Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 October 2012

Directed by:	John Hillcoat
Written by:	Nick Cave
Starring:	Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska
Released:	October 11, 2012
Grade:	B+

Thanks to the work of the talented production crew, Lawless transports us back to early days of the Great Depression – a time where alcohol was banned across the entirety of The United States.  The prohibition became part of the Constitution for more than a decade and supporters argued that it improved the moral fabric of society.

Of course, if you think that no booze was consumed during that period, you’d be naive.  The black market was flooded with illegal alcohol.  It was how the likes of Al Capone and Bugs Moran made millions of dollars and became such powerful gangsters.

As the opening credits promise, Lawless is based on a true story.  It has been adapted from the novel “The Wettest County In The World” by Matt Bondurant.  That’s a not a reference to the 1931 rainfall figures in Franklin County, Virginia.  Rather, this was a township that had become the centre point for a massive illegal alcohol operation.

Three brothers were responsible – Forrest, Howard and Jack.  Howard (Clarke) is a sold right-hand man but the crux of this film centres on the other two guys.  Forrest (Hardy) is the level-headed “brains” of the operations.  He keeps a low profile and you’ll be lucky to get more than a few words out of him during a conversation.  On the flip side, Jack (LaBeouf) is excitable and outgoing.  He likes walking around town in his expensive suits and is keenly pursuing the daughter (Wasikowska) of a local preacher.

You might wonder how these guys were able to get away with it for so long.  Well, that’s because everyone was in on it.  The local authorities, who didn’t mind a drink or two, could easily be bribed with a few dollars and some jars of freshly distilled moonshine.  No one even blinked an eyelid.  The arrival of Special Deputy Charley Rakes (Pearce) would change that.  He had been sent from Chicago to put a stop to the illegal alcohol that was now flooding his city.  Who would be the victor?

Lawless has a huge Australian connection in that it’s been directed by John Hillcoat and written by singer-songwriter Nick Cave.  This marks their second collaboration following The Proposition in 2005.  There are a few Aussies amongst the cast too including Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska and Noah Taylor.

It’s clear that the film favours the actions of the three brothers.  The supremely overconfident persona of Guy Pearce reminded me of a James Bond villain.  We’re obviously not meant to like him… despite the fact he’s the guy upholding the law.  This becomes more and more evident as the film progresses.  Was he really like this?  I’d have preferred a little more “grey” added to his character.

That said, this is a curious piece of American history and the film does a solid job highlighting the delicate balance that held everything in place.  These three brothers were making a fortune but it wasn’t always easy.  Jack’s growing confidence and cocky nature needed to be kept in check.  The most intriguing characters in the film are the law enforcement officers stuck in the middle.  They’ve been entrusted with the responsibility of upholding laws that they don’t believe in.  Which side do they take?

A few subplots could have been explored more fully (such as the one involving Gary Oldman as a Chicago mobster) but for the most part, the strong narrative will keep you interested.  The graphic depiction of the violence also gives Lawless a heavy dose of realism.  There’s one scene in particular that will be stuck in my head for a while.  Those who are little squeamish should take note of the MA rating and the warning of “strong bloody violence”.  I’m told that the book, written by the grandson of one of the Bondurant brothers, is actually far more explicit!

Without the big Hollywood blockbusters, it’s a relatively quiet time in Australian cinemas at the moment.  I know cinema owners aren’t too happy but hey, it gives films like Lawless a chance at a decent-sized release.  Do see it.

 

 

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 September 2012

Directed by:	PJ Hogan
Written by:	PJ Hogan
Starring:	Toni Collette, Anthony LaPaglia, Rebecca Gibney, Liev Schreiber, Caroline Goodall, Kerry Fox, Deborah Mailman, Lily Sullivan
Released:	October 4, 2012
Grade:	B+

Released back in 1994, Muriel’s Wedding was a life-changing film for two people – star Toni Collette and director PJ Hogan.  For Collette, who was just 22 years old at the time, the role earned her a Golden Globe nomination and helped launch her international career.  She’s now one of Australia’s most recognisable actors with close to 50 credits to her name.  She took home an Emmy for The United States of Tara and earned an Oscar nomination for The Sixth Sense.

