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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 November 2025

Die My Love serves up a confronting, unflinching look at postnatal depression.  When we meet Grace (Lawrence) and Jackson (Pattinson), they’re a blissfully happy couple who have moved into the rural home of his late uncle and have one thing primarily on their mind – sex.  For those after feel-good entertainment, soak up this opening 15 minutes because it’s the only time we see these two with a hopeful, positive attitude.  It’s all downhill from there…

Grace gives birth to a baby boy and in the months that follow, their relationship sours.  Jackson’s work requires him to travel out of town and that leaves her home alone with a lack of purpose, a lack of direction.  Filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin) delves into the minutia of her monotonous days – from barking back at their noisy dog, to licking windows, to stretching her limbs, to mindlessly drinking alcohol.  It’s a reminder of the weird things we do at home when no one is watching.

At first, we could construe her actions as trivial boredom, but it becomes apparent her mentality is not as it should be.  Her emotions are shifting every few minutes and they’re hyper-exaggerated to the point of derangement.  Jackson is the exact opposite and by maintaining a stoic tone, you could ask if he’s only adding to Grace’s frustrated, bipolar-like nature.  She starts “acting out” in the company of others, including her mother-in-law (Spacek), and no one is sure how to react.  Viewers will feel similar as they try to size Grace up and understand why she is the way she is.

Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) can be applauded for her lead turn as the troubled Grace.  Her actions create a sense of anxiety that imparts itself onto the audience.  It’s hard to watch at times.  It illustrates depression is not easy to explain and not easy to treat.  Robert Pattinson (The Batman) is more of a supporting player given Jackson is often away (Grace is the focus) but it’s still a noteworthy performance with the pair capturing the drama of a disintegrating relationship without relying on grandiose duologues.

Did I want a more though?  Yeah, probably.  I’m fine with the heavy tone but sought for a broader arc.  The observational-style approach adopted by director Ramsay becomes tiring.  I wanted to see Grace evolve in a more meaningful way, whether it be good or bad.  There’s a fleeting sequence where she is checked into a mental health facility but instead of using it as an opportunity to explore treatment options and understand her psyche, the screenplay quickly skips forward to her release.  Further, more needed to be made of LaKeith Stanfield’s character.

Likely to generate a range of opinions, particularly with regards to the climax, Die My Love is both interesting and elusive.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 October 2025

To be considered a truly great male musician… you need a movie made after you!  That’s not necessarily true but it feels that way given the recent abundance of biopics greenlit by Hollywood studios.  In the past decade, we’ve delved into the lives of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis Presley in Elvis, Elton John in Rocketman, Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love, Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, and a bunch of gifted rappers in Straight Outta Compton.

The next cab off the rank is Bruce Springsteen who has entrusted his story to writer-director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Black Mass).  Springsteen has released 21 studio albums, he’s won 20 Grammy Awards, he’s sold over 140 million records, and he’s performed live on thousands of occasions across the world including 44 times in Australia.  There’s too much to cover a single movie and so Cooper sagely keeps the focus narrow.  Drawing from a book authored by Warren Zanes, he scrutinizes the creation of his 6^th album, “Nebraska”, in 1982.

Sadly, the finished product is a disappointment.  It’s like someone swimming in a lake who is afraid what they might see if putting their head underwater.  Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere provides only a “surface level” look of the acclaimed artist, and there’s a surprisingly lack of drama and tension.  Depression was a big motivator for the album (nothing wrong with that) but we struggle to grasp why he’s so forlorn.  The film can’t find a way to take his tortured psyche and effectively visualise it on screen.

Staggered flashbacks from his childhood, headlined by his alcoholic father (Graham), are not woven together in a way which provides fulfilling insight.  An on-again, off-again romantic relationship with a single mum (Odessa), a fictional composite of several real-life people, amounts to nothing.  When Springsteen finally harnesses the courage to speak with a professional psychologist, the camera fades away.  Why not let us hear the conversation and understand what he’s bottled-up for so long?

The movie will still have fans.  Springsteen lovers should enjoy the title performance of Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) and the behind-the-scenes insight into how he created songs including “Born in the U.S.A”.  We also see his obsession with using non-studio technology in creating an album with a gritty, authentic feel.  This includes debates with his manager (Strong) and lead sound engineer (Hauser) who provide careful feedback but know Bruce always makes the final decision.  I need to ask though – why cast the amazing Tony Award winning actress Jane Houdyshell and use her as a glorified extra?

The music of Bruce Springsteen is powerful, memorable and iconic.  Regrettably, the same adjectives cannot be used to describe this movie.  A wasted opportunity.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 October 2025

Australian band Real Life shot to fame in 1983 when their debut single, “Send Me an Angel”, reached the top 10 on the Australian charts.  Now, 42 years later, it’s been used as the appropriate climax to the new movie Good Fortune.  Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) plays a dopey angel named Gabriel who comes down from heaven to help people in need.  Well… actually… his responsibilities are very narrow.  Unlike some of his fellow angels, Gabriel’s job is to prevent car accidents by tapping people on the shoulder when they’re texting and driving.

He wants to do more though.  Against the wishes of his superior (Oh), he intervenes in the life of a documentary film editor, Arj (Ansari), who is close to rock bottom.  Arj has no money and no home.  He sleeps in his rundown car and earns a meagre living as a gig economy worker.  He gets paid to deliver food, complete odd jobs, and stand in line for hours at popular cafes.  After a lengthy opening act (about 30 minutes), Gabriel finally intervenes and lets him switch lives for a few days with Jeff (Rogen), a multi-millionaire venture capitalist with a stunning mansion overlooking Los Angeles.  The goal is for Arj to see that while life can be challenging, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

It backfires in a massive way.  It turns out that wealth does make you happier and Arj discovers a loophole that allows him to stay permanently in Jeff’s “world”.  This is bad news to Jeff who is stuck in the opposite scenario.  He’s gone from super wealthy… to dirt poor, and from having a beautiful home... to living on the street.  It’s an adjustment he’s struggling with (obviously).  As for Gabriel, he’s been punished for the mayhem by losing his wings and angel status.  The only way to set things right is for them to team up and convince Arj to willingly relinquish his improved existence.

