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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 September 2015

20^th Century Fox were pretty quick to push the sequel button following the success of last year’s The Maze Runner.  After reeling in $345 million at the worldwide box-office (on a budget of just $34 million), this follow up was in production within weeks of the original’s release.  A third and final film (thankfully not split into two movies) will be in theatres in February 2017.

I was a huge fan of The Maze Runner and found a spot for it in my top 10 films list of 2014.  By way of recap, it centred on a teenager named Thomas (O’Brien) who woke up in the centre of a maze with no recollection of how he got there.  Director Wes Ball aptly described the film as “Lord of the Flies meets Lost.”  Thomas and his newfound friends managed to defeat the maze… but not before they almost defeated each other.  A bitter power struggle developed between two factions and several characters didn’t make it to the end.

It was a film that offered much intrigue.  Where did the kids come from?  Who built the maze?  Why couldn’t they remember their past?  Despite being entirely contained within one location, The Maze Runner held my attention all the way through.  By comparison, The Scorch Trials isn’t as exciting.  It’s a more generic action film that tries to add more characters and more locations… but feels a lot less suspenseful.

It opens with the rescued teenagers waking up in a well-fortified military facility.  They are told that they need to be kept there for their own protection because the “world is hanging on by a thread.”  A virus has turned millions of humans into zombie-like creatures and a group of scientists are working around the clock to find a cure.

His friends are relieved to find sanctuary but Thomas feels that something isn’t right.  Those suspicions are confirmed when he breaks into a locked laboratory and discovers medical experiments being performed on other kids.  It turns out they’re being “harvested” for a cure to the virus and it’s only a matter of time before he’ll meet a similar fate.  The group behind it all is known as WCKD which stands for World in Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department.

Thomas orchestrates an escape from the facility but the world outside isn’t much safer.  Not only are they being pursued by WCKD’s militia, they also have to outsmart zombies and other folk who can’t be trusted.  All of this takes place in deserts, mountains, tunnels, and dilapidated high rises.  There’s even a sudden lightning storm (which doesn’t make much sense).  In essence, this is a two-hour chase movie.  These teenagers are on the run with no substantive plan as to where they’re going and how they’re going to get there.

Adapted from the novel by James Dashner, The Scorch Trials is trying to pack a lot into its running time but it still feels like a bridge between two better movies.  It’s not until the final scenes where the momentum and excitement starts to build.  It’s set itself up for a juicy final instalment but much of the content in this film is forgettable.  The running scenes are repetitive and the story development is light.

Director Wes Ball does his best to give the film his own look.  A few of the action sequences are over-edited and it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on.  Still, I enjoyed the intricate locations (such as a deserted shopping mall) and Ball’s use of light.  The kids are often running in the dark and in some cases, it’s only their fast-moving torches that provide us with a glimpse of their surroundings.

We’ll do it all again in 18 months time.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 August 2015

Acclaimed author Bill Bryson has received a lot of phone calls over the past 30 years.  One he never expected to receive was a film production company.  Bryson writes non-fiction books predominantly about science, history and travel.  They don’t feature wizards, vampires or hobbits.

Yet, it was Robert Redford’s own company that was looking to acquire the rights to Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, first published in 1988.  The book chronicled his attempts to hike the Appalachian Trial – a 3,500km journey through the eastern United States that passes through 14 different states.  He was accompanied by a long-time friend who had been battling alcoholism and was looking to get his life back on track.  Bryson doesn’t reveal his real name in the book so he goes by the pseudonym of Stephen Katz.

Redford had hoped to bring A Walk in the Woods to the screen much earlier.  The rights were purchased in the early 2000s and he thought it would the perfect vehicle for he and Paul Newman to reunite on screen.  They had only collaborated twice previously – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969 and The Sting in 1973 (which won the Academy Award for best picture).  Sadly, Redford’s dream never eventuated with Newman passing away in September 2008.

After sitting in limbo for a few years, the project was finally reinvigorated with Nick Nolte (Warrior, The Prince Of Tides) stepping into the shoes of Katz.  The film opens with Bryson expressing a desire to his wife (Thompson) that he wants to walk the lengthy Appalachian Trail and see one of America’s great natural treasurers.  She thinks he’s mad and suggests that he simply go on a road trip using the family Volvo.

Bryson is undeterred but doesn’t want to make the journey alone.  After calling several friends who brush him off with a litany of excuses, he is finally contacted by Katz who is keen.  It’s obvious from their opening hour on the trail that they’re ill-equipped for the trip ahead.  Not only do they lack the physical fitness, they are also struggling when it comes to general hiking knowhow.

