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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 December 2011

One of the highlights of my recent trip to New York City was seeing the play War Horse at the Lincoln Centre Theatre.  It was high on my list of “things to do” given that (1) it had picked up 5 Tony Awards including best play, and (2) director Steven Spielberg was adapting the original novel into a feature film.  As you can imagine, I was not disappointed.  It was a brilliant show that left my eyes a little moist.  I even had the good fortune of meeting star Seth Numerich in the foyer afterwards (looky here).

Given the success of the play, the Oscar hype surrounding Spielberg’s film has been intense.  Many bloggers and critics have been declaring it as the best picture frontrunner since early in the year.  Whilst the general public has been largely oblivious to this wild awards season speculation (probably a good thing), it has created a strong expectation amongst film buffs that War Horse would be amazing.

This highlights a dilemma that faces any critic – managing one’s expectations.  I try to see every film with an open mind but this is difficult in today’s “information age”.  Before even stepping into the theatre, we have access to online trailers, other reviews and social media chatter.  They help us form a simple view along the lines of “this film should be good” or “this film will be awful”.

I’ve often wondered if it were possible to have a critic who lived in a cave, completely shut off from the rest of the world.  Without any other opinions to guide them, would their annual top 10 list look similar to other critics or would it be radically different?  Would they have picked The Social Network as the best film of 2010 (as seemed to be the case for every major critic organisation)?

The point I’m trying to make is that if your early expectations are not met, it can leave you conflicted.  Let me try to illustrate this using an example.  The Lincoln Lawyer (released back in March) was a good film that left me surprisingly satisfied.  I approached it negatively (it stared Matthew McConaughey after all) but was surprised how much I enjoyed it.  War Horse is an equally good film but I felt disappointed on leaving the theatre.  Given the hype and my love for the play, I hoped for something better.

I’m not offering any solution this problem but my advice with War Horse is not to set your own expectations too high (as should the case for any film).  Let me therefore attempt to give you a “good” but not “great” idea of what you can expect…

The story begins just prior to World War I with a teenager named Albert (Irvine) forming a close attachment to a horse bought at auction by his drunken father (Mullan).  The pair are separated however when the horse is sold to a young soldier (Hiddleston) and taken to France to be used in battle against the advancing Germans.  It inspires Albert to enlist in the army and go in search of the animal that has become his closest companion.

The film’s biggest weakness however is the way in which the story has been told.  It seemed appropriate for the play but I’m not sure its fragmented nature works as successfully as a film.  It’s like watching a group of short stories (linked by the horse) and we don’t have the time to develop a deep connection with any of the characters.

I was also puzzled by the way in which in the battle scenes are depicted.  Spielberg has made a clear decision to shy away from blood and violence with the intent of making this more “family friendly”.  I can understand that rationale but I think he’s gone too far.  It’s obvious to the point of being distracting.  A scene involving two young Germans and a windmill (without giving too much away) summed up my frustrations.

That said, Steven Spielberg has found most of the necessary ingredients for his cinematic adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel.  The limitations within the screenplay are largely offset by Janusz Kaminski’s beautiful cinematography, Michael Kahn’s nicely-paced editing and John Williams’s sweet film score.  Between them, those three gentlemen have a total of 10 Academy Awards.  They know what they’re doing and the film looks great on the big screen.

Mr Spielberg has been a busy man in the sense that he has two films coming out on the same day in Australia.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen before.  The animated The Adventures Of Tintin joins War Horse as part of the plethora of Boxing Day releases in this country.  My personal preference is for Tintin but if you have the time to see both, you shouldn’t be disappointed… unless you set your expectations too high!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 December 2011

A suite of quality dramas being released in Australia over the next month in the lead up to next February’s Academy Awards – War Horse, The Iron Lady, Albert Nobbs, Melancholia, The Descendants and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

The release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol therefore comes at a perfect time.  It’s to cater for those who aren’t in the mood for a deep, heartfelt drama.  You can relax in your seat (hopefully with a bucket of popcorn in your hands) and enjoy some of the best action of the year.  There’s life in this series yet!

The far-fetched plot is nothing new.  It feels as if it’s been stolen from a James Bond flick.  Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his new team are after a crazy Russian businessman named Kurt Hendricks (Nvqvist) who is out to destroy the world.  Hendricks is after three items – a nuclear weapon, launch codes and a satellite.  It’s the standard shopping list for any villain.

