Matt's Blog

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 June 2011

USA: Here I Come

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was off to the Toronto Film Festival in September.  The pieces are slowly fitting into place and I’ll now be away from August 31 to September 26 taking in New York, Washington DC, Toronto, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Accommodation has been booked in Toronto just 750m from the TIFF Bell Lightbox (the new cinema complex that hosts the Toronto Film Festival) and I can’t wait until they release the program in late July.  English language films that screened in Toronto last year included 127 Hours, Hereafter, Black Swan, Barney’s Version, The King’s Speech, The Town, Another Year, Blue Valentine, Buried, Easy A, Let Me In, Made In Dagenham, Never Let Me Go, Rabbit Hole, Tamara Drewe and Inside Job.

I’m currently sorting out accommodation for the other legs of my journey and it should be one exciting trip!  I’ll keep you posted.

Who Is Matthew Toomey?

A fellow film blogger in Sydney, Mat Whitehead, kindly offered to do a Q&A with myself to see what worldly wisdom I could pass on to himself and others.  I’m usually the one asking the questions so it was a fun opportunity to be on the other side of the interview.

Mat has a knack for writing some hilariously scathing reviews.  As an example, I provide a link to his review of Your Highness (see here) – a film that deserved the criticism.

Make sure to add Mat to your internet favourites or you can follow him on Twitter at @matwhi.

Now, let’s get the attention back on me! :)

We did the interview a few weeks ago and you check it out on his blog by clicking here.  You can also read it below.  I hope I haven’t revealed too much about my self.  Enjoy!

Let’s start with a really obnoxious question- on your blog www.thefilmpie.com, you’ve reviewed over 3,000 movies. What would you say is your all-time favorite, and why?

How is that an obnoxious question?  It just gives me free reign to talk about Billy Elliot.

I love asking people this question myself because I’m often surprised by the answer.  The fact that we all have different favourites says a lot about the filmmaking.  It is most definitely an art form and every once in a while, a film touches us (hopefully not literally) in a way we won’t expect.

So yes, Billy Elliot is my all time favourite film.  I saw it back in 2000 and loved it so much that I went back 4 more times to see it in cinemas.  It’s just a beautifully told story about a simple kid with a dream to make something more of himself.

The fact that it’s grown to become one of the world’s most admired musicals (winning the Tony Award in 2009) validates my appreciation for the story.  I was lucky enough to see the musical in London with its original cast in 2005 and it was amazing!

Do you have a least favorite that instantly springs to mind?

The easiest reviews to write are those for films that I really love and for those that I really hate.  I can sit at my computer and let my heated emotions do the typing.

Since 1996, I’ve always pulled together a list of my top 10 and bottom 10 films for the year.   It’s a great way of encapsulating the year of cinema and honouring / trashing those films that truly deserve it.

There was a film I saw in 2006 called A Sound Of Thunder that starred Ed Burns and Ben Kingsley.  In my review I described it as “the worst film I’ve seen in ten years on the big screen.”  It’s a shame the studio didn’t use that quote on the poster.  They might have sold more tickets purely for the curiosity factor.

It was a fun experience though.  So bad were the dialogue, story, acting and special effects that the audience was laughing openly during the final 20 minutes.  Ed Wood would have been proud.

Have you always been a film fanatic?

Nope.  I hardly watched any movies during high school and it wasn’t until I landed a job in a video store at the age of 17 that my fanaticism began.  I actually spent the first year at the store working with Darren Hayes (ex Savage Garden).  I remember Darren letting me listen to his first single, “I Want You”.  I told him it was pretty good even though I knew nothing about music.  A few weeks later, his music career took off and gone were his days at Rainbow Video Kedron.

A month after I started working at the store, I entered a pick the Oscars contest in Who Weekly (it was a friend’s copy, I swear).   I picked 10 out of 10 (from Restoration for costume design to Braveheart for best picture) and won a year’s worth of free movies.  I guess that’s where things really took off.  I’d made more than 150 trips to the cinemas that year and my wallet was none the wiser.

Has there ever been a time where you’ve watched a movie, and can’t make up your mind if you love it or loathe it?

