On his way to finding a legend...he will become one.

The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole directed by Zack Snyder

Jim Sturgess attends the LA premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, September 19, 2010.

Before seeing this movie, I had a pretty intense discussion about it with a fellow journalism student. I'll admit, it was quite negative. To sum it up, we basically agreed that it was a stupid story about the most random animals ever, and would probably be a massive comedy...not the good kind. We also made mention of our shock and disbelief that so many awesome people had offered their voicing talents to this "crazy owl movie." Jim Sturgess (21), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean), Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings) and Abbie Cornish (Candy) are just a few of the people involved in Legend of the Guardians, and this I just could not understand. I know it's based on books and loved by millions blah blah blah, but I still wasn't convinced. I talked a friend into seeing it with me, you know, for shits and giggles, and upon entering the theatre, my outlook was that I would leave it having had a good, long laugh. By the way, I apologise if my honesty is offending anyone...but come on. Owls? Seriously, owls. Owls, acting like soldiers. As if that's not funny?!

Jim Sturgess & Ryan Kwanten at the LA premiere, September 19, 2010.

I had told the student I had the conversation with (yes, the one where we paid the crap out of this movie before I'd seen it), that I would blog about it once I HAD seen it. I said "All my blogs are so positive. Every movie I've seen lately, I've liked! I need one that I won't like...definitely this owl one." To which she replied "Ha ha, what if you like it?" To which I replied "In that case, I shall have to fake it and pretend that I hated it, to maintain my reputation and dignity." (Again, sorry for any offence. OWLS.) For the sake of information, (SPOILER ALERT!) here's the lowdown on Legend of the Guardians: Soren (Sturgess) and Kludd (Kwanten) are two brother owls that live in a nest with their parents Noctus (Weaving) and Marella (Essie Davis), their baby sister Eglantine (Adrienne DeFaria) and their nanny (who just so happens to be a snake...what the?) Mrs. Plithiver (Miriam Margolyes). Soren and Kludd have a strained relationship, with Soren always going on about the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a legend about a group of great owl soldiers who have fought many battles, ever-triumphant and noble etc etc...Kludd doesn't believe the hype. He's more interested in learning to fly properly so he can get the hell out of there. Unfortunately, Soren's the better flyer, which just amplifies Kludd's annoyance at his brother. The pair attempt some "branching" which is owl-code for the first step of flying lessons; pretty much just sailing at an angle to reach a lower branch...it's pretty basic, and they're fairly hopeless at it so that gives you an idea of the danger. Next thing, they fall out of their tree, and land on the forest floor, "a dangerous place for an owl." Out of nowhere, they're snatched by a couple of scary looking, much larger owls Jatt and Jutt (Saw's Leigh Whannell and comedian Angus Sampson, both Aussies). They're taken with a bunch of other kidnapped owls to St. Aegolious Academy for Orphaned Owls (seriously) and told that their families have abandoned them and that the "Pure Ones" are their new family. (BTW the Pure Ones are an evil force controlled by the scariest owl of all, Metalbeak (Joel Edgerton), and trained by his mate Nyra (Helen Mirren). These two are basically the Gruesome Twosome from Hell, they want to take over the whole Owl Kingdom...the usual story. Soren and Kludd are separated and Kludd is selected to be a Tyto, the purest and strongest soldiers for Metalbeak, whilst Soren is sent to be a "picker," a pretty crappy job it turns out, as all the pickers are made to sleep at night, or "moon-blinked." Next day, the owls are totally out of it, hypnotised and brainwashed, so they're easier to boss around. Soren teams up with an elf owl he met earlier, Gylfie (Emily Barclay) and they both stay awake so they can keep their wits about them. After, whilst faking zombie-like qualities, they're caught out by one of the guards, Grimble (also voiced by Weaving). Thinking they're in a heap of trouble, they're surprised when it turns out Grimble wants to help them escape. He says the only reason he does what Metalbeak and Nyra say is because they have his family. He hates what he's become and wants to teach them to fly better, so they can get away. After only a bit of training, they're interrupted by Nyra and Kludd and forced to attempt escape straight away, with Grimble defending them. Soren pleads with Kludd to make a break for it also, but we now realise Kludd doesn't want to leave. After a bit of a chase, Soren and Gylfie make it out, and start their journey to the sea, as per Grimble's advice (he insisted the Guardians are real and that they're the only ones who can help). They make a pit-stop on the way and run into a couple of quirky owls, Twilight (Anthony LaPaglia) and Digger (David Wenham). They join forces and set off for the Sea of Hoolemere, wherein lies the island of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. From this point on it's a long journey for the four friends, and they face a number of obstacles in the attempt to rescue the other kidnapped owls. Soren's bravery shines through and we see him stand up to his brother and face the ultimate battle against Metalbeak. Oh, and there's obvious sequel innuendo at the end, so fans can be pleased with that.

