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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 November 2011

Burning Man is the latest Australian film to be released and it’s been getting some terrific reviews.  Both Margaret and David on At The Movies gave it 4.5 stars.  Director Jonathan Teplitzky was recently in Brisbane to promote the film and I had a chance to sit down with him for 10 minutes to ask a few questions…

Matt:  This is your third feature film.  There was Better Than Sex in 2000 and Gettin’ Square in 2003.  Both of those films were excellent I might add.  I wanted to start off by asking where you’ve been for the past 8 years?

Jonathan:  The last two years have been making this film.  Two years before that we were writing.  So there were only about 2-3 “lost years” where I was doing other things.

10 years ago my partner passed away and I did Gettin’ Square soon after that.  It was a great film to do given it was a comedy.  After that, it was a time to take stock.  I had a young son and I had a serious of projects where the script never quite got to where I wanted it to get to.  The more you do it the more you realise that you have to be working to a good screenplay otherwise it’s too fragile.

Matt:  Now that you have a couple of films under your belt, have you found it easier dealing with studios and financiers?  Can you rely a little now on your reputation?

Jonathan:  You hear horrific stories of Martin Scorsese trying to raise money for films and so it’s never easy.  As filmmakers you have to be incredibly humble because you’re in such a privileged position – someone is going to put out millions of dollars for you to make a film.  That aspect of it is never easy but when you start talking about doing new films, people take your track record into account without a doubt.  Hopefully that helps.

Matt:  Well it certainly did in this case.

Jonathan:  Very much so.  I’m moving on now towards an even bigger film and when people see Burning Man they go “ok, this is a serious director who we can trust with this project.”

Matt:  You touched on it before but can you tell us a little about the background of this story?  I know it’s a fictional tale but it was inspired by certain events in your life.

Jonathan:  My partner passed away 10 years ago.  I had a young son at the time and as time went on, I found that I was thinking about it as an experience a lot more and wanting to respond to it in a creative way.  I really wanted to find a way of expressing the kind of unusual experience that I went through and that I’m sure many other people go through as well.

That was the starting point and then I had to find a way of telling the story that is entertaining, funny and moving.  I wanted to be a visceral, emotional film which is why I tried to tell it in a fractured kind of way?

Matt:  I wanted to ask about that because it is fractured.  When I saw it for the first time it forced me to pay very close attention to try to understand the order of events.  What were you trying to do with that style?

Jonathan:  In a very simple way, it’s about a man who’s life is fractured so I tried to use the structure as much as I could to infuse the story of his life with that of the audience’s own experience watching it.

The structure in a sense represents his emotional, psychological landscape.  His whole life has turned upside down and the experience, particularly in the year after the events, is a very surreal and strange place to be.  On one hand, you have been gripped with sadness and tragedy.  On the other hand, there’s a certain exhilaration because suddenly, all the rules that you’ve lived by seem to have been thrown out the window.

In many ways, it’s a deluded state but also a wonderful experience.  You’re trying to weigh up all these things whilst also trying to numb the pain and get some kind of control over your emotional state.  That can result in a lot of self destructive behaviour.

Matt:  Matthew Goode’s first scene in the film is a cracker.  Often a film takes a little while to get going and introduce the characters.  The first scene here is of him masturbating in front of a prostitute.  Is that what you were trying to do – get the audience straight in from the start?

Jonathan:  When you make a film in this way you need to throw the audience in the deep end straight away.  If you pussy foot around for too long, they’re going to resent going there with you.  That’s why the first 3 or 4 minutes up to the car crash is like it is – it just gives you a sense of his world we’re dealing with.

I also found that many people have liked the film because they’re not led by the hand.  It’s not sentimental and there’s an energy that leaves a lot of things open.

Matt:  How’d you get Matthew Goode?

Jonathan:  I met Matthew through a mutual friend in London.  We kind of met at a time when he was looking to do something different and challenging.  We talked for 3 to 4 weeks on and off.  He loved the script and found it quite confronting but he really wanted to do it.  He knew that if he wanted to break out as an actor, this was the sort of material he needed to do.

Matt:  He’s putting together a great resume actually.

Jonathan:  He is.  Something like this really shows what he can do in a big way.

