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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 January 2026

Movies fade from memory over time, especially the average ones, but a film stuck in the far recesses of my mind is Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness, released in late 2022. Its third act, which comes out of complete nowhere, is a blistering dark comedy where the established power hierarchy is flipped upside down.  The way the characters respond to the situation is fun to scrutinise and debate.

A similar theme… and location… is at the heart of Send Help, the latest from veteran director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man).  Bradley Preston (O’Brien) has just been appointed the CEO of a fast-growing American company.  We can see from the outset that he’s a jerk.  He “inherited” the role upon the death of his father, he lacks management skills, and he’s appointing his even-less-qualified college mates into key positions.  It’s an odd choice by the board since he seems doomed to fail but meh, let’s not think too deeply about that.

Linda Liddle (McAdams) has been a company employee for 7 years and was recently promised a promotion to Vice-President status.  She’s an odd, socially awkward type but she’s one of the hardest workers in the firm and the person behind many of its best decisions.  The scummy Bradley fails to deliver on the promotion (he finds her to be strange) and an emotionally distraught Linda is furious.  Still, she maintains a semblance of professionalism by accompanying Bradley and his cronies on an important business trip to Bangkok.

Lo and behold, the plane crashes with Bradley and Linda waking up on the beach of a small, deserted Asian island.  Linda, a devout fan of the television series Survivor, is a know-it-all when it comes to building shelter, capturing water, and hunting food.  Bradley knows nothing and so he’s gone from the alpha male dishing out demands in the office… to a submissive nobody totally reliant on his new “boss” for survival.

I won’t spoil much more but Send Help goes down wild, unexpected paths with the characters becoming so unreasonable, that I didn’t know which one to root for.  They’re both as bad as each other at times.  It’s this element which I liked most because, like The War of the Roses, it goes against the grain of a traditional comedy.  Stars Rachel McAdams (Spotlight) and Dylan O’Brien (Twinless) dial up the insanity with their performances and, as director, Sam Raimi shocks audiences with several scenes (like one where Linda hunts a wild boar).

While I applaud the concept, the screenplay is bumpy.  It’s hard to reconcile the on-again, off-again friendship between the pair as we jump quickly between certain events.  Further, some of their “misadventures” are too goofy.  As an example, one plot point has them walking on a tiny mountain ledge (the visual effects aren’t great) for contrived reasons.  Those willing to look past these elements and lean into the absurdity are likely to find the most enjoyment.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 January 2026

I was chatting to a talented amateur golfer recently about what it takes to succeed, and he was provided this familiar advice from a major champion – “fake it till you make it.”  In other words, you’ve got to trick your mind into thinking you belong.  Professional sport is highly competitive and, considering just a small number succeed, you’re unlikely to reach the top of the mountain carrying self-doubt.  In addition to putting in the hard work, you must mentally believe in yourself.

Marty Mauser, a fictious ping pong player from the 1950s, is the epitome of this philosophy.  He considers himself the #1 player in the United States and, sensing the sport is about to go through a global boom, his blinding ambition is to win a world championship.  Marty’s motivations are simple – money and glory.  He knows he’s the best but, to satisfy his ego, he must prove it to everyone else.

This may sound like an uplifting, rags-to-riches sporting movie but the latest from director Josh Safdie (Good Time, Uncut Gems) is anything but.  The likeable Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name, A Complete Unknown) plays the title role but the catch is that Marty is an intensely unlikeable character.  There is no colleague, friend or family member he wouldn’t “screw over” if it helped him get one tiny step ahead.

It’s this element which makes Marty Supreme an interesting view.  He sleeps with a Hollywood actress (Paltrow) and uses it to access her wealthy husband (O’Leary).  He borrows money from a struggling friend (Okonma) with no plans to repay it.  He convinces a childhood buddy to invest in an orange ping pong ball but then leaves him hanging.  He impregnates a young, married woman (A’zion) and provides no financial or emotional support.  Despite all this, and there’s a lot more I haven’t mentioned, Marty carries on with deluded, carefree abandon.  He can charm and schmooze his way out of any troublesome situation!

