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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 May 2018

Spurred on by fantastic word of mouth, Deadpool was one of the big success stories of 2016.  It exceeded the expectations of analysts to gross $783 million at the international box-office (the 9^th highest film of that year) and surprised many critics when it earned a lucrative Producers Guild Award nomination (losing to La La Land).  It was a question of when and not if a sequel would be made.

If you weren’t interested in the original, you won’t be interested in this.  You can stop reading.  For everyone else, the film sticks very close to the format used in the unorthodox original.  Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) continues to break through the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience.  There’s even a scene where he discusses the box-office of the first movie!  The end result is something that’s part action blockbuster and part mockumentary.

While Deadpool generated interest as a worthy origin tale, Deadpool 2 struggles when it comes to an engaging story.  After his wife is killed by gangsters, Deadpool slips of the rails and considers ending his own life.  The problem is that his superpowers have made him indestructible.  When a villain fails as expected, Deadpool cheers him up with the thought – “don’t feel bad… even I can’t kill me.”

Don’t fret.  This isn’t meant to be dark and depressing.  Deadpool gets a new lease on life when he meets an angry 14-year-old mutant, going by the name of Firefist, who is in need of love and affection.  Those who saw the brilliant Taika Waititi comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople will instantly recognise the child actor as New Zealander Julian Dennison.  He’s even retained his Kiwi accent for the role.

The narrative is fairly jumped from this point on with several characters fighting for attention.  Firefist was abused in a mutant orphanage and now seeks a violent revenge against those who wronged him.  Cable (Brolin) is a Terminator-like soldier who has travelled back in time to complete an essential mission to protect mankind’s future.  We’ve also got a few folk returning from the earlier movie including Deadpool’s bartending friend (Miller), his blind housemate (Uggams), his eccentric taxi driver (Soni), and a mutant made of steel.

So what does it all add up to?  Not much.  In the lead role, Ryan Reynolds feels like he’s peddling the same type of jokes from the original.  The material that generated “laugh out loud” moments two years ago could only get a smile from me this time around.  Perhaps my expectations were too high or perhaps I’m in the minority.  Not everyone in the cinema was laughing but there were still plenty having a good time.

As touched on above, it’s the story that’s the biggest letdown.  Those characters returning from the original have nothing new to offer and Firefist isn’t an interesting “bad guy”.  The lone exception is Josh Brolin who is terrific as the time-travelling Cable.  There’s something intriguing about his character from the get-go and the curious mission he has been set – travelling from the future to alter the past.  It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in future instalments.

Complete with the violence, profanity and sexual references that made the original so distinctive within the superhero genre, Deadpool 2 tries hard but cannot match the sheer fun of its predecessor.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 April 2018

Most young actors in this country would love to put together a resume to equal that of Australian Simon Baker.  He began his career in the early 1990s with roles in local TV shows such as E Street, Home and Away and Heartbreak High.  He then set sail for America where he earned supporting roles in feature films including L.A. Confidential and The Devil Wears Prada.  His biggest break came in 2008 when he landed the lead in The Mentalist – a successful American show that ran for 7 seasons and earned him nominations for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award.

Skimming through his list of credits on the Internet Movie Database, there’s one curious statistic that stands out – Baker has never appeared in an Australian feature film.  It’s hard to believe given he’s a home grown star who has been in the business for a quarter of a century.  That streak comes to an end with Breath, an adaptation of the Tim Winton novel first published in 2008.  That’s not the only milestone.  Baker has directed a handful of episodes for the small screen but Breath marks his debut as the director of a full length feature film.

His attraction to the project ties back to his upbringing in the seaside town of Ballina and his passion for surfing.  It’s the fictional tale of two 13-year-old boys who are about to learn that life is far more complex than they’ve imagined.  Pikelet (Coulter) is an only child who is introverted by nature and doesn’t get up to much.  You get the sense that the highlight of his day is coming home and learning his mum has cooked chops for dinner (accompanied by a cold glass of milk).  Loonie (Spence) is the complete opposite.  He’s an energetic risk taker with a relentless sense of an adventure and a mouth that never shuts up.

With no responsibilities and with plenty of spare time to fill, these two best friends discover the art of “dancing of water” through a former surfing champion, Sando (Baker), who lives quietly in the area with his long-time partner, Eva (Debicki).  With no children of his own, Sando takes “Heckle” and “Jeckle” under his wing and it’s not long before the trio are travelling up and down the coast in search of the perfect wave.  There are some great surfing sequences and it’s fun to watch these kids overcome their fears and harness their obvious natural talent.

