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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 May 2016

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a wonderful New Zealand movie that is about to be released in Australian cinemas.  I spoke to director Taika Waititi (Boy) about the film…

Matt:  I was talking to Anthony LaPaglia last week and he was saying that the lower the budget, the more ingenuity that is required on the part of the cast and crew to get the film made.  Was it like that here?  Was it easy in the case of Hunt for the Wilderpeople?

Taika:  Nope, not at all.  I had to come up with innovative way of getting the story out without blowing the budget.  There were plenty of obstacles and compromises that had to be made.  The weather was a big factor here as 80% was shot outdoors in winter in New Zealand that brought it with it rain, snow and wind.

Matt:  What part of New Zealand was it shot in?

Taika:  It was a bunch of different places on the North Island. 

Matt:  It’s an obvious question but I have to ask – where did you come across Julian Dennison?  It’s a great performance but what I think I’ll remember most is his assortment of puzzled facial expressions.

Taika:  I actually made a commercial with him a few years ago when he was about 10 years old.  Everyone was blown away by his comedic and acting talents but he’s also a very mature, sensitive kid who “disarms” you very easily when you meet him.  I wanted to put him in a film and I did it here without even auditioning him.  He’s a real star.

Matt:  And tell me about Sam Neill – “the scruffy white drifter who smells like methylated spirits”?  Was it easy getting him on board?

Taika:  It was.  The timing was perfect as he had a break in his schedule.  He had been in the UK for a long time and he wanted to come home, be close to his vineyard and do some work.  I think he also found the role interesting – playing a man of the land who is more grizzled and rough than he’d been accustomed to.

Matt:  Watching this play out, I was reminded a little of a Coen Brothers movie in that the supporting characters are so distinctive and memorable.  I’m thinking about Rima Te Wiata as Aunt Bella and Rachel House as Paula.  How easy it to get that casting right so that these supporting players stand out and don’t get lost in the background?

Taika:  I did concentrate a lot on those characters because it is easy to forget that they should be layered and deeper.  For example, the “villain” in the film is the social worker spearheading the manhunt… I didn’t want her to be a flat, one-note, efficient bureaucrat.  I told her during the shoot that she should model herself on Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive – he’s a relentless professional who will stop at nothing to do what he thinks is right.

Matt:  It’s a nice tough how you squeeze in references to films like The Terminator and The Lord of the Rings.  They got huge laughs at the preview I attended.  How did those end up in the final script?

Taika:  The Hobbit hiding behind the tree roots is an iconic image in The Lord of the Rings.  With the location scouting, I kept noting all these places that reminded me of that scene.  I’d already put a bunch of movie references into my films and since everyone knows this particular moment, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make fun of it.

Matt:  The tone of the film is really interesting.  There are moments that are quite tragic but they’re blended with moments of humour.  A great example is your own cameo where you play a confused priest at a funeral.  Was behind the choice to add laughs to those darker moments?

Taika:  Believe it or not, that actually happened at a funeral I went to.  That was pretty much the same sermon.  I remember being at the funeral thinking this is a sad moment but at the same time, this is both ridiculous and hilarious.  I always wanted to explore having a funeral scene like that.  It’s nice to undercut some of the tragedy from time-to-time during the movie and keep audiences on their toes.

Matt:  Your good friend Rhys Darby makes a cameo appearance in the film.  Was that part written just for him because it seems to suit him perfectly?

Taika:  I wrote the part having no idea who would play it.  In the script, I wrote a bunch of those parts thinking that I’d use my friends but not knowing who in particular.  I knew I wanted a crazy old guy who had been living in the bush for years who represented what Ricky and Hector could become if they stayed on the run.  Rhys’ schedule freed up close to the shoot and he ended up being perfect for it.

Matt:  I don’t want to give too much away but there’s a death early in the film but we don’t get told the cause.  A deliberate decision?