It’s going to be another challenging assignment but to make it even more difficult, Agent Hunt no longer has the backing of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).  An explosion at the Kremlin was blamed on Hunt and the President has ordered that the entire IMF be shut down.  It’s now up to Hunt and his three-member team to catch Hendricks, clear their names and prevent a nuclear catastrophe.

The script won’t take home any awards but you won’t care once you’ve seen the unrelenting action sequences.  My eyes were glued to the screen and my heart rate definitely increased!  The film’s signature moment is midway through and features Tom Cruise scaling the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, without any kind of harness.  It put my fear of heights to the test.

Director Brad Bird deserves praise for the way in which these scenes have been pulled together.  The camera angles are well chosen, they haven’t been over-edited, and the special effects are seamless.  It doesn’t have that “computer generated” feel that so many action films have today (such as Immortals or Transformers).  I’ve said it many times – the best way to create suspense in an action movie is to make the situations look real.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol does just that.

I admit to being a little surprised given Brad Bird’s career to date has revolved around animated films.  He was an executive consultant on The Simpsons throughout the 1990s before stepping up and directing two brilliant animated features – The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007).  Both earned Bird an Academy Award.  This is the first time that Bird has directed a major live action movie and I’m now confident it won’t be the last.

Tom Cruise has been hit-and-miss over the past decade but this film should steer his career back on the right path.  His passionate, full-on persona suits the role of Ethan Hunt.  He also doesn’t look too bad for someone who turns 50 next year.  Simon Pegg (Shaun Of The Dead) provides the film’s comic relief as a smart-ass computer guru and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) is also good as an analyst who is reluctantly drawn into the mission.

Has there been a better action film this year?  I don’t think so.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 December 2011

If I told you to go see a certain film without knowing anything about it, would you do it?  If the answer to that question is “yes” then you can finish reading at the end of this paragraph.  I caught The Skin I Live In at the closing night celebrations of the recent Brisbane International Film Festival and it simply blew me away!  I knew nothing about the storyline beforehand and I’ve come to the conclusion that’s the best way to see it (as is the case with so many movies).

If you remain unconvinced, I will reluctantly provide a few more details with the hope that it will whet your appetite.  The plot centres on a successful plastic surgeon named Robert Ledgard (Banderas) who is developing a new type of synthetic skin that does not burn.  He has successfully trialled it using mice and believes it can revolutionise the industry.  Some of his colleagues aren’t convinced however.  They’re unsure about its practicality and whether it could actually be used on human beings.

What they don’t know is that he is already several steps ahead.  Breaching numerous laws and ethical boundaries, Ledgard has set up an operating theatre in his own home and has been testing the skin on a young woman (Anaya).  She spends most of her life locked in a spacious room on the upper floor.  Ledgard uses video cameras attached to the walls to keep a close eye on her at all times.

Who is this woman?  Why has she agreed to be treated?  What is her relationship to Ledgard?  Why must she be kept in a locked room?  With the premise firmly established, these questions will be answered in the film’s gripping second half.

There are few international directors working today who have a reputation as strong as Spaniard Pedro Almodovar.  He already has two Academy Awards on his mantelpiece – best foreign language film in1999 for All About My Mother and best original screenplay in 2002 for Talk To Her.  He has developed a reputation for being a “women’s director” and his films often focus on strong female characters.  The Skin I Live In is another great example.  Antonio Banderas is great but it’s the performance of Elena Anaya (Talk To Her, Van Helsing) that will stick with you long after you’ve left the theatre.

I like Almodovar’s description of the film as being “a horror story without screams or frights”.  Again, I don't want to give too much away but this unsettling tale is told so beautifully, so precisely.  The actions of some characters will shock you but in the back of your mind, you’ll understand their motivations.  Things are never as simple as they appear.

The end of the year is upon us and I’ve already named my top 10 movies of 2011.  The Skin I Live In sits in 4^th place on that list – behind Another Year, 127 Hours and Senna.  It’s my pick of the Boxing Day releases in Australia and trust me, it’s a film you won’t forget for a long time.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 November 2011

I asked every member of my team at work and none of them had heard of The Inbetweeners.  How could this be?  I was shocked, horrified, disappointed!  For whatever reason, this fantastic British television show never quite took off here in Australia.

It can be best described as a “UK version of American Pie”.  It revolves around four horny teenagers who have completely hopeless when it comes to women.  They’re part of the not-so-popular group at school and they continually end up in embarrassing, cringe worthy situations.  It leaves me sitting on the couch laughing rather uncomfortably.

