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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 December 2024

Writer-director Barry Jenkins has made two of the finest films of the past decade – the best picture Oscar winning Moonlight, and the equally impressive If Beale Street Could Talk.  Did I think he’d end up working for Walt Disney Pictures making a CGI-heavy, animated prequel to The Lion King?  Yeah, nah.  It’s an unexpected choice for Jenkins but you can’t fault the decision.  As seen repeatedly, including last week with Margin Call’s J.C. Chandor directing Kraven the Hunter, filmmakers want to know if the grass is greener on the other side (and put “green” in their pocket as part of the process).

He’s responsible for one of the most mocked sequels of all time, Speed 2: Cruise Control, but writer Jeff Nathanson has redeemed himself with screenplays for movies including Catch Me If You Can, Rush Hour 2, and Tower Heist.  You can add Mufasa: The Lion King to his list of better works.  The film’s messages are a bit too “in your face” but it’s a simple tale of bravery which younger crowds, as the target audience, will find easy to follow.

It’s odd to open (instead of closing) the movie with a dedication to James Earl Jones, who passed away three months ago, but it’s a nice segway into the narrative.  It serves as an origin story for a character he made famous, Mufasa.  Jones distinctive voice brought the strong, powerful lion to life in the original The Lion King from 1994 and the subsequent remake in 2019.  For this prequel, the younger version of Mufasa is aptly voiced by 30-year-old English actor Aaron Pierre (Brother).  He’s up to the challenge.

The crux of the story is centred on a baby Mufasa separated from his parents in a bad storm (he’s swept downriver), being raised as an outsider by a different pack of lions, and then trying to find his way back to his home.  He is accompanied by his adoptive brother (Harrison Jr), a gifted lioness (Boone), and a wise mandrill (Rafiki).  Adventures like this need a villain and so it’s time to introduce Kiros, a power-hungry lion who will kill any creature not from his pride.  He’s skilfully voiced by Dane Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round), the broad-ranging actor who can create someone immensely liked… or universally loathed (as is the case in Mufasa).

There’s a “current day” subplot involving the well-known Simba (Glover), Mufasa’s son, but it’s minor and largely unnecessary.  It feels too obvious in its attempts to add comedy, and reprise the roles of Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner from the 2019 release.  The songs didn’t do much for me either.  The film is at its best when it’s a sweeping adventure – from the heroic lions opening up about their fears… through to the fight sequences illustrated in crisp, clear detail.  The visuals are excellent.

Looking to pull in a big box-office haul, Mufasa: The Lion King has a good chance of success.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 December 2024

He’s just 51-years-old (looking good for his age by the way) but it hasn’t stopped many approaching Pharrell Williams about adapting his life for the big screen.  It wasn’t until he met Academy Award winning documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) and talked through a unique idea that he felt comfortable with the approach.  Oh, and that idea?  A documentary put together entirely using Lego animation!

If you’re not musically inclined, Pharrell Williams is an American who’s Wikipedia occupations are listed as “musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur.”  Forbes estimates his net worth at $250 million and he’s won 13 Grammy Awards from 42 nominations.  He’s got two Oscar nominations (one as a songwriter, one as a producer), he’s currently the Men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, and he’s serving as co-chair for the 2025 Met Gala.  I know rich/successful people aren’t aways happy but from the outside looking in, life appears damn good for Pharrell.

I’m a touch cynical when it comes to documentaries like this.  Can the filmmakers be truly objective about the subject matter when he’s also a producer of the film?  It does come across as a glorified puff-piece with a major focus on Pharrell’s strengths, achievements, and collaborations with other famous artists.  The “toughest” it gets is when Pharrell concedes he made an album that, with the benefit of hindsight, he concedes was far from his best work.

There will be an audience for this and that’s largely admirers of the successful artist.  Much of what we learn in the movie can be read online but, in the same manner as other music/concert docos, long-time fans will soak it up and enjoy the visual celebration of his life and work.  I’ll say this though – I liked the Lego approach and it creates an interesting point of difference.  It also allows us to smoothly move between current day interviews and historical re-enactments without realising.

Offering insight from the likes of Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliott (amongst others), Piece by Piece won’t shake any foundations but it’s there to be enjoyed for people who want it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 December 2024

Different strokes for different folks but when it comes to animation, Wallace & Gromit is right up my alley.  The duration is short, the characters are cute, and the use of Claymation is brilliant.  Most importantly, as we saw with the Shaun the Sheep spin-offs, there’s something to be said (pardon the pun) about a character who doesn’t speak.  It doesn’t matter if you understand English or not – a character’s facial expressions and body language are often more interesting than dialogue itself.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the 6^th entry in the franchise.  The Oscar winning short The Wrong Trousers kicked things off in 1993 and it’s been followed by three other shorts and one full-length animated feature from 2005, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.  It might be worthwhile revisiting the original 29-minute short (currently streaming on Stan) as this new outing serves as a direct sequel which refers to previous plot points.

The film opens with the creative Wallace (Whitehead) continuing to invent semi-pointless household devices.  His latest contraption is Norbot (Shearsmith), a robotic gnome that performs chores in and around the home.  Wallace is chuffed with the creation but his loyal dog, Gromit, is less than impressed.  He’d rather tend to the backyard garden himself (he’s quite a green thumb) than have a one-size-fits-all robot do things for him.

