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Downsizing (2017)
Something new in a recycled world
I'll admit. From the very beginning and right through the film, this one had me guessing what they would actually do. That's very rare in film in the twenty first century.
A quirky and refreshing concept coupled with very strong strong story and screenplay (9) and excellent performances (8). In many respects it's underlying message is "the only constant in the universe, is change".
There's a tinge of "The Truman Show" in there as well, with a plot that might seem to fit the fantasy/scifi genre but lands more comfortably as a comedy romance.
"Downsizing" is one of these films that could readily skew left or right on a weird tangent at any moment but never does, instead electing to keep you in this sort of extended suspense. Kind of wishing the thing would hurry up and yet at the same time wishing that it wouldn't. The pace will leave you plenty of time for doing things at the back of the cinema and yet will make tears flow and laughter echo at the appropriate times.
Alas there are problems though, as with many modern films and in this case that's with the Art Direction (1). Everybody knows this is a film about shrinking humans, and without spoiling the story we can obviously assume that this results in communities of humans in "little worlds".
However the blatant design and art department errors in these miniature worlds constantly annoy the viewer and betray the fact that this is supposed to be what we're seeing.
There are simply so many props, items and designs visible in these environments which simply cannot exist at this scale. This works to remove the viewer from the film and leave you asking questions as to what we're actually watching at times.
So all in all a great story, great screenplay and great actors - ruined by oppressively lazy and ignorant production design. I've seen better art direction in high school short films than "Downsizing".
If you're looking for a quirky story with morals, great unexpected turns and fantastic performances, "Downsizing" is definitely for you. But if you're a film aficionado and used to watching quality on the screen, this film will annoy and bug the crap out of you and leave you thinking you've seen better on 1970's B grade space films.
7/10, with the three dropped for the awful Art Department work. Looks like someone downsized the Art Dept budget a bit too much.
Power Rangers (2017)
Dragged, Screaming, into the 21st Century at last!
OK. First lets set the stage. I worked on the first (1995) Power Rangers movie, creating the zords and a fair bit of the art department wizardry. Power Rangers goes back a long way for me, having not just been a mad fan of the show but also having been given the opportunity to shape and mould that PR universe of long ago.
So it was indeed with apprehension that I entered a darkened theater 22 years later to sit and watch what they have now done to our little baby that started it all. Along with my 13 year old daughter who'se name is unashamedly Kimberley.
Right away the opening scene had me hooked. This film is very much a complete re imagining of the concept from scratch. It has little to do with the past. It's dark and gritty.. but not too dark and gritty. It goes to great lengths to explain character back story which is something most MMPR fans would know featured as a glaring absence in previous work with this property.
There were a lot of our original rules that this film breaks. Initially I feared this would doom Power Rangers, as it has done many other superhero film "reboots" of late who chose not to stay faithful to original concepts and designs.
Our rule about not seeing the face of morphed rangers - broken. But in it's place, finally.. an explanation as to what "being a Ranger" really IS all about.
This film is daring in design. It will delight ALL traditional fans AND new viewers. In many ways this is the Power Rangers film we always wished we could have made back in 1995 had we been given the chance or the time.
This film works. It makes sense. Before long I stopped caring about the differences between new and old and became immersed in this 21st century version. Yes Alpha looks terrible - but sounds fantastic. And yes, the 21st Century rangers DO look much better than our 20th century attempts.
Yes I had to pinch myself a few times when the third act played out almost exactly the same way as our original did.
"Power Rangers" is a great film for today. It stands on it's own feet. I am happy to see that Junior has finally grown up. Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a hard nut to crack, especially when it comes to something as close to me as Power Rangers.
However this film cracks that nut with ease. It sets us up for multiple sequel opportunities and no doubt will spawn a new found interest both in new and old by most who see it. There's some genuinely new concepts in there and finally, some respect for the strong characters that captured so many fans of the original both young and old.
The only thing missing from this film is (perhaps) more of the morphed Rangers, which we don't see until the third act begins. The villain (Rita) is perhaps a little too dark and no match for Paul Freeman's delightful and witty "Ivan Ooze" in our original. Her minions (affectionately known as putties) are little more than copies of our own "rock creatures" from 1995 and really not much of a match for the new Rangers.
The opening scene (set in the distant past) clearly show both Zordon and Rita are naked after their armor is released and yet for the Rangers we still see the armor built over the top of their street clothes. It's a shame this mystery of the "morphing process" built into the opening scene couldn't be extended into the all important creation of the new rangers a millennia or so later.
Ultimately and despite the radical departure from our original designs, I enjoyed this Power Rangers reboot, as did "Kimberley". I find my old "ranger fandom" given a new boost of energy in this version and look forward to the next chapter in the MMPR story.
And finally, I sit satisfied that the new film dared not to create a new Megazord Cockpit, choosing instead to leave the rangers in their own zord cockpits when the giant is formed.
I guess they just can't improve on perfection, eh?
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The first Superhero movie with no villain
No doubt about it, this film is something new that has never been done before. And it is done with elegance, sophistication and intelligence. For this CA:CW is the first superhero film ever created that effectively has no "baddie" in it.
