Reviews

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 October 2025

Twenty-something-year-old James Sweeney penned a first draft in 2015, and it then took a decade to find the money and the cast.  The wait has been worth it!  Twinless is a brilliant dark comedy that balances its many tones with perfection.  The story is ridiculously unhinged (in a good way), but the inspiration was much simpler.  Sweeney has always been fascinated by twins and grew up loving TV shows like Sister Sister and movies like The Parent Trap.

In addition to his responsibilities as director and screenwriter, Sweeney stars as Dennis, a young, socially awkward gay man with a quasi-unhealthy obsession for twins.  He thinks he’s hit the jackpot after a fleeting romantic encounter with Rocky (O’Brien), an identical twin, but Rocky is killed in a tragic car accident soon after.  If you think that’s heavy, wait until you find out what happens next…

Rocky’s straight twin brother, Roman (also O’Brien), arrives in town for the funeral and to help take care of his brother’s affairs.  He’s struggling emotionally and starts attending a self-help group for “twinless twins” where attendees open-up about their loss and seek comfort from those with similar experiences.  Dennis isn’t a twin, but he rocks up at the same meetings, fabricates a twin-filled backstory, and uses it to become mates with the obliviously unaware Roman.

Audiences will be shocked and divided as they size up the protagonists.  The friendship between Dennis and Roman is based on a mountain of lies but, in spending time together, their lives are meaningfully improved.  Can this possibly justify Dennis’s actions, though?  Matters are further complicated when Roman becomes romantically close with Marcie (Franciosi), one of Dennis’s co-workers, and he’s relegated to “third wheel” status.  Roman offers to set Dennis up with a gay friend but this only adds to the messiness.

Twinless offers one of the year’s best scripts.  There are moments of hilarious, insightful wit and there are moments where characters extricate themselves from tricky situations.  If you love black humour and uncomfortable laughs, with a splash of sexuality, this is the film for you.  The performances are also superb.  Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) skilfully blends dopiness and sincerity as Roman (in addition to playing the very different Rocky), while Sweeney brings creepiness and naivety to Dennis.  Irish actress Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale) shouldn’t be overlooked with her critical performance as the underrated Marcie.

Winner of the Audience Award for dramatic features at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, Twinless is a wild, riotous journey that ends on the right note.  It’s a movie you won’t easily forget.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 October 2025

They’ve been in no rush with follow-ups.  We had a 28-year gap between Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010) and now a 15-year gap for the third instalment, Tron: Ares.  For those new to the material, the franchise has been centred on human characters who “travel” inside computers and are immersed in a crazy, colourful ecosphere… where not everyone is friendly.  It’s like something out of a video game.

Tron: Ares makes the odd creative choice to spend most of its time in the “regular” world.  Eve Kim (Lee) and Julian Dillinger (Peters) are the highly competitive CEOs of two rival computing companies.  They are each trying to get their hands on something called “permanence” – a magic formula which brings computer-generated folk to life (for longer than 29 minutes).  Eve wants to use the technology for good while Julian’s reasons are, well, not so good.

Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) has the title role of Ares, an intelligent, powerful soldier brought into the human world by way of a cool, 3D printer-like device.  He should be following the directions of his villainous master, Julian, but he’s developed a quasi-conscience that leaves him questioning those commands.  To whom do his allegiances lie?

It’s obvious from the opening scenes that Tron: Ares will provide a full-throttle mix of music, sound and visuals.  Norwegian director Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki) goes hard in that regard.  A few style elements are overused (e.g. countdown clocks, TV news reports) and the editing is clunky (e.g. the transitions between heavy VFX scenes and normal scenes) but I can appreciate the crew’s efforts in creating an immersive, big-screen experience.

The screenplay is a disappointment, however.  I realise it’s science-fiction nonsense, but the first two movies had a semblance of believability given they took place inside a computer.  The chase sequences here are bright and flashy but the weird “orange rays” which emanate from the black motorcycles make no sense.  Julian lacks nuance as a one-dimensional bad guy, a subplot involving Eve’s sister is undercooked, and cameos from Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges add nothing.  The dialogue is also very heavy-handed.  Was the script always this bad or did something go wrong in production?

Tron: Ares is an unfortunate letdown.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 October 2025

My introduction to Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino was through the 2009 release I Am Love and he’s followed that with a suite of interesting, thought-provoking movies including Call Me by Your Name, Bones and All, Challengers and Queer.  His latest outing is After the Hunt, an engaging thriller headlined by Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich).  Working with first-time screenwriter Nora Garrett, Guadagnino reaffirms his reputation as a risk-taking director who avoids convention.

Set at Yale University in Connecticut, four characters are the focus.  Alma (Roberts) is a highly regarded philosophy professor who will do whatever is necessary to earn an important promotion.  Frederik (Stuhlbarg) is Alma’s long-time husband who is never afraid to speak his mind and offer sage advice.  Maggie (Edebiri) is a student in Alma’s class, from an extremely wealthy family, who has gone public with claims she was sexually assaulted after a campus party.  Hank (Garfield) is the accused individual, an ambitious assistant professor who has a close association with the now conflicted Alma.  He strenuously denies the allegations.

At face value, After the Hunt has the appearance of a “who’s telling the truth?” mystery as we unpick the facts of the case.  We don’t witness the assault, we don’t listen to discussions between Alma and her friends, and we don’t see the outcome of an “off the record” chat between Alma and the school’s dean.  It’s therefore up to us, as the audience, to form varied opinions based off observations of conversations, actions, body language.

