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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 January 2010

As a young ‘un, I read all of Roald Dahl’s novels.  He was “celebrity” to me and I can remember feeling really sad when he passed away in 1990 (I was 13 years of age at the time).  Many of Dahl’s works have been adapted for the big screen (including Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, James & The Giant Peach) but this one could be his best yet.

And the credit must go to the film’s director.  Wes Anderon’s quirky sense of humour has helped him develop a cult following in the movie world.  His credits include Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (all great films).  Determined to challenge himself once again, Anderson has used the painstakingly slow process of “stop animation” to bring Fantastic Mr. Fox to life.

Mr. Fox (Clooney) is a devious creature who lives with his wife (Streep) and son (Schwartzman) in a nice tree.  It’s a good life but Mr. Fox wants more – he has an insatiable thirst for risk and adventure.  With the help of his good friend, an opossum named Kylie (Wolodarsky), Mr. Fox tries to break into the neighbouring farms.  He wants to steal their tasty chickens and sweet apple cider.

Ah, but it’s not going to be that easy.  The humans haven’t taken too kindly to Mr. Fox’s activities and they’ll stop at nothing to catch him and his family.  They’ve brought in the bulldozers and an army of men.  Can this wily fox outsmart them all?

The best adjective I can think of to describe this movie is “cool”.  From the way he clicks his fingers to the way he wolfs down a meal, Mr. Fox is the epitome of sophistication.  Yes, he has his flaws but the deep voice of George Clooney turns him into a smooth, loveable character.  All the voices are great for that matter.  I really liked the interaction between Mr. Fox’s son (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) and nephew (voiced by Eric Chase Anderson).  Let’s not forget the soundtrack which I must soon add to my collection.

The film clocks in at just under an hour and half but it look a long time for Anderson to perfect.  One particular shot, which lasts just 90 seconds, was so complex that it took nine weeks of actual animation.  You don’t often appreciate those details when you’re sitting in a movie theatre munching on a bucket of popcorn.  So much work goes on behind the scenes.

Up is the frontrunner to win the best animated film Oscar in two months time and whilst it’s a very good film in its own right, my personal preference is to see Wes Anderson on stage accepting the prize for Fantastic Mr. Fox.  It’s an acceptance speech I’d like to hear.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 December 2009

I have an appreciation for the way in Almodovar develops his characters.  Things are rare black and white – there’s plenty of grey to keep things interesting.  Broken Embraces is no exception.  It begins with a blind man named Harry (Homar) befriending a young lady on the street.  She comes back to his house and they make love on the couch.  Should I see Harry as a sleazy womaniser?  Or should I feel sorry for Harry given his disability?  Things are grey already.

Harry hasn’t always been blind.  He was once a screenwriter and a filmmaker.  The story behind his condition will be revealed in flashbacks.  Fourteen years earlier, he was directing a movie with a young starlet named Lena (Cruz).  Harry was smitten with Lena from the first time he laid eyes on her.  Unfortunately, she was already taken by the film’s producer.  Ernesto Martel (Gomez) was an older, wealthier man who could give Lena whatever she wanted.

Pedro Almodovar has made better films than this.  I liked it generally but wasn’t blown away as I have been with previous works.  I found the ending somewhat predictable and a few scenes tended to drag out the inevitable.  Of particular annoyance was a character by the name of Ray X (Ochandiano) who is laughable as opposed to sinister.  I don’t think this was Almodovar’s intention.

The film is still worth seeing for its interesting assortment of characters and the difficult situations in which they find themselves.  Many are hiding secrets but which will be revealed?  And to whom?  I’ll leave it with you to figure out whilst I go and watch Avatar for a second time…

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2009

If you think that Holmes is going to celebrate this success… then think again.  With no major mysteries left to be solved, Holmes is bored and depressed.  He’s couped himself up in his home and shut himself off from the rest of the world.  To make matters worse, Watson has announced his engagement to a young lady named Mary (Reilly) and has told Holmes that he’s retiring from the dangerous world of sleuthing.

Never fear.  Things are about to get a lot more interesting for Holmes and Watson.  Word is spreading that Lord Blackwood has returned from the grave.  How can this be?  They both saw him hang and Watson declared him dead after checking his pulse.  Not all is what it seems and the dynamic duo must work together again to solve one final case.

Let’s start with the positives and the clear standout is the performance of Robert Downey Jr.  He breathes life into Holmes with his funny expressions and quirky mannerisms.  He also brings the best out of Jude Law (who I’ve been a bit iffy about in recent years).  A friend at the preview screening had similar thoughts and declared that “the reason I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes is that I didn’t hate Jude Law.”   They are some powerful words.

I must quickly digress to comment on Robert Downey Jr and his film career.  After battling substance abuse problems in the late 1990s, he “reinvented” himself and is now one of the world’s top box-office drawcards.  Iron Man was one of the biggest hits of 2008 and his role in Tropic Thunder earned him an Academy Award nomination (which is not easy to do for a comedic performance).  Downey Jr is not afraid of low-budget, independent films either and you only need see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or A Scanner Darkly as evidence.