Taika:  Yeah.  I didn’t think the information was important.  A lot of people have died that I’ve known and I actually have no idea how they died.  The fact that they’re dead is often enough without needing to know why or how.  You can make up whatever symptom or cause you like in this particular instance.

Matt:  I’m a big fan of film scores and this one stands out.  I’m not sure how to describe it but it has an electro-type feel.  How did it come about?

Taika:  A lot of the movie is influenced by Aussie films from the 1980s and so I wanted embrace that.  There were even a few Peter Weir-style shots with zooms and cross-fades.  We got in touch with Jean Michel Jarre at first because the Gallipoli score is amazing.  The story is over-the-top and in today’s age, that manhunt would be over pretty quick.  I wanted this to me more of a kid’s fantasy as to what happens when you go on the run and the whole country is after you.

Matt:  The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and it’s done a few other film festivals since.  How’s it been received by international audiences?  I know there’s a few jokes that maybe only Aussies and Kiwis will get such as reference to the All Blacks.

Taika:  They’ve loved it.  We had great reviews at Sundance and then recently at the Tribeca Film Festival.  People get it.  There are a few small jokes that are specific to Australasia but they’re connecting with the story and it’s great.

Matt:  Are there plans for a proper release in the United States?

Taika:  Yep, it opens on June 24.

Matt:  It’s a curious time for the film world at the moment.  We’re seeing more and more big action blockbusters and there seems to be less room for smaller films, at least here in Australia.  I can’t think of anyone more appropriate to comment since you made this tiny film and are following it with the next Thor movie.  What are your thoughts on the film industry at the moment?

Taika:  I agree.  There’s less room for the smaller films but I compare it to fashion.  There are trends in films.  People get tired of seeing the same thing and so will switch.  For instance, people became sick of blockbusters in the 1990s and we saw a resurgence of independent cinema and foreign language films.

A lot of it has to do with what’s going on economically.  I have this theory that when people are struggling financially, they don’t want to go see a movie about other people with no money.  They want to see superheroes and escape from this world for 3 hours in 3D.  With my small films, I try to make stuff that is more entertaining than depressing.

Matt:  To finish up, we know you’re working on the next Thor movie at the moment - Thor: Ragnarok.  How’s it coming along?

Taika:  It’s coming along great.  I’ve discovered that’s not all that different from the independent world except that you don’t hear the word “no” as often.  It’s a big learning thing for me.  I wanted to challenge myself and do something out of my comfort zone.  This was never really part of my life plan but I guess I’ve now changed that plan.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 April 2016

The latest Australian film to reach cinemas is A Month Of Sundays and I recently caught up with star Anthony LaPaglia to talk about it…

Matt:  We know how tough it can be to get funding for Australian films and often you need to attract a big star on a project to really get the ball rolling.  How did this script come across your radar?

Anthony:  This project had a slightly different journey.  I’m friends with Matt Saville and I really like his work.  He’d been working on this project for a while and when it came time to get it off the ground, he sent me the script.  It filled two criteria – I liked it and I wanted to work with him so it happened fairly easily.

Matt:  You star in the film but you’re also credited as an executive producer.  What did that part of the role entail?

Anthony:  That’s garnishing I think. *laughs*  To be fair, I took that part seriously.  Matt and producer Nick Batzias included me in a lot of stuff to do with the film. 

Matt:  We all know about George Miller and Baz Lurhmann but Matthew Saville is quieting put together a very impressive resume (Felony, Noise, The Slap, Cloudstreet) and is becoming one of Australia’s more prolific directors.  What’s his secret?  What’s he like to work with?

Anthony:  Matt thinks outside the box.  He’s got a warped sense of humour that is in line with my own.  First and foremost, he’s very committed to his craft.  He likes actors and while that may sound unusual, there are times when you work with directors who don’t because they think actors are ruining their film.

Matt:  You grew up in South Australia but I was reading this was the first time you’d actually made a film in South Australia.  Was that the case?  What was it like?