The success of Muriel’s Wedding was also a big confident booster for the Brisbane-born PJ Hogan.  Funding bodies in Australia weren’t too keen on his script and it took the faith of French investors to get the film off the ground.  It’s ironic given that it’s now become one of Australia’s most well-known movies.  Hogan then escaped to Hollywood where he directed My Best Friend’s Wedding (one of my all-time favourite romantic comedies) and a live action version of Peter Pan (with a $100m budget).

It’s taken almost two decades but finally, Collette and Hogan have collaborated once again.  Mental is set in the fictitious beachside suburb of Dolphin Heads – a nice touch given that Muriel’s Wedding took place in the similarly named Porpoise Spit.  The film opens with Shirley Moochmore (Gibney) dancing her backyard while belting out the lyrics to “The Hills Are Alive” from The Sound of Music.  She doesn’t care that the neighbours are watching.  She just wants her family to be like the Von Trapps.

Shirley’s five daughters couldn’t be more embarrassed.  Coral, Jane, Leanne, Kayleen and Michelle have all hidden themselves inside the house.  This is just another “incident” that will contribute the family’s reputation as being a group of lunatics.  It’s also part of the reason why Shirley’s husband, Barry (LaPaglia), never comes home any more.  He’s in the middle of a mayoral election campaign and would rather not be associating with his socially outcast family.

After a few more bizarre events, it is decided that Shirley will spend some time in the local mental institution and get a better grasp on reality.  The self-centred Barry doesn’t want this to derail his mayoral re-election and so the official word is that his wife is “holidaying in Wollongong”.  He instructs his daughters to tell everyone the same thing.

The catch is that Barry now needs a permanent babysitter.  He doesn’t have the time or the patience to look after his five annoying children.  Instead of going through the normal process of finding a qualified carer, Barry picks up a hitchhiker by the side of the road.  Her name is Shaz (Collette) and her belongings include a knife, a bong and an angry dog called Ripper.

It’s a plot that must sound bat-shit crazy, right?  This stuff doesn’t happen in real life, right?  This is like one of those zany, silly Hollywood comedies, right?  Wrong!  This is a story based on actual events!  PJ Hogan’s mother was institutionalised when he was 12-years-old and his father (who was running in the mayoral elections) recruited an unknown hitchhiker, complete with a growling dog, to take care of the family.

The path taken by Hogan is to transform this tale into a black comedy.  It’s a decision that has divided audiences so far.  I’ve spoken to a few detractors who have been puzzled by the messy premise and been insulted by the film’s comedic approach towards mental illness.  Is it appropriate to be making jokes about rape, depression and suicide?

Hogan’s approach was again, drawn from his upbringing.  He has acknowledged a history of mental illness within his extended family and in his experience, laughter has been the best medicine.  If you're easily offended, it's perhaps best to steer clear.  On the flip side, if you are willing to go along with the darker comedy, the outrageous nature of many scenes will leave you laughing openly.

Mental’s not-so-subtle message is neatly articulated by Shaz – “there’s no such thing as normal, just different shades of mental.”  She is always encouraging the five Moochmore girls to embrace who they are and not bow to the conventions that are placed on them by society.  It seems like a fairly straight forward mantra but I enjoyed watching the complications thrown up late in the film when Shaz’s true character is revealed.

Toni Collette headlines a wonderful group of performances from the predominantly female cast.  18-year-old Lilly Sullivan is terrific as Coral, the oldest of the Moochmore girls.  She does a nice job illustrating her character’s insecurities and it’s hard to believe this is her first acting role.  It’s Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) who earns the most laughs though with her scene-stealing supporting performance as an old friend of Shaz.

The film isn’t without its flaws and it’s the male characters who heavily contribute towards this fact.  Barry’s election campaign doesn’t make a lot of sense.  I also struggled to keep up with the hot-and-cold relationship he shares with his children.  Liev Schreiber plays the owner of a travelling shark show – an odd subplot that doesn’t come together as cleanly as it should.

It’s been an interesting month for Australian films at our local box-office.  Kath & Kimderella has been immensely popular while Bait 3D has been an epic failure.  How will Mental fare?  I hope it’s a big hit.

You can read my interview with star Toni Collette by clicking here.

 

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 October 2012

Directed by:	Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal
Written by:	Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal
Starring:	Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Ben Barnes
Released:	October 11, 2012
Grade:	B-

The film opens with highly acclaimed author Clay Hammond (Quaid) standing on stage in front of a packed lecture theatre.  He starts to read from the pages of his new novel… and as he does so, we are transported into his world of fiction.

