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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 June 2025

Pixar’s latest hits hard from the outset.  This isn’t an animated feature about cute talking animals going on goofy misadventures.  The opening scene introduces us to Elio (Kibreab), an 11-year-old who has recently moved in with his Aunt Olga (Saldaña) following the tragic death of his mum and dad in a car crash.  It’s an intensely painful event for both with the preteen Elio retreating into his “shell” and struggling emotionally, while the kind-hearted Olga puts her career ambitions on hold (she wants to be astronaut) to raise her nephew.

A trip to an air and space museum lifts Elio’s spirits in a quirky, unusual way.  He becomes fascinated by extraterrestrial life!  So much so that, unhappy with life on Earth, he sends a message into the cosmos asking aliens to abduct him.  His wish comes true when an intergalactic spaceship beams him up, mistakes him as Earth’s leader, and then has him lead a complex negotiation against the insecure warmonger Lord Grigon (Garrett) who seeks control of the universe.  It provides a coming-of-age awakening for Elio who makes new friends but, in the process, learns life isn’t easy no matter what planet you’re from.

As always, it’s nice to engage with an animated movie which isn’t a sequel, spin-off or remake.  Elio tackles an array of themes including trauma, loneliness, sacrifice, courage, friendship and family.  I don’t think every subplot works (some are rushed) but kids of different ages will find an “in point” to connect with these characters.  Mature children will tap into the film’s heavier, emotional material.  Those younger can still have fun with the vibrant aliens and the four-eyed villain, distinctively voiced by Emmy winner Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond).

It’s unusual to see three directors credited with a film’s creation.  Adrian Molina, a co-writer of 2017’s Coco, kickstarted the project but stepped away partway through to work on a Coco sequel.  The reins were then handed to Domee Shi (Turning Red) and first-time feature director Madeline Sharafian to see Elio through to completion.  They’ve done a nice job bring the aliens to life – from Remy Edgerly as a playful worm through to Scottish actress Shirley Henderson as a tiny, blob-like supercomputer.  The use of colour and light also stands out.

It’s not “top shelf” Pixar but Elio is an amiable outing to occupy the kids over the winter school holidays.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 June 2025

Was this screenplay created using artificial intelligence?  Karate Kid: Legends is as clichéd and cheesy as anything we have seen all year.  It’s centred on Li Fong (Wang), an English-speaking teenager who, after his mother accepts a new job, has moved from his home in Beijing to the hustle and bustle of New York City.  Li loves kung fu but, after his older brother was tragically killed in a fight-gone-wrong, mum has laid down the law and said he cannot fight under any circumstances.

That changes when Li walks into a neighbourhood pizza shop and befriends the owner, Victor (Jackson), and his hardworking daughter, Mia (Stanley).  The 40-something-year-old Victor owes money to violent goons (times are tough in the pizza industry) and so, as a former boxer, he decides to get back in the ring and win the cash needed to save his business.  He weirdly asks the inexperienced Li to help him train for the one-off fight.

This gets Li’s own competitive juices flowing and so he enters something – an annual kung fu tournament with a winner-takes-all cash prize of $50,000 (yet the number of entrants is bizarrely low).  Li’s skills are underwhelming, to say the least, and so he enlists the services of his great uncle (Chan) and the veteran Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) as part of his own preparation.  Despite their age, they magically teach him everything within a week… and it’s off to the tournament we go!  Oh, and did I mention that Li has fallen in love with Mia and will have to fight her ex-boyfriend at the competition?

The rushed nature to several subplots makes the script even worse and yet, the film is (kind of) redeemed by a fun lead performance from newcomer Ben Wang (American Born Chinese).  He infuses Li with likeable charm and hence, he becomes an easy character to applaud in his quest to find love and success.  Saving the best scene for last, a kung fu clash at sunset atop a Manhattan high rise, also works in the movie’s favour.

