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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 February 2007

Eisenheim (Norton) is a talented magician working in Vienna in the early 20^th century.  Word has spread of his masterful illusions and he performs in front of a packed theatre every evening.  No one can understand how he pulls off his tricks.  Some think that he has supernatural powers.  The mystery only adds to his popularity.

The show has attracted the attention of Vienna’s Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell).  Leopold is unhappy with Eisenheim’s “celebrity status” and intends to diminish his notoriety by exposing his secrets.  Helping in his task is Inspector Uhl (Giamatti), an amateur magician and close friend of Leopold.

Unexpectedly drawn into the saga is Leopold’s fiancé, Sophie (Biel).  Eisenheim and Sophie were once childhood sweethearts but they haven’t seen each other since they were kids.  Now, in Vienna, fate has reunited them.  Leopold is furious on learning of their romantic history wants Eisenheim arrested (for whatever reason Inspector Uhl can think of).

The Illusionist is a very intriguing movie.  The story had grabbed me within ten minutes and I was incredibly interested to know what would happen next.  Edward Norton (Primal Fear) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways) deliver two strong performances and the interaction between them is great.  Uhl subtly presses for information and Eisenheim subtly offers nothing.  Each is playing their own game.

The look of the film is also superb.  This is not a story that could be told in the modern era and so we are transported back to early 1900s thanks to impressive sets and costumes.  Also noticeable is an overall lack of colour.  It gives the film an old-style look and has earned cinematographer Dick Pope an Academy Award nomination.

After setting the stage so beautifully, the film flops in its final moments.  The explanation of the mysteries is too rushed and there were some other questions which weren’t satisfactorily answered.  I can’t say any more without giving too much away.  It’s a shame given that 95% of the film is very enjoyable.

It’s strange that we’ve had two films about magicians released in the past three months.  Last November, we were treated to The Prestige with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman.  They share a few similarities but for the most part, they are very different films.  The Prestige gets my vote as the better but both films provide decent entertainment.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 February 2007

I tried to start this review by describing the characters and the situation they find themselves in.  It was too difficult a task.  To sum it up as best I can, Little Children is the story of a group of ordinary looking people who live in an ordinary looking neighbourhood.  In the company of others, they present themselves as happy individuals.  Deep down, they are not.

It may sound a little like Desperate Housewives but Little Children offers much more.  It’s a thought provoking drama from Todd Field, the director of In The Bedroom, and Tom Perrotta, author of Election (made into a 1999 film with Reese Witherspoon).  It feels like an emotional rollercoaster.  In one scene you’ll dislike a particular character and in the next, you’ll be sympathising with them.  The film highlights the often forgotten reality that the people around us aren’t always who they appear to be.

Little Children is anything but conventional.  It’s as if there’s a randomness to the whole movie.  We move between the inter-locking stories with no sense of where we’re going next.  Characters are introduced (some later than others) and you’re never quite sure what purpose they’ll serve.  A narrator pops in from time-to-time to help explain the strange happenings but his deep voice only adds to the film’s disturbing tone.

As a bored mother looking for attention, Kate Winslet has earned her fifth Academy Award nomination.  That’s an incredible achievement for an actress who is just 31 years of age.  The fact that she chose this low-budget movie (over more highly paid projects) says volumes about the quality of the script and her own great taste.

The other performance receiving attention is that of Jackie Earle Haley as a convicted sex offender looking for a fresh start.  Haley starred in the 1976 original of The Bad News Bears (as a 14-year-old) and hasn’t made a movie in 13 years.  In his first role back, Haley has earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor and picked up plenty of critics’ awards.  It’s a great comeback story.

I’ve dropped a few hints as to the types of issues that Little Children explores.  It is confronting but I like what it has to say.  Nothing is as simple as black and white.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 February 2007

Less than four months, Flags Of Fathers was released in Australian cinemas.  Focusing on a small group of marines, it showed how U.S. troops took control of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima near the end of World War II.  Clint Eastwood’s film highlighted the difficulty of the battle and the uncertainty with which the vulnerable soldiers fought.  I really enjoyed it.

Letters From Iwo Jima tells the same story but from the opposite perspective.  Also directed by Clint Eastwood, it looks at how the Japanese soldiers prepared for combat and how they did their best to repel the advancing U.S. military.

Eastwood’s concept of making two films from differing standpoints is masterful.  The young soldiers on both sides are fighting because they believe in honouring and protecting their country.  These soldiers didn’t start the war nor do they have no personal grievances against the men they are firing at.  You will understand both the U.S. and Japanese perspectives and it may lead you to wonder why they’re even fighting at all.

Letters From Iwo Jima follows several characters but the two most focal are Saigo (Ninomiya), an unmotivated solider who knows that he will be killed, and General Kuribayashi (Watanabe), the passionate strategist chosen to lead the operation.  Things look promising early for the Japanese but the situation deteriorates with each passing day.  Unlike the Americans, they have no navy ships or air force planes to help defend the island.  It is a battle that cannot be won.

Most critics have been in agreement that Letters From Iwo Jima is superior to Flags Of Our Fathers.  Iwo Jima won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film and has been nominated for best picture at the Oscars.  Flags has been largely ignored this award season.

