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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 March 2021

When brothers Kenny and Keith Lucas first pitched this idea to director Shaka King, they described it as a real-life version of Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.  It’s an apt comparison.  In the late 1960s, the FBI enlisted an African American teenager and used him as a counterintelligence operative to infiltrate a powerful Black Panther group in Chicago.  He remained undetected for years and the information he provided was used by heavyweights within the FBI with an agenda to push.

There are two key stories to be told here.  The first is of 20-year-old Fred Hampton (Kaluuya) who founded the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers in late 1968.  He was a commanding public speaker who had a way of bringing people together to improve the lives of African Americans.  He was also a great negotiator and mobiliser.  There’s a memorable scene where he approaches the Young Patriots Organisation, a very different group, and forges a coalition to target issues such as poverty and police brutality.

The second tale is of criminal-turned-informant Bill O’Neal (Stanfield).  The 17-year-old was caught stealing a car in 1966 and, so as to avoid a lengthy prison sentence, he accepted a deal to work under the direction of FBI Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Plemons).  O’Neal became Hampton’s chauffer and it wasn’t long before he was part of the Black Panther’s inner circle.

Both characters face a moral dilemma.  O’Neal learns the Black Panthers aren’t “sowing hatred” (as he’d been told by the FBI) and in betraying in their trust, he’s betraying the entire African American community.  He’s trapped though.  If he were to reveal his identity, he’d either be sent to jail by the FBI or killed by the Black Panthers.  In the case of Hampton, his girlfriend (Fishback) is pregnant with their first child.  By making himself the face of the Black Panther movement, he realises he could meet the same fate as Martin Luther King and, therefore, leave his child without a father.  Is it time to reassess his life?

Judas and the Black Messiah struggles with the breadth of material.  Two hours is not enough time to fully dissect these characters and their troubled psyches.  It takes large leaps and you’re not quite sure what has taken place in between to justify a change in relationships.  A good example is Jesse Plemons’ FBI handler character who shows glimpses of integrity in some scenes while coming across as a one-dimensional villain in other scenes.

This is still a film to be seen for its broader narrative and its performances.  I’m not quite sure how Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) slips into the supporting actor category (it feels he’s joint-lead with Stanfield) but after winning the Golden Globe last week, he’s an odds-on favourite to take home an Oscar statuette next month.  It’s a juicy role that comes with grand speeches in front of big crowds and heartfelt duologues with his worried girlfriend.

If you’re a sucker for interesting true stories, Judas and the Black Messiah is a film you must see.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 February 2021

There are hypothetical question that many will have thought about and discussed with friends.  What would you do if you won $50 million in the lottery?  Could you survive on a deserted island like Tom Hanks did in Cast Away?  If you could have one super power, what would it be?  Blackbird poses a heavier question to reflect upon – if you knew you only had one month left to live, how would you spend the time?

It’s the situation that a grandmother, Lily (Sarandon), is forced to answer after being diagnosed with a fast degenerative disease that will soon take her life.  She’s a stubborn individual who doesn’t like showing signs of physical weakness but she’s clearly struggling.  Basic tasks – such as walking down stairs, opening a box or holding a wine glass – now require more time and more concentration.  Her doctors have said it will only get worse over the coming weeks.

With the help of her long-time husband Paul (Neill), Lily has organised one last family get-together at their idyllic beachside home.  Attending will be her two daughters (Winslet and Wasikowska), their respective partners (Wilson and Taylor-Klaus), her lone grandson (Boon) and her long-time friend (Duncan).  The afternoon starts out simply with crossword puzzles and charades and it’s followed by a beautiful dinner with great food and copious amounts of alcohol.

As you can imagine, the event is a mix of both happiness and sadness.  Everyone is putting up a brave face but it’s impossible to avoid the elephant in the room.  There are moments of humour as demonstrated in a scene where family members discuss whether it’s appropriate to buy Lily a farewell gift.  There are moments of tenderness such as a conversation where Lily gets her grandson to open up about his dreams for the future.  There are moments of raw emotion as characters struggle to hold back the tears knowing what lies ahead.

The one-on-one stuff is nice but the film is weakest when it brings all the characters together and succumbs to unnecessary melodrama.  It’s one of those movies where secrets come into the open, family members say what they really think about each other, and arguments then ensue.  There’s little subtlety to these scenes with the likes of Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Australian Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) being asked to overplay their roles.

Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Morning Glory) and based on a 2014 Danish film (Silent Heart), Blackbird isn’t perfect but it presents an interesting scenario that’s worth exploring.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 March 2021

I’ve long believed that professional sport is more of a financially-driven “entertainment product” as opposed to “sport”.  Networks pay money for television rights so they themselves can derive revenue from advertisers.  Corporate sponsors become involved to increase their sales, improve their brand and enhance their image.  Athletes are remunerated for both their on-field performance and their off-field performance (e.g. media appearances, social media posts).  Fans are willing to pay top-dollar for the spectacle of a major event.

To use examples… the AFL negotiated a TV deal where they will earn a combined $946 million AUD for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.  Nike provides uniforms and apparel for all 32 teams in the American NFL and pays roughly $120 million USD per annum to do so.  Argentinean footballer Lionel Messi earns $92 million USD playing for FC Barcelona while picking up a further $34 million USD in endorsements.  If you wanted to attend the Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor fight in 2017, a front row ticket would have set you back over $100,000 USD.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  Humans love to be entertained and there are people and organisations that can capitalise financially on that passion.  The movie industry is no different.  A major Hollywood star can be paid $20 million to appear in a movie while a no-name, acting school graduate might only get $20,000.  The acting of the star isn’t a thousand times better.  Rather, it’s a decision based on profit and how paying $20 million to a single person is justified based on the additional box-office that can be generated from their loyal fans.

There’s no shortage of great sporting biopics and documentaries.  My favourites list would include Raging Bull, Rudy, Chariots of Fire, Senna and Hoop Dreams.  These movies take us “behind the scenes” and probe the highs and lows of great athletes.  That’s also the case with the new Australian documentary Girls Can’t Surf but, more importantly, it’s as much about the commercial and financial realities of professional sport.  It’s rare to see a film tackle this subject in detail.

Assembled by director Christopher Nelius, Girls Can’t Surf spends the bulk of its time in the 1980s and delves into the early years of professional women’s surfing.  It was a tough road for the surfers who constantly played second fiddle to the men.  When the waves were poor, they’d delay the men’s competition and send out the women.  When it came to articles in surfing magazines, men got the front cover and women were seldom mentioned.  Prizemoney is where the difference was most stark.  At one point, the total annual purses for women’s events were less than 10% of those offered to male counterparts.

Things have improved over the past four decades but it’s been a long, hard slog for those involved.  In addition to archival footage, the film includes current day interviews with the likes of Freida Zamba, Jodie Cooper, Wendy Botha, Pam Burridge, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Anderson and Layne Beachley as they reflect back on their careers and their fight for recognition and equality.  These women have strong personalities and a great sense of humour.  They’re also wonderful storytellers which is a major reason why this documentary is so compelling.

With women’s sports expanding here in Australia, Girls Can’t Surf provides a relevant exploration of the hurdles along the way, the pioneers who overcome them, and the importance of the end goal.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 February 2021

The United States of America has long been described as the “land of opportunity” and it’s why so many have been attracted to its shores.  More than 40 million people living in America right now were born in another country.  These people were lured by its economy, culture, health care, education, living space and, perhaps most importantly, its career opportunities.  It remains the top country of choice (by a significant margin).

There’s a seemingly endless number of real-life stories you could tell when it comes to immigrants in search of the American Dream.  A small number have been told on screen before as evidenced by In America, The Namesake, The Visitor, Brooklyn and Coming to America (the later offering a comedic perspective).  American writer-director Lee Isaac Chung adds a new title to the list with Minari – a tale loosely inspired by his own upbringing in Arkansas during the 1980s and the strong desire of his Korean father to create a better life for the whole family.

There’s division amongst the characters from the opening scene.  Tired of his job as a “chicken sexer” in California, Jacob (Yeun) has purchased a small farm in Arkansas which is to be the new family home.  He believes the property has the “best dirt in America” and his goal to grow niche Korean vegetables, sell them to local supermarkets, and watch the money roll in.  He’s finally working for himself as opposed to someone else.

His wife, Monica (Ye-Ri), is not as enamoured with the change.  She had no idea the farm would be so remote and she’s appalled by the old, leaky demountable they now must live in.  Money is also tight and she’s worried this venture, which requires significant bank borrowings, might see them end up in a worse position than beforehand.  Their arguments are often overheard by their two perceptive children, Anne (Cho) and David (Kim), who sense the family may soon split apart.

