Reviews
Get Him To The Greek
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- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Nicholas Stoller |
| Written by: | Nicholas Stoller |
| Starring: | Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Colm Meaney, Sean Combs, Elizabeth Moss |
| Released: | June 17, 2010 |
| Grade: | B |
I didn’t realise it from the title but Get Him To The Greek is a spin-off from the great 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. If you had the chance to see it, you might remember that Sarah Marshall dumped her boyfriend Peter and hooked up with a famous rock star named Aldous Snow. It’s Aldous (played again by Russell Brand) who is the focus of this new film.
Unfortunately, things aren’t going to well in the career of Aldous Snow. He was once a heavyweight within the music industry but it all fell apart following the release of his controversial single called “African Child”. The song was described by one critic as “the worst thing to happen to Africa since apartheid”.
It’s been exactly ten years since Snow performed one of his most famous concerts – a sell out performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Aaron Green (Hill), a young intern at Pinnacle Studios, thinks it would be great if Snow performed a similar show to relaunch his career. His boss (Combs) gives him the all clear and Green has 72 hours to pick Snow up from London, get him to a Today Show appearance in New York, and then be in Los Angeles for the concert.
It proves to be a much more difficult assignment that Aaron imagined. All Snow wants to do is drink and party. Given that the insecure Aaron has idolised Snow and his music since a child, he finds it very difficult to stand up to Snow and be authoritative. What then follows is a series of crazy events involving everything from drug “smuggling” to large dildos.
There’s some funny stuff in this movie but it’s not as good as Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Some of the best scenes involve Snow and his ex-girlfriend (played by Australian Rose Byrne). The highlight was seeing these two characters interviewed for a television show about the failure of African Child.
On the flip side, I think that some jokes were pretty flat. Instead of coming up with witty dialogue, the script relies on gross-out moments instead (such as the drug smuggling incident). I know plenty of people who will still find this humorous but I was expecting a little more.
As for the storyline, I felt it was a little weak. It begins well but it’s struggling by the time we get to the sentimental third act. Rose Byrne’s character fades into oblivion and I was bored by the subplot involving Aaron and his girlfriend (Moss).
Get Him To The Greek has had some positive early reviews but as I’ve learned over the years, everyone has a different sense of humour. Some will love it, some will hate it and the rest will fall somewhere in between. I think I’m smack-bang in the middle.
Rocket Science
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- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Jeffrey Blitz |
| Written by: | Jeffrey Blitz |
| Starring: | Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Nicholas D’Agosto, Vincent Piazza, Denis O’Hare, Lisbeth Bartlett |
| Released: | June 17, 2010 |
| Grade: | A- |
As the saying goes – good things come to those who wait. My case in point is Rocket Science. In 2003, I fell in love with an awesome documentary called Spellbound. It was my third favourite film of that year and it has a spot in my small DVD collection. When I heard that director Jeffrey Blitz was making another film, I was very excited.
What made it even more interesting was that Blitz’s follow up was not another documentary but rather a fiction piece he wrote himself. According to my computer history, I downloaded the trailer for Rocket Science back in August 2007. The film received a limited release in the U.S. later that year and made next-to-nothing at the box-office. I didn’t expect an Australian cinematic release but I was hoping to catch it at a film festival or perhaps on DVD. Neither scenario presented itself.
Now, seemingly out of nowhere, the film is getting its own small release in Australian cinemas. I guess I have Anna Kendrick to thank. This was the role which launched her career. She subsequently went on to star in the Twilight series and earned an Academy Award nomination earlier this year for her great performance in Up In The Air. Having her name on the posters for Rocket Science might give it the boost it needs at the Australian box-office.
The film centres on a shy teenager named Hal Hefner (Thompson) who goes to a small school in New Jersey. Hal has always had a stuttering problem which has made it hard for him to make friends. Life isn’t too rosy at home either with his parents recently separating. Hal and his bullying older brother now live solely with their mother.
Out of the blue, Hal is approached by Ginny Ryerson (Kendrick), a domineering girl who leads the school’s debate team. She sees potential in Hal and thinks he’d be perfect as her new debate partner. Hal doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s a dreadful public speaker. Why would Ginny be interested in him? Hal goes along for the ride however. He’s developed a crush on Ginny and it’s the perfect chance to spend time with her.