Written and directed by comedian Aziz Ansari, Good Fortune has its moments.  Keanu Reeves is the cast’s MVP and it’s fun to watch him experience human things for the first time.  It’s like Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black but with more humour and silliness.  When Reeves is on screen, the film is at its best.  I was less enamoured by the screenplay.  Ansari goes for a crowd-pleasing finale that creates a win for everyone but what he’s crafted is forced and not genuine.  I didn’t believe the close out of these character arcs.  Further, he has something valid to say about insecure work in the 21^st century but goes about it in a very blunt, simplistic manner.

I’ve seen worse and I’ve seen better.  Good Fortune may not work as a profound, message-driven piece but if looking for easy laughs, you’ll have a good time.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 October 2025

Twenty-something-year-old James Sweeney penned a first draft in 2015, and it then took a decade to find the money and the cast.  The wait has been worth it!  Twinless is a brilliant dark comedy that balances its many tones with perfection.  The story is ridiculously unhinged (in a good way), but the inspiration was much simpler.  Sweeney has always been fascinated by twins and grew up loving TV shows like Sister Sister and movies like The Parent Trap.

In addition to his responsibilities as director and screenwriter, Sweeney stars as Dennis, a young, socially awkward gay man with a quasi-unhealthy obsession for twins.  He thinks he’s hit the jackpot after a fleeting romantic encounter with Rocky (O’Brien), an identical twin, but Rocky is killed in a tragic car accident soon after.  If you think that’s heavy, wait until you find out what happens next…

Rocky’s straight twin brother, Roman (also O’Brien), arrives in town for the funeral and to help take care of his brother’s affairs.  He’s struggling emotionally and starts attending a self-help group for “twinless twins” where attendees open-up about their loss and seek comfort from those with similar experiences.  Dennis isn’t a twin, but he rocks up at the same meetings, fabricates a twin-filled backstory, and uses it to become mates with the obliviously unaware Roman.

Audiences will be shocked and divided as they size up the protagonists.  The friendship between Dennis and Roman is based on a mountain of lies but, in spending time together, their lives are meaningfully improved.  Can this possibly justify Dennis’s actions, though?  Matters are further complicated when Roman becomes romantically close with Marcie (Franciosi), one of Dennis’s co-workers, and he’s relegated to “third wheel” status.  Roman offers to set Dennis up with a gay friend but this only adds to the messiness.

Twinless offers one of the year’s best scripts.  There are moments of hilarious, insightful wit and there are moments where characters extricate themselves from tricky situations.  If you love black humour and uncomfortable laughs, with a splash of sexuality, this is the film for you.  The performances are also superb.  Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) skilfully blends dopiness and sincerity as Roman (in addition to playing the very different Rocky), while Sweeney brings creepiness and naivety to Dennis.  Irish actress Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale) shouldn’t be overlooked with her critical performance as the underrated Marcie.

Winner of the Audience Award for dramatic features at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, Twinless is a wild, riotous journey that ends on the right note.  It’s a movie you won’t easily forget.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 October 2025

I tried to explain the films of 52-year-old Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things) to colleagues at work… with limited success.  They’re warped, messed up, and can’t be summarised easily.  You need to watch yourself and then see if his dystopian worlds and dark humour gel with your own sensibilities.  I’m an admirer of his work, primarily for the memorability and wacky entertainment value, but his movies can drag.  Subplots are dragged out longer than necessary and humour is repeated.

The same could be said of Bugonia, his latest feature which recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival.  Marking the 4^th time she’s worked with Lanthimos, the film stars Oscar-winner Emma Stone (Poor Things) as Michelle Fuller, a fast-paced, hard-working CEO for a large pharmaceutical company.  She is kidnapped by two men, played by Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) and newcomer Aidan Delbis, and tied up in the basement of a remote home.

They’re not seeking a ransom or making a political statement.  Rather, the duo are conspiracy theorists who, after reading a plethora of online forums, believe Michelle is a part of an alien race who will soon destroy the planet.  They shave her head (believing hair is a communication tool) and demand that when the lunar eclipse occurs in four days’ time, Michelle take them aboard her spaceship and help them negotiate Earth’s survival with the alien leaders.

There’s a lot to like about Bugonia.  I relished the back-and-forth power games between Stone and Plemons’ respective characters as they each try to get the upper hand.  She can’t physically strike back (she’s tied up) but, if she plays along with his games and pretends to be an alien, could she gain his trust and her freedom?  The humour is incredibly dark but the best subplot in the film involves a local police officer, played by comedian Stavros Halkias (Tires), with a questionable past.  The arc he’s able to develop in just two scenes is brilliant.

The screenplay is somewhat contrived and while I enjoyed the visuals in the closing sequence, I wasn’t sold on the finale (I won’t spoil).  The more you think about it, the less sense if makes.  Further, we don’t develop a sufficiently thorough understanding of the protagonists.  Black-and-white flashbacks add flecks of backstory but, given their limited intelligence, why are the kidnappers so certain of their conspiracy theory-like views?  With regards to Michelle, we know little about the company or her leadership style except for a repetitive joke about what time staff can clock-off of an afternoon.        

Based on a 2003 South Korean film, Bugonia held my attention for the two-hour running time but it’s far from being Yorgos Lanthimos’s best work.