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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 March 2015

When you’re on a good thing, stick with it.  That would appear to be the current mantra of Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson.  In A Walk Among The Tombstones, he was an alcoholic detective trying to hunt down a killer.  In Non-Stop, he was alcoholic air marshal trying to identify a terrorist.  In Taken 3, he was a former CIA operative trying to track down his wife’s killer.  These films haven’t been spread throughout his career.  All have been released in the past 14 months.

Run All Night has been cut from the same mould.  Neeson plays Jimmy Conlon – a retired hitman struggling with alcoholism.  He lives alone, he has few friends, and he has almost no money to his name.  The first time we meet Jimmy, he’s trying to borrow $800 to fix his heater at home.  He’s killed a lot of people (comes with the job I guess) but Jimmy’s biggest regret is that he’s lost touch with Mike (Kinnaman), his only son.  Mike is ashamed of his father’s past and they haven’t spoken to each other in 5 years.

They’re about to reunited… but in very complicated circumstances.  Mike, a self-employed limo driver, witnesses a series of murders while driving one night.  The perpetrator is no ordinary guy.  He’s the son of Shawn Maguire (Harris), a wealthy, powerful, influential mobster.  Shawn intends to use his contacts within the New York City Police Force to frame Mike for the crime so as to protect his own son.

With the stage set, the action can begin.  Jimmy reconnects with Mike and the pair finds themselves running all over the city in an effort to elude not just the authorities, but also Shawn’s numerous hitmen.  There are gun fights, punch-ups, car chases, explosions, and burning buildings.  It’ll tick a lot of boxes for those who are fans of the action genre.

Run All Night marks the third collaboration between Neeson and Spanish-born director Jaume Collet-Serra.  They previously worked together on Unknown and Non-Stop.  The film’s most puzzling element is the way in which it provides a glimpse of the ending at the very start.  It’s a technique that I’m growing tired of.  What purpose does it serve to know that Neeson is going to end up on the ground with a bullet in his chest?  Why lessen the suspense? 

There’s nothing particularly subtle or ground breaking about the premise either.  Jimmy Conlon has made a LOT of mistakes in his past and now he’s trying to seek redemption by doing everything in his power to save his son.  You can expect to hear such “insightful” dialogue as “this is between you and me, leave my son out of it.”  It’s a part of the reason why Jimmy is happy to do all the killing (so as not to tarnish his son’s innocence).

The “cat and mouse” action sequences represent the film’s strongest attributes.  There’s a great scene where Jimmy and Mike navigate their way through a large apartment block while trying to escape the police and a ruthless hitman (played by Common).  Neeson will also woo many with his charm (he makes for a worthy good-bad guy) but on the whole, Run All Night is a little underwhelming.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 February 2015

New York 1981.  Abel Morales (Isaac) is the owner of a heating oil company who is looking to expand his business.  He’s put a substantial deposit down on a waterfront property which will give him a significant advantage over his competitors.  Firstly, he’ll be able to get his product directly from the oil tankers with no further transport required.  Secondly, he’ll have a huge storage facility that will allow him to build up his stock reserves when oil is cheap.

Abel is a smart, well-dressed businessman but not everyone is a fan.  The authorities, headed by Assistant District Attorney Lawrence (Oyelowo), have spent two years investigating Abel’s company for rigging scales and underreporting income.  They’ve almost got enough evidence to press charges.

Abel releases he has a few more enemies after a number of his oil trucks are held up and stolen.  He suspects that his competitors, unhappy with his increasing market share, are looking to slow his momentum.  Their actions have the desired effect.  The union starts making its presence felt because the workers don’t feel safe.  The bank starts to get nervous about providing a loan for the new property.

A Most Violent Year marks the third feature film of writer-director J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost).  He’s what I’d describe as a patient storyteller.  This isn’t an overly complex tale.  It’s not filled with twists or elaborate action sequences.  It’s a realistic, dialogue-driven drama that wants you to look at these characters and then ask whether they’re doing the right thing.

It’s a little slow in places but the performances more than compensate.  Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) is terrific as Abel.  He’s a man inundated with problems but he refuses to lose his cool… at least on the outside.  He believes in what he’s doing and believes that he’ll be rewarded for his hard work.