Matt:  I saw you mention in another discussion that it’s a film that could be set anywhere but ultimately, you went with Sydney.  Why is that?

Jonathan:  I thought about doing the film in other parts of the world but in the end, there are very few places that are as good as Australia in terms of setting up medium budget, independent drama.

Matt:  The film had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival which I was lucky enough to attend.  Did you get a lot of interest from international investors and distributors?

Jonathan:  There was a huge amount of interest.  We got a great response from everyone in Toronto.  There were fantastic audience Q&As and really big screenings.  On the second screening, it was the biggest screen that I’ve ever laid eyes on.  It was a great way to premiere the film.

Matt:  I’ll finish up by asking what’s next?  You mentioned that you have another big project in the works.

Jonathan:  It’s called The Railwaymen and it stars Colin Firth.  It’s a big WWII drama about a guy that is tortured by the Japanese on the Burma railway, survives, and then goes back many years later to confront his torturers.  It’s a great film about humanity, forgiveness and the thirst for life.

It will probably be shot in Scotland, Thailand and Queensland so we’ll be in the jungles around the Gold Coast for a few weeks.

Matt:  Well I hope Burning Man is a big success at the box office and best of luck with your future endeavours.

Jonathan:  Thanks very much.

You can read my review of Burning Man by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 November 2011

The Brisbane International Film Festival is now well underway and I’ve seen a mixed bag of films so far.  A few early movies left me going “meh” but things have improved over the past 48 hours.

Crowd numbers seem to be strong (at least at the films I’ve attended).  A screening of The Human Centipede 2 at 12:30am on Sunday morning was sold out – that says it all I think. 

Not so impressive what was happened after the film.  Here’s what happened according to the Facebook post – “POOH FOUND IN FOYER - is it yours? Yes that's right folks I just spoke to a very dismayed Jordan Bastian from Tribal Theatre in Brisbane who tells me that not only did 2 people faint at the screening of THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 last night, but someone also did a huge POOH (read SHIT) in the foyer! Some poor staff member had to scoop it up this morning but apparently it was pretty damn disgusting and ...pretty damn huge! I guess it's kinda funny but it's also quite disgusting, I honestly feel for the poor girl who spent the morning scooping it up.”

Just when you’ve thought you seen everything, huh?

Don’t let that detract you from getting to BIFF over the remaining days.  It runs until Sunday and tickets are still available for most sessions.

Here’s a look at what I’ve seen so far.  I’m using a score out of 5 (as opposed to my normal gradings) because that’s how I was required to vote on the BIFF audience forms that you hand in at the end of each movie.

Tabloid

This documentary is about a former beauty queen who kidnapped her ex-boyfriend and used him as a sex slave for 3 days in 1977.  The story made headlines around the globe for being so bizarre.  The topic is interesting but I was hoping to hear events from a few more perspectives (e.g. such as the authorities).  We only get a limited view and I’m none the wiser as to what really happened.  Score:  3/5.

This Is Not A Film

The backstory to this film (if that’s what we call it) is more interesting than the film itself.  Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was banned from making movies for 20 years and placed under house arrest.  With the help of a friend, he somehow made a documentary about his life cooped up at home and he smuggled it out of the country on a USB stick hidden inside a cake.  It’s a sad story but listening to Panahi talk about his life and his previous works couldn’t hold my attention all the way through.  Score: 3/5.

Higher Ground

Two friends of mine enjoyed this but I was disappointed by Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut.  I didn’t know what the film wanted to say and it seems to go along at such a slow pace.  Maybe it was just an allergic reaction to some of the religious themes.  Score: 2/5.

A Dangerous Method

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this film but I found David Cronenberg’s latest to be a tad disappointing.  All three characters are trying to outsmart each other through the power of persuasive argument but parts went over my head.  It also felt like we’d only seen part of the story.  I’d have preferred to have seen the sequel – to discover why Carl Jung became such a brilliant psychiatrist.  Score: 3/5.

