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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 March 2023

Whether real or manufactured, rivalries are a big part of sport.  They create interest and generate money.  The highest attended home-and-away AFL game each year takes place on ANZAC Day with traditional adversaries, Essendon and Collingwood, facing off in front of roughly 90,000 people.  I could list oodles of other examples such as Australia v. England in test cricket or Barcelona v. Real Madrid in Spanish football.

For the past 45 years, the Rocky and Creed film franchises have tapped into that crowd-pleasing concept with solid results.  Creed III, which marks the directorial debut of 36-year-old star Michael B. Jordan, is more of the same.  The opening act introduces a new character, the middle act establishes the rivalry, and the final act brings them together in the boxing ring for a bruising finale.  Yes, it’s formulaic but if you’ve got the right actors and a credible storyline, you’ll get audiences to buy in.

Creed III familiarises us with Damian “Dame” Anderson (Majors), a boxer who was full of potential as a teenager but saw his career halted after being sentenced to 18 years in prison for an armed assault.  Having just been released, Dame is keen to make up for lost time and enter the professional ranks in the biggest way possible – with a shot against reigning heavyweight champion Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez).  To borrow a line from the film – “everybody loves an underdog.”

So where does the now retired, mansion-living, suit-wearing Adonis Creed (Jordan) fit into the picture?  It turns out he and Dame were close childhood friends and, despite having some reservations, he helps organise the unlikely bout as a “favour” to settle a long-standing moral debt.  It’s not the most convincing of set ups.  Adonis goes to extraordinary lengths to help his friend (a title fight on debut) but is then disappointed when he finds early success.  Why?  Other attempts to create tension between the pair in the second act (a punch out of nowhere) also feels rushed.

All of that said, the film comes together nicely with a well-paced, energising climax.  Parts of it borrow from the well-worn textbook – lengthy musical montages where boxers jog in front of landmarks and flip large tyres on the beach.  Other parts try to break away from the mould – an interesting, crowd-free sequence which depicts rounds 3 to 11 of the final bout.  A few of the supporting players (e.g. Adonis’ mum) don’t get much to work with but both Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors are terrific in the lead roles and help elevate the not-always-perfect script.

Sylvester Stallone did not reprise his role for this instalment.  As stated in an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, he wasn’t a fan of the screenplay and its darker tones.  He’s entitled to his views but Michael B. Jordan is now the lifeblood of this franchise and his work, both in front of and behind the camera, will keep fans engaged.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 February 2023

It’s amazing what power an old family photo or an old home movie can wield.  They have the ability to revive long forgotten moments and to clarify those which have been unknowingly altered over time.  Who hasn’t looked at a photo album and thought about the past?  They remind us of people no longer in our lives – whether it be because they’ve passed away, or because they now live different lives which don’t intersect with our own.

These thoughts are at the emotional core of Aftersun, a blisteringly good debut feature from Scottish-born director Charlotte Wells.  Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May, the film has been fuelled by positive word of mouth and remained in the minds of filmgoers.  It’s now reached the point where 26-year-old star Paul Mescal (Normal People) has been nominated at the Academy Awards for best actor, and Wells has received a nod by her peers at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards in the first-time theatrical feature film director category.

Aftersun is the story of a woman (Rowlson-Hall) quietly reflecting on a low-budget holiday she shared with her father in Turkey two decades earlier.  Part of her musings are based off footage from a well-worn, non-digital video camera used to capture a handful of innocuous moments from the trip.  This includes a brief clip in the hotel room where the naïve, 11-year-old Sophie (Corio) asks her reserved, 31-year-old dad (Mescal) about his life goals growing up.  It might have been a simple question at the time, but it now carries an incredible potency given Sophie is a mature, hardened adult with a child of her own.

