Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 November 2009

Henry (Bana) is a man who has the ability to be able to travel back and forth through time.  It’s not a gift he can control however.  He could be talking to someone and then… wham… he disappears and pops up in a different time and place.  Every time this happens however, his clothes get left behind.  He turns up buck naked at his new destination.  I’m sure those with a crush on Eric Bana will enjoy the many nude scenes.

Now there have been a lot of movies made about time travel and as you’d expect, this film will require you to open your mind to the unfathomable.   The premise here is that the past and the future cannot be changed.  Henry tries to do just that but he cannot.  Everything is predetermined, including the fact that he is travelling through time.  Have I lost you yet?

Once I finally came to grips with the time travel element, I realised this is a pretty good film which puts a different spin on the romantic drama genre.  Henry falls in love with a woman named Clare (McAdams).  She’s anything but a woman though when they first meet.  Clare is a 6-year-old girl and is visited by the futuristic Henry.  The two strike up a friendship with the curious twist being that Henry knows that they’re going to get married.  Clare doesn’t know this yet.  Hmmm, this is still pretty confusing.

The up shot is that they have a very unique relationship and I think McAdams and Bana are great together on the big screen.  It’s not easy being married to a man who disappears continually and knows how the future will pan out.  How long can they last?  Even Henry’s unsure of that answer for reasons which you will see…

Based on the novel from Audrey Niffenegger, the movie has been adapted by screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin.  Rubin won an Oscar in 1990 for penning the script for Ghost (starring the late Patrick Swayze) as well as films including Jacob’s Ladder and Deep Impact.  The ending is well worth it but there are a few bumps along the way, aside from my early befuddlement.  There are certain scenes and characters which were unnecessary.  It’s best not to think about the time travel stuff too hard either because you’ll only find more plot holes.

Yet, here I am giving The Time Traveler’s Wife a positive grading.  I liked it because it’s a little different and you’d have to be fairly cold-hearted not to get caught up in the emotion.  I shed a few tears in the later stages as the emotion sunk in.  There’s a beautiful moment where Henry and Clare embrace on the porch of their home on Christmas Day.  It provided a lasting memory from what turned out to be a film worth seeing… without the talking pie.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 October 2009

That’s what the film is about.  What makes it a little more confusing is the fact that it has been directed by Nicholas Jasenovec – the same name as the character in the movie.  Jasenovec doesn’t play himself though.  That honour goes to Jake M. Johnson.  However, Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) and Michael Cera (Juno) ARE playing themselves.  Well, some sort of warped version anyway.  I honestly have no idea as to what’s real and what’s not.

This low-budget independent film is trying to be a little “too cool for school”.  You can tell that the cast had fun but it feels more like a school assignment than a full blown big-screen motion picture.  I found Charlyne Yi to be an incredibly annoying character and didn’t really care if she found love or not.  Sorry if I sound like a Grinch.

There are some positives to the film though and the interview scenes offer some insight into the mysteries of love.  There’s a nice scene where Yi speaks to a group involved with a wedding chapel in Vegas.  She also speaks to a couple who have been together for over 50 years.  This all felt a lot more honest than her own up-and-down romance.

I feel a little guilty giving Paper Heart the thumbs down because at least it’s trying to be original.  I’m also a fan of Michael Cera (despite the fact that he’s very one-dimensional).  Sadly, it lacks a decent storyline and comes across more as a silly novelty.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 October 2009

Jackson’s swansong was to be a series of 50 sold out concerts in London.  Kenny Ortega, who made the three High School Musical movies, was the director and choreographer of these shows.  The cast and crew spent months rehearsing in Los Angeles but Jackson passed away three weeks before the first concert was due to be held.

I was sceptical about this movie.  I didn’t really understand how they could make a two hour concert film from rehearsal footage.  This of course was never the intention when the footage was actually shot.  Jackson planned on keeping it in his own private collection.  I guess some of it would have also been used for promotional purposes.

Ortega has done well though.  Yes, it’s a concert movie but it goes beyond what I thought it would achieve.  It offers a rare insight into a reclusive individual.  Jackson avoided the media spotlight in his final years but we now have a chance to see him up close, simply being himself.  I confess to finding Jackson a little peculiar but when you watch him performing on stage, you realise he has such an incredible aura that rubs off on those around him.

This Is It features most of Jackson’s most famous songs and there are some nice interviews with those involved in the project – including a few Australians.  It’s worth noting that the film is not a tribute piece.  There aren’t any interviews with big name celebrities reflecting back on Jackson’s life and achievements.  In fact, Jackson’s death isn’t even mentioned except in the very opening scene.  The movie simply provides the chance to celebrate the talent of this gifted artist one last time.

Like any good concert, Jackson saves his best songs for the very end.  I was tapping my fingers together during quite a few of them.  If you want to experience a similar sensation, then you’ll need to be quick.  This Is It is getting a limited two week release in cinemas across the world.  I’ve got a hunch that many people are going to see it.  And so you should.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 October 2009

When we see Jenny at the end of the film, she is a changed individual.  Within the space of a few months, she has been given “an education” on life.  Her eyes, her ears and her heart have all been opened to the exciting world which lies outside her front door.  Ah, but mistakes will be made and lessons will be learned.  In one of the film’s final scenes, she sums up her misadventures by saying that “I feel old, but not very wise.”

