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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 May 2022

There’s no questioning the knowledge and passion that writer-director-star Leah Purcell has for this material.  Drawing from the famous 1892 Henry Lawson short story (it’s just over 3,000 words), Purcell added significantly more detail and crafted a highly acclaimed play which premiered at Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre in 2016.  Three years later, she expanded on the material and published a 288-page novel.  Now, she’s turned it into a feature film which is being released in cinemas across the country.

Set in the Australian outback in the late 19^th Century, the story is centred on Molly Johnson (Purcell), a pregnant mother who is tending to her husband’s property in the Snowy Mountain while he is away for several months droving sheep.  It’s a tough, harsh world and Molly is a product of that.  She’s grown accustomed to her husband’s absence and, operating with very little money, she grittily raises her four kids in a tiny timber shack.

I wouldn’t say Molly is comfortable with her life but she enjoys the solitude of her remote home as opposed to interacting with drunken, not-so-welcoming locals in the nearby town of Everton.  Unfortunately, she’s about to be drawn into problems not of her making.  An Indigenous man has been accused of murder and when he arrives on Molly’s doorstep looking for assistance, she must make choices which could impact the future of her family.

There are other storylines at play and the most notable is the connection between an English couple (Reid and De Gouw) who recently emigrated to Australia.  He’s a police officer trying to bring “law and order” to the corruption-laden town while she’s a progressive writer trying to shape community views on issues like women’s rights.  I wasn’t overly convinced by these smaller subplots and I think they lack nuance and conviction.

It’s easy to forget the film’s minor weaknesses when you see the tour de force lead performance from Leah Purcell.  She pours so much into the title character and, as an audience member, you understand every emotion she experiences and the rationale behind every tricky decision she makes.  It’s one of Purcell’s finest roles and hopefully she’ll receive acknowledgement later in the year at the AACTA Awards.

Chosen to open both the Brisbane and Melbourne international film festivals in 2021, it’s taken a long time for The Drover’s Wife to receive a national cinema release but, if you’re one who enjoys interesting Australian cinema, you’ll find the wait is worth it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 April 2022

If you’re putting together a list of the best Nicolas Cage movies, a film which must be included is Adaptation.  Blending reality and fiction, it was the tale of a renowned screenwriter (played by Cage) struggling to adapt an acclaimed novel into a smart, classy feature.  Adding to his frustration was the fact his inexperienced twin brother (also Cage) had, with effortless ease, written the script for a moronic thriller which had Hollywood executives buzzing.

Directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) and best described as a dark comedy, Adaptation highlighted the predictable, formula-driven nature of the film industry but, with deliberate irony, did so in an original, humorous, thought-provoking way.  The sensational dual performance of Cage earned him a deserved Academy Award nomination in 2002 (he hasn’t been nominated in the two decades since) and the film picked up four nods in total.

It’s hard not to think about Jonze’s film while watching The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent as it features the same leading man and is pushing the same themes.  This time around, Cage is following in the footsteps of Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm and playing a warped, alternate version of himself.  In the opening scenes, we learn that his career is sagging, his bank balance is dwindling, and his family life is waning.  His self-absorbed nature isn’t helping things either.

In need of cash to pay a hefty hotel bill (where he’s been living for several months), Cage reluctantly accepts a $1 million offer to attend the birthday celebrations of a wealthy fan, Javi Gutierrez (Pascal), on the Spanish island of Mallorca.  It doesn’t take him long to warm to the situation.  Cage yearns for recognition and the adoring Javi is the perfect companion to stroke his inflated ego.

The film then heads down a path where Cage, who hasn’t landed a role in a major action blockbuster for many years, now finds his own life full of “actual” action.  It turns out Javi is a criminal arms dealer (explaining his wealth) and the CIA want to use Cage as an undercover agent to gather intelligence.  This includes scouting Javi’s mansion and identifying the location of the kidnapped daughter of the Catalonian President.

