Reviews
The Lovely Bones
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Peter Jackson |
| Written by: | Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson |
| Starring: | Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz, Mark Whalberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Amanda Michalka |
| Released: | December 26, 2009 |
| Grade: | B- |
On a winter afternoon in December 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Ronan) was walking home from school. She bumped into George Harvey (Tucci), an odd looking man who had recently moved into a house just up the street. Susie Salmon was never seen again.
This isn’t a traditional “who done it” movie. As members of the audience, we know that Susie was murdered and that Mr. Harvey is the man responsible. The question is – will he be caught? George has done his best to cover his tracks but Susie’s father, Jack (Wahlberg) is unrelenting in his quest for answers. He still harbours a faint hope that Susie is still alive and won’t stop until he knows the truth.
There’s someone else who is looking to expose the truth… Susie herself! She is no longer living but she is yet to move on to heaven. Susie has found herself in the “in-between”. Like a ghost, she can subtly communicate with the living world, trying to point them in the direction of her murderer.
I had high expectations given the reputation of Peter Jackson and the alluring trailer. Sadly, most of the film was a let down. It feels as if every second page of Alice Sebold’s novel has been ripped out and the writers have somehow tried to reconstruct the story.
Jackson has created a cool fantasy world filled with great special effects but the character development is non-existent. I had no appreciation for the grief that Susie’s parents were going through. Her grandmother (played by Susan Sarandon) adds nothing to the story and yet they show her cleaning the house is a silly montage.
The same can be said for Susie’s siblings. There’s a ludicrous scene late in the film where the sister hesitates about revealing a valuable piece of information. My first question is why the hesitation? My second question is why did she change face so quickly?
As the villain, Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia) delivers the only decent performance. I still thought he was a touch over the top (he looks like such an obvious creep) but the scene in which he lures Susie into his trap was the film’s best. It’s creepy and hard to stomach.
With an ending just too convenient to take seriously, The Lovely Bones is the weakest Peter Jackson film I’ve seen to date.
Broken Embraces
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Pedro Almodovar |
| Written by: | Pedro Almodovar |
| Starring: | Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Jose Luis Gomez, Ruben Ochandiano, Tamar Novas |
| Released: | December 17, 2009 |
| Grade: | B+ |
With Avatar expected to dominate ticket sales this weekend, most studios are laying low in the lead up to Christmas. The only other film being released on Thursday is Broken Embraces, the latest from acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. He has two Oscars on his mantelpiece at home and his most popular works include All About My Mother and Talk To Her.
I have an appreciation for the way in Almodovar develops his characters. Things are rare black and white – there’s plenty of grey to keep things interesting. Broken Embraces is no exception. It begins with a blind man named Harry (Homar) befriending a young lady on the street. She comes back to his house and they make love on the couch. Should I see Harry as a sleazy womaniser? Or should I feel sorry for Harry given his disability? Things are grey already.
Harry hasn’t always been blind. He was once a screenwriter and a filmmaker. The story behind his condition will be revealed in flashbacks. Fourteen years earlier, he was directing a movie with a young starlet named Lena (Cruz). Harry was smitten with Lena from the first time he laid eyes on her. Unfortunately, she was already taken by the film’s producer. Ernesto Martel (Gomez) was an older, wealthier man who could give Lena whatever she wanted.
Pedro Almodovar has made better films than this. I liked it generally but wasn’t blown away as I have been with previous works. I found the ending somewhat predictable and a few scenes tended to drag out the inevitable. Of particular annoyance was a character by the name of Ray X (Ochandiano) who is laughable as opposed to sinister. I don’t think this was Almodovar’s intention.
The film is still worth seeing for its interesting assortment of characters and the difficult situations in which they find themselves. Many are hiding secrets but which will be revealed? And to whom? I’ll leave it with you to figure out whilst I go and watch Avatar for a second time…
Where The Wild Things Are
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Spike Jonze |
| Written by: | Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers |
| Starring: | Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara |
| Released: | December 3, 2009 |
| Grade: | A- |
I’ve often spoken about the difficulty of adapting a beloved novel for the big screen. It’s hard to condense the material and the character development into a mere two hours. That wasn’t the case with Where The Wild Things Are. The picture book, written by Maurice Sendak and first published in 1963, contains just 10 sentences. Screenwriters Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers found themselves in the odd position where they needed to build on the original story.
And what a great job they’ve done. Jonze didn’t want to make a children’s film. Instead, he “set out to make a movie about a childhood”. The story’s protagonist is a 9-year-old boy named Max (played by Max Records in his first movie role). Max is a typical kid at that age – fun-loving and adventurous yet immature and naive. He’s also got a lot of strange feelings building up inside of him.
