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Yes I've already seen the film (glowing review to come), but I thought this might appeal to other keen beans.

Where the Wild Things Are (requires therapy)

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Let the wild rumpus start!

Since the release of Spike Jonze's ludicrously anticipated (at least by me) adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, the blogosphere has been awash with reviews. So bear with me as I share a few of my thoughts.

The film is most certainly picturesque. Jonze, cinematographer Lance Acord and K.K Barrett's production design definitely do justice to Maurice Sendak's original vision. That said, they've muted the bright greens and blues from the picture book, replacing them with more earthy tones of grey and brown. Knowing the film was shot in Victoria, the blackened, burnt out forest where the Wild Things first romp around provided an eerie (if anachronistic) reminder of the devastating bush fire season.

However, while the film is visually striking, I found its pronounced themes troubling. Jonze and renowned novelist Dave Eggers have fleshed out Sendak's slight story in such a self-conscious and distractingly adult way. The Wild Things are each imbued with one of Max's character traits, be it overlooked, anxious, aggressive or annoying, which works well as a literary device, but results in a film replete with neuroses, melancholia and even menace.

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Yes I found the film menacing. Much as there are joyous scenes of childish glee (in a truly remarkable performance by Max Records), they always have an disquieting edge. A beaming Max bounds up to Carol on the cliff edge, then stumbles precariously, the moment fractured. Claws that can lovingly etch initials also represent pointed danger. And in a film where all the world's a fort (with one resembling the Death Star - take that for what you will), Max's constantly crumble around him. Even the first 'stacks on' with the Wild Things includes a shot of Max looking rather stricken as he struggles to find room amongst all the fur. And above all, Max is told in school that the sun is going to die, a fact he relays to his new subjects, to much existential duress.

The Ultimate Fort (aka the Death Star) - image

So it seems Jonze and Eggers have fashioned a children's book into a very adult movie. Perhaps it's a nostalgia exercise, a film for all the adults who grew up with Sendak's beloved book. Because Where the Wild Things Are is really not a kids film. For all the scenes of feverish, frenetic energy, there are layers upon layers of angst. I can't help but wonder how this film might have turned out in other hands. Might Michel Gondry have imbued more whimsy? Could the Pixar team not have made a film that enthusiastically appealed to both adults and children?

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"Will you say good things about us?" Judith - the most neurotic of the wild things - asks Max as he sets off back to his Mum. This appeal speaks volumes about Jonze's 4+ year labour of love bringing this film to life, as well as the earnestness with which he approached the source material. And I can say good things about Where the Wild Things Are: it's a beauty to behold, with an astounding lead performance and an evocative (if slightly over-scored) soundtrack by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Ultimately, however, it was disappointing to see the film bring a world weariness to this childhood fantasy.

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Australian release date: 3 December 2009

Moonlight Cinema

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The new program for The Moonlight Cinema kicks off with Sam Taylor Wood’s John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. This beautifully constructed film steps behind the legend to reveal a young man torn between two mothers. Another masterful biopic sees the delightful Audrey Tatuou seamlessly embodying the modest beginnings of the fashion icon in Coco Avant Chanel, while Emily Blunt transforms the dour Queen Victoria into a beautiful and vibrant vision in Jean-Marc Vallee’s The Young Victoria.

Other new releases include Spike Jonze’s much-anticipated adaptation of the childhood classic Where The Wild Things Are, James Cameron’s virtual odyssey Avatar, as well as Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl’s wonderful Fantastic Mr. Fox. For all the closet Twi-hards out there both Twilight and the sequel New Moon are screening, while on the other end of the literary spectrum are Peter Jackson’s ghostly Lovely Bones and Guy Ritchie digging into London’s crime roots with Sherlock Holmes.


Australian cinema will also shine in the moonlight with screenings of Scott Hick’s look at single fatherhood The Boys Are Back (starring Clive Owen), Jane Campion’s portrait of romantic poet par excellence John Keats in Bright Star and Bruce Beresford’s graceful Mao’s Last Dancer. Geoffrey Rush and Australian Idol winner Jessica Mauboy will bust a move as well in Rachel Perkin’s youthful romp around Broome in the summer of 1969, Bran Nue Dae.


For those seeking a blast from the past, the timeless Breakfast at Tiffany’s is on offer, as well as Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Top Gun, Pulp Fiction and even The Godfather. More recent classics screening include Christopher Nolan’s superlative The Dark Knight, Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire and Hayao Miyazaki’s fantastical fable Ponyo.

There are many more films besides, so be sure to check out the full program before packing your picnic basket and staking out your cinematic spot under the stars.

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Published on Concrete Playground.

The Moonlight Cinema is on from 3 December 2009 - 14 March 2010

The Strength of Water

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The unique bond between twins is compassionately realised in Armagan Ballantyne’s debut feature The Strength of Water. Set in the Hokianga, a beautiful, remote region of far north New Zealand, the film is a Maori story of family, loss, love and acceptance. When Tai (Isaac Barber), a troubled stranger trudges into town, the tiny rural community is indelibly affected by his presence. Precocious fraternal twins Kimi (Hato Paparoa) and Melody (Melanie Mayall-Nahi) are wrested apart from each other in the physical world, yet set about renegotiating their bond across a spiritual plane.

