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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 April 2018

Every few years, we get one of those movies where characters switch bodies and gain a wider, more informed appreciation of the world.  Examples include Freaky Friday, The Change-Up, The Hot Chick, Dating the Enemy and Vice Versa.  Written and directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, I Feel Pretty taps into that same genre with one added twist – it’s a perceived change as opposed to an actual one.

As we’re introduced to Renee (Schumer), we see her as an insecure, self-conscious woman who can’t catch a break.  That’s best illustrated in an over-exaggerated opening scene.  Renee harnesses the confidence to visit a gym and enrol in a cycling class.  It’s only been going for a matter of seconds before the bike seat breaks and her pants split open.  She’s bolts for the exit, quick to avoid the gaze of her fellow gym-goers, but the embarrassment doesn’t end there given she has to walk home while covering her exposed crotch.

Ever seen the 1988 comedy Big with Tom Hanks?  There’s a moment where a 12-year-old makes a wish at a spooky fortune telling machine and then wakes up the next day as a grown man.  I’m not trying to provide another example of a body switch movie.  Rather, I’m referring to a creative overlap between it and I Feel Pretty.  There’s a sequence where Renee is watching Big on TV and she’s inspired to throw a coin into a fountain and make a wish of her own – to look incredibly beautiful.

Lo and behold, the wish comes true… well, kind of.  Renee knocks her head and upon regaining consciousness, she glances into a mirror and sees a thin, dazzling woman looking straight back.  Her friends and work colleagues realise she looks exactly the same but no one is prepared to rain on her parade.  They go along with the charade because Renee is as happy as she’s been in a long time.

This could have been fun, original comedy but it ends up being too safe and predictable.  It’s the kind of movie where the audience will be a few steps ahead of the narrative as opposed to the other way around.  Renee develops enormous self-confidence from her supposed transformation and this allows her to find a guy and land her dream job as the receptionist for a renowned cosmetics company (you’d think she’d aim higher).  It’s not long before Renee’s confidence transforms into arrogance and she becomes one of those people she’s always despised.

The film’s theme of “beauty lying within” is drummed home continually.  Other parts of the storyline give off a mixed vibe.  Renee is brought into the inner circle of the cosmetics company where she interacts with the sweet CEO (Williams) and her friendly mother (Hutton) as they try to introduce a low-cost product line for the “average woman”.  It may sound wonderfully positive and inclusive but it’s hard to take the company seriously given Renee is the only person in the building who doesn’t look like an uber-thin supermodel with flawless skin.

Amy Schumer earns a few genuine laughs with her over-the-top performance but as the film isn’t telling us anything new or offering any unexpected surprises, you’re unlikely to go through a transformation of your own upon leaving the cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 April 2018

I’ll admit to being a Wes Anderson fan boy.  His screenplays are creative, his characters are memorable, and his cinematography is distinctive.  From Rushmore and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson makes films, laced with dark comedy, which are easy to watch again and again.

The imaginatively titled Isle of Dogs (think “I Love Dogs”) is another worthy addition on his impressive resume.  Shot using the painfully slow process of stop-motion animation (as he did with Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009), the film is set in a fictitious Japanese city that is ruled by the controlling Mayor Kobayashi.  When a strong strain of flu infects canines in the area, the Mayor has every single dog in the city banished to the neighbouring Trash Island.  There’s also an ulterior motive at play with the Mayor not hiding the fact that he prefers cats to dogs.

There’s a cute notice at the start of the movie telling audiences that all barks have been translated into English.  This allows us to follow the story from the perspective of the dogs as opposed to the humans.  Much of what transpires occurs on the disgustingly filthy Trash Island.  There’s no clean water and the dogs have to rely on rotten scraps as food.  It’s a wonder that so many have been able to survive for so long.

The crux of the story builds when a 12-year-old boy, Atari (Rankin), steals a plane and travels to Trash Island in search of his long-lost dog, Spots.  Government officials normally wouldn’t show much interest but with Atari being the nephew of Mayor Kobayashi, it becomes headline news.  Security forces are sent in to bring him back home but Atari evades capture and teams up with a group of cunning dogs to help locate the missing Spots.

