spirit.

Whilst I liked the concept of this movie, too many of its stories weren’t to my liking.  I’d give some an A grading but others a C grading.  It makes it a hard film to review as a whole.  My overriding thought is that if I went to a short film festival (and there are plenty of them on during the year), I think I’d see a more exciting and original range of films.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 April 2007

I’ve been a big fan of the last two Spider-Man movies.  Still, I saw Spider-Man 3 with a degree of scepticism.  I was worried that the best material had already been used and that this new instalment would be both predictable and unoriginal.

I need not have been concerned because Spider-Man 3 is just as good as the previous two films.  There are a few things I’d have done differently but on the whole, it created both suspense and emotion.  Crucially however, it keeps its sense a humour.  I’m not a fan of super-hero movies that take themselves too seriously.

In this new film, Spidey (aka Peter Parker) will have to battle more than one villain.  Picking up from where the second film left off, Peter’s old friend Harry Osborn (Franco) is looking for revenge.  Harry believes that Spider-Man is responsible for his father’s death and he wants to settle the score.  Peter tries to convince Harry that it was not his fault but Harry isn’t listening.

As this goes on, Peter learns that the man arrested for his own father’s murder is innocent.  The real killer is Flint Marko (Church) and he was recently escaped from prison.  Just has Harry reacted to his father’s death, Peter’s strongest urge is also that of revenge.  Peter’s mother (Harris) warns him to “let it go” but Peter can’t help himself – he wants Marko brought to justice.  A darker side of Spidey is emerging…

As Peter tries to keep his emotions in check, his relationship with girlfriend Mary-Jane Watson (Dunst) starts to suffer.  They never seem to find any time to spend together.  Peter is always off saving the world and Mary-Jane is trying to make a career as an actress.  In the brief moments that they do see each other, the excitable Peter can’t help but talk about how much fun he has as Spider-Man.  Mary-Jane struggles to get a word in.

There’s a lot more to tell and a few more enemies that Spider-Man will have to confront but I’ll keep tight-lipped from this point on.  I liked the unexpected plot twists and the focus of the story was forever changing.  This is not a film where you can predict the ending within the first 5 minutes.

There’s an interesting “interlude” about two-thirds of the way through the film where Peter takes on a new personality.  The action-packed drama stops for about 15 minutes and we are treated to an amusing sequence where Peter plays “the bad boy”.  Some might be critical of this plot deviation but I enjoyed the break from the main storyline.  It’s one of my favourite parts of the film.

If the film has a downside, it’s the overuse of visual effects.  There is a fight sequence early in the film between Peter and Harry where they fly atop the city at night.  The camera angle seems to be changing every tenth of a second, there was little lighting and the characters moved very quickly.  As a result, I had trouble figuring out what was going on.  The screen was a giant blur.

As the first big Hollywood blockbuster to be released in 2007, I’m more than happy with Spider-Man 3.  It’ll make big money at the box-office but more importantly, it’s actually worth seeing.