There’s more to this series though than simple toilet humour.  It’s the cracking dialogue, distinctive characters and realistic storylines that make The Inbetweeners so special.  I can guarantee that these four guys will remind you of people you already know.  Will (Bird) is intelligent but has no social skills whatsoever.  Simon (Thomas) falls in love too easily and is often taken advantage of.  Jay (Buckley) portrays himself as a “ladies man” but actually has no idea.  Neil (Harrison) seems to have the most success with the opposite sex and ironically, he tries the least.

Only 18 episodes of the television series have been made but it’s developed a huge following in the UK.  It picked up the audience award at the 2010 British Academy Awards and was nominated for best situation comedy – proof of its popularity amongst both the public and critics.

The real success however has come from this film.  The Inbetweeners Movie was released in Britain back in mid August and it spent 4 consecutive weeks atop the box-office – the longest streak since Avatar in early 2010.  The film has now reeled in 45 million pounds which it makes it the 25^th highest grossing film of all time in the United Kingdom.  Only the final Harry Potter movie has made more money this year.

So why has this movie been so popular?  I’m not going to answer that question for you.  Rather, I’d like to hope that you’ll see it for yourself.  The story sees Will, Simon, Jay and Neil finish their final year of school and go on a holiday together to Malia on the island of Crete.  It’s kind of like a “schoolies week” to them – their first chance to celebrate freedom from their teachers and their parents.  Things don’t quite go as planned however.  The hotel is a complete dump, they’re quickly running out of money and they’re still finding it hard to find get laid.

I realise I’m biased given my love for the show but I found this to be one of the funniest films I’ve seen all year.  It's faithful to the TV series and I can too easily relate to these four guys and their hilarious insecurities.  Writers Iain Morris and Damon Beesley deserve credit for their screenplay.  I was fascinated to learn that Morris came up with the idea for the show while he was exchange student at Corinda State High School (here in Brisbane) in the late 1980s.

The film won’t have the same box-office impact in Australia but I’ll be doing my best over the next few weeks to get people to see it.  Perhaps my team at work can be coerced into seeing it as a part of a “field trip”.  The British generally do it best when it comes to comedy and The Inbetweeners Movie is a perfect example.

You can read my interview with stars Simon Bird and Joe Thomas by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 December 2011

The Women On The 6^th Floor is a nice, light-weight French romance set in the early 1960s.  Jean-Louis (Luchini) and his wife, Suzanne (Kiberlain), live in a spacious Parisian apartment in a well-to-do neighbourhood.  He makes a living as a financial planner and whilst she keeps herself busy with numerous social engagements.

So who is it that resides on the 6^th floor?  The film’s title refers to the small team of maids who service the apartment building and live in a cramped set of rooms on the top level.  It’s nothing flash but these women have transformed it into their own fun sanctuary.  None of the residents dare enter this “poor” part of the building and the maids are free to spend their spare time gossiping about the residents below.

The arrival of a new Spanish maid named Maria (Verbeke) sparks a curious sequence of events.  Jean-Louis develops a soft spot for Maria and the two frequently chat about her background and plans for the future.  In fact, Jean-Louis starts becoming friendly with all the maids!  He finds them more interesting and more energetic than his worrying wife and his stuffy work colleagues.

As you can imagine, this doesn’t sit too well with Suzanne.  She can’t understand why her husband is spending so much time with these lowly servants and why he is going out of his way to improve their living conditions.  It draws her to a false conclusion that threatens to undermine their marriage.

I wasn’t 100% sold on the ending but this is an enjoyable film that struck a cord with French audiences when it was released back in February.  It spent 7 weeks inside the top 10 spurred on by strong word of mouth.  It’s not hard to see why.  Fabrice Luchini (Potiche) is immensely likeable as the film’s shy leading man and the chatty maids have a humorous, cheeky disposition.

Writer-director Philippe Le Guay and co-writer Jerome Tonnerre also deserve praise for the way they have delicately balanced comedy with drama.  The story is never too heavy and it’s the kind of movie I’d recommend to a friend on a Sunday afternoon to put them in a good mood for the work week ahead.  Also worth a mention is Jorge Arriagada’s upbeat score which perfectly suits the film’s tone.

Sneaking into Australian cinemas just before the Boxing Day rush, The Women On The 6^th Floor is a movie you should make time for.