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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 March 2005

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou marks the third time that Bill Murray has worked with writer-director Wes Anderson and I couldn’t be happier.  He may have only made four films to date but Anderson has developed a true cult following.  If you like your comedies a little bit different it’s time that you too discover just how talented he is.

As for Bill Murray, I’ve been a fan since seeing Caddyshack and Ghostbusters at a very early age.  He has the knack for being hilariously funny whilst keeping a dead serious look on his face.  He would certainly be one of the top 10 comedic actors of the modern era.  Murray first worked with Anderson in 1998’s Rushmore.  This dark comedy about an over-achieving student and a disenchanted teacher fighting for the affection of a lady earned Murray several critics awards.  See it if you haven’t already.

The Life Aquatic centres on fictitious oceanographer and documentary filmmaker Steve Zissou (Murray).  His latest project is to go in search of a tiger shark which killed his best friend and colleague Bill Ubell.  When asked the scientific purpose of this journey at a media conference, Steve is blunt in saying “revenge”.

Unfortunately for Steve, his documentaries have not been a major success financially and he’s struggling to find money for this new venture.  That’s all about to change when a young pilot by the name of Ned Plimpton (Wilson) introduces himself.  Ned’s mother recently passed away and he has come is search of the father he has never met… Steve Zissou!  Steve hates children and never knew he had any but takes Ned and his inheritance money under his wing.  A bond develops a Ned soon becomes a valuable members of “Team Zissou”.

There are more characters to throw into the mix.  Steve’s wife Eleanor (Huston) is tiring of Steve’s adventures and is looking for a life of her own.  Reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson (Blanchett) is writing a magazine cover story on Steve and is not afraid to ask the tough questions.  Don’t forget Steve’s main rival, Alistair Hennessey (Goldblum), who’s always looking to trump him on any major discovery.

It’s an insane bunch of characters in a hard to describe adventure but it all adds up to great comedy.  I laughed a hell of a lot but I can’t make that guarantee for all.  Like any comedy, what some people find funny, others find innately boring.  The fact that this film is screening in only one cinema in Brisbane (the Palace Centro) tells us that the major multiplexes believe it’s too quirky to attract a decent size audience.

The performances of the cast and wonderful and it’s one of the best ensembles of the year.  Even the smaller characters (such as the interns) manage to be funny without saying a word.  It all revolves around Bill Murray though and he’s at his finest here.  He brings out the best in everyone and how the others keep a straight face I do not know.

It’s a tricky title to remember by The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou could well be the comedy of the year.  There’s only one way to see if what I’m saying is true and that’s to get out there and see it!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 March 2005

For quiet 16-year-old Eddie O’Hare (Foster), he expects this summer to be the best of his life.  A budding writer, Eddie has been chosen by famous children’s book author Ted Cole (Bridges) to serve as is intern.  Eddie has even drafted a novel of his own and anxiously looks forward to what this great writer will think of his work and what help he can offer.

What transpires is everything but.  From their first encounter, Eddie realises that Ted is not the man he expected him to be.  Eddie has arrived at a time when Ted and his wife Marion (Basinger) have begun a trial separation.  They may be separated but they have developed a strange habit regarding their living arrangements.  So that they can equally spend time with their 4-year-old daughter, Ruth (Fanning), they each spend alternate nights at their sea-view home.  When one of them is at home, the other spends the night in a small city apartment.

Eddie soon finds himself as a confidant to both parties.  With the romance drained from her life, Marion takes pleasure from the innocent school-boy crush that Eddie develops on her.  An affair then ensues.  Ted on the other hand, is looking for a free chauffer.  He lost his drivers licence a few months earlier so he uses Eddie to drive him everywhere.  What he sees and hears from Ted is strange to say the least.