Now that's a milestone in the genre because as we all know, it's generally the quality of the villain (not the hero) which defines how successful a hero flick will be in the marketplace.
CA:CW sets out more like a bond film than a hero flick. Espionage and politics reign supreme and for a while there, it can be difficult to follow for many of us film goers used to letting hero flicks "just wash over us" without having to use our brains.
But have patience punters during the first hour because it DOES all come together wonderfully in the end and there are very few strings left untied by credit roll time.
CA:CW takes the new "post modern, human hero" thing to a new level. Finally, we see that these heroes can and do have their limits. They CAN be beaten, they DO get hurt. I guess when you're in the Marvel universe and have so many of them, you can afford to lose some along the way.
The biggest surprise (SPOILER ALERT!) is how the whole film builds to make us think there is about to be a typical showdown between the Avengers and a group of mysterious "baddies" - only to find that these so called "baddies" have all now been taken out with a single shot each as they lay in their beds! As with most Marvel Universe stuff, this film builds a framework for future films yet to come.
CA:CW is the film that you and I always dreamed of having been made when we watched these things as kids. We would all just sit there and wonder how these heroes would survive in real life, and wish that someone would just "take out" the baddie for us quick smart so the rest of the movie could then give us an insight into the hero's loves, lives and the way they manage being heroes in a complex world.
Despite the slow and complex start, CA:CW will not disappoint. However the more Marvel make this kind of stuff, the more they put these characters in straight jackets for future films. I guess they don't care because when it comes to Stan Lee, there's plenty of heroes out there still "in the can" yet to open up.
Oh and one more thing : Designed by Owen Paterson! ANOTHER Aussie LEGEND (most well known for designing the Matrix films) and from the same mold as Colin Gibson (most recently winning big time for Mad Max / Fury Road). Good on ya mate.. no less than total world domination will do now eh. Maybe we should include Captain Invincible?...
ZM
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
It finally happened
OK. here we go again. Reviewing a movie to which I was a bit too close.
Never have I seen a movie that so polarizes the viewer. You will either love or hate this flick.
Lets set the scene. This movie was largely dreamed up in the late 1990's,when George was producing the Babe sequel in Sydney. Working alongside him on the pleasant "Babe Pig in the City" were the other two notables that laid the foundation of Fury Road: Production Designer Colin Gibson and (while some may argue with me on this) Chief Mechanic (and partner in crime) Mark Mc Kinley.
By the early '00s the location had changed to Namibia (which put it out of my reach) and production had actually commenced over there. Then came ....9/11.
The Mad Max project was immediately mothballed. It was felt that such a film would not be critically accepted so close to such a cataclysmic loss in the US. It took another 10 years before Fury Road would finally rise to the top of the pond again.
As much as you read MM:FR as George's film it was always Gibson's baby. Colin had done so much for George in the past. He stuck it out with Miller when everyone else had long lost patience and left. MM:FR was George's way of finally letting his kids into the lolly shop.
MM:FR has Gibson and McKinley written all over it. So much so that some times I wonder if George even had anything to do with the film at all. That could be why the film polarizes viewers so easily.
MM:FR is what happens when the crew get to make the film THEY want to make while the director sleeps it off somewhere. And it stands as testimony to that and that alone. From the earliest days of Gibson's work on "Reckless Kelly" and "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", MM:FR is the culmination of all those pub discussions that have happened since. The 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could do this..." moments.
And now they have. In Mad Max, Fury Road.
It's perhaps no coincidence that the abbreviation MM:FR is so similar to another one of Gibson's early films, MM:PR ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"). Viewers of one are likely to like the other. They both represent what happens in film making when you pull out all the stops, let things freewheel, and just allow everyone to go mad..
When it comes to Mad Max Fury Road my advice is to go into the cinema with the same attitude that the film makers had when they made it.
"Go hard or go home"!!
P.S. I met and first worked with Colin Gibson on the aforementioned 1995 vintage Power Rangers movie (which at the time was the film that I WANTED TO MAKE). Now Colin you finally got to make the film that YOU WANTED TO MAKE.
Well done mate.We can all retire now.
Paul M
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avenger Soup
The first Avengers film was such a success. It contained one of the most momentous cinematic moments of all time - The Hulk's efficient destruction of the villain.. "Puny god!" Never before have I heard a cinema erupt in such cheers. Nor am I ever likely to hear since.
So the expectations on this edition were very high. But unfortunately this film shows how hard it is to write a script containing multiple superheroes and be fair to each one of them. Inevitably it comes down to having a good villain who can beat them all - and here lies the Achilles heel of the Avengers property. How to give them something worthy of winning against.
So how to create a worthy adversary without introducing an alien? Have the Avengers create their own villain. Well, almost.
Right from the first frame the film is definitely The Avengers with equal time given to all of Our Heroes. The story is strong, twisty and challenging. All good so far.
Then.. inject a super villain who has the power to mess with the Avengers' minds. Whoops.
By the second act, the film has degenerated into an unrecognizable series of dreams, flashbacks and flash forwards. Soon it becomes impossible to tell which one is which. You look around the darkened cinema, catching the eye of other equally confused viewers. Before long, it becomes apparent that almost everyone around you has whispered "what the &*$# is going on?
