Toy Story 3

The biggest battle at the box office this season is the one between the two biggest animation studios in Hollywood and their franchises. Dreamworks started off with 'Shrek Forever After', which I've not seen yet, and 'Toy Story 3'. I will warn you that this review will have some spoilers about the ending, so if you prefer to remain surprised please be careful.

Pixar is constantly amazing me. I know it might be wrong to say but each time they make a movie you are expecting them to do something wrong and turn out a bad movie. There has not been a film company that has had as much success as they have. But we need not worry as they just keep making brilliant films. I do no think many of us would have thought that we would care so much about a group of plastic characters that are computer generated. Over the course of three films we have come to know and love this group of toys and the love they have for their owner. We know that living creatures like humans and animals will do whatever they can to be with the person they love but for it to be a toy is amazing. I think it has also changed people's perceptions about their own toys. I'm sure it has made us think about this bond that we form with these things that we form relationships with in the early parts of our lives. But being something that is only for children we must grow up and leave them. There is the obvious connection with parents. Many have made the connection that Woody is the closest thing that Andy has to a father. That is why when Andy has to leave at the end he has the hardest time leaving Woody. There is one moment in this farewell that was so heartbreaking that is made me cry so hard. And that is the power of Pixar and the creators of this series. They put so much time and effort into the story and character development that we have these feelings when something bad happens to them. This however was not the worst moment for me as a previous scene tops it. As our favourite gang think they are about to face their demise they come together as they prepare to face their fate. You know they will have to get out of (if they didn't then that would be far too devastating), but just seeing this moment of unity was just a joy. There is also an excellent story before this moment as well. We get to meet a different group of toys and see what rejection can do to some toys. This is personified in the character of Lotso. The writers have cleverly taken the sweetest looking toy and made him an evil task master and prison warder. It is an excellent journey for our toys to take, especially Woody as he comes to realise who his real family is. I will admit that there are some moments which feel like repeats from previous films but it does not matter.

I spoke in my review of the first two films how I feel this is the best thing that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have done. I think Pixar are brilliant at casting just the right actor for all their roles. Of the new cast I think they have again chosen wisely. Ned Beatty as Lotso has just the right amount of warmth and big bear tone to make him seem to nice and lovable. But then he can change his tone and become an evil and bitter old toy. Michael Keaton is also brilliant as Ken. He gives just the right amount of ego and dopiness you expect from this 'girls' toy.

This is a brilliant end to a brilliant series. It will be difficult to leave this group but we know they are in safe hands, they will be loved and well looked after. Make sure you go and give your support to them as they enter a new aspect of their lives.

Rocket Science

I find the distribution of films in Australia a fascinating thing. While some potentially popular films go straight to DVD, others such as this one get a cinema release. Being such a small independent film I did not think they would bother. Plus it was made 4 years ago.

I normally like really quirky independent films. I was also a fan of this directors previous film the documentary 'Spellbound'. However I really did not like this film. The first half was quite good and it seemed to be going in an interesting direction. Then a twist happens and it goes down hill very fast. The twist seem to take the film in a directionless area. You don't really know what is happening and where the film is going. I did not understand the twist either as it made not much sense. I realise that it may take the film in an interesting direction but to me it made no sense. It changes a characters motivation for their actions which made no sense to me. The most interesting thing for me was debating. I did debating at school and it was never like this. I can't believe how fast these people talk. I'm so glad I did do more debating as I'm not sure I could keep up with the talking.

I think part of the reason the film got a cinema release was Anna Kendrick. Her popularity in the 'Twilight' movies and 'Up In The Air' has meant there could be interest out there. She is pretty good here in one of her early roles. Nicholas D'Agnosto is good as Ben, and this may sound bad but his stutter did irritate me a little.

I may be the only one who feels this way but this film did not work for me. The plot was a little strange and took a direction I did not like.

The Secret In Their Eyes

The foreign language category at the Oscars is always interesting. Each year there are one or two films that everyone expects to win and then another film comes along and gets it. This year everyone expected either 'The White Ribbon' or 'A Prophet' to win but instead it went to this film.