Not too often.   There have been plenty of times when I’ve watched a movie and gone “meh” and then appreciated it much more a second or third time.  I have a policy never to change my original grading on my website however.  So for anyone who is reading, please ignore my reviews for The Big Lebowski, Office Space, Boogie Nights and Fight Club on my website.  Those films are awesome!

One of the best pieces of advice I can give as a critic is to see movies with friends / colleagues and then talk about them afterwards.  It’s a great way to collect your own thoughts whilst opening your mind to other perspectives.  If I’d done that with a few of the abovementioned films, perhaps I would have gained a quicker appreciation for their brilliance.

I honestly can’t think of a time where we’ve ever disagreed on a film – which begs the question, and it’s an important question – have you ever seen Under The Tuscan Sun, and if so how much do you love it?

I understand the importance of this question.  You watch that film on a far too regular basis!  That said, I admit that it’s pretty good.  The credit must go to (1) Diane Lane for being one of the world’s most amazing actresses, and (2) Italy for being one of the world’s most beautiful countries.  How could anything go wrong with that combination?

On the topic of guilty-pleasure movies, do you have one movie that you love even though you know you shouldn’t?

When it appeared the rapture would take my soul a few weeks ago, I confessed on Twitter to having a soft spot for Meet Joe Black.  It prompted one follower (the always amusing @petertaggart) to respond with “you should’ve taken that to the grave” so I’m going to assume I’m in the minority with this one.

I really liked it.  The idea of a rich guy finding out he has a few days left to live tugged at my curiosity.  How would you spend the time?  What loose ends would you tie up?  The fact that Death looks like Brad Pitt and falls in love with the rich guy’s daughter is a bit of stretch but what can I say.  The heart wants what the heart wants.

Is there something you look for in films, or something that really makes you appreciate a film more than others? How does a film gain your seal of approval?

It becomes harder and harder each year but originality is what I look for most in a movie.  When you see over 200 films a year, you get tired of the same stuff over and over.  It’s like being forced to eat at McDonalds every day for a month (Super Size Me style) – you’re being provided with sustenance but your stomach will eventually crave something different.
 

The sad reality is that big studios are taking fewer and fewer chances.  They rely on sequels, remakes and comic book adaptations.  My favourite film of 2010 was Inception and I loved the audacity of director Christopher Nolan to risk $160m on a movie that, god forbid, would challenge the audience.  I was glad to see it rewarded with a huge box-office return and 4 Academy Awards.

If you could change one thing about the film industry – what would it be?

I touched on it with the last question but I can’t believe how powerful studios have become with their marketing campaigns.  Even if a film is awful, they can sucker people into seeing it on opening weekend thanks to an endless barrage of movie trailers, television advertisement, bus station ads, magazine covers and celebrity interviews.

This makes it very hard for the smaller films to compete, which are often just as good if not better.  I try to promote any worthy film but it’s sad to see the box-office takings for the weekend and find out that a decent new Aussie flick got slaughtered by the 15th sequel in a seemingly endless franchise.

I can’t offer any workable solution to this problem but I wish there was a way for smaller movies to get their deserved share of the market through better promotion and advertising.  If anyone has an answer, please let me know!

The Australian film industry has had its ups and downs recently. Do you think there is a need for films that conform to an ‘Australian cinema’?

Not at all.  Diversity is important within any film industry and I hope Australia continues to make a wide range of movies going forward.

As we’ve seen over the past two years, the Aussie public is willing to get behind many different kinds of films – Tomorrow When The War Began, Animal Kingdom, Mao’s Last Dancer, Bran Nue Dae and Samson & Delilah.

My point is that people don’t worry that much about the genre or style.  Rather, people care about whether it’s any good.  We’re always going to make a few bad films (as any country would) but if financiers know how to spot a good script, the industry should thrive.

Finally – Is there a upcoming film you’re particularly excited for?

I’m heading off to the Toronto Film Festival for the first time in September and can’t wait for that.  It’s my favourite festival to follow and it’ll be cool to see many of the Oscar contenders before everyone else.  I’ll hopefully be able to nab some interviews too.

My favourite director is Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights) and I hear he’s working on a new film called The Master with Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.  It’s not due for release until 2013 but just thinking about those three working together is exciting.

