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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 November 2015

Some films can stand alone but to fully comprehend the premise of Spectre, it will help if you’ve seen the three previous James Bond flicks starring Daniel Craig – Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace and Skyfall.  There are numerous references to past events, past villains and past loves.  It has the feel of a concluding finale but we all know that Bond will be refreshed and rebooted until the series becomes unprofitable.

As if inspired by Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Oscar winning Birdman, director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) begins with a lengthy continuous shot through the main square in Mexico City.  Thousands have taken to the streets to celebrate the Day of the Dead.  Bond has told MI6 that he’s on holidays but the trip has a dual purpose.  He’s been tipped off about a known terrorist who is planning an imminent attack.  Suffice to say he gets his man after an elaborate, suspenseful chase.

The dust settles (while we sit through the traditional opening credits) and Bond learns that despite saving countless lives, there will be ramifications.  His actions in Mexico were unauthorised and the new head of the Joint Intelligence Service (Bautista), following the merger of MI5 and MI6, is using it as justification to phase out the ‘00’ program.  They’d rather gather evidence through more modern techniques such as drones, internet monitoring, and cross-country collaboration.  The days of the secret agent are done.

Grounded by M (Fiennes) and instructed not to leave London, Bond could have obeyed and watched Seinfeld re-runs on his couch.  Okay, so it’s not his style.  While Bond has killed his fair share of villains and henchmen, there appears to be a secretive terrorist organisation that links many of them together.  The search for its leader (Waltz) takes him to Rome, Morocco and the Austrian Alps.  Keeping away from the watchful eyes of MI6, he is assisted by a young psychologist (Seydoux) who has her own reasons for getting involved.

After going down a darker, creative path in Skyfall, the writers have gone with a more conventional screenplay for Spectre.  People are left for dead and then mysteriously re-appear later in the movie.  Bad guys waste time explaining their heinous plans before giving the good guys a chance to escape.  Hackers crack sophisticated computer systems in a matter of minutes.  There’s even a bomb complete with a countdown clock.  It’s too familiar.

Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) also fails to impress as the film’s keynote villain.  Keeping him in the shadows (literally) during the first two-thirds creates an aura of mystery but when all is revealed during the climax, his motives feel contrived and his clumsy operations don’t make much sense.

Despite its limitations, Spectre is still to be admired for Mendes’ skilful direction and the striking visuals of Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Her, Interstellar).  There’s a beautiful scene where Bond kills two hitmen at the home of a key witness (Bellucci).  The camera remains fixed on Belucci’s frightened face while the shooting takes place in the out-of-focus background.  It provides a different perspective on a common action sequence.

The affable cast also give the film a boost.  There’s a great conversation aboard a train between Léa Seydoux (Blue Is The Warmest Colour) and Daniel Craig where she asks about his longevity and his post-retirement plans.  Ralph Fiennes slips comfortably in into the seat of M and while the film is light on laughs, he earns the best of the one-liners while talking to his counterpart, C.  Ben Wishaw gets to step out from his behind his desk and participate in the mayhem.

Struggling to sell its important messages about corruption within the intelligence world, Spectre is a chaotic Bond film that doesn’t quite come together.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 November 2015

In Spike Jonze’s brilliant 2002 comedy Adaptation, the chief speaker (Brian Cox) at a screenwriting seminar preached about the many stories that exist in the world.  Every day there is genocide, war, corruption and murder.  Every day there is love, heartache, betrayal.  Every day someone makes a conscious decision to destroy someone else.  The bottom line is that if you can’t find a story to write about then you know nothing about life.

The trick is trying to work out exactly which story to tell.  Sometimes we just need a little inspiration.  Man On Wire was a head shaking documentary that chronicled Philippe Petit’s attempts to wire walk between the World Trade Centre Towers in 1974.  It won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2009.  Wanting to bring the story to a much wider audience, Robert Zemeckis directed an historical re-telling of Petit’s story (The Walk) that was released in cinemas last month.

The tale of American police officer Laurel Hester has taken a similar path.  In 2007, a 40 minute documentary about Hester premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and it later won the Academy Award for best documentary short subject.  Actor Ellen Page (Juno) saw the film, purchased the rights, started a production company, and recruited writer Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) to craft a screenplay.  The finished product, directed by Peter Sollett (Raising Victor Vargas), is now in cinemas.

