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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 January 2026

A quick recap.  28 Days Later (2003) starred relative unknown Cillian Murphy as a man trying to survive in London after a lab-created virus turned humans into flesh-eating zombies.  28 Weeks Later (2007) saw the U.S. military get involved in creating “safe zones” within the United Kingdom but the deadly infections continued to spread.  28 Years Later (2025) centred on a group of Brits who had found refuge on a zombie-free island, but the focus shifted when a 12-year-old boy, Spike, jetted off to the mainland in search of a doctor who could help his sick mother.

There was an 18-year gap between the release of the last two movies but that isn’t the case here.  28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrives in cinemas just 7 months after its predecessor and based on chatter, there could be another film in the works soon.  It’s a strong franchise which continues to deliver.  It’s not afraid to take chances in terms of narrative with each film spinning off in a new direction with new themes.  The same applies to the production.  The crew push boundaries in creating gory action/horror sequences you won’t soon forget.  I’m surprised this film snuck through in Australia with just an MA rating!

The fresh protagonist at the core of The Bone Temple was introduced to us in the final scene of the last movie.  Capitalising on society’s destruction, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (O’Connell) is a middle-aged shyster who proclaims to be the son of Satan.  He’s duped a bunch of orphaned teenagers into believing his nonsense as they have no education, no books, or no internet to learn otherwise.  It’s one thing to believe in Satan… but another to act on his “preachings”.  They do so by travelling around the countryside and terrorising families in bloody, brutal fashion.

There are two returning characters who have a part to play in stopping Jimmy’s madness.  The first is Spike (Williams), a kind-hearted 12-year-old whose “coming of age” tale is anything but orthodox.  He is forcibly drawn into Jimmy’s posse and seeks a means of escaping.  The second is Dr Ian Kelson (Fiennes), a savvy doctor who has spent decades looking for a cure to the virus and, thanks to an experiment on a well-endowed zombie named Samson, may have finally made a breakthrough.

English director Danny Boyle stepped aside for this instalment and handed the reigns over American Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels).  It’s been a smooth transition with no diminution in terms of quality.  Returning screenwriter Alex Garland does a terrific job blending several genres together.  There’s violence (a family being abducted), heart (Ian’s friendship with Samson), comedy (a musical dance number), and political themes (misinformation).  The strong performances deserve a shout-out.  Jack O’Connell (Sinners) has successfully created a repulsive villain and is the pick of the bunch.

Bring on the next movie!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 January 2026

I read an interview with director Richard Linklater (Boyhood) where he said every filmmaker who’s been working the industry for a long time should consider making a movie about making a movie.  It’s because “every film is its own dramatic production.”  In this case, Linklater has avoided his own works and instead, recreated a behind-the-scenes dramatization of Breathless, a 1960 French film which marked the directorial debut of 29-year-old Jean-Luc Godard.  Art is subjective but many consider Breathless, which won best director at the Berlin Film Festival, as one of the most important films ever made.

When asked what I look for in a great movie, I often speak of originality.  That same view was held by many young people in France in the late 1950s and hence, the French New Wave era was born.  The likes of Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Jacques Rivette, in addition to many others, would make movies with tiny budgets, improvised dialogue, quirky narratives, long tracking shots, fragmented editing, natural light, impromptu locations, and handheld cameras.  They weren’t loved by everyone, but these films found an audience – they were wildly different and appealed to those looking for something fresh, bold and rebellious.

Nouvelle Vague is not intended to be an intricate, fact-heavy exploration of French New Wave cinema.  There’s plenty of online material, including documentaries, if that’s what you seek.  Like the style itself, Linklater’s film is more of a loose, observational piece that captures the “vibe” of the time.  Aside from Jean-Luc Goddard himself, played by a sunglass-wearing Guillaume Marbeck in his feature film acting debut, characters drift in and out of the story.  Shooting it in black and white further adds to its charm.

There’s laughs to be had as Godard, much to the annoyance of his producer, purposely zigzags his way through the 20 days of production.  Reminiscent of Ed Wood, it’s as if he has no care for quality and continuity.  He’s re-writing the script over a morning cigarette, he’s calling in sick unnecessarily, and he has little regard for crafts such as make-up and cinematography.  You’ll be wondering how the film became a critical and financial success and it’ll inspire many newcomers to watch Breathless for the first time.

With the dialogue largely in French, another first for Linklater, Nouvelle Vague won’t wow you with emotion but as a relaxed, fun, playful outing, it delivers in spades.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 January 2026

When Lupita Nyong’o won an Academy Award for her outstanding performance in 12 Years a Slave, she remarked that “so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s.”  It taps into the linkage between history and art.  A teenager named Patsey was enslaved, beaten and raped in the mid-19^th Century but, unlike many others, her story has not been forgotten thanks to a memoir authored by Solomon Northup.  The cinematic adaptation immortalises both women… but in different ways.  For Patsey, it visualises her heartbreaking tale and brings it to a wider audience.  For Nyong’o, it shows she is a gifted, versatile actor with a long career ahead.

A similar theme is at the heart of Hamnet.  Directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and drawing from a 2020 novel authored by Maggie O’Farrell, who helped adapt it for the screen, it tells us that William Shakespeare’s inspiration for Hamlet was the death of his 11-year-old son, Hamnet.  Losing a young child is an incredibly painful experience but there’s something cathartic in knowing the immeasurable grief led to the creation, in the opinion of some, as the greatest play ever written.  A brilliant piece of art could not have existed without a tragic piece of history.  Or so we imagine…

It’s important to note this is a piece of fiction.  Little is known about the day-to-day life of William Shakespeare and even less is known about his wife, Anne, and their three children.  Hamnet did die in 1596, likely of the plague, but no one can say with certainty how the family reacted.  O’Farrell therefore leans into the Mark Twain adage “write what you know” – not for herself but rather, an assumption as to how Shakespeare crafted his own plays and poems.  She’s pulled small details from the Bard’s famous characters and used them to create narrative.