Winning an Oscar can bring certain expectations for a film and that is especially true of this film. Now while it is an excellent film I don't think it is brilliant enough to win an Oscar. The only other film in that category I saw was 'The White Ribbon' and I thought that was a much better film. The story here is fairly conventional, with a former detective investigating a case he had trouble with in his career. His investigation is pretty normal and not with many interesting twists. There is a good one at the end though. Some of the characters are a little cliched too. The detective's alcoholic partner is a bit that way. The one sub-plot I did like was that of the unrequited love affair the detective has with his boss. It is very sweet and has a good ending. I think it's the romantic side of me that likes it so much.

Richardo Darin is excellent as the detective. He is able to play his older and younger self very well with only a hair colour change. Soledad Villamil is brilliant as his unrequited love. I wish we could have seen more of her in the film. The two of them have a great chemistry and you can feel the sexual tension between them.

Don't get your hopes up too high with this film just because it won an Oscar. It is an excellent film but just not as great as you may expect.

Get Him To The Greek

The spin off movie is usually reserved for the superhero genre. We now get a spin off based on a character from a comedy.

I've not been much of a fan of Judd Apatow films. His films seem to go on for much longer than they deserve and the improve scenes don't always work for me. However I generally like the films he produces as opposed to the ones he writes and directs. That might be why I liked this film. The plot is very simple and can be summed up in one sentence. It is therefore more about the characters. Aldous Snow is a pretty typical rock star. Despite the fact that he is a walking cliche of the stereotype we have for a rock star, we still come to like him. The great thing that writer/director Nicholas Stoller has injected into this film is a bit of emotion. He has not made Aldous just all 'sex, drugs and rock and roll' but has a heart and feelings. That is also the key to his side-kick in this story Aaron Green. He has a woman too. Both are trying to juggle their relationships and their career. That is not to say that they don't have some really wild and crazy times with sex and drugs. All this good work though was almost undone by a moment at the end of the film. This is a spoiler so stop reading if you need to. I had a hard time believing in the threesome scene. I know why Daphne, Aaron's girlfriend would want to do it but I just do not think it would be something her character would actually do. It was no enough to spoil the movie for me though.

This would have to be one of the more perfectly cast films I've seen. The role of Aldous Snow was written for Russell Brand so he inhabits the character so brilliantly. Jonah Hill is able to play that sweet innocent character really well. He is very adorable as the guy caught up in a wild and crazy ride that he has no control over. But it also means he can do the sweet stuff with his girlfriend. Rose Byrne is hilarious as Jackie. It's great to see her play such an outrageously funny character as we mostly know her for her dramatic roles. Sean Combs also shows his funny side to great results. I also love seeing Elizabeth Moss too.

An excellent comedy that will surely make a star out of Russell Brand outside of the UK. It is also an excellent comedy that provides many great laughs.

The White Ribbon

I'm ashamed to say that this is only the second film I've seen by director Michael Haneke. The other film was 'Hidden' which was an excellent thriller.

You can see why this film has won so many awards. I've said before that films can be split into two categories: art and entertainment. This is very firmly in the art category. The black and white cinematography helps to accentuate the creepy quality of the story and characters. This is not a film for everyone. It is quite long and many will find the plot meandering with very little answers to the mysteries that it brings up. It is more of a character study on how evil can come in many shapes and forms. It can also be seen to show the oppressive nature of religion and how someone will lash out when they are oppressed in that way. One other thing that may put you off is the seriousness of the film. There is very little by way of lightness and the characters hardly seem to smile at all. There being only one moment of happiness when they have a harvest festival. This seriousness is especially true of the children. I get the feeling that they live in such fear of the adults that they do not want to crack a smile in case it looks like they are having too much fun and so incur the wrath of their parents. So they walk around looking really creepy and serious.


Christian Friedel is excellent as the school teacher, the only person in the village who questions what is going on. He also seems to be the only one who shows any true emotion when he falls in love. For a first film Christian does an excellent job. The rest of the cast, especially the children, give the requisite creepy performance.


