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Talking With Gary Oldman About Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was one of the highlights of the Brisbane International Film Festival (there were two sold out sessions) and now it’s being released in cinemas across Australia.
I was lucky enough to secure a telephone interview with star Gary Oldman and he talked us through the filmmaking process. He also gave us a sneak peak of what we’re in for with The Dark Knight Rises!
You can download a 2 minute audio extract of the interview by clicking here.
Here’s how the interview went down…
Matt: There’s no doubt in my mind that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of the best of this awards season and I couldn’t be more thrilled to say good morning to the star, Gary Oldman. Gary, how are you?
Gary: I’m very well, thank you.
Matt: Were you a fan of spy books and movies growing up?
Gary: Well I came to le Carré after the series was televised in 1979 but as a younger boy, I was a fan of James Bond and still am.
Matt: But this is kind of like the reverse James Bond film as we see the life of a spy is a lonely, solitary existence?
Gary: Yes. Smiley is an anti-James Bond. There are no martinis, no Aston Martins and it’s not Smiley who is promiscuous and jumping into bed with every girl who comes along but rather it’s his wife. She’s out there playing the field.
Matt: Do you get the chance to speak to any spies or those that worked for MI6 during the Cold War to get a feel for the era and their profession?
Gary: Yes. We had access to John le Carré himself as a resource. He was available to speak to and John was part of MI6. That said, everything you kind of need to know is in the novel, or I should say the three books which are under the umbrella of the Karla trilogy. I didn’t have to work much outside of that and the odd conversation with John.
Matt: Your portrayal of the character is a little bit different from Alec Guinness in the television series. Did John le Carré give you any tips as to how the character should be played?
Gary: Not really. John gave us his blessing to do what we felt best. The Guinness portrayal is a little more “school-masterly”, a little more “bookish”. Guinness was nearly 70 when he played Smiley. My Smiley is a little more virile and there’s an added cruelty when he needs to turn it on. He’s a bit prickly. I think Guinness was a little more huggable than me.
Matt: Do you know if John has seen the final film and what he thinks of it?
Gary: Oh he loved it! He’d seen several versions of it in the early stages when director Tomas Alfredson was editing and putting it together. He’s a real champion of the film and is thrilled with it. We’ve got the old man’s blessing.
Matt: You mentioned the director Tomas Alfredson and I know he described this character, George Smiley, as someone “you immediately forget if you saw him on the street”. How is it for you playing such an ordinary guy who hardly says a word and maintains the same facial expressions throughout the whole film?
Gary: It was a joy, really. It was a relief to come into work, sit down in a chair and listen rather than playing someone who expresses himself emotionally in a physical way and bounces off the walls. It was nice to let all the other people run around and let Tom Hardy to do some of the hard work.
Matt: Did you have a bit of fun with your character’s look and the costume design. I really liked the combed back hair, the nerdish glasses and the grey suit.
Gary: Yeah. The initial look of Smiley came from a photograph that Tomas had found of Graham Greene back in the late 1930s, looking rather suave in a mackintosh. That was a starting point and my greying hair swept back is my little homage to Michael Redgrave.
Matt: I know it’s director Tomas Alfredson’s first crack at an English language film. What was he like to work with?
Gary: He’s very prepared. He’s very assured, very confident. It was unusually quiet and focused on the set. He’s got a great eye and a great vision. Above anything else, he was a really decent bloke with a nice sense of humour.
I look back on this one with fondness because it was great to reconnect with some of those actors I worked with many, many years ago. Particularly John Hurt who is superb in the film. There are lovely performances from everyone really.
Matt: I know a lot of people talk about the fact you’ve never received an Academy Award nomination and hopefully that’s about to change. I’m curious to know if that stuff means a lot to you? The recognition in that regard?
Gary: Let’s put it in this way – at least I’m in the race this year. I do what I can to promote a movie but I don’t really push myself out there and campaign in that way. I’ve never coveted an Oscar but I am promoting the film this time and it would be incredibly flattering if I were to receive a nomination.
