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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2006

Those that are sentimental will feel right at home with Robert Altman’s latest film, A Prairie Home Companion.  For decades, a live variety radio show known as A Prairie Home Companion has been broadcast on the WLT network in Texas.  It features a mix of country music and out-of-date humour.  In the words of narrator Guy Noir (Kline), “it was the kind of show that died 50 years ago but somebody forgot to tell them.”

Tonight though will be their last show.  The radio station has been bought out and their final broadcast is a time of both celebration and sadness for the tight-nit cast and crew.  They’ve poured their souls into the lovable program and this will be the final time they ever perform together.

Shot like a documentary, the film is typical Robert Altman.  Like some of his classic works, including Short Cuts and The Player, the camera follows its characters like a ghost.  It slowly moves about the set and focuses its attention on whoever is in the vicinity.  It’s reminiscent of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie (my favourite director).  Funnily enough, Anderson was on call as the back up director for insurance purpose in case the 80-year-old Altman was not able to complete the film but he was not needed.

Given his reputation, Altman had no trouble assembling the cast of his choice.  Meryl Streep, Lilly Tomlin, Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly are all traditional country singers.  Garrison Keillor (who also wrote the film) is the show’s MC.  Virginia Madsen is a mysterious lady who drifts in and out of the story.  Tommy Lee Jones acts on behalf of the new owners and has come to see the final show.  My two favourite characters were Maya Rudolph as the disinterested looking stage director and Kevin Kline as the witty narrator who has a zinger in every line.

A Prairie Home Companion was selected to open this year’s Brisbane International Film Festival.  It was a worthy choice and now that it has been released around the country, lovers of Robert Altman won’t want to pass it up.  It’s guaranteed to be one of his last.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 September 2006

I started reviewing movies in 1996.  I saw every Australian cinema release that year (some not until they reached the video store shelf) and in total, there were 3 animated films – The Adventures Of Pinocchio, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and Balto.  Times have changed so much in the past 10 years that I now find myself with the choice of 3 animated films in the same week!

The September 2006 school holidays see the release of The Wild, The Ant Bully and Barnyard.  My first preference was to see Barnyard.  I’ve long been a fan of comic writer Gary Larson and his Far Side cartoons.  It takes a warped sense of humour to full appreciate them but I guess I fit the mould.  Barnyard has no connection with Gary Larson or the Far Side but there’s common ground because they both about animals who party like humans.

Unfortunately, the jokes in Barnyard are vastly inferior to those of Larson.  Writer-director Steve Oedekerk has tried to throw in some adult wit to appease an older audience but there’s just not enough.  When you break it down, this film will be enjoyed mostly by children.  I know this is how it should be for a family flick but having seen great films such as Shrek, Toy Story and The Incredibles, it’s hard not to feel a little under whelmed.

Set on a farm, Barnyard makes us believe that when humans aren’t around, animals act like you and me.  They can talk, play practical jokes and throw wild parties.  The biggest contributor to the fun is a cow named Otis.  His dad wants him to settle down and be more responsible but Otis can’t help himself – he just loves having a good time.  When a group of coyotes threaten to eat some of the farm’s residents, things change dramatically.  Otis is forced to take a leadership role and must conjure up a way to help protect everyone.

The credits don’t feature any huge Hollywood stars but many will make out the voices of Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Danny Glover and Wanda Sykes.  The stand out voice belongs to the distinctive and always recognisable Sam Elliott (as Otis’s father).

Not that I’m complaining but with the glut of animated films that are being release nowadays, why is it that so many are about animals?  The Wild, The Ant Bully and Barnyard come hot on the heels of films like Chicken Little 2, Ice Age 2 and Over The Hedge (all released in 2006).  It’s becoming harder to differentiate between them and I sure hope the future of animation is much more original.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 October 2006

World Trade Centre is the second film in the last two months to have been based on the events of September 11, 2001.  Released back in August, United 93 was one of the best films of the year.  Thanks to the incredible sense of realism created by director Paul Greengrass, it grabbed me in its opening minutes and never let go.

Given my appreciation for United 93 and the similar subject material, I find it hard not to compare it against World Trade Centre.  When you look at them side by side, World Trade Centre is the Hollywood-ised version.  This isn’t a disrespectful comment.  My point is that whilst United 93 tried to tell its story in a documentary style, World Trade Centre tries to its story with big name stars and scripted dialogue.

Directed by Oliver Stone (Platoon, Wall Street, Born Of The Fourth Of July), World Trade Centre focuses on two Port Authority police officers who have become trapped under the debris of the fallen towers.  John McLoughlin (Cage) and Will Jimeno (Pena) freakishly managed to survive the initial implosion but their bodies have become pinned in the mass of metal and concrete.  Their cries for help cannot be heard and so they must painfully wait in the darkness to be rescued.