Le Harve

Le Harve is a sweet French drama centring on a guy with a sick wife who befriends a young illegal immigrant and helps him flee the country.  If you believe in the saying that “good things happen to good people” then you’ll enjoy this.  A lovely drama.  Score: 4/5.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Crime / spy thrillers are one of my favourite genres and Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is worth your money.  It’s an anti-Hollywood movie.  We don’t have some cool spy who finds all the clues with apparent ease.  Instead, we have an old man who hardly says a word – waiting for others to open their mouths and reveal their secrets.  The cast is terrific and so too is the 1950s décor.  Score: 4/5.

The Human Centipede 2

I’ll be honest – this features the most shocking material that I’ve ever seen on the big screen.  The film has no plot and I wouldn’t ever suggest that you go out and see it.  That said, it was worth it just for the experience and the audience reactions were priceless.  Score: 3/5.

Take Shelter

Take Shelter features a fantastic performance from Michael Shannon as a guy has these visions of an apocalyptic event.  My problem with this film is that it didn’t end in a satisfying manner and there were a few plot developments that didn’t sit right with me.  Score: 3/5.

Tyrannosaur

Tyrannosaur is easily the best film I’ve seen so far – a heartfelt drama about two very unlikely people who form an important connection.  He’s a violent man who lives alone and is on a path of self-destruction.  She’s a religious woman who is abused by her husband at home.  I was blown away by this movie and the mesmerizing performances by both Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman deserve awards attention.  Score: 5/5.

I’ve got 10 more films to see over the next 6 days and hopefully I’ll have a lot more good news to report in next week’s blog.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 October 2011

The Brisbane International Film Festival starts on Tuesday (November 1) and runs for 12 days.  If you want to know what’s on offer, you can check out my blog from a few weeks ago – 10 Reasons To Get To BIFF 2011 – by clicking here.

Tickets are selling fast and I believe some sessions are already close to sold out.  Opening night should be particularly big with two cinemas showing Attack The Block up at the Palace Barracks.

In this week’s Film Pie blog, I thought I’d run through the films I’m booked in to see at the Festival.  My tickets are already secured and if all goes to plan, I’ll be at each of these films.  Hopefully I’ll see a few followers from Facebook / Twitter there as well.  BIFF is always a fun event and there are plenty of films worth seeing.

On that note, here’s my program for 2011 (with plot descriptions from the BIFF website)…

Tabloid – Tuesday, 1 November at 7pm (Palace Centro)

In 1977, an American beauty queen named Joyce McKinney travelled to England, kidnapped her Mormon ex-lover, bound him to a bed and kept him as a sex slave for three days. The British tabloid press went bananas, turning the titillating tale into a media frenzy, and McKinney became notorious overnight.  Now the ever-incisive Errol Morris (The Fog of War) brings us McKinney's side of the tale - but who, if anyone, is giving us the straight story?

Attack The Block – Thursday, 3 November at 7pm (Palace Barracks)

For Moses and his gang, an ordinary evening of time-wasting and petty felony takes an unexpected turn when they stumble across an intergalactic interloper. It's safe to say that ET isn't phoning home once the crew are done with him, but it isn't long before a whole legion of interstellar invaders are crashing to earth around the council estate, with the youths gearing up to defend their tower block against the alien menace.

Higher Ground – Friday, 4 November at 6:30pm (Palace Barracks)

Based on Carolyn Briggs's memoir, This Dark World, Higher Ground follows the life and passions of Corinne Walker (played by actor-director Vera Farmiga) as she moves from childhood to maturity, and with it from the ecstatic embrace of Christian fundamentalism to a state of secular doubt.

A Dangerous Method – Friday, 4 November at 9pm (Palace Barracks)

Under the lengthening shadows of the impending Great War, a young, ambitious Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) takes on the unbalanced Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) as a patient, a student and eventually a lover. When Jung travels to Vienna to seek the advice of the great Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), the two form a fledgling friendship - one soon to be threatened by jealousy and obsession.