Matt: Well I hope you do get recognised. I’d like to finish with one last question about the role you’ve become famous for in the new Batman franchise. The Dark Knight Rises is going to be one of the biggest releases in 2012. Can you give us an indication of what we’re in for?
Gary: Of course I am absolutely sworn to secrecy about The Dark Knight Rises but I can say this much – it’s a fantastic story. I don’t think Christopher Nolan would have made the third one just for the sake of it. He really wanted to give us a great story to bring the trilogy to a close. This promises to be a cracker. A great epic piece. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to say any more.
Matt: Well Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is going to give us plenty to talk about over the next few weeks anyway. So I hope the film a great hit at the box-office here in Australia. Thank you Gary for talking with us this morning.
Gary: You are very welcome. Thanks for having me.
You can read my review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by clicking here.
On The Red Carpet At The Descendants World Premiere
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
The stars have aligned for filmgoers this week. From recent memory, I can’t recall another week that has 5 cinema releases that could all be described as very good. The Descendants, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Muppets, Hugo and The Secret World Of Arrietty are well worth seeing – the tricky part will be working out which one to see first!
Whilst I love watching great movies, it’s a little frustrating from a reviewer’s perspective. There are many weeks when I’m struggling to find a film to talk about. This time, my attention has been split and not all these films will get the promotion that they deserve.
I should point out that I finally got a chance to upload my video from the Toronto Film Festival where I spoke with Alexander Payne and George Clooney. Check it out here...
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRrbjt_EaIE |
Brisbane Film Critics Select Drive As Best Of 2011
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
Inspired by an idea from Sydney critic Mathieu Riviera (see here), I’ve decided to put together a list of the best movies of 2011 according to Brisbane-based film critics. I rounded up those I run into regularly at film previews and asked them to submit their top 10 lists along with a few other details. To come up with an overall top 10 list, I’m using a simple points system. It is as follows: |
| - | 3 points – the top film on each list. |
| - | 2 points – the films ranked between 2nd and 5th on each list. |
| - | 1 point – the films ranked between 6th and 10th on each list. |
If two films finished on the same score, the film that appeared on the most number of top 10 lists was ranked higher (as an indication of wider approval). In the end, there was one clear stand out – Drive. Despite more than 200 films being released in Brisbane cinemas throughout the year, Drive managed to make it on 10 of the 13 lists submitted. Two critics, Sarah Ward and Rohan Williams, had it as their number one selection. Garry Williams and Jason Reed also felt Ryan Gosling’s performance was the year’s best. Taking second and third place were two of the more divisive films of the year – The Tree Of Life and Melancholia. It’s interesting that all three movies featured prominently at the Cannes Film Festival back in May. Drive won best director, The Tree Of Life won best film and Melancholia won best actress. The overall top 10 featured a mix of genres. It included a hilarious black comedy (The Guard), a sinister Spanish thriller (The Skin I Live In), a fun sci-fi action flick (Super 8), a riveting formula one documentary (Senna) and a disturbing real-life Australian drama (Snowtown). If you haven’t seen any of these films, put them on your “to do list” for the new year. On that note, here is the top 10 (well, there are actually 12 given the tie for 9th place) according to Brisbane critics for 2011… |
| Brisbane Film Critics - Top 10 Of 2011 | ||||
 | 1. | Drive |  | |
| 2. | The Tree Of Life | |||
| 3. | Melancholia | |||
| 4. | Another Year | |||
| 4. | The Guard | |||
| 6. | The Skin I Live In | |||
| 7. | Black Swan | |||