He’s admired within the industry and Wes Anderson had no trouble assembling a cast for Isle of Dogs.  Scheduling conflicts are often a challenge but in the case of an animated feature, it’s much easier to pull together a big cast as the voices can be recorded on any day at any time.  Some dogs are voiced by long-time Anderson collaborators such as Billy Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Edward Norton whilst others are making their debut such as a Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber.  Most are working for love of the craft as opposed to money given the reported budget of the film was just $17.5 million.

Targeted at both kids and adults, there’s a lot of fun to be had with the story and the mix of both light and dark comedy.  You can smile at some of the long-running jokes (Jeff Goldblum’s dog is quick to pass on rumours) while being surprised by unexpected moments (the fate of a caged dog).  When you throw these cute, likeable characters into an odd world, there’s much opportunity for humour.

Anderson is known for his use of symmetry and that’s illustrated again here with some beautifully framed scenes.  It’s hard to pick a favourite but two moments stand out for me – one involves a chef making sushi and another features a doctor performing a kidney transplant.  There’s also an incredible attention to detail highlighted by the wind subtly moving through the dogs’ fur.  The talented crew deserve huge praise for their work.

Wes Anderson is winless from 6 previous nominations at the Academy Awards but when looking ahead to the best animated feature category at next year’s ceremony, this could be his chance to break that streak and take home a 13.5 inch statuette.  See this film!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 April 2018

This sequel has been a long time coming.  I asked a few friends if they were keen on coming along to a preview screening and most had never heard of the original.  That’s largely because it was released back in 2002 and whilst it developed a semi-cult-like following at the time, it has generally faded from memory over the past 15 years.

If you’re in need of some background information, Super Troopers was the creation of a comedy team who met at a prestigious liberal arts school in New York.  The pulled together a few million dollars to create a low-budget movie about dodgy state troopers (similar to Police Academy) and after making fans at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie was released more widely across the globe.

The same guys have returned for this sequel where they serve as both the writers and the lead actors.  The broad premise wins points for creativity.  The U.S. and Canadian governments have realised that a small part of the border between their two countries was incorrectly drawn many years ago.  A correction is now being made.  The state of Vermont will be enlarged and will now include a small parcel of land previously classified as Canada.  Our protagonists have been enlisted to help with the transition and to introduce American laws into the area.

Suffice to say that the Canadians are not happy.  When the troopers are introduced to the affected townsfolk at an impromptu meeting, they are heckled before they even get a chance to speak.  The local Canadian Mounties, who have been policing the area for decades, are also upset given they’ve lost their jurisdiction and will be transferred to other towns.

What follows is large scale high jinks.  The super troopers play practical jokes on themselves, on the Mounties and on the wider population.  If you’re looking to appreciate the style of humour, it’s lowbrow stuff.  There’s a scene where one of the troopers gets tied naked to a bench as part of an initiation ceremony.  There’s another where they end up in a brothel which is run by the local mayor (played by Rob Lowe).  As all of this goes on, the troopers are somehow trying to solve an actual case involving illegal guns and drugs.

In the original Super Troopers, about 50% of jokes hit the mark.  I’d argue that percentage is a little lower this time around.  Much of it feels improvised with the actors trying to craft witty lines on the spot but struggling to find enough material to last 90 minutes.  I chuckled a few times but not nearly enough to justify this film’s existence.  It’s hard to believe the Broken Lizard team couldn’t come up with a better script given the project has been in the works for so long.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 April 2018

It can take a little while for a movie to reel audiences in but A Quiet Place will hook them from the very opening scene.  The world (or at least the United States) has been attacked by giant grasshopper-like creatures which devour any type of living being.  It took a little while for the human population to catch on but these monsters don’t rely on sight.  Rather, they are attracted to sound.  They won’t attack you… provided you don’t make a single noise.  Cool premise, right?  Could you go the rest of your life without making a single sound if your life depended on it?

That’s the position that the Abbott family find themselves in.  They’ve taken refuge in a simple home in a rural part of their country.  Every part of their daily routine has been altered so that they make as little noise as possible.  They remove their shoes when walking outside and are careful about every step.  They have painted marks on wooden floorboards so they know where to place their foot without making a creaking noise.  They communicate using sign language – a practice they’re familiar with given one of their children is deaf.