Essie Davis, Geoffrey Rush & associate producer Katrina Peers at the Sydney premiere, September 24, 2010.

List of reasons why I liked this movie:
1. It's animated. You can't go past an animated film, especially one about owls cuz they're faces are so adorable, you just want to pinch their cheeks. At one stage, my friend turned to me and said "I want one!"
2. It's Australian. There's a ton of Aussie talent showcased in Legend of the Guardians, and Jim Sturgess puts on an alright Aussie accent.
3. It was funny. Woven neatly in amongst the drama and action were some real shining laugh-out-loud moments; this is the Aussie signature coming through and it's awesome.
4. The effects were good. For an animated movie, it felt very real. The action was detailed as were the characters. There were lots of cool slo-mo sequences which never go a-stray.
5. The lead character was a sweetheart. If I were an owl, I'd go for Soren. He was a dreamer...loyal, determined, caring and soooo cute!
6. It had a happy ending, and the promise of more to come. Self explanatory!

Director Zack Snyder, Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Neill & Anthony LaPaglia at the LA premiere, September 19, 2010.

List of reasons why I dislikedthis movie:
1. It made Ryan Kwanten look like a dick.
2. The accents were a bit much...way too occa for me, and Eglantine was the only owl with an American accent? WTF?!
3. At times, it was a little serious and dramatic...which is good but a few times I found myself thinking "...but they're OWLS."
4. A little confusing as to why the metal fragments that mice have consumed (which the owls then consume) hold the power the Pure Ones need to take over the Owl Kingdom? This made no sense to me and it wasn't explained.
5. The only song that played was by Owl City. I would have preferred a more extensive soundtrack, instead of just a track from a band with "owl" in the name.


So that's 6-5. I guess that means this is another positive review. Whoops. The funny part is, I thought I would be ashamed. I'm not.


NOW HEAR THIS: The Owl City track isn't too bad, download "To The Sky." But the real winner is the trailer song, 30 Seconds To Mars's "Kings and Queens." Play it really loud, over and over. Then some more.
                                                                                                    

When the top cops are busy, our only hope is...

The Other Guys directed by Adam McKay


Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg attend the Australian premiere on the Gold Coast, August 18, 2010.

For a girl, I'm strangely partial to a good cop movie. Those who know me will tell you I love violent movies. Horror comedies are a particular favourite (think Jennifer's Body, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead etc). Blood, gore...I froth on that shit. Luckily, I have a select group of friends who I can rely on to see these types of movies with...one of my best friends shares my passion for the hilarious Saw saga. We often meet horrified stares when explaining how "The dude's arm, like, split in half! The bone came through the skin and everything! It was awesome." From horror comedies/actual serious horror movies that are unintentionally funny, we move onto the action movie arena. Films along the lines of Kick-Ass, Sin City, Kill Bill (basically anything that may have previously been a comic book)/...that stuff is totally up my alley. The more blood, the better. The more unrealistic the blood baths are, the higher the entertainment value. Don't get me wrong, I love a good horror movie for its subtlety and mystery as much as the next person, but it seems like they're few and far between these days. The last truly good horror movie I saw was...hmmm. I can't even think of one. Well. There you have it. But I'm getting off topic. Cop movies! They're awesome, as long as they're done right. And by right, I mean that the finished product serves its desired purpose; for example, in the 80s, Die Hard successfully served the purpose of providing Hollywood with a believable hero cop in the form of Bruce Willis's John McClane...incidentally, it also served the purpose of creating a the perfect bad guy, freaky German terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). This is probably why that movie was such a hit. Then, in the 90s you had Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones serving their purpose as the dream duo; the unlikely partnership defending the universe from aliens which for some reason meant huge bucks at the box office. The point I'm trying to get across is, if the film fulfills its reason for creation, I believe it should be deemed a success. Take Jennifer's Body as a great example; everybody trashed this movie because it was ridiculous. I mean, yeah, it was about a man-eating cheerleader. Literally. But come on! It was supposed to be stupid! Do you really think Diablo Cody, writer of the Academy Award-winning Juno, sat down and thought to herself "Hey. I'm gonna write a deadly serious plot about a girl who gets wrongly sacrificed as a virgin, then comes back to life and starts eating boys for every meal. Yes! The Screen Actors Guild will love this, and then I'll finally get the respect I deserve!" Highly doubt it. She's intelligent enough to realise that this movie was all popcorn, nothing more...but also to know that it works. The sad fact is that most people couldn't recognise this, and instead attempted to pull apart the film, criticising its every aspect. Idiots! A little advice, people: take a movie for what it is, don't try to warp it into something you think it should have been: 99.99% of the time, you'll be wrong. In my opinion, here's where The Other Guys delivered the goods.