The remainder of Sophie’s holiday reflections come from memory.  Some scenes could be described as “coming of age” as she hangs out with older kids, befriends a nice boy, and develops a sense of independence – free from the burden of constant adult supervision.  Other scenes tap into the complex connection between parent and child.  Looking through a Sophie’s eyes, there are instances when Dad is a cool best friend (going to karaoke, buying a Turkish rug) and instances when he’s a semi-detached stranger.  It raises a question about how much kids really understand about their parents and whether that changes with age?

Paul Mescal and newcomer Frankie Corio are unforgettable in the leading roles.  Wells has written simple, realistic dialogue which makes the relationship between the pair feel real and honest.  Wells also deserves praise for the way she transitions between the two timeframes.  This is particularly evident during the film’s climax which is both beautiful and devastating.  Likely to stick with you after the closing credits have rolled, Aftersun is as good as cinema gets.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 February 2023

Above all else, Empire of Light is worth recommending for its homage to a pre-digital world of cinema.  It’s the kind of movie which will help enlighten future generations about what went on behind the scenes.  Set in the year 1981, it revolves around a passionate, hard-working team at a slightly run-down, two-screen movie theatre that overlooks the seaside in southern England.

Writer-director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) acknowledges and celebrates the smallest of details.  We see Janine (Onslow) get up on a ladder to painstakingly change the large black letters on the front lightbox to announce when a new movie is screening.  We see the experienced Norman (Jones) descend the back stairs and take custody of precious film reels when the delivery driver arrives.  We see staff greet customers as they enter the theatre and tear the small ticket stub into two pieces – one for the patron to keep, and one to be reconciled later against box-office receipts.  We even see customers buying popcorn and Maltesers for reasonable prices!

Yeah, I know I’m biased given my love for cinema but it’s hard not to feel sentimental watching these scenes and realising just how much has changed, for better or worse, over the past four decades.  Mendes and his crew found the rustic Dreamland cinema in Margate, which opened back in 1935, and transformed it into the fictional Empire Theatre we see in this movie.  It feels like every nook and cranny, from the gorgeous front windows to the dingy staff room, has been perfectly captured by acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins (1917).  The soothing, piano-laden music score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) adds to film’s reflective mood.

Unfortunately, the fantastic production values aren’t matched by an equally fantastic script.  Drawing from the mental health issues of his own mother, Mendes has centred the story on Hilary (Colman), a middle-aged woman who serves as the Empire’s long-time duty manager.  It’s a job she enjoys… perhaps too much so.  As a single woman who lives alone and has next-to-no friends, she pours all her energy into work – smiling to regular customers, working late nights, and doing whatever the dictatorial boss (Firth) requires.

Hilary is a complex character and Colman’s continually changing persona is reminiscent of her Oscar-nominated turn in last year’s The Lost Daughter.  That was a better film though.  Knowing only limited information about her backstory, I struggled to reconcile her actions and understand her emotional weaknesses.  The other featured player is Micheal Ward (Blue Story) as Stephen, a black staff member who is subjected to abuse and discrimination on a daily basis.  Like the rest of the supporting cast, with an emphasis on Toby Jones, it feels like we’re only scratching the surface with Stephen.

Not quite living up to its potential, Empire of Light captures the era better than the characters.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 February 2023

Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont (Girl) was looking for script ideas when he came across the research of Dr. Niobe Way, a Professor of Developmental Psychology at New York University, who had interviewed hundreds of boys over a period of two decades.  Way’s analysis showed that friendships during early adolescence can be deeply intimate but, once they enter their mid-to-late teenage years, they become less emotionally expressive and less trustful with male friends.  There’s also a fear of getting too close to someone and being labelled a homosexual.

This idea is at the heart of Close, a gut-wrenching drama which took the runner-up honours at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival (Triangle of Sadness won the top prize).  It’s the tale of two 13-year-old boys, Léo (Dambrine) and Rémi (de Waele), who have been childhood friends for as long as they can remember.  They sleep over at each other’s house, chill with their respective parents, and talk about working together one day – Rémi is a talented oboe player and Léo playfully jokes about becoming his tour manager.

