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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 April 2025

It’s hard to make a great film.  It’s even harder to make a successful one.  In a world where box-office is still below pre-pandemic levels and Hollywood blockbusters take a large chunk of cinema screens, it’s difficult for a low-budget independent film to get publicity and weave its way into the hearts of audiences.  As an example, The Correspondent is a terrific Aussie drama and yet, in its first weekend of release here, it made just 4% of that compared to A Minecraft Movie (in its third week).

The New Zealand-made Tinā is worth your attention as a feel-good flick but it’s also to be celebrated for breaking through commercially.  Released in late February 2025, it has generated $5 million in local ticket sales and is now the 6^th highest grossing Kiwi film in history.  For those interested, the five films ahead of it are Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Boy, The World’s Fastest Indian, Once Were Warriors, and Whale Rider.  Good company if you ask me!

Tinā is the tale of a Mareta Percival (Polataivao), a Samoan New Zealand woman who has accepted the role as a substitute teacher at a posh religious school.  Her colourful attire and progressive views create tension with the school board, but she soon becomes popular with a group of students in need in support.  Mareta brings them together and, much to the chagrin of the sabotaging Deputy Headmaster (Irvine), she starts a school choir to help them find their voice, physically and metaphorically.

The film is reminiscent of Mr. Holland’s Opus, Music of the Heart and School of Rock as it’s about a teacher’s efforts to instil a love of music in their students.  I realise this film has been immensely popular, but it uses too many cliches for my liking.  There’s zero nuance when it comes to the Deputy Headmaster and sports coach who are almost cartoonish with their over-the-top villainy.  Then you’ve got characters like the budding star of the rugby side (O’Meagher) who turns his back on the sport because he suddenly wants to sing instead.

That said, the film works is because of the wonderful lead performance of star Anapela Polataivao.  She’s created a fun, feisty leading character who we fall in love with because of past tragedies in her life, and how she’s prepared to stand up against the school’s bigwigs.  Mareta is not a perfect person though and writer-director Miki Magasiva spices up the script by showing how self-pity sometimes works against her.

Not afraid to push darker elements, Tinā is a likeable film that celebrates Samoan culture, puts a smile on your face, and showcases beautiful choir voices.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 April 2025

It felt inevitable that the story of Australian Peter Greste would be made into a movie.  For those new to the tale, Greste was an Al Jazeera journalist accused by the Egyptian government of associating with terrorists.  He was imprisoned between December 2013 and February 2015 and his plight became international news as an attack on journalistic freedom.

It’d be easy to turn this into a simplistic good versus evil story, but screenwriter Peter Duncan (Rake) and director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog) find plenty of “greyness” to explore.  For starters, the film seamlessly uses flashbacks to cover another important story – one involving Greste and a British colleague, Kate Peyton, who were covering the upheaval in Somalia in 2005.  It highlights the fine line journalists walk when balancing the importance of their work versus their own personal safety.  Greste doesn’t come off smelling like roses.

In the terms of the main 2014 narrative, the filmmakers do a skilful job highlighting the farcical nature of Greste’s court case but also the moral questions he faced in seeking freedom.  Other Al Jazeera journalists had also been jailed and there was debate amongst them in prison, sometimes heated, about tactics and legal avenues.  Should they semi-confess to get a light prison sentence and allow the Egyptian government to save face?  Should they stick together in their fight for freedom or does an element of self-interest take priority?

Stenders deserves praise for the quality of the film’s production.  Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge!) is terrific in the lead role and portrays Greste as a simple man who knows the importance of keeping his emotions in check.  So many of the supporting players leave an impression – from Michael Denkha as a hamstrung lawyer, to Rahel Romahn as a backgammon-loving colleague, to Majid Shokor as a politically motivated judge, through to Mojean Aria as a wise new friend.  They maximise every minute of screentime, and we see them as more than just one-dimensional characters.  Kudos to the casting.

The film moves at a brisk pace, and it doesn’t muck round with an unnecessary introduction to Greste.  The set decoration is credible, and it feels like it was shot inside a filthy Egyptian prison (note: it wasn’t).  The visuals also stand out.  A great example is the way cinematographer Geoffrey Hall (Chopper) shoots the tunnel walk to the courtroom and then showcases the viewpoint of Greste from behind his heavily enclosed cage.

Yes, we know how Greste’s story ends but it doesn’t make The Correspondent any less compelling and important.  The number of journalists imprisoned around the world is currently at record levels and it’s an issue that deserves continual attention.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 April 2025

I was lukewarm on The Accountant, released in 2016, and so can is a rare example where the sequel is an improvement on the original.  It’s far from perfect but it’s a sufficiently engaging action-thriller that works because of interesting villains and the humorous interaction between lead actors Ben Affleck (Argo) and Jon Bernthal (The Wolf of Wall Street).

To bring newcomers up to speed, the original introduced us to Christian Wolff (Affleck), a shrewd, autistic accountant engaged by bad guys to launder money.  It turns out even villains need good advice on financial management and record keeping!  Wolff sounds like someone who belongs in prison, but he became the movie’s hero – violently slaying hitmen and sneakily leaking information to the government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

The Accountant 2 picks things up several years later.  Wolff has the same, socially awkward persona but his life is simpler.  He’s living alone, enjoying his campervan, and driving around the country.  He’s not looking for trouble, but to use a cliché, trouble has come looking for him.  U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson) has sought Wolff’s services in trying to solve the brutal murder of a colleague.  They team up with Wolff’s reluctant brother (Bernthal) and uncover a plethora of nasty crimes and nasty people.