| 8. | Super 8 | |||
| 9. | 127 Hours | |||
| 9. | Certified Copy | |||
| 9. | Senna | |||
| 9. | Snowtown | |||
You can view a table of all the votes and final scores by clicking here. A big thanks to all the critics who were able to contribute. Hopefully we'll do it again next year! You can check out information on all the Brisbane critics (along with their choices for the best and worst of 2011) below. |
 | Matthew Toomey |
| Born in Brisbane, Matt Toomey was introduced to the world of cinema when he landed a job at a video store fresh out of high school in 1995. A few years later, he started his own website and reviewed movies regularly on a community radio station. In 2005, he joined the team at 612ABC and can be heard reviewing the latest releases every Thursday on Brisbane’s highest rated breakfast program with Spencer Howson. He can also be heard nationally every second Sunday at 1:30pm on ABC Digital. | |
| Website: www.thefilmpie.com | |
| Twitter: @icestorm77 |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Another Year | 6. | Albert Nobbs |
| | 2. | 127 Hours | 7. | Super 8 |
| | 3. | Senna | 8. | The Guard |
| | 4. | The Skin I Live In | 9. | Rabbit Hole |
| | 5. | Inside Job | 10. | Drive |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Take This Waltz |
| | 2. | The Descendants |
| | 3. | 50/50 |
| | 4. | The Artist |
| | 5. | Tyrannosaur |
| Best Australian Film: | Snowtown |
| Best Animated Film: | The Adventures Of Tintin |
| Best Documentary: | Senna |
| Best Performance: | Lesley Manville (Another Year) |
| Worst Film: | I Don't Know How She Does It |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Never Say Never |
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 | Tim Milful |
| Tim Milfull is a Brisbane-based film critic and film academic who writes for The Independent, one of Australia’s last surviving independent newspapers, and Rave Magazine, Australia’s premier music street press publication. In early 2012, Tim will launch his film blog, drfrootloop.com, and will set to rest four years of agony when he graduates with his PhD in Creative Writing at QUT. | |
| Website: http://www.theindependent.com.au/tim-milfull.html | |
| Twitter: @milfull |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Snowtown | 6. | The Guard |
| | 2. | The Hunter | 7. | Black Swan |
| | 3. | Biutiful | 8. | This Is Not A Film |
| | 4. | Burning Man | 9. | The Orator |
| | 5. | The Skin I Live In | 10. | How I Ended This Summer |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Arirang |
| | 2. | I Wish |
| | 3. | The Last Circus |
| | 4. | The Yellow Sea |
| | 5. | Goodbye |
| Best Australian Film: | Snowtown |
| Best Animated Film: | Rango |
| Best Documentary: | The Tall Man |
| Best Performance: | Jafar Panahi (This Is Not A Film) |
| Worst Film: | Jack & Jill |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | La Quattro Volte |
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 | Sarah Ward |
| Sarah Ward is a freelance film critic, writer and festival devotee. Her written contributions can be found across a range of cinema, culture and festival websites including Arts Hub, Trespass Magazine, At The Cinema, KOFFIA, the Spanish Film Festival, SBS Film’s Social Review and her own site, Play/Pause. In addition, she has worked for a number of entertainment and arts organisations, including her current role at the Brisbane International Film Festival. | |
| Website: http://www.artshub.com.au http://www.trespassmag.com http://www.atthecinema.net http://www.playslashpause.com | |
| Twitter: @swardplay |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Drive | 6. | We Need To Talk About Kevin |
| | 2. | Melancholia | 7. | Take Shelter |
| | 3. | The Tree Of Life | 8. | Black Swan |
| | 4. | Senna | 9. | Midnight In Paris |
| | 5. | The Skin I Live In | 10. | Never Let Me Go |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Hugo |
| | 2. | Martha Marcy May Marlene |
| | 3. | The Turin Horse |
| | 4. | Tyrannosaur |
| | 5. | A Separation |
| Best Australian Film: | The Hunter |
| Best Animated Film: | Rango |
| Best Documentary: | Senna |
| Best Performance: | Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) |
| Worst Film: | Battle: Los Angeles |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | The Lincoln Lawyer |
