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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 January 2022

Two heavily pregnant women share a room in the maternity ward of a Spanish hospital.  The paths leading them to that spot have been decidedly different.  Janis (Cruz) is a 39-year-old fashion photographer who, having had a short fling with a work colleague, is excited to become a mother for the first time.  Ana (Smit) is an apprehensive teenager who doesn’t believe she has the skills and finances to care for a child, the unwanted result of a one-night stand.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Talk to Her, All About My Mother), Parallel Mothers is the kind of movie you’d expect from him – a female-centric drama with a few twists.  Janis and Ana exchange phone numbers at the hospital and the film is centred around key moments in their newfound friendship in the year that follows.  The pair become close and while there are things they reveal, other things are kept hidden.

I’ll forever be a fan of Almodóvar’s work (just seeing the words “un film de Almodóvar” is exciting) but this is one of his weaker efforts.  Very obvious hints are splashed around in the opening act and so when the film does reveal its true dramatic nature, many be surprised by the lack of surprise.  I’ve also a few concerns about the semi-contrived nature of certain events which are necessary to push the storyline in a direction that doesn’t always seem like the right fit.

All of that said, Parallel Mothers is redeemed by a terrific subplot, not connected to the babies, where Janis secures archaeological support to exhume a mass grave in her town which dates back to 1936 and the Spanish Civil War.  It contains the remains of her great grandfather and she would like to provide him with a proper burial.  There are some heartfelt moments when townsfolk open up about their past and the mental wounds carried forward by their families over the past century. 89-year-old Julieta Serrano gets a fleeting amount of screen time but is extremely moving as Janis’s elderly aunt.

Penelope Cruz, collaborating with Pedro Almodóvar for the seventh time, relishes the chance to play a character consumed by turmoil.  She doesn’t express every thought but you know what she’s thinking.  Cruz has picked up several prizes already over the current awards season, including the best actress gong at the Venice Film Festival, and is a decent shot of earning an Oscar nomination next month.  She’s good.  I only wish the script was a little better.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 January 2022

Given their role as Head of State, it’s amazing the British Royal Family have retained such privacy when it comes to family matters and daily life.  Their many palaces, castles and other residences are tended to by servants who must sign confidentiality agreements before being employed.  If exclusive photos or other juicy “behind the scenes” information were to get out, they haven’t been afraid to sue to the press, paparazzi and former housekeepers.  There are even laws in place which protect the Queen from having to disclose her personal shareholdings and investments.

The continual secrecy only seems to add to the public’s thirst for information.  It is why tabloids spend so many pages talking about trashy Royal scandals and it’s also the reason why the Netflix series The Crown has been so popular.  People want to see behind the curtain.  They want to know what the Queen gets up to behind the well-guarded gates of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.  To many around the world, the Royal Family remain an enigma.

The life of Princess Diana has been well-documented and rather than go with a wide, expansive drama, British screenwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things) and Chilean director Pablo Larrain (Jackie) have gone with a very narrow scope.  Spencer chronicles just three days in the life of Diana – Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day in 1991.  The time was spent at Sandringham House, the traditional venue used by the Royal Family each year to celebrate the holidays.  This would be the last time Diana and Charles attended prior to their separation.

Aside from a small group of people who ain’t talking, no one can know with certainly what was said and by whom.  For that reason, Spencer promotes itself as a “fable”.  It’s an imagined, fantasised look at the event seen from Princess Diana’s perspective.  Don’t look at this as an accurate historical record but rather, view it through the more general lens of a troubled, frustrated mother having a shitty Christmas with her stuck-up in-laws.  Many will relate.

I was happy to buy what this film was selling.  We see Diana giving a huge “middle finger” to tradition and the Royal Family.  We see Diana forging close friendships with servants who then provide counsel and advice.  We see Diana dealing with mental health issues through a series of unusual actions and hallucinations.  We see Diana as a loving mum who wants what’s best for her two kids and doesn’t want them part of the Royal Family’s suffocating world.  She’s an intriguing character.

