Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 August 2000

It’s that time of year at the Pittsburgh university, where he teaches, for the annual literary festival.  Tripp’s editor, Terry Crabtree (Downey Jnr), has used it as an excuse to pop into town to quiz Tripp regarding his new novel.  Each year, the festival opens with a party at the home of the Chancellor, Sara Gaskell (McDormand) and her husband, Walter (Richard Thomas), whose head of the English Department.

Grady’s having an affair with Sara and tells her that his wife has just separated from him.  She fires back with the news that she’s pregnant, he is the father, and she’s not yet prepared to leave Walter.

Also at the function are Hannah Green (Holmes) and James Leer (Maguire), two of Tripp’s brightest English students.  Hannah’s always had a soft crush on Tripp and lives in the same campus building as the Professor.  James has always been mysterious in class and never interacts much with other students - he’s a loner.

As chance would have it, Tripp converses with James whilst smoking a joint on the Gaskell’s front lawn and a series of events is set off that would become a turning point in the lives off those around them.

The cast are all super and it’s hard to single out any performance.  Michael Douglas is dazzling and it’s great to see him in different role from his “norm”.  Frances McDormand is always a delight on screen and the moments she shares with Douglas are a tribute to two of the finest in the business - both Oscar winners.

Tobey Maguire (The Ice Storm, Pleasantville & The Cider House Rules) is the best young actor in Hollywood right now and shows his versatility tackling the role of James.  I was surprised as to how well he can play “stoned”.  Even Robert Downey Jnr is a joy to watch.  He actually missed the premiere of the film in the United States as he was in jail serving time for drug use.

Wonder Boys is one of the best movies of the year.  It’s the little things that make all the difference and director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) has produced a very sharp film.  The way he captures the rain and snow (which are prominent all through the film) is beautiful.  His ability to show university life in a realistic fashion is also a tribute.

This is a film not to be missed.  As Tripp says, “Nobody teaches a writer anything - you tell them what you know, you tell them to find their voice and stay with it”.  Great words, great story, great film.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 July 2000

The Patriot is a fictitious tale set against this war.  Benjamin Martin (Gibson) is a war hero from the past who now lives quietly with his seven children in South Carolina.  As the English troops (known as the redcoats) approach, Ben will not waiver from his principals - he refuses to return to battle and believes the war can still be won with words.

Ben’s eldest son, Gabriel (Ledger), is now 17 and against strong wishes from his father enlists and heads off into engagement.  As the English continue to advance under the “gentlemanly” command of General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson), hundreds of Americans are sacrificed and the situation worsens.

The redcoats soon reach Ben’s home where in a confrontation with Colonel William Tavington (Jason Issacs), his 15-year-old son Thomas (Gregory Smith) is killed.  In true cinematic fashion, Ben finds his passion for war reignited and assembles a militia army to seek revenge on the English and particularly, Colonel Tavington.  As he says, “I will kill you before this war is over”.

Film is a powerful medium that is not deserving of The Patriot.  It has all the plot and dialogue traits from the tiring action garbage we’ve witnessed recently in films such as Armageddon and Gone In 60 Seconds.  The fact it deals with a real war is irrelevant.  It is insulting to watch a film that shows such reckless regard for the truth.

The portrayal of both the African-Americans and French is disgraceful.  A token character is represented from each of these races and are included in the film to glorify and show just how perfect white-Americans were.  Throw in a souvenir love story between Heath Ledger and Lisa Brenner to please the romantics and a few funny characters (all with their moment of glory) and you’re looking at a film that has little to do with patriotism.

It is overwhelmingly frustrating viewing experience.  Everything is so contrived and predictable.  Colonel Tavington is so over-the-top evil that he exhibits qualities resembling that of a James Bond villain.  Gabriel is the perfect son who always seems to avoid the perils of war until the incident that you know is coming.  Some moments are senselessly violent and seem completely out of place.  Amazingly, director Roland Emmerich has created a film that requires no thought whatsoever.  The Americans are portrayed as the “good guys”, the British are the “bad guys” and any grey area is non-existent.  In the packed cinema in which I saw the film, you could hear whispers from the audience predicting future developments and when they’re always right, it’s not a good sign.

$100m was spent on wonderful costumes, beautiful sets, a magnificent music score and quality actors.  All designed to provide the most realistic impression of the war imaginable.  How easy it can be to ruin all the good work with a despairing script.  Is a line such as “I’m going to kill you before this war is over” really necessary?  Why not tell us the ending?  The seriousness of the cause just makes it all the more pathetic.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 August 2000

The film is ultimately told in two parts.  The first is set in Melbourne’s Pentridge Prision, 1978.  Read has been sentenced to over 16 years for the attempted kidnapping of a judge.  In the slammer, we discover just how interesting a character he really is.  Eric Bana plays the role superbly.  It’s hard to tell most of the time when Read is being serious or just joking which makes the film all the more unsettling.