Jessica Chastain (The Help) is equally impressive as his wife, Anna.  Given that Abel originally purchased the business from her late father, Anna has taken an active role in the company.  She’ll stand by her husband’s side publicly but she’s certainly not afraid to voice her own opinions while speaking privately.  The film’s other notable performance comes from Albert Brooks (Drive) as Abel’s loyal but somewhat tired-looking attorney.

As was the case with his last two films, A Most Violent Year is an original screenplay from Chandor.  It’s not based on a novel and it’s not based on any actual event.  He wanted to make a movie that illustrates the way in which successful businessman think ahead and take risks on route to building an empire.  There’s a great line where Abel tells someone – “when it feels scary to jump, that’s exactly when you jump.”

The film was largely overlooked during the recent awards season in the United States.  That’s why it’s getting a delayed (and limited) release in Australia as opposed to nabbing a prime “get ready for the Oscars” slot in January and early February.  Hopefully a few people get the chance to see it before another wave of summer blockbusters engulfs us.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 March 2015

If you can’t find the role that you’re looking for in Hollywood, why not write one yourself?  It’s a theory that many actors have put into practice.  Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote Good Will Hunting.  Steve Carell teamed up with Judd Apatow to create The 40-Year-Old Virgin.  Simon Pegg kick started his career by writing Shaun Of The Dead.

Chris Rock is the latest name to add to that list.  Rather than creating a work of pure fiction, he’s crafted something that blends both fiction and reality.  His inspiration came from other comedians who have done something similar on the small screen – Jerry Seinfeld in Seinfeld, Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Louis C.K. in Louie.  In of those sitcoms, the lead actor plays a kind of warped version of themselves.

In Top Five, Rock plays Andre Allen – one of the most successful comedians on the planet.  He can’t even walk down the street without being asked for an autograph or a photo.  It’s part of the reason he keeps a low-profile bodyguard (Smoove) with him at all times.  Allen is widely known for his successful comedic film franchise, Hammy The Bear, and is on the verge of marrying a well-known reality television star (Union).

Allen wants to do something different though.  He’s tired of playing the same character on screen.  He’s branched out and taken on a dramatic role set around the Haitian Revolution at the end of the 18^th Century.  It’s been savaged by critics but Allen has ramped up his publicity tour as he tries to convince his fans to buy tickets for the opening weekend.

The film chronicles his whirlwind trip to New York City where he meets up with a journalist named Chelsea Brown (Dawson) who is looking to put together a feature story for The New York Times.  She’s not interested in asking the same boring questions as other media outlets.  They want to talk more about his upcoming wedding than the film itself.  Rather, Brown wants to unearth the “real” Allen.  She wants to know why he doesn’t want to make “funny movies” anymore and whether his battles with alcoholism were part of the reason.

Top Five is a film that’s trying to cover a lot of material in a short period of time.  It looks at broad topics such as the price of being famous, the way in which film journalists operate, and the pressure faced by comedians to continually be funny.  There are also more dramatic elements such as Allen’s alcohol-fuelled past, his rocky relationship with his family, and his inability to find love outside of the public eye.  How much of this mirrors Rock’s real life?  It’s kind of hard to tell (not that it should matter).

There are some great sequences in this film – both comedic and dramatic.  There’s one where Allen tries to link the assassination of Martin Luther King to the original Planet Of The Apes movie.  There’s another where he professes his admiration for fellow comedians such as Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy.  It’s these moments that you’re likely to remember as you leave the theatre.

It’s obvious from the get-go that a romantic connection will develop between Allen and Brown.  Sadly, how Rock has gone about this subplot is too formulaic.  Both characters are given a clear cut reason why they need to split from the respective partners.  Then, just when you think the two leads will end up together, a convoluted point of friction is created to add drama.  It just doesn’t feel authentic.

Rock’s independently-funded film was extremely well received when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last September and a studio bidding war followed.  In the end, Paramount picked up the rights for $12.5 million and released it on close to 1,000 screens across the United States.  I love the irony in that Rock, who was struggling to land dramatic roles, finally found one… playing a character who was struggling to land dramatic roles.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 February 2015

Time travel movies have become a staple of American’s film culture.  Things took off in the 1980s with the Back To The Future, Terminator and Bill & Ted franchises. It’s continued on to the current day with recent entries including Looper, About Time and Predestination.  Even the great Woody Allen has contributed to the genre!  Midnight In Paris won him a screenwriting Oscar three years ago.      

