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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 August 2014

James Cameron is a ridiculously successful filmmaker.  Think Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss and True Lies.  In 1997, he created the highest grossing motion picture of all time – Titanic pulled in more than $600m at the U.S. box-office and took home 11 Academy Awards.  Only one film since has made more money and amazingly enough, it was Cameron’s next feature, Avatar.  Sequels are currently in pre-production.

So what did he do with all his cash?  Well, I’m sure he bought himself a nice house and a few other bright shiny things… but as we see in this documentary, James Cameron is about more than just movies.  He’s an explorer who is fascinated by our planet’s oceans – the part that covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and yet remains such a mystery (evidenced by the recent disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370).

Deepsea Challenge is a documentary that follows Cameron’s attempts to build a submersible and travel to the deepest part of our ocean, the Mariana Trench.  Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it’s an 11,000m journey from the surface to the very bottom.  When you think that Mount Everest is just under 9,000m, it provides some perspective on just how deep we’re talking about.

It’s a film that’s very Cameron centric (perhaps too much so).  He provides a lot of narration to help us understand what he’s trying to achieve.  He makes the point that we’ve used Google Earth and Google Street View to document so much of the planet’s land surface.  We spend billions on space exploration, have sent several men to the moon, and have now placed a planetary rover to Mars.  He wants to raise awareness about the importance of the oceans to our own ecosystem (an area which he feels has been neglected) and also see what cool creatures can be found at the deepest depths.

Director Ray Quint, the man responsible for pulling all the footage together, has hedged his bets and tried to come up with a film that will please a broad audience.  If you’re a lover of science, exploration and research, you’re likely to be drawn into the film’s “educational” elements.  You can see how the submersible was created, what technology was utilised, and what samples were brought back to the surface for analysis.

On the other hand, if you’d prefer something a little more suspenseful, you’ll probably find yourself more interested in the film’s dramatic elements.  We all know that James Cameron lives to tell the tale… but you’ll still feel the tension as some of the test dives go pear shaped.  When you’re kilometres below the surface and locked in a tiny sphere with virtually no leg room, you don’t want to hear a loud crack (and yep, this does happen during the movie).

There aren’t any ground-breaking revelations and it’s too melodramatic in places but Deepsea Challenge is still an appealing documentary that shines the spotlight, both physically and metaphorically, on a very dark place.

You can read my chat with director Ray Quint and "star" James Cameron by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 August 2014

They’re not hard up for dollar buy Guardians Of The Galaxy was always going to be an important film for Marvel Studios.  For starters, it’s a film that introduces a bunch of new world-saving characters.  This is in contrast to the nine previous Marvel film that were all centred around the same individuals – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it’s a film that isn’t relying on renowned Hollywood actors.  There’s no Robert Downey Jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Natalie Portman or Scarlett Johansson.  Guardians Of The Galaxy is headlined by Chris Pratt – a 35-year-old who has forged a career out of supporting performances.  His only two lead roles have been in Deep In The Valley (a 2009 romantic comedy with Kim Kardashian) and The Lego Movie (the popular 2014 animated feature where only his voice was required).

It’s curiously ironic that the two biggest names in Guardians Of The Galaxy are never seen.  Vin Diesel plays a walking, talking, fighting tree who says the same three words throughout the whole movie – “I Am Groot”.  Bradley Cooper is almost unrecognisable as the voice of a genetically engineered raccoon with a fierce, no-nonsense attitude.

Another notable point of differentiation is the fact that this is the film Marvel script to be written by a woman.  Nicole Perlman spent two years sifting through Guardians comics and crafted a story that would befit a two-hour adventure for the big-screen.  While director James Gunn (Dawn Of The Dead) claims that he re-wrote most of the script, the bottom line is that both their names appear in the credits and a small piece of history has therefore been made.  It’s a small step in changing what is a very male-dominated industry.

Given the above mentioned “risks” (for use of a better word), there were questions about whether this film could still put bums on seats.  The public provided the answer to all of those questions last weekend.  Guardians Of The Galaxy made a staggering $94m at the U.S. box-office over its first three days – the third biggest opening of 2014 behind Transformers: Age Of Extinction and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Expect sequels… and lots of them.