Max always wants to be the centre of attention and he gets frustrated when his mum and older sister don’t reciprocate. One night, he runs away from home and finds himself in a strange fantasy world inhabited by large monsters. They initially threaten to eat Max but he convinces them otherwise by telling them that he’s a king who has come to rule them. The monsters have been looking for a leader for some time and they anoint Max by providing him a gold crown.
At first, everything is great. Max receives all the attention he demands and he makes a bunch of new friends. All the decisions he makes are fruitful. He even helps the monsters establish a new home – a giant fort with a series of underground tunnels.
Ah, but it’s not always easy being the king. These monsters are battling their own strange feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. A division develops between some of them and Max doesn’t know how to make things right. He’ll need to quickly learn from this fast-paced lesson in maturity or else he could end up as the monster’s next meal. Max’s old life is taking on a much greater appreciation.
Spike Jonze is one of the world’s most gifted filmmakers and his credits include Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. He gave himself a big challenge in taking Where The Wild Things Are to the big screen but Jonze was up to the task. It’s a dazzling film to watch on the big screen – from the close ups of Max’s face (whose emotions are always showing) to the panoramic shots of this fantasy world.
Let’s not forget the “wild things”. If they all look very real to you… then that’s because they are. They weren’t created with digitally. The creature crew spent 8 months designing and building actual monster suits for actors to inhabit. The only special effects are the monster’s faces – which were later altered to match up against the dubbed voices. You won’t notice it at all.
The film could be quite scary in places for young children – a fact I have no problem with. It’s nice to see a family-orientated movie that contains “fear” as part of its repertoire. It’s a feeling that we all deal with and too often it is overlooked in films of a similar vein.
Shot on the southern coast of Australia just outside Melbourne, Where The Wild Things Are is a terrific movie for people of any age to enjoy.
Avatar
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | James Cameron |
| Written by: | James Cameron |
| Starring: | Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi |
| Released: | December 17, 2009 |
| Grade: | A |
In 1997, director James Cameron “wowed” me with Titanic. It was one of the greatest films ever made and it’s still the highest grossing film in U.S. history. I’ve been waiting twelve long years for Cameron to make another movie. Why has he taken so long? Whatever the reason, the wait has been worth it. Avatar is the most visually spectacular film that I’ve ever seen on a big screen. The bar has been raised.
Set in the year 2154, an army of humans have travelled to a distant planet known as Pandora. They are extracting a valuable mineral from the ground which is worth an astronomical sum back home. Unfortunately, there is an alien race on Pandora known as the Na’vi. The only way the minerals can be dug up is by displacing the Na’vi from their homes. They don’t plan on doing so without a fight.
Not everyone aboard the human spaceship is interested in these rocks. A small team of peaceful scientists are looking to explore the planet to see what else can be learned from its people and its beautiful forests. To help with their task, they have created avatars – a Na’vi body they can inhabit whilst on the surface. It helps them communicate with the locals and in defending themselves against some vicious wildlife.
Caught in the middle is a paraplegic named Jake Sully (Worthington). Jake is an ex war veteran who has been brought in to help the head scientist (Weaver) with her work. Ah, but he’s also being used by the ship’s military leader (Lang) to gain valuable intelligence information on the Na’vi people and their weaknesses. To whom do his allegiances really lie?
Not even Jake knows the answer to that question at first. All he cares about is his amazing new life on Pandora. Through his avatar, he now has the use of his legs for the first time in many years. He has also developed affection for the planet and its people. In particular, Jake has formed a bond with a young woman named Neytiri (Saldana) who is teaching him the ways of the Na’vi.
The dialogue is stiff at times but there’s an intricacy to the story which elevates it above your run-of-the-mill action flick. This should come as no surprise given James Cameron’s history. He loves visual effects but he recognises the importance of telling a good story. Aliens, Terminator and Titanic are fitting examples. In Avatar, he had me cheering for the strange-looking blue creatures instead of the humans. Not necessarily an easy accomplishment.
Let’s be honest though – the reason this film is so amazing is because of its look. The line separating live action and special effects has been blurred beyond recognition. I didn’t know what was what. Enhancing it even further is the fact it was filmed using the latest in 3D technology. You will find yourself immersed in a fantasy world filled with a kaleidoscope of colours. Or to put it more bluntly, in the words of Hollywood columnist Jeffrey Wells, “it's like your eyeballs are having sex.”
