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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 April 2015

In 2007, director Morgan Matthews put together a documentary that followed a group of British high school students preparing themselves for the International Mathematical Olympiad.  Entitled Beautiful Young Minds, the film highlighted that while these kids were brilliant at maths, some displayed signs of autism that made it difficult for them to connect with their parents and their regular classmates.

Matthews earned a BAFTA nomination for its efforts and it’s clearly a subject matter that he’s drawn to.  The aptly titled X+Y is a fictionalised version of the same story.  When we first meet Nathan (Butterfield), we see he’s a shy, introverted kid with a rather unusual thought process.  When his mother (Hawkins) goes to the local Chinese restaurant to pick up a take-away dinner, she has to specifically request seven prawn balls.  That’s because Nathan won’t be happy unless he’s eating a prime number.

Doctors have confirmed that Nathan is showing “traits of autism combined with synaesthesia to a change in light and pattern.”  He’s brilliant when it comes to maths but he struggles when it comes to social interaction.  One person who seems to understand is Martin (Spall) – a middle-aged high school teacher who competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad himself as a teenager.  He’s agreed to take Nathan under his wing and set him on a path to success.

Selected as part of a British squad, Nathan travels to Taiwan with a number of other gifted maths students to help train for the upcoming Olympiad.  It’s his first trip away from home and while he’s a little hesitant at first, Nathan slowly starts to come out of his shell as he meets others with similar interests and similar obstacles.  He is paired up in the pre-competition trials with a Chinese girl (Yang) and the two become quite close.

We don’t see a lot of films that deal with the subject of autism and so X+Y is important in that regard.  Thanks to a great leading performance from Asa Butterfield, we’re able to get inside Nathan’s head and understand what he’s thinking.  Butterfield is a terrific young actor on the rise having starred in The Boy In Striped Pyjamas, Hugo and Ender’s Game.  Matthews also does a great job illustrating Nathan’s view of the world through the use of colour and flashbacks.

There are several subplots within the main narrative and screenwriter James Graham struggles to devote enough time to each.  Jake Davies plays Luke – a kid who is part of the British Olympiad squad but who is ostracised by others in the group because of his severe autism.  He’s an intriguing character but the screenplay is very unsympathetic towards his condition (evidenced by the way he slips out of view in the later stages).

Another individual we don’t really get to know in enough depth is Nathan’s teacher.  Battling the early stages of multiple sclerosis, Martin has difficulty walking and is developing an addiction to prescription medication.  He’s lonely, depressed, and too afraid to reach out for help.  The film tries to construct a relationship between Martin and Nathan’s mother to help remedy his problems but it feels a little too simplistic.

As we saw with last week’s The DUFF, there’s a strong audience for teen-orientated comedies that provide a lighter look at the issues facing today’s teenagers.  X+Y is to be praised for offering something more dramatic, more realistic.  While the script stumbles a few times along the way, the film will be a valuable eye-opener for those new to the world of autism.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 March 2015

Most would know 69-year-old Alan Rickman as the English actor who has appeared in such films as Die Hard, Sense & Sensibility, Galaxy Quest and Love Actually.  Most wouldn’t know that Rickman once directed a film.  The Winter Guest was a low budget feature that starred Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law.  It was released back in 1997 and made just under $1 million at the U.S. box-office.

Rickman had always wanted to direct again.  Unfortunately, he was side tracked by his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise which ran for 10 years.  It wasn’t long after Potter wrapped up that he came across a script from first-time writer Alison Deegan.  Attracted to the freshness of her writing, it was just the project he wanted to sink his teeth into.

The story is set in Paris, 1682 and while it is a work of fiction, it does use characters and locations that many will be familiar with.  King Louis XIV (Rickman) is the process of building a large palace in the country town of Versailles that is to become the centre of French politics.  The grounds include an expansive garden and when the film opens, Louis is looking for a specialist gardener to create a feature landmark.  He’s after something that could be regarded as “a window to perfection.”

One of the King’s offsiders (Schoenaerts), André Le Notre, is put in charge of the project and after a lengthy selection process he makes the controversial choice to go with a woman, Sabine De Barra (Winslet).  Her ideas took chances and ignored convention.  Unlike her fellow gardeners, Sabine was someone who didn’t believe in “order over landscape.”

