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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 February 2025

Filmmakers often use their own experiences as part of the “creative process” and that applies to Presence, as unusual as it sounds.  Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) had a home in Los Angeles where a few mysterious things took place.  This included a house sitter seeing someone walk from the bathroom to the bedroom despite being alone.  After a quick internet search, Soderbergh learned a woman had died in the master bedroom several years earlier under suspicious circumstances.

Movies about ghosts and the supernatural aren’t new but, working with screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park), Soderbergh finds a fresh angle with Presence.  For starters, this tale is told entirely from the perspective of the ghost!  A family of four have moved into a two-story residence and the spirit follows them from room-to-room.  It’s voyeuristic with its approach – it’s never seen but it watches the daily conversations and interactions between mum, dad, son and daughter.  We never leave the house.

Soderbergh creates further points of difference with his direction.  He himself held the lightweight Sony camera as it smoothly hovered above/around the characters.  Each individual scene was shot with no edits and so just a single camera was required.  It helps explain why the film could be made on a budget of just $2 million USD.  It brings back memories of what Soderbergh did with Unsane, a 2018 release shot entirely on an iPhone 7 with an even smaller budget.

A narrative is required and it’s similarly interesting.  While the family members squabble over differing views on the world, the daughter (Liang) senses a “presence” in the home.  She can’t see it but a growing number of unexplained events, like a door being opened, have her asking questions.  The rest of the household soon buys into her views (they see stuff too) and a spiritual medium is brought in for advice.

With a running time of just 85 minutes, Presence is stylish and intriguing.  It’s also the kind of movie you can watch and appreciate a second time, with a completely different mindset, knowing how it will end.  The cast is headlined by Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) and Chris Sullivan (This is Us).  They’re great but it’s the two youngers, Callina Liang and Eddy Maday, who get the “meatier” part of the screenplay and impress most.

If keen on a quality supernatural thriller, add Presence to your viewing list.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 January 2025

A Complete Unknown has become the big over-performer this awards season.  Pundits were iffy on its chances a few months ago but it’s been nominated for the top prize by the three major industry bodies – the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild, and the Producers Guild.  It also picked up 6 BAFTA nominations (including best film) and is likely to be honoured further when the Academy Awards nominations are unveiled later this week.

Music biopics tend to follow a predictable path but director James Mangold, no stranger to the topic having made Walk the Line two decades ago, has done enough to make this different.  This isn’t the kind of movie where Bob Dylan’s achievements are ticked off like a shopping list.  Rather, it looks only at the start of his career (1961 to 1965) and is focused more on who he was as opposed to what he did.  There are a lot of songs (you could almost call this a musical) and its through Dylan’s own lyrics that we understand his personality and perspective on the world.

I’ve been in the Timothée Chalamet fan club since his Oscar-nominated, breakout performance in 2017’s Call Me by Your Name.  Refusing to be typecast, he’s since proven himself across a range of genres including romance (Little Women), historical drama (The King), action (Dune), horror (Bones and All), comedy (The French Dispatch), and family (Wonka).  It’s a resume any actor would be proud of.

A Complete Unknown is another fresh challenge in that he’s playing a well-known, real-life person for the first time.  Chalamet does a brilliant job is capturing Dylan’s essence without slipping into caricature.  His singing is particularly impressive!  You can feel the emotion (tingle down your spine stuff) as his character goes on stage and reels the audience in with his charm and lyrics.  Part of the credit goes to vocal coach Eric Vetro, who worked with Austin Butler on Elvis, in helping shape Chalamet’s voice.

The three main supporting players are Elle Fanning (Maleficent) as his on-again-off-against girlfriend Sylvie Russo, Edward Norton (Primal Fear) as folk music mentor Pete Seeger, and Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) as performing partner Joan Baez.  It’s hard to pick a favourite (they’re all great) but Norton was the slightly standout for me.  I enjoyed the interplay between he and Chalamet as the power dynamic between Dylan and Seeger shifts over time.

Finishing on a humorous note at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, A Complete Unknown is a fitting tribute to a music icon.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 January 2025

I’ll often find myself thinking about how much plot to reveal in writing a review.  I don’t want to spoil the experience for viewers but at the same time, many want an understanding of what a film is about before buying a ticket.  It’s also hard to critique certain elements, particularly the script, without delving into specifics.  My general rule is that anything revealed in the trailer or the film’s opening act is “fair game.”

Companion is a tricky one, however.  It’s a wild romantic horror-thriller (can I call that genre?) that gets a thumbs up from me… but the less you know about it, the better.  The trailer itself gives very little away.  You may develop a hunch about a few plot twists but, if reactions at my preview screening are anything to go by, you won’t see everything coming.  Kudos to writer-director Drew Hancock for depicting things in just the right way, from the visuals to the dialogue, to keep audiences on their toes.

I should provide a scant overview and so, on that note, Companion is about three couples spending a few days in a beautiful, secluded home in the middle of nowhere.  They’ll swim in the lake, eat great food, enjoy a glass of wine (or two), and engage in spirited conversation.  The central pair are Josh (Quaid) and Iris (Thatcher) who have been dating for a short while.  The other two couples are Josh’s friends and Iris is a touch apprehensive about how she’ll be perceived and whether she’ll fit in.

With a running time of just 97 minutes, Companion is both amusing and creepy (give it a miss if you’re squeamish).  The editing team of Brett W. Bachman (Pig) and Josh Ethier (Orphan: First Kill) do a great job in maintaining a fast pace and I loved the abrupt cutting between key scenes (a bedroom “climax” is hilarious).  The performances are also very good.  The darkly comedic banter between the sextet is fun to listen to.

