Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 January 2012

Weekend is an intimate, engaging drama about two gay guys who meet in a nightclub and then spend the weekend together.  There’s a clear connection between the pair and both are excited by the prospect of a new romance but neither wants to dive in too deep, too quickly.  They’re not quite sure what they want from a relationship and they’re keeping their cards close to their chest.

It may be a love story with two guys but it could just as easily apply to any relationship.  Through two wonderful performances from Tom Cullen and Chris New, writer-director Andrew Haigh has captured the many emotions associated with a new relationship.  There are moments of blind, uncontrollable enthusiasm where the heart does the talking… and there are moments of terrifying hesitation as their heads get in the way.

Except for a few short scenes, the entire film is set inside a small London apartment.  We peer into the lives of these two characters like a curious voyeur.  There are no wacky neighbours.  There are no quirky best friends.  It’s just a nice tale about two young men trying to get to know each other.  Well, there’s a bit of sex too.

Andrew Haigh isn’t a complete newcomer to the film industry.  He honed his teeth as an assistant editor working on a suite of Ridley Scott films – Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom Of Heaven.  It’s often difficult taking the next step but Haigh has found a way into the director’s chair.  He pulled together just over £100,000 from a variety of sources and shot Weekend in chronological order in just over two weeks.

Haigh has a “good eye” but I was particularly struck by the way in which he varied the distance between the actors and the camera lens.  Inside of the apartment, we see them up close and it’s as if they are the two most important people in the world.  Outside of the apartment, we only see them from a distance.  They’re two ordinary guys who you’d never notice if you walked past.

I’m a fan of this film and I’m not alone with my admiration.  The London Critics Circle honoured Andrew Haigh with their prize for the best breakthrough British filmmaker.  He beat a very strong field – John Michael McDonagh (The Guard), Joe Cornish (Attack The Block), Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur) and Richard Ayoade (Submarine).  Every one of these movies can be added to your “must see” list.  They all prove that you don’t need a big budget when you have a great story to tell.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 January 2012

Traditionally, the most popular spy movies have revolved around super cool guys with super cool gadgets.  I speak of James Bond, Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne.  Unfortunately, the life of a real spy isn’t as glamorous.  The folk within the CIA and MI6 must quietly chuckle when they see Bond sipping on his martinis or sleeping with a beautiful woman.

Based on the novel by John le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy provides a gloomier, more realistic version of life inside the British Secret Intelligence Service, referred to in the film as the Circus.  The story is set in the early 1970s and broadly focuses on British attempts to infiltrate Soviet intelligence.  It’s also a chance to boost their credibility with their United States counterparts.

Unfortunately, the British Government believe there is a “mole” at the top of Circus who has been feeding highly classified documents to the Soviets.  They have selected the recently retired George Smiley (Oldman) to lead a hush-hush investigation and identify the spy.  He will work out of an old apartment building and will be fed information through a young agent (Cumberbatch) working inside the Circus office.

Four key suspects have been identified and they have been codenamed Tinker, Tailor, Soldier and Poorman.  As you can imagine, it won’t be an easy assignment.  These guys have ascended to the top of the Circus because they are already experts in trickery and deception.  Smiley’s biggest asset will be the secrecy of his investigation.  If these four don’t know they are being monitored, perhaps one of them will slip up.

Gary Oldman is an actor with a wide, impressive resume.  He’s starred in numerous Hollywood blockbusters (the Harry Potter series, the new Batman franchise) and he’s leant his voice to several animated features (Kung Fu Panda 2, Planet 51).  He’s more widely known however as playing the “bad guy”.  I speak of movies such as JFK, The Fifth Element, Air Force One and The Contender.  It’s hard to believe he hasn’t earned a single Academy Award nomination.

Perhaps that’s about to change.  With his greyed hair and thick, nerdish glasses, Oldman is brilliant as George Smiley.  Director Tomas Alfredson describes Smiley as a person “you’d immediately forget if you saw him on the street” and yet somehow, Oldman makes the character so interesting!  He’s the kind of guy who always keeps his emotions in check and hardly says a word.  He’s become an expert at listening to others and watching their body language for any sign of vulnerability.