Le Harve – Saturday, 5 November at 7pm (Palace Barracks)

When a cargo-load of illegal immigrants mistakenly lands in the port town of Le Havre the authorities capture all but one: wide-eyed Idrissa, a young African trying to make his way to London. Local shoe shiner Marcel enlists the townsfolk to help hide him, as they try to raise the money needed to help him escape - meanwhile a snitch neighbour and a hard-nosed inspector do their best to hunt down the refugee.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Saturday, 5 November at 9pm (Palace Barracks)

British intelligence officer George Smiley (Gary Oldman) finds himself yanked out of retirement, charged with unearthing a Soviet spy who has seemingly infiltrated the upper echelons of the secret service.  Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In) has turned his unerring hand to this adaptation of John le Carré's tangled novel of cold war espionage, portraying a chilling world of ambiguity and paranoia.

The Human Centipede 2  -  Saturday, 5 November at 11:59pm (Tribal Theatre)

Inspired by watching of The Human Centipede, a depraved actor decides to emulate the film and construct his own human centipede, only this time with twelve people instead of three. And... that's about it for the plot.

Take Shelter – Sunday, 6 November at 1:30pm (Palace Barracks)

A film that walks the line between fear and paranoia, this taut thriller is set partially inside the mind of family man Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon). Or is it? That is the question before the audience: are the dreams and visions of an apocalyptic storm real or imaginary?

Happy Happy – Tuesday, 8 November at 6:30pm (Tribal Theatre)

Desperately lonely Kaja and hyper-repressed Erik share a marriage as frosty as the Norwegian winter they're currently suffering through. However, when the urbane Sigve and Elisabeth move in next door - ostensibly to escape Elisabeth's recent affair - a powder keg of repressed sexual energy is unleashed, with devastatingly comic consequences.

My America – Tuesday, 8 November at 8:30pm (Tribal Theatre)

Growing up in the gloomy socialist backwaters of 1980s Hungary, Peter Hegedus looked to America and Arnold Schwarzenegger for his dream of a better world: a world of justice, explosions and freedom. But 30 years later, everything has changed. America is failing, Arnie's best days are behind him and Peter, now living in Brisbane, is not entirely sure he's still allowed to believe in the USA.

Melancholia – Wednesday, 9 November at 6:30pm (Palace Barracks)

Celebrating her lavish wedding, Justine (Kirsten Dunst, in a performance that won best actress at Cannes) notices something amiss in the evening sky: a prominent star has been blocked out. As her wedding falls apart, and her life spirals downward into misery, the astrological anomaly is explained: the star was blocked by the planet Melancholia, which is now hurtling toward a collision with Earth.

Goodbye, First Love – Thursday, 10 November at 6:30pm (Palace Barracks)

Fifteen-year-old Camille tumbles headlong into a passionate relationship with the older Sylvain, and when he leaves for South American she is shattered. Over the years she gradually repairs her heartbreak, but when Sylvain unexpectedly reappears, the flames of her youthful passion flicker painfully back into life.

The Trouble With St Mary’s – Thursday, 10 November at 8:30pm (Palace Barracks)

Same-sex marriage. Questioning the Pope. De-virginising Mary. This is the story of a rogue Brisbane priest, Father Peter Kennedy, and his breakaway flock.  Excommunicated by the Vatican in 2009 for his apostasy, Kennedy led his one-thousand-strong flock on to a new religious life. But as these parishioners follow their fallen priest, are they moving closer toward God or constructing a new messiah in His absence?

Martha Marcy May Marlene – Friday, 11 November at 7pm (Tribal Theatre)

After escaping from an abusive cult run by a charismatic Charles Manson-esque leader (played for maximum creepiness by John Hawkes of Winter's Bone and Deadwood), Martha reconnects with a sister she hasn't seen in two years. As she attempts to re-assimilate back into society, she finds her past reaching out to claim her.

A Bitter Taste Of Freedom – Friday, 11 November at 9pm (Palace Barracks)

When Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in 2006, her death became a symbol of the unravelling state of Russia's democratic experiment. Vaunted for her courageous investigations into Russian crimes in Chechnya, Politkovskaya in the end paid for her idealism with her life.  Directed by close friend and acclaimed documentary maker Maria Goldovskaya, A Bitter Taste of Freedom provides a deep personal insight into the final years of Politkovskaya's life.

