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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 February 2010

Unfortunately, there’s no happy ending to this story.  What has happened to Tim Burton?  Over the past decade, he’s directed two inferior remakes (Planet Of The Apes and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory) and a so-so musical (Sweeney Todd).  There have been glimpses of the old Burton (Big Fish and Corpse Bride) but things just aren’t the same.  His quirkiness has gone missing.

I’m sure this will be popular at the box-office but it may well be Tim Burton’s worst film yet.  Alice In Wonderland is a “flat” movie-going experience.  There’s very little to laugh about and very little to get the heart pumping.  The fact that it’s been “upgraded” to 3D has done nothing to improve its look either.  It certainly won’t have people drooling Avatar-style. 

Charles Dodgson (under the pseudonym of Lewis Carroll) wrote two novels revolving around Alice and her trips to Wonderland.  This film is based on neither.  Screenwriter Linda Woolverton has come up with brand new tale – one involving an older, more mature Alice (Wasikowska).

Now 19 years of age, the film begins with Alice accompanying her mother to lavish, outdoor party.  They’re celebrating Alice’s pending engagement to a wealthy lord.  Well, it’s actually everyone except Alice who is celebrating.  She is very unsure about her affections for this man.  When he does muster the courage to pop the question, Alice flees the scene.  She needs time to think and clear her head.

It’s now time to go back down the rabbit hole and return to Wonderland.  The evil Red Queen (Carter) has taken control of the kingdom and its residents now live in fear.  Those who dare retaliate are likely to hear the Queen’s catchphrase - “off with their head!”  Fortunately, it has been foretold that Alice would come back to Wonderland and return the White Queen (Hathaway) to her rightful place on throne.  She would do this by slaying the Red Queen’s nasty monster known as the Jabberwocky.

The problem is that Alice has no memory of her previous trips to Wonderland and doesn’t think she’s the hero that everyone believes.  Her first reaction is that it’s all a dream.  How could it be anything but?  That quickly changes when she realises the peril of the situation.  She won’t be waking up.  This is real.  Helping fulfil her destiny are an assortment of eccentric characters including the Mad Hatter (Depp), the White Rabbit (Sheen) and the Cheshire Cat (Fry).

The storyline reminded me of the first Narnia movie (The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe) – a film I found far more entertaining with its grand battle sequences and well-developed plot.  Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (from HBO’s In Treatment) does her best to liven up the adventure but the hill is too steep to climb.  Fans of Johnny Depp will be disappointed with his lack of screen time and meaningful things to say.  Save your money for the next Pirates Of The Caribbean film instead.

I had hopes for a Tim Burton comeback but sadly, the slump continues.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 February 2010

This review is different however.  Its purpose is to open your eyes to a good film which will receive zero publicity.  Girl Clock was made in Brisbane and is as low budget as it gets.  The cast and crew have come together with a simple desire to tell a story and to make a movie.  They’re not in it for the money.  In fact, most of the cast and crew didn’t get paid a cent.

Girl Clock centres on Christine (Neave), a middle aged woman who has reached a crossroads in her life.  Up until this point, her job has always been the focus.  She’s a photographer and has had great fun travelling around the world in the process.  With Christine’s biological clock ticking stronger than ever, her priorities have now changed.  She wants a child before it’s too late.

How’s she going to do this?  She’s not married and doesn’t even have a boyfriend.  Offering advice are her two best friends, Margo (Zandt) and Mikki (Hebbard).  They come up with a variety of “solutions” which provide plenty of laughs.  Mixed with the film’s more serious undertones, you’re left with a decent black comedy that’s not afraid to take a few chances.  Seeing the bare backside of radio announcer Jamie Dunn is proof of that!

The film isn’t without its weaknesses and some of the jokes miss the mark.  There’s a part late in the film (which I won’t reveal too much about) involving these three women and a male corpse.  I think it’s a silly moment but it will certainly provide post-film conversation.  I’d love to know what audiences would make of this scene if the genders were reversed.  Would it be as funny?  Or more controversial?

There’s definitely an audience for Girl Clock here in Brisbane and I hope it makes a few dollars.  The film is showing at the Blue Room, Victoria Point and Balmoral cinemas.  It’s better than a lot of other movies currently in release and I hope my positivity coupled with good word of mouth will give it a strong push.  Check it out!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 February 2010

It may seem like a strange question to ask in a movie review but it may help you decide if A Single Man is worth seeing.  It marks the directorial debut of Tom Ford.  If you don’t know the name, Ford is one of the world’s leading fashion designers.  He worked for Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent before starting his own company in 2004.

So why is a fashion designer making a movie?  I thought about that question for a while but I guess it’s the same reason why anyone would make a movie.  He was attracted to Christopher Isherwood’s novel and he wanted to bring it to life in his own special way.  If you’ve got the financial support and you’ve got a strong cast, why wouldn’t you do it?

I think A Single Man is a brave first film.  Ford has taken his creativity from the fashion world and brought it into the movie world.  He’s not subtle about it either.  This is a visual indulgence.  He mixes the colours on screen to fit in the mood of the characters.  He uses long slow-motion sequences and extreme facial close-ups to highlight the beauty of the situation.  It’s all backed by an epically romantic film score from Polish composer Abel Korzeniowksi.