If you’re a fan of the film, you’ll probably describe it as “patient” and if not, you’ll refer to it as “slow”.  It’s an observational, skilfully acted drama where we watch these characters go about their daily lives (the perspective continually changes) and there isn’t much in the way of action and surprise.  Jacob gets help on the farm from a heavily religious man (Patton), Monica invites her Korean grandmother (Yuh-jung) to move in with them, and the two kids try to make friends at a nearby church.

As the days pass, the connections between the characters evolve.  By pouring so much time and energy into his work, Jacob has become blinkered to the negative impact his fatherly absence is having on the rest of the family.  Grandma Soon-ja steps up to fill the parenting gap and she slowly wins the affections of her grandson.  The interaction between 8-year-old Alan Kim and 73-year-old Young Yuh-jung is one of the film’s biggest strengths.

Minari earned the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize back in January 2020 and the acclaim has continued through to the current awards season.  It picked up three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations (including best cast) and you’re likely to be hearing it mentioned again when the Oscar nominations are announced in mid-March.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 March 2021

We’ve seen it in the United States due to the impact of COVID-19 but here in Australia, Raya and the Last Dragon marks the first time a major Hollywood production is being released simultaneously in movie theatres and on a streaming platform.  You can head to your local cinema and pay the usual ticket price (ranging from $10-$20 per person) or, if you already have a subscription to Disney+, you can hand over $35 and watch it with as many people can fit in your lounge room.  I don’t believe this dual release will become the norm in a post-pandemic world but it’ll be interesting to see the split in viewer numbers.

Written by Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians) and Qui Nguyen, Raya and the Last Dragon is an animated adventure set in a divided fantasy world.  Once upon a time, humans lived harmoniously alongside dragons with the later bringing water, rain and peace to all.  That all changed when a shape shifting enemy, known as the Druun, turned almost everyone into stone statues.

An insecure dragon, Sisu, was able to harness her family’s powers and destroy the Druun but it came with an unfortunate side-effect.  While all human statutes returned to their living form, the dragons did not.  All that remained of their kind was a glowing gemstone said to contain the last piece of dragon magic in the world and which keens the Druun from ever returning.

It’s been 500 years since that fateful event and the dragon-free world has fractured into 5 distinct kingdoms filled with warriors, mercenaries and assassins.  It’s a little reminiscent of Game of Thrones in the sense their egotistical leaders yearn for more wealth and power.  They resent the fact one kingdom has sole custody of the gemstone and while its level-headed custodian (Kim) seeks diplomacy, the others aren’t interested.  A battle ensues, the gem is broken into 5 pieces and the Druun return.  To borrow the famous saying from George Santayana – “those who cannot remember the past are destined to repeat it.”

The future of humanity now rests of the shoulders of an unlikely young woman named Raya (Tran).  Guided by an ancient map, she locates the spirit of Sisu (Awkwafina) and brings the famed dragon back to life.  The pair team up, find a few supporting players to help, and travel to each kingdom with hope of locating the missing gemstone fragments.  The end goal is to piece them together and destroy the Druun one last time (we hope).

The analogies are laid on thickly.  It’s clear from the outset this is a movie about respecting each other’s differences, sharing wealth, and coming together to make the world a more fruitful, trustworthy place.  I do wish there was a little more nuance.  It’s simplistic in its depiction of “heroes” and “villains” to the point where it feels more like a cheap Saturday morning cartoon than a rich animated feature.  There are scenes where people are fighting for the sake of fighting and it’s hard to discern their motivations (considering the Druun are on their doorstep).

There’s still fun to be had here.  As the voice of the dragon, Awkwafina (The Farewell) steals the show with a mix of charm and wit.  There’s an early sequence where she humorously compares herself to the weak link in a group assignment who rides the coattails of others to get a strong grade.  It’s one of several great one-liners as she, failing to appreciate how much the world has changed over 500 years, bumbles her way from scene-to-scene.  Her character’s naivety serves as both an asset and a liability.

It’s not one of Disney’s better animated features and I don’t think there’s a lot on offer for the adults but Raya and the Last Dragon does just enough to engage younger audiences.