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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 February 2025

I can’t help but think of the famous proclamation – “the king is dead, long live the king!”  Whilst the Chris Evans’ version of Captain America didn’t technically die in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, he’s reached the age of retirement and so it’s time to hand the title to someone else.  That person is Sam Wilson.  Played by Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), he’s the former U.S. Air Force guy introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The film opens with another returning character, however.  Thaddeus Ross appeared in several movies as a not-always-friendly ex-army guy who has transitioned into politics.  He was previously played by Oscar winner William Hurt but following his death in 2022, the role was recast with another big name – 82-year-old Harrison Ford.  Ross has always been an influential guy, but he’s now climbed to the top of the mountain and is the newly elected President of the United States.

The MCU has been low on ideas in recent years and while Captain America: Brave New World is far from perfect… it’s a step in the right direction and the kind of superhero movie I endorse.  It doesn’t go overboard with CGI-heavy action but rather, it’s more of a drama-thriller where story, for the most part, takes precedence over battles.  It’s delving into themes such as abuse of power, broken promises, strategic alliances, and forgiveness.  I’m trying not to give too much away!

At a high level, a new mineral has been discovered on Earth’s latest island (you’ll remember it from previous movies).  President Ross is trying to negotiate a treaty between France, Japan and India so the mineral’s potential can be shared without resorting to underhanded tactics.  That’s proving difficult.  It’s not so much because of their poor negotiation skills but rather, there’s a mysterious, villainous group trying to thwart their efforts and upend the world order.

The splashes of comedy don’t always hit the mark, but I generally enjoyed the narrative and conversations.  The interplay between Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez, who plays Captain America’s latest sidekick, is good fun.  Harrison Ford makes for a convincing President and the supporting players, headlined by Shira Hass and Giancarlo Esposito, make every scene a winner with their memorable characters – in terms of both look and personality.

Captain America: Brave New World is an engaging instalment.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 January 2025

I’ll often find myself thinking about how much plot to reveal in writing a review.  I don’t want to spoil the experience for viewers but at the same time, many want an understanding of what a film is about before buying a ticket.  It’s also hard to critique certain elements, particularly the script, without delving into specifics.  My general rule is that anything revealed in the trailer or the film’s opening act is “fair game.”

Companion is a tricky one, however.  It’s a wild romantic horror-thriller (can I call that genre?) that gets a thumbs up from me… but the less you know about it, the better.  The trailer itself gives very little away.  You may develop a hunch about a few plot twists but, if reactions at my preview screening are anything to go by, you won’t see everything coming.  Kudos to writer-director Drew Hancock for depicting things in just the right way, from the visuals to the dialogue, to keep audiences on their toes.

I should provide a scant overview and so, on that note, Companion is about three couples spending a few days in a beautiful, secluded home in the middle of nowhere.  They’ll swim in the lake, eat great food, enjoy a glass of wine (or two), and engage in spirited conversation.  The central pair are Josh (Quaid) and Iris (Thatcher) who have been dating for a short while.  The other two couples are Josh’s friends and Iris is a touch apprehensive about how she’ll be perceived and whether she’ll fit in.

With a running time of just 97 minutes, Companion is both amusing and creepy (give it a miss if you’re squeamish).  The editing team of Brett W. Bachman (Pig) and Josh Ethier (Orphan: First Kill) do a great job in maintaining a fast pace and I loved the abrupt cutting between key scenes (a bedroom “climax” is hilarious).  The performances are also very good.  The darkly comedic banter between the sextet is fun to listen to.

I wasn’t sold on every character’s actions, and I believe there are a few inconsistencies / plot holes when getting into the minutia.  For the most part though, Companion is an entertaining ride and if you’re someone who likes quality post-film chat with friends, there’s ample to talk about!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 February 2025

Cinema is a powerful artistic medium.  We can step into multiple pairs of shoes and see events from differing perspectives.  Letters from Iwo Jima chronicled a famous World War II battle from the side of the Japanese whereas Flags of Our Fathers depicted an American military viewpoint.  World Trade Centre was focused on police officers caught up in the 9/11 terrorist attacks while United 93 recounted experiences of hijacked passengers and air traffic controllers.

The massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics has been covered in a series of affecting films including One Day in September, a 1999 Academy Award winning documentary from Kevin Macdonald, and Munich, a 2005 Steven Spielberg-helmed drama about undercover Jewish agents seeking revenge against Palestinian operatives.  September 5 takes us back to that fateful day but this time, the perspective is solely from a small group of ABC sports journalists couped up inside their tiny studio.

I like the approach as the film serves as a homage to old-school media.  If you think live television is challenging in the current day, wait until you see what they faced in 1972.  There were no handheld cameras, no mobile phones, no Wi-Fi connections, and just a single satellite to be shared amongst all of America’s networks.  I don’t want to give too much away but you’ll be stunned by the lengths the ABC crew went to, with zero preparation, to broadcast the quickly unfolding events with limited technology.  It was the first terrorist attack to ever be shown live on television.

Director Tim Fehlbaum gets creative with storytelling.  An accomplished group of actors bring the script’s pages to life but when it comes to the casting of Jim McKay, who was the on-camera anchor throughout the attack, Fehlbaum uses archival footage.  It adds a layer of authenticity which makes everything around it feel more credible.  While McKay speaks the world, the ABC team scramble behind the scenes in working out what to say and what to show.  Expertise was lacking given their background was sports and not current affairs.