This is certainly not the type of village you want to visit. Please do not let me put you off seeing the film. You just have to be prepared to be challenged by what you see and not just have to sit there as all the work is done for you.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

The success rate of movies made from video games has not been good. Most are critically rubbished and only do modest business at the box office. They do not seem to have made the cross over from fan base to mainstream.

I thought that this film might actually do that. I may have got caught up in the hype of the film being the next 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'; Jake's muscles and the fact that it was directed by someone I respect. I was very disappointed. Jake did not take his shirt off often enough. The story was very routine but when you consider the source material I suppose it can't be too great. Mike Newell has used visual effects before and is able to use them very well to give the film a bit of visual flare, but it still comes off as very mundane. My biggest complaint though that the film's mcguffin is not used often enough. The dagger and it's power is only used a couple of times in the film and they come up with a few rules to make it less useful.

Jake Gyllenhaal has had an interesting career so far as he has chosen quite a few quality films. This is his chance as the lead in a big blockbuster. He handles the action well and is mostly there to look good which he does well. Gemma Arterton is going to be typecast as playing the female sidekick/love-interest, based on her recent performances. Until she does something with a bit more substance she is only just a pretty face. Ben Kingsley does another fine job as the villain and Alfred Molina gives another excellent job as the comic relief.

Another mediocre movie adapted from a video game. I think that we have to keep our expectations lowered for films in this genre.

The Ghost Writer

At last year's Sydney Film Festival I saw the excellent documentary 'Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired'. Now just as a new ending is being created for that film I see the director's latest effort.

Many of you know that I'm writing a film script. It is a detective story and one of my main influences for the story is Roman Polanski's 'Chinatown'. It is one of the classics of cinema and one of the best examples of a perfectly written script. It is also an early example of Roman's brilliance at directing a thriller. He is the master at creating tension and there is a lot of that here. Even the setting provides a certain amount of tension and foreboding as our hero uncovers the various layers of the secret he has become involved in. The story makes not secret about who it is based on. It also brings up an interesting twist at the end which shed light in whose life the film is influenced by. Something I think a lot of people would have suspected. While there is a good deal of tension in the story it does not become overbearing. Roman knows how to dole out the tension when the story deserves it. There is also a great deal of levity as well. These funny moments help accentuate the more absurd moments in the film.


Ewan McGregor has the right sort of nerdy quality that suits this role. He is able to play someone on the outside of all the politics and issues involved, but manages to get swept along. Despite his hero status in previous films, Ewan can play the more heroic moments like an ordinary guy who is out of his depth. I think Pierce Brosnan has done some of his best work post-Bond. This is a good example. He plays the arrogance of someone whose been given power and thinks that whatever he does is right, even if it is morally questionable. Olivia Williams is always great at playing cold but seductive women. The real suprise is Kim Cattrall. While I'm no expert I think she does a good English accent and give a very good performance in a minor role that you know she only took so she could have a Roman Polanski film on her resume.


A clever adult thriller that we do not get to see many of these days. It also proves that Roman has not lost his touch as a quality film maker.

Wasted On The Young

This is the second of the two Aussie films I saw at this year's Sydney Film Festival. Surprisingly another film about teenagers and their troubles at school.

Most of the films I go see at the festival I do not know much about except what I read in the program. Some I have heard of and may know a great deal about. There are also some I see because I like the director, a writer and/or actor. Otherwise I go by the synopsis in the program. The synopsis of this film sounded intriguing and I thought I'd check it out. Sadly not all the films I see can be great. There is an interesting idea here but it is brought to the screen in a very uninteresting way. The film is centred around a guy, Darren and his step brother who come from different social levels at school. When a girl Darren likes goes missing he thinks his step brother was responsible and exacts revenge. The most interesting thing though is that director Ben Lucas has filmed the movie without any adults. It feels like no adults exist in this world. There are a couple of times you hear them make a off camera remark, but we never see any adults. I know what he is trying to say with this idea. That adults don't pay enough attention to their kids and when left alone can get up to all sorts of trouble. This idea falls apart when you have a scene at school involving violence and no teachers turn up to help put an end to it. I kind of like to find faults in good ideas. The plot does play out pretty typical and I found it a bit boring. You know where it is headed which would be OK if the journey there was any good. It also does not present anything new about teenagers and I think makes them seem more cliched.

