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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 August 2009

The reason I’m reminiscing is to help explain what this film is about.  It’s about a group of not-so-popular school kids who have put a band together with the hopes of defeating all the other schools at the annual Bandslam competition.  They want to prove to their many critics that they have what it takes.

Managing the band is Will Burton (Connell).  With a distinctive taste in music, shying away from mainstream stuff, Will has always seen himself as an outsider.  He’s just started at the school and is hoping to make some new friends.  Will got the gig as manager having caught the eye of the lead singer, Charlotte (Michalka).

There’s another girl to throw into the mix.  Sam (Hudgens), like Will, tends to stay away from conformity and largely keeps to herself.  The two have plenty in common and after being paired up for a school assignment (which seems ridiculous easy if you ask me) they too become friends.

In the background in a nice supporting role is Lisa Kudrow (Friends) as Will’s mother.  She’s a nice character and provides Will with some valuable advice for his troubles.  Which girl will he end up with?  How will they go at Bandslam?  You’ll have to see the film to find out more.

This is a teen orientated film and I’m happy to report that it doesn’t always follow traditional formulas.  What I’m trying to say is that there aren’t huge character extremes.  These are just ordinary kids (well, kind of) all struggling to fit in.  Charlotte is an ex-cheerleader but be careful not to judge her too early.  I liked the name of the band too – “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On.”

Before I get everyone too excited, I still wasn’t blown away by this film.  It has some nice touches but I didn’t find Will to be a very exciting central character.  All the letters he wrote to David Bowie seemed more creepy than enlightening.

I’m taking the middle ground on Bandslam and giving it a mild recommendation but am certain that it will appeal more to the younger audience.  The casting of Vanessa Hudgens from the High School Musical trilogy and Alyson Michalka from Disney’s Phil Of The Future television series should tell you that.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 August 2009

I had a few laughs along the way but when you break it down, this is another superficial comedy filled with superficial characters.  Let me explain where I’m coming from…

Abby (Heigl) is a television producer whose morning program is struggling in the ratings.  Looking for something to boost their audience, Abby’s boss brings in Mike (Butler) and a segment called The Ugly Truth.  On his show, Mike talks about relationships from a “macho guy” perspective.  It’s controversial, it’s politically incorrect but lo and behold, it becomes a smash hit.

So what kind of advice is Mike giving out?  He tells women that if they’re struggling to get a date that they need to start exercising and making more of an effort about their appearance.  This doesn’t sit well with Abby and the pair quickly clash.  She doesn’t like her program being tarnished by Mike and his twisted views.  She wants to take him down.

The opportunity presents itself when Abby meets Colin (Winter), a hot guy living next door.  She wants to make a good first impression and so asks Mike for advice.  He pretty much tells her to do the exact opposite of what she’d usually do – in other words, to NOT be herself.  If it works, Abby has to accept Mike as a genius and throw her support behind him and his segment.  If it doesn’t work, Mike agrees to quit.

I think how it all pans out is rather obvious but won’t spoil it for those unfamiliar with romantic comedy formulas.  I had major concerns with how these characters seemed to go through these mind-blowing transformations.  If Mike’s show was so popular and people agreed with his views, why did he mellow in the end?  What are men really like – the Mike at the start of the movie or the Mike at the end of the movie?

Ok, this isn’t reality but these two characters are fake and phoney.  I had trouble sitting through it.  I’m often critical of romantic flicks but to prove my worth – I saw two wonderful romantic dramas last week at the Brisbane International Film Festival.  An Education and 500 Days Of Summer were both awesome and will be released nationwide later in the year.  Chemistry is everything – something that the characters in this film didn’t have.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 August 2009

It’s the story of a builder named Jack Kelly (Bradnam) who works for his experienced father, Digger (Sweet).  They’ve been at it for years, building quality homes in Hervey Bay.  A rift has developed between the pair however and Jack is looking to start his own company.  He wants to compete for a lucrative development contract which is on the horizon.

That’s the main storyline but there are a few subplots to spice things up.  Jack has fallen for Tiffany (Satchwell), a Victorian who has moved to Queensland and works a major developer.  Jack’s sister (Beck) is pregnant but she’s not quite sure who the father is.  There are two alternatives and one of them is Jack’s best mate.  What will happen if he finds out that he’s not the dad?

A few of the characters are undeveloped and I use Brooke Satchwell as a good example.  Subdivision is the first feature film for this ex-Neighbours star and despite featuring prominently on the film’s poster, it’s not a big role.  I’d have liked to have seen more of Satchwell and a few of the other cast members for that matter.  Did we really need all the football scenes?