Thankfully this film DOES eventually get back on the rails. By the third act, we're back in true Avengers territory and it all ends happily ever after in true Avengers style.
Stick in there. Make sure you watch right to the very end, well after the credits have rolled. There are a few moments where the film tries to emulate the first, but overall the Age of Ultron brings together the hobble of heroes we had in the first film and prepares it for greater things to come in following editions.
This edition of The Avengers certainly won't be the favorite of most. It's largely disjointed. Kind of like trying to watch eight different movies at the same time. It would have got an 8 - if it weren't for that 40 minutes in the middle wasted trying to work out what the heck was going on.
Barely a minute goes by without the cinemas' sub woofers getting a workout. This is The Avengers, after all.
Great classic Marvel stuff, right down to Stan Lee's cameo. But please.. in the next edition, let's get some new blood on the Directors' table if we need to do flashbacks or jump from one reality to the next.
The Tomorrow People (2013)
Punches Through the darkness!
Like others here, I too am old enough to remember the original. And to remember how fond I still am of it. This reboot does a lot more justice to it's original than Tron Legacy did it's.
Great stories, great writing (despite what others say)and best of all, probably one of the first "superhero" TV shows ever to really deal with the "what if" questions that arise in "they walk amongst us" plot lines.
This show had me glued to the armchair every episode. That's rare for American TV - and rare for me to put up with all the senseless violence, killing, guns, darkness and other negative stuff that surrounds this show and most other US TV flicks.
It's paced well, kind of like a supernatural "Prison break". However Please. Haven't we had enough of this "all powerful" American super agency crap? Isn't there anyone left in LA who can write a screenplay that invokes emotion in the viewer without having to devote 40% of the screen time to bloody fistfights and installing a permanent morgue out the back? The dark "film noir" cinematography makes it hard to see detail on the screen. Apparently the sun doesn't shine anymore in New York.
Keep up the good work. Maybe lighten things up a bit though - otherwise this show won't get past Season 2. A bit less of the nested double cross plot lines would lead to easier armchair viewing. And maybe a few more triumphs for the heroes to keep the spirits up.
And yes.. note to Wardrobe. I agree - it's not a sin to dress your superheroes in something a bit more super.
Naked and Afraid (2013)
Finally.. but more work to do!
After nearly 14 years, the "Survivor" phenomenon has evolved into this - survival TV the way it should be. All the Bear Grylls copycats can hang their heads in shame. Real "reality TV" means real risks. "Naked and Afraid" delivers this in spades.
You know when reality TV is real - because it inevitably gets boring. Reality is often boring. In this show, this "ordinary-ness" is what makes it so interesting and infectious. None of this $100k prizes, voting out contestants, winning the things you need to live et al. And most important of all - No script, no make up and wardrobe or art departments!
Finally, Television takes on the clothing thing head on. Being American, this show dances with this topic by using the ubiquitous pixellation of private bits where the rest of the world wouldn't care and would just show it raw with the appropriate rating and warnings.
To it's credit, it handles the nudity very well. You almost don't recognize it's even there.
Just like "Survivor" broke new ground a decade ago, this program is definitely an original. No doubt it will spawn a rash of "me too" copycat programs around the world and behind this phenomenon, an industry of tourism operators eager to give viewers a taste of the "real thing".
Best of all, "Naked and Afraid" makes nudism cool and fun again. Not since the '70s have we been so challenged to lose our clothes and join our friends on the box.
My hat (and everything else) is off to the producers for daring to do something original in a world where so little originality is left. See if you can rise to the challenge of releasing an "uncensored" version though for the rest of the world to watch - before the rest of the world starts to make their own anyway.
ZM
Iron Man Three (2013)
One, Two,Three - You're out
Iron Man 3 is very different to the previous films. I really like the way the plot revolves around the aftermath of the Avengers film and it's effect on Tony Stark. There's lots else that's good, a bit more time for character development and some really mean bad guys this time around.
As part of the franchise Iron Man is really now only competing with itself and this time, I think it's met it's match. Given the way the ending ties up, it looks like the producers have finally laid their swords on the table too.
It's a good film to watch at the start of the US blockbuster season. It won't disappoint.. well maybe except for some of the inconsistencies (shared in other reviews here) regarding the abilities of the suits which seem to be far more fragile in this film.
And then there's that embarrassing continuity problem that brings you out of fantasy land altogether whenever superheroes blow up. Come on! When you design bad guys who can turn into 3000 degree fires and explode and then rebuild themselves, why do they always seem to be wearing pants again when they walk out of the fire? Don't they know that fabric burns too? Whoops.
ZM
The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)
It all started here
I was a princely 13 when this film was made. Fortunately my first viewing was on television. The second time around I took the decency to make a VHS recording of it which still survives in digital form today. Thanks goodness I did.
That's because there's actually several versions of this film out there. There's the original cinematic version, then a DVD (which is very close to the original) and then there's the TV version that I've got (which was actually created in 1982 and is very different, especially the vastly superior soundtrack).
