Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 is all that it promises to be and a whole lot more. But whatever you do, don't bother with the 3D version, it adds nothing to this wonderful heartfelt experience that I can't wait to watch again hopefully with my nephews.

I don't know what else to say about the film, because it won't really matter. But I was utterly surprised by it.

Thank you to Pixar for giving us a trilogy of child films that doesn't talk down to children and allows them to feel and to think and not just be numb.

Mother & Child by Rodrigo Garcia

Mother and Child is the new film by Rodrigo Garcia. It is a film about three women and the choices they make about motherhood.

Watch this film for the magnificent perfomances from all of its leads. Annette Benning is sensational. Naomi Watts is unstoppable at the moment, she can't seem to do a bad perfoamance. And Kerry Washingston is magnificent. The biggest surprise in the acting department is Sam Jackson. Not because he's ever been bad but because you have never seen him quite like this.

Do yourself a favour and go and support independent cinema and to watch a film about women that seems to want to show them as alive and not some caricatures like Sex and the city.

Jaws By Steven Spielberg

I had the chance the other week to watch Jaws up on the big screen for the first time in my life.

While some of the shark shots have dated the film itself sill holds up and still scares the bejesus out of you. It had people jumping from their seats still.

I love every moment of this film.

I saw it at the Chauvel Cinema who on friday nights are running a different classic.

Do yourself a favour and go and see these films and you will realise how the art of storytelling through film has gone downhill since the grand days of the 70s.

Thank you to all those involved with these retrospective screenings at the Chauvel and also to Senor Spielbergo.

The A-Team by Joe Carnahan

So the TV show that I thought would never get made into a film has finally been released. The A-Team. It was a long running joke with my friends that if we ever got carte blanche to make a film we would do the A-team. Well seems like someone thought that was a good idea.

What I was hoping for from this film was my guilty pleasure film for 2010 and for the first hour or so I got that. But then I just got plain bored.

There is nothing essentially wrong with the film itself, i'm just left wondering, why bother?

All the boys look like they are having a great time in the film. With Bradley Cooper and Patrick Wilson my favourites. They both relish being pricks, but pricks you wish you were. While everyone else gives their ample support. Liam Neeson holds the team together with a great deal of gravitas. Sharlto Copley is allowed to go nuts and does so fantastically. His Braveheart scene had me in stitches. And Quintin Jackson as Mr. T inverts the tough guy role to hilarious effect. Although Jessica Biel is a somewhat pointless love interest, but whatever that's not the point of the film. And if that's not the point, why bother with the love story? Because that's the convention, which is kind of funny considering the film itself seems like it is trying to break convention. So what is the point of the film? There isn't one.

And this is coming from Joe Carnahan who burst onto the scene with the fantastic Narc. That had such a rich story about the corruption I society has fallen into. But here he is along from the brilliance of that film. A long way.

Outlandish is the game here. And outlandish is what you get. Some of the action sequences are so chaotic, so over the top, it really just feels like a movie version of a video game. And there's the problem with the film and with where hollywood is heading. Everything is geared towards an audience that just don't care what they want to watch, they just don't want to think. Since when was thinking such a bad thing to do.

Haven't seen anything this week so here's a repost for Animal Kingdom out this weekend..

To all my peeps listen up. Instead of wasting two and half hours of your time this weekend with a shitty overblown overtly racist film like Sex and the city 2 why not spend that time on an extraordinary new australian film called Animal Kingdom. I know that's what I'll be doing for the second time.

I was lucky enough last night to see an advanced screening of the new Australian crime film,Animal Kingdom. And I tell you people this film is something else. Finally there is an Australian film this year that will hold its own against any other film out there and does not need to be reviewed in a sunnier light just because it is Australian. I mean the film has already won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival and it wholly deserves it.

Firstly let me tell you a little bit about the film maker, David Michod. Michod is part of Blue Tongue Films which is a company based in Australia that is really putting out some top notch Australian work both as features and short films. Also apart of Blue Tongue are the Edgerton Brothers who brought as The Square and Luke Doolan who also edits Animal Kingdom and was recently nominated for an academy award in the short film section. Michod was responsible for two short films Crossbow and Spider that played well at festivals globally and has also co-written the American independent film Hesher that stars Joseph Gordon Levitt and also played at Sundance.

Animal Kingdom is one of those rare films that had me constantly surprised and jolted me from my seat on more than three occasions. The film is about and delves deeply inside a crime family that live in melbourne, so comparisons to other crime films, gangster films and thriller's will abound but to me this film reminded me more of Paul Thomas Anderson's sublime first film Sydney(Hard Eight). Where most recent crime films and television have fallen down (especially in Australia) is that they forget about the heart and life that these people would be lead. Well Animal Kingdom has this in spades, each character is so well wrought, so full of life that it makes it hard for you to look away and this has everything to do with Michod's deft touch at characterisation in his script of even the smallest characters.

Michod is also aided by an outstanding performances by everyone involved. Just on paper this is such a strong cast. You've got Guy Pearce as Leckie, a strong police officer that believes in the law. Joel Edgerton as one of the cody brothers and lending some great comic relief. Jackie Weaver, the matriach of the family and all too oedipal that it had a couple in front of me squiriming in their seats. And Ben Mendelsohn the glue that binds and shatters them. With that on display you would be forgiven if the other characters weren't as well formed but here you are given treats by everyone. Luke Ford so over come by Mendelsohn's Pope that he doesn't know what to do with himself is outstanding. Sullivan Stapleton nails the frenetic energy of Craig masterfully well. Mirrah Foulkes as Edgerton wife lets you in on the pressures outsiders of the family are under. Dan Wylie's slippery lawyer is all too real. And James Frecheville in his first screen role is a revelation. The film I think however belongs to Mendelsohn. His character of Pope is electrifying, you never quite know what is going on with him and this makes him that much scarier.

To say too much about the story is too give away the twist and turns of this film that had me wondering the whole time where too next. And I mean that in a good way. I think they should apply the 'Psycho' rule to this film and not allow people into the film after twenty minutes.

Now your probably thinking come on give me the negatives but I really can't think of one. Oh wait yes I can. I have to wait another three weeks before I can watch this film again because I will watch it again and I hope to see you there.

Michod has given us one of the best Australian films since, I think, Chopper and I can't wait to see what he does next. And anyone who thought Underbelly the TV show nailed Australian crime are sorely mistaken. Animal Kingdom is what it's about, sure there aren't any tits on display, but instead you get a film, a drama that doesn't pander for the easy answer.

Mark June 3rd in your diary and do yourself a favour and go see this film, your time will not be wasted.

Thank you David Michod and too all those involved with this film.