It’s equally relevant today but another of the film’s key themes is truth and journalistic integrity. ABC were the only media outlet covering events as they happened on TV and with that, came a heightened responsibility to be accurate in their reporting.  As the situation became more chaotic, the line separating confirmed facts from speculative hearsay was blurred beyond recognition.  Making fast decisions under immense pressure is fraught with danger.

Nominated at the Producer’s Guild Awards as one of the top 10 movies of the year, and earning an Oscar nod for best adapted screenplay, September 5 is a gritty, interesting, well-made film.  It’s a story worth telling.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 January 2025

Born in the United States to Greek parents, Maria Callas is considered one of the great opera singers of all time.  She rose to fame in the 1950s with unforgettable performances in Verdi’s La traviata, Bellini’s Norma, and Puccini’s Tosca.  Callas died in 1977 at the relatively young age of 53 but her voice will forever be heard thanks to recordings, both audio and video, which can be savoured online.

With films including Post Mortem and No (a favourite of mine), Chilean director Pablo Larraín built a strong resume in highlighting key events within his home country.  That’s shifted over the past decade and his attention has turned towards powerful, often misunderstood women from the Western world.  He has delved into the lives of Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie, Princess Diana in Spencer, and now Maria Callas in Maria.  Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart earned Oscar nominations for their performances but Angelina Jolie, a former winner herself for Girl, Interrupted, missed out.

English screenwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Peaky Blinders) has taken my preferred approach when it comes to biopics – focusing on a small chapter of someone’s life.  It provides ample time to dig deep (as opposed to the rush of squashing 50 years into 2 hours).  Interestingly though, he’s selected the final week of Callas’s life in September 1977 as she contemplates a comeback while battling serious health issues.  We do get a glimpse of her upbringing and achievements, but this is via fast-paced flashbacks.

The crux of Larraín’s movie is therefore centred around Callas’s interactions with two long-standing servants.  Her loyal butler, Ferruccio (Favino), is struggling himself with a dodgy back but he’s built a strong enough relationship with his employer that he’s not afraid to openly question some of her decisions.  Her caring housemaid, Bruna (Rohrwacher), is a little more subdued but she’s equally concerned about Callas’s physical and mental decline.  I enjoyed the subtle power games between the trio as they try to take the upper hand.

As surprising as it may sound, I enjoyed Maria more for its comedic playfulness than its historical drama.  Callas is portrayed as a good-natured person, but she also had a cheeky side who loved playing the “diva”.  From hiding pills throughout her bedroom, through to booking appointments at restaurants and hair salons, Callas made the most of her notoriety.  Jolie, in her first film role in three years, seems to have as much fun as the audience with her attention-seeking performance.

The laughs aren’t enough to compensate for the film’s shortcomings, and I still don’t think I have a clear picture of who Callas was.  A fair chunk of time is spent covering the weird relationship she had with Aristotle Onassis (Bilginer) but it’s unfulfilling.  Did we need the JFK cameo?  I was also unsure about the plot device in which Callas speaks with a young journalist (Smit-McPhee) and in doing so, creates a form of narration to help drive the story.

I enjoyed both Jackie and Spencer (worthy of an A-) but Maria is clearly the weakest in Pablo Larraín’s unorthodox trilogy.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 February 2025

Filmmakers often use their own experiences as part of the “creative process” and that applies to Presence, as unusual as it sounds.  Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) had a home in Los Angeles where a few mysterious things took place.  This included a house sitter seeing someone walk from the bathroom to the bedroom despite being alone.  After a quick internet search, Soderbergh learned a woman had died in the master bedroom several years earlier under suspicious circumstances.

Movies about ghosts and the supernatural aren’t new but, working with screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park), Soderbergh finds a fresh angle with Presence.  For starters, this tale is told entirely from the perspective of the ghost!  A family of four have moved into a two-story residence and the spirit follows them from room-to-room.  It’s voyeuristic with its approach – it’s never seen but it watches the daily conversations and interactions between mum, dad, son and daughter.  We never leave the house.

Soderbergh creates further points of difference with his direction.  He himself held the lightweight Sony camera as it smoothly hovered above/around the characters.  Each individual scene was shot with no edits and so just a single camera was required.  It helps explain why the film could be made on a budget of just $2 million USD.  It brings back memories of what Soderbergh did with Unsane, a 2018 release shot entirely on an iPhone 7 with an even smaller budget.

A narrative is required and it’s similarly interesting.  While the family members squabble over differing views on the world, the daughter (Liang) senses a “presence” in the home.  She can’t see it but a growing number of unexplained events, like a door being opened, have her asking questions.  The rest of the household soon buys into her views (they see stuff too) and a spiritual medium is brought in for advice.

With a running time of just 85 minutes, Presence is stylish and intriguing.  It’s also the kind of movie you can watch and appreciate a second time, with a completely different mindset, knowing how it will end.  The cast is headlined by Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) and Chris Sullivan (This is Us).  They’re great but it’s the two youngers, Callina Liang and Eddy Maday, who get the “meatier” part of the screenplay and impress most.

If keen on a quality supernatural thriller, add Presence to your viewing list.