The TV version is the best - by far - and also the hardest to find.
This film was made by the Sydney film making clan in it's childhood years. Take a look at the surnames in the production credits and compare these to something made in Sydney 15 years later. You'll see similar surnames and different first names everywhere. Such is the nepotism that was the Sydney film scene in that era.
Much of the film was made on location at the (then only recently decommissioned) White Bay Power station. Magic moments abound in this film. Snapshots of a forgotten Sydney that range from musical interludes aboard a red rattler (complete with open doors). Production stories abound. Many from Art Dept Elex Graham Beatty who worked on this film and tells of many tales most should not hear! We can watch today and wonder how much of that liquor was real (likely 100%) and how much made it out of White Bay at the end of the production (likely less than 5%). Such was Sydney in the Eighties.
More than anything, "Return of Captain Invincible" is a fantastic hoot as well as a snapshot in history. It's long been my overall favourite Aussie film - and that includes the ones I worked on.
Watch it from end to end and if you need to, have some alcohol handy! ZM
Power Rangers Megaforce (2013)
It was 20 years ago today..
Well, what's to say? Back in 1994, the internet was in it's infancy. I was working on the Power Rangers movie in Australia, building zord cockpits. Yes, a mad fan of the show, working on the show and surrounded by Power rangers. Hence my handle (Zordmaker), a handle I have now held since the movie came out in 1995.
Today I sat down and watched the first two episodes of "Power Rangers Megaforce" with my 9 year old daughter, who'se name (naturally) is Kimberley.
Before that handle I was known on the 'net as "Paul MMPR Forever". Others would jest at me and my handle, saying that Power Rangers was a fad and would never last. Who'se had the last laugh now eh? "PR Megaforce" does justice to 20 years of history with the show coming home to roost with it's original producers but still filmed in NZ. The first ep is deliberately formula and essentially the same as the 20 year old fossil.
As with the original, there's a long way to go yet for Megaforce. It has a the same problems as it's more modern predecessors (Samurai & back to about Time Force) in that there's simply too much smash and bash action and not enough time to tell a story.
But story was never a strong point with Power Rangers. That's why when we see some (as was the case with the first series back in 1993-94) we covet it so much. My satisfying feeling is that Megaforce might be more than just a 20 year homage to the original.
Give it a chance. Especially if you're an old fan of the show, have drifted away and might want to come back. I've never really liked everything that Jonathan Tzachor did (that second PR movie was a low point) but hey, without him there would be no PR - and now (it would seem) no Megaforce.
Go for it, team. Well done! Zordmaker
Tron (1982)
on TRON : It was thirty years ago today...
TRON has always taken pole position as my FAVOURITE film – and that's a big thing. Maybe not the best, or always the most enjoyable but definitely my favourite.
No film – anywhere – has ever (nor is likely to ever again) approached the artistic masterpiece that is TRON. Every frame is a work of art. TRON will always stand as the quintessential motion picture artwork of the 20th century.
The artwork of TRON was constrained by the technology available at the time. However it is these same constraints that make the art of TRON so captivating, simple and visually wonderful. It's a bit like clearing your house of all the clutter and discovering the beauty of gazing upon clean framed windows and freshly painted walls.
So much has been said about the animation of TRON. However what separates it from the pack is it's live action. It's like one massive dance. A celebration of movement, like 100 ballets all at once.
TRON elevates this art form to it's absolute highest levels using a perfect white canvas upon which positively astounding visuals are superimposed. TRON is the perfect mix of life and art.
TRON is "Alice in Wonderland".
The TRON universe is a place which is so vastly different from our own and yet many rules are so similar. A place where just discovering things like how to live or even how to survive, eat, breathe, move and sleep can become a source of entertainment and challenge. It's a place where anything CAN happen, but rarely does. A place so taken for granted by everyone and everything involved in it but also so mysterious, unknown and undiscovered. A place so easy to imagine ourselves in or even wanting to escape to. This is the Electronic world of TRON. It's something I have not seen equalled in celluloid since this film's release in 1982. That includes the much more recent sequel TRON : Legacy.
You may have heard it said that TRON is a religious film. Yet there are obviously no "religions" (as we know them) involved in it. TRON brings to the fore the value of life itself. Here we have an alternate universe filled with facsimiles (programs) of ourselves (the users). The programs view their user (or at least the "collective" of users) as their creator or god. They look to them for guidance, protection and an answer to that almighty question of "why". The programs (just like us) know not of why they must do the things they do – but they follow the motions all the same, believing that us "users" really know what we're doing. They hope that one day it will all make sense to them.
TRON deals with the struggle of life and calls into question the value of it. TRON programs are so easily "dispensed with" because they are not supposed to be living. The look of horror that fills the face of a of TRON character when they suddenly realise death is imminent and that they have failed in their task – it boils up an emotion within us that cannot be ignored. A disgust that life could be worth so little and that something so frivolous and pointless as losing a video game match could result in a precious, innocent and child like life being destroyed.
It's interesting for me to remember waaaay back in 1982 overhearing a small group of young women discussing several films they had recently seen between each other. One of them had seen TRON, the other two had not but had seen trailers. Right away the one that had seen it, picked up on the tragedy that is TRON.
