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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 October 2014

I’m really not sure we needed another vampire movie.  It’s a genre that’s been well covered over the past decade with films including Vampire Academy, Only Lovers Left Alive, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Dark Shadows, Let Me In, Daybreakers and 30 Days Of Night.  There’s also a bunch of popular franchises including Night Watch, Underworld and Twilight.  We’ve even reached the point where spoofs are being created – check out Vampires Suck and What We Do In The Shadows as examples.

Anyway, first-time writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have tried to come up with their own fresh take on the genre. Dracula Untold is an origin story which shows us how a 15^th Century Transylvanian prince was transformed into one of the world’s most infamous vampires.  Don’t expect it to be wrapped up too neatly.  Several plots have been left open for possible sequels (provided this film makes a profit).

The film opens by introducing us to popular prince known to most as Vlad the Impaler (Evans).  It’s a nickname well earned.  During war time, impaling his victims on giant spears was his favourite form of execution.  Vlad may be a powerful warrior but he’s no match for a domineering Sultan (Cooper) who controls the kingdom with a 100,000-man army.  The Sultan’s latest demand is that that Vlad hand over 1,000 children, including his own son, so that they can be trained and added to his growing militia.

It’s the last straw for Vlad.  As the saying goes – desperate men do desperate things.  He heads into the mountains and tracks down a vampire named Caligula (Dance) who many believed to be a legend.  Vlad asks to be transformed into a blood sucking creature so that he will have the power to defeat the Sultan’s army and hence, protect his family.  Caligula provides a sinister warning – “what kind of man crawls into his own grave in search of hope?”

Oh, but there exists a fairy tale type loophole.  Vlad will only be transformed into a vampire for 3 days.  That’ll be just enough time to slay the Sultan.  After that, he will return to his life as a mortal human and live happily ever after (or so I assumed).  However, if he drinks the blood of a human inside of those 3 days, he will remain a vampire for all eternity.  The bottom line – don’t drink any blood or you’re screwed.

I realise it’s a fantasy flick but I still had trouble going along with several parts to the story.  If Caligula is so unsatisfied with his life (you’ll see what I mean), why doesn’t he just walk out into the sunlight and kill himself?  As for Vlad, why does he wait for the Sultan’s army to come to him?  Shouldn’t he go straight after them to save time?

There are a few noteworthy elements (I like the idea that Dracula is a bit of a family man) but the film generally plays out like a standard action flick.  For example, Vlad can kill 1,000 men by himself in a matter of minutes… and yet he has to “lower himself” to a choreographed sword fight during the film’s finale.  We’ve seen it before.  We’ll see it again.

The cast do their job.  Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6) does his best to look as aggrieved and tortured as possible.  Sarah Gordon (Cosmopolis) does what most females did in the 15^th Century – playing second fiddle to their husband.  It’s Charlies Dance (Game Of Thrones) who leaves the biggest impression as the cunning Caligula.  He’s far more interesting than the film’s keynote villain, played by Dominic Cooper (Need For Speed).

First-time feature director Gary Shore is to be applauded for the film’s brisk pace (it clocks in at a tidy 92 minutes) and some impressive visuals (such as the way in which the vampires react when coming into contact with sunlight or silver) but if you’ve grown tired of the vampire genre, it’s hard to see this tale providing much in the way of reinvigoration.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 September 2014

It’s been more than 9 years since the original Sin City so to provide a quick refresher… the film was based on a comic book series from Frank Miller, told three short stories that were interwoven, was shot in black and white with a small splash of colour, featured a huge Hollywood cast, and was shot almost entirely using special effects.

What I’ve just said also describes this sequel, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.  The first story is that of a happy-go-lucky poker player (Gordon Levitt) trying to make a fool out of a high profile government senator (Boothe).  The second is that of a conniving woman (Green) who has convinced a former lover (Brolin) to murder her current husband.  The third is that of a stripper (Alba) and her quasi-bodyguard (Rourke) looking to avenge the death of an old flame (Willis).

Some may describe it as corny but the film is heavy on narration and the characters speak like they’re reading from a comic book.  For example, there’s a great line when Josh Brolin tells Eva Green that “I was born at night… but I wasn’t born last night.”  There are also plenty of descriptive metaphors such as a moment when a character reaches for his gun and notes that it “barks and bites” in his hands.

The film has earned an MA rating here in Australia for its “strong violence”, “sex scenes” and “sexualised violence” (the later much be some kind of combination of the other two).  It’s a fair rating.  Pulling out someone’s eyeballs and crushing someone’s head with your bare hands isn’t exactly for everyone.  There’s a style to it through.  Directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez aren’t trying to make something with blood and gore.