Thinking more short term… I’m looking forward to Super 8, Bridesmaids and The Tree Of Life.  They all look to be offering something a little different and hopefully they’ll deliver!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 June 2011

Gifted filmmaker JJ Abrams was recently in Australia for the premiere of Super 8, one of my favourite films so far this year.  I was lucky enough to have a chat over the phone with him and here’s what he had to say…

You can download an abbreviated podcast of the interview by clicking here.

Matt:  This morning I’m speaking with a writer-producer-director whose career keeps on climbing.  He created television shows such as Felicity, Alias and Lost.  On the bigger screen he’s directed Mission Impossible 3 and the latest Star Trek reboot.  I’m excited because this is the first film that I’ve given an A-grading to in the last 4 months… so let me say good morning to JJ Abrams.

JJ Abrams:  You’ve made my day.  Thanks very much.  It’s great to be here. 

Matt:  So many of the projects you’re associated with take this approach but it’s great to see a film withhold so much from the audience prior to seeing it.  The posters give away nothing and the trailers are very cryptic.  As the director, can you command that kind of control over the marketing and the promotion of the film?

JJ Abrams:  Thanks for all that.  The idea for Super 8 was to try and preserve the experience for the audience.  I don’t know if you’ve ever had this but you see a trailer or watch a commercial and you literally feel like you’ve seen the whole movie and you don’t have a burning need to go see it.

Matt:  I feel that all the time.

JJ Abrams:  I just think it is a little overbearing and it speaks to an entitlement to information that people seem to have now with the computer age.  For me, it’s not a question of being coy and trying to play it overly clever.  It’s about saying “look, here are the characters and here is the situation.”  Clearly we’re telling more as we get closer to the release but we don’t want people to feel the experience is spoiled before they’ve even been there.

Matt:  I wish more filmmakers took that approach.  I should ask though because I want to be careful not to give too much away about this film.  What do we tell people that it’s about?

JJ Abrams:  The story, which I’m happy to talk about, focuses on this kid in the late 70s in an American small town.  He’s got a ridiculous group of friends that all make these movies on super 8 film.  This particular boy, before the movie even begins, has recently lost his mother in an accident at the local steel film.  He’s been left with his father with whom he doesn’t have a very strong relationship.  He’s getting on with his life as best he can but he’s still devastated by the loss of his mum. 

He’s with his friends making movies and while filming at a train station one night, they witness this crazy train crash.  They don’t see what it is but something escapes from the train that will change everything in their town.

The story about this boy and the "creature" is really just a catalyst to tell the story of first love, the story of family, the story of going from a follower to a leader, and ultimately realising that you can go through a horrible tragedy and be stronger afterwards.

Matt:  About half way through the film I was thinking that it reminded me of one of my favourite movies growing up, The Goonies.  Please tell me you’re a fan...

JJ Abrams:  I am a fan of The Goonies but it’s funny, I wasn’t a huge fan when I first saw it as a kid.  I became a fan when I watched it with my kids.  They just loved it and I had this newfound respect for it.

The thing that I loved about it was how wonderfully messy the dialogue was with the kids and how it constantly overlaps.  It made that movie feel like it was real – the kids were acting like kids.  If you’ve ever watched a bunch of kids hang out that age, they’re not polite and they don’t wait for the other one to finish before they talk.  That was a great lesson from that film.

Matt:  I want to give you as much credit as possible but I can’t help but mention these kids.  They’re so relaxed and are having so much fun on the screen.  How did you get them to do that and look so natural?

JJ Abrams:  First of all, they’re just an incredible group.  Part of it was casting kids that didn’t feel like professionals acting as children.  We were lucky to find among the group Joel Courtney and Riley Griffiths, both who had never been in anything or even on the set of anything before this film.  It was wonderful to work with them and allow them to bring a natural dynamic and personality to the movie. 

It was just a blast to work with them and Elle Fanning is just “off the charts” brilliant.  The whole experience was really wonderful with these actors.

Matt:  Is there one of these kids that you moulded on yourself growing up and I can watch the film thinking that’s the young JJ Abrams?

