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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 August 2022

Filmmakers come from a variety of backgrounds, but this is the first time I’ve watched a movie directed by an Archibald Prize winner.  Regarded as one of the highest honours in the world of Australian art, the annual $100,000 reward is presented to the artist who crafts the best portrait of a distinguished individual.  Del Kathryn Barton took the honours in 2008 for her self-portrait, and then again in 2013 for depiction of Australian actor Hugo Weaving.

Blaze is a movie that impresses at all levels.  The distinctive imagery is striking (you’d expect that given Barton’s background) but the intricate script, delicate characters, and subtle performances are just as good.  It begins with a shy 12-year-old girl, Blaze (Savage), witnessing a heinous sexual assault and subsequent murder in a treelined, suburban laneway.  She hid in a small nook so as not to be spotted by the perpetrator.

The film then delves into two main subplots.  The first is a more traditional narrative around justice.  Blaze was the only witness to the crime and so she must identify the murderer in court and describe what she saw.  She will face a tough interrogation from the defence team who will do whatever it takes (they stoop very low) to sow doubt in her mind, and make her appear a confused, unreliable witness.  Blaze’s father (Baker) tries to shield his daughter from the trial’s severity but there’s only so much he can do given its importance – particularly to the family of the victim.

The second subplot takes us inside Blaze’s troubled, fractured mindset when no one else is around.  Dealing with intense trauma is difficult for most adults let alone an innocent 12-year-old who lacks the maturity to fully understand what transpired.  Barton finds a way of “visually” showing Blaze’s tortured feelings by using imaginary, fantastical creatures.  This is illustrated on the film’s confronting poster which shows a small dragon breathing fire from Blaze’s mouth – a scene from the movie where she struggles to control her anger.

Newcomer Julia Savage is sensational in the title role and deftly displays the wave of emotions you’d expect from a kid put through such a situation.  There are moments when her anger bursts to the surface, and other moments when she’s overcome with guilt about not preventing the crime.  Simon Baker (Margin Call) is also very good as the softly spoken dad who wants to fully support his daughter but is struggling to work out the best way to do so.

Abuse and trauma are tough subject matters and so there are valid reasons for some not wanting to see this.  One hopes we never have to deal with what these characters are put through, but Blaze provides an eye-opening, gut-punching reminder that the world can be a messed-up place… and there are people who can help us deal with it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 August 2022

The setting a standard hotel room with a queen bed, mini bar, and city views. The sixty-something-year-old Nancy (Thompson) is not there on holidays though. After months of nervous deliberation and procrastination, she’s finally harnessed the courage to book a male escort for a two hour “session”. His name is Leo (McCormack) and while he doesn’t give up too much information about his backstory and other clients, you can tell he’s got the experience, both physically and conversationally, to meet her needs.

In a constant state of unease, Nancy finally opens up about what she wants. She’d been married for over three decades but when her husband passed away two years ago, it got her thinking about life’s opportunities that she never took advantage of. One of those is sex. Her husband is the only person she’s ever made love with and she wouldn’t describe him as a passionate, adventurous lover. There’s a humorous scene where Nancy explains her husband’s hapless bedroom antics and it’s no surprise to learn she’s never had an orgasm in her life.

The film has a claustrophobic feel in that, for the most part, it’s set entirely within the hotel room. While they both have separate lives outside its walls (Nancy talks about being a mum and a retired school teacher), the only “version” we see of these two characters is that which exists while they’re together. Australian director Sophie Hyde (52 Tuesdays) has split the film into four distinct chapters which coincide with their total number of meetings (it’s all Nancy can afford).

It may sound limited in terms of scope but without unnecessary supporting characters, it provides a great opportunity to delve deeply into the two leads. The experienced Emma Thompson (Howard’s End) and relative newcomer Daryl McCormack work brilliantly off each other. They share lengthy conversations, sometimes humorous and sometimes dramatic, which allow us to peel back their outer layers and see what truly lies beneath. There’s a splash of sex too!

Dialogue isn’t always necessary though. As an example, I love the choice of Hyde to keep the camera on Leo when Nancy slips off to the bathroom during their first encounter. He’s very smooth and suave when in Nancy’s presence but these moments allow us to see a more vulnerable side to Leo. It provides a reminder that who we are around others isn’t always the same as who we are when alone. These early scenes also signal that the movie is as much about Leo finding peace with his life choices it is about Nancy’s.

Helping breakdown stigmas and stereotypes when it comes to sex workers, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is an interesting, progressive character study that offers up material we don’t usually see on the big screen. It’ll provide great talking points with family/friends and is not to be missed.

You can read my chat with director Sophie Hyde by clicking here..

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 August 2022

It’s a scenario ripe for a great action-thriller.  A family is stuck in a South African safari park and, with no working car and no phone reception, they must find their way back to civilisation while avoiding a hungry, vicious lion.  Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur (Everest) extracts maximum tension through the use of long, continuous shots and convincing visual effects.

It’s just a shame the writing team have fallen back on tropes and cliches to over-sell the drama. You could throw any group of individuals into that situation and it’d work.  Instead, they’ve goes with a single dad (Elba) struggling to bond with his two teenage daughters (Halley and Jeffries) following the loss of his wife (they were separated at the time) to cancer.  The purpose of the 10-day trip is to spend “quality time” with the kids and show them where their late mother grew up.

He’s been a pretty average dad of late and so the life-threatening situation involving the killer lion serves as a contrived way of earning redemption.  He can show his two daughters that he’s “there for them” by putting his own life on the line to save them.  Oh, and what’s behind the particular lion being so nasty?  Turns out it has a heightened sense of awareness and is striking back against the actions of villainous poachers.