The Skin I Live In – Saturday, 12 November at 6:30pm (Palace Barracks)

Brilliant plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (a commanding performance from Antonio Banderas) splits his time between work and experimenting on Vera (Elena Anaya), the beautiful woman he has locked away on his second floor, whose skin he is slowly replacing with a new synthetic substance. Driven by love and something far, far darker, their experiments threaten to erase the very essence of their humanity.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope – Sunday, 13 November at 12pm (Palace Centro)

Straight from its sell-out sessions at Toronto Film Festival last month, the latest doco romp from Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) explores the pop culture phenomenon of the annual San Diego Comic-Con.  Spurlock reportedly had as many as 26 cameras rolling at any one time to capture the thousands of cosplay enthusiasts, über-fans, gamers, cult movie buffs and anime nerds who swarm Comic-Con in the hope of glimpsing heroes like Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee and Frank Miller.

Australian Shorts 2 – Sunday, 13 November at 3pm (Tribal Theatre)

Will you find the next Scorsese, Tarkovsky or Charles Chauvel amongst this all-Australian selection of shorts? You wont know until you try.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 October 2011

In this week’s blog, I wanted to mention that I’ve launched a new radio show on ABC Digital.  We’ve actually done a few shows already but I wanted to get the format settled before I started promoting it.

Every Sunday afternoon between 1pm and 3pm (AEST), the ABC studios in Brisbane run two hours of programming across Australia on the ABC Digital channel.  This can be accessed online (at www.612live.com) or by anyone with a digital radio.

You’d normally find sports aired on your local ABC station on a Sunday afternoon but the purpose of this new programming is to give listeners an alternative.  The sport can now be heard on ABC Grandstand.

I’ve been lucky enough to secure a 30 minute segment every second Sunday at 1:30pm AEST (or 12:30pm Brisbane time).

As part of the show, I’ll be getting in a special guest critic to co-host.  We’ll talk about some of the better films that have been released, play a few clips, chat to some filmmakers and debate what’s happening in the industry.  I’ve also included a special spot where I’ll play one of my favourite film scores.  The name of the film isn’t revealed until after it’s played so hopefully it’ll keep you guessing.

So many major film critics are based in Sydney or Melbourne so hopefully this will allow Brisbane critics to find their voice and get people enthused about going to the movies.

The show isn’t currently podcasted but I’m hoping to remedy that early next year.  In the meantime, make sure you tune in on Sunday afternoons!  You won’t regret it.  This Sunday, I’ll be talking about Drive, Contagion and Midnight In Paris and also having a fun chat about movie trailers and how much they should give away.

Whilst there are no official podcasts as yet, I was lucky enough to get Spencer Howson to upload by 1 hour Toronto Film Festival spot onto the 612ABC Breakfast Blog.  We couldn’t include the music segments (due to copyright) but you can listen to it by clicking here.

It’s a long show so here’s an index if you want to jump to a particular bit.  The show came together quite well and I hope you enjoy it.  It’s a great way of summing up the amazing 8 days that I spent in Toronto.

00:00 – Introduction

06:30 – Talking with director Fernando Meirelles (City Of God) about his new film 360.

08:30 – Review of The Artist

10:00 – Review of The Descendants and talking with director Alexander Payne (Sideways) and George Clooney

13:30 – Review of Albert Nobbs

16:00 – Review of 50/50 and talking with writer Will Reiser, director Jonathan Levine and star Seth Rogen

21:00 – Review of Take This Waltz

23:00 – A funny Q&A story at Violet & Waltz with Saoirse Ronan

24:00 – Talking about the Australian films screening at Toronto

25:30 – Review of Eye Of The Story and talking with director Fred Schepisi and star Charlotte Rampling

28:30 – Review of The Hunter

32:00 – Talking about the many programs that make up the Festival each year

33:00 – Talking with programmer Kate Lawrie Van De Ven about how she picks films to screen at the Festival

34:30 – Review of The Student and talking with director Santiago Mitre

37:30 – Talking about the importance of the People’s Choice Award

40:00 – Talking with Geoffrey Rush about last year’s TIFF success story, The King’s Speech

42:00 – Talking about this year’s People’s Choice Award winner, Where Do We Go Now?

44:00 – Talking about what else I got up to in the USA

A quick reminder in case you haven’t seen it already, but you can check out all my video blogs from Toronto by clicking here.