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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 January 2023

It was only two months ago that James Gray added his name to the growing list of the directors making semi-autobiographical dramas about their childhood (Armageddon Time).  Now, it’s the chance for the iconic Steven Spielberg to do the same.  There’s no doubting the 76-year-old has earned the opportunity.  The two-time Academy Award winner (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan) is described on Wikipedia as “the most commercially successful director of all time.”

Set in the late 1950s / early 1960s, the film is centred around a shy 16-year-old named Sammy Fabelman, a character based on Spielberg and played by newcomer Gabriel LaBelle.  Not everything in Sammy’s world is great.  His parents (Williams and Dano) have an odd, rocky relationship, and he’s not the best at making friends at school.  There’s one thing that provides comfort though – movies.  Since the moment his parents took him to a cinema for the first time, Sammy has loved the craft.  He spends much of his pocket money buying film for his 8mm camera which he uses to create everything from intimate home movies to action-packed shorts.

The Fabelmans is clearly connecting with audiences given it won the lucrative People’s Choice Award at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival.  The last ten winners of that prize have gone on to earn Oscar nominations for best picture.  I’m in the minority by being slightly disappointed.  The fragmented, weird, skit-like nature to some scenes (e.g. chasing a tornado, buying a monkey) disrupt the emotional build up.

The supporting characters are largely one-note and underpowered.  The mum’s scatterbrained nature is tiring, the dad is a bore, and the Judd Hirsch heavy-handed “motivational” speech is shoved down our throats.  Also, what was up with the cliched high school bullies in the final act?  It’s as if the film wants to break away from the textbook everything-is-either-black-or-white formula but doesn’t have the guts to follow through.

Offsetting the questionable performances is 20-year-old Canadian Gabriel LaBelle who is brilliant in the lead role.  While the supporting players lack depth, LaBelle creates someone you will care about.  He provides the film’s strong core and that was enough to keep me engaged for the film’s lengthy 151-minute running time.  Sammy is an interesting, good-natured, nerdish kid who, through dogged determination, wins the respect of both family and friends.  Hard not to smile when thinking about that.

In one of the trailers for The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg describes it as being different from all his other movies as it’s about direct memories as opposed to indirect metaphors.  The project may have meant a lot to him… but it didn’t mean as much to me.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 December 2022

I enjoyed the Oscar-nominated 2015 Swedish film upon which this is based, but the first thought which came to mind on seeing A Man Called Otto was that of Clint Eastwood’s lead performance in the 2008 drama Gran Torino.  In that film, we saw Eastwood play an old, widowed, racist man who sits on his front porch, growls at people walking past, complains about anything, and generally hates the world.

Tom Hanks doesn’t bring the same level of racism to his character here but, for those who’ve seen Gran Torino, you should know the type of person I’m about to describe.  Otto (Hanks), to use the words of his neighbours, is a “nasty, bitter old man”.  We often talk about optimistic people who see the glass as half full and pessimistic people who see it as half empty.  Well, I’d say Otto is the kind of person who would pour the contents of the glass on the floor and then remark that it’s fully empty.

You name it… he finds it annoying.  He buys 5-feet of cheap rope at the hardware store and then complains because he’s charged for 6-feet (the price is by the yard).  He mumbles about folks in his street putting the wrong trash in recycling bins.  He even gets cranky at his own work retirement party – a moment you’d think he would enjoy.  He hasn’t always been this way and a series of flashbacks help fill in the gaps as to why he’s so miserable.  This includes the death of his wife six months earlier which added to his isolation and loneliness.

As you might expect, A Man Called Otto is intended to be a feel-good flick where other characters finally crack Otto’s tough veneer and discover that he’s actually a nice guy with a big heart.  The one who does this best is Marisol (Treviño) an extroverted, Mexican-born woman who has just moved into the neighbourhood with her family.  She doesn’t like taking “no” for an answer and is quick to impose herself in Otto’s life.

Through his film production company, Tom Hanks snapped up the rights for an English language remake of the Swedish original (A Man Called Ove) and while I acknowledge its potential, I’m not convinced Hanks was the right fit for the lead role.  Perhaps he’s a victim of his own success but after decades of playing nice guys, I didn’t fully buy into his character.  I’ve met my fair share of grizzly, annoying people and Otto’s persona is a one-dimensional “act” as opposed to something more genuine.

Other elements also feel less authentic when compared to the earlier movie.  The film can’t quite find the right balance between seriousness and humour when showing Otto’s repeated suicide attempts.  They’re awkward and don’t fit with the broader, family-friendly tone.  Key plot points also feel overplayed such as the reaction of onlookers as Otto rescue a man who falls off a train platform.

All of that said, there are moments, particularly in the second half, which do work and will leave audiences feeling warm and fuzzy.  The scenes involving Hanks and Mexican actress Mariana Treviño are the film’s best and, through their polar-opposite personalities, we are reminded of the importance of human connections and that it’s never too late to be making new friends.

A Man Called Otto is contrived but it will still win many people over.

You can read my chat with star Mariana Treviño by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 January 2023

Inspiration can come from the strangest of places.  Twelve years ago, Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate, who were dating at the time, were packed into a small hotel room with several others while attending a friend’s wedding.  Slate made a joke in a “tiny voice” to reflect the cramped, claustrophobic space and that became the inspiration for a cute, talking, one-inch-tall shell named Marcel.

Camp shot a 3-minute stop-motion video a few days later which was to be used for a friend’s stand-up comedy show in October 2010.  He never intended to upload it to YouTube.  Camp only did so at the request of a patron who went to the comedy gig and wanted to share it with her sick grandmother.  The rest is history.  The original video has now been viewed more than 33 million times and it kick started the idea of making a full-length feature film.

