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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 July 2016

Australia has a history of making great movies with indigenous characters in leading roles.  Ten Canoes (2006) was set in pre-Western times and focused on the conflict between two tribes.  Samson & Delilah (2009) followed two troubled 14-year-olds from a poor community in remote Australia.  The Sapphires (2012) was based on the true story of a group of musicians who performed for troops during the Vietnam War.  All three won the AACTA Award (previously known as the AFI Award) for best film.

The problem for Australia is that we don’t seem to make enough films centred on indigenous characters.  That’s the opinion of director Ivan Sen who is doing his best to balance the scales.  The indigenous filmmaker now has several acclaimed movies under his belt including Beneath Clouds (2002), Toomelah (2011) and Mystery Road (2013).

His latest outing, Goldstone, was selected to open the prestigious Sydney Film Festival last month and has been showered with praise since.  It’s a spin-off from Mystery Road in that it features the same lead – Aaron Pedersen as indigenous Detective Jay Swan.  The setting is a remote mining community that has next-to-no infrastructure.  The police, the mayor and the mining workers all operate out of rundown demountable buildings.  There’s not a lot to see or do.

Jay has arrived in town to investigate the disappearance of a young Asian girl who has been missing for 6 months.  His entrance is anything but glamorous.  He spends his first night in a jail cell after being pulled over for drink driving by the town’s sole police officer, Josh (Russell).  Not long after, his caravan is peppered with bullets by unknown assailants.  It’s clear that something is amiss in Goldstone and Jay is warned “to be careful where you step as there are plenty of snakes about.”

His investigations lead him to several individuals with questionable intentions.  The mayor (Weaver) is pressing hard for an expansion to the gold mine so as to pump valuable revenue into the local economy.  The mine’s manager (Wenham) is doing everything he can to sway the opinion of an indigenous leader (Lewis) who is critical to the approval process.  A local businessman is running a shady bar that serves as a brothel for the mining staff.

Pedersen is terrific as the film’s flawed hero and he is well-assisted by rising star Alex Russell (Chronicle).  Tommy Lewis is the pick of the supporting cast as the indigenous leader who, in trying to please everyone, loses his moral compass.  Sen also makes great use of the remote location with some beautiful shots (the drone footage is particularly impressive) and some tense chase sequences.

The film may be laced with an element of truth but it comes across as corny in places.  Jacki Weaver and David Wenham are not subtle in portraying themselves as villainous individuals.  It feels like Weaver is portraying a skewed, over-the-top version of the character that earned her an Oscar nomination in Animal Kingdom. 

Selected to open the prestigious Sydney Film Festival last month, Goldstone has its weaknesses but it’s still an impressive action-thriller from Sen who puts a fresh spin on a well-used Hollywood formula.

You can read my chat with writer-director Ivan Sen by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 June 2016

I like Richard Linklater’s approach to filmmaking.  It never feels like he’s trying to tell you a story.  Rather, he just wants to you spend time with a few characters to see what you make of them.  In the Before Sunrise trilogy, we listened to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy talk for hours about life, love, the past, and the future.  In the Oscar-nominated Boyhood, we were shown a few key moments in a boy’s journey to becoming a man.

Everybody Wants Some is Linklater’s latest outing and his approach is no different.  It’s set in 1980 and is centred on a guy named Jake (Jenner) who is about to start his first year at college.  He’s not particularly interested in classes or academia.  Jake’s major passion is baseball and he’s keen to make an impact on the college’s already successful team.

While Boyhood was spread over 12 years, the timeline in Everybody Wants Some is far more limited.  Jake meets his housemates in the opening scene (they’re all part of the baseball team) and over the next 3 days, they party hard, they smoke weed, and they drink alcohol.  Two topics dominate almost every conversation – women and alcohol.

That’s pretty much it.  There are no huge character transformations and there are no shock twists.  This is an observational comedy that captures an era that some will vividly remember.  Linklater certainly does.  The film is semi-autobiographical in the sense that he attended Sam Houston State University in 1980 and was a member of their baseball team.

The guys in this story are confident and free-spirited.  They are living away from home for the first time and are free from the rigid shackles of high school.  They have big dreams and high expectations.  They’re ready to have fun, cruise through college, and make a name for themselves as a professional baseball player.  It’s the only career they have in mind and there’s no back up plan.

The film is careful not to judge or praise these characters.  There’s no epilogue that shows their post-college life where they’re working for pittance at a fast-food restaurant and struggling to pay their bills.  That would noticeably change the movie’s tone.  It’s simply showing you what life was like, rightly or wrongly, for student athletes who are part of the college system.