JJ Abrams:  The truth is that I'm like the kid who makes the movies but I was never as confident as he is.  I was also like the main character but probably not quite as shell-shocked.  I loved blowing things up too and filming them but I wasn’t as obsessed about it as Cary so I guess I’m somewhere in the middle.

Matt:  I mentioned the posters before and one thing they do say in big blaring letters is Steven Spielberg’s name as he is a producer on the film.  I know a producer can have varying roles on a projects but I’m curious to know how involved Spielberg was with this particular project?

JJ Abrams:  You know I still haven’t met him…. just kidding.  This movie would never have happened without him for many reasons and most are probably obvious.  When I was a kid in that time making super 8 movies, the work of Steven Spielberg was a profound influence.  The films he made, the films George Lucas made, the films John Carpenter made were huge for me and my friends. 

As soon as I had this idea to do the film, I called Steven and asked if he’d be interested.  He immediately said yes as he remembered what it was like to make the movies he did when he was a kid.  Over the course of development of the script, casting, production, editorial, scoring, mixing… he was part of the every process and was incredibly helpful.

It is an Amblin film as was The Goonies and a number of other movies.  It really allowed me to feel free to embrace the qualities of Amblin films – often involving children and stories of spectacle and other worldly events.  They were stories about family and friendships that weren’t afraid to get emotional and pull at the heart strings.

Matt:  Well you’ve done a fantastic job but I want to ask you one more question about what cool projects you’re working on that we’re going to see in the near future?

JJ Abrams:  We’ve got Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which comes out in December that Brad Bird is directing.  We’ve got a couple of new TV shows – one called Alcatraz and the other called Person of Interest.  We’ve got a number of other things we’re playing with in various stages of development that hopefully we can talk about soon.  One of those is another Star Trek movie that we’d love to get up and running sooner rather than later.

Matt:  When do you sleep?  It sounds like you have so much on?

JJ Abrams:  The hardest thing about sleeping is not my professional life but it’s having three kids – that’s what makes sleep so precious.

Matt:  Well I’m sure they’re going to love this movie and JJ Abrams, thank you for speaking with us this morning.

JJ Abrams:  Thank you so much for your kind words.

You can check out my review for Super 8 by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 June 2011

Luke Donald – Woohoo!

I have to open with some golfing related news.  For those who don’t know, I have a love for both film AND golf.  The two streams only seem to clash when they make a movie about golf (e.g. Happy Gilmore, Tin Cup) but that’s not very often.

Last Friday I was elected to the Board of Golf Queensland which is a great honour and will keep me busy promoting the game over the next two years.  Should be fun.

Just as importantly, I stayed up until 3:30am on Sunday night / Monday morning to see Luke Donald win the BMW PGA Championship and become the new number 1 golfer in the world.  Donald has been my favourite golfer for the past 6 years and I’ve followed him through highs and lows.  It’s kind of hard to believe that he’s now the top ranked golfer in the world but it’s well deserved and I couldn’t be happier for him.  I back him in every major so hopefully a U.S. Open trophy will adorn his mantelpiece in a few weeks time.

The Hangover: Part 2

Studios take fewer and fewer chances when it comes to sequels and never has that been more evident than with The Hangover: Part 2.  It feels like a carbon copy of the original!  The guys wake up in a filthy hotel room (this time in Bangkok) with no recollection of the previous night.  One of them is missing and the rest have roughly 24 hours to track him down and make it to the wedding on time.

Has there ever been a sequel with such a similar plot?  I can’t think of one off the top of my head.  Let me say that I still enjoyed the film but I’m just surprised that it played it so “safe”.

The irony is that the film has made a ridiculous $137m in its first 5 days of release in the United States.  It took $86m over the Friday to Sunday period and to put that into perspective, only two R-rated comedies have ever broken the $50m barrier – Sex & The City (if you can call that a comedy with $57m) and Jackass 3D (with $50.4m).

The numbers were similar here in Australia.  The film took in $11.3m – the biggest 4-day opening for a film so far this year.  It’s well beyond the $3.4m that was earned by the original film in its first 4 days.

I guess there’s a lesson to be learned here.  If you’re a big Hollywood studio and you want guaranteed cash, stick with a winning formula.  Don’t change anything!