Director Adam McKay, Will Ferrel, Mark Wahlberg & Eva Mendes at the Moscow premiere in Russia, September 13, 2010.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg team up in this (for want of a better word) random cop action/comedy. Allen Gamble (Ferrell) is the new guy in the detective's office...a quiet accountant who enjoys his desk job to an annoying extent. Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) on the other hand is the miserable one, knowing he lost his chance at glory after accidentally shooting Derek Jeter (by the way, this is the most hilarious side-bar that gets massive laughs whenever its mentioned, which is a lot). The pair are assigned as partners, but they never get to go out on a call because of their respective issues with hands-on police work. Instead, New York's favourite cops P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Christopher Danson (Dwayne Johnson) get all the action, and all the praise. That is until they're suddenly (and hilariously) out of the picture and Terry is over the moon about the opportunity to prove himself as a real detective. Unfortunately, he has to convince Allen to go along for the ride, which takes a good while since he pretty much hates his guts, demonstrated during Wahlberg's hilarious monologue: "No, I don't like you. I think you're a fake cop. The sound of your piss hitting the urinal, it sounds feminine. If you were in the wild, I would attack you. Even if you weren't in my food chain, I would go out of my way to attack you. If I were a lion and you were a tuna, I would swim out in the middle of the ocean and freaking eat you. Then I'd bang your tuna girlfriend." As hard as it is to believe, the two get past this tense discussion and join forces. The rest of the movie is pretty much just a series of hilarious events that eventually leads up to the grand finale: a day-time, inner-office shoot-off, of course. You may notice I've said the word 'hilarious' a number of times in the above summary...I apologise. There's simply no other way to describe this movie.

Eva Mendes at "The Other Guys" conference at Comic Con in San Diego, July 23, 2010.

Okay, first up is comedy veteran Ferrell. Not much to say here; he's great as Gamble, but it's nothing we haven't seen from him before. Sarcasm, wit-drenched one-liners, and don't forget the implied sing-along (seriously, when's the last time Ferrell made a movie without including at least a short singing number?). Like I said, it's funny but not all that new. What is new, however, is Wahlberg's comedic genius. Whilst he's not a first-timer in the funny-guy ballgame, this is the first time we've really seen him carry a comedy the way he does in The Other Guys. Hoitz is just so pathetic, and he knows it. The whole Jeter debacle continues to follow him around and humiliation is never far behind. His ex-girlfriend doesn't want a bar of him, and his collegues think he's a joke. Wahlberg doesn't often play a loser; he's usually the badass lead role in action flicks such as The Italian Job, Shooter and Max Payne. As we all know, he's good at playing those parts. But I can't get over how well he portrayed Hoitz in all his lameness. Pretty much the only thing that Hoitz has going for him in this movie is that he's superior to Gamble in almost every way. Except for his slamming-hot wife Sheila (Eva Mendes)...all of Hoitz's interactions with her are classic. His disbelief that Allen could score a babe like that is so perfectly acted over dinner one night: "Why are you with Allen?! *pause* I mean...how..did you two meet?" I seriously think that Wahlberg brings out the best in Ferrell, as the funniest scenes with Gamble involve Hoitz. The chemistry between these guys is great, which sounds weird considering Terry despises Allen. I'm not sure what it is, but the hate Terry has for Allen coupled with Allen's sincere hurt feelings over it is just great viewing. The cinema I sat in to watch this movie was in constant uproarious laughter because of this partnership, especially during one of my favourite scenes, where Hoitz drags Gamble out into the hall and pulls a gun on him to make him go out on a call with him: "You won't shoot me!" "I shot Jeter!" "That was an accident." "Was it?" On a quick note, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson deserve props for their performances, even if they didn't last long. The few scenes they were in were loaded with mirth, and had me and the entire theatre in stitches.

Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes & Mark Wahlberg attend the New York premiere at the  Ziegfeld Theatre, August 2, 2010.

As stated above, cop movies can be awesome but they can also go very badly when they don't allow themselves to be what they were intended. Some need to be serious, some not. The Other Guys scored high points with me because it not only accepted its destiny as a stupid-funny satirical cop movie, it revelled in it. My final word? Mark Wahlberg needs to do more comedies. I can't believe it's taken this long for him to show us how good at it he is.


NOW HEAR THIS: The movie featured some great rnb songs, including "We Trying To Stay Alive," by Wyclef Jean, "Top Down," by Swizz Beatz and great placement of The Black Eyed Peas' "Imma Be." There were a bunch of songs thrown in to this movie that has made them funnier to listen to now, including "Hero," by Foo Fighters, "Reminiscing," by Little River Band, "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) by Phil Collins, and "Waterfalls," "No Scrubs," and "Creep," all by TLC (you have to watch to understand the reference). Also, download "Icky Thump," by The White Stripes, "Ooh La La," by Goldfrapp, "Maggie's Farm," by Rage Against the Machine, and "Pimps Don't Cry," by Cee Lo Green. Just because they're awesome.

Let's NOT and say we DID.

Easy A directed by Will Gluck

Emma Stone attends the LA premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on September 13, 2010.

Another teen movie about an unpopular girl who's life is rocked by a scandalous rumour about losing her virginity. Throw in a love interest in the form of a long-time crush who just sees you as a friend, the token gay guy, a jealous ex-best friend, a cool but concerned teacher, a cheating wife, an affair with a student, quirky parents, an adopted black brother, oh and a bitchy Christian teacher's pet who wants to ruin your life, of course. You can get most of this info from the trailer and, on paper, it sounds like a recycled, sexed up and probably unfunny high school flick. That's on paper. In reality it's so much more than that, and truthfully it mostly comes down to the genius casting of Emma Stone (Superbad, The House Bunny, Zombieland). Upon seeing her in the trailer, it feels like a nice cool breeze has just hit your face; Stone is just so watchable. Thereafter, the movie changes shape and suddenly doesn't seem so vomit-inducing. LA magazine CWG featured an article with the headline "Why Easy A and Emma Stone Might Blow You Away." Here's why: Stone's character, Olive Penderghast is relatable, as most leading characters in teenage-targeted movies attempt yet often fail to be. Kind of against my will, I'm reminded of Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. You just couldn't help taking Lohan's side, even as she wreaked havoc on the entire school with her plots and schemes to take down the school bully. In fact, whilst walking past a poster for Mean Girls back in the day, I vividly remember saying to a friend "Mean Girls? Wow, that sounds like Oscar-winning material." But since then it's become one of my go-to movies for a good laugh, and a lot of that comes from Lohan's terrific comedic performance. Stone embodies that same quality; she has the ability to insert herself into a drab, been-there-done-that atmosphere and create magic. 

Emma Stone & Penn Badgley at the premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2010.

