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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 31 March 2025

Action films don’t usually add to one’s knowledge bank, but Novocaine is an exception to that rule.  It introduced me to the untreatable medical condition “congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis” which is otherwise known as CIPA.  It’s an extremely rare nervous system disorder where the person cannot feel pain or temperature.  Many don’t survive beyond the age of 25 because injuries and infections go unnoticed (they can’t feel them), and an inability to sweat leads to high body temperatures.

Credit to screenwriter Lars Jacobson who has found a humorous means to weave CIPA into a fast-paced action comedy.  Our protagonist, Nathan Caine (Quaid), is an assistant manager for a San Diego-based credit union.  He suffers from CIPA and must be extremely careful about his daily routines.  He avoids eating solid foods (in case he bites his tongue and doesn’t realise) and sets an alarm every 3 hours to designate a bathroom break.  On a personal note, he lives alone, struggles with making friends, and now keeps his medical condition a secret after being bulled at high school.

Two happenings set the stage for the film’s essence.  Firstly, he finally garners the courage to go on a date with a colleague, Sherry (Midthunder), who has expressed a romantic interest.  Secondly, Sherry is then taken hostage by bank robbers after a heist gone wrong.  Quickly dispensing of his introverted nature, Nathan then goes on a passionate chase across the city to rescue his newfound love.  The “bad guys” inflict an array of bruises, gashes, and broken bones but hey, when you can’t feel pain, it’s a lot easier to carry on and keep fighting back.

Novocaine is an entertaining jaunt.  I’ll concede that it doesn’t always make sense, and you must “lean into” the silliness but if looking for a movie which nicely balances comedy and action, it’s a clear winner.  Jack Quaid has had a nice start to year with this lead turn coming on top of the strong Companion (a shame it underperformed at the box-office).  He fits nicely into the role of Nathan Caine and creates a humorous blend of shyness, stupidity, and bravery.  He’s a character worth rooting for.

Like last week’s A Working Man, it’s the villains who drag things down.  I realise the film has an intentionally goofy tone, but I hoped for more in terms of their ambition and personality.  They’re a dull bunch.  The better material has been saved for the two San Diego police detectives, played by Betty Gabriel (Get Out) and Matt Walsh (Veep), trying to piece the increasingly bizarre series of events together.

A good recommendation for those in need of amusement… it’s thumbs up for Novocaine.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 March 2025

I was chatting to a friend recently about Oscar statistics and of the 25 films to win best picture this century, 19 also won a screenplay award (original or adapted).  It’s a reminder that when making a terrific movie, it helps if you start with a terrific script.  It could be wildly original like Everything Everywhere All at Once, an eye-opening true story like Spotlight, or an emotional drama like 12 Years a Slave.  Greatness comes in many forms.

Never has that been more evident when looking at the success of Flow.  It’s a Latvian animated feature, with zero dialogue, made using open-source 3D computer graphics available to the public (a far cry from Pixar and Walt Disney).  30-year-old director Gints Zilbalodis cobbled together €3.5 million to painstakingly made the 85-minute movie over more than 5 years.  After premiering at Cannes last May, it has since become the highest grossing Latvian film in history, won a Golden Globe, and then won the Academy Award for best animated feature (beating out much more fancied competitors).

While it doesn’t feature a single spoken word, a major factor in the film’s success is the beauty and simplicity of its script.  It’s the tale of a black cat trying to find their way to higher ground when a devastating flood sweeps through its forested home.  Cats tend to be independent with a hatred of water, but this one will have to break out of its comfort zone if it wants to stay alive. 

It jumps on board a deserted ship and teams up with an active dog, a kind-hearted bird, a cheeky lemur, and a placid capybara.  They don’t always get along but, given the dangerous surroundings, is the best of a bad situation.  You’ll already have a strong sense… but the narrative taps into the broader societal themes of meeting new people, visiting new places, and trying new experiences.

While the characters don’t talk, as they usually might in an animated feature, we have an appreciation for their feelings through facial expressions and other noises.  Zilbalodis uses actual animal sounds, some of which were recorded at the zoo, to make it as authentic as possible.  The hitch-pitched yowling of a scared cat tells us as much as any words could.  The background noises, which include wind rustling through trees and fast flowing water, make the movie a very “sensory” experience (particularly if seeing in a cinema with surround sound).

The film’s visuals are also stunning.  There are long, unbroken takes (rare for an animated film) and the constantly moving “camera” hovers over the characters as if it’s a drone.  It’s different from the more static style we see in other animated features.  To be enjoyed by audiences of any age, Flow provides a memorable experience.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 March 2025

A Working Man has the star power of Jason Statham but it’s those behind the camera who garnered my attention.  Director David Ayer has hit the mark a few times with the above-average World War II drama Fury (2014) and the entertainingly trashy The Beekeeper (2024).  In addition to directing duties, he’s credited as co-writer alongside Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) who helped adapt the novel authored by Chuck Dixon.

Those names may help lure audiences into cinemas but I’m not sure how excited they’ll be with what they see on screen.  A Working Man is a tired, formulaic action-thriller that lacks originality.  Statham plays Levon Cade, an ex-Marine who has retired from service after a “mission gone bad” and is now employed as a regular, tax-paying construction worker.  I should also mention that he’s a widowed father who is currently on the losing end of a to obtain custody of his only child (her grandfather is fighting hard with an army of highly paid lawyers).