The story is set in Los Angeles in the early 1960s and centres on a middle aged English professor named George (Firth).  Eight months ago, he received the worst news of his life.  His long time partner, Jim (Goode), had been killed in a car accident.  It’s a loss that George feels he cannot overcome.  As he walks around his empty house on a cold winter morning, George knows this will be his last day.  He just needs to tie up a few loose ends and purchase a bullet for his handgun.

We see flashbacks of George’s relationship with Jim but the film’s focus is on his interaction with two people who will shape his final moments.  The first is his long time friend, Charley (Moore).  They share a love of good music, good conversation and good gin.  The two are quite close but Charley wishes they were much closer.  She’s harboured a crush on a George for many years and has had trouble accepting the fact that he’s gay.

The second person is Kenny (Hoult), a teenage student from one of George’s classes.  Kenny stares intently at George during a lecture and then strikes up a conversation with him afterwards.  He senses something askew with his teacher and asks if he could use a friend.  Is Kenny just a good natured kid or is there something more behind his kindness?

It’s a shame that the film has received just one Academy Award nomination – for Colin Firth’s great performance.  It’s not a perfect movie but the costumes, cinematography and music are all award worthy in my eyes.  It should come as no surprise that Julianne Moore is brilliant once again.  I wish she could have more screen time.  Also superb is youngster Nicholas Hoult who many will remember as the young kid from About A Boy.  He’s not afraid of a challenging role and I think a long and successful career lies ahead.

You should have picked up from my opening thoughts that this isn’t a film for everyone.  Some will love it for its boldness, its originality.  Others will hate it for its boldness, its originality.  We’ve all got different tastes and that’s one of the many reasons why I love talking about movies.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 February 2010

Why is it that you keep leaving so many great films off your list for best picture?  Last year, you omitted The Wrestler.  This year, you have ignored Crazy Heart.  I would hereby like to apply for membership so that I can vote for these films (numerous times actually) to ensure this does not happen again.  Please find enclosed a cheque for $6.50.

Kind regards,

Matthew Toomey.       

Ok, so I admit the storyline in Crazy Heart is nothing new.  An ageing singer hits rock bottom and then tries to find a way to get his life back on track.  Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray and Joaquin Phoenix earned a nomination for his performance as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line.

I guess it’s the way you tell the story which is most important.  Crazy Heart is a beautiful drama built around two moving performances from Jeff Bridges (who is about to win his first Academy Award) and Maggie Gyllenhaal.  It has a nice pace, a quality soundtrack and a picture-perfect ending.  As the closing credits started to roll, the audience at my preview screening just sat there in silence.  They were soaking up the final scene and listening to “The Weary Kind” sung by Ryan Bingham.  What a great song it is.

Bad Blake (Bridges) is a country ‘n’ western singer who is well past his prime.  The film opens with him performing in a bowling alley in the middle of nowhere.  It’s the last place he wants to be but he needs the cash to pay for his whiskey and cigarettes.  His days of playing in front of thousands of adoring fans are long gone.  Now, he’s lucky to pull in a crowd of 50.

At a performance in Santa Fe, he meets a part-time music journalist named Jean (Gyllenhaal).  She’s a single mother with a young son.  There’s an obvious age difference but the film, rightly, doesn’t focus on that.  They are just two people who have come together and connected.  It’s great watching their conversations with each trying to learn a little more about the other.

He’ll always been known as The Dude in The Big Lebowski (one of cinema’s most iconic roles) but Jeff Bridges is a brilliant actor with a terrific resume.  He’s finally receiving his dues and has won a slate of awards this season.  He received a standing ovation from his peers at both the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.  I assure you that this is no “lifetime achievement award”.  Bridges’ performance in Crazy Heart is as good as acting gets.

So how does it all end up?  Will Bad Blake clean up his alcoholic ways?  Will an offer from leading country singer Tommy Sweet (Farrell) revitalise his career?  I don’t want to give too much away because this is a film worth seeing.  In fact, it’ll be one of the year’s best.  A simple story… but a very good one.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 February 2010

I've got something a little different this week.  It's important that the Film Pie maintains its freshness.  No one likes stale pie. Sam Dagan is a good friend of mine who recently moved to London.  We've been seeing movies (and regularly arguing about them) since 2001.  Sam's been keen to break my monopoly of reviews on the Film Pie website and I've finally relented.  Given that I'm seldom impartial when it comes to Sandra Bullock movies, Sam offered to write a review for The Blind Side (which he saw a few weeks ago).  We've both given it a thumbs up but Sam has a few more criticisms (valid too I must admit) than me.   There are currently 1,093 full length reviews available to read on my website.  History has been made with review number 1,094.  Here then, are the opinions of someone other myself...

Matt and Sam in Venice in 2004.

Sam's Thoughts 

The Blind Side is based upon the touching true story of All-American football star Michael Oher.  As an over sized teenager, Michael Oher (Aaron), is essentially homeless until he is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) and after a moment's hesitation Mike is invited out of the cold into the Tuohy home for the night. One night's kindness, turns into the tale of something more as Mike becomes part of the Tuohy family despite the differences in their backgrounds.

