Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 October 2000

Grace is a highly regarded member of the small town and she’s not going without a fight.  Her gardener, Matthew, is now out of a job and he asks Grace to help him with a small horticultural problem - he has a few small marijuana plants in the vicar's backyard that just aren’t growing.  Grace solves Matthew’s problems and in the process has come up with a solution to her own...

It’s hard not to think of Waking Ned Devine when seeing Saving Grace.  Both are comedies set in small towns with the whole community rallying around a bizarre scheme and a common goal.  Purely, it’s an English situation comedy that is entertaining and original.  Cast member Craig Ferguson is partly responsible for its screenplay and you can tell he had a fun conjuring up this idea.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Brenda Bleythn was a top choice to play the leading role.  I feel she doesn’t have the versatility to make it in the States but with roles like this coming her way, she won’t need to make the transition.  All the cast members though are a blast with their quirky characters and comedic lines.

The film ended rather abruptly for my liking and the sudden halt took a little time to digest.  The whole set up deserved a more fitting conclusion than a few TV clips shown during the end credits.  Regardless, Saving Grace is sure to be a talked as a peoples’ movie.  A real charmer.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2000

Some forty years later, NASA has a problem.  A Russian satellite has developed a small glitch and will fall to Earth in 35 days.  Should this happen, Russian communications will be thrown into chaos and so the U.S. has stepped in to fix the problem to help increase their relationship with the Russians.  It so happens that the technology on the satellite is primitive and the only man capable of understanding its technics is Frank Corvin (Eastwood), the former leader of Team Dateless.

So we find ourselves in an interesting situation.  Gurson, who is still chief at NASA, has to call upon the guy he screwed 40 years ago to come save the day.  Frank says he’ll do it but on one condition - if all of Team Dateless gets to go up in the shuttle.  Gurson gives him an ultimatum - they can go up but only if they pass the same physical and mental examinations set for all astronauts.  And so, the training begins...

I have seen better storylines than that offered by Space Cowboys.  We all know how things are going to pan out and the twists thrown at you are predictable.  At the initial NASA meeting, two items are discussed - (1) how a Russian satellite has American technology aboard, and (2) what is actually on board the satellite?  Neither question is answered at the time, which makes it painfully obvious that the answers will be given to us later, but if you connect the dots, you’ll know already.

What makes Space Cowboys such entertaining value is the awesome cast.  The same script with a weaker cast would have not have worked and it’s the class of all these “elderly” stars that give the film its draw.  It’s unfair to single out any character because they’re all so good.  Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones have some dynamite dialogue.  Donald Sutherland has put on a lot of weight for the role and is the funniest of the team.  James Cromwell has the tough job of playing the villain and is surprisingly effective.  My favourite had to be William Devane with his laid back portrayal of NASA mission director Eugene Davis.

Sure it’s popcorn stuff mixed with a dash of sentimentality but Space Cowboys has plenty going for it.  It’s not breakthrough material but it is certainly above average when compared against the current crop of Summer blockbusters.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 October 2000

Seth is introduced to Greg (Nicky Katt) by close friend Adam (Kennedy) who offers him a job at the New York stockbroking firm of J.T. Marlin.  At the interview, Seth finds himself exposed to a world he only dreamed of.  As employee Jim Young (Affleck) tells the budding hopefuls, you will make a million dollars within three years guaranteed.

It’s demanding but Seth fits straight in.  He develops the knack for pressuring potential purchasers and convinces them to part with their hard earned money for stock recommended by the firm.  Soon enough he’s rising up the corporate ladder but his intelligence senses that something is not quite right.  Why are employees shredding documents after dark?  Why is the boss setting up another organisation next door?  Why is it that no one has heard of J.T. Marlin?

Boiler Room is a very slick and sharp thriller from first time director and writer Ben Younger.  The story focuses not only on the firm but also its effect on the families of people affected, which offers a different perspective and creates feeling for them.  There’s a great scene where Seth tries to convince a self-employed, married man to part with his $50,000 life-savings to invest in stock with no chance of rising in value.  It’s heartbreaking to see the inner battle that both Seth and the gentlemen are going through - it’s a defining moment.

