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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 January 2012

Put your hands up if you know the Olsen twins.  I’m referring to Mary-Kate and Ashley, the two actresses who began their career on the television series Full House.  They were only 9 months old when they first appeared on the show.

What I didn’t realise until a few months ago is that they have a younger sister – Elizabeth Olsen.  Her career has taken a “little longer” to get started but she has the potential to pass both of her older siblings in terms of “star power”.  Martha Marcy May Marlene is her first major film and her powerful performance has grabbed the attention of critics around the world.  We’re going to see a lot more from this talented 22-year-old year in the next few years.

Olsen plays the same character throughout the film but it focuses on two different points of her life.  Firstly, we see her as Marcy May, a young woman who has run away from home and become part of a small cult.  She thinks these people are her friends.  Why else would they have welcomed her into their home?

The reality is that they prey on her vulnerability.  She is isolated, brainwashed and sexually abused by the cult’s leader (Hawkes).  This continues for a lengthy period of time and in the process, Marcy May loses her identity.  She no longer knows the difference between “right” and “wrong”.  She cannot see past the cult’s destructive nature.  She just thinks this is how life is meant to be.

The second part of this story is set two years into the future.  This woman has found a way out of the cult and now goes by her original name, Martha.  She has been reunited with her older sister, Lucy (Paulson), and is now living with Lucy and her husband, Ted (Dancy), in a beautiful river-front home.

Things aren’t much rosier however.  Her time inside the cult has left Martha as a broken woman.  She refuses to discuss her past and her sister cannot understand her strange behaviour.  There’s one scene where Martha innocuously climbs into bed with Lucy and Ted whilst they’re having sex.  There’s another where she strips naked in front of them.  The fact that she doesn’t see the error of her ways highlights Martha’s complete detachment from reality.

First time writer-director Sean Durkin has chosen to tell this tale in a fragmented manner.  We cross back and forth between Marcy May in the cult and Martha living with her sister.  It’s an effective technique and helps the audience understand this woman’s fractured mindset.  You’ll also get a clear sense of the helplessness felt by Lucy.  She isn’t privy to the background information (as we are) and she doesn’t know how to get her younger sister to open up about her problems.

It may be a challenging subject matter for some filmgoers but Martha Marcy May Marlene is an affecting character study.  Looking deep into the psyche of this troubled individual, Durkin isn’t offering any easy answers… and nor should he be.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 January 2012

Director Stephan Elliott (Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert) knows a thing or two about this subject matter.  His career began in the late 1970s as a wedding videographer.  He taped roughly 3,000 weddings in all and he proclaims to “have seen the worst behaviour from every member of the family in every possible religion.”

This piece of background information will help you understand why Elliott was attracted to the script of British writer Dean Craig (Death At A Funeral).  Put simply, it’s about the wedding from hell.  We’ve seen plenty of movies about dodgy weddings before but Elliott has decided to “up the stakes”.  I can’t recall too many wedding flicks that have been this crazy and this outlandish.  I certainly had a lot of fun watching it!

The only two sane people in the whole story are the bride and groom – David (Samuel) and Mia (Brent).  They met in London and have now travelled to Mia’s home in Australia for their lavish wedding.  Her wealthy father has organised a beautiful outdoor ceremony to be held high atop the Blue Mountains.  The stage is set for what should be a perfect day.

As you can imagine, it’s anything but.  David’s trouble-prone friends kick start an avalanche of insane events.  It all starts at the buck’s party and continues on through to the wedding.  There are drugs, criminals, drunks, guns and even a sheep.  There are plenty of “laugh out loud” moments but the film’s highlight sees Kevin Bishop (The Spanish Apartment) attempt to deliver the best man’s speech.

The madness isn’t isolated to David and his friends however.  Mia’s family is equally eccentric.  Her father (Biggins) is a high-profile politician who is using the wedding for publicity points.  Her cynical sister (Wilson) is pretending to be a lesbian in an effort to get some attention.

As Mia’s mother, it’s Olivia Newton-John who you are most likely be surprised by.  It’s great to see an actor in a role that you wouldn’t ordinarily expect.  After a lot of wine and a little cocaine, her character is transformed into one very loose human being who isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind.  She’s hilarious!

