2 September 2008

The Plex - A review

| johnboy
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[First filed: August 31, 2008 @ 11:46]

Canberra’s Brian Cobb has made his first feature film as a producer and it’s opening at Dendy on 4 September for a run from 18 September to 24 September.

Yesterday it had an advance screening at the National Museum as part of the Australian Film Institute award screenings.

The AFI members were a little surprised to have a large contingent of the hoi polloi turn up to see Brian’s work.

Having spent a few years working in cinemas both here and in England I was certainly intrigued by a movie about theater workers.

Apparently this film was originally planned as a series of shorts to be distributed through iTunes for playing on people’s ipods.

So in a way it’s a shame what could have really been something great in that format has been shoe-horned into a deeply flawed, if still very funny in parts, movie.

A major quibble I’ve got with it is that the idea of cinemas being the haunt of hard core movie-nerds frittering away their lives feeling superior to their customers doesn’t ring true in Australia. Our youth wage laws mean that most cinemas here are staffed by teenagers with no particular interest in movies and managers tend to be recruited out of fast food franchises. In other countries the stereotype is certainly true, but the movie is supposedly set in an Australian ‘plex.

In large part it feels like Clerks meets Fat Pizza. An impression reinforced by John Boxer once again playing a foul mouthed and abusive boss. To say nothing of the blatant Jay and Silent Bob rip offs.

The caper portion of the film wouldn’t cut the mustard on locally made children’s TV. And the female characters are either vacuous whores, or props waiting for the male protagonists to animate them. Other characters leap out of the woodwork undeveloped to take on crucial roles and advance the gimpy plot.

And yet… and yet… In the set pieces of cinema life it hits some good marks and is genuinely funny. The dialogue between AJ and Zeke goofing off in the box office hits some real high notes at times.

Basically if you love Kevin Smith movies you’ll be able to forgive this film its flaws, and have a great time.

But if you’re not a fan of that work then don’t torture yourself here.

If you’re looking for a more sustained insight into ‘plex life I highly recommend the multiplex comic.

More info on The Plex is available on the Racing Team Productions website.

UPDATE: My details on the cinema run were incorrect. The film is running at Dendy from 18 to 24 September.

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I saw it last night.

All I can say is thank christ I see movies for free at Dendy because this movie was a shocker.

Joe Canberran11:19 am 17 Sep 08

Session times at Dendy here.

Opens tomorrow.

Hmmm. A 1-star rating for The ‘Plex in the Empire magazine review, and a $9.50 value rating in Filmink.

I’ll probably still go catch it anyway 🙂

thanks man… hopefully i’ll be coming up for the Thursday opening… maybe bringing some of the Cast… i’ll let you know.

tylersmayhem9:09 pm 04 Sep 08

Haha, Cobby, if only you knew who I was you’d be re-inacting the scene out of Ace Ventura after he pashed on with that chick-man! 🙂 haha

Movie looks great BTW. I’ll be checking it out!

what are you wearing?

tylersmayhem4:11 pm 04 Sep 08

I should have put a 🙂 after my last comment to set the tone 😉

*maniacal laughter*

tylersmayhem3:18 pm 04 Sep 08

Oh yes Mr. Cobb! You know me!

Yep, its me…. do i know you?

tylersmayhem11:13 am 02 Sep 08

Is Brian Cobb the same one who graduated from Marist?

Now that’s what I call dedication!

: )

To all involved, thanks for reviewing it and also thanks for coming. We actually open at the Dendy on the 18th of September….

For “joe canberran” the character of Hollywood Sam involved 28 years of research…. many of those on the streets of our capital city….

Brian Cx

Bit rough eyeball. I laughed my arse off and had a great time. Definately Kevin Smith tones throughout the movie. Clerks was pretty crappy/funny although Kev Smith got more funding and ended up making some dollars out of his movies.

I’d recommend going to see it for a laugh as opposed to great drama that will last throughout the ages.

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot1:18 am 01 Sep 08

That’s right folks, another one of these quirky Australian comedies which is about as entertaining as a shotgun blast to the face.

Why are these horrendous monstrosities so frequently churned out by many young directors throughout the country?

Do we need to start a thread debating whether or not Australia has the worst creative film industry on the planet?

The cinephile in me says ‘maybe’.

Listen, guys, don’t go out and support this thing because it just happened to be made by a Canberran.

It truly is about as nauseating as something like The Wedge, and pieced together like a million bad Hollywood blockbusters.

It’s a shame to see the shit so heavily running downsteam into local independent cinema.

Let us know when SBS screens it!

Being an Usher at Hoyts I’m looking forward to watching this.

Joe Canberran12:32 pm 31 Aug 08

I, being one of the “large contingent of the hoi polloi” and a fan of Kevin Smith films really enjoyed the film.

Johnboy was right in his assessment of the film which had a real student film feel about it, similar to clerks, which is expected on a shoe string budget.

It missed almost as many times as it hit but when it hit it was gut busting funny.

Zeke definitely had all the best lines and, knowing and being friends with Brian (who was playing a actor nob by the name of “Hollywood Sam”) back in his wilder canberra days I wasn’t 100% sure if he was playing a roll or just regressing/tapping into to his womanising youth 😀

Not sure if I’d pay full price for it but on a cheap tuesday/with movie money/dendy club member prices it’d be well worth it. Might even go and see it again when it comes out and drag along a few mates.

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