Oz Film Blogathon: "So very tired"

I am so very tired of the "Aussies don't support Australian films" discussion. Mostly I am tired because this discussion comes from Australian film critics. I don't want to go all Kevin Smith on you but there was a particular film this year that was unceremoniously yanked from cinemas due to poor box office results; a film that saw twitter ignite with calls to arms, Aussies go and see this Aussie film!


We finally saw the release of Sean Byrne's horror film The Loved Ones on November 4th, having played at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July of 2009 and at the Toronto International Film Festival shortly after. I'm not going to attempt to explain, or even to understand, film marketing but it took over 12 months from its MIFF showing to reach Australian cinemas. After only a few weeks it disappeared, apparently Aussie cinema goers just weren't interested. Whether it was the marketing; Wolf Creek meets Pretty in Pink might have deterred more than one, or whether it's the climate, who knows. But one thing was for sure, Australian critics were not happy!

You may interject at this point and say "Hey Lomas pipe down you book editing nerd" to which I'd reply "Hear me out!" Sure I may not be employed full time as a "film critic" nor do I actually get paid for any of the sites I write for, but I do try and see as many films in a year as I possibly can - Australian or otherwise. My commitment to cinema, whether or not you would call me a "critic" or even a "reviewer" is irrelevant to my ability to voice my opinion. And here's where I get to my fantastic Kevin Smith impersonation.

How many film critics went and saw The Loved Ones once it was released? How many paid for their ticket? Excluding when it played at MIFF, when the film was released November 4th and was, so to speak, murdered at the Australian box office, how many "critics" or "reviewers" went out and supported the film by buying a ticket? If you all come back to me and say, "Well Jess I did actually" I'll be happy to shove that in my pipe and smoke it ... or just accept that I am wrong. Perhaps Twitter has twisted my perception of things but I heard a lot of complaining that Australians weren't supporting an Aussie film, yet critics are Australians so how did they support this film beyond telling people to go see it?

I don't agree with Kevin Smith that critics should pay to see films just because they trashed his latest (Cop Out), I see the importance of having people review films, spread the word, make everyone else extremely jealous they saw a much anticipated film months earlier than everyone else, that's cool. What I don't agree with, or really understand, is, as I've said above, the drive to attack or question those who don't support or go see a film primarily because it's Australian. Pauline Hanson is Australian; it doesn't mean we have to support her.
My comments here are not meant to ostracise those I have come to know through Twitter, for without you I wouldn't be writing for such great sites as Watch Out For and the Quickflix blog (free plugs!), but I would like to hear someone explain why this occurs.

A film critic's job is an important and essential element in the business we call show, but it's mighty easy to sit back in your comfy cinema seat and question why the average Australian doesn't pay to see a film you've just watched for free.

Written for the Oz Film Blogathon hosted by Dark Habits

It's too late for me ...

That's it, time's up, pens down! The competition has closed. It seems not too many of my Aussie twitter followers are keen on films of the French persuasion but that just means more of a chance for those who entered. As usual I've given those who entered (all 3 of you!) a number and used a random number generator to decide the winner.

And the winner is *drum roll*  Claire Jarvis you've won an all expenses paid trip to New York! ... not quite, you've won a double pass to HeartBreaker! Congratulations!



HeartBreaker
December 26th 2010 (Australian release date)
Dir: Pascal Chaumeil

Alex (Romain Duris) runs a business with his sister, Melanie (Julie Ferrier) and brother in law Marc (Francois Damiens). Alex is a professional heartbreaker and he's just taken his latest assignment. He must break up Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) and her fiance Jonathan (Andrew Lincoln) before their wedding in 10 days time.

Alex has rules however, he only breaks up unhappy couples, that is, a relationship where the girl is unhappy but won't admit it, and Juliette seems pretty happy. But Alex has mounting debts and breaking up this couple is at the top of his to do list.

