Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 October 2024

Set in 1930s London, The Critic draws from a 2015 novel (Curtain Call) authored by Anthony Quinn.  The owner of The Daily Chronicle newspaper has passed away and the business has been handed to his middle-aged son, David (Strong), who is looking to restore the struggling paper to its rightful place as a widely read, family-friendly publication.  Redundancies will be required.

One individual in his sights is Jimmy Erksine (McKellen), a theatre critic for 40+ years who has developed a reputation for his humorous barbs and brutal insults.  He’s an arrogant, self-centred person (“I doubt out readers can read”) with a penchant for cigarettes and alcohol… but he’s still incredibly powerful person who few can stand up to.  His pen has the sway to make or break a theatrical production.

The firm advice from David is to tone down the negativity (“more beauty, less beast”) but Jimmy is undeterred.  Tapping into the “freedom of expression” argument, he’s sticking with the harsh approach which has built his reputation.  The film might get you thinking about the obligations of critics and at what point the metaphorical line is crossed.  Which side will you take – David’s or Jimmy’s?

That’s about as far as my interest levels were maintained as the second half develops into a contrived, less-nuanced thriller involving a wannabe actress, Nina Land (Arterton), who seeks Jimmy’s critical favour.  Power games ensue and the narrative becomes less about freedom of speech, and more about silly plot twists (which I won’t spoil) to keep audiences guessing.  The characters struggle to stay true to themselves.

Academy Award nominee Ian McKellen (Gods & Monsters), now 85 years of age, has fun as the film’s title curmudgeon but he doesn’t get a lot of support from the script or the supporting players.  As an openly gay man, he can relate to another of the film’s themes – his character is a closeted homosexual who risks being arrested for “indecent behaviour.”  However, I’m not sure this subplot is given ample time nor is it telling us anything new.

The Critic starts with promise but fizzles out in the later stages.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 September 2024

Over the past century, robot movies have spanned a broad spectrum.  Some portray them as evil, world-destroying machines (The Terminator, 2001: A Space Odyssey) whereas others portray them as cute, cuddly companions (WALL-E, Big Hero 6).  As it’s an animated feature targeted at family, it should come as no surprise that The Wild Robot fits into the later category.  Many will already be familiar with the title character having read the illustrated books of American author Peter Brown (there are three in total published between 2016 and 2023).

We begin with our freshly made robot, who becomes known as Roz (Nyong’o), washed up by accident on the shoreline of a small island.  She was made to serve humans and complete routine tasks but, with the island being deserted, she instead befriends the many animals who reside there.  Roz uses her incredible computing power to interpret animal languages and speak to them – a plot device which creates the film’s dialogue (opposed to something like the Shaun the Sheep Movie).

When Roz inadvertently steps on a bird’s nest and crushes a bunch of goose eggs, her motherly nature kicks in.  One egg remains intact, and she takes it upon herself to raise and care for the young creature.  He is named Brightbill (Connor) and working with an eclectic group of creatures including a fox (Pascal) and an opossum (O’Hara), Roz works on instilling Brightbill with three critical skills – eating, swimming, and flying.  This will ensure his survival and ability to travel to warmer climates during the winter.

The Wild Robot is a sweet film.  Younger crowds will engage with the easy-to-follow narrative and loveable characters, adults can chuckle at a few darker jokes (the opossum losing a kid), and all can enjoy the dramatic finale where lives are at stake.  Director Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon) was inspired by the painting-like animation of the great Hayao Miyazaki, and he’s created a film which is beautiful to look at – from the intricacies of Roz’s design (loved her lighting), through to red-heavy landscapes when a wildfire ravages the island.

The voice cast is headlined by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) who finds the right blend of rigidness and emotion in bringing Roz to life.  Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) has fun as the cunning fox while rising star Kit Connor (Heartstopper) gets the job of melting hearts with his portrayal of the young, nervous goose.  Take the kids these school holidays and enjoy.

You can read my chat with writer-director Chris Sanders by clicking here.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 September 2024

We’ve seen “body switch” movies like Big, Freaky Friday, and 13 Going on 30, where immature youngsters instantly become adults and realise the grass isn’t as green on the other side.  My Old Ass has similar themes, but Canadian writer-director Megan Park (The Fallout) takes a different approach.  Instead of switching bodies, an 18-year-old Elliott (Stella) ingests psychedelic drugs and is visited by the 39-year-old version of herself (Plaza) from the future.

It’s a question many adults have asked.  With the benefit of maturity and hindsight, what advice would you give to your teenage self if you ever had the opportunity?  The interactions between the two Elliotts are hilarious as they argue back-and-forth.  The older Elliott dispenses sage advice about enjoying the time you have and staying close to family.  The younger Elliott wants to know what the future has it store – is she married, successful, happy, rich?