The ensemble is well cast with all of them young, arrogant entrepreneurs.  It must have been a field day for the costumers and make-up artists preparing their picture-perfect looks (it reminiscent of American Psycho).  A career performance was turned in by Ron Rifkin as the father who showed more than one dimension in a very realistic portrayal.

This film has a lot to offer and is edge of your seat stuff for its full two hours.  Certainly different, Boiler Room provides not only entertainment value but also a lesson in the treachery and danger fraught with playing the stockmarket and the depravity that some will go to make their own personal fortune.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2000

On a spur of the moment decision, Sean decides to audition for a tap show in Sydney and his flair catches the eye of the talent scout who decides he’s the right material.  At the same time, he meets and instantly falls for Linda (Lee) but Sean’s trip to the big city is eminent and they soon find themselves apart.

In Sydney, things don’t go as expected.  Sean quits and heads back to Newcastle where things go from bad to worse.  The steelworks are to be shut down and all the employees retrenched.  So to help get the staff back on their feet and create a retraining program, Sean and his mates decide to put on a tap concert to help raise much-needed funds.

Bootmen is a very likeable film particularly for its fast pace.  No scene seems wasted and the whole story flows at a rapid rate that heightens the interest and suspense making the surprises harder to anticipate.

Adam Garcia will boom onto the worldwide stage with this role continuing the world’s obsession with new Australian actors.  Sophie Lee also shows that she can play more than a dumb blonde (as in Muriel’s Wedding and The Castle) with her subtle performance.  The real stars of this film though are the tap dancers that have put on a fantastic show thanks to years of effort and practice.

Dein Perry is a newcomer to filmmaking although he knows a thing or two about the craft having been a member of Tap Dogs, the tap group from which this movie was inspired.  He uses inventive camera angles and lighting to increase our appreciation for these entertainers.  The film’s closing number is fantastic but the whole film is attractive as we see the demanding training and other hardships that went into pulling the dream off.

Bootmen is not to be missed.  It’s a tribute to Australia’s super talent both on and behind the cameras.  A touching, sentimental and uplifting film, Bootmen has all the right ingredients so take the time and go see it.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2000

On the other hand, Affleck has chosen more high profile and action roles with Armageddon, Phantoms, Forces Of Nature and now, Reindeer Games.  Personally, I think Damon has made a few better career moves and Affleck needs to exercise more thought when considering subject material such as this.

Rudy Duncan (Affleck) and Nick Cassidy (James Frain) are roommates in the slammer on the verge of being released.  Nick can’t wait to get out because whilst in jail he’s met the woman of his dreams, Ashley (Theron), through a penpal program and after months of       waiting, they can finally meet in the flesh.

However, Nick is stabbed and killed just 48 hours short of his release in a cafeteria brawl.  Against the advice that little voice in his head suggests, Rudy decides that when released, he’ll pretend to be Nick to win the affections of the luscious Ashley.

Things go about as bad as they can go for Rudy when he his attacked by Gabriel (Sinese), Ashley’s brother, who threatens to kill him unless he helps with his scheme.  He’s been reading Nick’s letters to Ashley and knows that he once worked in a casino and also knows the location of all the security cameras, trap doors and secret safes.  Gabriel and his team, with Nick’s knowledge, are going to strike on Christmas Eve to make it a very merry Christmas.  This of course is a problem to Rudy as he is not Nick and knows nothing at all about the casino...

The film started promisingly but the ending is total tripe.  I’ve had a recent dig at “teen horror films” and how their endings are so ludicrous it makes them impossible to substantiate.  Reindeer Games takes this to a new level with the most ridiculous twist one is likely to see.  It make zero sense and if you watched the film a second time, you’d see just how perfect everything went to make the twist work.  Total crap.

The performances aren’t worth raving about nor is the direction from John Frankenheimer who’s own career has deteriorated in recent years.  If you need any more incentive not to see this film, just remember this fact - it’s from the director of The Island Of Dr. Moreau.