Anthony:  In the 30 years prior I think I’d spent about 2 days in Adelaide.  That in itself was quite a surreal journey.  I caught up with old soccer mates and a bunch of extended family.   It’s funny because I failed to recognise a lot of Adelaide as so much has changed over that time.

Matt:  A Roy Morgan poll last year that just 8% of those surveyed felt that real estate acted with a high amount of ethics and honesty – ranking it the 3^rd lowest profession behind car salesman and advertising people.  Was there a lot you learned having to play one in this film?

Anthony:  I’m now of an age where I’ve bought and sold a few properties and so I’ve had plenty of experience with real estate agents.  I drew on some of the not-so-positive experiences to put into the character.

Matt:  Who came up with all the blurbs about each property that we hear you narrating in the film?

Anthony:  That came from Matt as he wrote the script.  His father was in real estate and I think that background knowledge also helped.  Speaking the jargon felt like speaking Chinese to me.

Matt:  You play quite a forlorn, depressed character which can often be difficult to illustrate on screen as it’s something entirely within the mind.  What’s your approach?  How do you go about that?

Anthony:  I see film as a visual medium.  It’s not radio.  The less dialogue you have, the better.  When you look at it on screen, you can pick up on the subtlety of a raised eyebrow or a look sideways.  These things tell a story in themselves.  

Matt:  The plot device that brings you and Julia Blake together struck me as odd at first but then the connection that develops between you two really is the heart and soul of the movie.  Was it an easy connection to build?

Anthony:  When you’re working with fantastic actors, it makes you look so much better than you can be.  She’s so good as an actor but also as a human.  It was quite easy to develop that relationship with her.

Matt:  John Clarke offers the comic relief in the film where you’re playing the straight guy and he’s the one being sarcastically humorous.  I’m guessing those scenes were a lot fun?

Anthony:  He has the best comic timing of perhaps anyone I’ve ever worked with.  I messed up a lot of scenes with him because he’d make me laugh.  You could see the crew working hard not to laugh also.  You can’t teach that.

Matt:  You’ve been touring the film around Australia over the past week with some Q&A sessions.  What’s the reception been like?

Anthony:  It’s been fantastic.  You can always tell with Q&As.  The response has been enthusiastic and there have been a lot of questions.  A guy last night asked me about a transition from Julia’s character getting involved with John Clarke’s character’s father who was in an institution.  He didn’t see how that jump could possibly happen.  It shows that audiences are very astute.  My theory was that Matt Saville wants audiences to work as opposed to having the emotional content of a film spoon fed to you. 

Matt:  A lot is made about the state of the film industry in Australia.  Some are optimistic, some are pessimistic.  After a record year at the box-office in 2015 with films like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Dressmaker, what are your thoughts on the state of Australian cinema at the moment?

Anthony:  My views of Australian cinema are always positive.  We have a track record over the last 30 years of consistently churning out world class movies.  We have world class talent not just in front of the camera but also in behind the camera.  Because of the lack of finance, Australian storytellers have to be so much more creative in how they achieve what they want to achieve.  That energy generates ingenuity and that’s what makes Australian films unique.  I’ve always said that the mistake to make is to follow the American model.  It doesn’t work here because Australians have a different sensibility and a different sense of humour. 

Matt:  What are you working on at the moment?  When will we see you on screen next?

Anthony:  I’ve had a busy year working on 7 independent films.  The next thing coming out will be the second series of The Code.  That’s the first thing that’ll be coming out.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 April 2016

My apologies for the lack of updates on the website for the past two weeks but I have been away on a golfing holiday.

It was a bucket list trip to the USA and it was an absolute dream. I met some amazing people, played some incredible courses, and created some unforgettable memories. It finished with a stop at The Masters in Augusta. I'm not sure how I'll top this but I'll give it a crack in future years!

I've posted a single photo from each day below but you can view more in my Facebook albums by clicking here (Masters only) and here (other stuff).

