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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 October 2013

Thor may be great and powerful… but he’s no match for the unstoppable force that is the Marvel franchise. Since X-Men debuted back in 2000, there have been 29 Marvel movies that have grossed more than $12 billion at the international box-office. Four more flicks are scheduled for 2014 and another three in 2015 – including a sequel to ridiculously popular The Avengers.

Star Tom Hiddleston was recently promoting Thor: The Dark World in Australia and I put the question to him – are we reaching a saturating point when it comes to comic book movies? He astutely made the comparison to past eras. In the 1960s we were infatuated with Roman epics and in the 1970s we seemed to make a lot of gangster movies and police thrillers. The reality is that we will eventually lose interest comic book flicks… but as long as they remain fresh and not-so-formulaic, they’ll be around for a few more years yet.

Thor: The Dark World sees our fierce hero (Hemsworth) attempt to save the world from a new adversary. The Dark Elves, led by the particularly villainous Malekith (Eccleston), are trying to get their hands on extremely powerful force that will give him control of the universe. Suffice to say it won’t be the nicest of places if it succeeds. They’re not called the Dark Elves for nothing.

Assisting Thor is a group of characters you should already know. On his home planet of Asgard, we’ll find his domineering father (Hopkins) and a band of loyal soldiers trying to unite the Nine Realms. On Earth, there’s his love interest, Jane Foster (Portman), and her eccentric group of scientific friends including Dr Selvig (Skarsgard) and my favourite character from the original film, Darcy (Dennings).

It’s not the most exhilarating of stories and we’ve seen this stuff again and again. I’m starting to wonder if these films are maintaining the “freshness” that Tom Hiddleston was referring to. The first hour is particularly sluggish as we learn the backstory of the Dark Elves and try to get a grip on the strange force they are trying to possess.

I wouldn’t set your expectations too high but the film is still worth a look for its comedic moments (which dominate the highlight reel). Tom Hiddleston gets the best of the one-liners as Thor’s villainous brother, Loki. Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard make the most of their limited screen time. There’s even an amusing cameo from Chris O’Dowd (The Sapphires). It’s a shame that the two leads, Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, can’t quite generate the same laughs despite obvious attempts.

Cinema managers love Marvel movies and the huge dollars they pull in. There is one downside though. People aren’t going to leave when the closing credits start to roll. They’re going to have to wait a little longer before the cleaning staff can get in and sweep the popcorn off the floor. Fans know that the credits will contain short clips that provide a glimpse of future instalments. That’s again the case here. Make sure you stay until the screen is blank and the cinema lights turned on.

Director Alan Taylor (The Emperor’s New Clothes) isn’t advancing the comic book genre with Thor: The Dark World but he’s done enough to put bums on seats and to keep the franchise going.

You can read my interview with star Tom Hiddleston by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 October 2013

Blancanieves (pronounced blan-ca-nie-ves) is a Spanish black-and-white silent film. Put your hands up if you’ve seen one of those lately. While I realise this film isn’t going to attract the mainstream Transformers-loving crowd, it’s fantastic to see it getting a limited release here in Australia. Perhaps cinema managers are slightly more optimistic after the success of The Artist – the French black-and-white silent film that won the best picture Oscar back in early 2012.

It’s a story we’ve heard before but Blancanieves tries to put a “modern” spin on the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, Snow White. It’s set in the early part of the 20^th century and begins by introducing us to Antonio Villalta (Gavira), a renowned bull fighter who regularly performs in front of huge, adoring crowds. Life is good for Antonio. He has fame, he has fortune and he has a beautiful wife.

Unfortunately, his life is about to take several tragic turns. Antonio is left a quadriplegic after being savagely gored by a bull. Moments later, his wife dies during childbirth leaving him on his own with an infant daughter, Carmencita. It gets worse. Looking for someone to help him take care of Carmencita moving forward, he is tricked into marrying Encarna (Verdú), a selfish young nurse who is only interested in Antonio for his money.

Carmencita endures a traumatic childhood at the hands of her villainous step-mother. She is forced to sleep in a filthy rock cabin that is kept separate from the main mansion. She isn’t allowed to eat inside the house and she is prohibited from interacting with her father. Such an upbringing might be too difficult for some… but Carmencita draws on her inner strength and is determined to prove that her life is worth something. Teaming up with a group of short-statured bull fighters, she wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and restore the family’s proud legacy.

Writer-director Pablo Berger admitted he was a little upset when he first heard about The Artist screening at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival to huge acclaim. He’d been working on the idea of reinvigorating the silent film genre only to be trumped by French director Michel Hazanavicius who’d snuck in just before him.