Shakespeare is the name we know but he’s relegated to supporting actor status in Hamnet.  Portrayed by Paul Mescal (Aftersun), he spends much of the movie offscreen – living in London, accumulating wealth, and finding fame.  The camera’s lens is more interested in Anne, played by Irish actress Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), who manages the house and kids in her husband’s absence.  She’s not fully happy with the situation, but she recognises William’s brilliance and doesn’t want to hold him back.

It’ll feature prominently at this year’s Oscars but, given the hype, I was a touch underwhelmed by Chloé Zhao’s latest.  The opening act introduces wider family connections, which add interesting conflict, but these characters become less relevant as the film progresses.  The middle act has been described as “grief porn” and yeah, I know I’ll sound heartless, but it’s tedious in places.  I understood Anne’s suffering, thanks to Buckley’s passionate performance, but the screenplay spends too much time showing the personal sorrow as opposed to exploring other elements – such as interactions with her other two children.

The finale is worth it though.  Bolstered by the cinematography of Łukasz Żal (The Zone of Interest), the music of Max Richter (Waltz with Bashir), and the production design of Australian Fiona Crombie (The Favourite), Zhao delivers a stirring climax which takes place at the Globe Theatre in London.  Tears will be shed, at least based on the reaction of those around me at its Brisbane premiere, and the emotional reactions of the two leads leave you with something to reflect upon.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 December 2025

Seriously Red was one of my favourite Australian movies of 2022 in that it focused on the interesting lives of music impersonators.  The characters were fictitious, but the industry is real.  It’s arguably more eye-opening than a biopic about a famous musician, such as the recent Bruce Springsteen film, because these folk aren’t known celebrities.  We’re following people who could never generate fame and fortune from their own work and so they mimic the talents of others.  It allows them to scratch their own burning artistic itch while, hopefully, putting a smile on audiences’ faces.

Song Sung Blue explores the same world but with a more commercial scope.  It’s got star power with Oscar nominees Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) and Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), it has a $30 million budget, and it’s set in the United States.  Most importantly, it’s based on a true story, and this adds a layer of credibility.  It’s also a relief because there are parts I would have otherwise dismissed as cheesy nonsense – such as a scene involving Eddie Vedder!  A few details have been changed to make the narrative fit a 2-hour running time but the more I read about the real-life individuals, the more I realise their essence has been nicely captured by writer-director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow).

It was in 1987 that Mike Sardina (Jackman) and Claire Stingl (Hudson) met for the first time.  They both loved performing on stage but realised they were never going to succeed with their own songs.  Hence, they created a tribute band called “Lightning and Thunder” with Mike imitating/interpreting the iconic Neil Diamond and Claire channelling the late country-pop singer Patsy Cline.  They didn’t set world on fire, nor did it bring them significant wealth, but it made them happy.  They developed a small, passionate fan base in Wisconsin and across their two decades together, there were some fun highs… and a few dark lows.

I’ve said it countless times, but I like seeing good things happen to good people.  The script deserves credit but the cast, from the leads through to the supporting players, do a stellar job in portraying them as “good people”.  Yes, there’s drama and tragedy, but the film wisely avoids including a formulaic villain (such as a dodgy manager or enabling drug dealer).  They’re likeable characters and you want them to succeed.

The Pearl Jam concert was the film’s highlight for me – a beautiful, stirring moment where Mike and Claire reach the top of the mountain after much adversity.  The camera lens zooms in on friends and family members in the audience, and their joyous reactions adds to the emotional impact.  I also enjoyed the injection of humour as evidenced by Mike’s desire to open his shows with the lesser-known song “Soolaiman” as opposed to the over-played “Sweet Caroline.”

Likely to generate fresh interest in the music of Neil Diamond, Song Sung Blue is story I’m glad has been brought to the big screen.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 January 2026

I visited New York City in July 2022 and had the chance catch three shows on Broadway – A Strange Loop, which has just won the Tony Award for best musical, The Music Man, a revival to showcase the talents of Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, and MJ the Musical, a work celebrating Michael Jackson with a stellar lead turn from Myles Frost.  There was one show I wanted to see but ran out of time.  Created in the UK in 2017, Six finally made it official debut in New York four years later and, thanks to its healthy box-office, it’s still showing there today.

A movie version will never be as good as a live stage show but I’m glad to have finally engaged with the material through this film.  It’s not an adaptation but rather, director Liz Clare, has used an array of cameras to film a performance of the musical which took place at the Vaudeville Theatre in London in June 2022.  You couldn’t ask for a more experienced cast.  The women who dazzled audiences with the show’s debut on West End are the same women you’ll see on screen.

Clocking in at a relatively short 90 minutes, Six: The Musical Live! concerns itself with the wives of King Henry VIII who were married to him for various periods between his coronation in 1509 through to his death in 1547.  The opening song introduces us to the six women, and we get a brief glimpse of their personality and their fate.  For example, two were brutally beheaded.  From there, each gets their moment in the spotlight with a unique song delving into their time with the King of England.

It’s hard to separate the show from the movie in creating this review.  As a newbie to the material, I found it to be a simple, entertaining romp with a charismatic cast.  I’d probably say the same thing if watching it live in West End or on Broadway.  It’s not emotional and I don’t think the songs are hugely memorable (maybe I need to see it again) but it’s a cool way of providing a history lesson while also reflecting on Henry VIII’s legacy.  It’s like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton except with a lighter tone and a less complex premise.

Giving my energy levels a much-needed jolt, Six: The Musical Live! was good fun!