There are a number of elements to the storyline, most of which revolve around Sabine.  We get glimpses of her troubled past in an effort to try to understand who she is today.  We follow her search for love that leads her into the arms of André, a man already trapped in a peculiar marriage.  We see her battle unions and her competitors in an effort to see her stunning garden completed in time.

The film culminates with a delightful sequence where we finally get to see Sabine’s garden.  It includes a finely choreographed dance number and a great film score from young composer Peter Gregson.  Unfortunately, the lead up is a little slow, dull.  It’s a very “niche” premise and it’s hard to get too excited watching someone construct a garden.  I was more interested in the inter-play between Sabine and André as their romantic feelings develop.

Kate Winslet (Titanic, The Reader) is the pick of the cast with her leading performance as Sabine.  It’s also nice to see her working alongside Alan Rickman again.  They featured in one of my all-time favourite period piece films, Sense & Sensibility, released 20 years ago.  Stanley Tucci also steals a few scenes with his light-hearted performance as a wealthy, stylish duke.

Those curious about this period of history may be intrigued but there’s not quite enough content in A Little Chaos to provide broader appeal.

You can read my chat with Alan Rickman by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 April 2015

It’s been one of the most successful movie franchises of all time but there’s a tinge of sadness that envelops Fast & Furious 7.  It marks the final movie of Paul Walker who was killed in a car accident in November 2013.  Only half of Walker’s scenes had been completed and so required extensive changes to the script by writer Chris Morgan.

These changes are evident.  Walker’s character spends more time in the background than in the previous films.  It therefore falls upon Vin Diesel to do the heavy lifting (and heavy fighting) as the sole central character.  The movie finishes on a nice note though.  There’s a touching tribute to Walker which encapsulates his work since the series began back in 2001.

There’s nothing particularly new about the storyline.   In Fast & Furious 6, our heroes travelled to London and killed a bad guy who was trying to build a weapon of mass destruction for not-so-nice reasons.  This time around, we’ve got the brother of that bad guy who seeks vengeance.  His name is Deckard Shaw (Statham) and he's a former assassin within the British Special Forces.

The other key plotline revolves around a ridiculously powerful device that allows the user to hack any computer system in the world.  It’s a known as “God’s Eye” and there’s a dangerous terrorist (Hounsou) looking to get his hands on it.  Dominic Toretto (that’s Vin Diesel) is asked to help locate the device and in return, he can use it against Shaw.

This is definitely one of the better films in the franchise.  Statham makes for a great villain and this should come as no surprise given his presence in action films such as The Transporter and Crank.  Kurt Russell also makes a nice addition as a relaxed, no-nonsense special agent who likes to go by the appropriate nickname of Mr. Nobody.

Perhaps the film’s strongest attribute is its direction.  Australian James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring) has replaced Justin Lin (who made the last 4 movies) and has brought a strong style with him.  Wan has found some great camera angles to use when shooting the action sequences.  This includes everything from helicopter flyovers to cameras rolling over in sync with the characters.  It all looks very good.

The action sequences are ridiculously over-the-top… but they’re done in a semi-comedic way that is still entertaining.  There are cars flipping over and crashing into things.  That’s not new.  However, we’ve got cars plummeting down mountains, parachuting off planes, and even driving atop a penthouse in Abu Dhabi.  Now that is new!  The casting can’t be overlooked either.  It’s a series that has prided itself in finding muscular men and beautiful women.

Drumming home its familiar themes of loyalty and family, Fast & Furious 7 should reel in truckloads at the box-office and this will undoubtedly set the stage for the next instalment.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 March 2015

We’ve been treated to a flurry of modernised, live action fairy tales over the past decade.  The list includes Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Snow White & The Huntsman, Red Riding Hood, Enchanted, Alice In Wonderland, Mirror Mirror and Jack The Giant Slayer.

Director Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Thor) has taken a different approach to Cinderella.  Instead of altering and remodelling this famous classic tale, he’s providing us with a very traditional version.  There are no unexpected twists, no major surprises and certainly no vampires.

It’s a much beloved story but it wasn’t until I saw Branagh’s version that I realised that the premise is somewhat “out dated”.  Poor Cinderella must slave after her villainous step mother and two step sisters following the death of her father.  That is until she meets a young, handsome prince at a lavish ball.  She can then live out the dream that apparently every girl wants – to marry into royalty and to live happily ever after.

I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen’s and the same question could be asked of her works from the early 19^th Century.  Austen’s central characters were often women who wanted to find a wealthy, loving husband.  When she won an Oscar for adapting Sense & Sensibility, writer Emma Thompson jokingly thanked producer Sydney Pollock “for asking all the right questions like why couldn’t these women go out and get a job?”