The cast are mostly unknown young actors who have not done much before this. For some it is their first film. I did not think any of them were all that special and play their characters as the cliche dictates. Adelaide Clemens was the best as the girl who goes missing. Admittedly she gets the best character to work with so has more to do.

Judging by the reaction of the audience when I saw the film I think my response was very different. For me it just did not live up to its potential and so I found it very disappointing.

Four Lions

At last year's Sydney Film Festival I got to the brilliant political comedy 'In The Loop'. This year I got to see a very similarly styled comedy 'Four Lions'.

Before the film director Chris Morris did an introduction, telling us briefly his inspiration for the film and how he came to write it. It was a brilliant introduction and he was hilarious. I got a bit worried that maybe the film would not live up to such brilliance. I need not have worried. Much like 'In The Loop' I have not laughed as much in a film in a while. There were a few scenes which I laughed so much at that I missed the joke. The issue of suicide bombers is an unusual one to make a comedy out of. But after you hear about some of the stories Chris found doing his research you wonder how it has not been done before. I suppose it is a bit of a sensitive issue and you don't want to make light of people that kill so ruthlessly. There is also a certain danger in depicting these people as 'fools', you can make them seem less threatening. Or more threatening as their bumbling actions can possibly cause more harm. Chris however has been able to walk that line really well and make a very funny comedy. There are some really clever lines in the film which is the kind of comedy I prefer. But there is also hilarious visual comedy as well. Some of it is a little predictable but still hilarious all the same.

The cast are mostly unknown to a wider audience. That does not diminish their greatness. Chris has brought together an excellent cast of actors. They all have great comedy timing and can play the jokes well. I think having a lesser know cast helps to make the characters seem more real. Nigel Lindsay was probably my favourite. His accent I think made him sound funnier than the rest of the cast. He also has one of my favourite moments in the film.

I highly recommend this brilliant comedy for those who like their films to be a bit dangerous. It will certainly make you think twice about suicide bombers.

The Killer Inside Me

Michael Winterbottom is one of my favourite directors. Each film he makes is so very different from the last. This time he makes a crime thriller set in the American mid-west.

Right from the opening credits you feel like this film was make in the 70's. The cinematography and the way the scenes play out give it a nicely old fashioned feel. One of the interesting things about this film is that everything is not explained explicitly. You get the feeling that there is a back story you don't know much about. You're given a few details to help you understand what's going on but it is not done in an obvious way. The characters don't explain things to each other as if no one knows what has happened. Everyone knows whats happened so no need to explain it again. It means that for some people you have to do something you may not be used to and that is concentrate in a movie. And it is an excellent story that makes you want to pay attention. Some people may not like it though, mostly women. Lou Ford is not a very nice man. Not just because he kills people but because of the way he kills them especially women. I'd heard some horror stories about the brutal scenes in the film and while they are quite hard to take I was kind of expecting them to be more brutal.

To a certain extent Casey Affleck has had to live under the shadow of his more famous brother. However in the last couple of years he has emerged as a brilliant actor in his own right. While he does small roles in big films like the 'Ocean's Trilogy' he has been making a name for himself in smaller budget films. Here he continues this brilliance streak with one of the creepiest performances ever. His character is not very nice but you can't help but watch to see what he'll do next. Both Jessica Alba has not made very many small budget films that require her to be more than a pretty face. I think she gives one of her best performances here as a vulnerable young lady dazzled by a big strong man. Kate Hudson has a bit of a reputations for doing some dismal films. Lately I think she has made some very brave choices. I just hope she continues on this good run. Much like Jessica this is one of Kate's best roles. She too is taken in by the charms of a nice man who will bring about her downfall.

An excellent adult thriller that challenges you as a viewer. It is refreshing to not have everything explained fully and makes you think. It also has some excellent performances from actors you don't expect to be so good. Be warned though it can be quite brutal in its depiction of violence toward women.

