Welcome to the Film Pie! Brisbane based film critic Matt Toomey has reviewed thousands of movies since 1996. See what's out now, or browse the review archive.

Mini Reviews

Small Things Like These (out Apr 10) is set in Ireland, 1985 and is centred on a softly spoken man (Cillian Murphy) who faces a moral quandary when he learns of happenings inside a local Catholic convent. The film is a stirring character study and an important history lesson. Grade: A-.

The Count of Monte-Cristo (out Apr 10) is a 178-minute French epic based on Alexandre Dumas's iconic novel. The first hour is slow but it gets moving after that. An interesting revenge tale as we watch the hero (if you can call him that) give the quality villains what they deserved. Loved the music score of composer Jérôme Rebotier. Grade: B+.

The King of Kings (out Apr 10) is an animated feature chronicling the life of Jesus Christ - from birth through to resurrection. The voice cast are decent but, in terms of story, it's a ho-hum, by-the-bible narrative that isn't offering anything we haven't heard before. Grade: B-.

Death of a Unicorn (out Apr 10) is a comedy about an eclectic group who capture a cancer-curing unicorn. It tries to be both a nutty comedy and a family drama (a dad reconciling with his daughter) but it fails miserably in blending the two genres together. The jokes are weak and the Paul Rudd character is an immoral mess. Grade: C-.

A Minecraft Movie (out Apr 3) was more entertaining than I expected. The story is all over the place (it’s not really about much) but it works because of the well-selected cast, the fast-paced direction, the cool world, and the nutty sense of humour. Grade: B+.

Dog Man (out Apr 3) is a fast-paced animated feature about a police officer who is part man, part dog. It sounds perverse but the jokes on offer, appealing to a mix of kids and adults, are reminiscent of television shows such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Fun to be had! Grade: B+.

Novocaine (out Apr 3) 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. It's the humorous take of a man (Jack Quaid), who can feel no pain, who goes in pursuit of the men who kidnapped his girlfriend. Grade: B+.

A Working Man (out Mar 27) is a disappointing action-thriller which stars Jason Statham as an ex-Marine who, to help a friend, goes in search of a young woman kidnapped by human traffickers. The action scenes are repetitive, the dialogue is dreadful, and the supporting players have little to do. The villains are laughably feeble. Grade: C-.

Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee (out Mar 27) is a lovingly made, 87-minute documentary which chronicles of the success of 1986's Crocodile Dundee. There are wonderful titbits of information to leave you smiling but above all else, it tells a bloody good rags-to-riches story. A great watch! Grade: A-.

The Cats of Gokogu Shrine (out Mar 27) is a niche, narration-free documentary about a Japanese township and the people who help care for its homeless cats. Will have its fans but, in my eyes, it's not a subject that generates enough interesting contest to justify a two-hour runtime. Grade: C+.

Oh, Canada (out Mar 27) is a meandering, Paul Schrader-directed drama about an acclaimed documentary filmmaker (Richard Gere) giving one last interview before succumbing to the effects of terminal cancer. I struggled to latch onto whatever this film was selling. Grade: C.