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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 April 2021

Supernova combines the essence of two films we’ve seen released in Australia over the past two months.  The Father was the story of an elderly man battling dementia while Blackbird followed a dying woman as she caught up with friends and family for the last time.  In this British drama, directed by Harry Macqueen, we’ve got a writer, Tusker (Tucci), diagnosed with early onset dementia.  Accompanied by his long-term partner, Sam (Firth), they set out on road trip across England to reminisce and dine with old friends.  They may not say it openly but it has the appearance of one “final holiday” before Tusker’s sharp mind slips away.

The film isn’t so much about who they visit or where they go (acknowledging there’s some beautiful scenery) but rather, the interaction between the pair over the space of a few days.  There’s a sincere chemistry between Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) and, as illustrated by an early scene where they jokingly bicker over small details, you get a strong sense of the long-term, loving connection between them.

Firth and Tucci have worked together before (2001’s Conspiracy), have been friends for two decades, and they currently reside near each other in London.  They were also born just two months apart with each celebrating their 60^th birthday late last year (they’re looking good for their age).  I’m sure their real-life closeness helped but kudos also belongs to Macqueen in extracting these genuine performances.

It’s the great script which provides the foundation.  There are times when the two characters are engaged in intense arguments with each trying to convince the other of their viewpoint.  They’re intelligent, persuasive and stubborn.  On the flip side, there are times when dialogue is wisely avoided.  We know what Sam and Tusker are feeling so there’s no reason to verbalise their thoughts and create unnecessary melodrama.

While there’s much to appreciate during the relatively short 93-minute running time, Supernova offers something to reflect upon after the credits have rolled.  It can be so painful to watch a loved one lose their memory and judgement to this debilitating condition.  The film asks us to think about our reaction to the same situation – from both the perspective of the sufferer and the caregiver.  The questions are tough and the answers are even tougher.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 March 2021

The creative juices can flow for a number of reasons but, curiously, the idea for this movie came to actor Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) after a home invasion.  His house was broken into while he, his wife and his two children were upstairs.  Describing it as a “particularly traumatic” experience, Odenkirk made a snap decision to not confront the burglars so as to avoid violence and to keep his family safe.  A police officer later said to him – “It’s not what I would have done, but you did the right thing.”

In the same vein of Sliding Doors, Odenkirk thought about an alternate reality.  What if, instead of a passive, non-confrontational approach, he submitted to his primal instincts, took matters into his own hands, and went after the people responsible?  The idea was given to screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the creator of the John Wick franchise, and Nobody is the end result.

It’s an interesting idea.  In playing Hutch Mansell, the film’s semi-reluctant protagonist, Odenkirk doesn’t want to be another suave, sophisticated action hero in the same vein as Ethan Hunt or Jason Bourne.  As we learn from the title and a humorous question posed in the opening scene, Hutch is a “nobody”.  He’s a quiet, unassuming guy who isn’t much of a conversationalist.  His daily routine is monotonous, his job is dull, and his relationship with his wife (Nielsen) is waning (they haven’t made love in years).  The bottom line – he’s an ordinary person who goes about his life with little fanfare and attention.

The Mansell home is burgled one evening and, despite having a chance to take down the robbers, Hutch doesn’t take it.  It’s a decision he regrets in the coming days.  Then, as if a switch has been flicked on in the back of his head, he walks out the front door and goes in search of the perpetrators.  Not a word is said to his family.

Hutch encounters a group of unrelated thugs harassing a young woman on a city bus and, as part of his “new” self, defends her honour and beats the men into submission.  That’s not the end of it though.  One of the thugs was the brother of a powerful Russian gangster / money launderer (Serebryakov) who is “as bad as they come”.  It’s not long before a myriad of goons come after Hutch but they, just like the audience, are about to learn there’s more to this hero than they first thought.

Nobody is an action flick with style and this is illustrated by the use of music.  Russian director Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) uses Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, and Gerry & the Pacemakers’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.  These “old school” tunes provide a humorous contrast to the intense, violent fighting sequences.  Having a villain who is a karaoke fan is also a cool, unexpected touch.

It succumbs to a few action clichés in the second half (e.g. incompetent henchmen, over-the-top escapes) and not enough is made of Hutch’s family but Nobody‘s strengths clearly outweigh its weaknesses.  From the intriguing premise, to the creative killings, to the cameo of Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), there’s much amusement on offer.  It’s a notch below the John Wick franchise but it’s still a fun, entertaining feature.

You can read my chat with producer Kelly McCormick by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 April 2021

Politics is a curious beast. It is covered thoroughly by the media every day and there’s no shortage of opinions from the public who weigh in on social media or talkback radio.  Yet, despite how relevant it is to our daily lives, its inner machinations are often more secretive than the British Royal Family.  We’re not privy to the arguments, compromises and concessions that take place behind closed doors.  I’m reminded of the lyrics from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton - “No one really knows how the game is played... the art of the trade... how the sausage gets made... we just assume that it happens.”

It’s a relevant point because Collective is a rare documentary that offers a glimpse, albeit a fleeting one, about this fascinating world.  In October 2015, a fire tore through a crowded nightclub in Bucharest, Romania and 64 people were killed.  Mass protests followed and the entire government, led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta, resigned.  An interim government was assembled consisting of 21 technocrats with no affiliation to established political parties (itself a fascinating idea).  They would govern for a year until fresh democratic elections could be held.

Director Alexander Nanau focuses his camera on two key individuals.  The first is Câtâlan Tolontan, an investigative journalist at a daily sports newspaper.  At a time when many other journalists were happy to peddle the government’s propaganda, Tolontan wasn’t afraid to dig deeper and ask tough questions.  What he uncovered in the aftermath of the nightclub fire was astounding (and I won’t spoil it).  To borrow the words of his colleague - “The story is so mind blowing, I’m afraid we’ll look crazy.”

