Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 December 2007

I like the idea for this movie.  Animation meets reality.  Giselle (Adams) has just met the man of her dreams, Prince Edward (Marsden), in an animated fantasy land known as Andalasia.  They share a kiss and she realises that he is her one true love.  They are to be married the next day.

This doesn’t sit well with Edward’s mother, Queen Narissa (Sarandon).  She’s not prepared to give up her crown to the bubbly Giselle.  Using her powerful magic, she throws Giselle down a wishing well.  It transports her into the real human world.  Giselle pops out from under a manhole cover and finds herself in the centre of New York City.

Wearing a crown and a huge white wedding dress, Giselle’s appearance makes an impression.  She stands out like a sore thumb.  People look at her like she’s some weirdo.  It gets even worse when she starts asking for directions back to the castle.  Giselle is in way over her head.

A twist of fate will see her fall into the arms of a lawyer named Robert (Dempsey).  He too is confused by her story but feels a little sympathetic.  With some encouragement from his young daughter, Nancy (Menzel), Robert lets Giselle stay the night at his apartment.  The next morning, he tries to help Giselle find a way home.

It’s a little more complicated than that.  On learning that this bride-to-be had fallen down the well, Prince Edward (Marsden) took the plunge.  He too is now in the human world and is looking to rescue Giselle.  To ensure that this doesn’t happen, the Queen has sent one of her loyal henchman (Spall) to get to her first.  The plan is to get Giselle to eat a poison apple.

Enchanted has a lot to offer.  When I saw the trailer, it came across as G-rated family flick which was targeted at young kids.  Whilst that statement is true (in hindsight), I think this film will appeal to romantics of any age.  I don’t want to give too much away in this regard but the response from some of the female audience members at my screening told me that their hearts had been won over.

The key to the whole movie is the performance of Amy Adams as Giselle.  She’s terrific!  Her naive innocence makes her both funny and likeable.  Some have been tipping that a second Oscar nomination (following her 2006 nom for Junebug) is just around the corner.  Just as good is Patrick Dempsey as Robert.  His performance is a lot more subdued but it’s just what is required.  He’s just an ordinary guy trying to make sense of a very strange situation.

Whilst I think the script could have been a little tighter (there were a few too many plot holes for me), Enchanted is a light-hearted adventure receiving a well timed release over the Christmas break.  I think you’re going to like it.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 December 2007

In most cases, it’s best to know nothing about a movie before you go and see it.  That way, you have no preconceptions about whether it’s any good and you also have no idea how it will turn out (as this is usually given away in the trailers).  An exception to this rule is the new Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) film, I’m Not There.

Haynes’s film (which he co-wrote with Oren Moverman) is based on the life of musician Bob Dylan.  It is anything but conventional.  Firstly, six different actors play Bob Dylan.  They are Ben Whisaw, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin and Cate Blanchett.  Secondly, the name Bob Dylan is never mentioned once.  These six actors all have different names in the film – for example, the version of Dylan that Cate Blanchett plays is called Jude Quinn.

Confused yet?  Just wait until you see how the film constructed.  It’s like something out of a David Lynch movie.  The stories are fragmented and some don’t seem to make a lot of sense.  There’s no order to any of the events either – we jump back and forth in time (and between actors) on a continual basis.  I think the whole nature of the film is summed by a line from the trailer – “Inspired by the true, false, authentic, exaggerated, real, imagined stories of the greatest artist, agitator, poet, fighter, genius, radical of our time.”

It may sound strange but I really enjoyed I’m Not There.  It’s a challenging movie-going experience.  As I mentioned earlier, it’s probably best that you know the above background information before seeing it.  Otherwise it may be a bit confusing.

What impressed me most was the way in which Todd Haynes has approached the film and tried to make something original.  In the past few years, we’ve seen the lives of musicians such as Ray Charles and Johnny Cash brought to the screen with critical acclaim.  I enjoyed both Ray and Walk The Line but they felt formulaic.  They each told the same kind of story and you knew what would happen next.  The same can’t be said for I’m Not There.   

