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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 December 2023

Technology evolves and with it, the medium of cinema.  Black and white silent films became colourful talkies.  Physical film was binned in place of digital hard drives.  Elaborate sets and miniatures were replaced with the latest CGI.  Despite the changes, there are some filmmakers with an affection for “old school” techniques.  We saw it recently from Christopher Nolan who, for Oppenheimer, shot the three-hour epic on 65mm without any digital effects.

82-year-old Hayao Miyazaki, director of the Oscar-winning Spirited Away and other great works, has stuck with a familiar approach his entire career.  In an era where almost all animated features are created using computers (Toy Story kicked it off in 1995), Miyazaki still firmly believes in hand drawn imagery and the power of the pencil.  Passionate in his beliefs, he’s gone so far to describe computer animation as an “insult to life”.          

Miyazaki has referred to The Boy and the Heron as his last movie (although he’s said that before) and, while he hasn’t given any interviews about the completed project, he’s drawn from his own upbringing in creating the story.  Set during World War II, it’s the tale of a 12-year-old boy, Mahito (Padovan), who moves to the countryside with his father following the death of his mother in a tragic hospital fire.

It’s at the new home where Mahito is whisked into an assortment of alternate worlds which feature a conniving heron, nasty parakeets, a helpful maid, and a wise wizard.  They provide Mahito with life lessons while guiding him back home.  Miyazaki has a knack for creating weird, wonderful characters but these folk are a notch below what we’ve seen in prior works.

There are two version of The Boy and the Heron screening in Australian cinemas – one with the original Japanese actors/dialogue, and one dubbed into English during Hollywood actors.  I saw the later and the cast includes the distinctive voices of Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale, Gemma Chan, Florence Pugh, and Willem Dafoe.  Regardless of which translation you watch, it’s hard not to be wowed by the animation (a delivery room scene involving wind swept paper is a highlight), and the delicate music score of long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. 

The weakness here is the narrative.  It’s a weird mix of storylines which don’t generate humour and/or emotion until the final 20 minutes or so.  I was hoping for a more engaging adventure in the same vein as Spirited Away (which I must have watched a dozen times by now).  Perhaps there’s deeper material I’ll appreciate more on a second viewing but for the moment, The Boy and the Heron is fine as opposed to fantastic.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 November 2023

Trolls Band Together is the third film in the animated series which launched in 2016.  They remind me of the Smurfs and they’re a colourful bunch of music-loving creatures who don’t mind an adventure or two.  This film begins with a short prologue about five brothers who teamed up to form a boyband called BroZone.  They found bigtime fame but, in pushing too hard for perfection, they lost their love for the craft and went their separate ways.  They haven’t been together since.

We now slip a few years into the future and learn that one of the brothers, Floyd (Sivan), has been kidnapped by two talentless singers (Schumer and Rannells).  It’s hard to explain… but they’ve stuck Floyd in a perfume bottle made of diamond and are harvesting his “essence” to transfer his beautiful singing voice onto them.  Does that make sense?  Probably not but it’s easy enough to follow once you see it on screen.

The rest of the narrative falls into place as you might expect.  The other four brothers, led by the younger Branch (Timberlake), have to reunite and rescue Floyd before all of his talent is stripped away.  It’s not too bad.  There are superfluous subplots which add nothing (the Bergens’ honeymoon) but it’s a simple narrative which kids can follow.  I enjoyed the cunning villains (you want to see them get what they deserve), the fun voices, and the colourful animation.

The voice cast includes a number of talented singers who have proven themselves in the music industry or on Broadway.  These include Justin Timberlake, Troye Sivan, Daveed Diggs, and Andrew Rannells.  They’re a gifted bunch but the film’s weakest elements are its musical numbers.  The song choices are uninspiring and, when used, they interrupt the flow of the story.  These characters have more to offer when they’re humorously talking with each other as opposed to singing.

The original Trolls was a financial success but both World Tour (released at the start of the pandemic) and Band Together have struggled to set the box-office alight.  They’re not bad films… but these animated creatures are lacking the cute/emotional spark that we’ve seen from other franchises like Toy Story and Despicable Me.  Maybe it’s time to put them to bed and move on?

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 December 2023

One of my favourite animated features of the past decade of the past decade was The Shaun the Sheep Movie.  It had zero dialogue and yet the cute animals were able to convey emotion and tell a story in the same manner as actors from the silent-film era.  It was a cool, creative device which reminded us of the adage – “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  It also won points for being a movie accessible to all – regardless of what language they spoke (no conversations means no subtitles).

77-year-old action director John Woo made a name for himself in Hollywood in the late 1990s with some big blockbusters (Broken Arrow, Face/Off) but, having made several films in his native China over the last two decades, he’s returned to North America for a new project.  The script from Robert Archer Lynn (Adrenaline) would have been a curious read given this too features no dialogue!  It’s a fresh spin on what is usually a formulaic genre.

So how do they do it?  Silent Night is centred on an ordinary American guy, Brian (Kinnaman), who has endured the worst of all tragedies.  While on the front lawn playing with his wife (Moreno) and 7-year-old son on Christmas Eve, two cars drove down the street shooting recklessly at each other as part of a rival gang war. The son was killed by a stray bullet and, while chasing the perpetrators across neighbouring streets, Brian too was seriously wounded.  A bullet to the neck has left him unable to speak ever again.

In the same vein as Bob Odenkirk’s character in 2021’s Nobody, Brian transforms from a regular parent into a vicious vigilante.  He spends months working on his fitness, learning how to use weapons, and enhancing his driving skills.  Given a disappointing lack of police assistance, he also takes it upon himself to gather intel on the city’s dangerous gang leaders.  It all leads to a serious of intense battles where Brian extracts the most painful revenge possible on those who took his son’s life.