Thankfully, there are a lot of cinemas across the globe and there’s certainly room for more than one black and white silent movie. Blancanieves went on to claim 10 Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards) including a win for best picture. It edged out Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Impossible – the 2004 tsunami film with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.

This is a beautiful film to watch. I’m not saying that all films should be “silent” but it’s refreshing to watch a movie where you focus more on visuals as opposed to words. You try to gauge how a character is feeling from their gestures and facial expressions. It makes you realise how over-reliant we can sometimes be when it comes to dialogue. Maribel Verdú took the best actress prize at the Goya Awards and it’s easy to see why. We don’t hear her say a thing… but she’ll still get under your skin as the vain, egotistical step-mother.

I’m also a fan of the adaptation. We’ve seen fairy tales transformed into action flicks (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Snow White & The Huntsman) but this is more creative. There are some nice touches (such as the dwarves) and it preserves the emotion of the original story. Pablo Berger is also to be applauded for the setting. To tie in with the black and white silent movie theme, I like the approach of using 1920s Spain and capturing the country’s love for bull fighting.

Just prior to his death in April, iconic film critic Roger Ebert selected Blancanieves to screen at his annual Overlooked Film Festival in Illinois. He realised this was a wonderful film and he wanted it seen and appreciated by a much wider audience. Take his advice and don’t miss the chance to see it while it screens here in Australia.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 October 2013

The Butler is the story of Cecil Gaines (Whitaker) – an African-American who worked as a butler at the White House for 34 years. He would polish the expensive cutlery, he would make tea in the Oval Office and he would serve foreign dignitaries at state dinners. Working for 8 different presidents, from Eisenhower in 1957 through to Reagan in 1984, Gaines had a front-row seat to an important time in America’s history.

It’s important to note that this is a fictional drama and not a biopic. There is no real Cecil Gaines. Don’t go home after you’ve left the cinema to find out more about him. Gaines is the creation of screenwriter Danny Strong (Recount, Game Change) who drew his inspiration from the true story of Eugene Allen – a man who was a butler at the White House for 34 years. A few anecdotes from Allen’s life have been used in the film but for the most part, this is a work of fiction.

My concern with this film is that it’s trying to squeeze too much into its 132 minute running time. With so many actors and so many subplots, it felt like I was watching a rushed chronology of civil rights events than an engaging, character-driven story (like we saw in 2011’s The Help). A friend of mine summed it up best when he thought this would work better as a mini-series. I could even picture it as a West Wing style drama.

There’s a catchy line in the movie – “everything you are and everything you have is because of that butler” – but I struggled to come up with that same conclusion from the film’s content. Not enough time is spent examining the interaction between Gaines and each president. We get quick, fragmented scenes that feel scripted and a little cheesy. For example, there’s a moment where a drunk Richard Nixon (Cusack) tells Gaines that he won’t be resigning in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal.

The Butler seems to spend more time away from the White House and exploring Gaines’ relationships with his wife, Gloria (Winfrey), and his son, Louis (Oyelowo). I say that as a positive because this is where the film works. Gaines enjoys his job and realises its importance… but is it worth the sacrifice of spending no time at home and losing touch with his family? The fact that Louis has been jailed several times for participating in civil rights protests only adds to his troubles.

The performances from the three leading actors are all strong – Forest Whitaker, David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey (in her first screen role in 15 years). Director Lee Daniels (Precious) has also been able to find a heavyweight supporting cast with the likes of Robin Williams, James Marsden and Alan Rickman all playing presidents (some are more convincing than others). Deserving the most credit are the make up artists. They’ve done a great job recreating these historical figures and also aging the main cast across five decades.

It’s got the thumbs up from Barack Obama who admitted to “tearing up” and it’s pulled in more than $100m at the box-office in the United States but for me, The Butler covers too much, too quickly.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 October 2013

Two very young girls are missing. While their respective families were getting ready for a Thanksgiving dinner, they wandered out onto the street and disappeared without a trace. Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is the man responsible for the investigation. He’s not one of those charismatic, razor-sharp cops that we see in television shows. Loki comes across as a tired, unmotivated individual. His hair is unwashed and his constant blinking suggests he’s in desperate need of a good night’s sleep.

He’s the film’s most interesting character and it’s a great performance from Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac). Loki doesn’t fit the mould of your typical “hero”. He likes to keep to himself and isn’t much of a conversationalist. You could even describe him as boring. He’s not perfect either. While he’s doing enough to pass his annual performance appraisal, Loki does make the occasional error in judgement and does struggle to stay motivated.