That's not to say that the other cast members don't make their respective contributions to Easy A. The first one that comes to mind is probably Dan Byrd (Cougar Town) as Olive's new found gay friend who pretty much sets this whole story in motion. Brandon is introduced as the high school punching bag thanks to his sexual orientation, and Olive suggests that to stop the torture, he should simply pretend to be straight with a girlfriend. Planting this idea in Brandon's head turns out to be a life-altering action for Olive once he begs her to be the lucky girl. At first hesitant, Olive is soon agreeing to his terms after a heartfelt plea by Brandon; Byrd is so adorable during this scene, I challenge any girl to say no to him. I mentioned in my previous post that I'm a sucker for crying dudes...Byrd definitely had some tears welling here, hence my appreciation for his part in this movie. Also, he's involved in one of the funniest scenes, the fake sex scene that he and Olive set up and play out at a rowdy house party, a large portion of which is revealed in the trailer. However, it still gets a huge laugh and Brandon's gratitude afterward is just so preciously sincere. 

(From left) Director Will Gluck, Patricia Clarkson, Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Aly Michalka, and writer Bert V. Royal at the LA premiere on September 13, 2010.

All the while you have Olive's dream guy Todd aka Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) aka the school mascot who mostly gets around in a too-cute woodchuck costume, popping up every now and then and making Olive question his true feelings for her. Then there's the enemy; from the get-go Olive despises Jesus-freak Marianne (Amanda Bynes - She's The Man) and her boyfriend Micah (Cam Gigandet - Twilight). She's rude, preachy and just plain annoying with her perfectly curled hair extensions and utterly pristine outfits. But hey, if anyone can do it, it's Bynes. Gigandet is actually fairly hilarious as the 22 year old dumbass who's still attending school; cue Bynes's glorious line: "He's still here because it's his choice...no silly *points up* His. His, with a capital H. If the Good Lord had wanted Micah to graduate, he would have given him the right answers." Then there's the background characters that create the perfect ensemble; Olive's parents (LOL) Dill & Rosemary (Stanley Tucci  - The Lovely Bones & Patricia Clarkson - Shutter Island), her cool, hip teacher Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church - Smart People), his cheating wife (Lisa Kudrow - P.S. I Love You) and the angry best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka - Bandslam).

Lisa Kudrow at the LA premiere, September 13, 2010.

There's a nice tone to this film...it's fun and silly like any teen movie should be (and yes, there is a random song number in there - don't ask), but there's also a good lesson hidden beneath that flawless comedic timing of Stone's. And the great part is, there's no way you can miss it because the entire thing is narrated and explained by Olive herself using YouTube. Once things start getting a bit out of control for Olive, (in other words, once the other losers in school start offering her money to pretend to sleep with them) I found myself feeling a little uneasy...then I realised it was because I really cared about this character and wanted her to get out of this situation and have a happy ending. That, my friends, is a testament to her acting skills...and let's not forget that this girl burst onto the Hollywood scene from nowhere only 3 years ago, and this is her first lead role. Three words: natural born star.

 

Emma Stone & friend Taylor Swift at the LA premiere, September 13, 2010.

So there you have it. If you're in the mood for a light-hearted laugh-fest with a fresh take on the politics of high school scandals and a phylosophical message at the end, go no further than Easy A. Hell, even if you're not in the mood for that, go just to see Emma Stone in her element. A is for awesome.

NOW HEAR THIS: Pretty sweet soundtrack...download "Go On" by Rooney, "Good Life" by OneRepublic, "Big Jet Plane" by Angus & Julia Stone, "Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie and the always classic "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds. Oh, and "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls is always fun :)

Life is for living.

Charlie St. Cloud directed by Burr Steers

Zac Efron promotes the film at the Mall of America, Minnesota on July 19, 2010.

Oh, the Zefron. You either love him or hate him don't you? I have to say, back in his High School Musical days, I wasn't really a fan. The whole thing just seemed uber-lame to me...I couldn't seem to get over the whole we're-on-the-basketball-team-and-we're-against-singing-and-dancing-so-to-prove-how-badass-we-are-we're-gonna-break-into-a-choreographed-routine thing. It wasn't until the 3rd and last installment Senior Year rolled around that I began to see the potential under that perfectly side-swept hair (why is it called Bieber-hair? Zac clearly did it first. I'm just saying). At that stage, re-visiting the first two was much more fun, even though Vanessa Hudgens gets on my nerves. I started thinking mmmk I think I see what all the fuss is about here. Then came 17 Again. This was about the time that my full-fledged conversion took place. I have the DVD to prove it. Seriously, I saw it twice. If the version of myself from three years before could see me now, she'd punch me in the face. But in my defence, it's not physical. Okay, yes it is but it's also the fact that he was actually really good in that movie. Being a 21 year old actor playing a 37 year old dad who's been turned in to a teenager again can't be easy. But in my opinion, he totally pulled it off. I was completely convinced the entire time that he was actually Matthew Perry in a younger, much hotter body. Plus I'm a sucker for cute actors who cry in movies. So you can imagine I quite enjoyed Charlie St. Cloud.

