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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 May 2025

In 1993, upcoming director Ang Lee made The Wedding Banquet, a Taiwanese comedy about a semi-closeted gay man living in New York City who orchestrates a sham marriage with a Chinese woman to appease his conservative parents.  The film grossed $7m USD in the United States, won the lucrative Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film.  It kickstarted the career of Lee who then made a slew of great movies of which, two won him the Oscar for best director – Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi.

For Californian-born filmmaker Andrew Ahn (Fire Island), The Wedding Banquet was the first gay-themed movie he ever watched.  It’s stuck with him ever since and it led him to this English-language “reimagining” of the material.  I wouldn’t call it a remake as many details have been changed to reflect today’s 21^st Century society but its intent is the same.  Blending comedy, drama and romance, this new adaptation is designed to provide entertainment while also shining the spotlight on gay and Asian cultures.

The film is centred on two couples who live together in Seattle.  Angela (Tran) is a long-term relationship with Lee (Gladstone) and the pair are trying to have a child together utilising in vitro fertilisation (IVF).  It’s an expensive procedure and with both struggling to stay on top of their personal finances, the process starts to take a strain on their relationship.  Adding to the tension is Angela’s reluctance about whether she’s ready to be a mum.

The other couple is Chris (Yang) and Min (Gi-chan).  Min is the wealthy heir of a lucrative Korean business empire, and having just finished his studies in the United States, his grandmother (Yuh-jung) wants him to return home and help run the company.  Min envisages a different life for himself and when an insecure Chris rejects his marriage proposal, he asks Angela for a “marriage of convenience” so that he can stay in the country and appease his family in Korea.  Grandma senses something is amiss and so she jumps on the first plane to the United States…

Not every joke works but The Wedding Banquet is still a fun ride.  77-year-old Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung, who won the supporting actress Oscar in 2021 for Minari, steals every scene as the inquisitive grandmother.  She’s the most “normal” person in the film – unafraid to ask curly questions while also being a kind-hearted confidante and a shoulder to cry on.  The lead characters are a touch too over exaggerated (borderline insane at times), but the four actors infuse them with distinctive, interesting personalities. 

If looking for an off-beat romantic comedy, The Wedding Banquet should do the job.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 April 2025

I was lukewarm on The Accountant, released in 2016, and so can is a rare example where the sequel is an improvement on the original.  It’s far from perfect but it’s a sufficiently engaging action-thriller that works because of interesting villains and the humorous interaction between lead actors Ben Affleck (Argo) and Jon Bernthal (The Wolf of Wall Street).

To bring newcomers up to speed, the original introduced us to Christian Wolff (Affleck), a shrewd, autistic accountant engaged by bad guys to launder money.  It turns out even villains need good advice on financial management and record keeping!  Wolff sounds like someone who belongs in prison, but he became the movie’s hero – violently slaying hitmen and sneakily leaking information to the government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

The Accountant 2 picks things up several years later.  Wolff has the same, socially awkward persona but his life is simpler.  He’s living alone, enjoying his campervan, and driving around the country.  He’s not looking for trouble, but to use a cliché, trouble has come looking for him.  U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Addai-Robinson) has sought Wolff’s services in trying to solve the brutal murder of a colleague.  They team up with Wolff’s reluctant brother (Bernthal) and uncover a plethora of nasty crimes and nasty people.

There’s enough to like here.  The contrast between Affleck as the telling-things-straight accountant and Bernthal as the keeping-things-chill hitman is a recipe for laughs and interesting conversations.  Cynthia Addai-Robinson is solid as the government official struggling to reconcile Wolff’s illegal acts (loved the guy in the trunk).  Daniella Pineda creates intrigue as a ruthless assassin whose motives are murky.  I was less convinced by a team of youngers providing hacking-support from a secretive base, but I enjoyed their cool technology (it’s a fun moment when they hack a random’s personal computer).

For action-lovers after physical fights and gun battles, the final half hour serves up what you’re looking for.  The scenes have been nicely shot and choreographed by American director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior).  It’s not groundbreaking stuff but, because we’ve grown to care about the characters, there’s tension as we worry about their fate.  The film’s mystery elements aren’t bad either.

I’m not sure the industry will be using this as a tool to recruit people into the profession but, as a Chartered Accountant myself, it’s nice to show the world we’re capable of almost anything!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 April 2025

If you think the current state of U.S. politics is a soap opera, wait until you see where things are at within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The last movie, Captain America: Brave New World, saw the President institutionalised after turning into giant red monster.  This time, the power-hungry director of the CIA, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Louis-Dreyfus), has been impeached by Congress for her involvement in O.X.E. Group, a secretive company engaged in illegal superhero-developing activities.

To ensure there’s no physical evidence which can be used against her, Fontaine enlists her cronies to destroy laboratories and torch evidence.  The last “loose ends” are a group of super-powered undercover agents she wants killed to ensure they don’t testify.  They include supporting characters we know from previous outings – Yelena Belova (Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt) and Antonia Dreykov (Kurylenko).  This eclectic crew become aware of Fontaine’s plan and if they have any chance of surviving, they must team up and fight back.

We’ve seen this formula utilised successfully by Marvel with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.  I’m referring to a group of chatty “misfits” uniting in pursuit of a common good.  Thunderbolts* (yes, there’s an asterisk in the title) lays this theme on thickly at times but I liked the exploration of their darker personalities.