I like the idea of this movie but the execution isn’t strong enough.  If you ignore the fact Nicolas Cage plays himself, it reveals itself to be a goofy, over-the-top, cliché-laden comedy.  The CIA agents are incompetent, the family scenes are contrived, and the redemptive arc of the “hero” makes little sense.  Was this an intentional decision to highlight the general lack of originality in today’s big blockbusters?  If so, it’s not exactly a big revelation.

You’d hope the inclusion of Nicolas Cage might add a fun layer but that’s not really the case.  It’s a one-note idea stretched out over 107 minutes.  Fans of the Academy Award winning actor might lap it up but I quickly tired of the continual references to past movies (they add little) and his character’s general ignorance.  Instead of coming up with fresh, surprising jokes to make this film memorable and meme-worthy, it is rehashing stuff referred to a million times on social media over the past year (such as a reference to Paddington 2).

I’m a fan of the title but there’s not much else to get excited about with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.  When all the best material is used in the trailer, it’s rarely a good sign.  If you wanted to see a film about a forlorn celebrity whisked off to a remote island on a life-changing mission… The Lost City is also in cinemas and offers more plot and more laughs.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 April 2022

Movies based off long-running, successful television shows, while retaining the same cast, generally tend to be one-offs.  With the first Downton Abbey movie reeling in close to $200 million USD at the global box-office, it has the potential to go much further and become a longer running film franchise.  Downton Abbey: A New Era reunites the much-loved characters in a new adventure pitched at existing fans and those who enjoy a fun period piece.

There are countless subplots but if trying to summarise quickly, the movie is centred around two key narratives.  The mansion’s roof is in desperate need of repair and so the residents of Downton Abbey have, for a sizeable fee, agreed to let a movie studio make a film within its beautiful walls.  It becomes the “film within a film” and features a light-hearted storyline reminiscent of the Oscar winning The Artist.  This was a time when silent flicks were on the out and “talkies” were on the in.

The second plotline takes us to Toulon in Southern France.  Following the death of an ex-suitor, The Countess of Grantham (Smith) has been gifted a beautiful villa (wish this sort of stuff happened to me) which the household can use as a summer holiday home.  Led by the Countess’s son, the Earl of Grantham (Bonneville), a select group has travelled to France to inspect the property and find out what’s truly behind this lavish, unexpected bequest.

There’s a lot going on here.  Television affords the luxury of developing subplots across multiple episodes but by using the medium of cinema, it’s a battle to give everyone a deserved amount of screentime and squeeze it all into a two-hour run time.  I’ll admit the editing feels a little choppy with the continual back-and-forth between Yorkshire and Toulon.  New characters, such as the previous owners of the French villa, are feebly developed and are just rehashing the same material in each scene.

The best part of Downton Abbey: A New Era is the in-house movie shoot and the excitement it generates, particularly amongst the starstruck staff living downstairs.  It affords an opportunity for cute humour – highlighted by a scene where the servants go through a role-reversing transformation when used as extras in the film’s big climax.  Laura Haddock is the pick of the new cast members with her “fish out of water” performance as a snobby yet vulnerable actress who is terrified by the arrival of “talkies”.

Of the regulars, Maggie Smith again gets the best of the one-liners and solidifies her reputation as the series’ heart and soul.  She’s not a big fan of the movie being shot at Downton (“I’d rather eat pebbles”) and her cranky interactions with fellow members about the subject create much needed humour.  It helps compensate for the lack of tension.  Everyone is too polite and civil!

Shot in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic (the lack of projects made it easy to bring the cast back together), Downton Abbey: A New Era isn’t breaking new ground but it’s still easy to watch.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 April 2022

The Goya Awards celebrate the best of Spanish cinema and previous recipients of the best film prize have included The Others, The Sea Inside, Volver, Truman, and Pain and Glory.  This year’s champ was The Good Boss, taking home six awards including best film, best director, best original screenplay and best actor.  It was also submitted as Spain’s entrant for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards but missed out on a nomination.

The acclaim is deserving.  The narrative is centred on Julio Blanco (Bardem), a wealthy business owner from a small Spanish town who specialises in making scales.  He’s the kind of person who projects a likeable, loveable image… but you’re never quite sure how much is the “real” Julio.  Does he truly value all the hard work put in by his loyal employees?  Or is it all just a ruse to keep them happy while he exploits and gets rich off their efforts?