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 | Baz McAlister |
| Born in Northern Ireland and now a resident in sunny Brisbane, Baz McAlister is a freelance writer, columnist and copywriter with articles regularly published in The Courier Mail, The Sunday Mail and mX. He is also an arts writer for Time Off magazine where he reviews films regularly. | |
| Website: www.couriermail.com.au | |
| Twitter: @bazmcalister |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | True Grit | 6. | Super 8 |
| | 2. | The Guard | 7. | The Trip |
| | 3. | 127 Hours | 8. | Paul |
| | 4. | Attack The Block | 9. | Source Code |
| | 5. | Drive | 10. | The Inbetweeners Movie |
| Best Australian Film: | Crawl |
| Best Animated Film: | Tangled |
| Best Documentary: | Catfish |
| Best Performance: | Brendan Gleeson (The Guard) |
| Worst Film: | Green Hornet |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Fast Five |
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 | Des Patridge |
| Des Partridge's career began in the 1950s where he wrote essays for The Sunday Mail's children section. He arrived at The Courier Mail a few years later and started writing film reviews on a regular basis in 1973. His first review was The Murder On The Orient Express. Retiring in 2010, Des still gets to the movies on a regular basis and you follow his opinions through his Twitter feed. | |
| Website: n/a | |
| Twitter: @DesPartridge |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | The Tree Of Life | 6. | The Skin I Live In |
| | 2. | Incendies | 7. | Midnight In Paris |
| | 3. | Snowtown | 8. | Rabbit Hole |
| | 4. | Bridesmaids | 9. | The Conspirator |
| | 5. | Win Win | 10. | Moneyball |
| Best Australian Film: | Snowtown |
| Best Animated Film: | Arthur Christmas |
| Best Documentary: | Senna |
| Best Performance: | Daniel Henshall (Snowtown) & Brad Pitt (Moneyball, The Tree Of Life) |
| Worst Film: | I Don't Know How She Does It & New Year's Eve |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Snowtown |
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 | Rohan Williams |
| Rohan Williams is the Deputy Editor of Queensland institution Scene Magazine and Editor of Junior Magazine, a monthly A5 glossy. | |
| Website: http://www.junioronline.com.au http://www.scenemagazine.com.au | |
| Twitter: @junior_magazine @scene_magazine |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Drive | 6. | Bridesmaids |
| | 2. | Thor | 7. | Warrior |
| | 3. | War Horse | 8. | Moneyball |
| | 4. | Super 8 | 9. | X-Men: First Class |
| | 5. | 127 Hours | 10. | Mission: Impossible 4 |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | The Muppets |
| | 2. | Hobo With A Shotgun |
| | 3. | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
| | 4. | The Fab Five |
| | 5. | Crawl |
| Best Australian Film: | The Hunter |
| Best Animated Film: | The Adventures Of Tintin |
| Best Documentary: | The Fab Five |
| Best Performance: | James Franco (127 Hours) |
| Worst Film: | Burke & Hare |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Fright Night |
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| David Edwards |
| David Edwards is the editor and film critic for The Blurb, a website that provides the latest news and reviews for arts entertainment in Australia. |
| Website: http://www.theblurb.com.au/ |
| Twitter: n/a |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Anonymous | 6. | Midnight In Paris |
| | 2. | Black Swan | 7. | Drive |
| | 3. | Melancholia | 8. | Never Let Me Go |
| | 4. | The Guard | 9. | Rabbit Hole |
| | 5. | The Ides Of March | 10. | The Debt |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Freakonomics |
| Best Australian Film: | Red Dog |
| Best Animated Film: | The Adventures Of Tintin |
| Best Performance: | Bredan Gleeson (The Guard) |
| Worst Film: | The Change Up |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Horrible Bosses |
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 | Michael Dalton |
| Michael Dalton is the editor and film critic for the "Screen" section of M/C Reviews. | |
| Website: http://reviews.media-culture.org.au/ | |
| Twitter: n/a |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | The Tree Of Life | 6. | Melancholia |