His central character is a struggling writer named Rory Jansen (Cooper).  For the past few years, Rory has been following his dream and trying to break into the literary world.  By day, he wanders the streets of New York City for inspiration and spends time with his girlfriend, Dora (Saldana).  By night, he sits in front of his laptop and hopes the words will flow.

Sadly, Rory cannot find the success he years for.  He has sent copies of his first book to numerous publishers who have all come back with letters of rejection.  They sense that he has talent but there’s no way that they’re going to take a risk on the “artistic” novel of a first-time writer.  The publishers need something that will be a guaranteed sell.

Time passes and Rory and Dora eventually marry.  While honeymooning in Paris, Dora buys Rory an old briefcase that she discovers in an antique store.  It’s not until they’re home in New York that Rory discovers a manuscript that has been hidden in one of the briefcase’s pockets.  He reads it… and is completely blown away.  It leaves him the realisation that he’ll never be a brilliant writer.  He could never write anything this good.

It’s at this point that Rory makes a decision that will change his life forever.  He decides to pass the story off as his own.  Word-for-word, he retypes every sentence on his computer and takes to a publisher for his their thoughts.  Lo and behold, the novel is put into print and becomes an award winning, best seller.

You might imagine that Rory is burned with guilt but that doesn’t appear to be the case.  He knows what he did was wrong but he believes that “the means justifies the end”.  Now that he is a well-know author, he can move forward with his literary career and publish his own works.  No one, including his wife, will ever need to know the truth.

Of course, there’s someone who knows – the original author of the manuscript.  He takes a while to come forward but an old man (Irons) approaches Rory in a park and reveals his identity.  He tells the tale about how he wrote the novel just after World War II and how his French wife had accidentally lost his briefcase on a train.

The Words is a curious film in that it’s a story within a story within a story.  It’s about a writer who has written a book about a writer who has stolen a book.  Writer-directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal first came up with the idea for the movie more than a decade ago but it took a long time to get off the ground.  It took the casting of their good friend Bradley Cooper (Limitless, The Hangover) for financiers to take their script seriously.

It’s a film that asks questions of the audience.  Now that Rory’s secret has been revealed, what should he do?  Should Rory pay the old man to keep quiet?  Should he confide in his wife and seek her advice?  Should he come out publicly and admit his fraud?  You’ll have to see The Words to find out which paths are chosen.

Jeremy Irons delivers the film’s strongest performance as the old man who chooses his own “words” very carefully.  You’re never quite sure about his character’s intentions.  Cooper is also solid and it’s nice to see him outside of the comedic genre.

I’m not as complimentary about the screenplay however.  The overarching layer involving Dennis Quaid (as the story’s author) and Olivia Wilde (a wannabe author who is trying to seduce him) isn’t given much chance to breathe.  It’s a forced, unnecessary subplot that also distracts us from the more interesting storyline involving Cooper and Irons.

I like the idea but The Words is a little too preachy, too melodramatic for my liking.

 

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 September 2012

Directed by:	Nicholas Jarecki
Written by:	Nicholas Jarecki
Starring:	Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling, Tim Roth, Nate Parker, Laetitia Casta
Released:	September 27, 2012
Grade:	B

This is the most important week in the life of 60-year-old Robert Miller (Gere).  He’s on the verge of selling the investment management company that has made him a multi-millionaire.  Robert just needs to get clearance from the auditors and negotiate a final price with the buyer.  We’re talking about a figure that exceeds $500 million.  It should be more than enough for him to retire!

It’s not that simple though.  There’s a huge $400 million loss in one of his company’s hedge funds that Robert is trying to hide.  It was the result of a business deal that went horribly wrong.  Robert’s borrowed a simple $400 million from an extremely trustworthy friend and is using it to hide the loss from the auditors until the company is sold.  He can then repay the loan from the sale proceeds and no one will be the wiser.

Unfortunately for Robert, his daughter (Marling) uncovers his fraudulent activity.  She’s one of the chief investment officers at the company and the discovery has boxed her into a corner.  If she alerts the authorities, it will destroy her family’s fortune and her father will likely spend time in jail.  If she stays quiet, she’s now complicit in the fraud and risks her own reputation if discovered.