The spirit of this film can be summed up by the famous saying – “the journey is the thing.”  It’s not like a sporting movie where you’re hoping the team wins the grand final or a gold medal.  It doesn’t make a difference if Bryson and Katz make it to the end of the trail.  The trip is about what they discover about each other and what they learn about this beautiful piece of the American landscape.

Parts of the film feel a little over-exaggerated.  They come across a fellow hiker named Mary Ellen who raises the bar when it comes to the use of the term “annoying”.  It’s also hard to fathom how Katz is able to survive more the day given his age (Nick Nolte was 73-years-old at the time of filming) and lack of preparation.  I put these questions to the real Bill Bryson during a recent Q&A session here in Brisbane who defended what is depicted on screen.  It turns out Mary Ellen really was that annoying!

Films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel have highlighted that there is still a healthy audience for movies about elderly folk trying to find love and friendship.  A Walk In The Woods is pitched at the same crowd.  It features two great leading performances from Redford and Nolte who find the right balance of comedy and sincerity.  It also offers a brief history lesson into the Appalachian Trail and will encourage many to go out and experience it for themselves.

You can read by chat with author Bill Bryson by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 September 2015

Walt Disney Animation Studios had been kicking around the idea of a video game movie for 20 years but they were struggling to craft a screenplay that best fit the material.  They eventually put their faith in writer-director Rich Moore (who started his career working on The Simpsons) and they came up with Wreck-It-Ralph in 2012.  Well received by both the public and critics, the film made $471m at the worldwide box-office and earned an Oscar nomination for best animated feature (losing to Brave).

Columbia Pictures have tried to create the live-action equivalent with Pixels.  It begins with a flashback to 1982 when a group of talented teenagers were competing in the world championship of arcade games.  The game list included Pac-Man, Galaga, Centipede, Space Invaders, Frogger and Donkey Kong.  NASA included video footage of the event in a time capsule that was sent into outer space in search of alien life.

Moving forward to the current day, we learn that the aliens found the capsule.  Unfortunately, they took the footage as a declaration of war.  They have recreated real-life versions of these famed video game characters and are using them to attack Earth as part of a series of contests.  If the human race does not emerge as the victors, the planet will be annihilated.

The incompetent U.S. military does not have the necessary expertise in this area and so it’s fallen upon those same arcade game gurus from thirty years ago to save the day.  They include Sam (Sandler) – a tech installer who recently went through a divorce, Ludlow (Gad) – a paranoid conspiracy-theorist who still lives at home with his mother, and Eddie (Dinklage) – an arrogant fraudster currently serving time in prison.  They’ve got the approval to help from old friend William Cooper (James) who, despite his unpopularity, has somehow risen to become the President of United States.

Wreck-It-Ralph was rich in detail and came with a big heart.  It had strong messages about standing up for one’s self and not always judging a book by its cover.  There were also plenty of laughs for both kids and adults.

Pixels doesn’t offer as much.  The emphasis is on explosions, spectacle and goofy characters which makes me think it’s aimed at a younger crowd.  Director Chris Columbus has a proven track record as a family filmmaker (Home Alone, Mrs Doubfire, the first two Harry Potter flicks) but this script lets him down.

Why is there only one young cast member (14-year-old Matt Lintz) and why is he shoved so deeply into the background?  Why not get him involved in the action and give kids someone to relate to?  The adult cast are carrying too much of the load here.  I grew tired of Kevin James as the bumbling President and Adam Sandler as the reluctant hero.  There’s a military leader played by Brian Cox who doesn’t seem to know what he wants.

Coming up short in terms of both humour and story, Pixels runs out of lives well before the closing credits.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 August 2015

Ever got a Facebook friend request from an old high school buddy you have no interest in reconnecting with?  Do you accept just to be polite?  Or do you decline and hope they get the hint?  I’ve been on both sides of that equation.  There are times when I’ve been ignored and other times when I’ve been the ignorer.

It’s hard to make that situation into a movie but writer-director Joel Edgerton has made the non-social media equivalent.  Simon (Bateman) and Robyn (Hall) are a married couple who have just found a large, spacious new home in Los Angeles.  He works in IT security.  She works as an interior designer.

They’re shopping together one afternoon when a stranger comes up to them and introduces himself as Gordon Moseley (Edgerton), one of Simon’s old high school acquaintances.  Simon doesn’t recognise him at first but then it clicks – he’s the guy they teased at school and used to call “Gordo the Weirdo.”  Simon acknowledges he was mean to Gordo but he’s one of those people he never expected to see again, let alone interact with, after graduation.