| | 2. | The Skin I Live In | 7. | Another Year |
| | 3. | The Guard | 8. | Snowtown |
| | 4. | Drive | 9. | Warrior |
| | 5. | Of Gods And Men | 10. | Catfish |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | I Saw The Devil |
| | 2. | All Good Things |
| | 3. | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
| | 4. | Take Shelter |
| | 5. | I Wish |
| Best Australian Film: | Snowtown |
| Best Animated Film: | The Adventures Of Tintin |
| Best Documentary: | Cane Toads: The Conquest |
| Best Performance: | Lesley Manville (Another Year) |
| Worst Film: | Red Dog |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Green Lantern |
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| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | 13 Assassins | 6. | Drive |
| | 2. | The Ides Of March | 7. | Another Year |
| | 3. | Hanna | 8. | Source Code |
| | 4. | Black Swan | 9. | Moneyball |
| | 5. | Contagion | 10. | The Tree Of Life |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within |
| | 2. | A Separation |
| | 3. | Revenge: A Love Story |
| | 4. | Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey |
| | 5. | Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope |
| Best Australian Film: | Oranges And Sunshine |
| Best Animated Film: | Puss In Boots |
| Best Documentary: | Inside Job |
| Best Performance: | Ryan Gosling (Drive) |
| Worst Film: | Wasted On The Young |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Fast Five |
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 | David Faraker |
| David is a full-time student at the University of Queensland working on an Honours thesis about music in contemporary film and television musicals and melodramas. When he’s not procrastinating from this by reading his favourite film critics or listening to soundtracks, he is the editor of the movie review website The 500 Club, as well as a regular contributor. He is also an announcer on 4ZZZ’s (102.1FM) Film Club program every Thursday night from 6pm. | |
| Website: http://500.the400club.org/ | |
| Twitter: @SindgeonSmythe |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Melancholia | 6. | Contagion |
| | 2. | Another Year | 7. | Warrior |
| | 3. | The Tree Of Life | 8. | Inside Job |
| | 4. | Tangled | 9. | Certified Copy |
| | 5. | Senna | 10. | Project Nim |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Tomboy |
| | 2. | Weekend |
| | 3. | Elena |
| | 4. | The Trouble With St Mary's |
| | 5. | The Kid With The Bike |
| Best Australian Film: | Mrs Carey's Concert |
| Best Animated Film: | Tangled |
| Best Documentary: | Senna |
| Best Performance: | Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) |
| Worst Film: | Wasted On The Young |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Never Say Never |
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 | Alexeem Boyle |
| Alexeem Boyle is also an announcer on 4ZZZ’s (102.1FM) Film Club program every Thursday night from 6pm and writes regular reviews for the website The 500 Club. She is currently studying film & television at The University of Queensland. | |
| Website: http://500.the400club.org/ | |
| Twitter: n/a |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | The Tree Of Life | 6. | Win Win |
| | 2. | Melancholia | 7. | Another Year |
| | 3. | Certified Copy | 8. | Beginners |
| | 4. | Meek's Cutoff | 9. | We Need To Talk About Kevin |
| | 5. | Drive | 10. | Warrior |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Dogtooth |
| | 2. | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
| | 3. | Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene |
| | 4. | Take Shelter |
| | 5. | How To Die In Oregon |
| Best Australian Film: | Mrs Carey's Concert |
| Best Animated Film: | Tangled |
| Best Documentary: | Tabloid |
| Best Performance: | Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) |
| Worst Film: | Snowtown |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Red State |
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 | Jason Reed |
| Jason Reed has a passion/obsession for film. He is also a screenwriter and film reviewer for QLD Street Press, The 400 Club (TV) & The 500 Club (Film). | |
| Website: http://500.the400club.org/ | |
| Twitter: @jprfilm |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | Certified Copy | 6. | The Guard |
