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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 November 2010

Catherine (Moore) has spent months organising her husband’s surprise birthday party.  The big night arrives and all the guests are waiting but alas, David (Neeson) doesn’t show up.  He was due to fly in from New York but David tells his wife that he missed the flight by “a few minutes”.

Catherine isn’t convinced however.  When she sees an odd text message on his phone, she suspects that he’s having an affair.  Instead of confronting him directly, she decides to play a dangerous game of entrapment.

The bait is a high profile escort named Chloe (Seyfried).  Catherine gives Chloe details about her husband and then asks her to seduce him.  It’s a test to see just how faithful he is.  Will he ignore Chloe’s advances or will he be tempted by her flirtations?

Chloe is based on the French film Nathalie, released back in 2004.  I’m not often a fan of remakes but this intriguing tale has been beautifully told by Oscar nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter).  Unlike many films we see today, you’re never quite sure where the story is going to head next. 

Perhaps this is due to the complexity of the characters.  The always amazing Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights, Far From Heaven) portrays Catherine as a very insecure woman.  Is it a persona that has developed due to her husband’s suspicious activities?  Or is she a naturally paranoid person?  As the film progresses, you’ll learn she’s not the only character experiencing self-doubt.

Amanda Seyfried is also very good as Chloe.  You get the sense that this is an attempt to diversify herself as an actress.  Fans of films the family-oriented Mamma Mia! and Letters To Juliet may be shocked to see her nude in several scenes.

Critics have been dividend on Chloe but I found it to be a seductive thriller.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 November 2010

Ree Dolly (Lawrence) is a 17-year-old who lives with her sick mother and her two younger siblings.  They’re from a small community who live in the Ozark Mountains.  To call their situation bleak would be an understatement.  Their house is old and shabby.  They’ve got virtually no money.  They rely on the charity of neighbours to put food on the table.

Life’s tough… and it’s about to get even tougher.  Ree’s father, who was charged with drug-dealing offences, has skipped town.  The bail bondsman arrives at their doorstep and informs Ree that her father put up the home has security.  If he isn’t located, then the house will be seized and sold.  They’ll be out on the street with no where to live.

Ree would love to never see her father again.  The two didn’t get along.  Unfortunately, that’s not an option given the circumstances.  She’s got to track him down and help bring him into custody.  It’s the only way of saving the home and keeping her fragile family together.

When Ree starts asking questions around town, she gets a frosty reception (and I’m not talking about the weather).  Drug trafficking is the number one business in town and the residents want to keep it that way.  They don’t want Ree to find her father.  They’re worried that he’ll bring them all down if he’s caught and forced to talk to the authorities.

Winter’s Bone is a simple story but it’s told very effectively.  It’s the kind of movie that pulls you into its setting and doesn’t let go.  The emotions of the characters come through strongly and you’ll feel their same sense of frustration and hopelessness.

20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence has been touted as a possible Academy Award nominee and it's not hard to see why.  She's amazing in the leading role.  Ree goes through much suffering (both physically and mentally) and you can’t help but feel sympathetic.  It’s tough to watch at times but you’ll be glued to screen – hoping that something might finally go her way.

Winner of a Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Winter’s Bone is a bleak film but it's also a moving film.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 November 2010

Those who enjoy a good spy thriller will be interested to hear the true story of the Valerie Plame.  She commenced work for the CIA in 1985 and was involved in a number of undercover operations across the globe.

I’ve always been fascinated by those who work for the CIA.  Effectively, Valerie lived a double life.  One part of her was at home with her husband and kids.  The other part was off gathering intelligence in places like Athens and Brussels.  How does one pull that off?

There’s a fun scene early in the film when Valerie and her husband, Joe, are hosting a dinner party.  The topic of conversation turns to politics and things get quite heated.  Valerie would love to set the record straight and give everyone the truth - the “inside information” that’s kept from the public.  Unfortunately, she has to sit there and pretend to know little about the subject matter.  It doesn’t stop Joe going on a tirade however.

Valerie’s successful career came to an abrupt end in 2003 when she was named as a CIA agent by a journalist for the Washington Post.  Her identity had been revealed.  She was no longer of value to the agency.  How had this happened?  Who had leaked the information to the press?  Was it retaliation for her husband’s harsh words in the public against the Bush administration?  Something didn’t add up and she seemly had few allies within the CIA.

Fair Game is based on the separate novels written by our two protagonists – Valerie Plame and her husband, Joe Wilson.  It’s an interesting story.  For those who don’t already know the end to this tale, you’ll realise there were a lot of important people involved in the cover up.  They were determined to destroy Valerie’s reputation for their own political gain.  I’m sure it’s not the first time this has happened.

This film is hindered by its screenplay.  A few supporting characters are thrown into the mix (such as their parents, children and friends) but I’m still unsure as to their purpose.  I wanted to see the effect that this ordeal had on those around them but the script chooses not to go into detail.  Why?  Sam Shepard is introduced late as Valerie’s father but offers very little (especially for an actor such as himself).

My criticisms regarding the story's delivery are largely negated by the strong performances from Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen them together.  They appeared opposite each other in 21 Grams and The Assassination Of Richard Nixon.