I was hugely impressed by the original film given it was something that we hadn’t seen on the big screen before.  This time around, I wasn’t as enamoured.  The narration feels overdone and the stories aren’t as captivating.  Of the cast, Powers Boothe was my favourite with his portrayal of a corrupt, villainous senator.  You really want to see him get what he deserves.  The remaining cast members don’t make as strong an impact as you might expect.

The film was a huge box-office flop when it debuted in the United States a few weeks ago.  It earned just $6.3m on its opening weekend and will struggle to recoup its $65m budget.  A variety of reasons have been sited (including the delay between the two films) but the bottom line is that doesn’t seem to have offered what the paying public are looking for.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 September 2014

Released this week, Josh Lawson’s The Little Death covers a subject matter that we don’t see often on the big screen – sex and fetishes.  Perhaps it’s because we don’t like to talk about such stuff publicly.  Perhaps it’s because film financiers don’t want to take a chance on edgier material (they’d prefer to stick to safe, PG stuff).

It’s a nice coincidence that we have another release this week in Australia that also covers “taboo” topics that we don’t see much of in mainstream cinemas.  The Skeleton Twins is an equally dark comedy that explores suicide, depression, and child abuse.  It’s the second feature of writer-director Craig Johnson and it took home a screenwriting award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival back in January.

The story centres on two middle aged twins, Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig), who have drifted apart and haven’t seen each other in close to a decade.  They are brought together after Milo unsuccessfully attempts to commit suicide.  We’re not quite sure why.  His suicide note simply read “to whom it may concern, see ya later” followed by a smiley face.

Maggie suggests to Milo that he come and spend some time with her in New York so he can clear his head and get things back on track.  It’s a gesture that serves more than one purpose.  We learn that Maggie has been battling her own demons.  She tells everyone that things are great but she too is struggling to find her place in the world.  Suicide is at the forefront of her mind.

Most of the film is spent watching these two characters interact with a few supporting players thrown in.  Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde) plays Maggie’s nice-guy husband, Boyd Holbrook (Milk) plays her seductive young scuba instructor, and Ty Burrell (Modern Family) plays one of Milo’s former lovers.  Joanna Gleason (Last Vegas) also makes a great cameo as their quirky mother.

They combine to create what is a heavy comedy.  There were plenty of awkward moments during the preview screening I attended where some audience members laughed loudly while others maintained a deadpan expression.  It’s a change of pace for these two Saturday Night Live stars who we’re used to seeing in much “lighter” films (Hader – Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder, Wiig – Walk Hard, Bridesmaids, Despicable Me).

It’s a moral that’s covered repeatedly in films – The Skeleton Twins is trying to highlight the value of human interaction.  Maggie and Milo haven’t been in touch for ten years but it doesn’t take long for the connection to reform and the memories to come flooding back.  Through the power of conversation (and a bit of singing), they can help each other without actually realising it.

I wasn’t a fan of the finale.  It felt too conventional given much the unorthodox material that preceded it (without giving too much away).  Aside, this a strong feature that successfully blends comedy and drama while also exploring a very tough subject.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 September 2014

A teenager (O’Brien) wakes up and finds he is ascending in a dirty, poorly lit elevator.  He has no memory of his past.  He can’t remember his name.  He doesn’t know how he got there.  The elevator reaches its destination and comes to an abrupt halt.  The door opens and he finds himself in an expansive, grassy field surrounded by high walls.  He is welcomed by a group of fellow youngsters who do their best to explain the situation.

They are all prisoners in the centre of a ridiculously elaborate maze.  Each morning, the door to the maze opens and the fastest runners check every route for a way out.  There are moving walls, hundreds of narrow passageways, and a few large, open chambers.  You don’t want to be in the maze at night through.  It’s at this time when a group of mysterious creatures, known as “grievers”, go in search of human prey.

I like movies that don’t muck around with long-winded introductions.  The Maze Runner establishes its intriguing premise within a matter of minutes and it held my attention for its full two hour running time (impressive since I’m easily distracted).  The film’s key hook is clearly the aura of mystery that it creates.  Where did the kids come from?  Who built the maze?  Why are they there?

Just as interesting is the dynamic that has developed between the characters.  They’ve been thrown into this isolated environment and have been forced to create their own self-sustaining society without adult supervision.  They live by three key rules – pull your weight, don’t harm anyone, and never enter the maze unless you’ve been chosen.

While they all realise the importance of working together to find a way out, there’s still tension between certain individuals.  Not everyone agrees on the approach and some recent decisions by the self-appointed leaders have proved divisive.  Will they be defeated by the maze… or will they be defeated by each other?

I was lamenting last week at a lack of originality when it came to recent teen-oriented adventures – The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Giver all felt like they were covering familiar ground (dystopian future, controlling governments, assigned jobs).  Okay, so I admit there are a few similarities here.  However, there are enough points of difference to give this a fun, fresh, original kind of vibe.

