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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 December 2008

When Slumdog Millionaire screened at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival, it received a standing ovation.  It came as no surprise when it won the People’s Choice Award for best movie.  Given that Toronto is the biggest film festival in the world, this is a huge honour.  Previous winners at Toronto have included Hotel Rwanda, Whale Rider, Amelie and American Beauty.  Most Oscar bloggers have declared Slumdog as a “shoe in” for a best picture nomination at next year’s Academy Awards.

As I sit at my computer, I’m telling myself to trust my gut instinct.  Don’t bow to public pressure.  I have to be honest and say that while I enjoyed the film, I found it overrated.  It reminds me of the thoughts I had for the much loved Little Miss Sunshine two years ago.  I was certainly in the minority by declaring it “good but not great.”

When Slumdog Millionaire begins, we see teenager Jamal Malik (Patel) sitting in the “hot seat” on the Indian equivalent of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?  He has just won 10 million rupees which is about $300,000 in Australian dollars.  When he returns tomorrow night, he will tackle the final question and try to double that total.

The game show host, Prem Kumar (Kapoor), thinks that Jamal has been cheating.  He can’t understand how a homeless kid from the slums of India could manage to know so much information.  He wants Jamal exposed as a fraud and so he gets the local police involved.  They forcibly take Jamal back to the police station and try to beat the information out of him.

The head Police Inspector (Khan) soon realises that Jamal is no con artist.  When grilled about each question, we go on a flashback to find the part of Jamal’s life where he first learned the answer.  There are some nice memories and some not-so-nice memories.

This makes up the crux of the movie and I like this method of storytelling.  Instead of focusing on Jamal’s success on the show, we reflect back and find out what made him the person he is today.  Simon Beaufoy’s (The Full Monty) screenplay touches on some of the social and economic problems within India.  We also discover that the reason Jamal is on the show is to impress a girl.  Her name is Latika (Pinto) and despite knowing each other for a long time, they seemed destined to be apart.

I don’t know how to say this but the reason that I didn’t love this film (as others will) was because it felt a little weird.  The current day Jamal is dull and despite all the flashbacks, I never really understood him.  How did he have such strong feelings for Latika?  I struggled to see the connection between them.  I also wanted to know more about his young life – particularly the darker chapters.  Certain events, such as his mother’s death, are not explored.  I also took issue to the fate of Jamal’s brother and the way it is handled.

Now that I’ve vented my frustrations, I should finish on a positive given that this is still a film worth seeing.  I liked the Indian backdrop and especially the work of cinematographer Anthony Mantle (28 Days Later, The Last King Of Scotland).  I thought Anil Kapoor gave the best performance as the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host.  You’re never quite sure of his intentions and if there’s one thing I won’t forget about this movie, it’s the way he pronounces the word “millionaire.”

My thumbs are up for Slumdog Millionaire but unlike the audience at Toronto, I won’t be giving it a standing ovation.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 December 2008

When this film was released in the United States and the United Kingdom last week, the title was Four Christmases.  Here in Australia, the title is Four Holidays.  I’ve been asking around but no one can give me a straight answer.  What’s the deal?  Is this political correctness gone mad?  Are people going to avoid this film because it has the word Christmas in the title?  The movie is exactly the same as that which was released overseas so I just don’t get it.

Perhaps a better title would have been Four Laughs.  That pretty much sums up my feelings for this forgettable comedy.  I chuckled on a small number of occasions but for the most part, I sat in the cinema with a disinterested look on my face.  Thank goodness the film was only 82 minutes long.

Brad (Vaughn) and Kate (Witherspoon) have been dating for a number of years and share a non-conformist view of society.  They don’t want to get married because they think it’s an unnecessary commitment – if you’re happy together, they why bother?  They also have no plan to bring children into the world.  Kids would cramp their style.

Neither wants to spend time with their families on Christmas Day so they book a holiday in Fiji.  They subsequently tell their gullible parents that their off to Burma to do some charity work.  Their scheme comes unstuck when heavy fog shuts down the airport.  As Brad and Kate try to find another flight, they are approached by a television reporter looking for an interview.  Their thoughts on the airport closure are broadcast live across San Francisco.

Lo and behold, their interview is seen by their parents.  They realise they have no choice but to spend the day travelling around San Francisco and paying each one of them a visit.  Boohoo.