The film’s second key subject is Vlad Voiculescu, a 32-year-old economist with no political experience who had been appointed Minister of Health in the temporary government.  Remarkably, Voiculescu allowed Nanau to film the inner workings of his department on the basis that “health belongs to the citizens and it is their basic right to know what’s happening here.”  Through his eyes, we learn the Romanian health system is a hotbed of corruption and almost everyone is in on it.  A few brave whistle blowers agree to appear on camera in the film and their stories are shocking.

Collective is riveting from start to finish.  For those unfamiliar with this story and these people, it’ll be both eye-opening and depressing.  It reminds us of the importance of quality investigative journalism.  It demonstrates how tainted one can become when driven by money above all else.  Most interestingly, it shows how difficult it can be to change “the system” when so many have a vested interest in quietly maintaining the status quo.  The closing scene, where Voiculescu dissects an election result, sums up the film’s essence.

Nominated at the Academy Awards for both best documentary feature and best international feature (just the second film to achieve that honour), Collective is a movie you won’t easily forget.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 March 2021

As I often say when looking at a movie like this through a child’s eyes – “they’ll have fun with it.”  There are rabbits, hedgehogs, toads, ducks, badgers, rats, pigs and deer.  They talk, they have cute expressions, and they make mischief.  In the film’s best scene, they team-up and execute an elaborate plan to steal dried fruit from a farmer’s market.  Kids will enjoy the chaos and mayhem created from such an event.

Looking at it broadly and comparing it to other family-targeted offerings in recent years, Peter Rabbit 2 underachieves.  It’s the script which is to blame.  The first film, released in March 2018, was a well-thought out adventure with jokes on offer for all ages.  Its key theme was also memorable – we shouldn’t broadly categorise people as “good” or “bad” as there’s a lot of greyness in between.

Peter Rabbit 2 is more muddled in what it’s trying to say.  Despite Peter Rabbit (Corden) and farm owner Thomas McGregor (Gleeson) resolving in their differences in the original flick, returning writer-director Will Gluck (Easy A) has tried to create tension between the two once again.  It doesn’t work this time around with Thomas seemingly having a different view about Peter in every scene.  Faux drama is created such as sequence where Peter is falsely accused of stealing Thomas’s prized tomatoes.

The least interesting subplot involves Bea McGregor (Byrne) writing a book about Peter Rabbit and his friends and having it picked up by a major publishing house.  Its manager, Nigel Basil-Jones (Oyelowo), wants to turn it into a profitable franchise by having Bea “spice up” the characters and sending them on crazy adventures into space.  Bea is worried this will betray the essence of her beloved rabbits but at the same time, more book sales will allow her to save more land from development in her small town.  To be blunt, I couldn’t care either way.  I don’t think kids will understand either.

The better stuff in the film is where the humans are pushed aside and we focus solely on the animals and their problems.  Peter befriends a thieving, city-based rabbit named Barnabas (James) who has some creative approaches to finding food.  Thinking he’s not appreciated enough on the McGregor farm, Peter becomes part of Barnabas’s friendship group but he’ll soon learn the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

The release of Peter Rabbit 2 has been delayed a year due to impact of COVID-19 but it finally arrives in Australian cinemas in time for the Easter school holidays.  A few jokes hit the mark (I liked the one about recycling coffee cups) but this lacks the engaging narrative that made the first movie so much fun.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 March 2021

A lot of research money and effort is going into the issue but dementia remains the second leading cause of death of Australians.  There are close to 500,000 people living with dementia in Australia right now and they account for 52% of all residents in aged care facilities.  These statistics are both staggering and depressing.  Almost all Australians, whether it be through themselves, a family member or a friend, will be required to confront this issue at some point in their lives.

There have been some powerful movies about this subject matter (e.g. Still Alice, Away From Her, Iris) but writer-director Florian Zeller tackles it from an unexpected viewpoint – through the eyes of the sufferer.  He wants to disorientate the audience and make them feel like they’re in the middle of a labyrinth and not sure where they’re going.

The way he does so is quite creative.  The Father is set almost entirely within the confines of a spacious London apartment and is centred on a man named Anthony (Hopkins) who is suffering from dementia.  In the opening sequence, his loving daughter (Colman) says she’s moving to Paris and they will need to find a new caregiver.

The next 90 minutes plays out like a not-so-action-packed version of Inception in the sense that you’re not what’s real and what’s not.  Actors change.  Storylines change.  Small details within the apartment change.  The daughter is played by Olivia Colman in one scene and then by Olivia Williams in the next scene.  We, just like the title character, are now part of a confusing world where we can see what’s going on… but we can’t delineate between truth and fiction.

The Father began its life in 2012 as a French play and has since been performed in countries including England, the United States and Australia.  Frank Langella won a Tony Award in 2016 for his leading performance.  In adapting it for the big screen, Zeller has been assisted by Oscar nominated screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Atonement) and a stellar cast headlined by Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs).

It comes together beautifully.  The apartment feels like a character in itself in that you’re trying to work out what feels different about it from scene-to-scene.  The production design, cinematography and editing allow Zeller to achieve more with the material than what was possible on stage.  In terms of the performances, there’s an endearing warmth to both Hopkins and Colman.  With the wrong actors, this could have come across as a gimmicky exercise but, as demonstrated in the closing moments, you grow to care about them both and realise it’s as much her film as it is his.

As the last of this Academy Award nominees for best picture to be released here in Australia, The Father is one of the year’s best movies.

You can read my chat with writer-director Florian Zeller by clicking here.