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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 October 2022

Just like Michael Myers himself, the Halloween franchise refuses to die.  It began in 1978 with a low-budget slasher film directed by John Carpenter and now here we are, 44 years later, with a thirteenth movie in the series.  The title suggests it’s the final instalment but when it comes to Hollywood, nothing can be certain when there’s money to be made.

The most recent film, Halloween Kills, was complete rubbish and so it’s great to see the four-person writing team take more chances this time around.  Maybe it really is the last movie???  The prologue introduces us to a new character – 21-year-old Corey Cunningham (Campbell) is from the infamous town of Haddonfield, Illinois but he’s gone through a life-altering tragedy unrelated to Michael Myers.  He was babysitting for a family in the neighbourhood when the child fell from the top of the staircase and was killed.

The event was an accident and several years have passed but it’s been impossible for Corey to shake its effects.  There’s the internal guilt and the lingering question about whether he could have done something differently to prevent what took place.  There’s also the uneasy looks and inferred judgement from folks in the town as Corey goes about his usual day.  You get a sense he should have left town long ago and sought a fresh start.

So… what does any of this have to do with the earlier Halloween movies?  Well, not much and that’s part of the film’s allure.  It’s a different tale driven by more realistic, common human emotions as opposed to simple blood and gore.  To link it together with the returning characters, Corey strikes up a relationship with Allyson (Matichak) and the pair spend an increasing amount of time together.  Her memoir-writing grandmother, Laurie (Curtis), is initially accepting of their connection but after a series of strange events, she starts to worry about Corey’s psychological stability.

I’m reminded of the sport of gymnastics where an athlete’s score is a combination of degree of difficulty and execution.  Using that same methodology, director David Gordon Green (who made the last two movies) gets a winning grade here because of the high difficulty level.  There are a few stumbles along the way – stiff romantic dialogue, convenient timings, unexplained supernatural gimmicks – but he’s taken enough chances in terms of tone and plot to significantly differentiate it from others in the franchise.  As we’ve seen in the United States with school shootings, this film taps into the way grief can overwhelm a small community and cast a dark, depressive shadow that lasts for years, if not decades.

Moving away from the gritty drama, Halloween Ends still offers up gruesome horror at opportune moments and while Michael Myers is relegated to supporting status, he does have a key part of play.  Also, to cornily use another gymnastics term, Green sticks the landing.  The finale is a good ‘un!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 October 2022

The opening act of Don’t Worry Darling creates a scenario oozing with promise and possibilities.  Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women) and musician-turned-actor Harry Styles (Dunkirk) play Alice and Jack – a happily married couple who go about their days with a sense of idyllic simplicity.  It’s the same for everyone in this small, remote community made famous for its comforting “desert air”.  The husbands leave for work at the same time every morning and the wives, after a wave/kiss goodbye from the front lawn, return to the house and fulfil their daily chores (with time for exercise as well).

As the audience, we know something is amiss.  It’s likely to prompt recollections from other films and television shows.  Everything about the curiously named “Victory Town” seems fake and old-fashioned which brought back memories of Pleasantville.  Alice is told she isn’t allowed to go beyond the town’s desert-laden borders which gives off vibes from The Truman Show.  The way in which all women are non-questioning and naively subservient to their working husbands feels inspired by The Stepford Wives.

Alice becomes our investigatory eyes and ears as she finally catches onto the fact that not everything is what it seems in Victory Town.  Some of her questions stem from the physical (unexplained earthquakes, missing people) while others arise from the psychological (weird hallucinations, a song stuck in her head).  The town’s pseudo-mayor (Chris Pine) downplays Alice’s concerns but the genie is out of the bottle and, whether her suspicions are right or not, she’s not going to stop until answers are provided.

Sadly, the early intrigue established by screenwriter Katie Silberman and Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) fizzles away in the later stages.  It gets bogged down with repetitive sequences where a paranoia-filled Alice continually butts heads with those around her.  When the true nature of everything is finally revealed (it’s not until very late), the film goes into hyperdrive and is forced to wrap up its many subplots in a rushed manner.  A quicker second act and a more patient closing act would have served this concept better.

As a positive, the film does remind us of the acting prowess of 26-year-old star Florence Pugh.  She’s front and centre throughout and she creates a character who you want to see find peace and happiness.  This struck me most as the closing credits started to roll (without giving anything away).  It’s a shame the supporting players are developed as fulsomely.  We don’t spend anywhere near enough time with them (with particular emphasis on Gemma Chan’s character) to understand their motivations.

Serving up a climax which is easy to poke holes through, Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 October 2022

When it comes to movies about spies, detectives and police officers, the tendency is to simplify and glamorise their activities.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Audiences want to be entertained.  The James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Lethal Weapon franchises won’t win awards for realism but they’ve made truckloads of money because of their fun characters, cool tech, and elaborate action sequences.

All of that said, it’s still nice to see a more realistic perspective and we’ve been offered that in back-to-back weeks here in Australia.  Last Thursday marked the release of The Stranger, a dark, gritty Aussie film about an undercover detective required to put in months of depressing, unsatisfying work with a likelihood it could all amount to nought.  This week, we’ve got The Night of the 12^th, a Belgian-French drama about experienced police officers struggling to make any headway into the murder of a young woman.      