Despite his success within the profession, Smiley is still a guy you’ll feel sorry for.  His wife recently left him and he now lives alone in a tired, run-down flat.  You don’t tend to make too many close friends when you live the life of a spy.  It’s a lonely existence.  The fact that he’s been called out of retirement has provided a dash of reinvigoration but it has also brought back some old, not-so-great memories.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy marks the first English language film for Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In).  I was particularly impressed with by the costume design and set decoration.  The heavy use of darker colours, such as brown and grey, suit the film’s ominous tone.  The curious office design within Circus is also likely to get your attention.

Some may remember an earlier adaptation of le Carré’s novel.  A five hour mini-series was made by the BBC in 1979 with Alec Guinness in the leading role.  Screenwriters Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan faced a tougher challenge condensing the story into just two hours for this feature film but they’ve done as well as can be expected.  The only negative is that you don’t get to know all the characters (and there are a lot of them) as well as you’d like.

If you enjoy an intelligent, realistic spy thriller, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is not to be missed.

You can read my interview with star Gary Oldman by clicking here.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 January 2012

Director Stephan Elliott (Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert) knows a thing or two about this subject matter.  His career began in the late 1970s as a wedding videographer.  He taped roughly 3,000 weddings in all and he proclaims to “have seen the worst behaviour from every member of the family in every possible religion.”

This piece of background information will help you understand why Elliott was attracted to the script of British writer Dean Craig (Death At A Funeral).  Put simply, it’s about the wedding from hell.  We’ve seen plenty of movies about dodgy weddings before but Elliott has decided to “up the stakes”.  I can’t recall too many wedding flicks that have been this crazy and this outlandish.  I certainly had a lot of fun watching it!

The only two sane people in the whole story are the bride and groom – David (Samuel) and Mia (Brent).  They met in London and have now travelled to Mia’s home in Australia for their lavish wedding.  Her wealthy father has organised a beautiful outdoor ceremony to be held high atop the Blue Mountains.  The stage is set for what should be a perfect day.

As you can imagine, it’s anything but.  David’s trouble-prone friends kick start an avalanche of insane events.  It all starts at the buck’s party and continues on through to the wedding.  There are drugs, criminals, drunks, guns and even a sheep.  There are plenty of “laugh out loud” moments but the film’s highlight sees Kevin Bishop (The Spanish Apartment) attempt to deliver the best man’s speech.

The madness isn’t isolated to David and his friends however.  Mia’s family is equally eccentric.  Her father (Biggins) is a high-profile politician who is using the wedding for publicity points.  Her cynical sister (Wilson) is pretending to be a lesbian in an effort to get some attention.

As Mia’s mother, it’s Olivia Newton-John who you are most likely be surprised by.  It’s great to see an actor in a role that you wouldn’t ordinarily expect.  After a lot of wine and a little cocaine, her character is transformed into one very loose human being who isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind.  She’s hilarious!

Judging from reactions on Twitter so far, A Few Best Men will divide audiences.  Some will laugh hysterically at these unthinkable situations.  Others will find it crude, crass and offensive.  Such is the nature of comedy and you’re probably best to have a peak at the trailer before checking out the full film.  It’s not for everyone… but it was certainly for me.

You can read my interview with director Stephan Elliott by clicking here.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 December 2011

Hollywood remakes are nothing new but I can’t ever recall one being released so close to the original.  The Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was released in Australian on 25 March 2010.  It went on to become one of the most successful foreign language films ever at our box-office with 16 weeks inside the top 20 and a total take of $5.5m.

This leads into an interesting question – how successful will this new version be?  I have my doubts.  If you were one of the many who saw the original two years ago, how keen are you to see the exact same story told again?  Very few changes have been made to the screenplay and I have to admit that knowing all the twists did lessen the film-going experience.  It doesn’t have the same suspense factor.

If you didn’t see the original movie, what was your reason?  If you were perturbed by the subtitles then yes, you’ll find your problems have been solved.  You can watch this film without worrying about words flashing by at the bottom of the screen (made even more difficult for those sitting in the front row).  If you had another reason, well, I don’t know if I can help you.  The premise, the performances and the film’s graphic nature are all fairly similar.