Read is released in 1986 where the film begins it’s second act.  We see him back in society enhancing the enigma.  Not as interesting as the first half, Read is assisting police in their investigations in return for turning a blind eye to his own activities.

The most rewarding aspect of watching this film is Bana’s performance.  13kg was packed on in four weeks for the role showing how dedicated he was to making the most of this opportunity.  It was actually Read’s idea for casting Bana is the key role.

Certainly a different perspective on the violent criminal, Chopper shows that there’s no simple line between good and evil.  Read has killed and will probably kill again but his mindset is more intriguing than the bluntness of the murders. 

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 July 2000

When he receives a phone call bringing news that his brother has had a stroke, he decides it is time to go see him in Mt. Zion, Wisconsin.  They have not spoken in ten years but Alvin feels that with little time left for both of them, it’s time to bury the hatchet.

Just how exactly is Alvin going to travel the 300 odd miles to Mt. Zion?  By a ride-on lawnmower.  It’s about the only thing Alvin can still drive and he sets off, determined to make the trip on his own.  It is his own way of paying penance for his failure to reconcile with his brother all those years ago.

Along the way, Alvin meets an assortment of characters and his kindness and decency touch their lives.  Overnight he sleeps in a small trailer towed behind the mower and eats nothing much more than wieners for the whole trip.  Like old folk are, he was determined to do it his way.

This is a true story.  The real Alvin Straight travelled this journey back in 1994 before passing away in 1996 and the film is dedicated to his memory.

It’s hard to believe that David Lynch is behind the camera for this G-rated flick from Walt Disney.  When you consider Lynch’s most famous works - Blue Velvet, Lost Highway and the TV series Twin Peaks, you would think a film like The Straight Story would be the last project he would tackle.

Lynch, boosted by cinematography from Freddie Francis and music from Angelo Badalamenti has painted a picturesque portrait of Southern America.  The film is a magical tapestry of sights and sounds.  Lynch, enhancing the viewing experience, captures everything from a beautiful sunset to the sound of a harvester with immaculate precision.

Given the material, this film could so easily have been a tiring bore that is even more credit to the talent of David Lynch and the crew.  Richard Farnsworth, who this year became the oldest actor in history to receive an Academy Award nomination, is wonderful as Alvin.  It was the role of a lifetime and it’s funny that he’s had to wait 79 years for the opportunity.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 August 2000

Frank Sullivan (Quaid) is a husband, father, firefighter and fan of the New York Mets.  It’s October 10, 1969 and the Mets are taking on Baltimore in game one of the World Series.  Also making news is a rare occurrence of the aurora borealis (Northern lights).

John Sullivan (Caviezel) is a police officer who’s life hasn’t turned out they way he expected.  His baseball career went nowhere and he’s just broken it off with his long-time girlfriend.  It’s October 10, 1999 and the aurora borealis is once again appearing over American skies.

Pulling out his father’s old ham radio for his best friend’s son, John revives memories of his father who passed away thirty years ago.  The radio doesn’t appear to work and John flicks through old photos and newspaper articles and ponders on what once was and what is now.

John manages to get a signal on the radio and starts talking baseball with the man on the other end. The conversation progresses and John finds something slightly askew.  The man on the other end shares the same name as his father, Frank Sullivan, and seems to be talking as if the year were 1969.  What if...

Director Gregory Hoblit is experienced with twisting subject material given his last two films, Primal Fear and Fallen.  His creativity at mixing 1969 with 1999 is remarkable and with the help of editor David Rosenbloom, he has created one of the finest directing performances of the year.  Actors Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel work superbly together.  They manage to create an emotional father-son relationship despite not spending a single scene together during the film.

Where has writer Toby Emmerich come from?  Emmerich up until this point has been a music supervisor and created soundtracks to films including Boogie Nights, Austin Powers and Dumb And Dumber.  His script, full of magic and enchantment, comes completely from left field.  The background subplot becomes a little silly during the final ten minutes but it provides the end result that was necessary.

Frequency is a stunning film that stirs emotions and past memories without the commercialism and tackiness that Hollywood so often provides.  The opening credits and scene are smartly created and no time is wasted in developing the story.  It may not always follow the laws of physics and has a few small holes but its ability to have you overlook those minor flaws is a tribute to its power.