There’s enough to like here.  The contrast between Affleck as the telling-things-straight accountant and Bernthal as the keeping-things-chill hitman is a recipe for laughs and interesting conversations.  Cynthia Addai-Robinson is solid as the government official struggling to reconcile Wolff’s illegal acts (loved the guy in the trunk).  Daniella Pineda creates intrigue as a ruthless assassin whose motives are murky.  I was less convinced by a team of youngers providing hacking-support from a secretive base, but I enjoyed their cool technology (it’s a fun moment when they hack a random’s personal computer).

For action-lovers after physical fights and gun battles, the final half hour serves up what you’re looking for.  The scenes have been nicely shot and choreographed by American director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior).  It’s not groundbreaking stuff but, because we’ve grown to care about the characters, there’s tension as we worry about their fate.  The film’s mystery elements aren’t bad either.

I’m not sure the industry will be using this as a tool to recruit people into the profession but, as a Chartered Accountant myself, it’s nice to show the world we’re capable of almost anything!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 April 2025

If you heard of a movie called Drop, there’s an array of possibilities as to what the title could refer to.  Is it about mountain climbers worried about falling into an icy crevasse?  Could it be about stockbrokers dealing with a plummeting bear market?  What about gangsters organising a place to exchange a kidnaped person for a suitcase full of cash?  It’s unlikely that your first guess would be what this new film from director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) is about.

It’s referring to AirDrop, the process by which someone nearby can share photos, videos and other files using their mobile phone.  So how is this the premise for a Hollywood thriller?  Allow me to explain.  Violet (Fahy) is a single mother who has finally harnessed the courage to go on a first date with a new guy, Henry (Sklenar), at a classy, rooftop restaurant.  It’s a rare night out of the house for Violet and so her sister (Beane) has taken on babysitting duties for her young son.

Within minutes of walking into the restaurant, Violet receives a “dropped” message on her phone.  She shrugs it off at first but after the pestering continues, she relents and looks at the messages.  Suffice to say it ain’t good.  A villainous person has broken into her home and, unless Violet does exactly what she’s told at dinner, the life of her son and sister will be in jeopardy.  Adding to the drama is that she knows it’s someone in the restaurant (you must be close by to AirDrop) but she’s unsure who.  Screenwriters Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach tease audiences with several suspects.

At a quick-paced 95-minutes, Drop isn’t a bad idea for a movie.  It’s a fresh approach on the whodunit genre as we watch our hero think through the situation, manage her stress levels, and outsmart her adversary.  Yeah, it’s a little far fetched but it’s still fun to think about what you’d do in the same situation.  Violet is warned not to tell anyone what’s going on, but could she find a way to alert someone about the imminent danger?  What if they’re in on it?  Who can she trust?

Drop held my attention, but the finale doesn’t offer enough to match the early intrigue.  It’s a little clumsy and contrived.  Still, this is a good-enough mystery thriller with a worthy lead performance from Meghann Fahy who will be known to audiences for her turn in the second season of The White Lotus.  It’s also a good reminder to not be checking your phone at dinner!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 April 2025

Warfare has many great qualities but, above all else, it’s to be admired for its simplicity.  Shot in real-time, it depicts a 90-minute confrontation on 19 November 2006 between U.S. Navy SEALS and al-Qaeda insurgents in the city of Ramadi.  There’s no background to the characters, no footage of mission control, no information about the Iraq War, and no cliched scenes of soldiers showing photos of their loved ones.

After a memorable opening scene (love the random song choice), we get to the crux of the movie. Navy SEALS have infiltrated the home of an Iraqi family and intend to use it as a surveillance base, but they are soon discovered by locals and come under heavy fire.  Two soldiers are severely injured and the focus of the team is on finding a means of escape, which won’t be easy given insurgents are targeting them from all sides, and ensuring every SEAL makes it out alive.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more different duo than the filmmaking team of Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza.  Garland has been in the business for over two decades.  He started as a novelist (The Beach), transitioned into screenwriting (28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go), and then became a director (Ex Machina, Civil War).  Mendoza has never made a movie before, but he does bring rather important IP to the project.  He was one of the Navy SEALS who fought in the actual battle!

What they’ve achieved together is impressive.  Mendoza understands war, Garland understands cinema, and they’ve teamed up to create a gritty, powerful war flick.  Mendoza worked closely with the actors, who went through a rigorous boot camp prior to the shoot, to recreate events as precisely as possible.  He wanted this to be authentic.  Garland makes great use of close-up cinematography and sounds (sometimes intense, sometimes muffled) to have us feel like we’re beside the characters as they try to stay calm in an increasingly fraught situation.

Further, I can’t think of another movie in recent memory where a soldier’s injuries have been covered in such detail.  When a gravely wounded SEAL is screaming relentlessly for several minutes, and you see blood and fluid oozing from open wounds… yeah, that’ll have an impact on audiences.  Deep breaths will be required.  I’d argue it’s more gruesome than the average horror film.

Void of politics, Warfare provides a reminder of the risks military folks face, regardless of who they’re fighting for, and the courage required when missions go bad.  A movie you will not soon forget.