There’s one other character of note.  South African Shalrto Copley (District 9), getting a rare chance to film a big Hollywood movie in his home country, plays an old friend who serves as their safari tour guide.  Yes, it’s a cheesy storyline but the cast make it work.  They speak normally and, when put in perilous situations, they act in a way you can appreciate and understand.  There are moments when they need to be saved… and others when they need to do the desperate saving.  Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation) also deserves praise for bringing the right mix of strength and vulnerability to the lead role.

Above all else, it’s the gripping action sequences which will keep you engaged.  I applaud the approach of Kormákur to limit editing and go with long takes.  It made it a tougher shoot (lots of time going into rehearsals) but the end result is worth it.  It’s as if we’re looking through the eyes of a news camera operator as they follow these characters and the locations they visit.  One of the best scenes involves a deserted village with the camera slowly moving between structures in search of clues and information.

Give it a look!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 August 2022

As a director, it’s nice when your first big movie is a massive hit.  On this same weekend 23 years ago, The Sixth Sense arrived in American cinemas and the line “I see dead people” became one of the most memorable in movie history.  It was the second highest grossing flick of 1999 (behind The Phantom Menace) and it made M. Night Shyamalan a household name… and a dual Oscar nominee for writing and directing.

The upside for Shyamalan is that it gave him more creativity freedom.  He could take chances on weird, not-so-audience friendly movies and still have the backing of big studio money with little interference.  The downside for Shyamalan is that with such early acclaim, it became harder to meet the public’s now higher expectations.  I’ve enjoyed some (emphasis on “some”) of his works but most would agree that nothing has matched what he achieved as a 28-year-old with The Sixth Sense.

Jordan Peele finds himself at a similar point in his career.  The comedian-turned-filmmaker won the Academy Award for best original screenplay in 2017 with his debut feature, Get Out, and he followed that up two years later with Us.  Nope marks his third outing and he’s sticking with what he’s become known for – a supernatural, horror-style flick where perplexed audiences are kept guessing throughout. 

To the credit of the studio, and this is probably because of Peele’s strong influence, very few details are given away in the trailers and promotional material.  Stars Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) and Keke Palmer (Hustlers) play siblings responsible for a long-running horse wrangling business.  Their personalities are polar opposites and this makes for feisty, pull-no-punches banter between the pair – particularly since sales are slow.

What follows shouldn’t be spoiled but even if I tried, it’d be difficult to describe.  Some weird, unexplainable stuff goes on at the ranch and it brings together an eclectic group of characters to get to the bottom of it.  They are headlined by an inquisitive tech guru (Perea), a theme park operator with a curious past (Yeun), and a talented cinematographer on a constant search for the perfect shot (Wincott).

I’m split down the middle on this one.  It’s the kind of movie where you’re never bored but you’re also never fully buying into events as they unfold.  It’s a “round peg in a square hole” at times as Peele can’t quite get the storyline to marry up with the themes he’s selling.  The cinematographer is one character I’ll be forever scratching my head about.  Is it poor development… or am I simply a moron for not understanding him?

Maybe Nope will require multiple viewings to appreciate more deeply?  Maybe I’m just overthinking it?  It’ll get people talking but, at least for now, Get Out remains Peele’s high-water mark.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 August 2022

Don’t ask me for statistical proof but Australia seems to bat above the worldwide average when it comes to actors making a mark on the international stage.  Over the past quarter of a century, 13 Aussies have earned acting nominations at the Academy Awards.  There’s an even bigger group who have found fame in major franchises and/or action blockbusters.  The two highest grossing movies of all time feature Australians in leading roles – Sam Worthington in Avatar and Chris Hemsworth in Avengers: Endgame.

All of these skilled actors began their careers with roles in Australian-made flicks.  Nicole Kidman starred in BMX Bandits, Cate Blanchett featured in Paradise Road, Heath Ledger first appeared in the teen drama Blackrock, and Hugh Jackman won a critics award for his debut in Erskineville Kings.  Like many others, I’d love to see a bigger film industry in this country but, it’s important to acknowledge that locally made movies have provided a valuable first step for those breaking into the industry.

It’s a point worth noting as there are currently two movies in Aussie cinemas starring 17-year-old newcomer Rasmus King – 6 Festivals (released last week) and now Bosch & Rockit.  Raised in Byron Bay, King has been known for his surfing prowess before now (he was winning titles as a 9-year-old).  He “fluked” his way into the acting profession (his word, not mine) but based on his two skilled, passionate performances in these movies, he’s likely to get the attention of other filmmakers in search of tomorrow’s superstars.

Based on a true story, Bosch & Rockit is a father and son tale set in the late 1990s.  King plays Rockit – a surf-loving teenager trying to find his place in the world while Luke Hemsworth (Westworld) plays Bosch – a single dad who wants to be there for his son but keeps making mistakes.  Forced to flee their home after a Bosch gets on the wrong side of dodgy drug dealers, the pair hide out in Byron Bay until things quieten down.  Rockit doesn’t know the truth, however.  He’s unaware of his dad’s criminal activities and thinks Byron Bay is an opportune holiday where they can spend quality time together.

Selected as the closing night feature for the Gold Coast Film Festival back in April, Bosch & Rockit is a little clunky and formulaic in places but it’s still a worthy story bolstered by great performances.  King is terrific (just mentioning it again) but so too is Hemsworth who finds the right blend of “likeable” and “unlikeable” in bringing the flawed father to life.  They share some great exchanges – from deep and meaningful conversations about family… to petty arguments in front of strangers at hotel receptions.

You won’t find them in as many cinemas as Bullet Train and Nope but if you want to see what the Australian film industry is offering up, find the time and give both 6 Festivals and Bosch & Rockit a look.