Clocking in at an appropriately tight 89 minutes, My Old Ass is an excellent comedy which should be seen for two main reasons.  Firstly, it boasts a dazzling lead performance from 20-year-old Maisy Stella in what is her first performance in a feature film.  I loved her extraverted, interrupting nature, her facial expressions (which say so much), and the relaxed, natural way she engages with others.  She’s created such a fun, likeable character and it’s easy to invest in her fate.  I can’t wait to follow Stella’s career going forward.

Secondly, while the themes aren’t revolutionary, the film provides a timely reminder about appreciating life’s little things.  The best monologue is offer by Chad (White) who, as Elliott’s love interest, talks about the “last time” we do certain things and how we often don’t realise and savour these moments.  There’s also strong commentary about being kind to your parents and siblings, and how being “young and dumb” isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Australian Margot Robbie (Barbie) serves as one of the film’s producers and it’s easy to see why she was attracted the project.  Filled with lots of quirky details, such as Elliott’s brother’s obsession with Saoirse Ronan, My Old Ass is one of this year’s best releases.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 September 2024

Runt is an Australian family flick that takes cheesiness and corniness to a new level… but the cast are so damn likeable that they make it fly.  It’s set in the fictitious rural town of Upson Downs where farmers have been doing it tough given a lengthy drought.  A rich, villainous businessman (Thompson) has been using it to buy cheap land from financially-desperate owners and there’s one final property he has his eyes on – that owned by the likeable Shearer family.

The mum (Barber) and dad (Courtney) are struggling and so the unlikely hero in this tale is 11-year-old Annie Shearer (LaTorre) who enters her untrained dog, Runt, in a local obstacle course race and, in miraculously winning first prize, gets a shot at a national and then international title.  The prizemoney would be enough to save the farm but there’s two major “hurdles” to overcome – an arrogant jerk (Day) who has his own eyes on victory, and Runt’s “stage fright” when performing in front of crowds.

Runt is the creation of West Australian author Craig Silvey and it’s not his first adaptation for the big screen.  He helped translate his 2009 novel Jasper Jones into a 2017 movie directed by Rachel Perkins.  It too was a strong family drama (a slightly heavier tone) which ultimately earned six AACTA Award nominations including a nod for best picture.  Runt (the book) was first published in 2022 and after receiving acclaim, including a win for Book of the Year at the Indie Book Awards, the movie rights were quickly actioned.

Director John Sheedy (H is for Happiness) helms this production and, as touched on above, it’s the choice of actors he deserves most praise for.  Born and raised on the Gold Coast, youngster Lily LaTorre (Run Rabbit Run) is fantastic as the 11-year-old Annie.  Child actors tend to be a little wooden with their performances, but LaTorre comes across as a “natural” with her cheeky smile, relaxed nature, and wide emotional range.  Hopefully it’s the start of a long career.  The likes of Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) and Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) add to the ensemble with their own likeable roles.  The dog is great too!

The two villains (Thompson, Day) are overdone but it’s a minor quibble for what is a fun, easy-to-watch Australian feature.  Take the kids have a good time.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 September 2024

When the god-awful Transformers: The Last Knight underperformed financially and critically in 2017, the producers pushed the reset button and created two prequels, Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts (2023).  Their box-office was sub-par but I liked both for their charismatic human leads, Hailee Steinfeld and Anthony Ramos.  They’re two of the better entries in the franchise and I’d happily watch them again.

The series has now reached another fork in the road.  Instead of continuing with the current-day universe, director Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) and the writing team have gone back to the dawn of time to show the first interactions between two iconic Transformers, Optimus Prime and Megatron.  It’s a risky move as it’s a 100% animated feature with no live-action scenes or humans for audiences to latch onto.  You only need to think back to the 2007 original, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, to realise how much has changed.

The storyline has been moulded from the “David and Goliath” template of smaller folk standing up against corrupt, dominating superiors.  Orion Pax (Hemsworth) and D-16 (Tyree Henry) are close friends who toil away in the mines of the planet Cybertron.  It’s not long before they learn an evil truth about their leader, Sentinel Prime (Hamm), and they set about righting the wrongs.  The end goal is to locate a long-lost object known as the “Matrix of Leadership” which will make them heroes and ensure the planet’s survival.

The fully animated approach allows the creators to go with a lighter tone.  We don’t need to sweat the fate of a likeable human or Earth’s future.  We also know these two lead characters survive given they have appeared in later movies in the Transformers timeline.  The focus is therefore on a series of small, mini adventures where characters escape from perilous situations… while humorously squabbling at the same time.

The movie works as a comedy but when the drama dial is turned up, I wasn’t as convinced.  Sentinel Prime comes across as a weak baddie with weird motivations.  I don’t think we ever truly understand him.  When it comes to the falling-out between Orion Pax and D-16, it’s similarly rushed and muddy.  I struggled with D-16’s character arc and the suddenness in which he transformers from a nice-guy hero to a stubborn villain.

The big-name cast includes the distinctive voices of Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johannson and Steve Buscemi.  I preferred the last two movies but if you’re interested in this universe and a fully animated product, Transformers One has just enough on offer.

You can read my chat with director Josh Cooley and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura by clicking here.