Friday, March 25 - After 22 hours of travel, it was good to set foot in New York City. Caught up with some old friends and went to dinner in the East Village at a cool place called Momofuku Ssäm Bar. The steamed pork buns were divine!

Saturday, March 26 - I’d been to the baseball before so this time around, I attended my first NBA game. The Brooklyn Nets were taking on the Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Centre.

Sunday, March 27 - Couldn't get tickets last time I was in New York City but didn't make the same mistake this time! The Book of Mormon is a hilarious show.

Monday, March 28 - The next stop on the bucket list was a golfer’s dream. Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey is often ranked as the #1 course in the world but you can only play there if in the company of a member. Pine Valley features a 10-hole short course. Most of the holes are modelled on the main course and it’s a great place to warm up and work on your golf game. We took to the challenge on the Monday afternoon before our round.

Tuesday, March 29 - The par was 70. The scratch rating was 76. The slope was 155. The length was 6,500m. The wind was up to 50 km/hr. I shot 85 and had an absolute blast at Pine Valley Golf Club. As good as it gets!

Wednesday, March 30 - It's hosted the Ryder Cup, US Open, USA PGA and US Amateur. Found a bit of form at Pinehurst #2 and shot a 77 (blue tees). As I learned after a 4 putt on the 2nd hole, you gotta watch out for the steep run-off areas on the tricky greens!

Thursday, March 31 - At Pinehurst #8 and played with an old friend who now lives in London. He and his mate were off to Augusta on Sunday. Not to watch... but to play! I have officially concluded that tabletop greens are not my forte. Came home nicely on the back nine but the final score was 83.

Friday, April 1 - Rory McIlroy won the US PGA here in 2012 and it's hosting the event again in 2021. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island is the longest course I have ever played at 6,800m (with a scratch rating of 78). Played worse than a 3-legged mountain goat and shot 87 but had fun. The lone highlight was on the signature 17th hole where I hit a 200m hybrid over water to 15 feet!

Saturday, April 2 - I've never had the chance to play a course so close to a PGA Tour event. Harbour Town is hosting the RBC Heritage in just over a week for the 47th time. Grandstands and corporate boxes were being erected as we went around. As for the golf, it was very ordinary! Doubled the 1st and 18th en route to a score of 80 (off the close-to-back tees).

Sunday, April 3 - My week of golf came to an end with a round at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass - my third Pete Dye design in as many days. In last year's Players Championship, Rickie Fowler went 6 under for his last 6 holes to take the title. In contrast, I had 4,000 putts as part of round of 82 and will be keeping my day job.

Monday, April 4 - I only had tickets to the Monday practice round but my first trip to the US Masters at Augusta was an absolute blast!

Tuesday, April 5 - The last item ticketed off the bucket list was flying business class from Los Angeles back to Brisbane. It was like a lazy Sunday afternoon at home. I put my feet up and watched a bunch of movies and TV shows. The food was great too!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 March 2016

A Bigger Splash is in Australian cinemas from this week and I spoke to Italian director Luca Guadagnino about his latest film…

Matt:  I vividly remember your 2010 film I Am Love and it was a breakout film for you that got a lot of international attention.  Did you find your life changing a little after that?  People were a lot more interested in you and your work?

Luca:  For sure.  I Am Love gave me the confidence to manage my work and not necessarily follow the rules of Italian cinema.  The film allowed me to travel the world and make new professional relationships.

Matt:  The film is loosely based on the 1969 Italian-French film Swimming Pool.  What drew you to the screenplay and made you want to bring this story to the big screen once again?

Luca:  I was attracted by the possibility of revamping the movie because it had a quartet of people entangled in their own nostalgic desire for one another.  I felt it was still relevant today and that audiences could relate.  

Matt:  In my review of I Am Love, I wrote about the stunning visuals.  I feel like I could say the same thing here.  I noticed a lot of shots of body parts here – torsos, feet, teeth and so on.  What draws you to that particular imagery?