The premise takes a little while to get your head around but once you understand everyone’s motives, things will click.  Five incredibly different creatures unwillingly find themselves teaming up to prevent a world-destroying orb from falling into the wrong hands.  That’s it in a single sentence.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is at its best when it’s trying to be funny.  You could almost describe as a spoof in places!  It makes great use of its 1960s/70s soundtrack (that will appeal to older audiences) and there are plenty of pop culture references (Kevin Bacon the most notable).  Not everything works through.  The dramatic elements don’t particularly resonate, the villains aren’t anything special, and the script feels too “busy”.  It’s trying to squish too much into the two hour running time.

If asked for a 4-word review, I’d use an old adage and label the film as “good but not great”.  That would seem to contrast the majority view on social media who are using every superlative adjective they can think of.  Guardians Of The Galaxy will be popular and it will make a lot of cash… but I think it’s far from Marvel’s best.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 August 2014

I enjoyed this opening line from critic Allan Hunter from Britain’s Daily Express – “Fans of puerile humour, excruciating bad taste and the comedy of extreme humiliation will love this sequel.”  I guess he’s talking about me… oh, and the folk who helped this film gross £2.75 million on its first day in the United Kingdom – the largest opening in history for a comedy!

If you’re new to the franchise, The Inbetweeners started out as a sitcom that first aired back in 2008.  Only 18 episodes were made across three years but the show became hugely popular.  To provide some perspective, the first episode was watched by just 321,000 viewers.  The final episode attracted an audience of 3,701,000.  It prompted a film spin off that was released back in 2011.  On At The Movies, Margaret Pomeranz described the characters as “a bunch of morons” and concluded by saying “I’m giving this one star really generously.  I don’t know why.”

Such comments highlight not just the divisive nature of the material… but also our very different senses of humour.  This is a style of comedy that uses material that is shocking, filthy, controversial, and politically incorrect.  Some will laugh loudly.  Others will be hugely offended.  When one of guys loudly accuses another of being a pedophile while in the kids section of a waterslide park, I wrote in my notebook – “is there any topic off limits?”  There’s even a Jimmy Saville joke!

To help bring you up to speed, the television series followed four hormonal teenagers who battled their way through the final years of high school.  They talked about nothing but getting laid… but they were completely inept when it came to women.  The first film saw them graduate and go on a “schoolies week” style holiday to Crete where they subjected themselves to an amplified set of misadventures.

When we meet Will, Simon, Jay and Neil this time around, we learn that a year has passed and they’ve all gone their separate ways.  That is until the Easter holidays arrive and the quartet use their student loan funding to go on a 4-week Australian holiday.  Jay is already in Australia as part of a gap year and promises that the women are amazing.  He proclaims to have slept with everyone – from Elle Macpherson to Dame Edna Everage!

I won’t reveal too much about their exploits because that’s the crux of the film.  Don’t expect a deep, underlying narrative.  This is just a bunch of horny teenagers doing really dumb things.  To each their own… but I was entertained.  First and foremost, it shocked me – and that’s not easy given how many movies I watch.  It pushes the envelope a lot further than I expected and I'd highly recommend seeing the film in a packed cinema.  The audience reactions would be hilarious.

Secondly, I do like these characters.  As idiotic as their actions are, you still get to see what makes them tick.  There are fleeting moments when they open up about their problems and friendships.  We see them more as real people and it illustrates the importance of having great friends.  The film is about a lot more than just Jackass-type gags.

It’s the end of the road for these guys with star Simon Bird stating at the film’s premiere that this will be the final chapter in the franchise.  I don’t think it’s quite as memorable as the first movie but it’s still a nice way to bow out.  The fact that’s in been shot here in Australia will also be a hook for local audiences.  You’ll get a glimpse of Sydney, Byron Bay, Marree, and even the Wet ‘n’ Wild water park on the Gold Coast.

You can read my interview with stars Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 August 2014

The opening scenes of this film are about one thing – portraying its leading character as the world’s biggest schmuck.  His name is Oren Little (Douglas) and he’s a rich real estate agent living a cushy, self-centered life.

To give you a sample of what this guy is like – (1) he takes up two car spaces on his block which forces a heavily pregnant woman to park several hundred metres away, (2) he abuses his staff at work and tells an elderly lady that he hopes she’s hit by a bus, (3) when showing off a house to a non-white couple, he treats them with complete disrespect.

Of course, the film can’t continue like this for its full 94 minutes.  We need something to make us feel happy, something to make us believe there’s a little good in everyone.  Two characters are added to the mix which will help transform Oren from bad guy to good guy.

