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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 September 2019

I’ll admit to being surprised by the success of It when released in September 2017.  Made on a relatively small budget of $35 million and featuring no A-list actors, it pulled in more than $700 million USD at the worldwide box-office (ranking it 13^th for the year).  Here in Australia, it topped the charts for two consecutive weekends.

While I realise I’m in the minority, I wasn’t a huge fan given the rushed narrative, sluggish character development and so-so performances.  It seems as if New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures have heeded my advice for this second instalment by slowing the pace and increasing the running time.  It Chapter Two clocks in at a lengthy 2 hours and 50 minutes – the 2^nd longest studio release in Australia this year behind Avengers: Endgame.  You’ll need water and snacks!

The film picks things up 27 years after the original ended.  Bill, Beverly, Ben, Richie, Eddie and Stanley have all grown up, left the small town of Derry, and achieved varying levels of professional success.  The only member of the self-described “Losers’ Club” who still resides in Derry is Mike.  When a few children in town go missing, Mike gets on the phone to his childhood friends and instigates a reunion.  He wants to follow through on the pact they made as youngsters – if It ever appeared again, they’d return to Derry to finish him off once and for all.

Based on the promotion and advertising, it’s easy to think this is a simple horror flick.  Instead of having a scary doll or a scary demon, we have a scary clown.  Those that have read Stephen King’s epic 1,138 page novel will know it’s about much more than that.  It Chapter Two has its fair share of formulaic thrills but it digs deeper and has something to say about friendship, bullying, trauma and perhaps most importantly, the complex transition from childhood to adulthood.

Writer Gary Dauberman (Annabelle) and director Andy Muschietti (Mama) do a better job handling the material this time around.  There are potent sequences (like when they go off and find “tokens”) that help provide insight into the characters’ scarred psyches.  These scenes are both creepy and informative.  That said, it’s hard not be frustrated watching everyone talk endlessly while continually skirting around the issues that trouble them.

I wasn’t wowed by the big finale but with a stronger cast and some well-choreographed set pieces, It Chapter Two improves on its predecessor.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 August 2019

From Cate Blanchett to George Miller to Catherine Martin, Australia has a great reputation for creating talented actors, writers, filmmakers and craftsmen who have made a name of themselves on the world stage.  The next name for you to remember (if you haven’t already) is Brisbane-born writer-director Jennifer Kent.  Her debut feature, The Babadook (2014), developed a cult-like following across the globe and won 3 AACTA Awards including best film.

It’s taken five years for Kent to develop her sophomore effort but the wait has been worth it.  It’s set in 1820s Tasmania and Kent worked with historians, cultural experts and Aboriginal people to depict the era as accurately as possible.  This was a period in history where British convicts and military guards claimed ownership of the island and fought heavily against the Aboriginal resistance.

The central character here is Clare (Franciosi), a 21-year-old Irish convict with a husband and a newborn child.  Clare has served the final part of her sentence at a small military base and while she is entitled to her freedom, she is continually denied by the depraved Lieutenant Hawkins (Claflin) who abuses his power in the most brutal of ways.  The scenes between these two characters are tough to watch and that’s a testament to Kent’s skilful direction (which never becomes gratuitous) and the actors’ fierce performances.

A significant event (which I won’t reveal) sets the stage for the drama which follows.  Lieutenant Hawkins pulls together a small troop of soldiers and heads on a dangerous, week-long trek to the town of Launceston in search of a promotion.  He is pursued by the now vengeful Claire who, guided by a young Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Ganambarr), seeks to kill Hawkins and in doing so, help sooth her tortured soul.

The Nightingale is both an absorbing character study and a gripping history lesson.  Irish-Italian actress Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones) is outstanding as the strong-willed Clare.  There are times when you’ll feel sympathetic towards the character but there are other times when you’ll be frustrated by her own lack of understanding and compassion.  The connection between Clare and Billy, which evolves with each passing day, serves as the film’s heart.

Shot largely in the Mount Field National Park north-west of Hobart, Polish-born cinematographer Radek Ladczuk makes the most of the beautiful, yet claustrophobic setting.  Kent also chose to use the narrow 1.37:1 screen ratio (seldom seen these days) to ensure the humans were “front and centre in the frame” and did not become secondary to the Tasmanian landscape.  It’s a good decision.

Filled with exceptional performances, The Nightingale is a confronting, powerful drama that is not easily forgotten.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 September 2019

As we’re told in the opening titles, The Farewell is “based on an actual lie.”  Writer-director Lulu Wang was born in China but immigrated to the United States with her family following the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.  She was just 6 years old at the time.  It was in 2013 that she received word that her grandmother, still living in China, had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and had just a few months to live.  Wang and her parents then made a quick, emotional trip to Changchun (in north east China) to see their beloved matriarch one last time before she passed away.

Here’s the catch – no one had told “Nai Nai” (a Mandarin term for grandmother) that she was dying.  The family thought it best to protect her from the inevitable anxiety so that she could enjoy her final days.  As it would look suspicious if all of Nai Nai’s extended family descended on her home for an unexpected visit, a cousin’s wedding was brought forward and used as the excuse for everyone to get together.

Wang penned a screenplay about her experience but struggled to find a studio who was interested in making it her way.  Some wanted to turn it from a drama in a comedy.  Others wanted to Hollywood-ise it by adding Caucasian characters and a romantic interest.  It wasn’t until Wang told the story on the popular radio program This American Life in 2016 that the project took flight.  Producer Chris Weitz (About a Boy) heard the show, met with Wang and helped secure the finance.  The finished product earned rave reviews at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival with A24 buying the rights (after a fierce bidding war) to distribute the film in cinemas across the globe.

