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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 May 2013

After the successful reboot of Star Trek back in 2009 (which pulled in $385m at the international box-office), it was only matter of time before we saw the next instalment. Director JJ Abrams is again at the helm but it’s likely this will be his last film in the franchise. He’s been tapped on the shoulder by Walt Disney Pictures to create a new Star Wars film for release in mid-2015.

Following his heroics at the end of the previous movie, Captain James T. Kirk (Pine) has found himself in hot water. After disobeying orders on a recent mission, Kirk has been stripped of his leadership duties aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise by his superiors. They’re not happy with his disregard for rules – a key one being to explore and observe other planets… as opposed to interfering.

Kirk’s time on the sideline will be short lived. Earth will be attacked – not by an alien adversary but rather someone from within. A top agent by the name of John Harrison (Cumberbatch) bombed the Star Fleet Archives in London, fired on Star Fleet Headquarters in San Francisco and then fled to a distant planet. What were his motives? Why did he flee?

After several lives are lost, Kirk is asked to head into the far-depths of space. The mission is not to apprehend Harrison but rather, destroy the uninhabited planet on which he is hiding. Kirk will be assisted by some familiar faces aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise including the by-the-book Commander Spock (Quinto), Lieutenant Commander McCoy (Urban), Lieutenant Sulu (Cho) and Lieutenant Uhura (Saldana). Not joining them is chief engineer Lieutenant Commander Scott (Pegg) who has concerns about the weaponry aboard the ship.

Details of the plot were kept tight-lipped prior to the film’s release and there are a few interesting twists in this tale. I particularly enjoyed rising British star Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the villain. He’s a mysterious character who is clearly keeping his cards close to his chest, waiting to show them at an opportune moment. He’ll keep you guessing, that’s for sure.

The film comes with its fair share of adrenalin-pumping action sequences. In fact, I’d say there’s probably a few too many. Aside from a few meaningful conversations early in the film, there isn’t much in the way of character interaction. For example, there’s an interesting subplot about the tension between Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura but it never really goes anywhere. Other characters, such as Ensign Chekov (Yelchin), are hardly seen at all.

Star Trek Into Darkness is worth a trip to the cinema but be careful not to set your expectations too high (fans especially). I’d say it ranks slightly below the 2009 reboot - it's good, not great.

You can read my interview with director J.J. Abrams by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 April 2013

You’re never too old to step out of your comfort zone and try something a little different. That’s the warm-hearted message contained in Song For Marion, the closing night film from the 2012 Toronto Film Festival.

When we first meet Arthur (Stamp) and Marion (Redgrave), we see that they’re a long-time married couple now entering their twilight years. Marion is a relaxed, easy-going and adventurous. She recently joined a choir group that performs at a local community hall. They go by the name of the OAPz – that’s Old Age Pensioners with a “z” – and a led by a young lady (Arterton) who enjoys helping out.

You won’t see Arthur in the choir though. He comes across as a tired, cranky old man who seems to take great pleasure in complaining and being miserable. He can’t understand why his wife enjoys singing with a group of strangers. When asked if he too wants to participate, his response comes as no surprise – “you know how I feel about enjoying things”.

Arthur’s narrow-minded view of the world will be shaken when Marion is diagnosed with terminal cancer. She has only a few months left to live. Arthur demands that she give up on the choir and not jeopardise her deteriorating health. Marion has no such plans. She wants to go out in style and perform one last time with her friends in a prestigious choir competition. Realising that her mind cannot be changed, a reluctant Arthur agrees to help out.

This is a film full of clichés – a fact that writer-director Paul Andrew Williams will freely admit. Drawing from experiences with his own grandparents, Williams never wanted to make a genre-changing Oscar winner. His intent was to create a comforting, easy-to-watch movie that will put a smile on your face. This is evidenced by the song selections of the OAPz which include “Let’s Talk About Sex” and “Love Shack”.

The film’s comedic elements are a bit clunky but Song For Marion clicks into gear when it starts pulling at the heart strings. There’s a beautiful scene in which Vanessa Redgrave sings the song “True Colours” that will leave some reaching for tissues. The nice performances from veterans Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave also deserve a mention.

Most cinemas will be swamped with Iron Man 3 fans this weekend but Song For Marion is there to offer a worthy alternative.