I’m tempted to “cut and paste” the plot overview that I wrote as part of my review in 2010.  For those unfamiliar with the tale, renowned journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) has been approached by the wealthy Henrik Vanger (Plummer) and asked to investigate the death of Henrik’s niece 40 years ago.  He is reluctant at first but in return, Henrik promises valuable information that will help clear Mikael’s name in a nasty, public lawsuit.

In solving the mystery, Mikael will be assisted by an unlikely person – a young computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Mara).  To use the term “assisted” is an understatement.  Throughout much of the film, it feels like Lisbeth is doing most of the work.  An attractive develops between the pair and Lisbeth senses that her troubled life may have turned in a positive direction.

In reviewing this film, I’m going to ignore the Swedish version (which was also great) and judge it on its own merits.  In that regard, it’s very good.  The story is interesting and the performances are strong.  Rooney Mara (The Social Network) seemed an odd choice when the cast was first announced but she dominates with her powerful portrayal of the feisty yet vulnerable Lisbeth Salander.

I wished director David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) had of tackled something more original with his follow up to the brilliant The Social Network.  That said, this is still a slick, gripping thriller and Fincher’s stylish fingerprints can be seen all the way through.  From the flashy opening credits to the unexpected use of Enya’s Orinoco Flow, Fincher knows how to hold your attention.  It’s something he’s always been good at.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 January 2012

Mavis Gary (Theron) is a talented writer.  She left her small town roots behind and moved to the “big city” where she has a nice apartment and a cute dog.  She’s responsible for a long running, profitable book series for which sales are strong.  She’s maintained her beautiful looks and is as happy as she’s ever been.

What I’ve just said is complete rubbish.  It’s not a description of Mavis Gary.  Rather, it’s the image that Mary wants to portray.  Deep down, she’s a struggling author who is battling depression and trying to regroup after a recent divorce.  She doesn’t want people to know that however.  She wants her family and friends to think that she’s successful, that she’s better than them.

Young Adult revolves around Mavis’s efforts to rekindle her relationship with her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade (Wilson).  Having been through one failed marriage, she now has “clarity” and believes that she and Buddy were always meant to be together.

Buddy is now married with a young child and yet, Mavis still thinks she has a chance.  She has returned to her hometown under the guise that she’s buying real estate but her real motive is to bump into Buddy and seduce him.

I’ve got to say – Mavis Gary is an absorbing individual and credit goes to Academy Award winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno) for creating her.  Before putting pen to paper, Cody has the idea of someone who “peaked in high school and wonders now in her 30s how she can recreate those circumstances and be the queen bee again.”  I love the idea.

I’m interested to see how audiences react to Mavis Gary.  It’s not often that the leading character in a comedy is so unlikeable.  Her borderline-psychotic behaviour will generate a raft of negative emotions – anger, disgust, sadness, embarrassment.  A good friend of mine couldn’t even look at the screen during certain scenes.  Mavis’s actions left him cringing with horror.

The bigger question is whether audiences will feel any sympathy?  There are several moments where we see past the façade and gain an insight into her fractured mindset.  Most of these scenes are shared with Matt Freehauf (Oswalt), a guy she bumps into at a dingy bar.  The two went to school together but Mavis has no memory of this.  She was part of the “popular group” whilst Matt was the complete opposite.

Their backgrounds are remarkably different but Mavis and Matt seem to have a lot in common today.  They both enjoy a drink and they both enjoy criticising others.  More importantly, they are both in need of a good friend.

I’m surprised Charlize Theron hasn’t take on more leading roles since her Oscar winning turn in Monster (released back in 2003) but Young Adult will remind the public of her ability.  She’s not afraid to play a character that is ugly on both the inside and outside.  Patton Oswalt (who worked with Diablo Cody on The United States Of Tara) is also very good.

The story takes a little while to get going but the plot developments in the final act are well worth the wait.  There’s a terrific scene at a baby shower followed by an intense conversation between Mavis and Matt’s sister (played by a scene-stealing Collette Wolfe).

Director Jason Reitman now has four feature films to his name – Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up In The Air and Young Adult.  Comedy is a tricky genre to perfect but Reitman’s attraction to edgier, darker material places him high on my list of favoured filmmakers.  I can’t wait for his next offering.