There’s considerably more to this story however and things take a dramatic shift (without giving too much away) during the second hour.  Credit must go to the two teenage leads, Samson Coulter and Ben Spence, who deliver strong, natural performances despite having next-to-no acting experience prior to the movie.  You can see their characters transform as key events unfold.  No special effects or camera trickery was needed to shoot the scenes on water given that both have been surfing competitively since a young age.

Whilst it will get audiences thinking about its tougher subject matters, Breath does leave you wanting more in places.  A successful skier who saw her career cut short by injury, Eva the most intriguing character.  She comes across as aimless and unhappy but it’s hard to fully understand her psyche given she plays second fiddle (in terms of screen time) to her male counterparts.  I was also hoping to see more interaction between Pikelet and his parents (played Richard Roxburgh and Rachael Blake) as he starts to pull away and discover his independence.

Set in the 1970s and shot in a sleepy town on the southern coast of Western Australia, Breath is an engaging coming-of-age tale that many connect with.

You can read my interview with Simon Baker, Samson Coulter and Ben Spence by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 May 2018

For those keeping score at home, Tully marks the third collaboration between director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody.  They first paired up in 2007 with the brilliant coming-of-age comedy Juno, the story of a sarcastic teenage girl (Ellen Page) and her unplanned pregnancy.  Cody won an Academy Award for her original screenplay.  That was followed in 2011 with Young Adult, the absorbing tale of a 30-something year old woman (Charlize Theron) battling depression who tries to rekindle memories from her high school years.  Both films are “must see” viewing.

Cody solidifies her reputation as one of the best writers in the business by creating another great character in Tully.  Her name is Marlo (Theron) and she’s a struggling mother with two kids and another on the way.  She’s tired, she’s overworked and she’s lacking in self-confidence.  There’s a humorous moment where Theron, who put on more than 20 kilograms for the role, describes her sagging body as looking like “a relief map for a war torn country.”

The biggest problem for Marlo is that she’s getting next-to-no support.  Her husband works long hours and whilst he thinks he’s loving and caring, that’s not really the case.  He spends more time in the bedroom playing video games than talking to Marlo about her day.  Adding to their troubles is the fact their eldest son has learning difficulties and his teachers, who describe him as “out of the box”, think he’d be better suited by one-on-one tutoring.  This is something they clearly cannot afford.

Marlo is reluctant to ask for help but following the birth of her third child, she accepts the financial assistance of her brother (Duplass) and employs a “night nanny” named Tully (Theron).  I wasn’t familiar with the job previously but it refers to a person who comes into the home and looks after a newborn child during the night so the parents can take a break and rest.  Tully is more than just a night nanny though.  She’s a breath of fresh air who uproots the household in a manner similar to Mary Poppins.  She cleans the house, organises all the kids, and becomes an invaluable friend to a reinvigorated, charged up Marlo.

So where is all this going?  That’s a question I wrote in my notebook as the film moved into its curious final half-hour.  There’s more to this narrative than you think and so the plot developments are best left unspoiled.  Central to everything is the terrific performance of Charlize Theron (Monster).  I can’t directly relate to her scenario but you can see from her facial expressions and body language that she’s in desperate need of help and companionship.  This is a worthy character study and it’s hard not to feel sympathy towards Marlo and her plight.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 April 2018

There have been many successful movie franchises throughout history but what Marvel Studios has created over the past decade trumps everything else.  The 18 films released have grossed a combined $14.8 billion USD at the worldwide box-office.  There’s no sign of moviegoer fatigue considering their latest release, Black Panther, has just become the third highest grossing film of all time in the United States (behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avatar).  It feels like Marvel could make a movie which is just a blank screen for two hours and people would still pay to see it.

Despite all that, there are still risks involved with Avengers: Infinity War.  How do you take this many characters, bring them together, and still create a compelling narrative within a 149 minute running time?  I could spend the rest of this review providing background information on each hero and have no room for anything else.  We’ve got Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Dr Strange, War Machine, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Loki, Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket… and the list goes on.

Don’t ask me how but writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (who were behind the three Captain America movies) have crafted a worthy storyline for this much-hyped film.  Central to everything is the villain, Thanos (Brolin).  He’s on a quest to locate six Infinity Stones that have been spread across the galaxy and once in his control, he will harness a power that cannot be rivalled.  His motives are a bit wishy-washy but his end goal is to annihilate roughly half the universe’s population to put a dramatic halt to its unsustainable growth.