"Did you know that they really DIE when they die in those video games? That was really hard and disturbing to watch".
Here was an ordinary (female!!) movie goer who had seen the film. Despite all the fuss about ground breaking animation, up to date graphics, amazing artwork and fantastic story lines the one thing that made an impression on her (and became the talking point with friends) was the tragic message that lies behind this amazing film.
Yori's Love Scene.
The biggest blunder in film history must surely have been the deletion of this completed scene from TRON. I have always wondered why in the '80s, about two thirds through watching the film I often used to get bored with it. More often than not I would stop the film around that point and come back to finish watching it later.
Now I know why.
The place that I would always seem to stop it was where this scene belonged. The scene was pivotal in telling the human tragedy within the story of TRON and helping to bring to life the characters.
It was just 30 seconds of film.
Yori's love scene would have introduced a completely new dimension to the film. It would have posed the question : just where do programs come from? If they can love each other.. if there can be such a thing as sexual activity between two TRON programs then what is the purpose? Can two programs create a new one? Who would that program's user be? Yori's love scene explores not only relationships between two living machines.. it goes on to explore the ultimate relationship between them. Cool concepts and questions posed that almost certainly would have woken up just about anybody watching at that crucial moment. It would have more than easily left ET looking very dull by comparison.
Paul Matthews.
Tron: Uprising (2012)
Unwatchable
And this comes from someone who considers the original Tron (1982) film to be the best film of all time and my favorite.
This animated series is unwatchable. It takes the worst of Tron : Legacy and places it in a blender. What comes out the other end is brown, sticky and smells. It makes Power Rangers look like a literary work.
No discernible story, completely unexplainable plot, non existent characters. It clearly exists only because someone, somewhere said it has to.
Entire work set inside the "Tron" universe with no explanation whatsoever as to it's existence or what is going on. 70% of each episode consists of fight scenes. The whole thing looks like it was set in the real world, not the Tron universe. Even the compressed soundtrack is abysmal.
Being Tron, I really, really did try my hardest to give this one a real chance. I watched up until episode six before I finally decided mid stream finally to just switch the gaddamn thing off and never go back.
If this is the direction Tron is heading in then gawd help it.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Finally, story over smash and bash is back in style
First the Avengers and now this.
After 15 years it seems story is finally back in style for superhero films. After so long with each film year after year trying to beat the last with it's bangs, effects, wow factor ad not much else.
I've always measured the greatness of films by considering whether (or not) I would want to sit through a film again. A "Favorite" film of course I can watch dozens of times, etc.
Before TASM, I cant think of a single superhero flick that's been released in the past 10 years that I have wanted to see again. At best I could get my gratification by watching a crucial five minutes but never be bothered sitting through the whole thing.
TASM (despite its length) is a film I could sit through again - end to end. On so many levels it works and that's because there's attention to detail. Yes there's still those stupid unbelievable moments (now come on.. a lizard and a toilet?) but on the most part finally TASM puts science back into SciFi. The story tries so hard to explain why things are the way they are and watching this unfold (without having to tax the mind through plot twists) is entertaining indeed.
TASM works because the hero is limited. Rules have been set as to what Spidey can (and can't) do and the producers have rigidly stuck by that rule book. That's something that was sadly lacking in the previous Spidey franchise where so much stuff went on without any explanation at all, every time the third act just became too unbelievable and any illusion was destroyed.
TASM explores so many aspects that the original franchise either didn't want to touch or couldn't be bothered to because they were so busy proving they had the best special effects for the given week when they were produced. In TASM, you get the idea that it wouldn't matter what the effects looked like, the film would still stand up on it's own and be entertaining. It'll be a hard one to sequel.
And the best thing is.. it really didn't cost that much to make now, did it guys. Geez 20 years ago we Aussies were making superflicks in this category for for $40m and we thought that was a lot of dosh. Then came Kevin Costly and his $200m flop and that seemed to set a new bench mark for how to waste insane sums of money in film that everyone has followed since.
Now here's a superflick that cost less in todays' money than that Kevin Costly crap did 15 years ago and will easily make that back four times worldwide even if it doesn't win the US box office this week. All because they told a story instead of just making another long music video.
I'm glad I lived long enough to see that there's still hope for superflicks. TASM (and The Avengers before it) will hopefully become part of a new breed that will finally sweep away the crap and result in films which anyone, anywhere can sit down and enjoy, end to end - just like the super hero flicks of long ago.
ZM
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Well it was good enough for an Oscar wasn't it?
OK so here we go, another review of a film I also worked on. I was the head Art Dept Electrician on this film, meaning just about every light globe you see in every frame (and there are certainly a lot, possibly more than any other film in history) was put there either by myself or one of the four others on my team. But enough of that.
In production, Moulin was a film where few crew knew what the film was about until we sat and watched it at the preview 12 months later. Both then and now, it blows my mind to watch such an enjoyable, indulgent and extravagant production - one of the few I can think of where the viewer really gets to see so much of what happened in front of the camera.