Snowtown

It’s been dwarfed at the box-office by The Hangover 2 but I want to point out that the Snowtown is still performing strongly.  I’m sure its controversial subject matter is contributing to people’s intrigue.

It dropped just 19% in its second weekend (that’s good, trust me) and has now earned $389,000 in its first 11 days.  That’s pretty good for a movie showing on just 17 screens.  By comparison, Pirates Of The Caribbean is on 600 screens.

I’m a fan of the film and so am very happy to see the Australian public getting behind it.

The Tree Of Life

I didn’t get a chance to mention it last week but Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life took the top prize, the Palm D’or, at the Cannes Film Festival.  I’ve mentioned my keenness to see the film a few times and this will only add to the build up.

The reclusive Malick didn’t turn up to the ceremony to accept his prize but it turns out he was in attendance at the Cannes premiere.  It looks like he made a concerted effort to avoid the camera but someone managed to snap a photo.  You can check it out and a quick story on the Awards Daily website by clicking here.

A friend said it best with “privacy is the new celebrity”.  The fact that we know so little about Malick (he hasn’t given an interview since 1973) and yet he’s such an acclaimed director only adds to his mystique and makes us want to know more.

The Tree Of Life is out on June 30 but the Palace Centro is offering a preview for its movie club members on June 17.  If you’re not a member, now’s the time to join!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 May 2011

Geoffrey Rush was recently in Australia to promote Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and I was able to grab 10 minutes with him over the phone to talk about the film and few other things.  Here's what he had to say...

Matt:  He’s in Sydney at the moment for the premiere of the new Pirates Of The Caribbean movie and we’re lucky enough to be joined this morning by one of Australia’s finest actors.  Born in Toowoomba and raised in Brisbane, he’s won an Academy Award for movies, a Tony Award for theatre and an Emmy Award for television.  Before I get too jealous let me say good morning to Mr Geoffrey Rush.

Geoffrey:  Good morning sir, how are you?

Matt:  Very well thank you.  I’ve been following your movements over the past 10 days.  You were in Los Angeles, then London, then Cannes and then now in Sydney, is that right?

Geoffrey:  Yeah and you can throw in 10 hours in New York somewhere in there.

Matt:  How are you feeling?

Geoffrey:  I’m drinking something with “isotonic” written on the front of the bottle.  I hope that works.

Matt:  Where are you based at the moment?  Here in Australia or do you live over in the United States?

Geoffrey:  No, my home is in Melbourne.

Matt:  You’ve chalked up all these awards over the years – the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes.  Where do you keep them all?  Do you have a “pool room” somewhere in your home where you can show them off?

Geoffrey:  They’re on various ledges here and there.  Trying to look aesthetically indistinct and blending in with the furniture.

Matt:  You must be running out of room by now?

Geoffrey:  It’s been a wonderful ride that still looks as though it’s got legs.  They’re already talking about Pirates 5 so at least I’ve got a job.

Matt:  We’ve mentioned you’re from Queensland – born and raised here.  Do you get back up to Queensland very often?

Geoffrey:  Not as much as I’d like to.  My mum’s still living up on the Sunshine Coast with my sister so I’m hoping to get back up there as the weather gets colder in Melbourne, I’ll go up and have a visit.

Matt:  When Pirates 5 ever gets released, we’ll have to get you up here and try to lure the premiere to Queensland?

Geoffrey:  I’d really love to do that.  Johnny, Penelope, Will and director Rob Marshall and this wonderful bunch of young kids – Sam Claflin and Astrid Berges-Frisbey, this gorgeous French woman who plays a mermaid.  We were all on the road together for the premiere in Disneyland which was just insane.  25,000 people on the black carpet.

It’s a good way to get to know the fans and have a sense of the extraordinary energy and loyalty they’ve been showing to these films since 2003.  It’s like having all these people who you never get to see the film with come along on the one night and endorse what you’ve been doing with these storylines.

Matt:  Many of the original cast like Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy and Jonathan Pryce didn’t come back this time.  How did they lure you back into this pirate franchise?

Geoffrey:  The trilogy came to an end and all those storylines got tied up.  Their characters, Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner, went into a strange marriage and they’ve now got a 10 year old boy and they’re now living quietly up in the Daintree forest.  I’m not sure.