Larrain uses a “sit back and observe” approach in terms of direction.  Dialogue is used only when necessary and the camera follows Diana like a Peeping Tom.  Kristen Stewart (Twilight) does a skilful job mimicking the appearance and slightly heightened mannerisms of Diana but, more importantly, she creates a character worth caring about.  Sean Harris is the film’s other standout performer as the Royal Head Chef.  As if to provide short breaks from the main show, Larrain offers a fleeting look at what dishes are being served up in the well-stocked kitchen.

Covering a curious mix of genres, Spencer adds up to something weird, fun and interesting.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 January 2022

They say you should never talk about politics and religion… but since both are covered in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, I’m in a position where I have no choice.  It’s based on the true story of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, played in the film by Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain, who rose to fame in the late 1970s when they created a successful evangelical Christian television network called PTL (the acronym for Praise The Lord).

At the height of their success, the pair would raise roughly $100 million USD per annum for the Assemblies of God church, but as we see in the film, deserved questions were asked about where the money ended up.  Waterfront mansions, expensive clothes, lavish holidays, large salaries and even larger bonuses were questioned by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice.  It’s amazing what they were able to get away with for so long with such little scrutiny.

I wish we had a chance to see part of this story told from the other perspective, that of the investigating authorities, to fully appreciate the gravity of what went down.  Instead, we things largely through Tammy Faye’s deluded eyes (no pun intended) where she thinks this is all “above board” given the magnitude of the donations they generate and the value of their preaching to the community.  She truly believes she’s doing God’s work – there’s no doubt about that.

Using a 2000 documentary of the same name as the source material, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is the creation of screenwriter Abe Sylvia (Nurse Jackie) and director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick).  It’s clear that they want to tweak the public’s opinion and portray Tammy Faye as a misunderstood woman who deserves a level of compassion and sympathy.

A key sequence highlights the work she did for the gay community in destigmatising AIDS, much to the disgust conservative preachers and the influential Republican Party.  There’s another moment where she displays her feminist qualities by loudly pulling up a chair and, despite the lack of an invite, sitting at a table of influential men.  Even when Tammy Faye strays from her own righteous path, like a scene where she has a quick fling with a young music producer, justification is offered – it’s her husband’s fault for not loving her enough, or to hedge your bets, maybe he’s gay? 

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) picked up her sixth Golden Globe nomination in the past decade for her leading performance.  There’s no question that she’s done a great job recreating the voice and extraverted personality of the real Tammy Faye Bakker.  Showalter drums this home in the film’s final scene by putting the two side-by-side.  It’s just a shame the screenplay doesn’t place more scrutiny on the character or the messed-up world of evangelicalism in general.  That would have made it a far more interesting production.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 January 2022

My first reaction after King Richard was one of surprise.  It wasn’t surprise about the film’s quality but rather, surprise that Venus and Serena Williams would sign-off, in their role as executive producers, on a movie which provides a not-always-glamorous look at their father.  There’s a lot which is left out (his previous marriage for example) but given professional sport is becoming increasing sanitised (negative press is tightly controlled to protect commercial revenues), it’s nice to see behind the curtain and be reminded what goes on behind the scenes.

You can look at this movie through several different lenses.  For example, you could come away and think Richard Williams (Smith) was an inspired genius.  He described himself as being in the “champion raising business” and, having written a 78-page plan to turn his kids into superstars, would devote countless hours each day to their training.

There was no shortage of motivation but money was a barrier.  Richard would fish old tennis balls out of bins, use run-down public tennis courts, and personally coach them himself based on his learnings from magazines and video tapes.  They couldn’t afford country club memberships or professional coaches.  If you love a great “rags to riches” tale, this is one to soak up and enjoy.

The real Venus and Serena Williams speak highly of their father (he sacrificed so much for them) but they’ve publicly acknowledged the ecosystem of their family wasn’t perfect.  The controlling, strong-willed Richard didn’t appreciate his views being challenged.  Rightly or wrongly, he’d argue with coaches, officials, potential sponsors, his kids and his wife, Brandy (Ellis).  When it came to “being humble”, he didn’t always practice what he preached.