If you are wondering where this fits into the Karate Kid universe, it serves as a follow-on to the successful television series Cobra Kai, running from 2018 to 2025, which itself was a spin-off set three decades after the events of The Karate Kid which first premiered in 1984.  The original earned an Oscar nomination for star Pat Morita and while this new instalment will satisfy families looking for easy-to-digest entertainment, you will not be hearing its name at next year’s Oscars ceremony.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 June 2025

Walking into Materialists, I felt like a cartoon character who has an angel above one shoulder and a devil above the other.  The angel told me to think positively as it’s directed by Celine Song – the creator of Past Lives which earned an Oscar nomination for best picture and made by top 10 list in 2023.  The devil had me thinking negatively thanks to a fluffy trailer which gave the appearance of a cheesy, formulaic, unrealistic romantic comedy.

While it isn’t perfect, I’m happy to report the angel came out on top.  Song takes chances and the film is better for it.  It revolves around Lucy (Johnson), a thirty-something-year-old single woman who lives in Manhattan and earns roughly $80,000 a year working at a high-profile “matchmaking” business.  Clients pay a membership fee and in return, employees match them up with compatible suitors.  It may sound old fashioned, especially given the use of apps these days, but such businesses still exist and in fact, Song briefly worked for one early in her career.

There are many talking points to come from Materialists and one centres on the industry itself.  Lucy remarks that people tell her things they wouldn’t tell their own therapists… and it’s true.  She deals with a range of customers who will openly admit to being racist, ageist, vain and/or materialistic.  The way some ego-driven folk see themselves and what they want out of a relationship… yeah, it’s both laugh-out-loud funny and darkly scary.  What percentage of the actual population are represented in these characters?  I’d hate to know the answer.

Another differentiating quality is the “greyness” of Lucy.  She’s a not-always-likeable person who, at times, comes off like a slimy real estate agent who will say whatever is necessary to close a deal.  She’s not looking for love herself and, as evidenced in a “wedding crasher” scene, we learn she is quite jaded and cynical when it comes to lifelong devotion.

Yet, in true rom-com fashion, the film introduces two men trying to win her affections.  They’re as different as chalk and cheese with Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) playing a penthouse-owning, millionaire venture capitalist while Chris Evans (Captain America) plays a handsome but dirt-broke actor she dated several years ago.  Instead of wondering who she’ll choose, audiences might instead ask the question of whether she deserves either of them.

Song makes a few missteps.  There are unnecessary elements such as a caveman tale, which bookends the film, and Lucy’s odd redemptive arc with a client relationship gone wrong.  They don’t fit very well.  Still, I enjoyed the intelligent, well-crafted dialogue where characters open-up and talk about love in a transactional manner.  It’s weird but also witty and thought-provoking.  Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner seems to always have the camera in the perfect place and the use of continuous takes gives certain conversations more weight.

Further bolstered by the quality performances of the three leads, Materialists is a romantic comedy for those who are a little sceptical of romantic comedies.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 June 2025

Described as the “First Lady of the American theatre”, the fictitious Lillian Hall (Lange) is one of the all-time greats.  She’s performed in 206 plays across 49 years, she’s won countless awards, and she’s recognised by the public when walking the streets of New York City.  Her latest production is in a revival of Anton Chevkov’s The Cherry Orchard.  Under the guidance of young director David Flemming (Williams), the cast and crew are in full rehearsal mode as they prepare to open in front of sold-out crowds.

The premise makes for an interesting character study.  Hall has become the central figure of a universe that everyone else revolves around.  She’s a diva who likes her ego stroked but, at the same time, she’s a somewhat private woman who likes maintaining an aura of mysteriousness.  She’s become so accustomed to being a revered celebrity that it’s almost impossible to discern who is the “real” Lillian Hall as opposed to the person who charms audiences and the media.

We watch as several people interact with Hall and try to see through her tough exterior.  Her grown daughter (Rabe) wants to spend more time with her mother, sometimes for questionable reasons, but Hall is more devoted to work than family.  Her long-time assistant (Bates) has become a close confidante but the line between friend and employee is blurry.  The young director of the current show (Williams) struggles to critique his leading actress given her experience vastly exceeds his own.