I love eating popcorn when going to the movies but I’m the first to admit that isn’t the best idea when going to see A Quiet Place.  Given the premise, much of the film is deathly silent – no dialogue, no sound effects and no background music.  It’s a great movie to see in a packed cinema because audiences will be conscious of their own noises.  Whether it be a simple cough or the opening of a packet of lollies, every sound will feel louder and more prominent than usual.

The writing team have no intention of letting us off lightly.  We can see them laying the groundwork for more complicated scenarios which are to follow.  There’s a scene where the mother unknowingly exposes a long metal nail which is protruding from a step.  It’s only a matter of time before someone steps on it.  Will they scream?  We also learn that the mother is pregnant.  How can they possibly bring a crying baby in the world and expect it to survive?

With just a handful of actors needed for the whole movie, A Quiet Place has been brought to the screen by actor-turned-director John Krasinski (The Office).  He’s busy in front of the camera too.  Krasinski takes on the role of the father with his real life wife, Emily Blunt (Into the Woods), playing the mother.  The child actors also pull their weight.  14-year-old Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) is a deaf actress who, in addition to her great performance, helped teach sign language to her fellow actors.  13-year-old Noah Jupe will also be familiar to audiences who saw Wonder late last year.

The film will have its detractors.  Some will be frustrated by the lack of background knowledge about this world and how these creatures came to inhabit it.  Others will be wondering about the choices made by this family such as the decision to have another child.  Those questions/criticisms have merit but for me, the creative premise and creepy vibe outweigh any perceived negatives. 

We’ve had some great horror films in recent years such as The Babadook, Don’t Breathe and Get Out.  A Quiet Place deserves to be included in their company.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 April 2018

The opening few scenes of Rampage had me thinking this was a gritty, dramatic film about animal testing and the dangers of “playing God”.  Scientists aboard a space station have been genetically modifying the DNA of animals to make them larger and more aggressive.  I’m not exactly sure why but suffice to say it doesn’t end well.  The researchers are brutally killed by their own creation and, to make matters worse, several vials of the DNA-changing gas plummet to the Earth’s surface.

One of them lands within the grounds of the San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary and it is here we meet our leading man, Davis Okoye (Johnson).  A solider turned poacher-killer turned primatologist, Davis’s colleagues describe him as someone more interested in spending time with animals than people.  He’s single, he lives alone, and is devoted his job.  Much of his day is spent interacting and communicating with the gorillas who now call the Sanctuary their home.

Three animals across North America come into contact with the nasty green gas and this serves as the cue for the action to follow.  A crocodile, a wolf and an albino gorilla all come into contact with the nasty green gas and they transform into very large and very angry creatures.  The U.S. military try to bomb them from above using their latest missile technology but these creatures are seemingly indestructible with the ability to regenerate when injured.

This had the makings of a tense action thriller in the same vein as Jurassic Park or Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Instead, we’re left with a goofy, poorly written movie that doesn’t know what it wants to be.  Things start to head south when the two keynote villains are introduced – a brother (Lacy) and sister (Åkerman) who run the multi-billion dollar company behind the creation of the mutating gas.  They care more about share price than any loss of life resulting from the attacking creatures.

These two characters are exceedingly dumb.  I couldn’t see them successfully running a neighbourhood lemonade stand let alone a cutting-edge, research-driven corporation engaged in wide scale cover-ups and corruption.  There’s a laughable scene when the FBI drop by with a search warrant but they evade suspicion by simply blaming someone else and not handing over all their servers.  Who knew crime and corruption could be so easy?  Their plans to kill the creatures and harvest their DNA also lacked sense.

The heroes in Rampage aren’t that interesting either.  Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays the smug head of an “other government agency” but his focus is more on speaking slow and deliberately rather than actually saving lives.  Naomie Harris plays a genetic engineer who teams up with Davis to subdue the creatures.  There’s a laughably bad sequence where they infiltrate a lab and fumble through some fridges and cupboards in search of the antidote.

Perhaps this film could have worked if framed solely as a comedy.  The writing team have tried to inject humour but the lines are corny and some of the set pieces are too obvious (such as a moment involving Jake Lacy’s character as he tries to escape a building).  It’s like watching the trashy Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus only with a bigger budget and better special effects.  This wasn’t for me.