Jason KingA Heartbeat Away (4/10)
March 20th 2011 08:53
:
Very Disappointing Oz Film
Category: Reviews
I was very keen on seeing this limited release Australian film that emoted some feelings of a real feel good film like Brassed Off and Billy Elliot but oh my god it was shocking and a waste of a morning. I do love a good Australian film but most Australian films are hit or miss and this one misses big time. It is an embarrassment to our international standing as filmmakers.
OK - maybe a bit harsh but I kept trying to find things about the film I truly enjoyed.
A Heartbeat Away is a feel-good Australian musical comedy from international Emmy award winner and acclaimed theatre director Gale Edwards.
Kevin Flack (Sebastian Gregory) has a dream - to play lead guitar in a famous rock and roll band. But being a Rock God in the sleepy seaside town of Montague isn't easy. And neither is living at home with your mum and dad and your idiot younger brother.
Kevin longs to break free while his father - Edwin Flack (William Zappa) - is proud of his Montague heritage and for the past twenty years has been totally obsessed with his one love - the town's Municipal Marching Band.
Today, the Band faces a crisis. The Montague Council is preparing to demolish the community hall, the band's long time home. As the band prepares for the upcoming regional championships, Edwin is hit by a bus and Kevin is forced to take over as musical director.
At the same time, the local Mayor (Colin Friels) convinces the Council to close down the Band in order to make way for a tourist development project. But Kevin strikes a deal and the Mayor agrees that if the Band win first prize in the competition then their future is assured.
With the help of Mandy (Isabel Lucas) - the Mayor's daughter - Kevin must get the Band on his side, rearrange an iconic rock song for brass and totally overhaul their dated routine...
All in four short weeks... And of course, his father must never find out.
The Good:
* Sebastian Gregory - I really liked him - he totally reminds me of a US actor I can't for the life of me remember - maybe Moose from the Step Up films but I can't really work it out. He was this geeky character on the verge of being cool but for the life of me he was totally wrong for Isabel Lucas - not a chance in this universe she would go for a guy like him - way too unrealistic - no offence Gregory - I think you are definitely cute but she is out of your league
It was like Shia LaBeouf and Megan Skank Fox in the Transformers films. But I think Gregory held the film together - he was fun, innocent and naively geeky - I just found that appealing.
* Tammy McIntosh - she played the mum and I found her the most natural actor in the whole film - she played a character and I never felt she was an actor in the film - she was her character.
* The middle of the film when they get on with it and start training - this was good and it had the feel good vibe the entire film lacked - the film was up and down and the first 45mins is damn boring, cliched, methodical and monotonous. But then this section I thought was uplifting and took me where I wanted to go with the film - but then it faltered and ended back in mundaneness.
* The second last act of the brass band playing Nirvana - it was kind of cool
The Bad:
* Isabel Lucas - honestly - I can't stand her - she reminds me of an Australian Megan Fox and this is not a good thing. I got to see her once at the premiere of Transformers 2 and she said something so stupid prior to the film while talking to the audience I burst into hysterical laughter so bad I had to hide behind the chair in front of me. It was bad - I wish I could remember it. She is basically in the film to provide a "hot" factor - but she won't bring on more people to watch the film.
* The direction - Gale Edwards may have an Emmy and be amazing at theatre but this was a bad directorial debut - it was like an afternoon kids TV show in sections with limited care in the direction and it went all over the place. I do think that the film would be something your very old grandparents may like as it is so cheesie and sometimes charming they will enjoy it and the over the top vomit cheesieness won't effect them - there were some scenes I was laughing at how cliched and horrible the scene was.
* Colin Friels' character - it was the typical bad guy businessman cliche and it was poorly comical - that and the female sidekick - I can't remember her name it was that unmemorable.
* The sound/ music editing - it was all over the place and was not increased or loud in the scenes it should be and not quiet in the likewise scenes where it should be. It was done by an amateur in my opinion.
The story's plot and heart was in the right place but the delivery of the film was BAD. It never quite achieves it's goal of being a feel good film as there are so many bad moments in the film. And to be honest I would much prefer the audiences of the world to know Australian films like Crocodile Dundee or Animal Kingdom, Happy Feet or Dead Calm as representations of our country and people. But I don't think I need to worry too much - with 2 people in the cinema and the other patron and I discussing it afterwards - we were both disappointed and she was sad as she wanted to tell all her friends about it and help promote more Australian films. She said she would not be discussing it with anyone - this film will soon fade into oblivion. Worth 4 out of 10.