Australian Sam Worthington must be pinching himself after the year he’s had. Fresh off his role in Terminator: Salvation (where he was the best part of it), Worthington then got to star in a James Cameron movie. Does it get any better? You can see why Cameron chose him though. Worthington gives a terrific performance. With just a hint of his Aussie accent, he turns Jake into an ideal hero – someone a little rough around the edges but not lacking in passion.
It goes without saying that Avatar must be seen in 3D on the big screen. It clocks in at just over two and a half hours and is sure to have cinemas packed once the word of mouth spreads. Mr Cameron, please do not make me wait another twelve years for your next movie.
Paranormal Activity
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Oren Peli |
| Written by: | Oren Peli |
| Starring: | Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Ashley Palmer, Amber Armstrong |
| Released: | December 3, 2009 |
| Grade: | A- |
If you want to make a great action film, you’ll need $100m, a stunt team and the latest in visual effects software. If you want to make a great horror film on the other hand, all you need is $15,000 and the will to do it. Paranormal Activity is proof of that. Sometimes, the simpler you make a horror film, the scarier it can be.
Katie (Featherston) and Micah (Sloat) are a happy young couple who live together. Of late, Katie has been hearing strange noises during the night and it’s starting to freak her out. Micah buys a new state-of-the-art video camera to put her mind at ease. He sets up in the bedroom each night and they fast-forward through the footage the next day to see if they spot anything unusual.
I’ve seen my fair share of horror films and I’m seldom do I feel any emotion. I know in the back of my head that it’s only just a movie. That said, there were scenes in this movie that sent a shiver down my spine.
On one of the first nights in which they use the camera, the bedroom door partially closes and then reopens. That may not sound too spooky but when you’re sitting in a packed cinema which is deathly silent (the movie has no soundtrack) then you’ll think again. For anyone who believes in ghosts and other such paranormal beings, this probably isn’t the best film to watch before bedtime.
The film’s intensity builds and builds. I don’t want to say too much because I want you to be caught off guard, as I was. It’s important to shriek and scream (as many did at my preview screening). With regards to the sudden climax, it’s worth pointing out this wasn’t how the film originally ended. After being scared out of his wits when he first saw it, acclaimed director Steven Spielberg suggested an alternate ending and this was ultimately used in the film’s world wide release.
Paranormal Activity has a few other odd qualities to help distinguish it from other horror films. There are no opening credits or closing credits. At the end, you’ll be simply left with a blank screen and your own troubled thoughts. That may be good for some but not for others. The film has made more than $100m at the U.S. box-office and as you’d expect, a sequel which has been scheduled for 2012. I hope it’s better than the follow up to The Blair Witch Project (which was made in a similar vein ten years ago).
If you are going to see this movie, I strongly recommend that you see it late at night during its opening week. The bigger the crowd, the better the atmosphere.
Planet 51
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Jorge Blanco |
| Written by: | Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers |
| Starring: | Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, John Cleese |
| Released: | December 10, 2009 |
| Grade: | B |
On a recent episode of At The Movies, Margaret Pomeranz says that she divides animated films into two categories – “animation ordinaire” and “animation that really is a notch above”. It’s an apt way of summing up my own thoughts on the genre. I’m usually “ok” with most animated films but I love those which have a rich, well thought out story. Recent examples would include Up, Coraline, WALL-E and Ratatouille.
Planet 51 is a decent film but it’s not in the premiere league. It’s the tale of an astronaut named Captain Charles T. Baker (Johnson) who lands on a planet which he thought to be uninhabited. Instead, it finds it filled with cute-looking green aliens who speak English and live in a manner similar to our own (for reasons which are never explained – probably because there is no explanation).
The alien army seizes his spacecraft but he himself evades capture. He meets a friendly alien named Lem (Long) who agrees to help him. Lem realises that this human isn’t here to take over the planet or destroy their species. He has come in peace. The two must now devise a plan to get Lem back on his spacecraft and return home before it is too late.
It’s light-hearted stuff which kids should enjoy. Justin Long is the best of the cast and I think makes a nice, likeable character out of Lem. John Cleese seems to feature in so many animated films these days (Valiant, Shrek, Igor) but I never get tired of his antics. Here, he does what he does best – playing an eccentric professor who thinks he’s an alien expert.
On the downside, there was potential to take this concept a lot further. The idea of a human finding himself immersed in an alien world is the flip-side of so many other movies which have been made. It’s all rather conservative but I admit to chuckling at a few of the pop culture references. I don’t think I’ll be seeing it again but it was worth a look.