Amanda Crew attends the LA premiere at the Regency Village Theatre on July 20, 2010.

Okay, so you have the lovely Zac Efron playing the part of Charlie St. Cloud, a young sailing champion from Washington State. Charlie lives at home with his single mother Claire (Kim Basinger) and kid brother Sam (Charlie Tahan), but not for long because he's scored a sailing scholarship to Stanford University. Sam's devastated that Charlie's leaving him alone, so Charlie makes the promise to practice baseball together every day before he leaves for college. One night, Charlie is (supposed to be) babysitting Sam, but decides to sneak out and unfortunately Sam catches him, demanding that he take him with him. The brothers have a heart-to-heart in the car, with Charlie assuring Sam that he's not ditching him, and that he'll visit all the time. Things seem better until a semi-trailer runs a red light and shatters the St. Clouds's world. In the ambulance, Charlie appears dead, but one determined paramedic (Ray Liotta) revives him and dubs it a miracle. Tragically, Sam isn't as lucky and the next scene shows the town attending his funeral. Charlie is asked to drop the baseball glove on the casket, but refuses and runs away into the woods. Here, Charlie encounters the spirit of Sam, who informs him that he's late for practice; that he thought they had a deal. "We do have a deal," says Charlie between sobs, and from that day onward the boys meet everyday at sunset. Five years pass and Charlie, having turned down the scholarship and quit sailing, is now the caretaker at the cemetary where his brother is buried. He's closed off, anti-social and obsessed with the upkeep of the graveyard. Basically, you could say he doesn't get out much, so forget having a girlfriend. His life revolves around the daily practice sessions with Sam the Ghost, and because of his strange behaviour, most of the town think he's "totally certifiable." That is, except for a fellow classmate from high school, Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew). Tess is also a sailor, and is preparing for a solo trip around the world. A few chance meetings around town, and the pair are infatuated with each other, although Tess doesn't want to start something before her 6 month-long trip. Pretty soon, Sam wisens up to the fact that Charlie's attention is being stolen and accuses Charlie of starting to forget him. From here, it's Charlie's choice whether to live in the past and keep Sam alive through his memories, or let go and move forward: "The more I'm in your world, the less I can be in his." A big decision has to be made when Tess's boat goes missing and he must take one of two paths: attempt to find and rescue her or stay behind to honour the promise he made to his dead brother.

Charlie Tahan & Zac Efron share a moment at the LA premiere, July 20, 2010.

I know what you're all thinking. Sap, sap, sappy. And you'd be right. I can't even begin to tally the amount of tears that fall from Zac's translucent eyes (sigh) throughout this movie. It's a tearjerker for sure so if you hate that romantic, Notebook-esque tragic-but-beautiful type of storyline, you won't be impressed. But if you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Charlie St. Cloud and by Efron. Critics are calling his performance a breakthrough into the big leagues of the acting arena. USA Today writer Claudia Puig ... says "based on his performance...and his heartfelt efforts here, Efron seems poised to mature into a substantive actor." Mick LaSalle from the San Fransisco Chronicle states, "Efron gets that much credit just standing there, and then, lo and behold, he can act...simply in his screen essence, he embodies the right qualities of humanity, gravity and aspiration." As for the other cast members, Tahan is ridiculously adorable as Sam, and with an emotionally heavy role like this one, he doesn't crumble under the weight. The brotherly chemistry between Efron and Tahan is genuine, reeling you in from the beginning to make Sam's death and Charlie's sense of loss that much more heartbreaking. Crew is perfectly cast as Charlie's love interest. She's one of those actresses that make you say "What is she from?!" (by the way, it's Sex Drive). Stunningly beautiful with an air of independence and intelligence, Crew gives Tess just the right amount of spice to catch Charlie's interest whilst retaining a certain loneliness similar to his.