The 1980 setting also allows the crew to have fun with music, sets and costumes.  The outfits these characters wear are hilarious and it makes you wonder if these fashions will ever come back into style.  The soundtrack includes iconic songs from The Knack, Blondie, Van Halen and the Sugar Hill Gang.  They frequent several clubs/bars in their travels that cater for lovers of disco, punk and country music.

As much as I admire Linklater, this doesn’t quite have the same impact as his previous work.  Hard questions are not asked of these characters and there’s very little in the way of conflict or drama.  It’s like hanging out with a drunk friend – it’s entertaining for a while but then things start to become tiring and repetitive.  I was definitely ready to go home after spending 2 hours with this group of guys.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 June 2016

Mark Rylance is one of the best actors working today.  His name will be unfamiliar to many however as he has spent much of his career performing on stage in London and New York.  On his mantelpiece at home are 3 Tony Awards and 2 Olivier Awards.  He also spent a decade as the artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe in London where he helped create numerous productions.

Steven Spielberg had been keen to work with Rylance for a long time.  He first offered him a role in Empire of the Sun (released in 1987) but Rylance turned it down and accepted a part with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Warwickshire.  It took almost 30 years but finally the stars aligned for these two craftsmen.  Rylance took on the part as a tight-lipped Russian spy in last year’s Bridge of Spies and won the Academy Award for best supporting actor.

During his acceptance speech, Rylance praised Spielberg as “one of the greatest storytellers of our time.”  As someone who grew up during the 1980s, I can think of another individual who would fit that same description – Roald Dahl.  A quick look at his bibliography brings back numerous memories of my childhood.  I spent hours sitting up in bed reading the likes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, and The Witches.

A low-budget animated feature was produced in 1989 but this marks the first attempt at a live-action cinematic adaptation of The BFG.  On paper, it sounds like a perfect threesome – the writing of Roald Dahl, the direction of Steven Spielberg, and the acting of Mark Rylance.  Cool your heels though.  The finished product isn’t as magical as you might expect.

The story begins in London and we’re introduced to a feisty, confident young girl named Sophie (Barnhill) who has spent her entire life in an orphanage.  She suffers from insomnia and so while her friends sleep soundly in the dormitory, Sophie passes the time by sorting mail and reading classic books.  Late one night, she hears an odd noise outside her balcony window and upon stepping outside, finds herself face-to-face with a 7-metre tall giant.

Before shock has a chance to set in, Sophie is snatched by the creature and taken to Giant Country.  His sneaky escape through the streets on London is one of the film’s coolest sequences.  It may sound scary but the giant has a soft side and isn’t to be feared.  These two characters quickly become pals with Sophie referring to him as The Big Friendly Giant.

The majority of the film is spent watching them go on an assortment of adventures.  The BFG has to stand up for himself against a group of bigger giants looking to assert their authority.  We also learn why The BFG spends time in the human world.  He cooks up dreams, both good and bad, and places them in the heads of those fast asleep.  The dream creating scenes showcase the talent of the special effects crew.  The visuals are outstanding.

There’s no disputing that Spielberg has created a fascinating world.  It’s just a shame that the story and characters aren’t quite as fascinating.  There are a few signature moments such a scene where Sophie hides in a Snozzcumber (an awful vegetable) and another where The BFG offers frobscottle (a fizzy drink) to a new group of friends.  Unfortunately, there a lengthy gaps in between that don’t offer much in the way of laughs or excitement.

Great books don’t always translate into great movies and perhaps The BFG is a good example.  It’s likeable but it’s hard to describe it as memorable.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 June 2016

Tragedy has a way of uniting people.  In 1996, when the world was attacked by an alien race, the people of the world came together and emerged as the victors.  We’re told early in Independence Day: Resurgence that “world peace” has held strong in the 20 years since that fateful day.  Rather than waste time fighting each other, governments across the globe have been working together.  They’ve created armies, weapons and security outposts that can be utilised if the aliens should ever return.

That day is now.  Before we get to that though, the film spends roughly 40 minutes on character introductions.  Will Smith played the major hero in the original but for whatever reason, he hasn’t returned for this instalment.  His character has been killed off but his memory is not forgotten.  A painting of the late Captain Hiller is displayed prominently in the White House and his son, Dylan (Usher), is a valued member of the International Legacy Squadron that helps guard Earth.