When director Wes Ball was meeting in the early stages with studio executives, he pitched the film as “Lord of the Flies meets Lost.”  It’s an apt way of describing the absorbing storyline.  It’s not easy condensing a book for the big screen but the screenwriting team have done a great job with James Dashner’s 2007 novel.  Whether you’re talking about the characters or the labyrinth itself, this is tale rich in detail.

Reportedly shot on a budget of just $30m, this is a film that received great value for money from its set decorating teams and visual effects artists (it’s hard to work out what’s real and so I don’t know who deserves the more credit).  To put that budget into perspective, the recent Transformers: Age of Extinction cost roughly seven times as much.  Also worth a mention is composer John Paesano. His powerful music score also adds to the film’s sense of adventure.

Ball sat through thousands of auditions before settling on what is a terrific group of young actors.  Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf, The Internship) brings the right mix of strength and vulnerability to his leading role.  He’ll be a name to follow in the near future.  You’re also likely recognise Will Poulter (The Chronicles Of Narnia, We’re The Millers) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game Of Thrones, Nanny McPhee) who are both very good.

On a lighter note, I was amused to read that Blake Cooper (who plays Chuck) landed his supporting role after bugging Wes Ball on Twitter for an audition.  Guess it proves there are many ways to make it in Hollywood.  Cooper took a chance and was rewarded.  Hopefully people take a chance on The Maze Runner and feel the same way.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 September 2014

It remains one of my favourite scenes from a movie.  In The People Vs. Larry Flynt, released back in 1996, Flynt (played by Woody Harrelson) stands on the stage at a political rally and asks people to re-evaluate their morals.  He notes that “murder is illegal, but if you take a picture of someone committing the act of murder, that puts you on the cover of Newsweek and you might even win a Pulitzer Prize.”  On the flip side, “sex is legal” and yet “if you take a picture of two people in the act of sex, or even just take a picture of a woman’s naked body, they’ll put you in jail.”

Flynt was talking about the porn world in the mid-1970s but the same arguments could be used when discussing the film industry today.  Violence underpins so many movies.  Of the top 10 films at the Australian box-office in 2013, 7 contained “violence” according to the Australian Government Classification Board.  There’s action violence (Iron Man 3), fantasy violence (The Hobbit), animated violence (Despicable Me 2), science fiction violence (Man Of Steel), and good old general violence (The Hunger Games).

In contrast, you’d have to go number 14 on the box-office list before you found a film with nudity (The Hangover III) and you’ll need to look all the way down to number 57 (Safe Haven) until you come across a movie with a single sex scene.  Why the imbalance?  Most people have sex (or at least want to be having sex).  It’s legal, there’s nothing wrong with it… and yet, big movie studios steer away from it when putting up the cash for their latest ventures.

It’s part of the reason why 33-year-old Australian Josh Lawson wrote his script for The Little Death.  He acknowledges that sex has been treated as a “taboo” subject for far too long and it’s time to start asking questions as to why.  His film reminded me a little of Love Actually in the sense that it contains a group of unrelated short stories that follow a series of couples as they try to push their relationships in a positive, forward-moving direction.

The catch is that they’re all looking to explore a particular fetish.  Maeve confesses that she wants to be forced into rough sex by a stranger (although the fantasy will be played out by her boyfriend).  Phil’s relationship lacks passion but he is aroused while watching his wife sleep.  Dan and Evie have turned to roll play (dressing up as doctors, police officers) try to spark their sex life.  Rowena hasn’t had an orgasm in years but suddenly finds herself stimulated when her husband starts to cry.  Sam is a deaf man who finds pleasure using a phone sex hotline… but only because there’s a young sign-reader helping him out.

In formulating the screenplay, Lawson has blended both comedy and drama.  It works in some places.  It doesn’t work in others.  The film’s highlight is at the very end – a lengthy, laugh-out-loud sequence where the deaf man forces an unsuspecting call centre operator to use some awkward sign-language gestures.  It’s pure comedy.

The film’s darker moments aren’t quite as effective.  There’s a scene where a man (played by Lawson) asks a friend if he’s ever raped someone so as to try to get some background information for his wife’s fantasy.  I fully support edgy comedy but the way the characters interact here is a little too flippant.  They stop acting like “real people” and the humour doesn’t feel natural.

I’d also argue that some jokes are too obvious.  For example, there’s a moment where the woman turned on by crying brings home Sophie’s Choice from the DVD store for her husband.  The audience was laughing well before the punchline was delivered.

I enjoy movies that take chances and in its defence, The Little Death is doing just that.  It’s an unorthodox subject matter that blends tones and doesn’t provide a neat, clean, happy-go-lucky ending.  There’s stuff to think about here as you leave the cinema.  I just wished the execution was better.

You can read by chat with writer-director Josh Lawson by clicking here.