For an art department crew member, watching a film you've worked on is so often like watching life through a keyhole. You know there was so much there but so little of it can ever be seen in the final cut. Not with "Moulin Rouge"! Watching Every frame, every word, every song is like soaking yourself in a bath of creativity where there were no rules or if there was, they were often invisible.
The Oscar (won for Best Production design) is rightly claimed. Whilst the performances, music and cinematography are all excellent, it's the unique designs that really jump out of the screen throughout the entire film. The success of "Moulin" as an artistic masterpiece is testament to the Australian way of film making, where art comes by way of cooperation, communication and a common drive to deliver the cast and director the best environment possible in which to present the story and performance. It's a long way from the "Frustrated Incorporated" way of working so common to American productions where time constraints often lead to sub standard results.
So why an 8 and not a 10? "Moulin Rouge" in the end fell victim to Fox Studios Australia, displacing the production in May 2000 in favour of George Lucas' Star Wars prequel. As a result of this two major key sets were demolished well before time and well before it was possible to create the necessary special effect shots needed to bring the film to reality.
This resulted in the construction of a number of additional scale models (at another studio) which were inevitably used for these mo-con shots - and resulted in the famed "longest mo con shots in film for this week".
To most viewers, Moulin seems fine. But to me, and despite enormous effort to prevent it, the continuous multitude of continuity and lighting errors that abound in "Moulin" (where scenes cut back and forth from the real life to the model sets) is an ever present annoyance, preventing me from ever fully entering the director's intended world as it was planned to be. For this reason, Moulin will never be what it could have been - and stands as a warning to anyone who plans to outstay their welcome at a Fox studio.
Still, it was good enough for an Oscar, and I guess (being in the department that earned it that Oscar) I should be (and am) satisfied. I do sometimes wonder what it might have looked like though had the producers gone ahead with their initial plans to build a full size outdoor back lot, thus avoiding the troubles at Fox and obviating the need for all that expensive mucking about with scale models afterwards.
Moulin was a wild ride (both on and off screen) and I'll never forget it.
And I guarantee, neither will you.
Enjoy.
Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
So much more than you can see
Once again, if it's illegal for someone who worked on a film to review it then dismiss this review, otherwise read on.
I was the Art Dept Electrician on this film. It will always occupy a special place in my heart as the most demanding and enjoyable film I ever worked on. It was made at the height of the "golden age of Film" in Sydney Australia and it's demands stretched the ability of the industry here, especially when "The Matrix" began shooting alongside.
There are a lot of Australian milestones on this film. To date it still holds the record (and is likely to for the foreseeable future) for the largest and most complex film back lot ever constructed in Australia. From beginning to end this film took 12 months in production. Months and months of night shoots were the order of the day. An enormous animal department was maintained on site for this film, the production being unique in the world. Unfortunately not many of these milestones are visible on screen.
Couple to this the realization that this film was made on the "old" side of the fence at the Sydney Showgrounds as it was undergoing transformation into Fox Studios. As production ran overtime, a game of cat and mouse ensued where the fences were constantly moved as the new "Fox" ate and devoured the "old" site. That the film was completed at all was testimony to the resilience of George Miller and his crew to plod on no matter what, and settle for nothing less than the very best.
So how can I give a film that I worked on, only 4 stars out of 10? Because despite the great story, incredible performances and wonderful production design, this film has been fiddled with. Important scenes (that were filmed) were deleted in an attempt to give the film the all important "G" rating when this film should always have been rated "PG". The desperate and terminal nature of the film is lost - and you leave the cinema feeling cheated that something that was promised, was not quite delivered.
Who to blame? Universal I guess - because what came back in November 1998 looked quite different to what we had spent 12 months making in the previous two years. The film was released in a very difficult Pre Christmas slot up against stiff competition. It's dark side was panned by critics - who believed that the sequel should have been as light hearted as the first film.
But my final opinion? When I saw "Babe" in a cinema in 1995, I distinctly remember standing in the parking lot with my family, considering what we had just seen and remarking "Now there's a film that should never be sequel-led".
In February 1997 when I was first told of the plans for "Babe 2", my heart sank at the memory of those words spoken by myself 2 years earlier. Of course I was excited to be on the film in the important crew position I took, we did our best and I will always be forever happy with the results.
However today when I watch and enjoy "Pig in the City" I can't but help remember my feelings that day in February 1997. So glad I am that this film was made, that I could have been a part of it and have it turn out so well.. and yet niggling in the back of my mind.. the question as to whether it should have been made at all.
Please enjoy watching Babe : Pig in the City. It was, is and always will be my favourite production. In my opinion the last "real" Sydney film made before big corporate money took over the scene in Australia and laid waste to it 10 years later.
History that will never be repeated.
The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011)
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
This is probably one of the most laughable, funniest films I think I've ever seen. Unlike HC1, it's nigh on impossible for me to enter this film in any way. Surely it would have been impossible to turn up to work on this film without constant endless hysterical laughter filling the sound stage at all hours, perhaps bar the groans from the Unit truck at the end of each day when it's clean up time.