I wasn’t sold on every character’s actions, and I believe there are a few inconsistencies / plot holes when getting into the minutia.  For the most part though, Companion is an entertaining ride and if you’re someone who likes quality post-film chat with friends, there’s ample to talk about!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 January 2025

When it comes to 3 ½ hour epic period piece movies worthy of multiple Oscar nominations, Martin Scorsese (The Irishman, Killers of the Flower Moon) has cornered the market.  Until now.  Director Brady Corbet, who got into the industry as a child actor in the early 2000s, has wowed festival audiences with The Brutalist and it’s currently a serious contender for several Academy Awards including best picture (where it’ll be the 3rd longest nominee in history).

Corbet, working with co-writer Mona Fastvold (director of The World to Come), has split his creation into two distinct chapters with a 15-minute intermission for the film’s cinema release.  It’s a fun, old-school novelty and when I caught this at the Brisbane International Film Festival back in October 2024, there was a hurried rush for the exits at the midway mark as patrons sought bathrooms and the candy bar.  They’d return to a countdown clock informing them of the second half kick-off time.

The Brutalist is set in Philadelphia in the years following the conclusion of World War I.  László Tóth (Brody) is a Hungarian-Jewish architect who, on surviving the Holocaust, fled his home in a Budapest and moved to the United States.  He’s a sharp, well-educated man but as he’s looked down upon as an immigrant foreigner, the only work he can find is designing simple desks and chairs for his cousin’s (Nivola) small furniture store.  The scales seem heavily stacked against László in his pursuit of the “American Dream”.

His big break arrives when engaged to design and build a library for a wealthy businessman, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Pearce).  The project is celebrated (although not at first) and years later, Harrison ambitiously seeks to build a multi-purpose community centre to solidify his nice-guy image and philanthropic legacy.  László is brought in as architect who, with a few more dollars in the bank, now lives with his wife (Jones) and niece (Cassidy).  It sounds like a dream job but László still can’t shake the fact he’s seen as a second-class citizen to those who wield the power and control the purse strings.

The runtime may be a deterrent, but The Brutalist is one of the year’s best movies and worthy of the acclaim it has received since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last September.  Adrian Brody (The Pianist) is terrific in creating a multi-dimensional lead character who is both heroic and flawed.  There are times when he is unfairly treated and discriminated against but on the flip side, there are times when he’s his own worst enemy because of drug use and an inflexible disposition.  Guy Pearce (Memento) is equally impressive as the entrepreneur who is as charming as he is manipulative.

Filled with great conversations (loved the one between Brody and Pearce at a library launch party), the themes within The Brutalist are as relevant today as they’ve ever been.  So much of the first world has been built on the back of immigrant labour and yet it’s easily forgotten.  The film also has something to say about architecture, the way it is shaped by the time, and the legacy it leaves.  Here in Brisbane, many old Queenslander homes were built 100+ years ago and while their designers are long dead and forgotten, what they left behind still shape the culture and way-of-life in suburbs today.

With cinematography and music that elevate the material even further, The Brutalist is a powerful piece of cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 January 2025

Born in the United States to Greek parents, Maria Callas is considered one of the great opera singers of all time.  She rose to fame in the 1950s with unforgettable performances in Verdi’s La traviata, Bellini’s Norma, and Puccini’s Tosca.  Callas died in 1977 at the relatively young age of 53 but her voice will forever be heard thanks to recordings, both audio and video, which can be savoured online.

With films including Post Mortem and No (a favourite of mine), Chilean director Pablo Larraín built a strong resume in highlighting key events within his home country.  That’s shifted over the past decade and his attention has turned towards powerful, often misunderstood women from the Western world.  He has delved into the lives of Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie, Princess Diana in Spencer, and now Maria Callas in Maria.  Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart earned Oscar nominations for their performances but Angelina Jolie, a former winner herself for Girl, Interrupted, missed out.

English screenwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Peaky Blinders) has taken my preferred approach when it comes to biopics – focusing on a small chapter of someone’s life.  It provides ample time to dig deep (as opposed to the rush of squashing 50 years into 2 hours).  Interestingly though, he’s selected the final week of Callas’s life in September 1977 as she contemplates a comeback while battling serious health issues.  We do get a glimpse of her upbringing and achievements, but this is via fast-paced flashbacks.

The crux of Larraín’s movie is therefore centred around Callas’s interactions with two long-standing servants.  Her loyal butler, Ferruccio (Favino), is struggling himself with a dodgy back but he’s built a strong enough relationship with his employer that he’s not afraid to openly question some of her decisions.  Her caring housemaid, Bruna (Rohrwacher), is a little more subdued but she’s equally concerned about Callas’s physical and mental decline.  I enjoyed the subtle power games between the trio as they try to take the upper hand.

As surprising as it may sound, I enjoyed Maria more for its comedic playfulness than its historical drama.  Callas is portrayed as a good-natured person, but she also had a cheeky side who loved playing the “diva”.  From hiding pills throughout her bedroom, through to booking appointments at restaurants and hair salons, Callas made the most of her notoriety.  Jolie, in her first film role in three years, seems to have as much fun as the audience with her attention-seeking performance.

The laughs aren’t enough to compensate for the film’s shortcomings, and I still don’t think I have a clear picture of who Callas was.  A fair chunk of time is spent covering the weird relationship she had with Aristotle Onassis (Bilginer) but it’s unfulfilling.  Did we need the JFK cameo?  I was also unsure about the plot device in which Callas speaks with a young journalist (Smit-McPhee) and in doing so, creates a form of narration to help drive the story.

I enjoyed both Jackie and Spencer (worthy of an A-) but Maria is clearly the weakest in Pablo Larraín’s unorthodox trilogy.