Set over the course of a week, The Good Boss is centred around Julio’s attempts to win a major government business award.  He’s been shortlisted alongside two others and they will each be visited by a judging panel.  As evidenced by his very visible “trophy wall” at home, it’s clear Julio likes public recognition and being seen as a winner.  This is another chance to satisfy his huge ego and show others just how good he is.

To provide the film’s laughs, a series of bubbling issues rise to the surface and threaten to derail Julio’s dreams.  A sacked employee sets up camp outside the factory’s front entrance and demands reinstatement.  A long-time manager, impacted by marital issues, makes a series of mistakes which halt production.  A marketing intern finds herself in an unexpected position of power which she is keen to use to significant advantage.  Can Julio find enough metaphorical sticky-tape to hold his business together before the judges arrive?

Two people are heavily responsible for this film’s success.  The first is writer-director Fernando León de Aranoa (Mondays in the Sun) who has crafted exquisite jokes.  A great example is a long-set up gag involving Julio’s wife’s forgetful nature.  Also, without giving too much away, Aranoa isn’t afraid to shock audiences and push things into a wickedly darker direction as part of the film’s later half.  The final scene is a cracker!

The second person deserving credit is versatile star Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) who is sensational in the lead role.  He straddles the fence and has created a scheming character who you will like and loathe in similar doses.  It’s great to see Bardem in such a richly comedic role and he schmoozes the audience in the same way he does those around him within the film. 

Offering its fair share of laugh out loud moments (there were plenty at the preview screening I attended), The Good Boss is a humorous delight.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 April 2022

Movies about robots and artificial intelligence are not new but After Yang takes interesting ideas and weaves them together into something emotional and thought-provoking.  Writer-director Kogonada doesn’t waste time (and money) exploring the intricate details of this futuristic world.  Rather, it’s very much a tale of family dynamics and reminding us of the intrinsic value of human connection.

The story is told from the perspective of Jake (Farrell), a middle-aged man who lives with his wife, Kyra (Turner-Smith), and 9-year-old adopted daughter, Mika (Tjandrawidjaja).  There’s one other member of the household, Yang (Min), who is described as a “techno-sapien”.  He’s an adult-sized, lifelike robot who was purchased second-hand so as to give Mika someone to play with while growing up.  Who needs a babysitter when you can get a droid instead?

The film wastes no time establishing drama.  After a fun, creative opening credits sequence, Yang’s computer core experiences a major malfunction and he is seemingly beyond repair.  As you can imagine, it’s an event which impacts the family quite deeply.  The young Mika is the hardest hit given Yang had always been a loving brother and invaluable friend.  It’s the first time she’s experienced grief of such magnitude and, as evidenced by a fight at school, she’s clearing struggling.

That said, Mika’s story in the film is secondary to that of Jake’s.  When he takes Yang to a repair store in a last ditched chance to fix him, Jake learns that inside the body is a small hard drive that retained a few seconds of memory from each day in Yang’s life.  Such devices were made illegal not long after their creation but Yang was one of the rare robots that slipped through the cracks with the technology.

Using a special pair of virtual-reality glasses, Mika is able to watch these fleeting moments of Yang’s existence of which he and his family and prominent throughout.  It raises an intriguing question.  If you had the chance to look back and relive intimate moments from earlier parts of your life, would you do it?  Is it better they remain memories and not taint your current life?  One should never live in the past after all.  Or could they be used in a positive way to remind Mika of “better” times and help him appreciate the value of what he has today?

After Yang spins off in a few more curious directions but I’ll conceal those details in the hope readers will want to see this film.  Kogonada repeatedly uses a select number of small, tight locations (house, shop, museum) and avoids wide panoramas.  Even shots in the car have a blurry backdrop!  This keeps attention/questions away from the broader world and maintains the focus on the life and changing emotions of the family members.

Based on a 2016 short story published by American author Alexander Weinstein, After Yang is a cross between Ordinary People and Black Mirror.  Works for me!