As an example, Yelena is a lonely, depressed figure who is scarred by her traumatic upbringing and the recent death of her sister.  Fontaine’s description is apt in that the light within Yelena is “dim even by Eastern European standards.”  Mental health issues can be tricky to depict visually, particularly within the confines of a CGI-laden action movie, but Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Little Women) calls on her full emotional range and makes an impact.

I can’t reveal names but Thunderbolts* is also to be praised for the most interesting villain we’ve seen since Thanos in the Avengers flicks of 2018 and 2019.  The way they dispense of innocent civilians is chilling (loved the simple, thudding sound effect) and the depiction of their mindset has a warped, Being John Malkovich-type quality.  Thumbs up to American director Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank) for not going overboard on action and maintaining the film’s humanity.  The comedic elements are well timed, but I did tire of Red Guardian’s (Harbour) continually jokey nature.

Closing out Phase Five, Thunderbolts* is one of the better entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to its script and performances.  As always, stay for the full closing credits!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 April 2025

Warfare has many great qualities but, above all else, it’s to be admired for its simplicity.  Shot in real-time, it depicts a 90-minute confrontation on 19 November 2006 between U.S. Navy SEALS and al-Qaeda insurgents in the city of Ramadi.  There’s no background to the characters, no footage of mission control, no information about the Iraq War, and no cliched scenes of soldiers showing photos of their loved ones.

After a memorable opening scene (love the random song choice), we get to the crux of the movie. Navy SEALS have infiltrated the home of an Iraqi family and intend to use it as a surveillance base, but they are soon discovered by locals and come under heavy fire.  Two soldiers are severely injured and the focus of the team is on finding a means of escape, which won’t be easy given insurgents are targeting them from all sides, and ensuring every SEAL makes it out alive.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more different duo than the filmmaking team of Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza.  Garland has been in the business for over two decades.  He started as a novelist (The Beach), transitioned into screenwriting (28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go), and then became a director (Ex Machina, Civil War).  Mendoza has never made a movie before, but he does bring rather important IP to the project.  He was one of the Navy SEALS who fought in the actual battle!

What they’ve achieved together is impressive.  Mendoza understands war, Garland understands cinema, and they’ve teamed up to create a gritty, powerful war flick.  Mendoza worked closely with the actors, who went through a rigorous boot camp prior to the shoot, to recreate events as precisely as possible.  He wanted this to be authentic.  Garland makes great use of close-up cinematography and sounds (sometimes intense, sometimes muffled) to have us feel like we’re beside the characters as they try to stay calm in an increasingly fraught situation.

Further, I can’t think of another movie in recent memory where a soldier’s injuries have been covered in such detail.  When a gravely wounded SEAL is screaming relentlessly for several minutes, and you see blood and fluid oozing from open wounds… yeah, that’ll have an impact on audiences.  Deep breaths will be required.  I’d argue it’s more gruesome than the average horror film.

Void of politics, Warfare provides a reminder of the risks military folks face, regardless of who they’re fighting for, and the courage required when missions go bad.  A movie you will not soon forget.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 April 2025

It’s hard to make a great film.  It’s even harder to make a successful one.  In a world where box-office is still below pre-pandemic levels and Hollywood blockbusters take a large chunk of cinema screens, it’s difficult for a low-budget independent film to get publicity and weave its way into the hearts of audiences.  As an example, The Correspondent is a terrific Aussie drama and yet, in its first weekend of release here, it made just 4% of that compared to A Minecraft Movie (in its third week).

The New Zealand-made Tinā is worth your attention as a feel-good flick but it’s also to be celebrated for breaking through commercially.  Released in late February 2025, it has generated $5 million in local ticket sales and is now the 6^th highest grossing Kiwi film in history.  For those interested, the five films ahead of it are Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Boy, The World’s Fastest Indian, Once Were Warriors, and Whale Rider.  Good company if you ask me!

Tinā is the tale of a Mareta Percival (Polataivao), a Samoan New Zealand woman who has accepted the role as a substitute teacher at a posh religious school.  Her colourful attire and progressive views create tension with the school board, but she soon becomes popular with a group of students in need in support.  Mareta brings them together and, much to the chagrin of the sabotaging Deputy Headmaster (Irvine), she starts a school choir to help them find their voice, physically and metaphorically.

The film is reminiscent of Mr. Holland’s Opus, Music of the Heart and School of Rock as it’s about a teacher’s efforts to instil a love of music in their students.  I realise this film has been immensely popular, but it uses too many cliches for my liking.  There’s zero nuance when it comes to the Deputy Headmaster and sports coach who are almost cartoonish with their over-the-top villainy.  Then you’ve got characters like the budding star of the rugby side (O’Meagher) who turns his back on the sport because he suddenly wants to sing instead.

That said, the film works is because of the wonderful lead performance of star Anapela Polataivao.  She’s created a fun, feisty leading character who we fall in love with because of past tragedies in her life, and how she’s prepared to stand up against the school’s bigwigs.  Mareta is not a perfect person though and writer-director Miki Magasiva spices up the script by showing how self-pity sometimes works against her.

Not afraid to push darker elements, Tinā is a likeable film that celebrates Samoan culture, puts a smile on your face, and showcases beautiful choir voices.