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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 January 2021

While I have a few issues with the script (we’ll get to that in a moment), there’s no doubting that writer-director Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) and actor Carey Mulligan (An Education) have created one of the year’s most intriguing characters.  Cassie (Mulligan) is a 30-year-old woman who dropped out of medical school, works in a dead-end coffee shop, and still lives at home with her parents.  She sounds like the kind of person who belongs in a movie like Office Space or Failure to Launch.

There’s so much more to Cassie however.  Her best friend committed suicide after being raped at a party several years ago and it’s as if every subsequent decision in her life has been shaped by that event.  Cassie originally sought justice through traditional channels (going to the police, talking to college administration) but when that amounted to nought, she ceased her studies, gave up on a career and devoted her life towards a more vengeful cause.

 Her “work” is demonstrated in the film’s opening scene.  She goes to a crowded bar alone, pretends to be inebriated and, like a spider spinning a web, waits to snare her prey.  Her goal, and it’s a dangerous one, is to be picked up by a sleazy guy who will take her home for non-consensual sex.  At the last possible moment, she reveals her sobriety and shifts the power dynamic in an instant.

A catalyst is required to create change and it arrives in the form of Dr Ryan Cooper (Burnham), a man from Cassie’s past who bumps into her at the coffee shop.  Their first encounter (it involves spitting in a coffee cup) is a memorable one.  Cassie is standoffish at first but a romantic connection soon develops and it’s not long before she’s questioning her current lifestyle.  Can she trust another man and fall in love again?

Promising Young Woman is loaded with interesting, provocative ideas but the contrived nature of the storyline makes it difficult to fully buy into.  Given how untrustworthy Cassie is of men, it’s hard to believe she could so overwhelming fall for a man with a connection, albeit a loose one, to her deceased best friend.  Was there not one genuine guy she met while frequenting bars each night?  I wish the film had of put the foot on the throttle and gone flat-out crazy instead of stalling with these manufactured, semi-redemptive moments during the second act.

Limitations aside, Fennell’s first feature film is still a memorable one.  From the difficult subject matter… to the splashes of dark comedy… to the distinctive music score of Anthony Willis, Promising Young Woman provides an unsettling experience where you’re not always sure what lies ahead.  Carey Mulligan excels in the lead and it again shows her versatility as an actor and her willingness to take on challenging roles.  It’s a film worth seeing.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 December 2020

If you believe the lore, Vincent van Gogh sold just one painting during his lifetime.  It’s a curious piece of trivia I’ve always remembered.  The obvious lesson – it can take time for the world to appreciate great works of art and further, they can endure long after our souls have left this world.

It’s not that African American playwright August Wilson wasn’t admired prior to his death in 2005 at the age of 60.  His plays have been performed on Broadway since 1984 and every single one picked up a Tony Award nomination for best play or best revival of a play.  He also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987 and 1990.

Despite his success, it wasn’t until recently that the broader world had the chance to be dazzled by Wilson’s writings.  His estate approached Denzel Washington who graciously accepted the film rights to the 10 plays commonly known as Wilson’s “Centenary Cycle”.  Each takes place within a different decade and they delve into the experience of black Americans living through the 20^th century.

The first movie, Fences, was directed and produced by Washington who also starred alongside Viola Davis (The Help).  Released in 2016, the film was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards with Davis taking home the statuette for best supporting actress.  Washington signed a deal (originally with HBO and now with Netflix) to produce the remaining 9 films and so the next cab off the rank is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.  It too is destined for Oscar nominations.

The film is narrow in terms of setting but wide in terms of themes.  Excluding a glorious musical opening that forms part of the opening credits, the entire movie (runtime is 94 minutes) takes place inside a Chicago recording studio on a hot summer afternoon in 1927.  Renowned signer Ma Rainey (Davis), referred to several times as the “mother of the Blues”, is there to record a new album.  She’s in the presence of her four-man band, her girlfriend, her manager and the studio’s producer.

Ma Rainey is a mesmerising character.  Based on her attitude in the opening scenes, many will first see her as an arrogant, ungracious prima donna.  However, the more we get to know her, the more we appreciate her intelligence and strategy.  That’s not to say she lacks vulnerabilities.  Ma Rainey constantly projects strength but insecurities lie beneath.