Two new entries are about to be released in cinemas.  Hot Tub Time Machine 2 will be out during the upcoming Easter school holidays but the first cab off the rank is Project Almanac.  It begins with a high school student, David (Weston), rummaging around in his attic and stumbling across an old video camera owned by his late father.  The tape inside contains footage of David’s 7^th birthday party and it helps revive a few childhood memories.

There’s something odd about the tape though.  There’s a brief moment where David can see his 17-year-old self in the background.  How is that even possible?  A trip to the basement provides the answers he’s looking for.  Hidden in a small compartment under the floor are the blueprints for a time machine.  David’s not sure he can put it together but his good friend, Quinn (Lerner), comforts him with the knowledge “I think we already did build it.”

There’s a long, forgettable lead up here.  It feels like we’re half-way through the film before they finally end up building the machine and head back in time.  What follows is some generally goofy stuff.  There’s a lengthy sequence where Quinn keeps recreating a particular day at school so that he can get full marks for a science quiz.  It contrasts a shorter scene where they try to win the lottery, accidentally get one number wrong, and then decide not to travel back.  I have no idea why.

Directed by Dean Israelite, this is a movie targeted squarely at teenagers.  It’s shot with handheld cameras using the “found footage” approach.  The cast consists of young, largely unknown actors.  Its characters are dealing with bullies and discovering love for the first time.  It’s kept fairly simple and I wouldn’t say there’s much for older audiences.

Aside from the last 20 minutes or so, this is a film with zero tension.  We’re just watching a bunch of people have a good time.  They go to music concerts and they buy fast cars.  It’s not until the very end where writers Andrew Deutschman and Jason Pagan have decided to create something more dramatic.  It’s what you’d expect though.  By going back in time too often, they start to alter the current day universe.  It then becomes a question of whether they can return things to normal.

Project Almanac opened poorly at the U.S. box-office earlier this months and I’d expect similarly weak numbers in Australia when it’s released this Thursday.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 March 2015

The year is 1970, the setting is California, and the leading character is Larry “Doc” Sportello (Phoenix).  He’s a paranoid private investigator who has been approached by an ex-flame (Waterston) to look into a supposed crime.  It’s rather complex… but the bottom line is that a millionaire property developer is about to be kidnapped and placed in a mental asylum.

What follows is a somewhat bizarre journey that goes off on several unexpected tangents on route to the finish line.  There’s a big cast too.  Owen Wilson is an undercover informant who faked his own death and is now playing the saxophone in a surf band.  Josh Brolin is an aggressive police detective who has a love for chocolate-coated bananas.  Martin Short is a cocaine snorting dentist who is sleeping with most his female staff.  Benicio del Toro is a relaxed lawyer specialising in marine law.

If it all sounds rather strange… well... that’s because it is.  Doc spends most of the film under the influence of drugs and it’s hard to work out whether you’re watching a complex thriller, an elaborate fantasy, or something in between.  It reminded me of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear & Loathing In Vegas which was adapted for the screen by Terry Gilliam in 1998 and which featured Johnny Depp in the lead role.  Curiously, del Toro played a lawyer in that film too.

Inherent Vice marks the 7^th feature film of writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson.  He’s my favourite filmmaker working today and I’m enamoured with his previous works (especially Boogie Nights and Magnolia).  It’s hard to describe why though.  It’s like asking someone about why they love a certain author, musician, actor or painter.  To borrow a line from The History Boys, “it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”

Anderson’s trademarks include long takes, beautiful dialogue, great soundtracks, and an ever-so-slowly moving camera.  All of these attributes are on display in Vice.  It’s based on the novel by American author Thomas Pynchon of whom Anderson has been a long-time fan.

When the film premiered at the New York Film Festival last October, critics were describing it in all sorts of ways – “groovy and richly funny” (Variety), “entertainment of a high order” (Time) “ultimately pointless” (Vanity Fair), and “incoherent” (Slate).  At least it had a few passionate fans within the Academy.  Anderson picked up an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay (losing to Graham Moore for The Imitation Game).

If you’ve got a warped, off-beat sense of humour, you should like this.  It’s not on the same level as The Big Lebowski (the pinnacle of stoner comedies) but it’s a worthy effort.  The cast deserves credit too for creating such memorable characters.  Like so many others though, I did struggle to keep up with its broad themes.  I had no idea what the narrator was rambling on about.  Was it just an elaborate joke?  Or was I missing a deeper, more profound message?  A second viewing will be required.