As open as this married couple are, there’s one topic they never speak of.  Their two teenage sons recently passed away and Eddie senses this is the key reason behind their crumbling marriage.  How did they die?  Eddie wants to open this “door in the floor” but it’s a precarious topic to approach…

This film from writer-director Tod Williams is based on the novel A Widow For One Year by John Irving.  I’m no book critic but I like Irving’s style have read The Cider House Rules a few years back.  When you watch The Door In Floor, you’ll feel the richness and complexity within the characters.  They are multi-dimensional and very mysterious.  Like a good novel, not all is revealed in the first chapter.

Three great performances act as the catalyst in bringing Irving’s book to the screen.  For Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski, The Contender), it proves once again that he’s great in any role.  For Kim Basinger, it proves that the talent that won her an Oscar for L.A. Confidential is not going to waste.  For Jon Foster, it proves that there’s one more newcomer with a bright future.

The only limitation I felt with Floor was that it felt a little compact.  So much story and so much character development was being squashed into a miniscule 111 minutes.  As I’ve indicated in the past, the challenge of condensing a beloved novel is the hardest tests for any screenwriter.  There were too many elements to this tale which were not explored to my liking.  Then again, I suppose it’s always better to say too little rather than too much.

In regards to this review, I too should probably say no more.  The rest of the film’s great qualities, I will leave for you to see yourself.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 March 2005

Released way back in 1995, Get Shorty was a great comedy with a stellar cast.  As the sequel, Be Cool has an equally strong cast but the comedy just isn’t the same.  Everything seems hit and miss.  For every good joke, there’s a bad one.  For every great scene, there’s an average one.  For every amusing cast member, there’s a dull one.  The result is a film which should have been better and makes you appreciate the wit of Get Shorty.

This time around, former gangster Chili Palmer (Travolta) has decided to quit the movie business.  It’s time for something new and having stumbled across talented singer Linda Moon (Millan), he wants to delve into the music industry.  The transition isn’t as easy as Chili had hoped.  Linda’s contract is currently held by manager Nick Carr (Keitel) who has no intention to release her.  Further, Chili’s late friend Tommy Athens was just murdered and music manager Sin LaSalle wants Chili to make good on the $300,000 that Tommy owed him.  Oh and yes, the Russian mafia is after Chili to finish some unwanted business.

Despite these dilemmas, Chili always remains “cool”.  He finds love with Tommy’s late wife Edie (Thurman) and everything he does for Linda turns to gold.  He even manages to get her a gig performing with Aerosmith in front of 20,000 people.  Don’t ask me how but the suave Chili always knows what to do…

It’s a fun character for John Travolta and I’m sure he enjoyed the opening scene of the film where it pokes fun at filmmakers and the idea of a sequel.  There are also a few sly jokes at certain people and methods within both the film and music industries.  It’s trying to be intelligent and it hits the mark on several occasions.

Yet as I’ve already alluded to, there are some horribly disappointing moments.  The usually enjoying Vince Vaughn is dreadful in a role in which he plays a white guy who thinks he’s black.  My criticism is not just of Vaughn but also of the silliness of the character.  In contrast, The Rock steals the whole show.  I can’t believe I’m saying that a former wrestler out-shines the likes of Keitel, Thurman and Travolta but there you have it.  Almost every word and action of The Rock will leave a smile on your face.

Those looking for the lofty heights of Get Shorty will undoubtedly be disappointed.  Those who haven’t seen the predecessor may find a little more amusement.  It’s a tired cliché but once again we have a sequel which just isn’t good enough.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 March 2005

Few know who Alex ‘Hitch’ Hitchens (Smith) by name but most know him by reputation – he is the “Date Doctor”.  If you’re a guy looking for help in wooing a girl, Hitch is the man to see.  He helps you through the basic fundamentals and will have you fully prepared for that valuable first impression.

His latest assignment is one of his toughest – an accountant named Albert (James) has fallen head-over-heels for a client at work.  Not just any client though – this is a rich heiress who is continually splashed across trashy newspaper and magazine covers.  Her name is Allegra Cole (Valletta) and after consulting Hitch, Albert is ready to make the first move…

As Albert’s quest commences, so too does an opportunity open up for Hitch.  He’s attracted to an alluring journalist named Sara (Mendez) but he just can’t get it right.  The man who apparently knows all the answers, can’t seem to find them for himself.

