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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 October 2025

I tried to explain the films of 52-year-old Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things) to colleagues at work… with limited success.  They’re warped, messed up, and can’t be summarised easily.  You need to watch yourself and then see if his dystopian worlds and dark humour gel with your own sensibilities.  I’m an admirer of his work, primarily for the memorability and wacky entertainment value, but his movies can drag.  Subplots are dragged out longer than necessary and humour is repeated.

The same could be said of Bugonia, his latest feature which recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival.  Marking the 4^th time she’s worked with Lanthimos, the film stars Oscar-winner Emma Stone (Poor Things) as Michelle Fuller, a fast-paced, hard-working CEO for a large pharmaceutical company.  She is kidnapped by two men, played by Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) and newcomer Aidan Delbis, and tied up in the basement of a remote home.

They’re not seeking a ransom or making a political statement.  Rather, the duo are conspiracy theorists who, after reading a plethora of online forums, believe Michelle is a part of an alien race who will soon destroy the planet.  They shave her head (believing hair is a communication tool) and demand that when the lunar eclipse occurs in four days’ time, Michelle take them aboard her spaceship and help them negotiate Earth’s survival with the alien leaders.

There’s a lot to like about Bugonia.  I relished the back-and-forth power games between Stone and Plemons’ respective characters as they each try to get the upper hand.  She can’t physically strike back (she’s tied up) but, if she plays along with his games and pretends to be an alien, could she gain his trust and her freedom?  The humour is incredibly dark but the best subplot in the film involves a local police officer, played by comedian Stavros Halkias (Tires), with a questionable past.  The arc he’s able to develop in just two scenes is brilliant.

The screenplay is somewhat contrived and while I enjoyed the visuals in the closing sequence, I wasn’t sold on the finale (I won’t spoil).  The more you think about it, the less sense if makes.  Further, we don’t develop a sufficiently thorough understanding of the protagonists.  Black-and-white flashbacks add flecks of backstory but, given their limited intelligence, why are the kidnappers so certain of their conspiracy theory-like views?  With regards to Michelle, we know little about the company or her leadership style except for a repetitive joke about what time staff can clock-off of an afternoon.        

Based on a 2003 South Korean film, Bugonia held my attention for the two-hour running time but it’s far from being Yorgos Lanthimos’s best work.

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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.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 October 2025

To be considered a truly great male musician… you need a movie made after you!  That’s not necessarily true but it feels that way given the recent abundance of biopics greenlit by Hollywood studios.  In the past decade, we’ve delved into the lives of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis Presley in Elvis, Elton John in Rocketman, Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love, Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, and a bunch of gifted rappers in Straight Outta Compton.

The next cab off the rank is Bruce Springsteen who has entrusted his story to writer-director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Black Mass).  Springsteen has released 21 studio albums, he’s won 20 Grammy Awards, he’s sold over 140 million records, and he’s performed live on thousands of occasions across the world including 44 times in Australia.  There’s too much to cover a single movie and so Cooper sagely keeps the focus narrow.  Drawing from a book authored by Warren Zanes, he scrutinizes the creation of his 6^th album, “Nebraska”, in 1982.

Sadly, the finished product is a disappointment.  It’s like someone swimming in a lake who is afraid what they might see if putting their head underwater.  Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere provides only a “surface level” look of the acclaimed artist, and there’s a surprisingly lack of drama and tension.  Depression was a big motivator for the album (nothing wrong with that) but we struggle to grasp why he’s so forlorn.  The film can’t find a way to take his tortured psyche and effectively visualise it on screen.

Staggered flashbacks from his childhood, headlined by his alcoholic father (Graham), are not woven together in a way which provides fulfilling insight.  An on-again, off-again romantic relationship with a single mum (Odessa), a fictional composite of several real-life people, amounts to nothing.  When Springsteen finally harnesses the courage to speak with a professional psychologist, the camera fades away.  Why not let us hear the conversation and understand what he’s bottled-up for so long?

The movie will still have fans.  Springsteen lovers should enjoy the title performance of Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) and the behind-the-scenes insight into how he created songs including “Born in the U.S.A”.  We also see his obsession with using non-studio technology in creating an album with a gritty, authentic feel.  This includes debates with his manager (Strong) and lead sound engineer (Hauser) who provide careful feedback but know Bruce always makes the final decision.  I need to ask though – why cast the amazing Tony Award winning actress Jane Houdyshell and use her as a glorified extra?

The music of Bruce Springsteen is powerful, memorable and iconic.  Regrettably, the same adjectives cannot be used to describe this movie.  A wasted opportunity.

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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.

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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.