The Farewell is beautifully told.  When it hits you, it hits you.  There’s a particularly poignant scene where Nai Nai tells Billi (the character based on Lulu Wang) that when it’s her turn to get married, she’ll throw an even bigger banquet than that provided to her cousin.  It’s a tough moment for Billi knowing that she must smile and keep up the charade despite knowing that her grandmother will never live long enough to see that day.

While it’s an extremely personable story, the film also has something broader to say about the world and its cultural differences.  Billi has long struggled with her identity given she’s of Chinese heritage but was raised almost entirely in America.  Given the significant differences between the two countries, she’s unsure about her core “beliefs” and where she belongs.  The fact she’s struggling to find meaningful employment only adds to her insecurities.  It’s a breakout performance for Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians) who relies more on body language than dialogue in bringing credibility to the role.

With lots of nice flourishes (such as the occupants of an adjoining hotel room) and some memorable characters (it’s hard to go past Nai Nai’s open, unfiltered nature), The Farewell celebrates diversity whilst recognising the emotional similarities that connect us.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 August 2019

In Olympus Has Fallen (2013), a North Korean terrorist organisation infiltrated the White House and kidnapped the President.  Mike Banning (Butler), a former U.S. Secret Service agent, killed the bad guys and saved the day.  In London Has Fallen (2016), a dodgy Pakistani arms dealer killed several world leaders in London and had sights on the President.  Once again, Mike Banning killed the bad guys and saved the day.

The fact these two films have been made makes the premise for Angel Has Fallen impossible to believe.  President Allan Trumbull (Freeman) is attacked by a series of fast-moving, exploding drones while out fishing on a secluded lake.  All the Secret Service Agents in attendance are killed, the President winds up in a coma in hospital, and the only person to escape relatively unscathed is Mike Banning.

As bizarre as it sounds, Banning has been identified by the FBI as the lead suspect in the attack.  We, as the audience, know that some mysterious group of guys has framed Banning.  This is where logic is thrown out the window.  Why would a man who has risked his life twice to save the President suddenly have an urge to kill him?  The film tries to put forward some silly financial incentive but when you break it down, it doesn’t make sense.  The fact that no one within the FBI can see this is a set-up is alarming.

Anyway, the remainder of the film is spent watching Banning traverse across the countryside, evading capture, and trying to clear his name.  It’s your stereotypical “one guy versus the world” kind of storyline.  The only highlight is a cameo from Nick Nolte (Warrior) who slips into the narrative as Banning’s estranged father.  There’s a humorous sequence where father and son (well, mainly the father) use explosives on a bunch of moronic henchmen.

The true masterminds behind the mayhem are ultimately revealed.  You won’t be surprised by their identity but you may be surprised by the stupidity of their motivations.  Without giving too much away, there were simpler ways to achieve the same outcome without having to come up with an expensive, complex plan to assassinate the President.  You could watch an episode of Scooby Doo and find more interesting villains with better crafted plans.

Angel Has Fallen is a forgettable action piece. 

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 August 2019

In a career spanning seven decades, Aretha Franklin sold more than 75 million records and won 18 Grammy Awards.  She became the first female to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005.  The legacy left by “The Queen of Soul” will be felt for many, many years to come.

Of all her iconic albums, the one which sold the most copies was the 14-track Amazing Grace.  It was recorded in the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles across two nights in January 1972 with the help of Reverend James Cleveland and his Southern California Community Choir.  It remains the highest-selling live gospel music album of all time.

No one would have known how big the album would become but remarkably, Academy Award winning director Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa) had been engaged by Warner Bros. to film Franklin’s performance and release it in cinemas at the same time as the album.  He shot roughly 20 hours of footage using 16 mm cameras.  Unfortunately, it was never released because Pollack’s inexperienced crew couldn’t sync the audio with the video.  They even hired a lip reader but he gave up after two months because it was too hard!

The reels remained in boxes for 35 years until 2007 when composer/producer Alan Elliott approached Pollack, mortgaged his Los Angeles home and purchased the footage from Warner Bros.  Elliott then worked with renowned video and audio engineer Serge Perron who, with access to new technology, was able to perform a successful sync.  Editor Jeff Buchanan (Her) wove the footage together and the film was complete in 2011.

That’s when the next hurdle arose.  Franklin, upset that she wouldn’t benefit financially from the movie, sued to prevent its public release.  Elliott believed all had been cleared by 2015 (after they’d found Franklin’s original contract from 1968) but just three hours before its sold-out, world premiere at Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival, Franklin was able to get an injunction from a federal judge to block the screening.

It’s sad to be saying this but the reason the film is now finally being seen is because of Franklin’s death in August 2018.  Elliott forged a working relationship with Franklin’s niece, Sabrina Owens, and after showing the film to her extended family, they negotiated a financial deal that would allow for its worldwide release.  Sydney Pollack died of cancer in 2008 but as he orchestrated the footage back in 1972, he is credited as the film’s official director.

There’s nothing particularly special about the way the documentary has been shot (the cinematography is all over the place) but it still holds a powerful allure given the magnitude of the moment.  We’ve seen fictional re-enactments that take us inside an artist’s creative process (most recently Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody) but with Amazing Grace, we’re watching the actual moment where a renowned singer creates her most famous work.  The perspiration pouring down her face highlights the intense energy being expended.

The music is stunning but so too are the reactions from those lucky enough to be in the audience.  Some are smiling and cheering and dancing.  Others are sitting back with their eyes closed and letting it all soak in.  It was clearly an emotional experience for the small group of attendees (including Mick Jagger) who were there in January 1972 and while it’s been a long wait, it’s great that it can now be shared with the world at large.