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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 March 2015

It’s official.  I am out of touch with the youth of today.  Up until I saw the trailer for this film a few weeks ago, I was unfamiliar with the term DUFF.  It stands for “designated ugly fat friend” and apparently such folk are valuable to those of us who are fit, attractive and skinny.  The reasons are hard to explain without sounding like a complete schmuck.

The film is centred around a high school student named Bianca Piper (Whitman) who is told by her attractive next door neighbour, Wesley (Amell), that she’s a DUFF.  Bianca shrugs him off at first but the more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense.  So many people talk to her… but it’s only because they want to get more information about her two best friends (who just so happen to be very attractive).

We’ve seen these female-centric make-over movies many times before.  Think The Princess Diaries, She’s All That, Clueless, Mean Girls, Pretty Woman, Grease, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Devil Wears Prada and Miss Congeniality.  The irony of these films is that while they are putting forward a positive message, the actors themselves would never have trouble getting a date in real life.  They’re only made to look “unattractive” thanks to the help of the costume designers and make-up artists.

The same applies in The DUFF.  26-year-old Mae Whitman has already put together a comprehensive resume that includes roles in Arrested Development, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.  She’s a smart, pretty, pimple-free young woman who director Ari Sandel has turned into a “designated ugly fat friend” by giving her daggy clothes, a dull hairstyle, and a lifeless facial expression.

The premise of the film won’t come as a surprise to anyone.  Bianca and Wesley make a pact.  She’ll help him lift his grades so that he won’t lose his spot as the star captain of the football team.  He’ll help her lift her social standing by giving her confidence… and an improved wardrobe.  The end goal is Toby – a blond-haired, music-playing boy that Bianca has had a crush on for years.

The DUFF has most of the trademarks that you’d expect with a film like this.  There’s the school’s stuck-up, pretentious cheerleader-type who is devoted to becoming queen at the homecoming dance.  There’s also a group of humorous teachers who are quick to dispense advice.

Just when you think the film might take a chance with something new, it falls back and takes the soft option.  The best example is a sequence where Bianca is presented with a choice of two great guys.  What could be a very difficult choice… turns out to be a very easy one thanks to a convenient plot device.

That’s not to say that the film isn’t entertaining.  Yes, it uses a well-worn textbook but thanks to some quality casting and a likeable screenplay from writer Josh Cagan, there are still plenty of laughs.  Mae Whitman goes a solid job selling her clichéd character.  The older actors, which include Ken Jeong and Allison Janney, chime in with some goofy comic relief.

While The DUFF isn’t as fresh as other teen-orientated films such as Mean Girls and Easy A, it’s still a fun way of spending two hours.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 March 2015

How much sugar is contained in your favourite foods?  Are all types of sugar the same?  What is a reasonable amount of sugar to have in a single day?  What effect does sugar have on your weight, your waist line, and your heart rate?  Which is worse – a high fat diet or a high sugar diet?  All of these questions are answered in the aptly titled That Sugar Film – a documentary from Australian actor Damon Gameau (Balibo).

Gameau opens with the Depeche Mode song “Just Can’t Get Enough” and looks back on a time where he smoked heavily and ate a lot of bad food.  He cleaned up his act after meeting his current partner, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith, in 2009.  Thanks to his improved diet and a quick burst of exercise each day, Gameau is now a model of good health.  He weighs in at 74kgs and has ideal blood pressure.

It wasn’t until he underwent his “transformation” that Gameau realised how much sugar he was consuming and how it was affecting his life.  It’s something that many food and drink production companies would prefer to keep quiet.  Sugar can be just as addictive as tobacco, alcohol and other illicit drugs.  If you want to find out for yourself, try cutting sugar out of your diet for a few weeks and see how your body reacts.

Reminiscent of Morgan Spurlock in the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, Gameau decided to make his point by showing the effects on his own body.  He consumed 40 teaspoons of sugar each day for 2 months.  The catch was that they could only be “hidden” sugars.  Instead of drinking 4 cans of soft drink, Gameau sought out common products from supermarket shelves that contain high levels of sugar.  You’ll be surprised by some of the items he picks.

As you’d expect, the change in diet causes some interesting results.  If it didn’t, this documentary would never have seen the light of day.  The film is about more than just Gameau though.  To watch him eat for 90 minutes might be tedious and so he’s broken it up with a few adventures.  One involves him travelling to an Indigenous community that has banned soft drink.  Another sees him travel to the United States and analyse the level of sugar in their own foods compared to the rest of the world.