Teenage Paparazzo

Many of you will know Adrian Grenier as an actor from the brilliant TV series 'Entourage'. What you may not know is that he is a director as well. This is a documentary he made about a phenomenon he has accidentally gotten himself caught up in due to his work.

I have always been fascinated by paparazzo. How these guys go to extraordinary lengths to get just right picture of a celebrity. How magazines 'make up' their stories to go with these pictures. How the public then believe these stories and make the magazines popular and thus keep the paparazzo in business. Hopefully the first film I write for Hollywood will be a comedy about this world. Personally, while I do read the magazines when they are sitting around, I do not go out and buy them. And I only read them because they can be one of the best sources of comedy in the way they are written. I do not like to judge actors by their private life but the work they do.

I found this documentary fascinating on many levels. From the way the paparazzo get their pictures to the director himself. Adrian has made an excellent and well researched look at one of the downsides to the business he works in. His focus is on a 13 year-old kid, Austin Visschedyk, who has a job as a paparazzo. There is also the interesting aspect of a kid doing a potentially dangerous job like this. I think watching this you will question his mother's parenting abilities when she lets her young son spend all hours of the night stalking celebrities. Our whole obsession with celebrity is interesting and Adrian has done a good job of making us understand it. It all comes down to the tall poppy syndrome and our joy in seeing a celebrity at their worst. I'm sure magazine editors will back this theory up with sales figures. It would have been interesting to see how the film turned out if Adrian did not star in it. It is like that science theory about the fact that if you are studying something it can affect the behavior of the thing your studying. Once the paparazzo know Adrian is doing the movie about Austin you begin to think if they change their behavior because they do not want to come off in a poor light. Especially considering that their industry has been blamed for the death of Princess Di. At one stage Austin does feel threatened by all the attention he is getting. But then he does become a bit of a celebrity himself.

I would like to encourage everyone to see this film if you can. It not only proves Adrian Grenier is not just a pretty face but also shows how our obsession with celebrity can affect people.

Harry Brown

In Hollywood it is very common to get two or more very similarly themed and plotted films coming out at the same time. We now get an English film that is similar to the American film 'Gran Torino'.

We've got so many of the older action heroes returning to films these days. We are now getting films with even older heroes. However the older ones are only getting revenge and defending their neighbourhood. I've seen a few TV series and movies that are set in large apartment complexes called estates. These must be terrible places to live based on the way they are portrayed. I don't think I've seen a positive film from one of these places. And this film does not help put them in a glowing light. If anything it makes them seem like hell. 'Gran Torino' is a G rated Disney film compared to the devastating harshness displayed in this film. It is quite hard going and some scenes are very hard to watch. Especially the scene where Harry visits a couple of drug dealers to buy a gun. It was very difficult to watch and makes you think how some people let their lives get to that stage. The other guys that Harry is up against are very hard core and makes you think why he would do what he does. I did however see a few ways for him to get rid of these bad guys in a much safer way. But then again the film would have been a lot shorter if he had succeeded.

Much like Clint Eastood, Michael Caine is proving that age cannot weary them. Michael has taken his revenge on people a few times before so it is nothing new. This film however is different as because of his age, Harry is a more frail character and so when he does enact his revenge it is all the better. While his military background would help its still great. Emily Mortiner is an excellent actress and plays a nice role here as the cop who suspects Harry's true motives. She plays a character who is a lot tougher here than we normally see her playing. Sean Harris as the drug dealer who Harry gets his gun off is brilliant. As mentioned that scene is so incredibly hard to watch and made all the worse by Sean's unhinged and excellent performance.

Worth seeing for the brilliant Michael Caine but a hard film to watch. The reality of the story makes you feel a little depressed about society and seeing what can happen if we let things go.

The Messenger

It is disappointing when I can't get to see all the Oscar nominated films before the awards. This year I missed out on seeing Woody Harrelson in this film and his best supporting actor nomination.