You can read my chat with writer-director Paul Andrew Williams by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 May 2013

In the very first shot of the film, we see a shirtless, tattooed Ryan Gosling (fans will be pleased). His character is Luke and he’s working for minimum wage as a motorcycle stunt driver in a travelling carnival show. Put simply, his life is going nowhere. He has no family, no career aspirations and next-to-no money.

That changes when he tracks down an old love interest, Romina (Mendes), and learns that he’s the father to an infant child. Some in this situation might start running for the hills but Luke is thrilled with this sudden development. He immediately quits his job, finds work with a local mechanic (Mendelsohn) and promises to provide and care for his son. His life suddenly has a purpose. There’s a beautiful moment where he tells Romina that he wants to let his son taste ice-cream for the first time.

Luke initially comes across as a good, well-meaning guy but some of his actions will soon leave you thinking otherwise. Romina has been dating another guy for quite a while and Luke feels threatened by the fact he’s providing for Romina and his son. Determined to become the “alpha male” of the household, Luke turns to a life of crime. He starts robbing banks – using his skills as a motorcycle rider to flee the scene and avoid the authorities.

What happens next came as a complete surprise to me. I’m not going to spoil it. I watched an interview with director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) where he remarked that he wanted to keep this film as quiet as possible prior to its premiere at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. Most filmmakers go in search of publicity… but Cianfrance did the opposite. His reason was simple – to preserve this film’s intriguing twists and to watch the stunned reactions of those in the audience.

I’m going to abide my Cianfrance’s wishes and say no more regarding the storyline. Hopefully I’ve tweaked your curiosity. Given I see more than 200 movie a year, I can’t help but applaud the small minority of films that are prepared to take chances and offer something different. The Place Beyond The Pines does just that.

It’s been three days since I saw the film and I’m still struggling to grasp the broad message. The film has something to say about heroes and villains and the blurry line in between. It also has something to say about the connection between fathers and sons. Don’t ask me for any more details though. It’s not that I don’t want to spoil… it’s just that I’m still figuring it all out.

It’s the interesting characters and their thought-provoking choices that make this film so compelling. I’m expecting cinemagoers to walk away with polarising viewpoints and it’s exciting to see a movie offering such a challenge. What do you make of these people? How would you have acted in their situation? It’s anything but black and white.

Not everything fits in the third act (a few too many coincidences) but The Place Beyond The Pines is a quality drama that I’m keen to see again.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 April 2013

When I was in North Korea last November, I asked my tour guides how they learned the English language. They were taught at university but not by an experienced, well-versed lecturer. They were taught by Tom Cruise. Well, kind of. The university library was filled with Western movies on DVD and students learned simply by watching them. One of my guides professed her love for Titanic, Gladiator and yes, all things Tom Cruise.

I’d be interested in their take on Olympus Has Fallen. I’ve become accustomed to the bad guys in action movies coming from Russia or some other “nasty” European country. It seems the North Koreans are now the flavour of the month. Many will remember the hilarious 2004 comedy Team America: World Police but in the past six months, we’ve seen the might of the United States get the better of the North Koreans in Red Dawn, G.I. Joe Retaliation (at least during the opening) and now Olympus Has Fallen.

The film begins with a tragic event. The President (Eckhart) and his wife were being driven by the Secret Service from the secluded Camp David to a fundraising event. The car skidded on the snow-covered road and for a few moments, perilously hung over the edge of a bridge. Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler) was able to rescue the President but unfortunately, the car fell into the frozen river before his wife could be saved. The end result – the President lost his wife and Mike lost his job.

We now pan 18 months into the future and find that Mike has a boring desk job with the Treasury Department. As for the President, he is about to meet with the South Korean Prime Minister at the White House. They are discussing the increasingly tense situation between North and South Korea. War is looking more and more likely.

It’s at this point where you need to turn your brain to the “off” position. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we like to watch fun, exciting, unrealistic action movies. The James Bond films come to mind. That said, no matter how unrealistic the situation may be, the audience still needs to believe in the characters and what they're fighting for. They might be trying to save a loved one from a treacherous situation. They might be trying to save the world from complete annihilation.

Herein lies the problem with Olympus Has Fallen. So much of this film doesn’t add up. A small North Korean army (there’s only about 40 people in total) manage the following – (1) they get a military plane through U.S. air space which then attacks landmarks in Washington D.C., (2) they infiltrate the South Korean Prime Minister’s security team who forgot to do background checks, and (3) they use explosive devices to break into the White House and kill every single member of the Secret Service. Given the amount of money the U.S. spends on defence every year, I’d have expected better.