That Sugar Film marks Gameau’s directorial debut and it’s an insightful, well-made documentary.  It includes cameos from the lines of Stephen Fry, Hugh Jackman and Brenton Thwaites who clearly have an interest in the topic.  It also features some cool special effects which help make the subject clearer and more appealing (especially to younger audiences).  A concluding musical number, complete with song and dance, is really fun too.

We don’t see too many Australian documentaries get a substantial release in this country and so hopefully That Sugar Film finds an audience and gets its message out there.  I know I’ll be looking at food packaging labels a little more closely from now on.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 March 2015

Most would know 69-year-old Alan Rickman as the English actor who has appeared in such films as Die Hard, Sense & Sensibility, Galaxy Quest and Love Actually.  Most wouldn’t know that Rickman once directed a film.  The Winter Guest was a low budget feature that starred Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law.  It was released back in 1997 and made just under $1 million at the U.S. box-office.

Rickman had always wanted to direct again.  Unfortunately, he was side tracked by his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise which ran for 10 years.  It wasn’t long after Potter wrapped up that he came across a script from first-time writer Alison Deegan.  Attracted to the freshness of her writing, it was just the project he wanted to sink his teeth into.

The story is set in Paris, 1682 and while it is a work of fiction, it does use characters and locations that many will be familiar with.  King Louis XIV (Rickman) is the process of building a large palace in the country town of Versailles that is to become the centre of French politics.  The grounds include an expansive garden and when the film opens, Louis is looking for a specialist gardener to create a feature landmark.  He’s after something that could be regarded as “a window to perfection.”

One of the King’s offsiders (Schoenaerts), André Le Notre, is put in charge of the project and after a lengthy selection process he makes the controversial choice to go with a woman, Sabine De Barra (Winslet).  Her ideas took chances and ignored convention.  Unlike her fellow gardeners, Sabine was someone who didn’t believe in “order over landscape.”

There are a number of elements to the storyline, most of which revolve around Sabine.  We get glimpses of her troubled past in an effort to try to understand who she is today.  We follow her search for love that leads her into the arms of André, a man already trapped in a peculiar marriage.  We see her battle unions and her competitors in an effort to see her stunning garden completed in time.

The film culminates with a delightful sequence where we finally get to see Sabine’s garden.  It includes a finely choreographed dance number and a great film score from young composer Peter Gregson.  Unfortunately, the lead up is a little slow, dull.  It’s a very “niche” premise and it’s hard to get too excited watching someone construct a garden.  I was more interested in the inter-play between Sabine and André as their romantic feelings develop.

Kate Winslet (Titanic, The Reader) is the pick of the cast with her leading performance as Sabine.  It’s also nice to see her working alongside Alan Rickman again.  They featured in one of my all-time favourite period piece films, Sense & Sensibility, released 20 years ago.  Stanley Tucci also steals a few scenes with his light-hearted performance as a wealthy, stylish duke.

Those curious about this period of history may be intrigued but there’s not quite enough content in A Little Chaos to provide broader appeal.

You can read my chat with Alan Rickman by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 March 2015

When you’re on a good thing, stick with it.  That would appear to be the current mantra of Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson.  In A Walk Among The Tombstones, he was an alcoholic detective trying to hunt down a killer.  In Non-Stop, he was alcoholic air marshal trying to identify a terrorist.  In Taken 3, he was a former CIA operative trying to track down his wife’s killer.  These films haven’t been spread throughout his career.  All have been released in the past 14 months.

Run All Night has been cut from the same mould.  Neeson plays Jimmy Conlon – a retired hitman struggling with alcoholism.  He lives alone, he has few friends, and he has almost no money to his name.  The first time we meet Jimmy, he’s trying to borrow $800 to fix his heater at home.  He’s killed a lot of people (comes with the job I guess) but Jimmy’s biggest regret is that he’s lost touch with Mike (Kinnaman), his only son.  Mike is ashamed of his father’s past and they haven’t spoken to each other in 5 years.

They’re about to reunited… but in very complicated circumstances.  Mike, a self-employed limo driver, witnesses a series of murders while driving one night.  The perpetrator is no ordinary guy.  He’s the son of Shawn Maguire (Harris), a wealthy, powerful, influential mobster.  Shawn intends to use his contacts within the New York City Police Force to frame Mike for the crime so as to protect his own son.