As usual with horror films I watched it backwards - just to be safe. Watch the last 5 mins, then the 5 mins before, then previous 5.. etc. That's the best way to dissect the film. Watch the result then see how the film got there.
It wasn't done anywhere as well as the original which had a truly gruesome ending and certainly qualified to sit in the "horror" category.
HC#2 is a joke - one big joke. It's purpose is to set a new bottom rung on the ladder, which it has aptly done. It was designed to inflame the censors and thus self promote, which it has also done excellently. No doubt the term "Human Centipede" will enter the vernacular of most work places now along with most houses of parliament or political parties, members of which no doubt will be able to resonate with the term "brown nosing".
Ha, Ha, Ha. Well done.
p.s. don't show it to the wife and kids though - and don't mail any copies to the local mental asylum either.
ZM
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Agreed.. not for the faint hearted
Now I'm no horror fan. I worked in the film industry for 10 years in Art departments so somehow horror for me always ends up being a comedy. But occasionally when something controversial circulates I need to see it, at least so I can join in the conversation at the bar.
So #2 is out which I've researched. better watch #1 first. And I'm also fairly well versed in where the bottom of the barrel is on the 'net so concepts like the one visited in this film seem positively mild by comparison.
So the best way to watch a dangerous horror film is backwards, which is what I did with this. Watch the end first then find out how the film got there, and so on. That way there's nothing sinister around the corner and I won't laugh to death.
The end truly is gruesome and is probably the best ending I've ever seen for a horror film. The end really is horrific! I don't think I could imagine anything worse, if I wanted to find a definition of hell then it would have to be close.
I think Centipede certainly works, both on the screen and at the bar. As a film it has certainly got tongues wagging. I can see a new dance coming on which might finally replace Nutbush at parties.
Definitely not one to show the wife and kids though.
One annoying thing though which makes a mockery of the "100% Medically Accurate" claim. The human anus is between the legs not on the backside guys. You had the mouths joined at the wrong place - you need to go further down by about 2 inches if you want it to be accurate. Good try though.
Green Lantern (2011)
At last, superheroes are back
Treated myself to this film earlier today, meant to see it sooner, watched it at the last cinema showing it, on the last session before it vanished. Glad I did! There's been something lacking in superhero flicks since Spiderman fell from his web - and thank goodness the Green Lantern has finally got it back.
The film draws from all the traditionally successful elements of superhero flicks. It has a strong story which anyone can understand, is entertaining and doesn't strain the brain. It oozes Good Vs Evil. The characters are believable. The heroes look like heroes and the villains likewise look like monsters. No more sitting there guessing who'se a goodie or baddie with The Green Lantern.
The film paces well and rarely leaves you wishing the cinema had a fast forward button on the seat. Most of all it has emotion - that thing which strangely leaves you pretending that you are the hero as you watch. As you walk out you believe everyone's a hero and that tomorrow at work, you could apply a bit of Green Lantern thinking and save your own world.
"The Green Lantern" is a sleeper success, will grow in popularity and will undoubtedly build a cult following. It certainly doesn't deserve some of the flak that many other reviewers have given it. I guess these reviewers have gotten used to reviewing complex, tiring and competitive films and have forgotten the enjoyment of just sitting there and letting a film just wash all over you.
Green Lantern is that sort of film. Unlike many other recent flicks of it's genre, I'll be watching The Green Lantern again. Soon.
Zordmaker
Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)
Tripped over a Gem!
OK so this was one of those films that I tripped over. It was amongst a list of supposedly "worthy" sci-fi action films in the SMH one day about three months ago. Now I pay to go see films in the cinema that I know I want to see. But films that I couldn't be bothered seeing or paying for but still have a curiosity over - I download using bit torrent. And so it was that this film (along with some of the others) came my way.
Now I wish I had paid for it. Because it certainly is worth a proper screening! This film was a welcome breath of fresh air film making in the tradition of Aussie films where character development and story telling mean more than explosions. That's not to say that the explosions weren't good - they were - but this film brings back a rare thing nowadays in feature films - emotion.
Give this film a go. It's under rated, very delightful to watch and quintessentially Australian. Watching it, you begin to truly believe that "hey that could be my town, my son, my house". It challenges and yet entertains. And most of all, it's simple to watch. You don't need an arts degree to enjoy it - it flows over you.
Be patient with the beginning (like many Aussie films and old cars, it takes a while to get warmed up). In the end, I couldn't fault this film. It's one of the rare recent releases that I know will be watched again and again.
Zordmaker
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
You're watching so much more than just a movie here!
The original Power Rangers Movie.. what can I say? If it's illegal for someone who worked on the film to review it then I guess this review is a bad one, but to everyone else I'll give a different view, especially now that I have kids of my own who just watched it and loved it.
To start with. One thing makes this film bearable to watch again and again. Paul Freeman as Ivan Ooze. A great baddie really makes a superhero film and Freeman is up there with the best of them in MMPR:TM. But to move beyond the critique of stories, actors and effects we need to consider this film for the landmark it is. It's in the same box as things like "Tron" (1982). Sort of "How dare they" and "what were they on" and even "how much money can you throw at something to make it work"? MMPR:TM is a visual feast. The locations are fantastic and the designs truly unique. It represents the first time anyone, anywhere had attempted to make a film this way. Most of all it stands as a cornerstone in the side of the Australian film industry which created it.