| | 2. | Melancholia | 7. | Attack The Block |
| | 3. | Drive | 8. | Red State |
| | 4. | Super 8 | 9. | Submarine |
| | 5. | Barney's Version | 10. | Black Swan |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Tyrannosaur |
| | 2. | Rabies |
| | 3. | Take Shelter |
| | 4. | Martha Marcy May Marlene |
| Best Australian Film: | Mad Bastards |
| Best Animated Film: | Puss In Boots |
| Best Documentary: | This Is Not A Film |
| Best Performance: | Ryan Gosling (Drive) |
| Worst Film: | Sucker Punch |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Bridesmaids |
 |
 | Peter Taggart |
| Peter Taggart is a writer and film critic for Rave Magazine, a theatre critic for ArtsHub and sporadically pens short memoirs for his blog, On The Verge of Compassion. | |
| Website: http://www.petertaggart.com/ | |
| Twitter: @petertaggart |
| Top 10 Released Films: | 1. | True Grit | 6. | Drive |
| | 2. | We Need To Talk About Kevin | 7. | The Ides Of March |
| | 3. | Biutiful | 8. | Submarine |
| | 4. | Bridesmaids | 9. | Black Swan |
| | 5. | Midnight In Paris | 10. | Another Year |
| Top Unreleased Films: | 1. | Higher Ground |
| Best Australian Film: | Snowtown |
| Best Animated Film: | The Adventures Of Tintin |
| Best Documentary: | Inside Job |
| Best Performance: | Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin) |
| Worst Film: | Big Momma's Boy |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | Moneyball |
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Top 10 & Bottom 10 Films Of 2011
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
Let’s do it again! It’s time to put my list together of the 10 best and worst films of the year. It’ll be the 16th time I’ve put together such a list and you can view all the past years on my website by clicking here.
I’ve reviewed just over 200 movies during 2011 – slightly up on last year. I think it’s been a solid twelve months for cinema but there haven’t been many “stand out” films. I didn’t give out any A+ gradings and the number of A grade films was also lower than I’d hoped.
That said, it was still tough to put together my top 10 list. I started with a short list of about 25 films and had to whittle it down to the following. If you haven’t had the chance to see any of these, hopefully they inspire you to rent the DVD or get to your local cinema over the break.
I went through them in detail on my ABC Digital show with Phil Smith last Sunday but if you missed that, you can hear a shorter version when I last spoke with Spencer Howson a few weeks ago. Just click here.
Worst 10 Films Of 2011
Before I get to the best, I do need to talk about the worst. This list was also hard to put together (so many bad films) but here they are in reverse order…
10. Mr Popper's Penguins will be a perfect production for plainly pleased persons. That said, I thought it was a load of garbage. A guy who inherits a group of penguins and jeopardises their well-being by keeping them in his apartment for his kids and ex-wife to play with. Too silly for me to go along with. Jim Carrey deserves better than this.
9. How Do You Know is an excruciatingly awful romantic comedy. James L. Brooks has made some great films (As Good As It Gets, Terms Of Endearment) but this is not one of them. The characters are overly neurotic and feel compelled to describe every emotion in ridiculous detail. Don't even start me on the farcical plot. I wish you could have seen my facial expressions while I was watching it.
8. Soul Surfer is the true story of a teenager who loses her arm in a shark attack but goes on to be surfing champion. It may sound inspiring but this film is awful. The editing (particularly the surfing scenes) is messy, the dialogue is excruciatingly cheesy and the story is all over the place.
7. Fright Night is dreadful. I don't know if I've seen worse 3D effects in a film this year. Don't even get me started on the weak story that isn't even remotely scary. I'm confused as to why the likes of Colin Farrell, Toni Collette and Anton Yelchin would get involved with this.
6. Yogi Bear
5. The Three Musketeers is really, really, really bad. No, really. Laughable dialogue. Awful special effects. Dreadful acting. Pathetic fight sequences. Ridiculous story.