The crux of the movie is centred on Levon’s attempts to rescue the daughter of his boss, who has been kidnapped by a group of human-trafficking Russians.  I didn’t mind his tactics (he’s a smart operator) but it’s a Liam Neeson-style Taken story that we’ve seen many times before.  The action scenes are repetitive, the dialogue is dreadful, and the supporting players have little to do.  What was the point of casting Michael Pena and David Harbour if giving them such empty, one-note roles?

The film’s biggest problem is its numerous villains who arguably have as much screentime as Statham.  If you’re going to make the “bad guys” such a focus, you at least have to make them interesting.  That’s not the case here.  The speak using cliched European accents (it’s borderline laughable) and have no real motivation for what they do (is it money?).  Their henchmen have limited skills and seems to have been employed because of their “weirdness” as opposed to ability.  It’s a far cry from the cool villains you might see in a John Wick movie.

A Working Man is disappointing from start to finish. Statham gives it a crack (even if it is a very Jason Statham-type role) but with this script, he never stood a chance.  They couldn’t even come up with an explosive final act.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 March 2025

Universal recently announced the next film of Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan (Inception, Oppenheimer), arguably the most recognised filmmaker today, will be a $250 million epic retelling of The Odyssey, a famous work attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer.  Filming is now underway with a “who’s who of Hollywood” cast including Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Anne Hathaway.  It’s an ambitious project even by Nolan’s standards and it’s scheduled for July 2026 release.

That news wouldn’t have been too exciting for the producers of The Return, a lower budget drama also based on Homer’s poem.  It makes their film a tougher sell.  Why see this when you wait for a flashier version next year?  Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche take the two leading roles, and it marks their first time together on screen since 1996’s The English Patient.  Fiennes plays Odysseus, the heroic king of Ithaca who went missing in battle many years ago, and Binoche plays Penelope, his grieving queen who is urged to remarry by her many suitors.

Directed by Italian Uberto Pasolini (Still Life), The Return has a Shakespearean-like quality.  It’s like watching a stage show where actors pause after each line – as if they’re trying to “sell themselves” to the audience and make the material easy to understand.  I don’t think it works in this case.  Yeah, I realise it’s a story of Greek myth, but I’d have preferred a more relaxed, spontaneous approach with character interactions.  That creates realism which in turn generates emotion.

Pasolini, working with screenwriters John Collee and Edward Bond, also struggle with the adaptation from page to screen.  The central premise is that Odysseus, following the Trojan War, has returned to Ithaca for the first time in two decades and yet no one, including his wife, is able to recognise film.  Really?  We understand why Odysseus initially keeps a low profile (he’s torn after losing so many men in battle) but the rebuild of his own self-confidence is another messy element that doesn’t fully make sense.  The one-dimensional suitors, who serve as the film’s “villains”, are the weakest element and there’s almost nothing to differentiate them in terms of personality and mindset.

Fans of Fiennes and Binoche may wish to give it a look but my advice for the moment – hold out until 2026 and see what Christopher Nolan serves up.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 March 2025

I wasn’t old enough to experience the phenomenon of Crocodile Dundee when first released in 1986 but now, as a wily movie veteran, I can appreciate its place in movie history. Its social impact was huge, but the most staggering statistic related to dollars. It’s been almost 40 years since it premiered in cinemas and yet, despite the impacts of inflation, no Australian film has surpassed its take at the local box office (it took in $47.7 million AUD).

Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee is an 87-minute documentary which serves as an epilogue to the original film’s success. It’s clearly targeted at existing fans but, if taking along younger friends, it may also generate first-time views of the Aussie classic and provide a worthy history lesson (not sure it’s taught in schools).  A recent 4K restoration, scheduled for a May 2025 cinema release, will help fuel that interest.

This film could be described as three distinct acts.  It opens with the background to the key players, is followed by the making/shooting of Crocodile Dundee, and closes with an exploration of its success and cultural legacy.  Many interviews are used, some current day and some archival, but the two key people featured are star Paul Hogan and his longtime collaborator, John Cornell.  Their inspiring friendship is at its heart, loving assembled by Cornell’s wife, Delvene Delaney, who serves as the documentary’s co-director.

There are wonderful titbits of information to leave you smiling – from the famous “this is a knife scene” and how they picked the right take… through to the way the movie was sold to Paramount for distribution in the United States.  It also serves as a homage to the craftspeople involved.  Hogan and Cornell had never made a movie before and so they hired an experienced crew to make up for their shortcomings.  In addition to obvious matters like casting, the film offers insight into the costumes, cinematography, and music score.

Above all else, Love of an Icon tells a bloody good rags-to-riches story.  Two little known actors from Australia with limited experience created, arguably, this country’s most successful movie.  Hogan won a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy, they both earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay, mum-and-dad investors made bucketloads of cash, and it was the second highest grossing movie of 1986 in the United States (behind Top Gun).

Astutely edited by the experienced Paula Grusovin (the footage weaves together seamlessly), Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee is a great watch.