I haven’t gone into a lot of detail regarding the plot but there’s no point.  You’ll see what I mean when you see the film.  Most of the “buzz” has been surrounding the performance of Cate Blanchett.  It’s hard to imagine a female playing Bob Dylan but Blanchett is the most realistic of the six actors.  There’s been Oscar talk ever since the movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival back in September.

Fans of Bob Dylan will probably take more from the film than those knowing very little about him (which is the category I fall into).  There’s probably a heap of stuff that I haven’t picked up on.  Still, I’m giving the movie a strong recommendation to anyone who has an appreciation for creative filmmaking.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 December 2007

Let me just say that Alice In Wonderland was more believable than this.  National Treasure: Book Of Secrets is perhaps the most far-fetched movie of the year (and that’s saying something).  I called the first film a “fun adventure” and I guess the same can be said for this sequel.  It’s a forgettable “popcorn movie” where you sit back, relax and try not to think too hard.

It begins in a packed lecture theatre where Ben Gates (Cage) and his father (Voight) are approached by a man called Mitch Wilkinson (Harris).  He has a 140-year-old piece of paper which links Ben’s great-great grandfather to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  It makes the newspapers the next day and Ben is upset that his family name has been tarnished.

So what does he do?  He goes on a crazy, life-threatening journey to seek the truth.  He will be joined by his best friend Riley (Bartha) and his wife (Kruger).  They make a good team.  Between them, they manage to sneak into the Queen’s study in Buckingham Palace at the President’s Oval Office at The White House.  I guess security isn’t as tough as it used to be.

All the clues are pointing to some lost city of gold.  Many sought it in the 19^th Century but no one could ever find it.  Over time, the legend has been forgotten.  As Ben starts closing in on its location, he realises that he has competition.  Mitch Wilkinson wants to find it first so that he can get the recognition.  He’s prepared to kill to achieve his goal.

I’m not always a fan of Nicolas Cage but I liked him in this role and I think it suits him.  He is backed by some more experienced actors in Jon Voight and Helen Mirren (who plays his mother).  They work well together.

I can’t say the same for the plot.  Whilst I enjoyed the film’s cracking pace (there’s hardly any time to catch your breath), it’s just too silly for my liking.  Everything works out too easily for Ben.  It lacks a “suspense factor”.  You just know he’s going to find a way out of every life-threatening situation and carry on as if it had never happened.  He’s the James Bond of code breakers.

The film’s finale sets up an inevitable sequel.  Let’s just get it over with and move on to a fresh idea.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 December 2007

Mike Enslin (Cusack) writes books about creepy, haunted places.  In the film, we meet him for the first time at a book signing which is attended by a handful of people.  I’m guessing he’s not that popular but has a few loyal fans.  He admits to the audience that whilst he’d like to, he’s never actually seen a ghost or had a paranormal experience.

His next book will be on the 10 most haunted hotel rooms.  He receives a postcard out of the blue which suggests that he try Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City.  He calls the hotel but they are unwilling to take the booking – receiption keep saying that the room is never available.

With the help of his editor and his lawyer, Enslin gets what he wants.  He turns up at the front desk of the Dolphin and asks to be checked in for one night in Room 1408.  Before he does so however, the hotel’s manager (Jackson) does everything he can to convince Enslin otherwise.  He says there have been 56 deaths in Room 1408 since the hotel was built almost a century ago.  Most people don’t last more than an hour.

Enslin’s mind cannot be changed.  He thinks the deaths are some bizarre coincidence and that the manager is acting this way just to attract attention to the hotel.  There’s no such thing as a haunted hotel room, right?  Enslin is given the key to the room and escorted to the 14^th floor.  What will happen when he opens the front door?

This is a really cool premise and I was even more excited when I heard it was based on a short story by Stephen King.  For the most part, it’s a decent movie.  It’s not really “scary” but it’s interesting to see what lengths the “room” will go to make Enslin its 57^th victim.  The great visual effects make it all the more believable.