Everyone agreed it was an ideal time to bring in fresh ideas and go back to the initial excitement of creating this series in the first place.  It gave an opportunity to bring in some bold, fabulous, big new characters.  It’s a story that stands alone by itself.

Matt:  I know actors often go through a lot of preparation to get ready for a role but how does it work with a film like this.  Given you’ve played the character before, can you just rock up to the set on day 1 and say “let’s do it” or do you still need time to prepare?

Geoffrey:  I wish I could!  It’s a bit like that but there’s always been a monstrous sword fight that I’ve got to get my head around for the end of the movie.  I really quite like having to learn that and it does take a couple of months in preparation.

Matt:  How much training do you have to put in each day with those sword fights?

Geoffrey:  The stunt guys will come and grab you.  They show you the routine and it’s probably got about 80 moves in it and you think “my brain will never remember that”.  Also, I have a leg missing and I’ve got my crutch so I’m a multi-weaponed fighter.

After a while you get it down and they say “well that was about 30% of speed and now we want you to go 50%” and then by the day you’re shooting you’re up to 100% and you go “this is really cool, I’m not dead yet”.

Matt:  How does it work with the wooden leg?  Is that special effects or have you got the leg tied behind you?

Geoffrey:  We tried the leg tied behind and putting on a prosthetic leg but I went to a professional amputee guy and said it takes 18 months to get your muscles to trained up to be able to handle this new situation for your body.  So I knew the CGI guy would do me proud.

I had a set of stockings – a blue stocking for when I’m in the jungle and a green stocking for when I’m at sea.  When you see the film, everyone’s absolutely convinced I did a Daniel Day Lewis and chopped my leg off for the character.

Matt:  These films are so fun to watch but is it really fun on the set with the gunfire and running all over the place or is it hard work?

Geoffrey:  It’s a bit of both.  Some days you go there and you think it’s insane.  Particularly when you get to something like the Fountain Of Youth and you have three major plot lines converging.  I think it took about 6 weeks to film that massive last scene.

You’re on an pretty dangerous worksite and there’s a lot of care and safety that goes on but it’s part of our job.  We’ve got to look like we’re making it up as we go along so yes, we are having some fun.  Hopefully whatever fun we do have making the film spills over into the audience.

Matt:  I have to mention the man himself – Johnny Depp and this iconic character that he’s created.  I’ve seen giant billboards around Brisbane and all they have is an image of Captain Jack Sparrow.  It doesn’t even have the title of the film because everyone knows exactly what we’re taking about.  Is all his crazy dialogue scripted or do you get to throw ideas back and forth between each other or is it pretty well scripted?

Geoffrey:  The scripting is very sharp.  Like most films, even for a pirate movie, you go into a hotel room somewhere before you start shooting and rehearse the scenes as much as you can.  It’s pretty hard to imagine that you’re in a bamboo forest in Hawaii when you’re in a Marriott suite.

Johnny is always very investigative and very improvisational.  Stuff comes out of the weird part in the back of his brain where Jack Sparrow lives.  He always manages on the day of shooting to keep a couple of wildcards up his sleeve and as an actor, it’s great to match wits with that because he keeps you on your toes.

Matt:  I can’t pass up the opportunity to say congratulations on the success of The King’s Speech.   $30m it made at the box-office here in Australia.  I almost got tired of people telling me how much they loved it.  I loved it too.  Did you meet anyone who didn’t like it?

Geoffrey:  Not personally but you never do.  No one ever comes up and says “that film sucks”.  We wait for some of the critics to say that and we say yeah, but how come so people seem so keen to see it.  Maybe you better take a look at it again.

Matt:  Did you have any that it was going to be that big when you were making it?

Geoffrey:  No.  Everyone liked the story and thought there was something really interesting going on in there but to have the idea of two middle aged men sitting around in a room together talking about their problems didn’t immediately scream blockbuster.

Matt:  I’ll let you get back to it and hopefully you can get some rest over the next few days after all your travel.  Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is out now and Geoffrey Rush, thank you for speaking with us this morning.

Geoffrey:  Thank you.