Richard is the film’s focus but Brandy is the most intriguing character.  She’s the mediator of the family – sometimes required to bite her tongue while sometimes voicing her valid concerns.  An argument between Richard and Brandy (it takes place in a kitchen) is perhaps the film’s best scene and highlights why both Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis are on track to earn Academy Award nominations in a few weeks.

It leans a little too much in one direction but King Richard also asks audiences to think about the relationship between parents and young kids when it comes to sport.  Some just want their kids to have fun and make friends whilst other push hard with hopes of making them high-paying professional athletes.  This tale has a happy ending but for every Venus and Serena Williams, there’s the story of a child pushed too hard who “burns out” and loses their love for both the sport and their family.  It’s a fine line.

The film is unnecessarily melodramatic in places.  A moment where a gun-wielding Richard is “saved” by a farcically convenient drive-by shooting is the best example.  Another scene where he prophetically tells a forlorn Serena that she’ll be “the greatest of all time” also feels over-the-top.  For the most part though, this a tight script from first-time writer Zach Baylin which features realistic dialogue and memorable one-on-one conversations between the characters.  The banter between Richard and a continually frustrated coach (humorously played by Jon Bernthal) provides a valuable injection of comedy.

I also like the narrow attention in terms of timeline.  We don’t go beyond Venus’s professional debut as a 14-year-old.  The Williams sisters won a combined 30 grand slam singles titles and it’s easy to find highlights and interviews related to those wins by looking on YouTube.  There’s no point recreating that in cinematic form.  Instead, King Richard opens our eyes to their upbringing (which we don’t know as much about) and the barriers which needed to be overcome.  Most should enjoy this.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 January 2022

You can’t have everything you want in life… but that hasn’t stopped Stan Carlisle (Cooper) from trying.  When the film opens, he’s accepting a job as a carny for a travelling carnival show and within two years, he’s become a wealthy, successful clairvoyant who is dazzling well-to-do audiences in New York City.  He also has a devoted wife (Mara) who, despite her own unhappiness at times, continues to offer love and support.

Stan is a “glass half empty” kind of guy.  Many would be comfortable with the career he’s built but, just like a thief who is chasing one big “last score”, he sees a risky opportunity to increase his wealth further and decides to take it.  He teams up with a psychologist (Blanchett) and, for a substantial fee, they try to fool a renowned judge into thinking he can communicate with their dead son.  Given the judge’s reputation in the community, it’s a job that could backfire in a big way if Stan’s fraudulent methods were to be exposed.

Nightmare Alley is based on a 1946 novel from American author William Lindsay Gresham.  It was made into a movie one year later by director Edmund Goulding but that film was a critical and financial failure.  Oscar winning director Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) was introduced to the book in the 1990s by friend/colleague Ron Perlman and after a long wait, he teamed up with his soon-to-be wife, Kim Morgan, to create a fresh adaptation for filmgoers who enjoy a good drama-thriller.

The film is somewhat of a departure from del Toro.  Having built a reputation making strange fantasy movies with monsters, ghosts and other strange creatures, Nightmare Alley sticks to the realms of reality.  In fact, while some of the gullible characters in the movie are led to believe in the existence of something supernatural, we know from the outset that Stan is a confidence trickster.  Some of the best scenes in the movie are where he learns his trade from an experienced, booze-loving veteran (Strathairn) and his kind-hearted wife (Collette).

A few parts to the story feel contrived (to forcibly push the narrative in a certain direction) but for the most part, this is a likeable effort where you’re never quite sure what’s around the next corner.  It’ll keep you interested.  It’s bolstered by a terrific cast headlined by Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) and Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine).  The exchanges between the pair, with each trying to sneakily get the upper hand over the other, are fun to watch.  Blanchett recently earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her worthy performance.  She’s having a great year on the back of her scene-stealing endeavours in Don’t Look Up.

Nightmare Alley is an old-school tale told with precision.