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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 February 2006

Battling to make ends meet, Josey Aimes (Theron) is a single mother living in Minnesota.  She recently left her abusive husband and is now back home with her parents and her two young children.  In need of employment, Josey accepts a job in a nearby mine.  The money is good but it’s an industry in which men outnumber women by 30 to 1.

Josey is about to learn why there aren’t many women in this workplace.  Most of the male employees are resentful of their presence because they are taking jobs away from other men.  This has given them the right to harass, both verbally and physically, the female staff.  None of the women speak up because they can’t afford to lose their jobs and they wouldn’t be believed anyway.

After several confronting incidents, Josey takes a stand.  She quits her job and with the help of a retired lawyer (Harrelson), commences a lawsuit against the operators of the mine.  The year is 1989 and the case will be a first in the American legal system.  It won’t be easy however because no other women are prepared to support Josey (they value their jobs more) and the mining company will stop at nothing to protect their own reputation.

This film is fictional but is based on America’s first successful sexual harassment case.  Some of the courtroom scenes are bit far-fetched but the overall story is very compelling.  There’s a scene in which Josey loses her cool in a car park after being taunted by the wife of another miner.  It’s a defining moment in the film and you get a sense of how difficult it must have been for Josey and her family.

It is the performances which make this film and both Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand (as a fellow miner) have received well-deserved Oscar nominations.  Like her role in Monster, I’m impressed by how Theron brings out in the flaws in her own character.  Her character may be dong the right thing but she often goes about it in the wrong way.

Directed by New Zealand born Niki Caro (Whale Rider), North Country is a strong film which most should enjoy.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 January 2006

Word has spread and all in Venice know of Casanova (Ledger).  Few know him by face but all know him by reputation.  He is the ultimate lover, a man who knows how to satisfy every woman’s deepest desires.  His greatest asset is his long… list of conquests.  With that much experience, it’s no wonder that men want to be him and women want to be with him.

Unfortunately for Casanova, his activities have raised eyebrows within the Catholic Church.  His disregard for the sanctity of love and marriage has forced them to take action.  Bishop Pucci (Irons) has been sent from Rome to find the devious Casanova and bring him to justice.

To avoid the Church’s wrath, a good friend suggests to Casanova he get married.  It will fool others into thinking he’s a reformed individual.  Casanova has chosen a beautiful young girl named Vittoria, closely guarded by her father and renowned for her virginity.  His problems appear to have been solved.

That is until Casanova meets his perfect opposite.  Her name is Francesca (Miller) and her confident demeanour and opinionated views have captured his attention.  She loathes Casanova and finds it sad that he can sleep with so many women and yet never find true love.  Knowing he would have no chance if he were to reveal his identify, Casanova takes on a “nom de plume”.  Pretending to be wealthy lard salesman named Paprizzio, his seduction of Francesca begins…

Casanova is a light-hearted farce which I enjoyed for its wit.  Everyone is deceiving everyone and it’s funny to see the crazy situations they become involved in.  There’s one scene in which Casanova is seated at a table with Victoria’s father (who thinks he is Casanova) and Francesca and her mother (who think he is Paprizzio).  I should also mention that promiscuous Victoria is currently under the table.  You have to laugh as Casanova tries to worm his way out of another curly predicament.

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat), Casanova was filmed on location in Venice.  The lavish costumes and special effects do a great job of transporting us back into the 18^th Century (where the film is set).  Those that have been to Venice will recognise many of the locations and it does justice to what is regarded as one of the world’s most romantic cities.

So what is the ideal release date in Australia for such a film?  The answer is Valentine’s Day and Casanova will give romantics much to swoon about.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 February 2006

Director Sam Mendes has only made two films but he has a huge reputation.  His first feature, American Beauty, comfortably won the Oscar for best film.  Road To Perdition didn’t win as many awards but it was also a great movie.

Jarhead is Mendes’ latest film but for the first time, he isn’t basking in critical and public acclaim.  The film underperformed at the U.S. box-office and didn’t receive a mention during last week’s Academy Award nominations.  I read a recent interview with Mendes in which he talked possible reasons for the poor reception in America – “Fundamentally, Jarhead disobeys all the laws of American movies, and not just the political laws of American movies right now which demand on some level to tell us which side they’re on.”

I wanted to include that comment because I think it’s the perfect way to describe what this film is on about.  Jarhead is not a pro-war film or an anti-war film.  Mendes simply puts the story out there and leaves it up to the audience to make of it what they will.  This will frustrate some but I found plenty to think and talk about afterwards.

The story is based on Anthony Swofford’s non-fiction novel.  As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, Swofford took part in “Operation Desert Shield” in 1990.  The country of Kuwait had been invaded by Iraq (under the command of Suddam Hussein) and U.S. soldiers were called.