The film explores many topics (race, religion, money, music) but above all else, it’s a riveting tale of power.  From the producer (Coyne) looking to create a new style of music… to a 32-year-old horn player (Boseman) trying to play his way…. to Ma Rainey herself who demands a bottle of Coca Cola… it’s as everyone is trying to get others to bend to their will.  Who will yield and who will come out on top?

Director George C. Wolfe, best known for his work on Broadway, has extracted unforgettable performances from this ensemble.  It’s easy to forget you’re looking at the likes of Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman given the way they embody their respective characters.  Several monologues resonate strongly.  There’s an added tinge of sadness given Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was Boseman’s final role prior to his death in August and the film is dedicated to his memory.  He went out on the top of his game.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 December 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us all with an unexpected… but perhaps timely break from the superhero genre.  The last big blockbuster was DC Films’ Birds of Prey back in February 2020 and for devotees of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s been nothing since Spider-Man: Far From Home was released in July 2019.  Given the challenge of keeping these films fun, fresh and original (particularly with heavy studio influence), I’ll admit to not having missed the genre too much.

All of that said, I could still feel a pinch of adrenaline running through my blood stream during the action-packed (but also irrelevant) opening to Wonder Woman 1984.  Those here in Australia have the opportunity to enjoy this $200 million blockbuster on the big screen in packed theatres… provided you’ve done the QR code check-in.  It’ll be the busiest we’ve seen cinemas all year.

The original Wonder Woman took place near the end of World War I but, as made clear by the title, this sequel is set in a world with big hair, stilettos, shoulder pads and parachute pants.  Wonder Woman (Gadot) aka Diana Prince is still doing her thing – saving the world and remaining anonymous – but despite her incredible powers and inability to age, she’s not immune to the effects of loneliness.  It’s been close to 65 years since she lost the love of her life (Pine) and, strangely, she hasn’t been able to move on and meet someone new. 

Every action film requires a villain and here, the responsibility falls upon Chilean actor Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian).  He plays Maxwell Lord, a dodgy businessman who would give Bernie Madoff a run for his money.  Lord pitches himself as wealthy TV personality who has profited from oil investments but in reality, he’s just the orchestrator of a Ponzi scheme on the verge of collapse.

There’s a lengthy back story (too long for my liking) but Lord ultimately gets his hands on an ancient phallic stone that can grant each holder a single wish.  He outsmarts the object by transferring all of its wishing abilities across to him and this provides Lord with unlimited power – tricking others to do wishes for his benefit while destroying those who stand in his way.  It doesn’t make a lot of sense (you’d think one person might wish for him to lose his power) so it’s best not to think too deeply.  In terms of his motives, there’s not much nuance there either (wetting the bed… really?)

I enjoyed the first movie in this franchise, I’m energised by Hans Zimmer’s music score and I think Gal Gadot is a terrific choice for the lead role.  However, this is a formulaic superhero movie that takes few chances.  There’s the standard mid-film scene when Wonder Woman has the chance to take down the villain but instead, she’s distracted by the need to save some unrelated kids in danger.  There’s also a feeble attempt by the writers to tug on the heartstrings when Wonder Woman must choose between her own love and everyone else’s happiness.  Oh, let’s also not forget the abundance of slow-mo bullets.

Stretching out an unnecessarily long 151 minutes, Wonder Woman 1984 comes up short when compared to its predecessor.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 December 2020

I can still remember attending the Brisbane International Film Festival with a group of friends in July 2000 and seeing Eric Bana’s incredible performance as notorious criminal Mark Read in Andrew Dominik’s Chopper.  It was if his career had changed in a heartbeat.  Prior to that, everyone knew him as a goofy comedian from the popular sketch comedy series Full Frontal.  Post Chopper, he was landing roles in major Hollywood projects including Black Hawk Down, Hulk, Troy, Munich, Star Trek and Hanna.

Curiously, Bana has appeared in just one locally made film over the past two decades – Romulus, My Father which won the Australian Film Industry Award for best picture back in 2007.  I’m not sure what kept him away for so long but, after a lengthy absence, he’s teamed up with acclaimed writer-director Robert Connolly (who he first met making Romulus, My Father) in making The Dry.  It’s adapted from Jane Harper’s award winning book first published in 2016.