For most of her life, Laurel Hester was a quiet, unassuming individual.  She studied criminal justice and psychology at college.  She became an investigator for a prosecutor’s office in New Jersey.  She handled cases involving murder, drug trafficking and organised crime.  She was well respected by her peers and reached the rank of lieutenant.

Laurel’s world forever changed in late 2004 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 47.  Attempts to destroy the cancer cells using chemotherapy failed and she was given only a few months to live.

At the front of Laurel’s mind throughout the ordeal was her same-sex partner, Stacie Andree.  As a police officer, Laurel was entitled to a pension that would pass to her spouse upon her death.  However, as Laurel and Stacie could not be legally married, that pension would be forfeited.  With her days numbered, Laurel started a battle with the conservative local government and pleaded with them to change the pension regulations.

In the leading roles, Julianne Moore and Ellen Page deliver two terrific performances.  You get a strong sense of the bond and connection that existed between their respective characters.  You also appreciate the difficulties that Laurel faced in trying to manage multiple personas.  While she was a loving, open person at home, she hid her sexuality and relationship status from her homophobic work colleagues so as to help her chances of promotion and avoid discrimination.

The film isn’t as insightful when it comes to the supporting cast.  Steve Carell plays the self-absorbed head of an activist organisation pushing strongly for same sex marriage.  His character highlights that activists, while well intentioned, aren’t always doing what’s best to promote their cause.  It’s an interesting subplot but as it is given such little attention within the film, it ends up being an unnecessary distraction.

Freeheld also struggles to explore the depth of resistance against marriage equality.  On watching the film, you’d think the only people fervently objecting to the issue are the counsellors that sit on the local government.  We observe their meetings and hear a litany of contradictory excuses they use to justify their position.  What we don’t get to see is the pressure placed on them by religious organisations and the large group opposed to same-sex marriage.  Things are not always as simple as they seem.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 November 2015

If someone told me that the life of a teenager was being covered in a feature length documentary, I’d immediately think they were a musician with a horde of adoring fans.  That was the case with Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never in 2011 and One Direction: This Is Us in 2013.

For his latest documentary, Oscar winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting For Superman) is taking us inside the world of a very different 18-year-old.  Malala Yousafzai was born in Pakistan, survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, and became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.  She currently lives in England with her parents and two siblings.

With limited footage to utilise, Guggenheim tells key chunks of Malala’s story by using simple animation.  Her father was a school teacher in Northern Pakistan and unlike many other girls from the area, Malala was given access to a good education.  When the leaders of the Pakistani Taliban decreed that women should not have a right to education, Malala found the courage to speak out.  She wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC World Service and she was interviewed by news outlets across the globe.

Her notoriety grew and the Taliban identified her as a threat.  In October 2012, Malala and two friends were shot on a bus while heading home after a school exam.  The bullet went through her head but she miraculously survived after receiving medical treatment in Pakistan, Germany and England.  The film opens with a moving interview where Malala describes her feelings when she first woke from a week-long coma.

Guggenheim’s film appears to have two purposes.  Firstly, it is raising awareness about the power of the Taliban and their efforts to supress women’s rights.  More than 400 schools in Pakistan were bombed for teaching young girls.  The photos and videos used the movie help illustrate this alarming statistic.

Secondly, the film is trying to show that Malala is just like so many other young women.  We see her fighting with her older brother, struggling to pass her high school exams, and fawning over photos of cricketers such as Shane Watson and Shahid Afridi.   She also has a head-scratching yet inspiring ability to forgive all those who have harmed her.  To borrow a familiar phrase, she’s an old head on young shoulders.

That’s not to say she lives an ordinary life.  Malala is now a recognisable activist and published author who has had the chance to meet world leaders including The Queen and President Obama.  She continues to use her influence to push for female equality when it comes to education.  Not everyone is a fan and the film includes a few vox pop interviews from Pakistanis who are resistant to her views.

I’d have preferred a little more attention be given to her causes rather than Malala herself but Guggenheim’s film highlights that education is an invaluable tool that all deserve access to.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 October 2015

He picked up a few varying roles early in his career (Saving Private Ryan, The Iron Giant, Boiler Room) but for the most part, Vin Diesel’s career has been built around The Fast & The Furious franchise.  Over the last 6 years, he’s only made one live action film that wasn’t part of the Furious series – Riddick in 2013 (and that itself was a sequel).