This is a contemplative, ambitious and at times lovely film. Ballantyne and acclaimed New Zealand playwright Briar Grace-Smith movingly display Maori funeral rites as well as conveying family life with a light, humorous touch, while all is captured in its stunning setting by Academy Award winning cinematographer Bogumil Godfrejow. And yet the luscious surrounds and brooding themes can’t quite rescue The Strength of Water from sagging under the weight of inexperience.

Not only is this film a debut feature for Ballantyne and Grace-Smith, but also for all of the main characters. Paparoa and Mayall-Nahi do a fine job as bickering siblings, but the film lays heavy themes on such little shoulders. Similarly Barber and his love interest Tirea (Pare Paseka) can’t carry off much of the dialogue, giving the film a halted effect.


There is however much to take from The Strength of Water. As an insightful glimpse at Maori culture and the mysterious ties of twins, the film resonates with warmth and dedication. The film may not reach the heights of Whale Rider, but Ballantyne, Grace-Smith and producer Fiona Copland nonetheless represent an exciting new Kiwi collaboration.

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Published on Concrete Playground.
Australian release date (limited): 3 December 2009

The Informant!

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From the opening intertitle of The Informant! (or even from the title’s exclamation mark) it’s abundantly clear Steven Soderbergh is gearing up to have a lot of fun. Though based on the bizarre true story of white-collar whistleblower Mark Whitacre, there’s no way Soderbergh is going to let the facts get in the way of a good yarn. And what’s more he has Marvin Hamlisch supplying Broadway-style tunes (BYO jazz hands!) to further heighten his stylised, corporate caper.

A chubby Matt Damon positively revels in the role of the Machiavellian yet ludicrously naïve agri-businessman Whitacre. Outwardly the role (and the extra pounds) is similar to Russell Crowe’s Oscar nominated turn in Michael Mann’s The Insider. Perhaps due to the success of that film, Soderbergh takes a self-reflexive, ironic about face and presents us with an entirely unreliable protagonist, one whose dealings with the FBI feel like something out of a movie. Case in point: most exposition is muted by Whitacre’s voice-over, where he quite randomly muses on life rather than narrating the facts.


Then there are the visuals. Soderbergh, his production designer Doug J. Meerdink and his trusty RED camera recreate the Midwest of the 1990s with some splashings of 1970s kitsch. It’s an amusingly cheesy mix only aided by Whitacre’s succession of truly terrible ties and requisite taupe walls. Like all of Soderbergh’s experimental films, The Informant! is exercise in style as well as a refashioning of generic conventions.

At times, however, it feels like everyone on set is having a little too much fun, forgetting to move the story along. Consequently the third act drags and Damon’s character borders on becoming a cloying caricature. It’s worth sticking with The Informant! despite this; just enjoy a decidedly Coen-esque, darkly comic romp around corporate America with the delusional man who decided to cry wolf to the FBI.

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The Informant! screens at Sydney Theatre Company at 1PM on Sunday afternoon, followed by a talk with director Steven Soderbergh. Sodenbergh's STC production Tot Mom opens on December 18.

Published on Concrete Playground.
Australian release date: 3 December 2009

The Damned United

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Brian Clough: The greatest manager the England team never had.

Being a football fan is by no means a prerequisite to enjoy Peter Morgan’s brilliant biopic The Damned United. Adapting David Pearce’s novel in what looks to be a fairly generous, even romanticised take on the life and career of Brian Clough, Morgan has reteamed with his Frost/Nixon and The Queen star Michel Sheen. Together the pair absolutely relish in the arrogance, the belligerence and the remarkable ambition of their subject.

Cutting backwards and forwards between 1968 and 1974, The Damned United traverses Clough’s heady rise at Derby County as well as his spectacular fall from grace at Leeds United. It also tracks Clough’s competitive obsession with beloved Leed’s manager Don Revie (Colm Meaney) alongside the fruitful and fractious partnership Clough shared with his assistant manager Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall). Morgan seems to flirt with romantic comedy conventions, setting up a quasi-love triangle amidst the politics, money and muddy terrain of premier league football.

The result is a provocative, darkly funny and particularly damning character study of hubris couched in idealism. Sheen’s performance is worth the price of admission alone, however Spall, Meaney and even a grouchy Jim Broadbent also impress, as does the production design, wonderfully framed shots and incisive dialogue.

For all his superciliousness, Clough expounds the model of a football team as a family, an analogy that is clearly evident in the ongoing success of Morgan and Sheen’s filmmaking partnership.

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Published on Concrete Playground.
Australian release date: 3 December 2009

More Toys!

via image.net

There's a new teaser trailer for Toy Story 3 - just perfect for a Friday!

The Pixar people look set to impress yet again, and what's more, with the re-release of Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D, perhaps there's even a Toy Story marathon on the cards!



Toy Story 3 Australian release date: 24 June 2010
Toy Story 1 & 2 3D Australian re-release: 26 December 2010