OK - maybe a bit harsh but I kept trying to find things about the film I truly enjoyed.
A Heartbeat Away is a feel-good Australian musical comedy from international Emmy award winner and acclaimed theatre director Gale Edwards.
Kevin Flack (Sebastian Gregory) has a dream - to play lead guitar in a famous rock and roll band. But being a Rock God in the sleepy seaside town of Montague isn't easy. And neither is living at home with your mum and dad and your idiot younger brother.
Kevin longs to break free while his father - Edwin Flack (William Zappa) - is proud of his Montague heritage and for the past twenty years has been totally obsessed with his one love - the town's Municipal Marching Band.
Today, the Band faces a crisis. The Montague Council is preparing to demolish the community hall, the band's long time home. As the band prepares for the upcoming regional championships, Edwin is hit by a bus and Kevin is forced to take over as musical director.
At the same time, the local Mayor (Colin Friels) convinces the Council to close down the Band in order to make way for a tourist development project. But Kevin strikes a deal and the Mayor agrees that if the Band win first prize in the competition then their future is assured.
With the help of Mandy (Isabel Lucas) - the Mayor's daughter - Kevin must get the Band on his side, rearrange an iconic rock song for brass and totally overhaul their dated routine...
All in four short weeks... And of course, his father must never find out.
The Good:
* Sebastian Gregory - I really liked him - he totally reminds me of a US actor I can't for the life of me remember - maybe Moose from the Step Up films but I can't really work it out. He was this geeky character on the verge of being cool but for the life of me he was totally wrong for Isabel Lucas - not a chance in this universe she would go for a guy like him - way too unrealistic - no offence Gregory - I think you are definitely cute but she is out of your league
It was like Shia LaBeouf and Megan Skank Fox in the Transformers films. But I think Gregory held the film together - he was fun, innocent and naively geeky - I just found that appealing.* Tammy McIntosh - she played the mum and I found her the most natural actor in the whole film - she played a character and I never felt she was an actor in the film - she was her character.
* The middle of the film when they get on with it and start training - this was good and it had the feel good vibe the entire film lacked - the film was up and down and the first 45mins is damn boring, cliched, methodical and monotonous. But then this section I thought was uplifting and took me where I wanted to go with the film - but then it faltered and ended back in mundaneness.
* The second last act of the brass band playing Nirvana - it was kind of cool
The Bad:
* Isabel Lucas - honestly - I can't stand her - she reminds me of an Australian Megan Fox and this is not a good thing. I got to see her once at the premiere of Transformers 2 and she said something so stupid prior to the film while talking to the audience I burst into hysterical laughter so bad I had to hide behind the chair in front of me. It was bad - I wish I could remember it. She is basically in the film to provide a "hot" factor - but she won't bring on more people to watch the film.
* The direction - Gale Edwards may have an Emmy and be amazing at theatre but this was a bad directorial debut - it was like an afternoon kids TV show in sections with limited care in the direction and it went all over the place. I do think that the film would be something your very old grandparents may like as it is so cheesie and sometimes charming they will enjoy it and the over the top vomit cheesieness won't effect them - there were some scenes I was laughing at how cliched and horrible the scene was.
* Colin Friels' character - it was the typical bad guy businessman cliche and it was poorly comical - that and the female sidekick - I can't remember her name it was that unmemorable.
* The sound/ music editing - it was all over the place and was not increased or loud in the scenes it should be and not quiet in the likewise scenes where it should be. It was done by an amateur in my opinion.
The story's plot and heart was in the right place but the delivery of the film was BAD. It never quite achieves it's goal of being a feel good film as there are so many bad moments in the film. And to be honest I would much prefer the audiences of the world to know Australian films like Crocodile Dundee or Animal Kingdom, Happy Feet or Dead Calm as representations of our country and people. But I don't think I need to worry too much - with 2 people in the cinema and the other patron and I discussing it afterwards - we were both disappointed and she was sad as she wanted to tell all her friends about it and help promote more Australian films. She said she would not be discussing it with anyone - this film will soon fade into oblivion. Worth 4 out of 10.
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