Luca:  Because I’m a pervert (laughs).  No, I consider myself a “voyeur”.  It’s a movie about desire and how we latch onto and covet other people.  I’m so fascinated by the motion of human bodies and they are truly fabulous objects to portray in film.  My next movie is going to feature a lot of dance because I’m a big fan of musicals and again, it’s going to be about bodies.

Matt:  I love the way the camera often zooms in or zooms out.  Again, I’m really curious to know your mindset when using that particular technique?

Luca:  It’s a question of taste.  On one hand, there were a lot of films in the 1970s and 1980s where zoom replaced the normal travelling shots.  It was a cheap way of avoiding scenes where you had to put a track down and push the camera along.  That costs time and money.  The zoom became a shortcut for many years.  You might remember Death in Venice or The Innocent by Luchino Visconti.

On the flip side, you have Stanley Kubrick using zooms in The Shining but for the opposite reason.  It wasn’t to save time and money but it was to express something strongly.  This I endorse.  It’s like an ultra-vista attitude and I love it.  In my next movie, I’m only shooting it with one lens which will be a fixed lens.  I have a lot of discussions with myself about how to shoot a movie and which lenses to use.  You’ve touched on a delicate subject.

Matt:  You’ve worked several times now with Tilda Swinton.  Given her increasingly busy schedule, was it easy to get her on board this time around?

Luca:  Tilda is a friend, a sister, a partner.  You never take her for granted but we are always looking for projects that we can work on together.  She’s been in high demand for 20 years but she has a great sense of partnership and I’m really humbled to say that she enjoys working with me.

Matt:  It’s funny though how she hardly talks for the whole movie due to her voice.  What made you incorporate that particular plot device into the script?

Luca:  It was an idea that Tilda had.  She wanted the character to express and communicate in a way that wasn’t verbal.  That led to a great physical performance by Tilda.  It was an inspired idea and I embraced it as soon as I heard about it.

Matt:  The opening the film is so free of dialogue and the wham, in comes Ralph Fiennes who never shuts up for the whole movie.  What was it like for Ralph trying to stay so hyperactive and energetic throughout?

Luca:  We all have friends like that (laughs).  Ralph is such a sublime actor.  He has an amazing concentration when he works.  His character has a manic attitude to life but Ralph’s performance is so balanced and precise.  It’s about being high, low, high, low.  Harry can be sombre when he’s hit by an emotion.  

Matt:  Who came up with dance routine?  Was that something you helped with or his own creation?

Luca:  That was written into the script.  We discussed it a lot and Ralph wanted to hire a choreographer who he’d seen on stage in London.  Her name was Ann Yee.  We discussed in both technical terms and conceptual terms what we were looking for from that scene.  We needed Ralph to find a level of confidence and looseness that reflected his life.  It was psycho-analytical choreography.  

Matt:  You tease the audience with brief flashbacks of Harry and Marianne and their previous life together.  How do you decide what exactly to reveal?  Some filmmakers might leave out the flashbacks while others might spend a lot more time in that area.

Luca:  There was a lot of collaboration with the cast and crew.  We had longer flashbacks in the script but we shot the scenes on the island first which gave us the luxury of knowing what we needed to fill in the gaps.

Matt:  I’ve been to Italy before but not to the island of Pantelleria.  How did you settle on that location for the film’s setting?

Luca:  I knew the place.  I went there when I was 15 years old for a holiday with my sister and I went back a year later with friends from school.  I remember the landscape being tough, relentless, beautiful and scary.  There were all these contradictory emotions that had stuck in my memory.  I felt like I needed a place like that so that it becomes a character that is going to shake up their neurotic quartet.  

Matt:  The film started in Venice and has done the film festival circuit.  Are there plans to take it to the United States for a wider release?

Luca:  We sold the movie everywhere in the world long before Venice.  It opened in Italy back in November and it came out in the UK in February where it did well.  We open in Germany and France soon and then we go to America after that for a May release.