But wait.  There’s even more to this story.  Robert has been cheating on his wife (Sarandon) with a young art-dealer named Julie (Casta).  Julie is killed however in a late-night car accident where Robert was behind the wheel.  With just a small cut to his head, Robert makes a snap decision to flee the scene.

It’s not his car and there was no one in the area to witness the crash.  Perhaps he can get away with it?  If so, his wife will never learn of the affair and it won’t jeopardise the sale of the company.  He takes advantage of a nearby phone booth and gets an old friend (Parker) to pick him up and sneak him back home.

You should be getting a pretty clear picture that Robert isn’t a very nice guy.  Within the space of a few days, he’s committed both fraud and manslaughter.  It therefore makes Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Primal Fear) a curious choice for the role.  He’s smooth, he’s charming and he wears a nice suit.  It’s as if writer-director Nicholas Jarecki is trying to lure us into liking him (and I say that as a positive).

The car crash marks the arrival of Michael Bryer (Roth), a police detective that has been assigned to investigate the accident.  He’s confident that Robert was driving the car but he just doesn’t have enough evidence.  He decides to target those close to Robert to see if one of them will slip up and reveal the truth.

As you can see, it all adds up to a film that has a bit of everything.  There are cover-ups, police investigations, family conflicts, cheating husbands, interfering lawyers and dodgy investments.  If it were to actually happen, I’m sure the folk at Today Tonight and A Current Affair would be scrambling to get their hands on the rights.

It’s a juicy narrative that will keep you interested but it does feel a little staged.  I struggled with the way in which Robert was so easily able to escape the car accident and come up with a clear, immediate plan to avoid detection.  It’s like watching an episode of NYPD Blue or Law & Order in the sense that it’s an entertaining story that you’ll go along with… but the pieces fit together too neatly in the end.

  

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 September 2012

Directed by:	Malik Bendjelloul
Released:	October 4, 2012
Grade:	A

If this film doesn’t make you feel better about life… then what is wrong with you?  Winner of the audience award for best documentary at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Searching For Sugar Man is a powerful debut from 35-year-old Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul.

It’s the story of a singer-songwriter from Detroit who tried to break into the American music scene in the early 1970s.  He was known as Rodriguez and was discovered in a dingy, smoky bar while playing a guitar with his back to audience.  Notable producer Steve Rowland compared him to Bob Dylan and believed that he had incredible potential.

Unfortunately, that “potential” didn’t translate into sales.  Rodriguez recorded just two albums – Cold Fact in 1970 and Coming From Reality in 1971.  Both went nowhere.  For whatever reason, the songs didn’t catch on.  The public weren’t interested.  Rodriguez was subsequently dropped by the record label and that was that.

Well actually, it wasn’t.  There is a lot more to this story.  No one is exactly sure how it happened but a copy of Rodriguez’s first album made it to South Africa.  Given the strong “anti-establishment” theme contained therein, his songs developed a cult-like status with those opposed to Apartheid.  Some songs were banned from the airwaves but they still spread quickly thanks to the newly invested cassette tape.

Rodriguez had become one of the most popular musicians in South Africa.  However, no one knew anything about him.  The rumour was that he had committed suicide following the failure of his two albums.  In the mid 1990s, journalist Craig Bartholomew and music store owner Stephen Segerman tried to find out more.  Who was Rodriguez?  Where was he from?  Why weren’t his albums available in United States?  These questions were finally answered… in the most amazing way possible!

Other reviews will provide more details but that’s about all I’m prepared to reveal.  The first half of this film is mysterious whereas the second half is wonderfully inspiring.  It’s proof that truth really is stranger than fiction.  I’d heard the full story before seeing the film but it’s not until you watch the interviews and hear Rodriguez’s music that it fully sinks in.

Malik Bendjelloul first heard the tale in 2006 and thought it make for a perfect documentary.  He quit his job and went travelling through South Africa conducting interviews and piecing the narrative together.  It took roughly 5 years to complete and he wasn’t paid for most of it.  It reached the point where he was shooting footage on his iPhone using an application that cost just $1. 

He’s pulled it off though!  Using a mix of re-enactments, archival footage and interesting interviews, Bendjelloul has crafted one of the year’s most compelling documentaries.  Our eyes are opened to this gifted artist but we also gather an appreciation for life in the slums of Detroit (Rodriguez’s home town) and the oppression in South Africa during the 1970s.

There are simply no excuses not to see Searching For Sugar Man.