The villain is a returning character from The Wrong Trousers.  The sneaky penguin Feathers McGraw has been incarcerated at the local zoo after attempting to steal a valuable diamond.  He hasn’t given up on his lofty, criminal ambitions and wants a second crack at the heist.  As part of his efforts, he also seeks revenge against Wallace, Gromit, and Chief Inspector Mackintosh (Kay) after they led to his capture the first time around.

With a run-time of just 79 minutes, Vengeance Most Fowl is easy-to-follow for kids with plenty of humour for adults.  Feathers McGraw doesn’t say a word and is built entirely from coloured clay… but he’s the equal of any James Bond baddie.  He’s such a fun character!  The interactions between Wallace and Gromit offer both laughs and heart.  They don’t always see eye-to-eye, but you sense the close connection which makes them best friends.

Receiving a short cinema release for the school holidays before screening on Netflix, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl may appear to be simple but it’s one of the best animated releases of the year.  The series keeps delivering!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 November 2024

The trailer for Heretic is both a help and a hindrance.  On one hand, it protects the film’s plot twists by not revealing any details from the second half.  On the other hand, it clearly spells out the opening act and so my patience grew thin while waiting for something interesting to happen.  If you’ve avoided the promotional material, it’s about two young women from the Church of Latter-Day Saints who, in trying to convert folk to their religion, arrive on the doorstep of a man in the middle of a pelting rain storm.

Romantic comedies made him a Hollywood star (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) but Hugh Grant has pivoted in recent years and now relishes the chance to play kookie, oddball villains.  The list includes Paddington 2, The Gentlemen, Operation Fortune: Ruse, De Guerre, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.  The trend continues with Heretic.  In welcoming Sisters Barnes (Thatcher) and Paxton (East) into his home, Grant mixes charm and creepiness in portraying a character whose motives are murky.

It soon becomes evident to the two women that this is no ordinary guy.  He starts out with naïve questions about their religion and then he quickly reveals himself to be super-educated about all the world’s religions.  The Sisters are on the backfoot as he’s doing most of the talking – pointing out the similarities between key religions and the contradictions that lie within their sacred texts.  None of it is particularly profound and, as if dragging out the film’s run time, he rambles and rambles.  Why use 100 words when you can use 1,000, right?

It’s not a bad idea for a movie but the execution is subpar.  The biggest frustration is the topsy-turvy nature to the characters and how they don’t stay true to themselves.  There are moments when they’re utterly clueless and others when they’re brilliantly calculating.  I didn’t buy it.  Nor did I believe the narrative surprises in the later stages (the more you think about them, the less sense they make).  The writer-director duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who authored A Quiet Place, know what they want the completed puzzle to look like… but not all the pieces fit.

Reviews have been mostly positive since the film’s world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and I’ll concede to being in the minority.  I assume most are seeing it as a simple, keep-you-guessing thriller but looking through my own lens, Heretic doesn’t live up to its hype and ambitions.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 December 2024

English author J.R.R. Tolkien penned four novels centred around a fictitious world he named “Middle Earth”.  All have been made into successful motion pictures.  The three Lord to the Rings movies won a combined 17 Academy Awards while the trio of Hobbit movies (one book padded out) made just shy of $3 billion USD at the global box-office.

In the same vein as the Star Wars franchise, the time has come for creatives to break away from the well-known narrative and find other stories to tell.  Tolkien included several appendices in his final novel, The Return of the King, and that’s provided the source material for this new animated tale, The War of the Rohirrim.  It’s set roughly 200 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings and while titbits of information are dropped connecting the two tales (it’s a bit clunky), this is largely a standalone adventure with new characters.

Three characters dominate the narrative.  Helm (Cox) is the long-time king of Rohan whose strength on the battlefield is balanced against his savvy diplomacy skills.  He’s well liked.  Héra (Wise) is only daughter while her mum died tragically in childbirth, she has developed into a tough, headstrong woman with a love for adventure and horseback riding.  Wulf (Pasqualino) is the heir to a rival tribe who seeks Héra’s hand in marriage and becomes infuriated when his forceful request is turned down.  It leads to the start of the war where many lives will be lost…

I’m not sure if they’re trying to pander to younger crowds but I’d call The War of the Rohirrim a simple story with not much nuance (even the violence is toned down).  Reminiscent of Merida in the 2012 Pixar film Brave, we’ve got a feisty heroine who isn’t bound by custom, and wants to forge her own independent path in a male-dominated landscape.  There’s a one-note, power-hungry villain who is driven solely out of a need for revenge.  Added a splash of colour and humour are an assortment of supporting players who provide Héra with assistance at opportune moments.  Character depth is lacking.

Still, I liked the anime-style approach and what 58-year-old Japanese director Kenji Kamiyama brings to the project with his decades of experience.  The animation is superb and I enjoyed the contrasts of certain scenes – two characters bloodily fighting on the battlefield… while the wind whistles and pristine white snow falls from above.  It’s the combination of both 2D and 3D animation and while I don’t profess to know the intricacies of the production values, I know the finished product looks damn good.

Opening the door for other spin-offs (animated or live-action), the box-office for The War of the Rohirrim will be a good litmus test in seeing how engaged audiences are in the Middle Earth universe.

You can read my chat with star Miranda Otto by clicking here.