A major part of the charm of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is its simplicity.  This isn’t like the colourful, high-energy animated features we see from Disney and Pixar which have heaps of supporting characters and subplots.  Made in the style of a mockumentary, it’s just about a lonely, one-eyed shell who shows us his unorthodox lifestyle and talks about the journey to locate his missing family.  To the film’s benefit, this narrow approach creates a more intimate, personal vibe.

The mockumentary format also provides an interesting point of difference.  As director, Camp fires a number of questions at Marcel (voiced by Slate) who, at times, is reluctant to open up.  It falls upon Marcel’s grandmother (beautifully voiced by Isabella Rossellini) to give him a few nudges.  The blend of fiction and reality is made blurrier by the inclusion of real-life 60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl who does a report on Marcel, and also the way in which the character in the movie first becomes famous through the uploading of an innocuous YouTube video.

It’s not often you can say that a family film offers a similar level of material/jokes to appease kids and adults in equal measure.  Judging from the reactions at my preview screenings, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On fits that descriptor.  Showered with praise by critics’ groups in the award season to date, it’s sweet, funny, and easy-to-like.  The emotional climax hits all the right notes.  Give it a chance.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 December 2022

Writer-director Martin McDonagh is upfront about where his stories are set.  His plays include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and a Behanding in Spokane.  His films include In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and now, The Banshees of Inisherin.  McDonagh’s knack for interesting titles (complete with locations) is matched by his ability to create dark, twisting narratives and complex, intriguing characters.  He’s one of the best filmmakers working today.

The Banshees of Inisherin is set on a small Irish island in the year 1923.  The weather is cold, the terrain is rugged, and folks make ends meet by working the land.  It’s also the kind of place where everybody knows everybody.  They go about their day with a sense of routine, exchange pleasantries as they pass each other on the windy dirt roads and share an alcoholic beverage at the dimly-lit local pub of an afternoon.

One matter has become the talk of the town.  Two lifelong friends, Colm (Gleeson) and Pádraic (Farrell), have had a bizarre, unexpected falling out.  Colm, the instigator of the separation, says it has nothing to do with anything Pádraic did or said.  It’s simply because “I just don’t like you no more” and he then asks a confused Colm never to speak with him ever again.

What follows is a riveting drama that asks us to look deeply at these characters and form an opinion about them and their actions.  Who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong?  Is it that clear cut?  Should Colm be allowed to sever the friendship without a more reasonable explanation?  Is Pádraic out of line for continuing to pester Colm and those around him in search of justification?  To what extent are we entitled to our own privacy as opposed to having to consider the feelings of caring friends around us?

The film also has something to say about the way small disagreements can, through events outside of our control, escalate into things much bigger than anyone anticipated… or wanted.  Townsfolk start gossiping about the pair and, just like a game of Chinese whispers, it reaches the point where innocuous speculation and rumours morph into “facts”.  This only adds to the division between Colm and Pádraic and it threatens to disrupt other relationships with the community.

Every actor in this ensemble is at the top of their game.  Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are reunited for the first time since the terrific In Bruges (a must-see if you haven’t already) and, churning out the thickest Irish accents they can, play off each other like skilled musicians.  The conversations they share are both humorous and dramatic.  Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul) is sensational as Pádraic’s level-headed sister while Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) steals a bunch of scenes a dim-witted yet likeable young man. 

Going down unexpected paths and tapping into the spiritual, The Banshees of Inisherin is another winner from Martin McDonagh that will be a factor in the upcoming awards season.  One of the year’s best.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 December 2022

Released in 2014, Paper Planes was an attempt by director Robert Connolly to create more Australian movies for younger audiences as opposed to relying on the steady stream of content coming in from America.  As someone with two daughters of his own, Connolly wanted them to see stuff on the big screen which celebrated our own places, people, and culture.

Fresh off the incredible success of The Dry, which grossed over $20 million in this country, Connolly returns to family-themed content with Blueback.  It’s based on the 1997 novel by acclaimed author Tim Winton who was involved in adapting the source material into a screenplay.  Connolly made a few changes to better suit what he was looking for (making the protagonist a woman, not telling the story in chronological order) and the end result is a 100-minute feature targeted at a Christmas school holiday release.

There are two material subplots at play here.  The weaker one is about the environment and how important it is to protect.  I’ve got no qualms with the message, but it’s handled in a simplistic manner.  Taking the timeframe back about two decades, the teenage Abby (Fogg) befriends a blue groper while diving near her family seaside home and learns how important the ocean environment is.  She then teams up with her mum, Dora (Mitchell), to protect their coastal town from being overrun by villainous developers (led by Erik Thomson) looking to make a quick buck.  There’s some contrived stuff as illustrated in a scene where Abby speaks in front of local counsellors.

The second, current day subplot is the better one – the unescapable bond that exists between a parent and their child.  The elderly mum (Alexander) is suffering from the effects of a stroke and her now grown daughter (Wasikowska) has taken a break from her work as a marine biologist to help provide care.  Memories of the past come flooding back and Abby finds herself torn between the world she’s created for herself… and the ties that still connect her to the place where she grew up.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the emotion of the finale as Abby, deftly played by Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), must selflessly balance up the needs of those around her in charting her own future.  Adding further star power are Radha Mitchell (Finding Neverland) as the headstrong version of the younger mum and Eric Bana (Chopper) as a chatty fisherman adding a dash of comedy.

Largely shot in Bremer Bay off the coast of Western Australia, Blueback can’t fully capture the essence of Tim Winton’s book but it’s not a bad effort.

You can read my chat with director Robert Connolly by clicking here.