With the stage set, the action can begin.  Jimmy reconnects with Mike and the pair finds themselves running all over the city in an effort to elude not just the authorities, but also Shawn’s numerous hitmen.  There are gun fights, punch-ups, car chases, explosions, and burning buildings.  It’ll tick a lot of boxes for those who are fans of the action genre.

Run All Night marks the third collaboration between Neeson and Spanish-born director Jaume Collet-Serra.  They previously worked together on Unknown and Non-Stop.  The film’s most puzzling element is the way in which it provides a glimpse of the ending at the very start.  It’s a technique that I’m growing tired of.  What purpose does it serve to know that Neeson is going to end up on the ground with a bullet in his chest?  Why lessen the suspense? 

There’s nothing particularly subtle or ground breaking about the premise either.  Jimmy Conlon has made a LOT of mistakes in his past and now he’s trying to seek redemption by doing everything in his power to save his son.  You can expect to hear such “insightful” dialogue as “this is between you and me, leave my son out of it.”  It’s a part of the reason why Jimmy is happy to do all the killing (so as not to tarnish his son’s innocence).

The “cat and mouse” action sequences represent the film’s strongest attributes.  There’s a great scene where Jimmy and Mike navigate their way through a large apartment block while trying to escape the police and a ruthless hitman (played by Common).  Neeson will also woo many with his charm (he makes for a worthy good-bad guy) but on the whole, Run All Night is a little underwhelming.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 March 2015

We’ve been treated to a flurry of modernised, live action fairy tales over the past decade.  The list includes Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Snow White & The Huntsman, Red Riding Hood, Enchanted, Alice In Wonderland, Mirror Mirror and Jack The Giant Slayer.

Director Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Thor) has taken a different approach to Cinderella.  Instead of altering and remodelling this famous classic tale, he’s providing us with a very traditional version.  There are no unexpected twists, no major surprises and certainly no vampires.

It’s a much beloved story but it wasn’t until I saw Branagh’s version that I realised that the premise is somewhat “out dated”.  Poor Cinderella must slave after her villainous step mother and two step sisters following the death of her father.  That is until she meets a young, handsome prince at a lavish ball.  She can then live out the dream that apparently every girl wants – to marry into royalty and to live happily ever after.

I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen’s and the same question could be asked of her works from the early 19^th Century.  Austen’s central characters were often women who wanted to find a wealthy, loving husband.  When she won an Oscar for adapting Sense & Sensibility, writer Emma Thompson jokingly thanked producer Sydney Pollock “for asking all the right questions like why couldn’t these women go out and get a job?”

The catch with Austen’s work is that this was representative of the times in which she lived.  Women didn’t work.  Women weren’t independent.  They simply came “of age” and then valiantly tried to find a suitor so as not to become a bitter, childless spinster.  The difference with Cinderella is that it’s a simple fairy tale not pinned to a point in history. 

To digress further, while it wasn’t particularly well executed, part of the reason I liked Into The Woods is because it threw out the fairy tale textbook.  Instead of living happily ever after, Cinderella found out that the prince was a self-absorbed, cheating scumbag.

What then is the moral of Cinderella?  Is it just a comforting story that makes us believe in good things happening to good people?  What then of the fairy godmother?  Is it trying to show us that there is a higher power that will guide us when the time is right?  Do Cinderella’s good looks come into the equation?  Did everything work out because of her stylish glass slippers and long, beautiful blonde hair?

Before I get too far off track, I should say that yes, I liked this movie.  It’s colourfully shot, has some great dialogue, and its themes come through loud and clear.  I’d argue it’s targeted at kids but there’s enough here for most audiences to appreciate.  Credit also belongs with writer Chris Weitz, the Oscar nominated screenwriter of About A Boy.

Above all else, the best reason I can give to see this film is Cate Blanchett.  She’s incredibly good as the evil stepmother.  She delivers her ruthless barbs with precision… but you also get a strong sense of her character’s deep seeded insecurities.  Many won’t be familiar with the name but Lily James also impresses in the title role and will be a name to watch going forward.

While I would have preferred this story to be adapted to a current day setting, Cinderella will still provide enchantment for younger crowds over the upcoming school holidays.