It’s not a bad effort from director Doug Liman (Go, Swingers) but I expected something with more punch.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 November 2010

In April 2008, Josh Fox’s parents received a letter in the mail.  It was an offer by a gas company to lease part of their land and use it to extract natural gas.  Josh wasn’t sure of the risks involved so he decided to make a few inquiries.

When he realised the scale of the deception that was being perpetrated by the gas companies in America, Josh decided to spread the word.  He was initially going to make a short Youtube video but it ultimately grew into a full-length documentary.  It won a special jury prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and Josh has been touring the world with his film ever since.

I realise there always two sides to any story.  When I was telling a good friend about the persuasive material in GasLand, he was quick to shoot me down.  Despite not having seen the film, he sided with the gas companies and sprouted the view that sometimes a few people need to get screwed over for the benefit of the wider population.

Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but I will say that GasLand is a very convincing documentary.  There is a scene in the film where someone turns on their tap and puts a cigarette lighter underneath.  The water bursts into flame!  I don’t know a lot about chemistry but I know that I wouldn’t be drinking any kind of water that catches on fire.

Scientific tests on the water showed that it contained many hazardous chemicals.  The chemicals used in the gas extraction process had seeped into underground wells which provided household water supplies.  This wasn’t an isolated incident.  Josh travelled from state-to-state and found numerous other examples.  The tainted water had left many people with serious illnesses.

If you think the gas companies would admit to the problem, then think again.  If anyone threatened to go public, they’d either (1) deny all involvement and bring in their highly paid lawyers, or (2) fix the problem (sometimes by bringing in truckloads of outside water) and get the family to sign a non-disclosure agreement.  It’s obvious that the gas companies didn’t want this story in the mainstream media.

Josh’s film features interviews with many of the affected families and those who have done testing on the contaminated water supplies.  He looks at the ineffectiveness of environmental protection agencies.  He also points out some of the lobbying done by gas companies to earn exemptions from key pieces of environmental legislation.

It’s shocking, it’s hilarious but most importantly, it’s eye-opening.  GasLand is one of the year’s best documentaries.  I now just have to find a way of convincing my friend to see it…

You can read my interview with director Josh Fox by clicking here.    

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 November 2010

The first day of a new job can be pretty scary.  You’re never quite sure what the work is going to be like and whether you’ll get along with the other employees.  Those thoughts are certainly going through the mind of Officer Shane Cooper (Kwanten) as he steps through the front door of the Red Hill police station.  He gave up his job in the city and moved to this small country town (with a population of just over 100) for the benefit of his pregnant wife.

After a routine call out, Shane returns to the police station to find that hell has broken loose.  A convicted murderer named Jimmy Conway (Lewis) has escaped from a prison near Melbourne and is en route to Red Hill.  Jimmy’s motivation is pure revenge.  He wants to get those responsible for his incarceration more than 15 years ago.

Leading the defence of Red Hill is the town’s dictatorial police chief.  He’s known to everyone as Old Bill (Bisley) and I’d hate to get on his bad side.  There’s a great sequence early in the film where he meets Shane for the first time.  To describe Old Bill as “domineering” would be an understatement.  This guy feeds off power and control.

Over the next 24 hours, young Shane Cooper will be put through the wringer.  He will be left bloodied, bruised and tortured.  I used the term “scary” before but I could think of much stronger adjectives to describe his first day.  I won’t reveal too much more about the plot but suffice to say that the body count is high.  The population of Red Hill will be greatly reduced by film’s end.

Red Hill is an impressive debut feature from writer-director Patrick Hughes.  He’d tried numerous times to get a film off the ground without success.  In the end, he took inspiration from his favourite filmmakers and developed a “let’s go out there and make it” attitude.  He wrote the script, mortgaged his house and then shot it over 4 weeks in country Victoria.

The gamble paid off.  The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival back in February 2010 and received some positive reviews.  It has now been picked up for distribution in many countries around the world (including the USA).  It’s great to see another talented Australian filmmaker getting his start.

As for my thoughts on Red Hill, I’m describing it as a film of two halves.  The first hour is very strong.  I loved the interaction between Ryan Kwanten and Steve Bisley.  The casting of Kwanten will help boost the film’s box-office (given his notoriety from the TV series True Blood) but it also highlights his capability as an actor.  His performance here helped grab the attention of acclaimed director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) who has cast Kwanten in his next film.

Another impressive attribute of Red Hill is its cinematography.  From its wide panoramic vistas to its tight close ups, Hughes has created a suspenseful setting.  He didn’t make it easy on himself though.  Much of the movie was shot at night in freezing temperatures – a challenging hurdle for any budding filmmaker.

The film’s weaknesses are exposed in its second half.  I thought it became too much of a “Hollywood-style” action film in the later stages.  It’s hard to believe that Jimmy Conway was able to evade his pursuers for so long.  There’s one scene where he shoots at Shane but then decides to let him live a few minutes later.  It didn’t add up.  The dialogue also gets a little cheesy (some lines are cringe worthy) and I’m still confused about the relevance of the mysterious panther.

I’ve often been critical of the Australian film industry but I’m proud to say that 2010 has been a diverse year.  We’ve covered most genres and it’s nice to see us making films that will reach out to a wider audience (such as Daybreakers and Tomorrow, When The War Began).  I’m confident that there’s decent sized audience for a film like Red Hill.  Hopefully they find it.

You can read my interview with star Ryan Kwanten and director Patrick Hughes by clicking here.