What follows is an amusing comedy with a few twists along the way.  I particularly enjoyed the way several of the side-plots were woven into the story (particularly that of a scum-bag which Hitch refuses to take as a client).  Sure it’s obvious but hey, aren’t all romantic comedies?\

I’m not usually a Will Smith fan but he’s funny enough in this role for me to forgive past misgivings.  He’s still his usual self but at least the writing is better.  He works well with co-star Eva Mendez who seems to be the “in thing” in Hollywood.  In the past two years, she’s featured in many major films including Out Of Time, Stuck On You, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Training Day and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

My major gripe with Hitch was watching the characters change personality too quickly.  Albert is terribly nervous one minute and amazingly confident the next.  I can’t say I really bought it.  The same applied to Hitch – I couldn’t believe that a man who is an expert in the field of dating could make so many mistakes himself.  On top of this, many of the films events feel predetermined and you know exactly what’s going to happen before it does.  I’ll use Albert’s first encounter with Allegra in the boardroom as a perfect example.  Even if you haven’t seen the trailer (which reveals too much of the story) you’ll know.

The box-office success of this film shows that many have suffered in making that first move and can relate to funny situations that Hitch and Albert find themselves in.  That said, I’m not sure if the deep, metaphorical pick-up lines Will Smith uses would hold up here in Australia.  Guys can try them if they like but be prepared to be laughed at.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 March 2005

The world loves sport.  It brings out the competitive urges in us all.  Soccer may be the world-wide game but in America, there’s a brand of football which it can call its own – gridiron.  Their passion and the fanaticism for this game would rival even the craziest English soccer supporters.

Odessa is a small community in western Texas which serves as the background to Friday Night Lights.  In 1988, writer H.G. Bissinger followed the fortunes of the high school football team, the Permian High Panthers, and their pursuit of the State Championship.  I haven’t read Bissinger’s book but I’m told it provides an honest look inside the culture associated with high school football.

The cinematic version of Bissinger’s novel focuses on the coach and a select group of players.  Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa) plays Coach Gary Gaines and you’ll see the intense scrutiny from a town in which any loss is deemed unacceptable.  Lucas Black (All The Pretty Horses) plays quarterback Mike Winchell, an intensely-focused player looking to use his sporting talent as a platform to a college scholarship.  Garrett Hedlund (Troy) is runner Don Billingsley, a party-loving teenager struggling to live up to his father’s high expectations.  Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) is Boobie Miles, the star of the team but battling an injury which threatens his future dreams of playing professionally.

There are more characters than those I’ve listed but you can see from my brief outline that one shouldn’t think this is stereotype free.  We’ve got the over-bearing parents, the dreams of going to college and escaping a dead-end town, and the coach who is always misunderstood.  Everyone of these topics has been covered in other teen football flicks including Varsity Blues and Remember The Titans.

It may not be anything new but Friday Night Lights is helped by the realisation that this is a true story.  I’m sure it’s had a touch with the cosmetic brush but the results of the matches and the ultimate conclusion is as it really happened.  I particularly seeing what became of all the players after high-school (in a short blurb at the very end).

Actor turned director Peter Berg (Welcome To The Jungle) is behind the camera and gives the film a grainy-documentary like style.  With several hand-held cameras and many quick zoom-ins and zoom-outs, you feel closer to the action and you’d think it was shot back in 1988 as it happened (rather than as a re-enactment).  It’s a good look.

Whilst it won’t be as popular in Australia as it has been in the States, Friday Night Lights is a half-decent sporting film.  Perhaps most importantly, I remember feeling a tingle down my spine when watching some of the final matches.  For me, that’s a benchmark for any sporting film.  If I’ve become emotionally connected with the characters, stereotypes aside, it’s done its job.