Unlike other war films, the focus isn’t on fierce battles and survival.  Jarhead is a story of boredom.  Anthony Swofford and his team spent six months is Saudi Arabia waiting to go to war.  Until orders came through from President Bush to attack, the 500,000 U.S troops had to sit and wait.  They talked rubbish, they played football and they masturbated.

Jake Gyllehaal (Brokeback Mountain) plays Swofford and other notable cast members include Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass), Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Lucas Black (Friday Night Lights).  All get to display their prowess in the later stages of the movie when the emotional impact kicks in.  The wait affects them in different ways and some are driven to the point of insanity.  When you’re sweltering in boiling temperatures, continually following orders and hanging around testosterone-charged guys for 24 hours a day, it’s easy to lose your grip on reality.  It made me wonder how I’d handle the same situation.

So many good war films have been made and Jarhead deserves to be included amongst them.  Films like Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now are fantastic but Jarhead’s fresh look distinguishes it from the rest.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 January 2006

I confess that I’m a lot more interested in the game of soccer, or should I say “football”, than I was a year ago.  I’ve been to a few Queensland Roar games in the A-League and I watched Australia’s gripping World Cup qualifying win against Uruguay on television.  The sport is increasing its profile in this country and I’ll state the obvious in that the upcoming World Cup finals will only Australia’s interest in the sport.

Goal! is the story of Santiago Munez (Becker), a young Mexican living in Los Angeles.  He plays in the local league and dreams one day of being a professional footballer.  These are not the dreams of his over-bearing father who strongly wants him to follow in his footsteps and run the family’s cleaning business.

At a regular weekend match, Santiago is spotted by Glen Foy (Dillane), a former scouter and player for English club Newcastle United.  Foy calls the club and pulling in all his favours, arranges a trial.  The chance of a lifetime has arrived but there will be many obstacles to overcome…

The film chronicles Santiago’s trials with Newcastle United leading up to his eventually selection in the team.  The story doesn’t end there however because two planned sequels are in the works – one which sees Santiago transferred to Real Madrid and another which sees him compete in the 2006 World Cup.

It’s completely fictitious but I was captivated by Santiago’s story.  I’ll even admit to shedding a small tear of joy during the finale.  Cinderella-like sporting movies are my weakness.  This rags-to-riches story is filled with clichés and predictable obstacles but Santiago is a likeable character and you can’t help but cheer for him.

The film will be seen differently by those with a much more intimate knowledge of the “world game”.  Reading forums on the internet, I notice that some soccer fans are critical of the plot holes and inconsistencies.  I understand their annoyances because as a golfer, I am driven to distraction by films such as The Legend Of Bagger Vance, Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore.

Many scenes were filmed in Newcastle and their famous home stadium, St James Park, on full display.  Director Danny Cannon has mixed his scenes with footage from actual Newcastle games and it looks very believable.  Also keep your eyes peeled for cameos by real stars including as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Alan Shearer.  Goal! is a winner.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 January 2006

Based on his own autobiography, Walk The Line brings to the screen the true life story of musician Johnny Cash.  His career began in 1955 when as a 23-year-old, he recorded his first songs for Sun Records.  His first big hit was “I Walk The Line” and other songs you may remember include “A Boy Named Sue”, “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Ring Of Fire”.

After a brief introduction, Walk The Line chronicles Cash’s life from his early success through to a famous concert at the London Gardens in 1968.  If his accomplishments were achieved with ease, then this movie probably wouldn’t have been made.  We love to see stories of people triumphing over adversity and Johnny Cash did just that.  He battled alcoholism, struggled to overcome a drug addiction and had a difficult marriage with his first wife, Vivian.  These problems are the focus of James Mangold’s film.

Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator) plays Johnny Cash and those in the know have been buzzing about his performance for some months.  Reese Witherspoon (Just Like Heaven, Election) plays June Carter, a fellow artist who Cash had an on-again, off-again relationship with for many years.  Their performances are incredible and both will earn Academy Award nominations.  I particularly loved Reese’s Southern accent and I think she’s a shoe-in to claim the Oscar.  You’ll be happy to know that both actors sung all the film’s songs themselves.  They sound great too.  Both had six months training from music producer T-Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

As well made as the film is, I was disappointed by the film’s lack of adventurousness.  Twelve months ago we were treated to Ray, the life story of Ray Charles with Jamie Foxx in the leading role.  Charles too had marital problems and battled his own drug addiction.  Walk The Line feels very similar and at 136 minutes, my patience grew thin.  I was also discouraged by some of the tacky dialogue and I believe the story has been over-Hollywood-ised.

Extremely popular when released in the United States last November, Walk The Line should be equally successful here in Australia.  Johnny Cash has a huge fan-base and his death in 2003 did nothing to diminish that.  His story will be of interest to many.