Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 April 2022

Movies about robots and artificial intelligence are not new but After Yang takes interesting ideas and weaves them together into something emotional and thought-provoking.  Writer-director Kogonada doesn’t waste time (and money) exploring the intricate details of this futuristic world.  Rather, it’s very much a tale of family dynamics and reminding us of the intrinsic value of human connection.

The story is told from the perspective of Jake (Farrell), a middle-aged man who lives with his wife, Kyra (Turner-Smith), and 9-year-old adopted daughter, Mika (Tjandrawidjaja).  There’s one other member of the household, Yang (Min), who is described as a “techno-sapien”.  He’s an adult-sized, lifelike robot who was purchased second-hand so as to give Mika someone to play with while growing up.  Who needs a babysitter when you can get a droid instead?

The film wastes no time establishing drama.  After a fun, creative opening credits sequence, Yang’s computer core experiences a major malfunction and he is seemingly beyond repair.  As you can imagine, it’s an event which impacts the family quite deeply.  The young Mika is the hardest hit given Yang had always been a loving brother and invaluable friend.  It’s the first time she’s experienced grief of such magnitude and, as evidenced by a fight at school, she’s clearing struggling.

That said, Mika’s story in the film is secondary to that of Jake’s.  When he takes Yang to a repair store in a last ditched chance to fix him, Jake learns that inside the body is a small hard drive that retained a few seconds of memory from each day in Yang’s life.  Such devices were made illegal not long after their creation but Yang was one of the rare robots that slipped through the cracks with the technology.

Using a special pair of virtual-reality glasses, Mika is able to watch these fleeting moments of Yang’s existence of which he and his family and prominent throughout.  It raises an intriguing question.  If you had the chance to look back and relive intimate moments from earlier parts of your life, would you do it?  Is it better they remain memories and not taint your current life?  One should never live in the past after all.  Or could they be used in a positive way to remind Mika of “better” times and help him appreciate the value of what he has today?

After Yang spins off in a few more curious directions but I’ll conceal those details in the hope readers will want to see this film.  Kogonada repeatedly uses a select number of small, tight locations (house, shop, museum) and avoids wide panoramas.  Even shots in the car have a blurry backdrop!  This keeps attention/questions away from the broader world and maintains the focus on the life and changing emotions of the family members.

Based on a 2016 short story published by American author Alexander Weinstein, After Yang is a cross between Ordinary People and Black Mirror.  Works for me!

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 April 2022

Over the past decade, there have been few major blockbusters to come out of Hollywood with as much ambition as Cloud Atlas.  The 172-minute epic, with a budget of over $100 million, featured six overlapping stories spread across five centuries with 13 featured actors playing 61 different characters.  Whether you liked it or not, you had to admire the risks taken by the three directors in giving us something so original and unexpected.  The key message – “everything is connected”.

I got that same vibe, in terms of both style and themes, from the craftily titled Everything Everywhere All at Once.  It’s a rich, wonderful, audacious project that will energize audiences like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.  There’s a lot going on (multiple viewings will help) but even if you can’t follow it all, you’ll still be swept up by its charm and vision.

To do my best to explain… let’s describe it as Sliding Doors on steroids.  In that Gwyneth Paltrow-led drama, we follow two alternate timelines – one where she catches her train on time, and one where she misses it.  Everything Everywhere All at Once sells an idea where that happens each time we make an important decision in our lives.  The end result is a seemingly infinite number of worlds, referred to as the “multiverse”, that feature a different version of us all.  It’s a lot to think about!

Front and centre throughout the film is Evelyn Wang (Yeoh), a Chinese-American woman who runs a small laundromat with her husband (Quan) in Los Angeles.  Her life is chaotic mess… but that’s largely her own doing.  She spends so much time fussing about minor, unnecessary things that she hasn’t noticed the deterioration in the relationships with her husband (Quan), teenage daughter (Hsu), and visiting father (Hong).  To further add to stress levels, an overeager auditor (Curtis) is putting her business through a rigorous tax audit.

All these issues are brushed aside when Evelyn is contacted by an alternate version of her husband and told she is the key to saving the multiverse from destruction.  She travels to other worlds, collects skills from “herself”, and uses them to defeat villainous beings.  Oh, there’s also raccoons, bagels and phallic trophies.  No review can fully encapsulate the many quirks and surprises!