Back to Sherlock Holmes and whilst I can’t fault Downey Jr, I’m not a fan of the storyline.  It’s a rather dark plot – like something out of a Dan Brown novel.  Holmes also as an uncanny ability to fit the pieces of the puzzle together with ridiculous ease – again, like something out of a Dan Brown novel.  Perhaps my expectations were misguided but I was hoping for something less serious, more humorous.

Englishman Guy Ritchie sits in the director’s chair and many will be familiar with his style having seen such films as Snatch and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.  This movie has its fair share of action but perhaps the most talked about element will be the relationship between Holmes and Watson.  I wasn’t familiar with the term before but I now I have an understanding of a “bromance”.

Every year, there’s always one huge release on Boxing Day to entertain the public and/or to help them get over their hangovers.  Sherlock Holmes is the 2009 contender and I’m sure there’ll be some long queues at cinemas over the coming days.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 December 2009

Set in the year 2154, an army of humans have travelled to a distant planet known as Pandora.  They are extracting a valuable mineral from the ground which is worth an astronomical sum back home.  Unfortunately, there is an alien race on Pandora known as the Na’vi.  The only way the minerals can be dug up is by displacing the Na’vi from their homes.  They don’t plan on doing so without a fight.

Not everyone aboard the human spaceship is interested in these rocks.  A small team of peaceful scientists are looking to explore the planet to see what else can be learned from its people and its beautiful forests.  To help with their task, they have created avatars – a Na’vi body they can inhabit whilst on the surface.  It helps them communicate with the locals and in defending themselves against some vicious wildlife.

Caught in the middle is a paraplegic named Jake Sully (Worthington).  Jake is an ex war veteran who has been brought in to help the head scientist (Weaver) with her work.  Ah, but he’s also being used by the ship’s military leader (Lang) to gain valuable intelligence information on the Na’vi people and their weaknesses.  To whom do his allegiances really lie?

Not even Jake knows the answer to that question at first.  All he cares about is his amazing new life on Pandora.  Through his avatar, he now has the use of his legs for the first time in many years.  He has also developed affection for the planet and its people.  In particular, Jake has formed a bond with a young woman named Neytiri (Saldana) who is teaching him the ways of the Na’vi.

The dialogue is stiff at times but there’s an intricacy to the story which elevates it above your run-of-the-mill action flick.  This should come as no surprise given James Cameron’s history.  He loves visual effects but he recognises the importance of telling a good story.  Aliens, Terminator and Titanic are fitting examples.  In Avatar, he had me cheering for the strange-looking blue creatures instead of the humans.  Not necessarily an easy accomplishment.

Let’s be honest though – the reason this film is so amazing is because of its look.  The line separating live action and special effects has been blurred beyond recognition.  I didn’t know what was what.  Enhancing it even further is the fact it was filmed using the latest in 3D technology.  You will find yourself immersed in a fantasy world filled with a kaleidoscope of colours.  Or to put it more bluntly, in the words of Hollywood columnist Jeffrey Wells, “it's like your eyeballs are having sex.”

Australian Sam Worthington must be pinching himself after the year he’s had.  Fresh off his role in Terminator: Salvation (where he was the best part of it), Worthington then got to star in a James Cameron movie.  Does it get any better?  You can see why Cameron chose him though.  Worthington gives a terrific performance.  With just a hint of his Aussie accent, he turns Jake into an ideal hero – someone a little rough around the edges but not lacking in passion.

It goes without saying that Avatar must be seen in 3D on the big screen.  It clocks in at just over two and a half hours and is sure to have cinemas packed once the word of mouth spreads.  Mr Cameron, please do not make me wait another twelve years for your next movie.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 December 2009

This isn’t a traditional “who done it” movie.  As members of the audience, we know that Susie was murdered and that Mr. Harvey is the man responsible.  The question is – will he be caught?  George has done his best to cover his tracks but Susie’s father, Jack (Wahlberg) is unrelenting in his quest for answers.   He still harbours a faint hope that Susie is still alive and won’t stop until he knows the truth.

There’s someone else who is looking to expose the truth… Susie herself!  She is no longer living but she is yet to move on to heaven.  Susie has found herself in the “in-between”.  Like a ghost, she can subtly communicate with the living world, trying to point them in the direction of her murderer.

I had high expectations given the reputation of Peter Jackson and the alluring trailer.  Sadly, most of the film was a let down.  It feels as if every second page of Alice Sebold’s novel has been ripped out and the writers have somehow tried to reconstruct the story.

Jackson has created a cool fantasy world filled with great special effects but the character development is non-existent.  I had no appreciation for the grief that Susie’s parents were going through.  Her grandmother (played by Susan Sarandon) adds nothing to the story and yet they show her cleaning the house is a silly montage.

The same can be said for Susie’s siblings.  There’s a ludicrous scene late in the film where the sister hesitates about revealing a valuable piece of information.  My first question is why the hesitation?  My second question is why did she change face so quickly?

As the villain, Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia) delivers the only decent performance.  I still thought he was a touch over the top (he looks like such an obvious creep) but the scene in which he lures Susie into his trap was the film’s best.  It’s creepy and hard to stomach.

With an ending just too convenient to take seriously, The Lovely Bones is the weakest Peter Jackson film I’ve seen to date.