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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 February 2010

It begins with Ashton Kutcher lying in bed with Jessica Alba.  It’s early morning one of the most romantic days of the year – Valentine’s Day.  He jumps up, kneels down and pops the question.  She says “yes” – a fact which he then screams out to the entire neighbourhood from his balcony.

Over the next 24 hours, we will follow a seemingly endless number of characters in their quest to understand love.  I don’t even think I have enough time to name the entire cast let alone detail each of their characters.  It’s a “who’s who” of Hollywood.  There’s young (Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift), old (Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo) and a bunch in between.

I’m not sure what writer Katherine Fugate (The Prince & Me) and director Gary Marshall (Pretty Woman) are trying to achieve with this story.  It’s obvious that there are way too many characters.  Some of them are useless (e.g. Kathy Bates) and some are really, really irritating (e.g. Jessica Alba).

If half the cast were dispensed with, there’d be more time for decent character development.  We’d get to understand them and perhaps, even feel for them.  I couldn’t help but imagine (while my mind wandered during the boring scenes) what acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson could have done with this cast and concept.  He’s mastered the art of an ensemble drama (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) and I’d pay triple to see his interpretation.

Before I get too negative, let’s turn to the bright spots.  This may be difficult to digest but music sensation Taylor Swift was my pick of the cast. She plays a ditsy blonde teenager who is hopelessly in love.  Maybe she can relate?  It’s Swift’s first major movie role and I sense it will open up a fresh income stream.  Also good are Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper, who play two people stuck on a long flight together, and Anne Hathaway, a receptionist who moonlights as a phone sex operator.

It’s a tad long at 125 minutes but there were two nice twists in the end.  I guess they’re not really “twists” but rather, we see how certain characters in the film are connected.  There’s a sweet scene involving Julia Roberts in a bedroom (that’s all I can say) that beautifully wraps up her part in this broad story.

When I left the cinema, I jumped in the lift and saw an advertisement on the glass – flogging off a $200 giant teddy bear as the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.  Yep, it was back to reality.  There’s nothing like some quality commercialism to cheapen a special occasion.  So let me finish up with three pieces of wisdom – (1) don’t buy a teddy bear costing $200, (2) go and see this movie if you like romantic comedies, and (3) spend Valentine’s Day with someone you love, doing something you love.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 January 2010

The answer was Daybreakers, a new vampire movie starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Claudia Karvan.  I’ve been following its progress on the internet since that date and after a long wait, it’s finally being released in cinemas.  I’m describing it as an ideal movie… for those who didn’t like Twilight.  There’s no lovey-dovey romance here.  It puts the “bite” back in vampire flicks!

It’s set in the not to distant future where the world has been overrun by vampires.  They’ve stuck their fangs into every almost every human.  Unfortunately, this has created a rather obvious problem.  If the blood is sucked from every human, that’ll be the end of the vampires’ food source.  Without food, well, you get the picture…

Charles Bromley (Neill) runs the major blood bank and is fully aware of this issue.  One of his leading scientists, Edward (Hawke), has been creating a blood substitute to satisfy the masses and save the vampire population.  Unfortunately, it’s still in the testing phase and time is running out.  The public are starting to panic.

I should make mention that Edward is not your normal, blood thirsty vampire.  He has sympathy for the humans and so quenches his own thirst with blood from animals.  Following a freak car accident, he meets one of the world’s last remaining humans – a woman named Audrey (Karvan).  She takes him to a secret hideout and there, Edward meets Elvis (Dafoe) – another human who was once a vampire.  How did he transform back?  Is there still hope for the human race?

Back in 2003, Michael and Peter Spierig made a low-budget horror flick called Undead.  It didn’t make much money but it attracted the attention of some Hollywood heavyweights.  When they put forward a 16 page treatment for a new vampire movie, Lionsgate jumped on board.  This is big stuff for the Spierig brothers.  We often struggle to get our local product released abroad but Daybreakers is set to be shown in quite a few countries.

It won’t mean much to those unfamiliar with Brisbane, but it’s great to see some of our city sights on the big screen.  There’s Riparian Plaza, Post Office Square and the underground walkways leading to Central station (which look creepy enough in a non-vampire world).  It’s also fun seeing Adelaide Street deserted during the day (because, of course, the vampires don’t come out at night).

The film itself is definitely worth seeing.  It’s an interesting world that the Spierig brothers have created.  I liked some of the nice touches – from the coffee shop on the train platform (which includes blood with the coffee) to the blood bank (which allows people to store humans for later consumption).  The vampire cars are pretty cool too with their UV light protection.

People have been critical of Australian cinema in recent months.  Their concerns are that many of our films are “not commercial.”  Hopefully this one will prove them wrong.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 February 2010

20^th Century Fox is hoping that the Percy Jackson series will win them over.  American author Rick Riordan penned the first book (on which this film is based) in 2005 and he’s churned out four more since.  They’re not even close to matching the popularity of J.K. Rowling’s novels but perhaps they’ll get a boost from this cinema release.

The story centres on a teenager named Percy (Lerman) who has just learned that he is the son of the great god Poseidon.  It’s a secret that his mother (Keener) has kept from him since he was born.  Percy has always had trouble concentrating at school and he thought he suffered from a combination of dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.  Not so.  These were just symptoms from a range of special powers that were developing.

Percy is forced to discover his true self when his mother his kidnapped by Hades and taken to his fiery underworld.  Why?  It turns out Hades is using her as leverage.  He believes that Percy has stolen the lightning bolt of Zeus and now wants it for his own so he can control the world.  With the help of two new friends, Percy begins a quest to track down the “lightning thief” and save his mother’s life.