Judging from reactions on Twitter so far, A Few Best Men will divide audiences.  Some will laugh hysterically at these unthinkable situations.  Others will find it crude, crass and offensive.  Such is the nature of comedy and you’re probably best to have a peak at the trailer before checking out the full film.  It’s not for everyone… but it was certainly for me.

You can read my interview with director Stephan Elliott by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 January 2012

I have a few friends who often complain about foreign films.  They hate going to a cinema and having to spend two hours reading words on a screen.  I think I’ve found the answer to their problems.  The Artist may be a French film but they won’t have to worry about subtitles.  Why?  Well, because it’s a black & white silent film with no dialogue whatsoever.

I say that somewhat jokingly because the idea of such a film may be more of a turn off.  It’ll be interesting to see how The Artist fares at the box-office.  It’s been touted as the best picture frontrunner for the upcoming Academy Awards but how easy will it be to get bums on seats?

The movie has been praised by critics since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last May.  The powerful Weinstein Company immediately saw its potential and bought it for distribution in the United States and United Kingdom.  They sat on it for a few months, slipped it into a few other film festivals, and waited for the positive word-out-mouth to spread.  Now, just weeks from the Oscars ceremony, it’s being released widely across the globe to cash in on the free awards season publicity.

I was lucky enough to see the movie last September at the Toronto Film Festival.  In my notebook I wrote that it contained “so much creativity”.  That’s easily its strongest attribute.  The idea itself is ingenious – a black & white silent film about black & white silent filmmaking.  This overlap helps create much of the film’s comedy.  It reminded me a little of the underrated Pleasantville, released back in 1998.

The story begins in 1927 where George Valentin (Dujardin) is one of the biggest silent movie stars in the business.  Audiences have fallen in love with his infectious smile and his over-exuberant facial expressions.  It seems everyone’s a fan… the biggest being George himself.  There’s an amusing moment where he looks at a painting of himself on the wall and nods his head with approval.  He’s a happy guy who is revelling in his celebrity status.

His happy-go-lucky lifestyle is about to change however with the arrival of “talkies”.  George is a traditionalist and refuses to adapt to this new era of filmmaking.  He persists with his silent films and soon falls out of favour with the public.  People no longer want to sit in soundless theatres.  People no longer want to watch George Valentin.

Can he find a way to reinvigorate himself?  The answer lies in a beautiful movie starlet named Peppy Miller (Bejo).  Several years ago, it was George who was centre stage and it was Peppy who was looking for her big break into the industry.  The roles have now been reversed.  Peppy has always had a soft-spot for George and she’s doing everything she can to get him back on the big screen.

The first half of The Artist is amazing.  There is so much wit and you’re likely to be as smiling as much as George Valentin.  There’s a dream sequence (which I won’t spoil) that left critics laughing hysterically at the Toronto press screening.  It actually took me a few seconds to work out what they were all laughing about.  It’s beautifully done.

My only criticism is that the comedic elements work better than the dramatic elements.  The film’s pace slows in the second half and we get bogged down in repetitive melodrama.  We can see George’s career going down the tubes but why did it need to drag on for so long?

It left me with thinking that this story should have been stronger.  I realise being a silent black & white film is essential to the film’s charm but if you were to tell the same tale in colour and with dialogue, would people find it all that interesting?  I’m not convinced.

Whilst I don’t think it deserves the Oscar for best picture, The Artist is still a great film.  Frenchman Jean Dujardin and the Argentinean-born Bérénice Bejo are delightful in the leading roles.  Given the many award nominations he has already received, Dujardin has been learning English to help with his acceptance speeches.  It’s nice to see.  With some great facial expressions of his own, John Goodman is also terrific as a studio boss.

We all know the saying that a picture paints a thousands words.  The Artist has taken that concept and put it into cinematic form.  It’s funny, it’s bold and it’s creative.  Do see it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 January 2012

Mavis Gary (Theron) is a talented writer.  She left her small town roots behind and moved to the “big city” where she has a nice apartment and a cute dog.  She’s responsible for a long running, profitable book series for which sales are strong.  She’s maintained her beautiful looks and is as happy as she’s ever been.

What I’ve just said is complete rubbish.  It’s not a description of Mavis Gary.  Rather, it’s the image that Mary wants to portray.  Deep down, she’s a struggling author who is battling depression and trying to regroup after a recent divorce.  She doesn’t want people to know that however.  She wants her family and friends to think that she’s successful, that she’s better than them.