Everything Everywhere All at Once sprung from the mind of the two writer-directors, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who identify themselves collectively as “Daniels”.  It’s one thing to come up with great ideas in pre-production but to execute them as precisely as they’ve done here… it’s an incredible achievement.  The continual movement between worlds is beautifully illustrated thanks to the perfect blend of cinematography, editing and visual effects.

The film also provides the “role of a lifetime” to its star, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Crazy Rich Asians).  She gets the chance to play a forever changing character who niftily demonstrates almost every human emotion.  She also creates someone worth caring deeply about.  While much of the film is insane and bat-shit crazy (hot-dog fingers, anyone?), the touching finale offers heartfelt joy and significant life lessons.

We’re only 3 ½ months into 2022 but it’s safe to say Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the year’s best and most original feature films.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 April 2022

If you’re putting together a list of the best Nicolas Cage movies, a film which must be included is Adaptation.  Blending reality and fiction, it was the tale of a renowned screenwriter (played by Cage) struggling to adapt an acclaimed novel into a smart, classy feature.  Adding to his frustration was the fact his inexperienced twin brother (also Cage) had, with effortless ease, written the script for a moronic thriller which had Hollywood executives buzzing.

Directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) and best described as a dark comedy, Adaptation highlighted the predictable, formula-driven nature of the film industry but, with deliberate irony, did so in an original, humorous, thought-provoking way.  The sensational dual performance of Cage earned him a deserved Academy Award nomination in 2002 (he hasn’t been nominated in the two decades since) and the film picked up four nods in total.

It’s hard not to think about Jonze’s film while watching The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent as it features the same leading man and is pushing the same themes.  This time around, Cage is following in the footsteps of Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm and playing a warped, alternate version of himself.  In the opening scenes, we learn that his career is sagging, his bank balance is dwindling, and his family life is waning.  His self-absorbed nature isn’t helping things either.

In need of cash to pay a hefty hotel bill (where he’s been living for several months), Cage reluctantly accepts a $1 million offer to attend the birthday celebrations of a wealthy fan, Javi Gutierrez (Pascal), on the Spanish island of Mallorca.  It doesn’t take him long to warm to the situation.  Cage yearns for recognition and the adoring Javi is the perfect companion to stroke his inflated ego.

The film then heads down a path where Cage, who hasn’t landed a role in a major action blockbuster for many years, now finds his own life full of “actual” action.  It turns out Javi is a criminal arms dealer (explaining his wealth) and the CIA want to use Cage as an undercover agent to gather intelligence.  This includes scouting Javi’s mansion and identifying the location of the kidnapped daughter of the Catalonian President.

I like the idea of this movie but the execution isn’t strong enough.  If you ignore the fact Nicolas Cage plays himself, it reveals itself to be a goofy, over-the-top, cliché-laden comedy.  The CIA agents are incompetent, the family scenes are contrived, and the redemptive arc of the “hero” makes little sense.  Was this an intentional decision to highlight the general lack of originality in today’s big blockbusters?  If so, it’s not exactly a big revelation.

You’d hope the inclusion of Nicolas Cage might add a fun layer but that’s not really the case.  It’s a one-note idea stretched out over 107 minutes.  Fans of the Academy Award winning actor might lap it up but I quickly tired of the continual references to past movies (they add little) and his character’s general ignorance.  Instead of coming up with fresh, surprising jokes to make this film memorable and meme-worthy, it is rehashing stuff referred to a million times on social media over the past year (such as a reference to Paddington 2).

I’m a fan of the title but there’s not much else to get excited about with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.  When all the best material is used in the trailer, it’s rarely a good sign.  If you wanted to see a film about a forlorn celebrity whisked off to a remote island on a life-changing mission… The Lost City is also in cinemas and offers more plot and more laughs.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 April 2022

The Harry Potter wizarding universe is at an interesting point for Warner Bros. Pictures.  The first eight movies, all adapted from J.K. Rowling’s immensely popular books, were a box-office sensation.  That timeline culminated in 2011 with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 which generated $1.34 billion in global ticket sales and became, at that moment, the 3^rd highest grossing movie of all time.

Rowling was then engaged to create a five-film prequel series which focused on key wizarding events in the first half of the 20^th Century.  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released in 2016 and was followed by Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald.  The later made just $655 million at the global box-office (down $160 million on the previous film) and represented the lowest take in the franchise to date.  Reviews, from both critics and the public, weren’t great either.

For Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, a significant change has been made to the cast.  Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round) convincing steps into the shoes of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.  Johnny Depp, who appeared in the last two movies, was asked to “resign” in November 2020 after a British court ruled, to a civil standard, that he had physically assaulted his ex-wife, Amber Heard.  Also noticeable is the near-complete absence of Katherine’s Waterston’s previously prominent character, Tina Goldstein.  Reasons are given in the film for her relegation but they’re flimsy.

Uncannily predicting recent events in the United States, this new instalment is centred on the villainous Grindelwald and his attempts to rig an important wizard election.  He’s still trying to create a world where magical folk are in charge and humans are treated like second-rate citizens.  Our beloved heroes, guided by the astute Albus Dumbledore (Law), each have a part to play in saving democracy and ensuring Grindlewald isn’t falsely elected.

By a narrow margin, this is the best of the three Fantastic Beasts movies.  The story is easier to follow, there’s a better blend of comedy and drama, and Mikkelsen creates a worthy villain worth rooting against.  The use of magic is always opportune but it’s still nice to see it illustrated – whether it be as simple as a floating teacup… or as complicated as an eternal blood pact.  It’s also cool to return to Hogwarts, albeit briefly, to the backdrop of John Williams’ iconic theme.

That’s not to say there aren’t an equal number of weaknesses.  For a film which is 142 minutes long, it’s not offering much in terms of narrative and character advancement.  It reminds me of a television soapie where they create a key storyline and drag it out for weeks and weeks.  Where these characters finish up at the end of the movie isn’t all that different from where they were at the start of the movie.  It needed more pace, more urgency.

Directed once again by David Yates, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will be closely followed in this post-pandemic world to see if it can alleviate the franchise’s downward trend.  Is there enough interest in these characters to maintain interest for another two movies?  This movie is watchable, but unlike the early Daniel Radcliffe-helmed Harry Potter movies, I’m not sure it’s memorable.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 April 2022

The Goya Awards celebrate the best of Spanish cinema and previous recipients of the best film prize have included The Others, The Sea Inside, Volver, Truman, and Pain and Glory.  This year’s champ was The Good Boss, taking home six awards including best film, best director, best original screenplay and best actor.  It was also submitted as Spain’s entrant for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards but missed out on a nomination.

The acclaim is deserving.  The narrative is centred on Julio Blanco (Bardem), a wealthy business owner from a small Spanish town who specialises in making scales.  He’s the kind of person who projects a likeable, loveable image… but you’re never quite sure how much is the “real” Julio.  Does he truly value all the hard work put in by his loyal employees?  Or is it all just a ruse to keep them happy while he exploits and gets rich off their efforts?

Set over the course of a week, The Good Boss is centred around Julio’s attempts to win a major government business award.  He’s been shortlisted alongside two others and they will each be visited by a judging panel.  As evidenced by his very visible “trophy wall” at home, it’s clear Julio likes public recognition and being seen as a winner.  This is another chance to satisfy his huge ego and show others just how good he is.

To provide the film’s laughs, a series of bubbling issues rise to the surface and threaten to derail Julio’s dreams.  A sacked employee sets up camp outside the factory’s front entrance and demands reinstatement.  A long-time manager, impacted by marital issues, makes a series of mistakes which halt production.  A marketing intern finds herself in an unexpected position of power which she is keen to use to significant advantage.  Can Julio find enough metaphorical sticky-tape to hold his business together before the judges arrive?

Two people are heavily responsible for this film’s success.  The first is writer-director Fernando León de Aranoa (Mondays in the Sun) who has crafted exquisite jokes.  A great example is a long-set up gag involving Julio’s wife’s forgetful nature.  Also, without giving too much away, Aranoa isn’t afraid to shock audiences and push things into a wickedly darker direction as part of the film’s later half.  The final scene is a cracker!

The second person deserving credit is versatile star Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) who is sensational in the lead role.  He straddles the fence and has created a scheming character who you will like and loathe in similar doses.  It’s great to see Bardem in such a richly comedic role and he schmoozes the audience in the same way he does those around him within the film. 

Offering its fair share of laugh out loud moments (there were plenty at the preview screening I attended), The Good Boss is a humorous delight.