I’m a big fan of John Cusack and I read a recent interview with him that confirms my stance.  He loves a good script and is attracted to unusual projects.  Just look at him in films such as Being John Malkovich and Gross Pointe Blank.  He liked the idea of 1408 because it’s just him and the room in pretty much every scene.  There’s little interaction with other characters he thought it would be a challenge.  Having seen the finished product, I think Cusack has done a super job.  His character is likeable and you’ll be hoping he gets the better of the evil room.

Sadly, the film is let down by a poor ending.  It’s as if the writers didn’t know how to end it and whipped something together in a short period of time.  I haven’t read the Stephen King short story so perhaps this is how it is supposed end?  Still, I expected something more.  I expected a twist or some unexpected revelation.

Check in… if you dare.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 December 2007

Ethan and Joel Coen have made some incredible films.  They’ve made my top 10 directors list for as long as I’ve been publishing it on my website.  Their works include Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Intolerable Cruelty.  No Country For Old Men is their latest creation and it’s one of the best films I’ve seen all year.  There’s still a month till the nominations but it looks a lock to be a best picture nominee at the Oscars.

Ah, but don’t be fooled.  This film isn’t for everyone.  Here’s just a splattering of comments from the Internet Movie Database website – “this is easily the worst film I’ve seen this year”, “this movie is just horrible”, “anyone that thinks this movie is clever or deep is certifiably insane”, “I actually saw people angrily walking to get a refund”, “this movie is esoteric garbage”, and “I swear Mortal Kombat was better than this.”

My point is that you’ll either love it or hate it.  My job is to help you work out which category you fit into before you think about seeing it.

Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) is an ordinary man who is hunting animals in a Texas desert.  Looking down from atop a small cliff, he spots an array of cars with dead bodies strewn everywhere.  He goes in for a closer look.  A shoot out has taken place.  There appear to be no survivors.  A stash of drugs has been left on the back of a ute and there’s a large suitcase containing $2m in cash.  Llewelyn thinks for a moment and decides to take the money.  He stashes it underneath the caravan in which he and his wife (Macdonald) live.

It’s a decision he will regret.  The hunter will become the hunted.  With 24 hours, he realises that there are some very nasty people who want that money for themselves and unfortunately, he’s left a trail.  Llewelyn tells his wife to hide at her mother’s and then he hits the open road, looking for somewhere to lay low.

Hot on his tail is a hired assassin with the strange name of Anton Chigurh (Bardem).  He has been hired by some powerful people to get the money back.  Anton is one of the scariest bad guys I’ve ever seen a film.  His mere presence makes everyone around him feel uncomfortable.  I speak of the people in the movie… and those sitting in the cinema audience!  There’s a great scene where he speaks to the owner of a service station in the search for information.  He is pure evil.

Caught up in the story is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Jones), an experienced police officer is trying to do what is right.  He realises the danger that Llewelyn is in and is hoping to find him before the bad guys do.  As the body count rises, Tom finds himself questioning humanity.  How is it that these people have such little regard for human life?

No Country For Old Men is based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (All The Pretty Horses).  I haven’t read the novel but I believe it’s a very faithful adaptation.  The ending (which will leave some people unfulfilled) is exactly how the book ends.  What I adored most about the material were the terrific one-liners.  Tommy Lee Jones gets most of them in what is one of his greatest performances.  Every time he opens his mouth, you know that an intelligent, insightful comment will be made.

Another superb quality of the film is its casting.  The main actors are all wonderful but I want to focus on the supporting cast.  I don’t where the Coen brothers find these people.  They may only be on screen for a few minutes but they make those few minutes unforgettable.  I speak of the caravan park manager, the boot salesman, the hotel clerk...

With all these superlatives, you might be wondering why some people haven’t liked the film?  The answer is simple – it doesn’t necessarily give you what you want.  It doesn’t play out like a normal Hollywood thriller where everything is wrapped up nice and neatly.  You have been warned in that regard.

In many ways, No Country For Old Men reminded me of Fargo.  They explore similar themes in a similar setting.   Oh, and there’s one more thing they have in common – they’re both brilliant.