Told simultaneously are the stories of their two families.  John has a wife (Bello) and four children who sit anxiously by the phone and in front of the television waiting for any news.  In a similarly nervous state is Will’s pregnant wife (Gyllenhaal) who struggles to cope with the thought that she may never see him again.

John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno’s tale of survival may be hard to fathom but it really did happen.  Of those who were in the towers at the time they fell, just 20 survived.  John and Will were two of the last people to be rescued.  It’s inspiring to see their story on the big screen but I’ve found more interest reading their real-life interviews on the internet.  How incredibly lucky they were.

Watching the cinematic version, I felt a tingle down my spine as John and Will were pulled from their wreckage and taken to the hospital.  On the other hand, I felt bored watching much of the melodrama which led to this point.  United 93 did it much better.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 September 2006

This year sure has produced some god awful comedies.  We’ve been “treated” to Little Man, The Benchwarmers, Big Momma’s House 2, My Super Ex Girlfriend, The Long Weekend, The Pink Panther and The Ringer.  Talladegda Nights joins that illustrious group and the battle for this year’s Razzie Awards has become even tighter.

Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) is America’s leading NASCAR driver.  He is also an idiot.  Living by the motto “if you’re not first, you’re last”, Ricky accepts nothing but victory in all aspects of his life.  He must always be the centre of attention and anyone who doesn’t think so doesn’t belong in Ricky’s world.

An arch rival is about to arrive on the scene.  Gay Frenchman Jean Girrard (Cohen) has come to America to dominate NASCAR racing.  Girrard wins their first head-to-head encounter after Ricky crashed on the final lap.  The incident left Ricky mentally scarred and it’s going to be a long journey back to the winners circle.

My last two paragraphs give the impression that there’s a semblance of a plot in this film.  I’m sorry but I can’t think of anyway to describe how incoherent it all feels.  Most of the side characters wander in and out of the story with no purpose (e.g. the grandfather, the wife).  Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G) is as unfunny as I’ve ever seen him.  Nine out of every ten jokes generated no response from me and most of the patrons at my screening.

I’ve admired Will Ferrell in many of his previous works (Bewitched, Melinda & Melinda, Zoolander) but he’s dreadful here.  He’s trying hard to generate laughs with his character’s over-the-top arrogance but it wears thin very quickly.  I’d had enough after 10 minutes.  Others may not even last that long.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 September 2006

Miranda Priestly (Streep) is one of the most influential people in the fashion industry.  Her magazine, Runway, is highly respected and not a single piece of clothing is included in it without Miranda’s full approval.  She can make or break any budding fashion designer.

To call her an ice queen is an understatement.  There’s a fantastic scene early in the film when Miranda arrives at work early.  Her assistant, Emily (Blunt), has been tipped off by her limo driver and it sends the whole office into a spin.  They race around to ensure her coffee is on her desk and her list of chores has been filled.  Meryl Streep is incredible in the role.  She pouts her lips, never cracks a smile and speaks in a condescending voice that makes everyone in her presence feel inferior.

Andy (Hathaway) is a young girl who has just finished college and wants to be a journalist.  It’s not easy landing a first-up position at one of America’s leading publications and so she attends a job interview at Runway Magazine.  It’s not a position as a writer but rather as Miranda’s second assistant.  She is told that working for Miranda will open up many doors and that “a million girls would kill for this job”.

At the very brief interview, Miranda takes pity on Andy’s complete lack of fashion sense and decides to employ her.  The next twelve months will change Andy’s life.  She will have to sacrifice time with her boyfriend (Grenier) and other friends to meet the ever increasing demands her tyrant employer.  Andy tries hard to win Miranda’s respect but is it a battle that cannot be won?

The Devil Wears Prada is not without its flaws.  I found Andy’s fashion makeover a little too hard to believe.  She was still attractive before the makeover so I can’t understand why everyone is in such shock (it reminded me of She’s All That).  Further, Andy’s boyfriend gets upset that she’s spending too much time at work.  His one-sided argument has some credibility but surely he has to understand the demands of the job and the potential that it has for the future?

Criticisms aside, The Devil Wears Prada won me over with its fun spirit.  Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt all deliver their lines with comical cynicism.  There’s a lot of truth in what it has to say about the world of fashion and work in general.  Credit also must go to the marketing team with a very original trailer.  Instead of showing 100 clips which give away the entire story, they show a quick snippet from early in the film just to tease.  If you’ve seen it, hopefully my positive review for the film will only increase your interest in seeing what is a very enjoyable movie.