Zac Efron & High School Musical girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens pose for photos at the LA premiere, July 20, 2010.

All in all, Charlie St. Cloud is an emotional rollercoaster so you may want to bring the tissues. However, there is some nice comedy slotted in here and there to lighten up the audience when it all seems a bit dark and gloomy. This comes in the form of Charlie's talkative buddy Alistair Wooley (Augustus Prew), although Zac has his own share of one-liners. If you enjoyed seeing Efron shed his Disney-boy status and stretching his grown-up acting muscles in 17 Again and Me and Orsen Welles, you'll love watching this film. I foresee great things in this guy's career...but I guess you can never really count on that (ahem, Lindsay Lohan). One thing you won't foresee, though, is the huge twist about two thirds into this movie...your biggest mistake would be to write it off as a predictable melodrama. Trust me, it's so worth it.

NOW HEAR THIS:  Whilst the official soundtrack is just a collection of scores, there's a great track that plays over the credits, "Pull My Heart Away" by Jack Penate. But the best songs are actually from the trailer: "So Far Around The Bend" by The National and the saddest and greatest song ever, "Run" by Snow Patrol.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED?

Tomorrow, When The War Began directed by Stuart Beattie

The cast arrive at the Melbourne premiere on August 11, 2010. (From left, Caitlin Stasey, Lincoln Lewis, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Chris Pang, Andy Ryan, Deniz Akdeniz, Ashleigh Cummings & Phoebe Tonkin).

 As a young Australian who's very into movies, it's sometimes hard to watch home grown Aussie films and television because, well, they're just crap. Okay...that's generalising. There are some good ones out there, but they're rare. Most of the time, witnessing these atrocities seems to physically hurt me. At the core of it, it's just sheer embarrassment that varies in its level of humiliation from a slight cringe to full blown hysteria. For example, when subjected to a few uncomfortable minutes of Cops L.A.C., you'd see me with eyebrows raised, a subtle mocking smile and probably a slight head shaking motion as if to say "I cannot believe people have paid actual dollars to produce this hideous excuse for entertainment." Or something along those lines. On the other hand, there was the shocking Australia's Next Top Model incident just two nights ago which had me on my knees on the living room floor, pulling at my hair with both hands and shouting words like "disaster," "catastophe" and "suicide." When a bad Australian example of filmmaking is released into the world, I feel personally ashamed. But when a good one comes around, my heart swells with glowing pride that may even match that of a patriot-crazed American.


Chris Pang & Caitlin Stasey.

Tomorrow, When The War Began is one such example. The first chapter of John Marsden's much-loved Tomorrow series has been adapted for the screen in the most genius way. I have to admit right here and now that I have not read the series. I have read the first book, and am currently reading the second, The Dead of Night. Of course, I disciplined myself into reading the book before seeing the movie, but it was a close thing. The trailer was amazing and I almost buckled under the allure. It made the film look like serious blockbuster material; the fact that it's Australian just increased the attraction. It was like it was saying to the world "Here, come and observe this fine Aussie film, and see that we really know our shit." I had a similar feeling upon seeing Baz Luhrmann's masterpiece Australia, but this was on another scale. In part, it's because it's a movie made from a book series...but mostly it's the fact that the 7 (later becomes 8) lead roles belong to teenagers. Australian teenagers. I'm an Australian teenager. How much more relatable can it get? And better yet, these guys are depicted kicking ass! They've got guns, they wear camouflage...and they're placed in a situation that young people only ever live out in video game format. Sure, the plot's horrible, it's a terrifying notion and if it ever really happened I'd be the first one to burst into tears and hide under my bed BUT when it's in a movie, it's a whole other ball game. You can pretend all you like, but the idea of no parents, no rules and a bunch of bad guys lurking around that you not only have unspoken permission to kill, but the patriotic person within is encouraging you to do so is undeniably exciting. It's not so much the concept of killing, taking life. It's more about defending your land, your home, your loved ones. Doing all you can to survive and hurt whoever's trying to destroy your way of life as much as you can. Becoming a hero, which every single person fantasises about in some shape or form. That's what the Tomorrow series is about; stepping up and fighting against a gargantuan force against all odds, making a difference and working towards freedom. 

Lincoln Lewis & Rachel Hurd-Wood.