I didn’t like any of the characters in this film.  They’re all so phoney and over-the-top.  The “transformation” of Brad and Kate didn’t sit well with me either.  The ending is rubbish but that came as no surprise given that which preceded it.  I prefer my comedies with more substance and more jokes.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 December 2008

I didn’t mind Madagascar but this follow up does what so many sequels do – it fails to live up the original.  The plot isn’t very interesting and the jokes are average.  I’m sure that many kids will still love it but as a 31-year-old adult, I was left with feelings of disappointment.

To quickly recap, the four central characters are Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the elephant.  They are voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith.  In the first film, these animals escaped from the New York Zoo and ended up on the island of Madagascar.

This time around, they’re looking to take the return journey.  They’re going to fly back to New York in a rickety old plane piloted by a group of penguins.  It’s a recipe for disaster and the plane crashes not long after take off.  They end up stranded in an African wildlife preserve with a group of similar animals.

Alex is reunited with his long lost parents, Marty impresses his fellow zebras with some cool tricks, Melman thinks he has a terminal illness and Gloria goes in search of love.  Doing their best to create conflict are a group of feisty humans who have become lost in the wilderness and an old lion named Makunga (Baldwin) who yearns for power.

That’s pretty much that.  It’s a forgettable adventure with little suspense.  I was expecting a lot more.  Give me the first film any day.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 November 2008

You may not think it but I’ve seen two movies in the past week which I want to compare - Quantum Of Solace and High School Musical 3.  As James Bond, Daniel Craig is a very masculine leading character.  He’s as cool as ice and as tough as nails.  Bond can beat any enemy in a fight and always gets the girl.  In its opening weekend in the United States, roughly 54% of the audience was male and 58% of the total audience was over the age of 25.

Zac Efron is the star of High School Musical 3 and you’re reminded of this in the film’s opening scene – it’s an extreme close-up of his sweaty face while on a basketball court.  As Troy Bolton, Efron has an effeminate look (no offence) and wins the heart of the ladies with his signing voice and dancing moves.  When this film opened in the U.S., approximately 74% of the audience were female and the majority were under the age of 18.

James Bond and Troy Bolton are complete opposites.  If they ever met in real life, I’m not sure what they’d have to say to each other.  Troy would probably start signing and James would then beat him to death.  The point I’m trying to make is that these films have both been a huge financial success despite the fact they have very different leading men.  It highlights the varying appetites of regular moviegoers.

There’s no other way of describing the High School Musical franchise without using the word “phenomenal.”  The original film premiered on the Disney Channel in January 2006 and became an instant cult hit.  The soundtrack was the highest selling album of that year in the United States.  The sequel was first shown on the Disney Channel in August 2007 and became the most watched direct-to-television movie in history.

The next step was to take the High School Musical world to the big screen and this brings us to where we are today.  I can’t think of another instance where the third film a series is the first to be shown in cinemas.  It’s been a profitable exercise for Disney – the movie cost just $33m and is on track to gross more than $90m at the box-office.  I expect more money will fill the Disney coffers when it is released on DVD early next year.

So what’s the hype all about?  Basically, the film is a large scale teen musical set against the backdrop of East High.  The six leading characters are in their senior year at school and are stressing about their futures.  Which college should they go?  What should they study?  There’s also a tinge of sadness as they realise this is their final year at school together.  They decide to go out in style by volunteering for the annual East High musical.  It’s a neat twist to be watching a musical within a musical.

If I was being my usual critical self, I probably wouldn’t like this film.  The plot is paper thin and there isn’t enough tension.  It feels like the last episode of a long running sitcom.  Somehow, I don’t think people will be seeing this film for its intricate storyline.  They want a colourful spectacle and on that count, it delivers.

The costumers, set decorators and make-up artists do a fantastic job but the most impressive element is the dance choreography.  Director Kenny Ortega (who also directed the other two films) worked as a choreographer on such 1980s classics as St. Elmo’s Fire, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Dirty Dancing.  With the help of his crew, Ortega brings the dance numbers to life with a mix of well chosen camera angles and a talented team of dancers.  I don’t even want to guess how long some of the scenes took to rehearse.  It comes as no surprise that Ortega is currently working on a remake of Footlose with Zac Efron in the leading role.

I know plenty of people who wouldn’t be caught dead at a film like High School Musical 3.  I was a little reluctant myself walking to the theatre but hey, I’ll be honest and admit that I found it entertaining.  Since the preview screening, I have watched both High School Musical and High School Musical 2 for the first time.  I’m hooked.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 December 2008