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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 March 2007

Many people will remember Dangerous Minds, the 1995 release which starred Michelle Pfeiffer.  It was the story of a young, white teacher who went into a poverty stricken school and made a difference.  Her multi-racial students lacked both knowledge and discipline but she won them over with her unique teaching style.  She inspired them to study hard and make something of their lives.

The same plot description could be used to describe Freedom Writers.  Instead of Michelle Pfeiffer however, we have two time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don’t Cry).  On seeing the trailer for the first time, I could have sworn I was watching Dangerous Minds 2.

Whilst the plot didn’t offer anything I haven’t seen before, I did enjoy the film’s spirit.  In the last hour, there are some great scenes between Swank (as teacher Erin Gruwell) and her students.  You can feel her passion for wanting to make a difference.  If the film’s job is to inspire others then it does it’s very best to do so.  It has been made with good intentions.

The story is hampered however by its predictability and its use of clichés.  The opening scenes are particularly bad.  Erin struggles to connect with her students and her naivety is over done.  So too were the performances from the other teachers in the school who criticise Erin’s methods.  They come off looking worse than the devil.  Was the real story this black and white?

Patrick Dempsey plays the husband and Scott Glenn plays the father.  They may be high profile actors but their characters are surprisingly kept in the background.  They pop into the story every now and again and then fade away with little fuss.  It’s strange because I think their stories are more interesting than some of the students.

Director Richard LaGravenese has had a successful script-writing career having adapted such books as A Little Princess, The Bridges Of Madison County and The Horse Whisperer.  Freedom Writers is another of his adaptations but this time around, LaGravenese gets to sit in the director’s chair.  He effectively uses rap music to set the tone and please younger audiences.

Given the time frame between Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers, I’d estimate that we’ll see another similar film in about ten years.  With the lack of original ideas coming out of Hollywood, it may even be sooner.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 March 2007

Hot Fuzz is a spoof in disguise.  It makes fun of American action films but it also has a half-decent plot.  If you get too caught up in the story, you may miss some of the references (some subtle and some not-so-subtle) to other classic flicks.

Many people have been waiting for this film with eager anticipation.  In 2004, Simon Pegg wrote and starred in Shaun Of The Dead.  Best described as a “zombie satire”, it developed cult status.  I wasn’t a big fan of it when I first saw it but it’s the kind of film that grows on you with each viewing.  Pegg and co-star Nick Frost were a terrific comedy duo.  They kept coming up with side-splitting jokes in life-threatening situations.

Hot Fuzz is Simon Pegg’s follow up.  He wrote the script with friend Edgar Wright (who is the film’s director) and has gotten Nick Frost back as his side kick.  Given Pegg’s increased profile, a few notable English actors feature in supporting roles.  They include Jim Broadbent, Steve Coogan, Timothy Dalton, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy.

The story begins in London where Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is regarded as the best in the police force.  Unfortunately, the fact that he’s so good is making the other officers around him look bad.  The Chief Inspector (Nighy) has decided to take action to remedy the situation.  He’s reassigning Angel to the small country town of Sandford.  With its tiny population, Sandford is “the safest village in the country”.  There hasn’t been a murder in over 20 years.

Angel is not happy with his new appointment.  His lack of enthusiasm is further dampened when he meets Sandford’s current police force.  Led by Inspector Frank Butterman (Broadbent), they give new meaning to the word lazy.  They turn a blind eye to pretty much everything.

When two citizens are found in a car crash with their heads missing, Angel suspects foul play.  His thoughts fall on deaf ears however – everyone else thinks it was an unfortunate accident.  When more people turn up dead however, Angel knows that something is amiss.  With the help of his dim-witted partner (Frost), Angel goes in search of answers.

Like Shaun Of The Dead, there are plenty of “laugh out loud” moments to be had in Hot Fuzz.  I also enjoyed the film’s overall comedic tone - it’s funny even when the cast aren’t cracking one-liners.  Just watching the anguished look on Pegg’s face throughout the entire film was enough for me.  He’s the only serious person in a town of loonies.

If you’re a fan of Shaun Of The Dead, I strongly recommend that you see this.  If you never got the chance to Shaun Of The Dead, then I strongly recommend that you see both.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 March 2007

Bobby is a film which is set entirely in one location on one day.  The venue is the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles and the date is 4 June 1968.  Those who know their U.S. history will recognise the significance of the time in place.  At 12:15am on the morning on 5 June 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the hotel’s kitchen.  He was killed just minutes after giving a famous victory speech following his success in the Democratic Presidential primaries in California and South Dakota.

This movie isn’t a re-telling of the assassination.  In fact, no actor plays Robert Kennedy.  The only time we see Kennedy is when we’re watching real archival footage.  The film’s focus is on the era itself – its people and the challenges they faced.

For this reason, Emilio Estevez’s movie features a myriad of stories.  I don’t think you’ll find a bigger celebrity cast list in another film this year.  We follow a range of hotel employees, members of Kennedy’s election team, and a few guests.  I could list them all but I’d be here for a while.  Let’s just say that this is a true “ensemble drama”.