Despite the fact that they do not make any money Hollywood is still making films about the war in the Middle East. As brilliant as 'The Hurt Locker' is, hardly anyone saw it. This film takes an interesting aspect of the war to analyse. In many ways it could be about any war not just the current Middle East conflict. It is about soldiers who have to visit the families of soldiers who have died and break the distressing news to them. The interesting thing about this film is that in this modern day and age the 'messengers' are racing against the media and Internet to be the ones to break the news to the families. News like this can travel fast and the army need to be the ones to do it right. But you would not want a job like this. There are so many rules involved and you have to be so 'clinical' and detached about the announcement that it can be quite devastating. Each person also deals with it differently and in varied ways. These messengers are not allowed to show emotion which can be strange. While I understand why they have to be that way it still feels wrong. Will Montgomery, however, becomes attached to one woman and breaks a few of the rules. In many ways there are similarities with 'The Hurt Locker'. They are about soldiers who become addicted to war and have trouble back home. Will is injured so he has can't go back to the war and is stuck doing a job lacking in the action he craves. Will's partner, Tony Stone, deals with it differently and builds up a tough facade to hide his pain.


I have very mixed feelings about Ben Foster. I think he is an excellent actor, but he is always in really intense roles. To me what ever part he is playing he comes across as very tightly wound and looks like he might explode at any minute. Here he is very good but while he may not be waiting to explode he still looks like he would rather be somewhere else. Which is what he's supposed to be playing. So it is one of his best performances. I think he needed to bring his best to the film when you look at what he is up against. Woody Harrelson is one of my favourite actors who does a wide variety of films and can handle the drama as well as the comedy. This would have to be one of his best performances. While not quite as good as Christoph Waltz, he is still excellent. Samantha Morton gives another one of her very subdued performances as the woman Will becomes involved with.


An excellent drama about an aspect of war that we do not normally get to see. It is also worth seeing for the excellent performance of the great Woody Harrelson.

The Loved Ones

One of the great things about the SFF is getting to see new Australian films. This is one of the two I'm seeing this year and both are about teenagers.

Ever since the success of 'Wolf Creek' Aussie film makers have been making more horror films. This is not always a good thing ('Dying Breed') but it can produce great films like this. 'The Loved Ones' is about Brent a teenage boy who gets more than he bargained for when he knocks back a girl at school when she asks him to the school dance. This film is a little similar to 'Wolf Creek' in that it involves a person being kidnapped and tortured in many interesting ways. The one thing that 'Wolf Creek' proved is that you need a really good torturer to make a film interesting. Writer/director Sean Byrne has created an excellent villain here and in an interesting twist has made them a girl. There was an article recently which says there is a rise in violent crime committed by women and especially young girls. This film certainly proves that true. Lola is one sick and twisted young lady and has an interesting side-kick in the form of her father. The two of them have some great methods for getting their revenge on poor Brent. Sean has certainly done some great research on creative methods to torture someone. My only minor problem I have with the film is the sub-plot with Brent's friend and the girl he takes to the dance. I understand it is there to provide some comedy and light relief in between seeing Brent get tortured but I think there should have been a better link to Brent's story and situation.

This will no doubt be the last time we get to see Xavier Samuel in an Australian film. We will see him later this month in the next Twilight movie 'Eclipse' and I'm sure that will launch his career overseas. I last saw Xavier in a film called 'Newcastle' which I saw at the SFF in 2008. He was excellent in that and is excellent here too. In this film he is mostly covered in blood and has to scream a lot but he certainly does a great job of it. John Brumpton does a nicely creepy job as Lola's father. He will do anything for his daughter and I mean anything. The real star of this film though is Robin McLeavy as Lola. She gives an amazingly twisted performance that will go down as one of the best screen villains. Many guys will think twice about turning a girl down or at least watch their back more if they do.

An excellent Aussie horror film that you should check out if you can. It will certainly make you think twice about picking up a drill or give you a clever idea on how to get back at someone if they do something you don't like.

The Illusionist

In 2004, when I was New York, I got to see a brilliant Oscar nominated animated film 'The Triplets Of Belleville'. It was an amazing film with a wonderfully funny story. This is the director Sylvain Chomet's follow up to that.