While I applaud the concept, the novelty wears thin early.  Brian can’t speak himself but the lack of chatter from others, even in the flashback sequences, comes across as contrived.  The biggest offender is Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace) who, as Brian’s grieving wife, comes across as an empty character because of her own unexplained silence.  The same applies to the gang members who you’d think wouldn’t mind a word or two amongst themselves.

The stage-setting opening act is sluggish and star Swedish Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) runs out of different facial expressions but once the action gets going, Silent Night isn’t too bad.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise given Woo’s experience.  The actors and stunt guys, in collaboration with cinematographer Sharone Meir (Whiplash) and Oscar winning editor Zach Staenberg (The Matrix), create interesting fights which aren’t overegged.  Kinnaman does a solid job playing someone putting up a brave defence while also being out of the depth.

Would Silent Night have been better with less silence?  I think the answer to that question is yes.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 November 2023

There are films which highlight positive aspects of Australia, and there are films which showcase the negative.  The Royal Hotel fits into the later category.  This new film from director Kitty Green (The Assistant) begins with a great opening shot – two women partying hard in a crowded, dimly-lit room.  It’s only when they leave that we realise they’re not in a nightclub but rather, a boat sailing past the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Their expensive lifestyle is about to catch up with them.  Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Henwick) are Canadian backpackers who have now run out of cash and need to find work.  After visiting an employment agency, they find their only option is to accept a short-term gig as bartenders for a hotel in a remote mining town.  Hanna isn’t a fan (she came to Australia to spend time at the beach) but they decide to embrace the experience and do it for few weeks to replenish their empty bank account.

It’s an eye-opening experience from the get-go.  The hotel rooms are filthy, the showers barely function, and when they ask about the availability of internet wi-fi, they’re quickly laughed at.  The paid work is no better.  The hotel owner (Weaving) is a debt-laden drunk and the regular patrons, who have nothing else to do of an evening, are rowdy and aggressive.  The bottom line – it’s not a safe working environment.

With the stage set, The Royal Hotel becomes a character study centered on power games and shifting dynamics.  It’s as if everyone is trying to get a read on everyone else.  The drunks start pushing boundaries and conversely, Hanna and Liv push back.  What can they get away with?  The best character in the film is Carol, the no-bullshit employee who works in the kitchen and has become somewhat of a hotel matriarch.  She’s played by a scene-stealing Ursula Yovich who infuses the character with sass and bravado.

I expected a little more from the finale.  The scenario is realistic but at the same time, it won’t blow you away with unexpected plot points.  Green deserves praise though for creating a credible drama where the uncomfortable vibe felt by the two leads is imparted onto the audience.  Like so many other countries around the world, Australia has issues when it comes to binge drinking and sexual harassment.  As shown The Royal Hotel, the line is crossed too many times for us to accept.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 November 2023

His career has spanned 7 different decades and now, at the age of 87, English filmmaker Ken Loach has decided to fold up his director’s chair for the final time.  His films never set the box-office on fire, but he’ll be remembered for using the medium cinema to bring awareness to important societal issues, and for telling stories that feel real and natural.  He’s one of only 9 directors to have won multiple Palme d’Ors (the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival) – for The Wind That Shakes the Barley in 2006 and I, Daniel Blake in 2016.  See both if you haven’t already.

Working with long-time screenwriting collaborator Paul Laverty, The Old Oak is a story about immigration and multiculturalism – often a controversial conversation topic amongst Brits.  Results from the most recent government census, completed in 2021, showed a statistical-high 10 million people (or roughly 18% of the population) identify as non-white in England and Wales.  Some have embraced this change while others have pushed back.

The Old Oak is set in a small town in North-East England which, due a decline in the mining industry, has fallen on tough times.  There’s an early scene where a resident complains about the declining value of his home – a product of the fact no one wants to move into the area.  The sole pub in town, The Old Oak, is a dump with only a handful of regular customers.  It’s so rundown that the kitchen/function room, a thriving hub back in the day, is now boarded up and unused because of safety concerns.  The cost to repair would far outweigh any new business.

The crux of the movie is about a group of Syrian refugees who move into town and start filling the many empty homes with the help of the government and charity organisations.  You might think new blood would be embraced by the financially struggling community, but factions are quickly formed.  There are some who cling to a view of the town they had several decades ago, and don’t want their neighbourhood overrun by non-English speaking Muslims.  On the flip side, there are some who do lay out the “welcome mat” and, appreciative of the trauma these migrants have been through, offer support wherever possible.

Loach has a knack for great casting and that’s again the case here.  He uses lesser-known actors which adds to the film’s “realness”.  The characters speak and interact in an ordinary manner and, in avoiding cliches, he creates a vibe that is more like a fly-on-the-wall documentary than a fictional drama.  The film’s two leads are Dave Turner and Ebla Mari who have next-to-zero feature film experience between them, but their performances are both superb.  In real life, he’s a retired fireman turned pub manager while she’s a Syrian national who lives in a town which borders Israel.

It’s a film is also to be admired for astutely capturing the best and worst of the human condition.  Topics like multiculturalism can easily be trivialised when covered by vote-grabbing politicians, and clickbait-generating journalists but Loach digs deep, and gives audiences something to think about and reflect upon.  Movies are often focused on providing simple entertainment (nothing wrong with that) but The Old Oak has loftier ambitions and wants to make the world a better place.