Marty Supreme is wildly entertaining but not perfect.  Supporting players slip in and out of the picture but their own subplots feel dispensable.  I also wanted a more from Marty’s character arc.  The film is structured to be one misadventure after the other and while they offer quality laughs, I wanted more gravitas given the lengthy 150-minute running time.  A “spanking” good confrontation involving the excellent Kevin O’Leary to kickstart the final act is the film’s highlight… but the script then reverts to the norm with a predictable ping pong tournament in Japan. 

They’re minor quibbles though.  With a well-suited electronic music score from Daniel Lopatain (Uncut Gems) and one of the best ensemble casts of the year (so many distinctive characters), Marty Supreme is to be enjoyed.  He’s been knocking on the door for a while, but will this finally be the performance that earns 30-year-old Timothée Chalamet his first Academy Award?  I suspect it will be!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 January 2026

In 2016, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences made a series of changes after no people of colour received acting nominations at the Oscars for two consecutive years.  One initiative has been to significantly increase the number of voting members with a focus on women and non-white individuals.  An outcome has been heightened recognition for “international” movies.  Ten different directors have been nominated for non-English language films in the last eight years – compared to just one in the decade prior.

The Cannes Film Festival has long been a focus of cinephiles but, given the above, its role in chaperoning the best of Asian and European cinema has taken on more prominence.  Parasite, The Worst Person in the World, Drive My Car, Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, and Emilia Pérez all premiered at Cannes.  This year’s Festival included another stellar crop of interesting releases, including Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent and Sirāt, but the jury bestowed the top prize on It Was Just an Accident, a co-production between Iran, France and Luxembourg.

Wikipedia labels it a “thriller” but the plot is so absurd (in a good way), that I’ll describe is as an extremely dark comedy.  Vahid (Mobesseri) is a mechanic who, until recently, was incarcerated and tortured inside an Iranian prison.  He never knew the identity of his captors as he was blindfolded in their presence.  However, he distinctly remembers a heinous man nicknamed “Peg Leg” because of the squeaky sound made by his prosthetic limb.  The memory has come flooding back when a customer enters his car repair shop making the same noise.

Overcome with shock and terror, Vahid kidnaps the man, knocks him unconscious, and locks him in a large toolbox in the back of his minivan.  He intends to kill and bury him in the desert but there’s a slight element of doubt.  What if it’s not his torturer?  What if it’s just a random stranger with the same prosthetic?  Vahid needs certainty and so he drives the van across town and reunites with friends who also spent time inside the jail.  The hope is that one of them can formally identify but the longer the day drags on, the weirder it gets.  If it is their target, will have they have the collective courage to kill him?  If it’s not, how will they return the innocent man to his family without retribution?

I’m iffy on the final scene (a little too Hollywood for me) but loved the nutty storyline, and the way it explores the shadowy line between punishment and forgiveness.  It also shines the spotlight on political oppression within Iran.  65-year-old writer-director Jafar Panahi (This Is Not a Film) has been incarcerated multiple times for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” and this new film led to an additional one-year prison sentence.  Thankfully, it’s a punishment he won’t serve as Panahi is now living outside Iran and travelling the world to promote the film.

Showered with awards since its release, It Was Just an Accident is a movie you won’t soon forget.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 January 2026

A quick recap.  28 Days Later (2003) starred relative unknown Cillian Murphy as a man trying to survive in London after a lab-created virus turned humans into flesh-eating zombies.  28 Weeks Later (2007) saw the U.S. military get involved in creating “safe zones” within the United Kingdom but the deadly infections continued to spread.  28 Years Later (2025) centred on a group of Brits who had found refuge on a zombie-free island, but the focus shifted when a 12-year-old boy, Spike, jetted off to the mainland in search of a doctor who could help his sick mother.