Their first days of high school begin with blissful ignorance.  They sit next to each other class, play at lunchtime, and ride their bikes home together.  It’s in the school’s cafeteria where a female classmate finally voices what others have been thinking – are the two of them a “couple”?  The question takes them a second to answer (“no”) but the ramifications will linger for much longer.  With an increasing level of self-consciousness, Léo looks for reasons to pull away and spend less time with Rémi.  Some are valid (playing competitive ice hockey with new friends) while others are not (lying about reasons why they can’t catch up).  A confused Rémi can’t reconcile their declining connection and at one point, he lashes out with violence in front of others in the school playground. 

Nominated at the upcoming Academy Awards for best international feature film, Close is devastatingly authentic.  Dhont creates this vibe by using handheld cameras, sometimes close-up and sometimes at a long distance, to give it a documentary-like feel.  Dialogue is used sparingly and it’s amazing just how much can be gleaned from a close-up on an actor’s face – whether it be a tear down the cheek, or eyes quickly shifting direction.

The cinematography of Frank van den Eeden is stunning, and the music of composer Valentin Hadjadj is haunting.  They may come across as minor plot points but Dhont and co-writer Angelo Tijssens throw in other interesting elements dealing with masculinity including the connection between two brothers (Igor van Dessel is faultless as Léo’s older sibling), and locker room antics after sporting games.

Above all else though, Close achieves its emotional power because of the incredible performances offered up by teenage stars Eden Dambrine and Gustav de Waele.  They’re two of the finest performances I’ve ever seen from child actors with the now 16-year-old Dambrine nominated at the European Film Awards for best actor.  Dhont cast them six months prior to the shoot and that provided the time to build a legitimate friendship between the pair and allow them to craft their own dialogue and subplots to best fit the characters.

If I see a better film this year, I’ll be surprised.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 February 2023

The words “inspired by true events” is doing a lot of heavy lifting on the promotional material for Cocaine Bear.  It’s the equivalent of saying Toy Story was inspired by kids playing with toys, or Star Wars was inspired by the existence of other galaxies.  The “true events” occurred back in 1985 when a 175-pound black bear was found dead in a Georgia forest.  An autopsy found “three or four grams” of cocaine in the bear’s blood stream – the source being several plastic containers containing the drug which had been dropped by a parachuter in a botched smuggling operation.  Alas, there was no one else died and there was no murderous rampage from a cocaine-fuelled bear.

This film will find an audience.  It’s reminiscent of the Samuel L. Jackson led action flick Snakes on a Plane.  It’ll be remembered more for the title than its cast and narrative.  Here, we’ve got a giant bear who stumbles across several bags of cocaine and, now that he’s got a taste for it, will kill almost anyone who gets in his way.  Framed as a horror-comedy, it’s an interesting pivot for actor-turned-director Elizabeth Banks after Pitch Perfect 2 and Charlie’s Angels.

In terms of characters, we’ve got two kids skipping school, a mum out looking for them, a pair of horny park rangers, a dog-loving police officer, some ambulance workers, a dim-witted group of thugs, and a bunch of drug dealers.  The actors bringing these folk to life include Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Alden Ehrenreich and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.  They know… and we know… no one is winning any awards for their performances.  There’s a tinge of sadness given it marks one of the final appearances of Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) who passed away in May 2022, a few months after shooting wrapped.

The screenplay is very, very average.  None of these characters are interesting or intelligent, and the illogical disregard they have for risk is tiringly repetitive.  Attempts at creating a family dynamic (in the case of the mum and kids) also feel misplaced.  Aside from a few okay jokes, the film only really works when the psychotic bear is centre stage and gorily ripping people’s limbs off (that’s an indication of the violence if you’re a bit squeamish).  We needed more of that… and less “filler” like a scene where a drug runner beats up three youths in a bathroom.

Worth a look just once, Cocaine Bear is 95-minutes of trashy, forgettable entertainment.