It’s not quite as good (it goes close) but the film brings back memories of David Fincher’s brilliant 2007 thriller, Zodiac.  It taps into the draining nature of the profession and the ways in which a long- unsolved case can take a toll on one’s personal life, including friendships with colleagues.  Front and centre throughout the film is Yohan (Bouillon), the newly appointed lead detective who is overseeing the investigation.

It’s a tricky subject matter but I admired the film for two key reasons.  Firstly, it gets into the weeds and shows us the intricacies of the job.  We watch Yohan as he carefully breaks the news to the deceased woman’s parents, we see the team going through her bedroom and phone in search of clues, and we listen in as they interrogate a wide range of friends and ex-boyfriends.  There’s even a scene highlighting the tedious effort required to type up interview notes.

The other reason is for the strong performances and the way in which the cast, guided by the direction of Dominik Moll (Harry, He’s Here to Help), skilfully illustrate the ups and downs of work friendships.  There are moments of tension when they disagree about suspects and motives.  There are arguments driven by outside-of-work problems which affect judgement and performance.  On the flip side, there are more positive moments where detectives reach a depressing low point and need a kind face to vent and confide in.  A great example is a scene where Yohan has a relaxed chat with a new judge.

Another film to debut at the Cannes Film Festival back in May (there’s been a few of them lately), The Night of the 12^th is a powerful, unnerving drama that hasn’t received a lot of international attention but should not be missed.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 September 2022

A real murder set in the middle of a fake murder.  That’s the creative premise on offer in See How They Run, the debut feature film of British director Tom George (This Country).  It takes us back to London’s West End in the early 1950s when Agatha Christie’s whodunit The Mousetrap was making its debut in front of packed, adoring crowds.  As this movie begins, the play’s cast and crew are celebrating their 100^th performance – a milestone many didn’t think they’d reach (humorously ironic given the show would become the longest running in the world).

Oscar winner Adrian Brody (The Pianist) steps into the shoes of Leo Köpernick, an American screenwriter who has been contracted to transform the play into a Hollywood movie.  He rubs people up the wrong way and doesn’t seem to care.  From hitting on partnered women with his sleazy one-liners, to wanting to make significant revisions to the screenplay to include more action, Leo is not well liked.

It will therefore come as no surprise to audiences to see him wind up dead in the film’s opening act.  He was backstage in wardrobe department when attacked by a mysterious figure wearing a long cloak and a felt hat.  Everyone has a motive (as you’d expect) and called in to solve the crime is a dispirited Inspector Stoppard (Rockwell) and his overexcited assistant, Constable Stalker (Ronan).

Such an idea could come across as overly corny (the actors in a whodunit are now part of a real whodunit) but screenwriter Mark Chappell (Flaked) makes this work with well crafted dialogue.  The best material is saved for Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) who are excellent together.  They’re polar opposites, in terms of both personality and approach, but they gravitate towards an amiable middle ground with each passing scene.  Seeing them interact is worth the price of admission alone!

The film also works as a credible, “see if you can pick it” mystery.  There’s a fun blend of truth and fiction as elements from The Mousetrap start to play out in reality (like a scene where the actors all congregate together).  I wish more was made of the character but even Agatha Christie (nicely played by Shirley Henderson) makes an appearance at an opportune moment.

Moving at a fast pace (it’s just 98 minutes) and boosted by its strong performances, See How They Run will entertain the vast majority of those who see it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2022

I have a good friend who played a key role in the hunt for Daniel Morcombe’s killer and, based on his telling of the story, it’s obvious that it serves as the inspiration for this new Australian drama.  The idea evolved several years ago when actor-filmmaker Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased) optioned the 2015 non-fiction book from author Kate Kyriacou that chronicled the elaborate police operation which ultimately led to a confession and conviction.

Writer-director Thomas M. Wright (Acute Misfortune) was then brought in for the difficult challenge of adapting it for the big screen and several key decisions were made in those early stages.  Firstly, Wright went with a fictionalised narrative which is “based” on the true story.  The most obvious difference is the changing of names (it doesn’t mention the Morcombe family in any way) but other alternations were made in terms of the investigation’s specifics.

Another important creative choice was the decision to focus solely on the “sting” and nothing else.  There’s no depiction of the murder, the immediate aftermath, the family’s grief, the inquest, and the attention in the media.  When the film begins, we’re following an undercover police detective (Edgerton) tasked with becoming friends with someone suspected of the murder (Harris) that took place several years ago.

I like the narrow approach as it allows Wright’s film to highlight the immense work ethic of the undercover detective and the emotional toll it took on his own life.  We’re talking about an intelligent, fast-thinking man who had to put his regular life on hold, pretend to be part of a fake crime gang, and befriend a scumbag suspected of murdering a boy.  This went on for several months with no definitive timeframe.  It could have all amounted to nothing if he said the wrong thing, or the suspect kept his mouth shut.

Joel Edgerton does a commendable job fleshing out the character but I wish there were more opportunities for him to open up to fellow officers/detectives and describe his approach and psyche.  English actor Sean Harris (24 Hour Party People) is terrific as the suspected murderer and depicts him as someone lacking intelligence but also emotionally guarded.  The supporting players pull their weight with emphasis on Jada Alberts as a detective working behind the scenes to put the pieces together.

The Stranger premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and was criticised by the parents of Daniel Morcombe as “making money off a heinous crime.”  They’re entitled to publicly air such concerns but having now seen the film myself, I believe it respectfully covers the scenario and, despite the heavy subject matter, appropriately pays tribute to hard-working police detectives who deal with cases just like this on a regular basis.