Sylvain has made an animated film out from a live action script by French filmmaker Jacques Tati. It is about an old style magician who is having trouble finding gigs because of the popularity of an emerging rock band. Along the way he forms a friendship with a girl who admires his old fashioned magic.


I think that after I fell in love with 'Triplets' I had really high expectations for this film. Most of the SFF films I see, I don't see a trailer or know all that much about them, except what I read in the program or what little I have read online. It is kind of refreshing to know very little about a film before seeing it. It can however mean you can be disappointed. Do not get me wrong this is an excellent film it was just very different from what I was expecting. There is not as much story as 'Triplets' and it is far more dramatic. Sylvain does keep one of my favourite aspects though which is to use virtually no dialogue. There is more in this film but it's used sparingly. One of the great things is the 2D animation. It has become a bit of a novelty to see that form now because we're so used to 3D animation. Regardless of that though there is a very sweet story here. We are seeing a man struggle to make it in a world that is changing so fast around him. I think I'll need to see it again and try to not have any preconceptions.


Not all animation is for children and the ones that aren't don't have to be dirty. They can be sweet and thought provoking with some child like qualities. Kids may not find this thrilling though so indulge yourself in quality animation that can tell a great story.

Life During Wartime

12 years ago writer/director Todd Solondz made a funny but slightly disturbing film called 'Happiness'. This is kind of a sequel to that film with new characters but dealing with similar topics. It does not involve war in case you were wondering.

The film revolves around a family in Florida and their various emotional issues. Todd has done a bit of a clever thing here. In most of the conversations people have they talk about their problems but don't fully explain them, as if we as an audience are supposed to know what they are talking about. It is a clever technique, because while you know they are talking about uncomfortable things it is nice we are not getting the full details. I also liked the way the characters all connect up. At first they just seem to be a little random but then we see they are mostly related to each other. Some may be disappointed to know this film is not as shocking as 'Happiness'. As I said the issues are implied but not spoken of implicitly. It is quite funny though as there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments.

Shirley Henderson is an excellent actress. Her performance here is one of her best. She has to be really emotional all through the film and is able to convey that really well. Shirley has some excellent scenes with Paul Reubens who is quite funny. Mostly because of her time on 'The West Wing' I am in love with Allison Janney. Once again she is brilliant in this film. Ciaran Hands is a great actor too who gives a very measure performance. We are supposed to hate him for the bad things he has done but we learn to empathise with him as human. Charlotte Rampling and Alley Sheedy have some great small roles. Dylan Riley Snyder plays the central character in the film and is a very good young actor. His dialogue sometimes feels a little adult, in that he says things an adult would say not a 13 year-old boy, but that's OK.

A very funny comedy about some of the more odd people in the world. Fans of Todd Solondz maybe disappointed by his less shocking approach but it does not diminish the impact of his message.

Heartbeats (Le Amours Imaginaires)

This is probably my favourite time of year. Many people love Christmas and opening their presents. But for me I get a real thrill from getting the Sydney Film Festival program and then choosing the 10 films I will see. While it is fun to go through and make a list of films I want to see, the tough part is then cutting that down to only 10 films and then organising when to see them. I think I have chosen a good list this year. Some of my favourite films of the year I see at the festival. Let's hope that happens this year.

First off is a French/Canadian film from a young director Xavier Dolan with this being his second film. It tells the story of friends Francis and Marie who both fall in love with the same guy. This is a very funny story that shows a nice modern relationship. I can relate to it in some ways, in so far as I have trouble picking up on clues as to whether someone likes me as a friend or they want a relationship. That is the trouble Francis and Marie have when they meet Nicolas. All three have a great deal of fun as 'friends' but both Francis and Marie compete with each other to try and win over Nicolas. There is very little dialogue in the film and a lot of it takes place in reactions of the cast. Funny reactions too. Director Xavier does over do it a bit with slow-motion sequences. I also thought the ending took a little too long as well. Just when you think its going to end there is a bit more. Xavier has also done a 'When Harry Met Sally' and put interviews with people in the film asking them about love. It did not work for me as these people did not come across as 'real' people but actors, which defeated the purpose of the segments.