There was an 18-year gap between the release of the last two movies but that isn’t the case here.  28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrives in cinemas just 7 months after its predecessor and based on chatter, there could be another film in the works soon.  It’s a strong franchise which continues to deliver.  It’s not afraid to take chances in terms of narrative with each film spinning off in a new direction with new themes.  The same applies to the production.  The crew push boundaries in creating gory action/horror sequences you won’t soon forget.  I’m surprised this film snuck through in Australia with just an MA rating!

The fresh protagonist at the core of The Bone Temple was introduced to us in the final scene of the last movie.  Capitalising on society’s destruction, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (O’Connell) is a middle-aged shyster who proclaims to be the son of Satan.  He’s duped a bunch of orphaned teenagers into believing his nonsense as they have no education, no books, or no internet to learn otherwise.  It’s one thing to believe in Satan… but another to act on his “preachings”.  They do so by travelling around the countryside and terrorising families in bloody, brutal fashion.

There are two returning characters who have a part to play in stopping Jimmy’s madness.  The first is Spike (Williams), a kind-hearted 12-year-old whose “coming of age” tale is anything but orthodox.  He is forcibly drawn into Jimmy’s posse and seeks a means of escaping.  The second is Dr Ian Kelson (Fiennes), a savvy doctor who has spent decades looking for a cure to the virus and, thanks to an experiment on a well-endowed zombie named Samson, may have finally made a breakthrough.

English director Danny Boyle stepped aside for this instalment and handed the reigns over American Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels).  It’s been a smooth transition with no diminution in terms of quality.  Returning screenwriter Alex Garland does a terrific job blending several genres together.  There’s violence (a family being abducted), heart (Ian’s friendship with Samson), comedy (a musical dance number), and political themes (misinformation).  The strong performances deserve a shout-out.  Jack O’Connell (Sinners) has successfully created a repulsive villain and is the pick of the bunch.

Bring on the next movie!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 January 2026

The official release of The Secret Agent here in Australia is well timed.  A week ago, it won the Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film and star Wagner Moura took home the statuette for best actor in a drama.  The Academy Award nominations are unveiled later this week, and both are a strong chance to earn a nod in their respective categories.  It continues a nice run for Brazilian cinema given they won an Oscar last year for the excellent I’m Still Here.

There’s a similarity here given both movies explore the same, chequered period in the country’s history.  I’m Still Here was largely set in the early 1970s while The Secret Agent takes place in 1977.  The opening scene does a stellar job in encapsulating the corrupt era.  Our protagonist, Armando (Moura), pulls over at a small petrol station to refuel while driving to the Brazilian city of Recife.  A dead body lies just a few metres from petrol pump – it’s been there for several days!  Two cops show up but they have zero interest in the corpse.  They’re just after small bribes and so they shake Armando down after a quick car search and let him drive off.

The film’s title may have you thinking this is a slick international spy film, but The Secret Agent is more of a slow-burn drama that’s about people instead of Hollywood-style action and thrills.  We learn Armando is just an ordinary guy who, in rightfully standing is ground in an academic-related pursuit, has run afoul of a powerful, wealthy man.  Two hitmen have been hired to kill Armando and until he can organise fake passports to flee with his young son, he’s to lay low with other persecuted folk in Recife.

The closing credits provide a beautiful reminder of just how many distinctive characters appear in the movie.  It’s hard to pick a favourite but 78-year-old Tânia Maria is wonderfully memorable as Dona Sebastiana, a chain-smoking, motherly figure with a great sense of humour.  It’s stunning to learn this is her first major role, and she was only discovered by director Kleber Mendonça Filho when using her as an extra in his 2019 release, Bacurau.  The blend of professional and non-professional actors within the film creates a credible world full of interesting people – both good and bad.

I need to give this a second look to full grasp its eccentricities.  An interlude involving a “hairy leg” left me scratching my head.  I liked a current day narrative about two young women listening to old cassette tapes but wasn’t fully sold on how that plot point was resolved.  My thumbs are still up though.  The Secret Agent pulls you into its world and, in addition to reminding the world about this period of history, makes you care about the fate of its inhabitants.