I love romantic comedies. There, I said it. I know they're cheesy and unrealistic but they're fun, and HeartBreaker is no exception. The premise is quite absurd but it's told in such a charming way that you can't help but fall for it. The film feels like Old Hollywood, there's not a Katherine Heigl in sight, although Juliette's "friend" comes dangerously close, the film maintains a certain level of class. The jokes are funny, the sentiment is honest and believable and all in all, this is a stand out romantic comedy for the year.

Romain Duris is the main reason this film succeeds, his sexy seductions work not only on the characters in the film but on the audience too. His performance has perfect comedic timing and he rounds himself out as the perfect leading man when he performs the main Dirty Dancing dance not once but three times, and he's even shirtless for one of those - hello ladies (and those men who are inclined)!

You do have to forgive the film for a few shortcomings, specifically towards the end. You don't have to be a genius to guess that while Alex is "working" on seducing Juliette he is actually falling for her, and like all Hollywood rom coms the girl discovers the truth. What happens between the discovery and the film's conclusion however, seems rushed and muddled. We're on board because we're come to like these characters and rally for them, but taking a step backwards it is a large oversight in pacing and storytelling.

Speaking of Hollywood, Working Title and Universal have picked up the English language remake rights. I am literally cringing as I write this. Another recent favourite French film is LOL (Laughing Out Loud) which has been remade by the Yanks starring Demi Moore and Miley Cyrus. While original screenwriter Jeremy Donor is on board there are just some things that can't be translated and more often than not an English language remake falls far short of the original.

This won't make many people's Top films of the year list but it's a great example of when romantic comedies can work; with the right director, screenplay, setting and actors - HeartBreakers is nothing short of delightful.  I still get the tummy fuzzies just thinking about this film.

4 / 5

So now's your chance to see this film early - it's not out until Boxing Day but preview screenings are being held nationwide (Australia) over the coming 2 weekends. Leave a comment below with your name and email address (or @twitter name) and I'll draw one lucky person tomorrow (Wednesday Dec 8th) at 12pm (midday) so I'll have time to post out the pass. Good Luck or should I say Bonne Chance!

You do the Monster(s) Mash

Monsters
November 25th 2010 (Australian release date)
Dir: Gareth Edwards

You do the Monster(s) Mash? It's like I'm not even trying anymore! Lift your game Lomas!

In what is being called 2010's District-9, the sole connection being that they both have aliens at the centre of their human stories, writer director Gareth Edwards gives us an often beautiful film that collapses on itself in the closing scene.

After a NASA space probe crashes, littering the alien space samples on board, the US-Mexico border is turned into an Infected Zone. Photo journalist Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is charged with the duty of escorting his boss's daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) from Mexico back to the United States. When Kaulder's tryst with a local costs them their passports and money the pair must go directly through the Infected Zone and hilarity and hijinks ensue... no, wait - monsters ensue.

The 'monsters' of the film's title are arguably not the alien creatures that have infested the land, but the humans intent on destroying them. The aliens are rarely seen, perhaps a strategy to optimise the limited budget, a reported $500,000 - incredible! The message of humans as monsters is a bit hammy; there's even a scene where the two leads comment on an enormous wall the United States Government has erected in an attempt to keep the 'monsters' out. But overall this is an engaging film.

The score grabbed me in particular, and together with the beautiful cinematography as Andrew and Samantha make their way through the Infected Zone, I was convinced early on that this would make my 'Top10' list for 2010 ... if I ever do a Top 10 list that is. It wasn't until the closing scene that my opinion changed so radically that I was convinced the poor ending soured my opinion of the film as a whole.

By introducing two aliens at the conclusion of the film; up until now we only see glimpses of them, director Gareth Edwards turns up the cheese-o-meter to 'you've got to be kidding me' and destroys his film. The previous memorable scenes, haunting score, understated and beautiful acting between the two leads, are instantly covered in a gooey mess of liquified dairy. How disappointing.

If I could use all my powers of imagination I can pretend the final scene didn't happen and the film's "message" to the audience wasn't so in your face, and I could say Monsters is one of the best films of 2010. It's intense and beautiful, a love story set in unstable times. But the message was so blatant and unnecessary, the final scene DID happen and in hindsight my bitterness has tarnished my high initial opinion.

3.5 / 5