Diesel is finally stepping into new territory with The Last Witch Hunter but it’s unlikely to rank highly on his resume.  He plays Kaulder (Diesel) – a man who killed one of the world’s most sinister witches.  That was 800 years ago and the reason he’s still alive is that the witch, before meeting her demise, placed a spell on Kaulder giving him eternal life.  Some may see it as a blessing but he sees it as a curse.  He’s tired, rundown and longing to move onto the afterlife.

That’s not to say he’s still not of value to society.  A truce has been in place for centuries that has allowed humans and witches to live side by side.  When a witch gets out of line, Kaulder is brought in as the enforcer to set things straight.  Given that he cannot be killed, it’s a pretty easy gig.  You could shoot him repeatedly in the chest (someone gives it a go) and he’ll still live to kill you.

As we don’t need to worry about the health of our hero, the film tries to become a mystery thriller.  An old priest (Caine) is found dead and Kaulder suspects it wasn’t of natural causes.  His early investigation suggests that witches are involved but he’s not sure about their motivations.  All he has to go by is the strange clue – “remember your death.”  This leads him to Chloe (Leslie), a friendlier witch with the power to open up repressed memories.

The Last Witch Hunter offers little in terms of story and culminates with a tiring, poorly edited action finale.  Vin Diesel goes about his business with the same forlorn expressions and the same monotone voice.  At least the Fast & Furious franchise allows him to explore his comedic side.  This is all too bland, too serious.  The characters needed a significant injection of charisma.

It’s possible to make a great witchcraft movie.  Drag Me To Hell (released in 2009) is a perfect example.  Unfortunately, director Breck Eisner (Sahara) has failed to create something with the same level of depth and suspense.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 November 2015

The early scenes of the poorly titled Man Up suggest this is going to be another silly, convoluted, cliché ridden romantic comedy.  When we first meet 34-year-old Nancy (Bell), she’s sitting in a hotel room and ordering burgers via room service.  There’s a party going on downstairs where a good friend has promised to set Nancy up on a blind date.  She’s not interested though.  She sick of dodgy dates and set ups.  She’s happy to keep getting sympathy from friends and family by playing the “forever alone” card.

While on a train to London for her parent’s 40^th wedding anniversary, Nancy is befriended by Jessica (Lovibond), a chatty, bubbly, 24-year-old triathlete.  She’s been set up on a blind date by mutual friends and she’s agreed to meet the lucky guy, Jack (Pegg), at Waterloo Station.  They’ve arranged to hold a copy of a bestselling self-help book in their hand to help them identify each other.

It only takes a few minutes for everything to go awry.  Feeling sorry for Nancy and her gloomy, negative attitude, Jessica gives her the self-help book upon leaving the train.  She’s not worried about missing her date though.  She’s going to buy a new copy from the book store at the station.  Unfortunately, it’s not in time before Jack spots Nancy holding the book.  He think that she’s Jessica and stunned by the whole chain of events, Nancy decides to go along with it.  They head into the city for some ten pin bowling, a few drinks, and a lot of awkward first-date conversation.

As bizarre as it sounds, it’s at this point where the film starts to click.  The film doesn’t drag the “will she confess” question out until the later stages.  She admits early on that she’s not Jessica.  Jack doesn’t take the news too well but once he gets over his initial surprise, things settle down and the two decide to have some fun.  There’s a great scene where Jack runs into his ex-wife (Williams) and her new partner in a bar.

Directed by Ben Palmer (The Inbetweeners Movie), Man Up is a film that skilfully balances its genres.  Part of the film is a goofy comedy.  This is evidenced by the scenes with Rory Kinnear.  He plays one of Nancy’s high school “friends” who has never overcome his obsessive crush for her.  Another part of the film is a feel-good drama.  You’ll grow to like Nancy and you’ll see her slowly open up to Jack through the power of intelligent, insightful conversation.

The supporting cast pull their weight.  As Nancy’s father, Ken Scott delivers a sweet, heartfelt speech when talking about his wife at their 40^th anniversary celebrations.  I like the nice touch of having separate couches in their home for white wine and red wine drinkers.  Sharon Horgan also impresses as Nancy’s level-headed sister who offers encouragement and helps push her in the right direction.

Clocking in at a neat and tidy 88 minutes, Man Up offers more than you might expect.