It’s not long before a gift appears on the doorstep of Simon and Robyn’s new home.  It’s a bottle of wine from Gordo.  Robyn believes it’s a kind gesture and feeling sorry for the “socially awkward” Gordo, she invites him over for dinner.  Simon isn’t so sure and would rather have nothing to do with him.  Their differing opinions on Gordo threaten to disrupt their idyllic relationship.

The Gift marks the directorial debut of Joel Edgerton who had written several screenplays (Felony, The Square) but was still waiting for a project that would make a great directorial debut.  The small budget (just $5m) and fact that he wanted to cast himself in the “creepy” role of Gordo made this is the best choice.

Edgerton has done a great job and this is an above average thriller.  The house features spacious rooms and huge glass windows which add to the suspense of the situation when characters are alone.  There’s a noticeable lack of music too which amplifies the smallest of sounds during the film’s scarier scenes.  You may not be jumping out of your seat but you’re likely to be feeling a little uncomfortable.

Hollywood has a tendency to favour characters that are either purely good or purely evil.  The Gift doesn’t take that path and a result, without giving too much away, you’ll be kept guessing about these three characters until the very end.  Which will you feel the most empathy for as the credits start to roll?  Opinions will vary.

You can read my chat with writer-director Joel Edgerton by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 September 2015

As of last week, Straight Outta Compton had grossed $135 million in the United States and had become the highest grossing music biopic of all time.  It has surpassed the likes of Walk The Line, Ray, Coal Miner’s Daughter, La Bamba, Amadeus and Jersey Boys.  It’s an impressive statistic that shows the movie has broad appeal and is not just for fans of the hip hop group N.W.A.

The film could be described and categorised a number of ways.  For starters, it’s a likeable rags-to-riches tale.  In 1986, a group of rappers from southern California visualised stardom.  It’s a dream that so many musicians have had but few have achieved.  There’s a scene where one of the rappers, Dr Dre (Hawkins), is berated by his mother for skipping work and school in pursuit of his fanciful goals.  I’d have said the same thing if in her position.  These guys had no back-up plan.

We’re now watching a movie about their lives and so it’s obvious that they found success.  They formed the group N.W.A. (with stands for Niggaz Wit Attitudes), helped create a record label, and released their first album in 1988.  The lyrics were considered too violent and profane and so they received no radio or television coverage.  Even MTV refused to play their music videos.  The controversy only helped boost their notoriety.  They became an underground sensation through word-of-mouth and it wasn’t long before they’d sold 3 million copies of their debut album.

This movie is about much more than their achievements.  It provides important insight into the discrimination they endured both before and after they found fame.  The lyrics for one of their most widely discussed songs, “Fuck tha Police”, highlighted the racial profiling and police brutality that was being experienced by the African American community but rarely discussed in the media.  The film also makes reference to the police beating of taxi driver Rodney King in 1991 and the subsequent riots in Los Angeles.  Has much changed over the last 25 years?  It’s something to think about.

An equally interesting layer to Straight Outta Compton is that it draws attention to the power struggle that existed within the group.  Given the cash being generated, there were disputes about contracts, royalties and entitlements.  An uneasy partnership had been formed between group leader Easy-E (Mitchell) and music manager Jerry Heller (Giamatti).  This didn’t sit well with Ice Cube (Jackson Jr) who decided to pursue a solo career.

The film hasn’t been immune from criticism despite the healthy box-office.  Given it was produced by Dr Dre and Ice Cube, some believe the film paints them in a better light than they deserve.  It overlooks the fact that Dr Dre physically abused several women during the early 1990s (which has since apologised for).  It also fails to explore N.W.A.’s misogynist lyrics that refer to women as “bitches” and “hoes”.  It seems counterproductive to be using their music to help raise awareness about discrimination against black Americans… while demeaning women in the process.

I won’t begrudge anyone for disliking Straight Outta Compton for the aforementioned reasons.  That said, I believe the film’s strengths far outweigh its negatives.  N.W.A. aren’t portrayed as saints (Easy-E starts out as a drug dealer) and while yes, some details were left out, this was always going to be tricky given the abundance of characters and long time frame.  It all clocks in at just under two and a half hours which is best that director F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Italian Job) could do.

The young cast are superb with O’Shea Jackson Jr, the real life son of Ice Cube, being the obvious standout given his uncanny resemblance to his father at the same age.  The screenwriting team are also to be commended for the way in which the film blends comedy, drama and tragedy… with a bit of contract law thrown in for good measure.

To someone unfamiliar with the American rap scene, Straight Outta Compton will provide an absorbing look at a group of flawed, yet wonderfully talented artists.

You can read my chat with star O'Shea Jackson Jr by clicking here.