The first is his next door neighbour – Leah (Keaton).  She’s a sixty-something-year-old singer who picks up gigs in small clubs.  She lost her husband several years ago and like Oren, she lives alone.  The second is his granddaughter, Sarah (Jerins).  Oren didn’t even realise he was a grandparent but when his estranged son rocks up on his doorstep asking him to take care of her for 9 months (while he goes to prison), he has no choice.

Director Rob Reiner made some terrific films across a variety of genres in the 1980s and 1990s – This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President.  Unfortunately, some of his more recent romantic efforts have floundered at the box-office – The Story Of Us, Alex & Emma and Rumour Has It.

Unfortunately, And So It Goes fit into that second group.  There’s a scene where Oren decides that he doesn’t want to look after his granddaughter and so he goes to great lengths to track down her mother – who turns out to be a drug addict.  He’s robotic-like.  He doesn’t even show a fleeting glimpse of doubt or remorse – despite the objections of everyone around him.  By creating such an awful human being… screenwriter Mark Andrus has put me in a position where Oren’s character shift is hard to take seriously.

There are glimpses of promise throughout the film – largely the heartfelt conversations shared between Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton as they open up about their respective characters’ feelings for the other.  It reminded me a little of Andrus’s career highlight – his fantastic, Oscar-nominated screenplay for As Good As It Gets.  Unfortunately, these moments are overshadowed by silly, tacky, seen-it-all-before moments such as sequence where Oren is forced to deliver a baby.  Really?  Is this is best comedy they could come up with?

It’s great to see another romantic comedy/drama pitched at older audiences (they’re often overlooked) but And So It Goes fails to creates something that is both memorable and meaningful.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 August 2014

Produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, The Hundred-Foot Journey is working very, very, very hard in its efforts to be a crowd pleaser.  Those who’ve read the 2010 novel from Richard C. Morais will probably know this anyway.  It’s been adapted for the screen by Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) and directed by the Swedish-born Lasse Hallström (My Life As A Dog, The Cider House Rules).

As the film begins, we find the Kadam family is desperately looking for a change of luck.  They left their home in India after it was torched during a period of deep political unrest.  They tried to make a go of it in London but couldn’t find a way to make a decent living.  Now, they’ve found their way to a small French town where they’ve used their life-savings to buy a dilapidated restaurant.  They hope to transform it into something magical – introducing the French residents to their renowned curries and spices.

Their biggest competitor… lives directly across the street.  Madame Mallory (Mirren) is a widower with no children.  She has poured her entire existence into creating “the best restaurant for 50 miles”.  Her regular customer list includes the President of France and she works her staff very hard.  Her current goal is to increase the restaurant’s notoriety by earning a second Michelin star (to go with the one she’s held for many years).

I like food.  I like movies about food.  Lasse Hallström does exactly what you might expect with such a screenplay and takes us inside the kitchens of both restaurants.  We see the chefs in action and see tight close-ups of their signature dishes.  Both are doing their best to create succulent, mouth-watering delights… but the method, the presentation, the ambience, the music… it’s all quite different.

I haven’t read Morais’ novel but there are many elements to this film that feel unexplained.  For starters, there never appears to be anyone in the Indian restaurant!  We see a few on the opening night when the father, Papa (Puri), drags in a few customers off the street but that’s about it.  How are they making any money?  There’s also a bizarre moment of tension when the restaurant is attacked by racist thugs.  It’s an odd sequence because it appears out of nowhere and is resolved far too quickly/easily.

The film’s best subplot is the relationship that develops between father and son.  Papa realises his son, Hassan (Dayal), has huge potential as a chef but it leaves him at a crossroads.  Should he pushing his son away and telling him to go out and find his place in the kitchen of a world-class restaurant?  Or should he be pulling him back and asking him to stay with the family – realising that his son is critical to his own Indian restaurant’s success?

The romantic stuff doesn’t really work.  Hassan strikes up a relationship with a young French chef from the competing restaurant and their on-again, off-again banter is tiring.  One minute she’s helping him become a better cook.  The next minute she’s jealous of his success.  By moving so quickly between these scenes, the sudden character transformations are difficult to believe.  There’s also another couple who end up getting romantic (no surprises who) and that too feels forced.

With a muddling pace – the introduction is slow, the middle section is rushed, and the conclusion is drawn out – The Hundred-Foot Journey is a film that’s screaming out “FEEL GOOD! FEEL GOOD!” but it needed to do a lot more to convince me.