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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 October 2006

I’ve been putting off this review for a while.  I’ve wanted to write it but haven’t been able to come up with the right words to describe the storyline and how I felt about it.  It’s not the kind of film you can describe in one sentence (and that’s a good thing).

The Hoover family are, to use an overused term, dysfunctional.  As head of the household, Richard (Kinnear) is a self-help guru struggling to make ends meet.  Few attend his seminars and no one is interested in publishing his “nine step” book.  Married to Sheryl (Collette), they have two children.  The eldest, Dwayne (Dano), has taken a vow of silence until he achieves his dream of joining the air force.  He hasn’t spoken in over a year.  Their young daughter, Olive (Breslin) is obsessed with beauty pageants and was the state runner-up in the recent Little Miss Sunshine show.  She’s coached by her foul mouthed grandfather, Edwin (Arkin)

The household is about to welcome a new addition.  Their Uncle Frank (Carell) recently tried to commit suicide after being left by his boyfriend, a young male college student.  The hospital wants Frank is to spend time with his family so he can clear his head and recuperate.  With no where else to go, he enters the Hoover’s strange world.

A simple phone call will send them on unexpected road trip.  The state winner of the Little Miss Sunshine pageant can’t make it to the national final and Olive has been called up as a replacement.  With no money for airfares, this nutty group set off from New Mexico in a dilapidated yellow Volkswagen van and head for California.  It’ll be a very bumpy ride.

A cross between National Lampoon’s Vacation and American Beauty, Little Miss Sunshine has proved to be an audience winner since it premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.  It cost a mere $8m (not bad for a film with three Oscar nominees) and a bidding war following the festival saw it purchased by 20^th Century Fox.  To date, it has taken in $55m at the U.S. box-office and there’s a strong push to see it figure in Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.

It’s a nice little movie with a fantastic ending but I found myself laughing less than the majority of people at my screening.  Maybe I’ve seen one too many film about warped families.  Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood at the time.  It’s still well above your average American comedy.  Its multi-layered characters and darker undertones make sure of that.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 October 2006

Given my day job as an accountant, I’m always missing the daytime advance screenings which are held for critics.  With The Departed, I was prepared to make an exception.  The lure of director Martin Scorsese and actors Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon was just too strong.  It looked to be one of the year’s finest releases and so I cleared my Monday afternoon schedule and snuck along to check it out.

Was it worth it?  The answer is a resounding yes.  When I walked out of the cinema two and a half hours later, I had a beaming smile on my face and couldn’t wait to tell everyone just how good it was.  I’ve used this analogy before but it is films like The Departed that reaffirm why I love movies.  I can be enthralled, entranced and entertained in a way that is too hard to fully describe.  That’s enough about my own mushy feelings.  Let’s get to the point and detail the many reasons why you need to see this film.

Ruling the crime world on the streets of Boston is mafia kingpin Frank Costello (Nicholson).  The 70-year-old lives by the motto that if you want something, you take it and you don’t let anyone stand in your way.  His regular goons collect “protection money” from shop owners but it’s petty change when you consider the international drug and arms deals that Frank instigates.

The Boston State Police have been trying for years to bring Costello down but it’s proving difficult to find enough evidence and getting it to stick.  To try to gain the upper hand, recent recruit Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) has been selected to become an undercover operative in Costello’s gang.  Frank knew Billy’s father and Detectives Queenan (Sheen) and Dignam (Wahlberg) think it’ll be enough to get Frank to trust Billy and not smell a rat.

What the police don’t know is that Frank has already infiltrated their own.  Colin Sullivan (Damon) has known Frank since he was a young boy.  With Frank’s financial assistance, Colin studied law and went through the police academy.  He now has a high profile position within their special operations unit and tips Frank off when the cops are closing in.

What transpires are two simultaneous games of cat and mouse.  Colin knows that the police have an undercover operative in Costello’s gang but his identity has been kept classified.  He needs to find out who it is before he has the chance to bring Frank down.  At the same time, Billy realises that Frank is getting information from someone inside the force.  He needs to unearth and stop the source or else he runs the risk of his cover being blown.  Who will be exposed first?

Every performance from every actor is incredible.  I’d be watching Matt Damon in one scene thinking that this is the best film that he’s ever done.  Five minutes later however, I’d was saying the same thing about Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg.  Every character acts and speaks with a tough exterior but the looks on their faces show their inner vulnerability.  They all have something to achieve but the risks are high.

If a film can hold my unrelenting attention for 149 minutes then the director must have done something right.  Martin Scorsese’s film sets a cracking pace.  There’s no time to catch your breath as the drama unfolds.  The shoot-out scenes are exactly as they should be – short and quick.  There’s plenty of coarse language and the violence is gruesome and bloody.

When you think of great mafia movies, classics such as Goodfellas (another Scorsese movie), Scarface and The Godfather come to mind.  Whilst it’s too early to include The Departed in their company (it must stand the test of time first), this is one hell of a ride that you must experience!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 October 2006

Set in the year 2027, Children Of Men takes a peek into an unimaginable future.  Females have become infertile and the last baby was born in the year 2009.  As the reality of the situation has sunk in, the world has disintegrated into complete chaos.  It’s “every person for themselves” as the government’s power over the people slips away.  A piece of graffiti on a building wall says it all - would the “last one to die please turn out the light.”