Can he put the pieces of this puzzle together and solve the case? Well, screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband) and director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies) are going to make it as difficult as possible. They’ve put together a two and half hour film with plenty of twists to keep the audience guessing. Some are believable. Others don’t make a lot of sense (and imply gross incompetence on the part of the police force).

One person who should be assisting Detective Loki is Keller Dover (Jackman), the father of the one of the missing girls. Unfortunately, the trauma of the moment has clouded Keller’s sense of right and wrong. He’s already made up his mind about who’s responsible. A strange looking guy by the name of Alex Jones (Dano) was seen close to the house at the time of the girls’ disappearance. The police can’t find any evidence against Alex (they’ve searched his house, his caravan) but Keller remains convinced.

Instead of leaving the investigation to the authorities, Keller decides to take matters into his own hands. He kidnaps Alex Jones and takes him to an abandoned building in a rundown neighbourhood. Suffice to say it’s not for a friendly chat. Keller is going to use torture against Alex until he confesses to the crime and reveals the location of this daughter.

I liked the idea of this “vigilante justice” subplot. It creates greyness. Keller is clearly acting outside the boundaries of the law… but does the end justify the means? Disappointingly, the film doesn’t explore the risks and the consequences strongly enough. It also goes down some silly paths in the second half (without giving too much away) that avoid the tough moral quandaries. We’re left with a drawn-out, unnecessarily complex thriller.

Meh, what do I know? The film took 3^rd prize (as judged by the audience) at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival last month (behind 12 Years A Slave and Philomena) and has comfortably clawed back its $46m budget at the U.S. box-office. My lukewarm opinion leaves me in the minority. Prisoners held my attention but with a little more credibility, this could have been something far more thrilling.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 October 2013

In April 2009, a small group of Somali pirates attacked a large cargo ship travelling from Oman to Kenya. Piracy was prevalent in the area at the time but this particular incident made headline news in the United States. Why? The Captain of the ship was Richard Phillips, an American citizen, who was kidnapped as part of the attack and held for ransom by the pirates.

Amongst the masses, director Paul Greengrass is more widely known for The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. They collectively pulled in more than $700 million at the international box-office and transformed Matt Damon into a believable action hero.

I’m a fan of Greengrass not so much for the Bourne movies (although they’re still very good) but rather, the way in which he can take a true story and turn into a captivating thriller. His movies never feel like a re-enactment. They feel more like an actual documentary thanks to credible dialogue and the use of hand-held cameras.

Bloody Sunday (2002) recounted the 1972 death of 13 protestors while marching against internment laws in Northern Ireland. United 93 (2006) provided a perspective on the hijacking of a United Airlines flight on 11 September 2001. Green Zone (2010) was based on an autobiographical novel and followed a U.S. Army soldier looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq following the war. They’re all great films. Do check them out if you haven’t already.

Captain Phillips can be added to that list and it’s another sharp, well-polished film from Paul Greengrass. There has been a little controversy surrounding the film with several crew members from the cargo ship claiming that it doesn’t provide a realistic depiction of events. They believe that Richard Phillips was a reckless Captain and they’re actually suing the cargo company for putting their lives in jeopardy.

Greengrass has responded by stating that this project was thoroughly researched. He spoke with 19 of the 20 crew members aboard the ship. He spoke with all of the U.S. military who played a key role in the rescue. He learned more about the pirates and their lives in Somali. While he acknowledges that not every single event can be covered in a two hour movie, he strongly believes what‘s included in the film is factually correct. I believe him.

The movie takes a little while to warm up as there are the obligatory scenes that provide some background information on Captain Phillips and the Somali pirates. An equal amount of time is spent following them both – this isn’t Phillips centric. The remainder of the film, from the start of the hijacking to its dramatic finale, is riveting. The tension keeps building and for those unfamiliar with the story (myself included), you’ll be burning with curiosity to see how it all unfolds.

Tom Hanks gives a worthy performance as Richard Phillips. He portrays the Captain as a smart guy who uses his extensive training to try to outsmart the pirates and give his crew the upper hand. He’s still human though and as the length of the hijacking drags out, you see the stress start to take its toll. Also picking up praise, deservedly so, is newcomer Barkhad Abdi – a Somali-American actor who plays the lead pirate.

We often joke about pirates (my birthday always falls on International Talk Like A Pirate Day) but Captain Phillips is not only a gripping thriller but also an eye-opener into piracy that still exists today. We understand the pirates’ motivation and learn about their tricky techniques. We also see what can be done by a ship’s crew to combat their attacks. I can’t see too many people being disappointed with the complete package that is Captain Phillips.