So how will this tale pan out? You’re going to have to see it for yourself. I was worried that it would cheapen itself with a Hollywood-ised ending but not so. It fits in perfectly with what precedes it and ends on an appropriate note. Credit must go to Jeffrey Blitz for his script.
Anna Kendrick is terrific but the standout performance for me was Reece Thompson in the leading role. I’d never heard of him before but he plays Hal Hefner with such adoring innocence. You’ll be cheering for him all the way through. I watched an interview with him on the internet and he speaks so fluently in real life. It makes his continual stuttering throughout the film even more impressive.
These performances packaged with some great one-liners and a snazzy soundtrack all adds up to a very likeable movie. The wait has been worth it.
Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Mike Newell |
| Written by: | Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard |
| Starring: | Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle |
| Released: | May 27, 2010 |
| Grade: | B- |
Prince Of Persia is a film that I’ve seen a million times before. There are plenty of well choreographed battle sequences and I tip my hat to English director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco). It will certainly appease those looking for fast-paced action. However (and that’s a big “however”), the story is weak and the dialogue is even weaker.
I like a swashbuckling adventure as much as the next person but why do the screenwriters keep coming up with such unadventurous material. Why are the characters so boring? Why are the jokes so cheesy? The door is open for a budding writer to come along and turn this cliché ridden genre on its head.
Based on the video game (just saying that makes me queasy), Prince Of Persia is about a brave warrior named Dastan (Gyllenhaal) who comes into the possession of a valuable sword. When the handle is filled with magic sand, it enables the sword’s holder to travel back in time. This makes the user almost invincible. If they were ever wounded in battle, they could go back a minute and foresee their attacker’s next move.
There are others who wish to get their hands on this sword. Caught up in the mix are Dastan’s brother (Coyle), his uncle (Kingsley) and the princess of a neighbouring kingdom (Arterton). The only interesting performance however comes from Alfred Molina. He plays an entrepreneurial sheik who runs an ostrich racing business. He provides the film’s only laughs.
I’m being somewhat lenient with my grading given my approval for the film’s overall look. Shot in Morocco, Australian cinematographer John Seale (The English Patient) has made the most of the location. I also liked the booming film score from Harry Gregson-Williams.
When it comes to the crunch though, who will remember this film in five years time? It’s nothing special at all.
Shrek Forever After
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- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Mike Mitchell |
| Written by: | Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke |
| Starring: | Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese |
| Released: | June 17, 2010 |
| Grade: | B |
Poor Shrek. Married life is proving to be a struggle. He’s sick of annoying tourists visiting his home and he feels like he’s constantly changing the diapers of his three kids. He no longer has any time to relax and soak in a warm mud bath.
It all comes to a head at his children’s first birthday party. Shrek storms out of the house and is approached by the devious Rumpelstiltskin who offers a solution to his problems. He’ll give Shrek a day off – a chance to see what his life would have been like if he was just an ordinary ogre. In return, Shrek must give Rumpelstiltskin a day from his past.
It seems likes a fair deal with Shrek who then signs the contract. Alas, he has been tricked by Rumpelstiltskin who has gone back in time and eliminated our beloved green ogre. The current day Shrek now has less than 24 hours to find a loophole in the contract or else he too will vanish. There’s no time to waste.
For the first time in the series, the film has been made in 3D. This fact coupled with the easy to follow storyline should make it a winner with the younger audience. As a full fee paying grown up, I’m less convinced. Maybe the series is getting tired but I don’t think this has the originality or adult humour I remember fondly from the first film. There’s only one new character too – Rumpelstiltskin. I was hoping for a few more.
Eddie Murphy again provides the majority of the jokes as the sly donkey. I know he’s had plenty of hits (as well as plenty of flops) over his career but I’m convinced Murphy’s best work has come from the Shrek series. With the help of the talented animation team that works behind the scenes, Murphy has created a memorable character.
Shrek Forever After opened with $70m in its first three days in the United States. This may sound great but it’s well below the opening weekends of the last two films. I’ve a hunch this will be the last in the series so if you’ve enjoyed the ride so far, be sure not to miss one last adventure with Shrek and his crew.
The Stoning Of Soraya M.