Mike grew up on the wrong side of town, his mother was a crack addict, and he missed out on basic childhood experiences such as his mother reading to him and having his own bedroom. Luckily for Mike, a friend's father introduces him to the football coach of a local Christian high school who sees his sporting ability, so naturally the coach's Christian duty is to get Mike a private education. It is from here that one night on Mike's way to sneaking a warm night's sleep in the high school gym he meets the Tuohy family, and is taken in by them.

Living in his new environment, Mike faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome the Tuohy family helps Michael fulfil his potential, both on and off the football field.

Bullock's performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy is good - her career best. It seems Bullock decided whilst in Hollywood she'd give acting a shot. Bullock's performance would certainly win an award for most improved, but I don't think it deserves an Oscar, maybe just smiley face stamp or two.

For the story alone I recommend you go see it, I will now however turn my criticism to the story tellers. Big Mike's story is told with an unnecessary emphasis on the fact he is black rather than that he was poor/homeless/from a broken home, and I found this detracts from the story. A few examples that won't spoil the film:

1. Mike starts off at his new school depicted as the only non-Caucasian there, like a "a fly in the milk" as Mrs Tuohy puts it - what happened to Mike's black friend, Steve, that enrolled at the school with him, did he drown in the milk?

2. Mrs Tuohy approaches some 'gangstas' from Mike's old neighbourhood who stereotypically threatened to bust a cap in Mike's ass, thankfully Mrs Tuohy is white and points out that she's a member of the NRA. I was expecting someone to walk out with a pillow slip over their head so we knew they were whitey, but I'll have to wait for the director’s cut.

Regardless of historical accuracy, there was no need to over emphasise the fact that Mike was Black, unless there's a dodgy projector in the cinema, the audience will work this one out for themselves. It would have been great to see the tale of Mike coming from such a tough beginning and triumphing over it, however all I saw was a black person obtaining success, which I don't see as being so remarkable.

Mike's story is remarkable, however the film makers fail to capture the heartfelt and triumph that I would have expected this story to allow. In comparison to other films in the football/rags-to-riches genre, it would be fair to say that it doesn't have nearly as much heart as Rudy, or as much triumph over adversity as say Slumdog Millionaire.

“And the Oscar goes to Sandra Bullock.”  It’s these words which I’m expecting to hear just after lunch on March 8, 2010.  Who’d have thought it?  After years of making bad movies (and yes, there were some absolute stinkers), Ms Bullock will have a coveted gold statue to place on her mantle piece.

I admit that there’s still a slim chance that she won’t win.  Upsets have been known to happen.  My personal preference would be to see Carey Mulligan take the best actress prize.  Her performance in An Education was easily the year’s finest.  However, I admit that Bullock is really good with her sweet Southern accent and her endearing, take-no-nonsense attitude.  It’s comfortably her best work.

The character she plays is Leigh Anne Tuohy, a happily married mother with a teenager daughter named Collins (Collins) and a young son nicknamed S.J. (Head).  Her husband (McGraw) owns a bunch of a fast-food restaurants and the family lives in a lavish mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.

Driving home on a rainy night, Leigh Anne sees a large black guy by the side of the road.  She recognises him from her children’s school and stops to see if he needs help.  He’s known by most as “Big Mike” and he admits that he doesn’t have anywhere to live.  He was walking to the school’s gym to find shelter for the night.  Leigh Anne takes control of the situation and offers Michael a place on her couch.

What begins as an overnight stay will develop into something more permanent.  The “Good Samaritan” in Leigh Anne wants to help this kid out.  He’s shy and struggles at school but she sees his potential, his desire to forge a better life for himself.  Leigh Anne organises a private tutor for Michael and gets him involved with the football team.

There are a few people who question Leigh Anne’s actions.   They can’t understand why a wealthy woman would suddenly welcome this stranger into her home.  The colour of his skin also raises a few eyebrows.  Luckily, Leigh Anne doesn’t care what others think.  She’s a determined, passionate woman who loves to get her way.

This is probably what I liked most about the film – its positivity.  It doesn’t get bogged down in brooding melodrama.  Maybe it was Bullock’s enthusiasm that rubbed off on me.  Instead of focusing on Michael’s troubled past, it looks forward at his exciting future.  What’s really nice is seeing photos and video clips of the real Michael and Leigh Anne during the closing credits.  They make you realise that this really did happen.

I’ve already touched on Bullock’s wonderful performance.  She’s admitted on the awards circuit that she’s made a lot of rubbish throughout her career.  Hopefully we’ll see more of this new and improved Bullock (now with 90% less fat) in the near future.  I’d also like to praise the cute performance from 11-year-old Jae Head who plays Leigh Anne’s son.  He has some great one-liners.

No matter how bad life gets there’s always hope for something better.  This is a message I took away from two best picture nominees this year – The Blind Side and Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire.  Whilst Blind Side is more commercial and less confronting, it’s still a strong film.  All I know is that I that I left the cinema feeling much better than when I walked in.