The President and a few other high-profile politicians are then kidnapped by the North Koreans and taken to a top-secret underground bunker beneath the White House. The bad guys plan on holding them for ransom. Either the United States remove their military forces from South Korea or the President will be killed.

You’d think this would be an easy choice for the “top thinkers” assessing the situation at the Pentagon. Do we risk the lives of 50 million people in South Korea? Or are we prepared to sacrifice the life of the President? The answer to that question becomes even easier when the North Koreans start trying to access the nuclear defence system codes. A computer simulation shows there’ll be a high “death rate” in the United States and yet, the Acting President (Freeman), after a soothing cup of coffee, still decides it’s better to rescue the President. He must have had a high approval rating.

The very best of the Secret Service weren’t up to the challenge and so it’s up to Mike Banning to save the day. He’s going to sneak into the White House, kill all the North Koreans and rescue the President. It’ll be “redemption” for that night 18 months ago when he wasn’t able to save the President’s wife.

Oh please. The premise bad enough but what makes Olympus Has Fallen even worse is the fact it takes itself so seriously. We listen to a deep, brooding film score. We see residents of Washington D.C. killed in graphic detail. As the screen faded to black and the credits started to roll, I wasn’t energised by the fact the “good guys” won. Rather, I was concerned by the stupidity of almost every character within the film. If this is how their real life counterparts would act, we’re all doomed.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 April 2013

If you saw a movie on the Anzac Day public holiday last year, I’m willing to bet it was The Avengers. Released on 25 April 2012, the film took a staggering $6 million in its first 24 hours in Australia and wound up being our highest grossing film of the year with a $54 million haul.

When you’re onto a good thing, you stick with it. It’s no coincidence that Iron Man 3, the latest in the Marvel franchise, is being released at exactly the same time of the year. Midnight screenings have been scheduled and I’m expecting numerous evening sessions to sell out over the coming days.

I find the success of comic book movies somewhat amusing. I didn’t read any of them as a teenager growing up. They seemed to have a cult-like following with a small, yet passionate group of people. Through the medium of cinema, the audience for these villains and superheroes has broadened enormously. They’ve become part of the foundation blocks of each cinematic year. Since 2000, there have been a total of 26 movies based on a Marvel comic and they’ve combined to generate more than $10 billion at the international box-office.

With all the Marvel heroes coming together in The Avengers, the question was always going to be asked – how could they then return to their own individual movies? Shane Black, directing his first film since the wonderful Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, skirts around the issue. There are a few cute references to The Avengers movie but it is hard to explain why Tony Stark’s friends don’t come to his aid (and there are plenty of times when he needed help).

You may struggle with a few characters if you haven’t seen the earlier films but you won't have any problems appreciating the “awesomeness” that is Robert Downey Jr. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the leading role. I love the way he portrays Iron Man as a superhero full of contradictions. One minute, he’s saving the world… the next minute, he’s having an anxiety attack. Sometimes he wants to be centre stage… while at other times, he wants to live in seclusion.

I’ve been critical of the lame villains in recent actions flicks (see A Good Day To Die Hard or GI Joe: Retaliation for examples) but I can’t say the same here. Heading the “most wanted” list in Iron Man 3 is an Osama Bin Laden-like terrorist known simply as the Mandarin (Kingsley). He has an army of henchman at his disposal and while his motives could have been fleshed out in a little more detail, it’s clear he wants to terrorise the United States and expose their leaders as a bunch of hypocrites.

Given that so many of today’s action films are crafted from the same mould, it was a pleasant surprise to see Iron Man 3 taking a few chances and offering a few unexpected twists – both dramatic and comedic. It’s part of the reason that I’ve been so brief in describing the plot. In addition, the film isn’t afraid to mock its own outlandish premise. There’s a quick yet brilliant moment when Iron Man confronts a bad guy who isn’t too happy with his work environment.

If there’s a weakness, it’s the action scenes. It feels like they've been edited by someone with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. There’s way too much going on at once. They’re also a little “cartoonish”. You’ll watch with interest and admire the extravagance of the fight sequences… but they lack the suspense and exhilaration that we’ve seen demonstrated in films such as Skyfall.

Most audience members won’t be too concerned though. You’ll see thousands of names listed during the lengthy closing credits (make sure you stay until the very end – trust me) but there’s only one name that counts here. As long as they keep giving Robert Downey Jr. a half-decent script to work with, this particular franchise will be going for many years to come.

You can read my chat with star Guy Pearce by clicking here.