I think both films are great and find it hard to separate them.  I enjoyed Flags more for its narrative (particularly the story regarding the heroes being exploited back home) but I enjoyed Iwo Jima more for the sense of pointlessness and hopelessness that it creates.  Someone suggested taking the best scenes from both films and turning it into one giant movie.  I’m not sure if it would work but I’d like to see how it would turn out.

Ten years ago, Clint Eastwood was known as one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.  Now, he is known as one of Hollywood’s greatest directors.  He can make a damn good movie.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 February 2007

Music & Lyrics is a romantic comedy that uses a traditional formula.  The boy gets the girl, loses the girl and then gets the girl back.  Unless this is the first movie you’ve ever seen, you’ll be able to predict everything with near certainty.  Those more experienced filmgoers can play a game to see who can count the most clichés.

Despite this, the film is marginally saved by the comedy of star Hugh Grant.  I can only assume that many of his jokes were improvised because he’s much funnier than the rest of the cast.  His smart one-liners (which largely pay out himself) brought a smile to my hardened face.

Back in the mid 1980s, Alex Fletcher (Grant) was the star of a five-man boy band group called Pop.  During the film’s opening credits, we hear them sing a lovey-dovey song targeted at their adoring female audience.  For those that saw the Australian Film Boytown (released in October last year), you’ll be thinking of the many similarities.

Pop broke up in the early 1990s and Alex’s solo career flopped after just one album.  This loyal manager (Garrett) has tried to keep him in the business but Alex’s only jobs of late have been at high school reunions and small carnivals.  He’s more than happy to admit that he’s a “has been”.

Out of the blue, Alex is approached by star-of-the-moment Haley Bennett (Corman).  She’s recently been dumped by her boyfriend and wants someone to write the lyrics to a song which expresses her feelings.  She’s always liked Alex’s music and has given him less than a week to put words to paper.

Alex desperately needs the job (for both money and fame) but is struggling with writer’s block.  He’s great at composing music but struggles with the lyrics.  From nowhere, enters Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), the woman who waters the plants in his high-rise apartment.  After Alex hears her mumbling a few catchy tunes, he pleads for her help.  Soon enough, the two are staying up all night and putting together a perfect love song.

There are so many strange aspects to this story that didn’t agree with me.  I couldn’t understand why Barrymore’s character was so dumb in some scenes (e.g. watering plastic plants) and so insightful in others (e.g. her thoughts on not selling out).  There’s also a bizarre sub-plot involving an ex-boyfriend (played by Campbell Scott) and I couldn’t see the value in its inclusion.

In relation to Alex and Sophie’s growing relationship, I also had trouble believing it.  Alex comes across as being very self-absorbed and he makes some offensive comments early in the film.  Sophie doesn’t seem to care until the later stages when a flimsy argument is used to divide the happy pair.  It just didn’t feel right.

As for the ending, every loose end is wrapped up with ridiculous ease.  This may sound like another criticism but in a way, it’s not.  For those who like their traditional romantic comedies, the sweet finale will give you exactly what you want.  I was a fan of the conclusion but wish the opening and middle sections of the film had more substance.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 February 2007

Maurice (O’Toole) and Ian (Phillips) are two very elderly gentlemen in London.  They were once famous actors but as they have aged, the number of good parts has dried up.  It seems the only role Maurice is being offered is that playing a corpse.  He jokes that he’s cornered the market.

Our wrinkly duo have reached a point in their lives where they do whatever they want.  Their daily routine involves drinking, swearing and checking the obituaries to see if any friends have died.  They try not to show the effects of their age but time is slowly catching up with them.  Their minds may still be sharp but their bodies will only let them do so much.

Looking for help around the house, Ian agrees to let his niece’s teenage daughter move in.  Her name is Jessie (Whittaker) and she has moved to London to pursue a modelling career.  Ian’s hope that she will cook and clean for him is short lived.  Jessie is a lazy, self-absorbed bum who is just looking for a free ride.  He’s now stuck in a worse position that he was before she arrived.

Secretly enjoying Ian’s predicament, Maurice seizes the opportunity and strikes up a friendship with the young girl.  He takes her to the theatre, to art galleries and on long walks.  He loves giving attention to Jessie and he loves the fact that she’s giving it in return.  Maurice is enjoying the challenge of seducing a girl who is 60 years his junior.  He can’t help himself.  It’s given his life a sense of purpose.

The whole idea for this film may sound a little twisted but it’s handled tastefully by director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Changing Lanes).  Some may think that Maurice is a dirty, old sleazebag but I saw him as a lonely man looking for an enthusiastic person to spend time with.  He knows his life his nearing an end but spending tie with Jessie makes him feel much younger.

Peter O’Toole’s performance has received rave reviews.  He has earned his 8th Academy Award nomination and should he lose (as expected to Forest Whitaker), he will own the record for the most acting nominations without a win.  O’Toole’s many years of experience are on full show in Venus.  He will win you over with some witty gags (too intelligent for Jessie) and some heart-warming scenes where his Maurice’s insecurities are on full display.

As a criticism, I thought the film struggled in its middle stages.  My attention waned and I was more interested in seeing the ending than enduring more character development between Maurice and Jessie.  It’s not for everyone but I get the feeling that those in the mood to see it, will find much to like.