Some stories and more interesting that others but you’d expect that.  I take issue with the fact that whilst this based around the actual death of Robert F. Kennedy, the characters in the film are all fictional.  I don’t know if it would have been possible but I’d have preferred to have had their stories based on real accounts.  I felt sympathetic watching some of the characters get shot in the final scene but this feeling was dispelled on learning that these people never existed in reality.

Given the number of separate stories, there isn’t the time to become involved with many of the characters.  It lacks depth and some people felt unnecessary and pointless.  It’s not a bad film but one which could have been better given the impressive cast.  Those looking to reflect back on the 60s may find it more appealing that others.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 March 2007

“Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't.”  A reference to this Mark Twain quote is made during the Man Of The Year.  It’s ironic because this work of fiction is simply impossible to believe.  Every new event seemed illogical and the further the film went, the more frustrating it became.

Tom Dobbs (Williams) is a comedian with a popular talk-show on television.  It is similar in style to such shows as Real Time With Bill Maher and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.  A presidential election is imminent and Dobbs uses his show to criticise both the Republican and Democratic candidates.  He’s sick of “party politics” and the many lobbyists who donate large sums of money to these candidates for something in return.

An audience member at one of Tom’s shows suggests that he run for president as an independent.  The idea takes off and soon enough, Tom is on the ballot.  It reminded me of when Ross Perot ran and received 19% of the popular vote in the 1992 election (against George Bush and Bill Clinton).

Helping Tom with his campaign is manager, Jack Menken (Walken).  Jack suggests that Tom simply be himself.  Don’t try to get too serious or too political.  Instead, just try to be funny – something that the other candidates cannot offer.  They knew that Tom had no chance of winning the election.  Early polls confirmed that fact.  The purpose of his campaign was to send a message to the two major candidates and their massive fundraising teams.

It all goes pear-shaped when Tom actually wins.  Despite exit-polls giving him zero chance, the computerised voting system declares him a narrow winner.  How you may ask?  There is a glitch in the vote counting software.  The only person who suspects the irregularity is computer programmer Elenaor Green (Linney).  She tries to tell her bosses that there’s a problem but they ignore her – they don’t want the public to know that the computer program is faulty as it will reduce the company’s stock price.

How is it that no one in the entire planet can put two and two together?  With every poll showing that Dobbs had no chance, you’d think someone would be suss.  The plot further disintegrates when Elenaor goes in search of Tom to tell him the truth.  What happens then?  They fall in love.

One of my all-time favourite political comedies is Wag The Dog, released in 1997.  In Dog, the current president becomes involved in a sex-scandal with an under-aged girl just days before the election.  With the help of a Hollywood producer, his team create a fictitious war in Albania to keep the scandal off the front page of the papers.  It was an incredibly witty comedy which earned an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay and best actor (Dustin Hoffman).  I could watch it over and over again.

This may sound hard to believe but Man Of The Year is written and directed by Barry Levinson, the same man who directed as Wag The Dog.  The fact that I love Wag The Dog so much makes Man Of The Year even more disappointing.  I’d given up on it by the half-way mark.  It may be trying to make a point about the American political system but it needed a lot more realism.  I’d like to think that Mark Twain would agree.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 March 2007

Little Miss Sunshine was tipped by many to win the Oscar for best picture last week.  It was defeated by The Departed and some have attributed its loss to the fact that it’s a comedy.  Facts don’t lie - only one comedy in the last 30 years has won the Academy’s top prize (Shakespeare In Love).  This verifies what I’ve mentioned before.  Comedy is the hardest genre to perfect because we all have a different sense of humour.

Never has a truer example been provided than Wild Hogs.  It is the story of four ageing men who are in desperate need of a holiday.  Doug (Allen) is a workaholic who refuses to take a break.  Woody (Travolta) is a lawyer who has just found out that he’s broke.  Bobby (Lawrence) is an out-of-work plumber who is talked down to by his wife.  Dudley (Macy) is a computer geek with an inability to talk to women.

The quartet go on a motorcycle road trip to rediscover themselves.  They leave their mobile phones behind and have no set destinations planned.  They’re just going to see where the open road takes them.   They end up in some pretty wacky situations but I’ll let you find out for yourself.

When I saw this trailer for the first time, I was immediately turned off.  A buddy comedy with Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy and Martin Lawrence had no appeal to me.  It appears I am in the minority and it comes back to what I said earlier about the different styles of comedy.  Wild Hogs made a whopping $38m in its first weekend in the United States.  Were these the same people who took Norbit to the top of the charts two weeks ago?

If you’re trying to gauge the type of humour being offered here, then I can easily explain.  Wild Hogs features plenty of poo jokes and gay jokes.  Some will burst into hysterics whilst others will sit silently.  I didn’t laugh too often but I admit that a few one-liners, particularly from William H. Macy, did tickle my funny bone.  There’s also a great cameo late in the film from an actor who will remain nameless (at least in this review).

I can’t recommend this personally but if you do go and see it, there’s a better than 50/50 chance that you’ll enjoy it.