Theodore Faron (Owen) is a disenchanted diplomat working in London.  He goes to work, does what he needs to do, and returns home each day.  It gives him some sense of purpose but in the back of his mind, he knows the planet is doomed.  It’s hard not to think about.

Out the blue, Theo is approached by Julian (Moore), his ex-wife who he hasn’t seen in many years.  Julian has become a political activist and has approached Theo for a desperate favour.  She has a friend who needs to leave the country illegally and so wants Theo to use his government connections to obtain the necessary paperwork.

Theo reluctantly goes through with Julian’s request but it’s only the beginning.  He soon learns that Julian’s friend who needs the help, Kee (Ashitey), is eight months pregnant.  Word of Kee’s pregnancy hasn’t been made public however.  Radical groups who would like to get their hands on Kee for their own political benefit.  Julian and her team are trying to get Kee to a reputable commune known as The Human Project where both her needs and those of humanity will be best served.

Children Of Men starts out as a very depressing film.  It paints a grim look at society and the way we act when faced with a life-threatening situation.  It reminded me of the great Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later (released in 2002) which looked at a world wiped out by an incurable virus.  Both films are dark but they do create a positive vibe in that the human race is powerful enough to overcome any obstacle.

It stirs emotions but it also comes with a sense of unpredicibility.  Just when you think you have the characters figured out, they surprise.  Knowledge is power (as Francis Bacon famously said) but power can corrupt.  The fate of most characters in the film revolves around that theory.  Clive Owen’s subdued performance is great as is that of Michael Caine who provides a few laughs as Theo’s hippy father.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, A Little Princess) hasn’t put a foot wrong in recent years and Children Of Men is another impressive credit to place on his resume.  Cuaron admits to being haunted by the script when he first read it.  I was particularly struck by his quote that “the tyranny of the 21^st century is called democracy” and that this was one concept he wanted to explore in this film.  Once you’ve seen it, you’ll be conscious of the topical questions that it raises.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2006

Those that are sentimental will feel right at home with Robert Altman’s latest film, A Prairie Home Companion.  For decades, a live variety radio show known as A Prairie Home Companion has been broadcast on the WLT network in Texas.  It features a mix of country music and out-of-date humour.  In the words of narrator Guy Noir (Kline), “it was the kind of show that died 50 years ago but somebody forgot to tell them.”

Tonight though will be their last show.  The radio station has been bought out and their final broadcast is a time of both celebration and sadness for the tight-nit cast and crew.  They’ve poured their souls into the lovable program and this will be the final time they ever perform together.

Shot like a documentary, the film is typical Robert Altman.  Like some of his classic works, including Short Cuts and The Player, the camera follows its characters like a ghost.  It slowly moves about the set and focuses its attention on whoever is in the vicinity.  It’s reminiscent of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (my favourite director).  Funnily enough, Anderson was on call as the back up director for insurance purpose in case the 80-year-old Altman was not able to complete the film but he was not needed.

Given his reputation, Altman had no trouble assembling the cast of his choice.  Meryl Streep, Lilly Tomlin, Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are all traditional country singers.  Garrison Keillor (who also wrote the film) is the show’s MC.  Virginia Madsen is a mysterious lady who drifts in and out of the story.  Tommy Lee Jones acts on behalf of the new owners and has come to see the final show.  My two favourite characters were Maya Rudolph as the disinterested looking stage director and Kevin Kline as the witty narrator who has a zinger in every line.

A Prairie Home Companion was selected to open this year’s Brisbane International Film Festival.  It was a worthy choice and now that it has been released around the country, lovers of Robert Altman won’t want to pass it up.  It’s guaranteed to be one of his last.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 October 2006

There is a scene in this film where a man drinks horse semen.  That pretty much sums up what Jackass Two is all about.  If you find this gag more humorous than repulsive, then you’ll probably enjoy this film.  Alternatively, if you find it more repulsive than humorous, then get in the queue to watching something else.

Now that the recommendations are out of the way, I don’t quite know how to “critique” this film.  There’s no script, no acting and nothing special about the direction.  It’s simply a bunch of crazy guys performing disgusting and death defying stunts.

Other highlights in Jackass Number Two include (1) Bam having his ass burned with a penis shaped cattle brander, (2) Chris getting his penis bitten by a snake, (3) Johnny being shot into the air on a giant rocket, (4) Steve-O putting a fish hook through his cheek, (5) Steve-O putting a leech on his eyeball and (6) Dave wearing a fake beard made of pubic hair.

There are about 50 scenes in all.  Some left me physically squirming in my seat whilst others left me puzzled.  Jackass are entertaining but there are only so many ways that they can smash their heads and bruise their bodies.  I give them credit for their guts but more was needed to keep my attention for the full 90 minutes.

The biggest question regarding Jackass is whether or not they set a bad example.  Warnings tell us not to attempt any of their stunts but American adolescents have been killed doing just that.  I believe these guys have a right to do what they do but I understand those who are on the other side of the argument.  When you watch them perform these stunts and have so much fun doing it, it’s not surprising that impressionable kids try to replicate them.

The first film took in $64m at the U.S. box-office and Jackass Number Two is on track to do even better.  There’s certainly an audience for this form of entertainment but I’d interested to see how many of the cast survive to keep the series going.  I hope they’ve got life insurance.