Pulling off a good whodunit can be a difficult exercise.  You don’t want to make the conclusion too predictable but at the same time, you need something that makes sense and fits with what’s been revealed in the lead up.  Connolly finds the perfect middle ground.  He uses distinctive actors and simple, ordinary conversations to flesh out the many characters during the opening act (each has a motive) and this provides a sturdy platform from which to reveal their secrets in the later stages.

As an added bonus, there are two mysteries to solve.  Aaron Falk (Bana) is a celebrated Australian Federal Police officer who has returned to Kiewarra, the small, drought-stricken country town where he grew up.  It’s the first time he’s visited in roughly 20 years and the circumstances are not pleasant.  He originally came for a funeral but he’s now found himself providing off-the-record assistance to the local police officer (O’Donnell) as they investigate a murder-suicide perpetrated by a close childhood friend.

Aaron isn’t welcomed with open arms and that’s because he, as a teenager, was suspected as being involved with the death of a female classmate who drowned in the town’s river.  No one was ever charged but questions remain unanswered and the trauma still lingers.  This subplot is told by way of effective, quick-fire flashbacks with younger actors stepping into the shoes of their current day counterparts.

Connolly deserves praise for skilfully weaving the subplots together but Eric Bana warrants just as much attention for his leading performance.  It’s hard to imagine someone more different from “Chopper” Read.  He portrays Aaron as a placid, softly spoken man who avoids confrontation.  There are scenes where other characters try to pick a fight (such as a moment on the hotel stairs) but Aaron knows the best means of defusing a tense situation is to keep his mouth shut.

Loaded with a glut of memorable supporting performances – everyone from Eddie Baroo as the hotel bartender to Miranda Tapsell as the local officer’s shrewd wife – The Dry is a wonderful addition to the canon of Australian cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 December 2020

In 2016, I hired a car with a friend and went on a golf-related road trip from New York down to Florida (visiting 10 states in total).  I passed by gated communities with large mansions, manicured lawns and idyllic views.  I also drove through small towns where every second place was boarded up and residents were sitting on the sidewalk with little to do.  Wealth inequality exists all around the world (that’s no secret) but to see the contrast presented so starkly in the space of a few days in the United States left an impression I’ve often reflected upon.

Nomadland opens our eyes and has us looking at a part of America that is seldom explored in cinematic form.  There are people who have given up their homes, for a variety of reasons, and now travel around the country in “wheel estate” – vans, campers, cars and rundown RVs.  They have no fixed address (that itself creates legal issues) and they pick up short-term casual work to cover their few costs – the biggest ones being food and petrol.

Two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand (Fargo) is central throughout with her performance as the 60-something-year-old widower Fern.  She lost her house and her factory job in the aftermath of the economic downtown that rocked the United States a decade ago.  Unable to find permanent work and too young for retirement benefits, Fern now travels around the country in a simple van with a few small modifications (it’s only worth a few thousand dollars).  Despite her tough financial circumstances, she maintains an upbeat attitude and describes herself as “houseless” as opposed to “homeless”.

Fern is a fictional character but the others you’ll meet in the film are not.  Chinese director Chloé Zhao (The Rider) blurs the line between documentary and drama by using non-professional actors she encountered while travelling across America’s west.  Producers visited actual nomadic settlements a few days in advance of the shoot, listed to residents’ stories, and chose a select few to appear on screen.  It was a loose, spontaneous process that proved effective.

Those we see Fern interacting with include a Vietnam veteran dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and folks who have lost family members to cancer and suicide.  There’s an unspoken bond between the nomads where they offer help and support to each other.  This could be as simple as listening to stories around an open fire or something more tangible such as sharing sustainability ideas or exchanging food, utensils and furniture.

Backed by a beautiful film score from Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi, Nomadland pulls you into this world and makes you feel part of it.  It doesn’t offer huge character transformations or a “they all lived happily ever after” finale.  It’s the kind of movie that asks you to observe.  You’ll care about these fragile people while also reflecting on the structural issues in society that allows them to be so easily abandoned.  It’s far from “black and white” though.  Some take comfort from the nomadic lifestyle and there’s a powerful conversation shared between Fern and her sister that touches on this point.

Winner of the prestigious People’s Choice Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where Green Book and Jojo Rabbit have won the last two years, Nomadland offers much to think about.