The film’s dramatic elements are elevated when, after flubbing a few lines, Hall sees a doctor and is diagnosed with a form of dementia.  Denial is her first instinct but once reality kicks in, she must confront an uncertain future.  The artistic endeavour that has brought fame and fortune is about to ripped away in a cruel manner.  The most pressing short-term issue is The Cherry Orchard itself.  Can Hall find a way to get through the current show and “go out on top” without risking her reputation?

A few plot points are superfluous (like Pierce Brosnan as her chatty next-door neighbour) but The Great Lillian Hall draws you in thanks to a great lead performance from Oscar winner Jessica Lange (Blue Sky) who captures the many facets of a complex character.  Kathy Bates (Misery) blends comedy and tragedy in a Kathy Bates-type role, while Cindy Hogan (American Underdog) steals every scene as a no-nonsense producer who realises the show is in strife.

80-year-old director Michael Cristofer, who has a long history as an actor and playwright in the theatre, keeps the film moving at a brisk pace by weaving “making of” interviews within the material.  Cristofer understands the subject and it’s another reason why The Great Lillian Hall is an engaging watch.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 June 2025

On 20 June 1975, almost 50 years to the day, Jaws was first released on over 400 screens in the United States.  It propelled the career of a young Steven Spielberg, it became the highest grossing movie of the year, and it intensified our fear of sharks.  A new generation of filmmakers have since put their own spin on this niche genre, sometimes dramatic and sometimes comedic, but no other shark film has achieved such a cultural breakthrough.

The latest director to “dip his toes in the water” is Australian Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones) with Dangerous Animals, shot here on the Gold Coast.  Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) stars as Tucker, a scruffy boat operator who runs a small shark cage diving business for tourists.  I’m reminded of the Latin phrase “caveat emptor” or, in English, “let the buyer beware”.  Customers should be reading Google reviews because Tucker is not someone you want to deal with.

Put simply, he’s a psychopath.  He kidnaps young people, often loners and backpackers, and dangles them from a crane at the back of his boat.  He adds a splash of blood in the water and then waits for hungry sharks to sink their sharp teeth into fresh meat.  It gets worse.  Tucker films the killings with an old VHS camcorder and unemotively rewatches the tapes while sitting inside his cabin eating breakfast.  You’d think cops might have caught on at some point but meh, it’s a minor plot quibble.

Tucker’s latest target is Zephyr (Harrison), an American on holidays in Australia to enjoy our wonderful surfing conditions.  She wakes up to find herself handcuffed to a metal bedframe in the boat’s hull and once the reality of situation sets in, Zephyr knows she has only has 24 hours to outsmart Tucker and escape.  Someone with a role to play is Moses (Heuston), a young, inquisitive Aussie she had a romantic fling with just prior to the abduction.

When the film is good, it’s very good.  First-time writer Nick Lepard has crafted a workable script filled with tense moments while Jai Courtney enhances the material with his unsettling performance.  You’ll be left wondering how Zephyr will extricate herself from life-threatening peril and you’ll feel the anxiety as she tries to keep her plans from the observant Tucker.  Coming in at a taught 98 minutes, the movie should also be praised for avoiding a long-winded set-up and getting straight to the suspense.

On the flipside, when the film is bad, yeah, it’s bad.  It’s laughable to see Zephyr and Moses having calm discussions, with a splash of romance, when realising they’re likely to die.  There are a few too many convenient plot points where a heroic character is seconds away from freedom but comes unstuck (one on a beach is particularly annoying).  Acknowledging the film was made on a shoestring budget, the visual effects and camera trickery are also too obvious.

Jaws playfully used the tagline “don’t go in the water” while Dangerous Animals flips that on its head by saying “you’re safter in the water.”  It’s an entertaining horror ride that reminds us that humans can be scarier than any shark.