That said, I’m not sticking the boot in because this is a solid effort and is best described as a “fair dinkum” Aussie movie.  It’s nice to see a film shot in Queensland, particular one that provides a few laughs.  It’s a feel good flick which will appease our local audience.

The film’s best attribute is its exploration of the relationship between Jack and his father.  I think the writers have done well to flesh out both characters and I enjoyed the interaction between Gary Sweet and Ashley Bradnam.  I particularly liked the ending and the way in which the community bands together.  It may not be the most realistic of endings but it’s still enjoyable.

This is the first film for director Sue Brooks since she won the Australian Film Institute Award for best director in 2003 for Japanese Story (a wonderful film).  This isn’t quite on the same level in terms of quality but based on her words at the Brisbane premiere, you could tell she had a lot of fun making it.  Hopefully that rubs off on the Australian public.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 July 2009

Balibo is a perfect example.  Some will know this tale but I wasn’t alive when the actual events took place in 1975.  It was in that year when East Timor declared its independence from Portugal, who had colonised the area 400 years earlier.  Within days of having their independence, neighbouring Indonesia invaded.  They wanted the land and its valuable resources for their own people.

A team of five journalists from Channel Seven and Channel Nine had flown to the capital city of Dili to cover the story.  They realised fairly quickly that a major atrocity was about occur.  Their aim was to take footage of the Indonesian militia in action and broadcast it back home.  The world was largely oblivious to what was going on in East Timor but hopefully this would make them stand up and take notice.

As the Indonesian invasion commenced, these five men went missing in near the village of Balibo.  Despite what you may think, very little was said about their disappearance in the Australian media.  There’s a strong implication in Robert Connolly’s film that the fate of these journalists was a covered up by the Australian Government.  Why?  Because Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser supported Indonesia’s occupation of East Timor and such news would not be good publicity.

There are two stories being told concurrently during Balibo.  I’ve mentioned the first but the more prominent story is that of a retired journalist named Roger East (played by Anthony LaPaglia).  On an invitation from East Timor’s Foreign Minister (Isaac), he travelled to Dili to head up their media centre.  On arrival, East was fixated by the disappearance of the “Balibo Five”.  He knew that he had to find out what happened… because no one else would.

Based on the non-fiction book by Jill Joliffe, Robert Connolly (The Bank) has brought this story to the screen.  I agree that it needed to be told.  Much of it was shot in East Timor and there are some truly gripping sequences.   A pudgy looking Anthony LaPaglia (Lantana) gives a terrific performance.  You can see a noticeable transformation in his character as he realises the importance of his role in East Timor.

My biggest concern with the movie is that it leaves questions unanswered.  I wanted to know more about the government’s stance on East Timor.  I wanted to know more about the journalists themselves.  The internet has helped with most of the answers but I’d have preferred to see them covered off in the film.

Balibo premiered at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival and in attendance was Jose Ramos Horta, the current President of East Timor.  Horta has a strong connection with this story – because he was a part of it.  I wish I could have been at that screening to hear his thoughts on the film and his own country today.

It takes a little while to get rolling but Balibo builds to a powerful finale that will leave the audience in a hushed state on leaving the cinema.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 August 2009

Maybe I’m tiring of the deep, dark Australian film because I wasn’t overly impressed with Beautiful Kate.  It’s one of those stories about a family with long held, well guarded secrets and as the film progresses, it all comes out into the open and conflict ensues.  I feel like I’ve seen this kind of movie too many times before in recent years and this didn’t offer anything new.  I haven’t read Newton Thornburg’s novel, on which the film is based, but I’m sure there’s a lot more depth.

That’s not to say that the film doesn’t explore some intriguing issues.  In fact, it’s quite confronting in places when we finally learn the truth.  I can’t say too much more than that but do tread carefully with this one.  It’s not exactly for everyone.

It begins with Ned (Mendelsohn) going on a road trip with his girlfriend to visit his dying father (Brown).  He lives in a remote part of Australia and has been cared for by Ned’s younger sister, Sally (Griffiths).  Ned hasn’t seen his father in many years.  He fled home as a teenager following the death of his twin sister and older brother.  It’s a past he has not wanted to revisit.

If you ask me, none of these characters found redemption.  Maybe that’s the point of it all.  I don’t know.  Why was Ned neglecting his girlfriend?  Why did he spend so much time writing down his memories?  I don’t know either.  All these people gave off a “coldness” and I didn’t feel any compassion for them and their problems.

The cast is strong with Ben Medelsohn, Rachel Griffiths and Bryan Brown but as I’ve alluded to, the script isn’t up to scratch.  It’s another Aussie release that despite good intentions, will struggle at the box office.