So what happened in between?  His name is David (Sarsgaard).  They first met on a rainy afternoon while Jenny was walking home from school.  Sharing a common interest for classical music, Jenny was transfixed by David’s charm and knowledge.  He was a well travelled man – far more interesting than the naïve, immature boys she knew from her neighbourhood.  She didn’t care that he was nearly twice her age.

Her parents did though… at first.  They didn’t want their innocent daughter being led astray by this wealthy playboy.  David wins them over though with his smooth sensibility.  He starts taking Jenny to concerts, to dinners, to auctions, to Paris!  She’s the envy of all her friends at school.  Things couldn’t be better and her studies take a back seat to this new, opulent existence.  Life isn’t that easy though and Jenny is about to learn some valuable lessons which cannot be taught in any school textbook.  They have to be experienced.

I’ve had the chance to see this film twice and I’ve also had the chance to meet the star of the film, Carey Mulligan.  At just 24 years of age, Mulligan is a gifted actress and a star to watch.  Her breakout performance here is tipped to earn her an Oscar nomination early next year.  It’s also opened a bunch of doors in Hollywood.  She’ll soon be seen in Wall Street 2 (opposite Shia LaBeouf) and in Brothers (with Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal).

Mulligan goes through every human emotion possible in An Education.  Just looking at her face, you’ll see a noticeable transformation as the film progresses.  She seems to have a touching one-on-one scene with almost every member of the cast.  My pick of the supporting players was Olivia Williams (Rushmore) who plays one of Jenny’s teachers.

The well-written screenplay has been penned by Nick Hornby, the author of such classics as High Fidelity and About A Boy.  However, this is the first time he has adapted another’s work for the big screen.  The tale is based on memoirs written by Lynn Barber, a British journalist who currently works for The Sunday Times.  I liked some of the film’s off-beat moments – they give it a little “edge”.  One involves a banana. 

Swedish director Lone Scherfig (Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself) has brought the whole package together with a soft touch – from the film score to the cinematography.  An Education won the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and it’s a big-hearted crowd pleaser which you absolutely must see.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 October 2009

There is a lot of other nasty stuff going on in the world.  There are many causes which need people to “carry the flame”.  When I walk through the city during the week, heaps of people walk the streets trying to raise funds for a specific charity.  There’s only so much time and so much money that I can give.  How do you choose?

At the very end of his new film, you can sense the frustration in the voice of Michael Moore.  He’s made some fantastic documentaries over the past decade included Bowling For Columbine (which looks at gun control) and Fahrenheit 9/11 (which looks at the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks in 2001).  He’s trying to make a difference, trying to expose the flaws and double standards that exist within our society.  Is anyone listening though? 

Capitalism: A Love Story has struggled at the box office in comparison in Moore’s previous works.  We’re experiencing an extreme economic downturn where people are losing their jobs, their homes and their lives.  Do these same people want to go to a movie theatre and relive their own depression on the big screen?  Or would they rather see a Will Ferrell comedy or a Jerry Bruckheimer action blockbuster?  The answer appears to be the later.

It’s a shame but that’s reality.  And it’s a reality that allows people to be taken advantage of.  If you do take the time to see this film (and you should), you’ll see just how greedy the human race has become.  We’re obsessed with profit and making money.  I admit, that’s putting it a little too simply but you should see some of the examples which illustrate this message throughout the film.

There are major companies in the United States who take out life insurance policies on their employees.  If an employee should die, the company gets a payout.  Let me point out that this money does not go to the family of the deceased – it goes to the company.  We’re not talking about big executives here either – we’re talking about the lowly paid at the bottom of the corporate ladder.  In effect, these companies make a profit if employees die.  There are reports which analyse the money made from these business “activities”.  Is such behaviour ethically acceptable?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Moore’s film closes with his take on the $700 billion dollar bail-out package which was approved by Washington in late 2008.  The banks are getting all this money but how is it being used?  How are they made accountable?  His revelations are shocking.

This isn’t Michael Moore’s best documentary and I thought the first half-hour was a little slow with its focus on struggling American families.  I always knew these people were being taken advantage of – I wanted the film to skip ahead so I could find out why… and who was doing it.  Moore mixes it up too with a few light-hearted moments.  There’s a funny tourism video about the city of Cleveland which you can watch by clicking here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM.

As an accountant who has worked in the financial sector for over ten years, I do believe in Moore’s message.  If you want more ammo, check out a great 2003 documentary called The Corporation.  You could also read an incredible investigative article written by Matt Taibbi called “The Great American Bubble Machine” (look it up on the web).  Ah, but how many of us are prepared to change our capitalistic ways?  Are we all talk and no action?  Ask me in 20 years and I’ll tell you.