The catch with Austen’s work is that this was representative of the times in which she lived.  Women didn’t work.  Women weren’t independent.  They simply came “of age” and then valiantly tried to find a suitor so as not to become a bitter, childless spinster.  The difference with Cinderella is that it’s a simple fairy tale not pinned to a point in history. 

To digress further, while it wasn’t particularly well executed, part of the reason I liked Into The Woods is because it threw out the fairy tale textbook.  Instead of living happily ever after, Cinderella found out that the prince was a self-absorbed, cheating scumbag.

What then is the moral of Cinderella?  Is it just a comforting story that makes us believe in good things happening to good people?  What then of the fairy godmother?  Is it trying to show us that there is a higher power that will guide us when the time is right?  Do Cinderella’s good looks come into the equation?  Did everything work out because of her stylish glass slippers and long, beautiful blonde hair?

Before I get too far off track, I should say that yes, I liked this movie.  It’s colourfully shot, has some great dialogue, and its themes come through loud and clear.  I’d argue it’s targeted at kids but there’s enough here for most audiences to appreciate.  Credit also belongs with writer Chris Weitz, the Oscar nominated screenwriter of About A Boy.

Above all else, the best reason I can give to see this film is Cate Blanchett.  She’s incredibly good as the evil stepmother.  She delivers her ruthless barbs with precision… but you also get a strong sense of her character’s deep seeded insecurities.  Many won’t be familiar with the name but Lily James also impresses in the title role and will be a name to watch going forward.

While I would have preferred this story to be adapted to a current day setting, Cinderella will still provide enchantment for younger crowds over the upcoming school holidays.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 March 2015

It’s official.  I am out of touch with the youth of today.  Up until I saw the trailer for this film a few weeks ago, I was unfamiliar with the term DUFF.  It stands for “designated ugly fat friend” and apparently such folk are valuable to those of us who are fit, attractive and skinny.  The reasons are hard to explain without sounding like a complete schmuck.

The film is centred around a high school student named Bianca Piper (Whitman) who is told by her attractive next door neighbour, Wesley (Amell), that she’s a DUFF.  Bianca shrugs him off at first but the more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense.  So many people talk to her… but it’s only because they want to get more information about her two best friends (who just so happen to be very attractive).

We’ve seen these female-centric make-over movies many times before.  Think The Princess Diaries, She’s All That, Clueless, Mean Girls, Pretty Woman, Grease, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Devil Wears Prada and Miss Congeniality.  The irony of these films is that while they are putting forward a positive message, the actors themselves would never have trouble getting a date in real life.  They’re only made to look “unattractive” thanks to the help of the costume designers and make-up artists.

The same applies in The DUFF.  26-year-old Mae Whitman has already put together a comprehensive resume that includes roles in Arrested Development, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.  She’s a smart, pretty, pimple-free young woman who director Ari Sandel has turned into a “designated ugly fat friend” by giving her daggy clothes, a dull hairstyle, and a lifeless facial expression.

The premise of the film won’t come as a surprise to anyone.  Bianca and Wesley make a pact.  She’ll help him lift his grades so that he won’t lose his spot as the star captain of the football team.  He’ll help her lift her social standing by giving her confidence… and an improved wardrobe.  The end goal is Toby – a blond-haired, music-playing boy that Bianca has had a crush on for years.

The DUFF has most of the trademarks that you’d expect with a film like this.  There’s the school’s stuck-up, pretentious cheerleader-type who is devoted to becoming queen at the homecoming dance.  There’s also a group of humorous teachers who are quick to dispense advice.

Just when you think the film might take a chance with something new, it falls back and takes the soft option.  The best example is a sequence where Bianca is presented with a choice of two great guys.  What could be a very difficult choice… turns out to be a very easy one thanks to a convenient plot device.

That’s not to say that the film isn’t entertaining.  Yes, it uses a well-worn textbook but thanks to some quality casting and a likeable screenplay from writer Josh Cagan, there are still plenty of laughs.  Mae Whitman goes a solid job selling her clichéd character.  The older actors, which include Ken Jeong and Allison Janney, chime in with some goofy comic relief.

While The DUFF isn’t as fresh as other teen-orientated films such as Mean Girls and Easy A, it’s still a fun way of spending two hours.