The films director Zavier Dolan began his career as an actor and has cast himself as Francis in this film. He does an excellent job and has given himself some of the funniest stuff. Monia Chokri is excellent as Maria and makes an excellent half of Xavier's comedy. Niels Schneider is good as Nicolas but does not have all that much to do except look pretty. Which he does very well.

A good but not great romantic comedy from a very talented director.

New York, I Love You

This is a sequel to the 2006 film 'Paris, Je T'aime'. The producers plan on making these collections of short films about love in various cities around the world.

Normally I am not a big fan of short films. While I do enjoy the odd story it is not something I get very excited about. I've made a short film but have no desire to do it again. My ideas for movie plots are too grand and can not be contained in the shortened time frame allotted to the short film. As with 'Paris, Je T'aime' I found myself enjoying this more than I thought. While these are short stories and they each have their own storyline, they are more like glimpses into the world of various couples and their own love story. But as is natural with these types of collections you are going to have favourites. Bret Ratner's segment is very funny. I liked the twist in Yvan Attal's segment. Shunji Iwai's segment was a nice sweet story. Allen Hughes' segment was very well written as well. They were a few of my favourites but I enjoyed all the others in their own way.

For me this film showcased some examples of misconceptions I had about certain actors. Orlando Bloom has not done much of late after the 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' trilogy. I thought he was excellent in his segment. As with most of them I wish we'd see it expanded into a full length feature. Anton Yelchin displays a nice knack for comedy and I could see him doing a romantic comedy soon. The biggest revelation though was Shia LeBeouf. I had not thought of him as much of an actor and very over rated. However his performance here was excellent and proves that when given good material he can really shine.

It may annoy some people that it is only a series of short films and not one big story. Normally that would annoy me too. But I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I expected. Maybe it appealed to my romantic side.

Robin Hood

This film has had a very long development process. There were many stories floating around about the various angles Ridley and Russell were taking in their version of this legend. I'd love to read some of the previous drafts.

The big problem with this this film is its title. When you call a film 'Robin Hood' the audience comes to expect certain things and while most of them are here, I think the film has failed to live up to its biggest expectation. That is we are going to see a sequel. For those who have not seen the film you may want to stop reading as there could be some spoilers. This is an origin film and a brilliant one at that but after a few weeks at the box office I do not think we are going to see a sequel. Russell proved last year that great adult dramas, like 'State Of Play', do not make money at the box office. This film is similar and on a much grander scale. I do not think this film will make enough at the box office to warrant Universal giving the green light to make a sequel and that is really disappointing. Robin Hood does not become Robin Hood until the end of the film so at the end your left hoping to see what becomes of him but we won't get to see that. Part of the problem is that 'Robin Hood' is a film that only appeals to an older audience. As seen by the people I've seen going to it at work. It is not a character that holds much relevance to younger people. Especially when they have something more thrilling like Iron Man to compare it to. This is why it will not get that four quadrant appeal it needs to make enough at the box office to warrant making a sequel.


Despite this problem I think it is an excellent film. The story is quite complex and very politically motivated. I really like that sort of thing where there is heaps of intrigue and political maneuvering. Writer Brian Helgeland has written an excellent story that explains the origins of Robin Hood. As mentioned above there is a little too much origin and not enough of the action you expect from a Robin Hood movie. There is only one scene where he robs from the rich to give to the poor. The rest of the action though is excellent and Ridley really is the king of the epic battle sequence.


Russell Crowe is an excellent actor. A little too serious sometimes but he is great at the drama. While he lacks the fun and larican attitude previous Robin Hood have had, Russell's seriousness suits the way the character is done. He is a little like Maximus from 'Gladiator' but you don't mind. Cate Blanchett is awesome and can do anything. Oscar Isaac plays Prince John brilliantly. He has the perfect pitch of oily villain with a devious nature. I really like Mark Strong but would prefer he did not play the bad guy in every film he does. I'm afraid he's going to get type-cast.


If you go in ignoring the title and not expecting a typical Robin Hood film you should enjoy this excellent adult action drama. Just don't hold your breathe for the sequel the film promises.