Bill Pullman has returned but he is no longer the President of United States.  He keeps a low profile out of the public eye and is terrorised at night with dreams of another alien invasion.  His intelligent daughter (Monroe) works as a White House aide and she is currently dating an enthusiastic pilot (Hemsworth) who has been posted to the Space Defence Station which orbits the planet.  Let’s not forget Jeff Goldblum who returns as a scientist with an offbeat sense of humour.

This is a film with a few too many characters.  Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner and Vivica A. Fox reprise their roles from the original while William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sela Ward and Angelababy are amongst the new additions.  They have a part to play in the film’s plethora of subplots.  There are family arguments, romantic connections, power struggles, and heroic deeds.  If you get bored with something, just wait a minute and a new storyline will develop.

Let’s cut to the chase though.  The majority of audiences will be drawn by the fact it’s a sci-fi action flick.  After being defeated 20 years ago, the same alien species has returned to finish what they started.  They want to use their hi-tech machinery to draw energy from the planet’s core and in the process, annihilate every living thing.  The humans will have to use their brains to come up with a plan and use their brawn to implement it.

Independence Day was the highest grossing film of 1996 and it was also one of my favourite films of that year.  It found the right balance of light-weight humour and action spectacle.  This sequel tries to adopt the same formula but it doesn’t feel as compelling.  Perhaps it’s a sign that times have changed.  The cool flight battle sequences reminded of the recently rebooted Star Wars franchise but when I look deeper into the comparison, I realise that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has more to offer in terms of narrative and character interaction.  This all feels too easy and simplistic.

You can still have fun watching it though.  The aliens are freaky and you can’t help but root for the humans as they valiantly try to get the upper hand.  The ending also offers up room for more films.  We may have waited 20 years for this sequel but I was suspect we won’t be waiting a similar length of time for a follow up.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 June 2016

Kevin Hart is no stranger to the buddy comedy genre.  He’s played the “straight guy” opposite Will Ferrell in Get Hard and played the “funny guy” opposite Ice Cube in the Ride Along franchise.  Dwayne Johnson has plenty of credits to his name but this is the first time (in my memory anyway) that he’s part of defined comedy duo.  We’re more accustomed to seeing Johnson as the hero in big-budget action flicks (Fast 7, San Andreas) or as the single lead in board-reaching comedies (Tooth Fairy, The Game Plan).

Central Intelligence opens with a high school flashback.  Calvin (Hart) is the most popular senior in his class and everyone believes he’s going to do great things with his life.  He’s fit, he’s sporty, he’s intelligent, and he’s got a great girlfriend.  None of those descriptors would apply to Robbie (Johnson).  He is teased for being overweight and has no friends.  There’s a horrible moment where a group of bullies drag him from the locker room showers and parade him naked in front of a school assembly.

Slipping 20 years forward to the current day, we learn that the paths of these characters has changed significantly.  Calvin is an unhappy forensic accountant who isn’t respected by his work colleagues.  His home life is also a little bumpy with his wife (Nicolet) suggesting they see a marriage counsellor.  On the flip side, Robbie is now a gifted CIA agent with the body of a Greek God.  His secret to getting into shape?  Hitting the gym for 6 hours every day for the past two decades!

The three-person writing team needed to find a way to bring these two guys together and they’ve gone with a goofy premise.  Those within the CIA believe that Robbie is a double agent who is selling valuable satellite codes on the black market.  With seemingly no one he can trust, Robbie gets in touch with Calvin via Facebook and forces him to help.  He needs to use Calvin’s forensic accounting expertise to clear his name and identify the real criminals.

Central Intelligence is a film that feels low on ideas.  There’s a sequence in a warehouse where Calvin argues with Robbie about whether he is “in” or “out” with regards to this escapade.  A similar scene takes place a short time later in Calvin’s office.  Could they have not come up with something different to laugh about?

Johnson’s character is also a struggle to wrap your head around.  Robbie talks and acts like a hyperactive high school teenager throughout much of the film.  You may think it is part of some elaborate act but I wasn’t much wiser as the end credits started to roll.  A scene involving Jason Bateman (in a small cameo) only added to the confusion.  How did this guy become such a successful CIA agent given his emotional baggage and warped view of reality?  Why doesn’t he haven’t any friends despite his post-high school transformation?

Some jokes hit the mark.  Johnson and Hart argue back and forth and there’s the occasional barb or unexpected comment that will leave you chuckling.  Unfortunately, these two actors can’t save a script so poorly conceived.