Does the truth really matter though?  We see an instance where facts aren’t established beyond a reasonable doubt, but it doesn’t stop others weighing in – because it suits a narrative they want to push or because it’s needed as damage control.  On the flip side, there’s an instance (avoiding spoilers) where someone is 100% guilty of a crime but they avoid scandal and significant punishment by having it kept hush-hush by those in power.  It reminds me of the saying “history is written by the victors”. 

While the film could have been clearer with some messaging (e.g. cancel culture), After the Hunt thrives as a character study.  You could use any one of the four lead characters as your “entry point” into the material and, just like a Shakespearean play, scrutinise their actions in depth.  Julia Roberts has just two acting credits to her name over the past 7 years and it’s great to see her back in peak form as the cold, guarded, determined, intriguing Alma.  It’s one of her finest roles.

Featuring an unusual music score from Nine Inch Nails duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Challengers) which marries nicely with the film’s disconcerting vibe, After the Hunt will generate debate whether you like it or not.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 October 2025

The rise of big-screen documentaries has been a curious phenomenon.  I started reviewing in mid-1990s and looking back through old spreadsheets, I can’t find any record of a documentary being formally released in Brisbane cinemas between 1996 and 2001.  The only chance to see them in theatres was at film festivals.  Helped by an increase in independent cinemas, the dam wall broke in 2002 with the release of Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine.  We’ve now reached a point where I’ll see double-digit numbers each year (peaking at 31 during the COVID-impacted 2021).

So, what makes a documentary feature worth seeing in cinemas?  For me, it’s one which takes subject matters you know next-to-nothing about… and leave a lasting impact.  It might change your view on the world.  It might prompt you to do hours of further reading.  It might have you recounting the narrative when catching up with friends.  Personal favourites over the past decade have included The Last Journey, Flee, The Truffle Hunters, Collective, The Sparks Brothers, The Australian Dream, Free Solo, and The First Monday in May.  I could list dozens more if not sticking to a word limit!

On the flip side, weaker documentaries tend to be too narrow with their focus and messaging.  They’re still worth seeing (well, usually) but will only appeal to those already knowledgeable of the topic.  Further, they can fall into the trap of being a one-sided homage with interviewees lavishing compliment after compliment.  It’s like when “famous” folk pen a published autobiography.  Just because someone has been successful in life doesn’t also mean they’re an interesting person.

Marking the feature debut of director Stephen Soucy, Merchant Ivory is a 112-minute outing which chronicles the history of a small film production company which made over 40 movies between 1963 and 2009.  The focus is on producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and composer Richard Robbins.  The company became known for their adaptations of acclaimed literary works, usually period pieces.  Their most successful movies were A Room with a View (1986), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993) which earned a combined 25 Academy Award nominations.

Merchant Ivory lands roughly in the middle of my ranking scale.  I’m not convinced it has broad allure, and I wouldn’t be recommending to those who aren’t cinephiles.  That said, if you’re a movie tragic like me, it provides enthralling, behind-the-scenes insight into the filmmaking process.  They were a small company working with even smaller budgets.  To have survived for close to half-a-century and to have churned out so many classy, arthouse works… it’s a miracle.  The documentary includes interviews with the likes of Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Helena Bonham Carter as they recount their involvement with Merchant Ivory films.

Also exploring the unusual friendships/relationships of those within the production company, Merchant Ivory will be of interest… to those who are interested.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 October 2025

In the late 1990s, twenty-something-year old Jeffrey Manchester robbed roughly 50 fast food and department stores in the United States.  He would wield a firearm, lock staff in cold rooms, and take cash from company safes.  He was finally apprehended in May 2000 after robbing two McDonalds stores in North Carolina… on the same day!  Several months later, a jury convicted him of first-degree kidnapping, in addition to a weapon’s offence, and he was sentenced to prison for a term of 32 to 45 years.

Of all the people in the world to make a fun, fluffy biopic about, Jeffrey Manchester is a curious choice.  Writer-director Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines) and co-writer Kirt Gunn were drawn to this “truth is stranger than fiction” tale and are milking it for all it’s worth.  They’ve cast a likeable actor in the lead role, Channing Tatum (Magic Mike), and highlight the character’s positives.  The version of Manchester we see in the film is an unemployed former soldier who steals primarily to care for his children.  He’s super-polite when robbing people, he’s friendly when interacting with others and, yep, he even donates used toys to a church group.  What an awesome guy!

The crux of the movie is spent in the year 2004 when Manchester escapes from prison, takes on an alias, and hides for several months in the cavities of a Toys “R” Us store in Charlotte.  He’d occasionally sneak out and, in doing so, falls in love with Leigh Wainscott (Dunst), a single mother with two daughters.  The pair spend increasing amounts of time together and, in being more in the public eye, Manchester is increasingly vulnerable.  Is it only a matter of time before his identity is revealed?

I grew tired of the “please-like-me” approach to Manchester.  It spends too much time on his goofy antics like stealing M&Ms, changing staff rosters, and creating a makeshift shower in the staff bathroom.  We never get a clear understanding why he’s that way.  Where was all the money going?  There are fleeting moments showing the heavier ramifications of Manchester’s actions (e.g. knocking a security guard unconscious) but, instead of judging him, the movie wimps out.  The closing credits feature sappy interviews with real-life people talking up his better qualities.

The supporting players are one-note and lacklustre with a single exception.  Academy Award nominee Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) steals every scene as Leigh.  She’s the most complex, fleshed-out character – a lonely, middle-aged woman looking for comfort within the church while also trying to connect with an increasingly distant teenage daughter.  Manchester arrives like a breath of fresh air in her life but we, as the audience, know her newfound happiness will end in heartbreak.  I wish the film was centred on her perspective and not Manchester’s.

It’s worth seeing to learn about the bizarre true story but Roofman could have been a lot better.