You won’t see all the superheroes sitting together in a meeting room and formulating a well-thought out plan.  Thanos has the upper hand from the opening scene and it’s the heroes who are struggling to stay on top of the chaos that follows.  Unexpected teams are formed and whilst some our beloved protagonists remain on Earth, others have to travel to the far corners of the universe with important tasks to complete.  It’s compelling stuff but there is a repetitive vibe to the moral quandaries that many of them face (e.g. choosing the life of one friend over a million strangers).

With a reported cost of $300-$400 million USD, Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most expensive films ever made.  The cast wouldn’t have come cheaply but it’s apparent that much of the budget went into the action scenes and to the gifted stunt people, sound engineers and visual effects artists.  The variety of the action, combined with the intense music score from Alan Silvestri, should keep you alert for the full duration.

Given the number of people involved in the production (the end credits feel like they go forever), it’s amazing to think that the many plot twists have been protected right up until the day of release.  The cast have been active on social media and asked audiences not to spoil the movie for others so that all fans can experience it firsthand.  It’s a fair request.  The finale alone is a game changer for the genre and will keep audiences guessing and internet forums buzzing until the next instalment (which was filmed at the same time) is released in May 2019.  I’ve got a few theories but that’s all I’ll say for now.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 May 2018

If you’re unfamiliar with United States politics, Senator Ted Kennedy was the younger brother of the late John F. Kennedy and in the late 1960s was touted as a possible Democratic candidate for the Presidency.  That changed on the evening of 18 July 1969 when he was involved in a single vehicle car accident on Chappaquiddick Island.  The car, which Kennedy was driving, went off a narrow bridge and finished upside down in a shallow body of water.  Kennedy escaped the vehicle but the woman in the passenger seat, a 28-year-old campaign specialist by the name of Mary Jo Kopechne, was trapped and did not survive.

Directed by John Curran (Tracks), the first half of Chappaquiddick provides background information on Kennedy (played by Jason Clarke) and chronicles the night of the accident.  Some facts are indisputable.  For example, we know that Kennedy did not report the accident to the local police until 10 hours after it occurred.  Other details are sketchier.  Did Kopechne drown instantly or did she survive the crash and die of suffocation while waiting to be rescued?  Was Kennedy drunk at the time?  Curran’s film hedges its bets by offering alternate viewpoints (such as the contrasting views of two doctors).

The second half of the movie is an exercise in how to bungle a cover up.  Kennedy’s close advisers, including former Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara, do everything in their power to protect Kennedy’s career.  The truth becomes irrelevant.  It’s all about crafting a credible story that keeps their man in the clear and which could be believed by the authorities and the public. 

This works to an extent.  Kennedy has a natural charm and believability.  We seem him talking to the police, his secretaries and his friends and they blindly accept his version of events.  The same goes for the parents of Kopechne who are heartbroken by the death of their daughter but don’t see the need for an autopsy given Kennedy’s assurances about what happened.  The fact the accident occurred at the same time as the Apollo 11 moon landing was another stroke of good fortune in keeping it off the front page of newspapers.  Things start to unravel though when Kennedy makes a few conflicting statements and a group of inquisitive journalists start asking tough questions.  The focus turns to damage control.

I’m always fascinated by political elections and the key issues that influence voters.  Some have staunchly partisan views and will support the same political party of their entire life regardless what policies are proposed.  Some swing from election-to-election and will look more closely at policies and the performance of the incumbents.  Others don’t care at all and won’t even make the time to turn up to the polling booth and vote.

There’s a poignant sequence at the end of Chappaquiddick which includes interviews from American voters weighing in with their thoughts on Ted Kennedy in in the aftermath of the accident.  Many were prepared to forgive and forget about his actions.  It makes you wonder if these people would have the same view if a different politician was involved or if those behind Kennedy hadn’t spun up an alternate version of the “truth”.  There’s plenty of food for thought.  It also feels eerily relevant today given the current U.S. President is quick to deride attacks against him as “conspiracy theories”.

I wasn’t fully convinced by the lead performance of Australian Jason Clarke.  There are moments where his character is so dumb but others where he is so shrewd.  Still, this is a compelling, eye-opening true story with a worthy punchline as the credits start to roll.

You can read my interview with director John Curran by clicking here.