4. A Heartbeat Away was awful. It's like watching the pilot for a cheesy Aussie sitcom from the 90s that no TV network wanted to buy. I do feel bad when I slag Aussie films. It's like telling your best friend that they have bad BO. Hard to say but you have to do it for the greater good.
3. Big Mamma's Boy has left me sad, flat, depressed. The worst film of the year so far. Even worse is the fact that it's Australian. A cheesy, clichéd comedy about a 35 y/o Italian real estate agent trying to break free of his mother's shackles and win the heart of co-worker.
2. Zookeeper is a crime against the world of entertainment. The film's "message" is rubbish and the story moronic.
1. I Don't Know How She Does It is a write off. A film with seemingly no purpose that centres on a woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) who is trying to juggle her business life with her family life. It takes roughly 45 minutes before anything interesting to happen and the film then limps home with a rushed, pointless finale.
Best Films Of 2011
10. Drive is a crazy action-thriller (and I say that in a good way). It starts out fairly innocuously and then takes a few unexpected turns (some of them quite violent). The soundtrack is one of the year's best and Ryan Gosling is perfect in the leading role
9. Rabbit Hole started out as a Pulitzer Prize winning play and has been brought to the screen by director John Cameron Mitchell (Shortbus). It's about a couple who are struggling to overcome the death of their young son. This is a heavy, powerful drama. Both Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman turn in great performances.
8. The Guard features one of the most memorable performances of 2011 - Brendan Gleeson as Sergeant Gerry Boyle. He's a policeman from a small Irish town who is helping the FBI to stop a major drug shipment. The accents are tough to follow at times but this is a fantastic black comedy.
7. Albert Nobbs stars Glenn Close as a woman who dressed as a man in 19th Century Ireland to conceal her sexual orientation. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia (In Treatment), this is one amazing character study. Close portrays Nobbs as a person who has completely lost her identity and social skills after having suppressed her urges for so long.
6. Super 8 is awesome! It reminded me of films I loved growing up such as The Goonies and ET. How refreshing it is to see a Hollywood blockbuster focusing more on its characters and plot as opposed to action sequences and visual effects. The child actors are all brilliant and director JJ Abrams again proves his talent as both a director and storyteller.
5. Inside Job is a well-made documentary which looks at the reasons behind the global financial crisis. It's easy to understand (the charts and diagrams are very persuasive) and features many very interesting interviews. A friend of mine calls it "the best comedy of the year". You can only laugh at how crazy some people are within the financial services industry.
4. The Skin I Live In
3. Senna is a well-crafted documentary that has the look and feel of a drama. It goes beyond what you might expect and provides an intimate account of Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna and his motivations to succeed. The never-before-seen footage is amazing.
2. 127 Hours gets two thumbs up from me and one thumb up from the leading character. We all know how this story will end (a guy trapped under a boulder cuts his own arm off to survive) but there's a lot more to it than that. It does a great job capturing his deteriorating mind set throughout the ordeal. Wonderful direction from Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and James Franco is excellent.
1. Another Year is more brilliance from director Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Happy-Go-Lucky). It revolves around a happily married couple in their 60s who find that all their friends around them are falling apart. Leigh has a great knack for capturing the "human condition" and he does so again here. It's capped off by a unforgettably annoying and/or touching performance from Lesley Manville.
Well that’s it from me in 2011. I’ll be taking a break from blogging over the holiday period and will be refreshed and ready to go again in 2012.
It’s been a fantastic year for me in the sense that I attended the Toronto Film Festival where I interviewed the likes of Geoffrey Rush, George Clooney, Alexander Payne, Charlotte Rampling and Seth Rogen. Back here in Australia, I was fortunate enough to interview Kenneth Branagh, JJ Abrams and the cast of The Inbetweeners.
I was also able to kick start a new 30-minute film show every second Sunday on ABC Digital Radio (broadcast around Australia) and my regular weekly spot on Spencer Howson’s 612ABC breakfast show continues to get an audience thanks to his wonderful ratings (Spencer topped every radio rating survey during 2011).
Very lucky I am.