Before MMPR:TM, this barnyard rabble was a disjointed collection of individuals living off crumbs and making films about things nobody really wanted to know about. After MMPR:TM things were very different in Sydney - and this collection of film makers and crew who had "passed through hell together" went on to forge it's own stamp on the international film screen.
MMPR:TM was a pivotal cog in the "golden age of Sydney film making" spanning a period of about 10 years from 1992(beginning with the very successful "Babe") to 2002 (basically finishing up with "Superman returns".) In between, it bought forth things like the successful Wachowski "Matrix" films, the somewhat forgetful but pretty Babe sequel, Alex Proyas' ingenious "Dark City", the indulgent "Mission Impossible 2", the Oscar winning "Moulin Rouge" and of course the final two "Star Wars" prequels. All these films bow down to MMPR:TM for without the Power Rangers, none of this would have happened.
Even the Sydney Olympics opening and closing ceremonies (long recognised as the "best ever") in 2000 have much to thank this same creative team of individuals for. People who met for the first time at the Sydney Showgrounds in 1994 working on some crazy film about coloured superheroes.
So as you watch the Power Rangers Movie - remember that you're not just watching some old kids' film. You're watching the birth of greatness. The lighting of a bright torch "down under" that would live to burn on for many years before being extinguished by the troubled winds of financial disaster which now has the Aussie $1 riding at US$1.07, instead of the very respectable $0.64 average it enjoyed during those "Golden Years" of Sydney film making.
And remember to watch carefully and see if you can see who'se holding up the "Celebration Tonight" sign at the very end, won't you :-) Zordmaker
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Tron: Legacy - Bitter sweet for original TRON fans
Let me say this first. At 43 I am just glad that I lived long enough to see a sequel to the original TRON film. I saw the first one in the cinema when I was 15 and ever since, it has remained my overall favourite film of all time (and that's saying something, given the fact that I spent about 8 years working in the big budget film sector here in Sydney in the '90s and so I'm well versed on what it takes to bring a film such as "TRON" to the screen). That any sequel was made at all was a miracle. But I must say that some aspects of "Tron Legacy" were an absolute delight while others were annoying and fell expectedly well short.
I must strongly disagree that this film is short on story. It's rare nowadays to find a film of this genre with such a strong and complex plot line - one which kind of keeps you watching because you just have to know what's going to happen next. However there was definitely far too little "tron" in TRON:LEGACY. Oh well.
The film was enjoyable, the soundtrack refreshing (if not a little loud in the cinema we saw it in) and from the first frame it differentiated itself as unmistakably TRON. The most reassuring thing (to me) about the film was that the producers resisted the urge to create the film entirely in CGI and that the film was largely still deliberately driven by live performances. The reported shortcomings of CLU were virtually invisible to me anyway.
Now the brickbats. The serious downfall with "TRON:LEGACY" is the almost non existent art direction and seriously deficient production design. The first TRON will always stand as an artistic masterpiece – and art was sadly the most lacking component in this almost annoyingly dark and monochromatic film which seems to have been shot entirely using black, blue and orange and just about nothing else.
All the "Disney Hallmark" awe, wonder and "otherworldliness" of the original TRON is completely absent from this film. The mastery of Syd Mead and the many other designers who set the artistic foundation for the original TRON was completely ignored. The costume design was atrocious, more like a leather biker gang bang than anything TRON like. The "Black on Black" colour scheme made movement hard to watch.
Most of the ground rules set by the original TRON were well and truly broken, leaving me somewhat feeling betrayed and confused. Other critics have focused on Sam's arrival in the TRON world in his regular street clothes as the best example of this (and I agree) however in short the TRON world didn't look anything like "another world" at all.
The complicated procedure of transferring a human between worlds - done so elegantly in the first film – was completely ignored in "TRON – LEGACY". Just about everything (including all the vehicles, clothing and especially Flynn's Pad) worked towards trying to convince us that "the grid" was a REAL place where the laws of physics and matter apply just the same way as they do here on mother Earth. This (in my opinion) was a drastic mistake and centres on the biggest shortcoming of this film. Sam's transfer into the computer world made it look more like he had just walked into the next room rather than been transferred into an alien, incredible and frightening alternate reality.
To summarize. Both the original TRON and the very appropriately named TRON:LEGACY stand alone as good films worthy of viewing in their own right. Fans of the original (like me) will find themselves feeling shortchanged on some aspects but very satisfied with others. Audiences who have not seen the original are likely to now want to seek it out and watch it.
I can't but help thinking that TRON:LEGACY would have worked out far better (and more profitable) on a much smaller budget. The 3D works very well with this property. Given the 27 years we had to wait for TRON:LEGACY, no sequel could ever have lived up to the expectations left behind by the original. However the name now leaves us all in search of the truth – a "legacy" between the two now truly exists – and it will be a brave director indeed who agrees to take the property to it's next level. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 27 years for that to happen.
Paul Matthews Sydney Australia http://artelex.com