Young Adult revolves around Mavis’s efforts to rekindle her relationship with her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade (Wilson).  Having been through one failed marriage, she now has “clarity” and believes that she and Buddy were always meant to be together.

Buddy is now married with a young child and yet, Mavis still thinks she has a chance.  She has returned to her hometown under the guise that she’s buying real estate but her real motive is to bump into Buddy and seduce him.

I’ve got to say – Mavis Gary is an absorbing individual and credit goes to Academy Award winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno) for creating her.  Before putting pen to paper, Cody has the idea of someone who “peaked in high school and wonders now in her 30s how she can recreate those circumstances and be the queen bee again.”  I love the idea.

I’m interested to see how audiences react to Mavis Gary.  It’s not often that the leading character in a comedy is so unlikeable.  Her borderline-psychotic behaviour will generate a raft of negative emotions – anger, disgust, sadness, embarrassment.  A good friend of mine couldn’t even look at the screen during certain scenes.  Mavis’s actions left him cringing with horror.

The bigger question is whether audiences will feel any sympathy?  There are several moments where we see past the façade and gain an insight into her fractured mindset.  Most of these scenes are shared with Matt Freehauf (Oswalt), a guy she bumps into at a dingy bar.  The two went to school together but Mavis has no memory of this.  She was part of the “popular group” whilst Matt was the complete opposite.

Their backgrounds are remarkably different but Mavis and Matt seem to have a lot in common today.  They both enjoy a drink and they both enjoy criticising others.  More importantly, they are both in need of a good friend.

I’m surprised Charlize Theron hasn’t take on more leading roles since her Oscar winning turn in Monster (released back in 2003) but Young Adult will remind the public of her ability.  She’s not afraid to play a character that is ugly on both the inside and outside.  Patton Oswalt (who worked with Diablo Cody on The United States Of Tara) is also very good.

The story takes a little while to get going but the plot developments in the final act are well worth the wait.  There’s a terrific scene at a baby shower followed by an intense conversation between Mavis and Matt’s sister (played by a scene-stealing Collette Wolfe).

Director Jason Reitman now has four feature films to his name – Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up In The Air and Young Adult.  Comedy is a tricky genre to perfect but Reitman’s attraction to edgier, darker material places him high on my list of favoured filmmakers.  I can’t wait for his next offering.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 January 2012

Weekend is an intimate, engaging drama about two gay guys who meet in a nightclub and then spend the weekend together.  There’s a clear connection between the pair and both are excited by the prospect of a new romance but neither wants to dive in too deep, too quickly.  They’re not quite sure what they want from a relationship and they’re keeping their cards close to their chest.

It may be a love story with two guys but it could just as easily apply to any relationship.  Through two wonderful performances from Tom Cullen and Chris New, writer-director Andrew Haigh has captured the many emotions associated with a new relationship.  There are moments of blind, uncontrollable enthusiasm where the heart does the talking… and there are moments of terrifying hesitation as their heads get in the way.

Except for a few short scenes, the entire film is set inside a small London apartment.  We peer into the lives of these two characters like a curious voyeur.  There are no wacky neighbours.  There are no quirky best friends.  It’s just a nice tale about two young men trying to get to know each other.  Well, there’s a bit of sex too.

Andrew Haigh isn’t a complete newcomer to the film industry.  He honed his teeth as an assistant editor working on a suite of Ridley Scott films – Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom Of Heaven.  It’s often difficult taking the next step but Haigh has found a way into the director’s chair.  He pulled together just over £100,000 from a variety of sources and shot Weekend in chronological order in just over two weeks.

Haigh has a “good eye” but I was particularly struck by the way in which he varied the distance between the actors and the camera lens.  Inside of the apartment, we see them up close and it’s as if they are the two most important people in the world.  Outside of the apartment, we only see them from a distance.  They’re two ordinary guys who you’d never notice if you walked past.

I’m a fan of this film and I’m not alone with my admiration.  The London Critics Circle honoured Andrew Haigh with their prize for the best breakthrough British filmmaker.  He beat a very strong field – John Michael McDonagh (The Guard), Joe Cornish (Attack The Block), Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur) and Richard Ayoade (Submarine).  Every one of these movies can be added to your “must see” list.  They all prove that you don’t need a big budget when you have a great story to tell.