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- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Cyrus Nowrasteh |
| Written by: | Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, Cyrus Nowrasteh |
| Starring: | Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno, James Caviezel, Navid Negahban, Ali Pourtash, David Diaan |
| Released: | May 27, 2010 |
| Grade: | A |
Freidoune Sahebjam was a French-born journalist who wrote numerous stories on the human rights atrocities that occurred in Iran in the 1970s. He was kidnapped near his home in 1979 by a group of men loyal to the Iranian government. Sahebjam was badly beaten and told that he would be killed if he ever returned to Iran.
This didn’t stop Sahebjam. In 1984, he again visited Iran using a false identity. It was on this trip that he befriended a middle aged woman Zahra. She confided in him about an atrocity which had recently occurred in the village. Sahebjam knew this was a story that that must be told. It was published as a novel in the mid 1990s and has been read by many people across the globe.
In 2008, American director Cyrus Nowrasteh brought the story to the screen. I’m glad he did because it’s sure opened my eyes. Others have felt the same way. At the 2008 Toronto Film Festival, The Stoning Of Soraya M. finished third in the audience vote (behind Slumdog Millionaire). Given that honour, I’m surprised the film has taken so long to receive a cinematic release in Australia.
The title speaks for itself. Soraya was a married woman who was stoned to death by the men in her village. She had been found guilty of adultery. The allegations were baseless however. Soraya’s husband had made up the story so that he could marry another woman. The trial and execution all took place on the same day. Soraya wasn’t even allowed to speak.
This is a tough film to watch for obvious reasons. It certainly left an impact on me. Shohreh Aghdashloo (House Of Sand And Fog) delivers and incredible performance as Zahra. This is a very personal film for Aghdashloo given she’s an Iranian actress living in exile in the United States. She wanted to highlight the oppression of women not just in Iran but in similar countries run by Islamic extremists.
Filmed in Jordan, The Stoning Of Soraya M. is a powerful film that will stick with you long after you’ve left the cinema.
Animal Kingdom
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | David Michod |
| Written by: | David Michod |
| Starring: | Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, James Frecheville |
| Released: | June 3, 2010 |
| Grade: | A- |
Let me describe the first scene in Animal Kingdom. Joshua (Frecheville), known simply as “J”, is a teenager living in Melbourne. He’s sitting on the couch at home watching Deal Or No Deal. His mother lies unconscious beside him having overdosed on heroin. The paramedics suddenly charge through the door and start treating her. As this goes on, J keeps watching the television. It’s as if he’s more interested in the game show than the welfare of his mum.
I knew straight away that this would be an interesting film. It’s a strong opening which will immediately grab your attention. In turns out that J’s mother dies and he is forced to live with his grandmother and his three uncles. This is no ordinary family. They’ve been involved in armed robbery and drug dealing. The police are watching them like hawks and are looking for evidence to pin against them.
It’s the police that make the first move… albeit a foolish one. I won’t say too much more because this particular scene came as quite a surprise. It sets in motion a serious of shocking events fuelled by hatred. The cops are determined to get justice. The family is determined to get revenge. Both sides will stop at nothing to win this battle. The law counts for very little.
Animal Kingdom features some of the finest performances of the year. Ben Mendelsohn is incredibly off-putting (in a good way) as the patriarch of the family. There’s a great scene in which he’s grilling his younger brother (played by Luke Ford) about the colour of his shirt. It illustrates his character’s power but also his paranoia. It’s a dangerous mix.
Jacki Weaver also makes an impact as J’s grandmother. She’s a cunning character who reveals her true colours late in the film. It’s the kind of role likely to pick up awards attention later in the year. I was also impressed with newcomer James Frecheville. He portrays J as a quiet kid but at the same time, you’re never quite sure what’s going through his head. Does he really understand the gravity of the situation?
It’s a great script from writer-director David Michod. I particularly enjoyed how it shows the two parts to the story – from the family’s perspective and the cop’s perspective. This isn’t a simple good versus evil story. There’s a lot of “greyness” to the characters and it’ll be interesting to see who audiences sympathise with.
In my eyes, the film’s weakness is its ending. I just didn’t buy it. Maybe I need to think about it some more but I had trouble reconciling J’s actions. I also think that some of the subplots were undeveloped. We meet a few people along the way (such as J’s girlfriend’s family and two young police officers) but we don’t spend enough time with them to justify their inclusion.
Given the appeal of the Underbelly television series, I’m sure plenty of Australians will be keen to see this new crime drama on the big screen. It’s definitely worth your money.