I can understand why director Chris Columbus was attracted to this project.  He has made some decent family films before including the first two Harry Potter movies, Mrs. Doubtfire and Home Alone.  Unfortunately, he makes a number of missteps here.  I know it’s based on a novel but it’s like they made it up as they went along.  It all feels so fragmented.  The characters are poorly developed and not enough is made of the references to Greek mythology (which could have added a dash of intelligence).

They’ve cast 18-year-old Logan Lerman (3:10 To Yuma) in the title role with hopes that his puppy dog eyes will woo the young female audience.  If that’s your thing, you’ll be satisfied with a bounty of facial close-ups (hair always impeccable) and a cheesy romance that he has with Alexandra (Chase), a fellow demigod with equally good looks.

If you’re not yet turned on, then I can’t think of another reason to recommend the film.  The special effects are sub-par and despite a range of cameos from some decent Hollywood stars (including Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman) no one stands out.  I’ve got my doubts as to whether this will take off at the box-office but time will soon tell…

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 January 2010

I’m describing The Road as the “realistic” equivalent.  If our world did face annihilation, this film paints a far more accurate picture of what would really happen.  Be warned though.  The movie is heavy, heavy going.  It’s grim and it’s depressing.  When the end credits started to roll, the patrons at the preview screening sat there in silence.  No one wanted to leave and you could hear a pin drop.

The central characters are a father (Mortensen) and his young son (Smit-McPhee).  They are two of the last remaining creatures in a world which has fallen apart.  I use the term “creatures” because I’m referring to everything.  There are no birds, no animals and no insects.  The apocalypse has wiped almost every skerrick of life from the planet.

In freezing temperatures, this duo are trekking south across the United States in search of food and in search of hope.  The father has a sense that their plight is doomed but he pushes on regardless.  He’s not going to give in.  He loves his son dearly and is determined to give him every chance of survival.

We quickly learn that their biggest concern is not the lack of food.  Rather, it is a small army of other humans who have reverted to cannibalism in order to survive.  The father knows they must evade capture or else they’ll end up as someone’s dinner.  That may sound sickening but it’s reality.  In desperate times people will do desperate things (for better or worse).

Above all else though, the film is about the relationship shared between father and son.  The elder statesman knows he can’t protect his son forever and that he must teach him how to survive.  This isn’t easy to do.  They are both very different people.  The father has been left jaded by bad experiences and is fearful of anyone he encounters.  The son still has his youthful innocence and is not familiar with the “old” world left behind. 

For the most part, I liked this movie.  There were some intense scenes which left me on the edge of my seat.  It also raised some interesting questions that gave me plenty to think about afterwards.  Did the father always do the right thing?  What would I have done in the same situation?

My major grievance was with the film’s ending.  I wasn’t sure what to make of it.  Is there a message which I didn’t pick up on?  It just seemed out of place given everything which preceded it.  Perhaps I need to read Cormac McCarthy’s novel (also the author of No Country For Old Men) to gain a deeper understanding.

I want to finish on a positive note and praise the vision of Australian director John Hillcoat (The Proposition).  Helped by a terrific performance from Viggo Mortensen (A History Of Violence), Hillcoat has created a distinctive film with plenty of emotion.  I understand it won’t suit everyone’s tastes with its gloomy subject matter but it’s a strong film nevertheless.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 January 2010

Actually, popcorn is probably a bad idea.  Not just for your own physical wellbeing but because this is not exactly a “popcorn movie”.  It’s the confronting story of a 16-year-old girl named Precious (Sidibe).  To say her life is a living hell would be an understatement.  She has been raped by her father since just a child.  She is continually abused, both verbally and physically, by her mother (Mo’Nique).  She has problems with her weight and is teased at school.  She can’t even read or write.

I admit it sounds about as bleak as a movie can be and yes, there are some scenes which are tough to watch.  Director Lee Daniels wants to take the audience into a black hole of unhappiness.  He’s not doing this to torture us though.  This story is one of hope.  He wants to show that no matter how bad life is, we all have the ability to change it.  All you need are big dreams and determination.

Precious has those qualities.  Forced to leave her regular school after falling pregnant, Precious enrols at Each One / Teach One.  It’s a special education facility which tries to help troubled kids.  Guided by a passionate teacher (Patton), Precious sets herself some lofty goals.  Not only does she want to learn how to read, she wants to gain her high school diploma and go to college!  She knows that education is power.

The film has received much acclaim and its strength lies within the performances.  As the mother, Mo’Nique is unspeakably cruel and I understand why she’ll win the best supporting actress Oscar next month.  There’s a scene late in the movie where she speaks with Precious and a social worker (played nicely by Mariah Carey) that will leave a lasting impression.

Just as good is Gabourey Sidibe in the leading role.  Two years ago, she was a receptionist from Harlem with no acting experience.  She didn’t hold out much hope when she auditioned but the rest is now history.  Her quiet, restrained performance suits the character perfectly.  I also liked Paula Patton (Mirrors) as the school teacher.  There are some light hearted moments in the class room which help brighten the film’s dark undertones.

The elements of the story I didn’t like were Precious’ “dream sequences”.  They’re a distraction and I don’t know what purpose they served.  The part where Precious and her mother appear in a black and white, subtitled Italian movie was strange indeed.

Before I go, let me mention the title again – it’s Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire.  Just wanted to make sure you remember… and I also wanted to say it again myself.