Okay, so here's the basic rundown: Ellie Linton (Caitlin Stasey) is a rural Aussie teen, and loves her simple farm life (I know, I don't get it either). She and her best friend Corrie Mackenzie (Rachel Hurd-Wood) are keen to do something really mature with boys and everything (ooooo) so they organise a camping trip with 5 other mates from the country into pretty dangerous and uncharted territory: Hell. Hell's actually just a bush area with a creek at the bottom of some rough terrain (Satan's Steps). Soon, the whole gang head down there and have a great time exploring, camping out, flirting...you know, all the usual stuff. During this time Ellie and the others hear a bunch of planes overhead, but think nothing of it. A week later, they regrettably emerge from their hide-away campsite to head back to reality. It's not long before they realise something's terribly wrong. All their pets are dead, their parents gone, their houses empty and void of electricity or dial tones. Pretty soon the group come to the conclusion that the country they love has been invaded by an unknown enemy and for some reason their small town of Wirrawee has been targeted. The whereabouts of their families is the first concern, and so they travel to the Showground to find out more. Upon their arrival, they see that all of the prisoners are being held captive at the grounds, heavily guarded by armed soldiers. From here on in, it's a rush of bullets, explosions, car chases and careful sneaking missions on foot for the group of 7, who become 8 when they discover fellow classmate Chris Lang (Andy Ryan) hiding out on his property. These 8 teens band together to take on what seems like an unstoppable force, and it's absolutely brilliant viewing.

Phoebe Tonkin & Deniz Akdeniz.

 There are moments when even the characters can't seem to hide their excitement when something goes their way, so the audience certainly can't either. Aside from the awful nature of it, this movie is a fun thrill ride of epic proportions with astounding stunts and awesome explosions. But even without that, it's a great film. I'll say that whilst some individual actors have missed the mark, as an ensemble, the cast were fantastic at portraying their teen angst in extraordinary circumstances, whilst still dishing out some stellar comic relief. The stand outs are Stasey, with her willowy looks and a face made for serious contemplation. This girl was the perfect Ellie; just enough innocence to make her seem average but with a ferocity and determination that all young women aspire to. Next in line is the remarkable Deniz Akdeniz who plays Homer Yannos, the Greek bad-boy who becomes a sort of leader through the devastation. I mentioned comic relief before; go no further than this dude right here. He did an ace job...I cannot think of a better Homer, real or imaginary. Hurd-Wood was quite good as Corrie, as was Home and Away's Lincoln Lewis as her boyfriend Kevin Holmes and Phoebe Tonkin was perfection as the prissy but powerful Fiona Maxwell. Now onto the people I had a problem with. One of the most important characters in the book, Ellie's love interest Lee Takkam was demolished by Chris Pang. Perhaps that's a bit harsh...he had moments that were acceptable but in my book, that's not really good enough. Lee was supossed to be mysterious, intriguing...vastly intelligent and basically your definition of Deep Thought. But watching Pang on screen, I felt none of this. In fact, I felt kind of awkward. His delivery of Lee's emotional and meaningful lines fell flat and in some cases were just laughable. Then there was Ryan's confused interpretation of Chris. I can't really explain what happened there. Let's just say that in scenes where he wasn't speaking, he was great. The phrase "over the top" just doesn't quite cut it with Ryan's acting skills. Last but not least, you have little Ashleigh Cummings as bible-hugging Robyn Mathers. I know "little" is a bit rich since she's actually 17, but in this movie she looks about 12. At times I found myself wondering why one of the gang invited their little sister to tag along on the trip; she simply didn't belong. Fortunately, her acting wasn't too bad. All in all, the cast were fine, with frequent streaks of brilliance from the former mentioned members.

Author John Marsden.

In short, Tomorrow is a wonderful addition to Australia's growing winners in film, and I was mighty proud to walk out of that theatre as an Aussie teen, just like them.

NOW HEAR THIS: The soundtrack is actually pretty good, with offerings from some great Australian acts like Powderfinger, Sarah Blasko and Wolfmother. Download Black Hearts (On Fire) by Jet, and the best track from the film, Fader by The Temper Trap, which in my opinion is basically the musical score to easy-going, good-time Australian attitude.