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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 December 2018

If you’ve seen a movie from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, you’re likely to have remembered it.  Dogtooth was the tale of two parents who had raised their children in a locked compound and kept them “safe” from the outside world.  The Lobster was set in a dystopian world where adults who don’t fall in love are turned into the animal of their choosing.  The Killing of a Sacred Deer was about a surgeon stalked by a creepy teenager.  My simple plot descriptions mask the dark, complex undertones that will shock and surprise first-time viewers.

The Favourite marks a departure for Lanthimos in that it’s the first time he hasn’t directed his own screenplay.  That credit belongs to two writers who never actually worked together.  British historian Deborah Davis came up with a first draft back in 1998 after attending night school classes to help learn the art of screenwriting.  When Lanthimos became attacked to the project in 2010, he gave the script to Australian Tony McNamara (The Rage in Placid Lake) and asked him to transform it into a “different kind of period movie”.  Based on the offbeat tone, sexual references, and number of “c-bombs”, it’s clear that McNamara has delivered on that vision.

There’s a lot to admire about The Favourite but the most riveting element is the interplay between the three leading characters.  Set in 1708, Queen Anne (Coleman) sits on the British throne and lays down the laws of the land.  She’s such a multifaceted person.  Anne is an incompetent leader with a short attention span, deteriorating health, and a limited knowledge of world issues.  She’s not naïve though.  She relishes her control and takes great delight in wielding it.  On one hand, she can humorously hurl insults without ramification but on the other hand, she can show a softer side and use her authority to shape her country for the better.

For many years, Anne has been guided by the words and wisdom of Sarah Churchill (Weisz), the Duchess of Marlborough.  She’s also a fascinating character in that you’re never quite sure how much she’s driven by love and how much she’s driven by power.  There’s a key subplot involving a respected politician (Hoult) who seeks an appointment with the Queen to protest proposed tax hikes.  Sarah prevents the meeting from taking place but is her rationale to protect the insecure, vulnerable Queen or because she is more interested in pushing her own political agenda?

Sarah’s comfortable spot inside the Queen’s household is upended by the arrival of Abigail Hill (Stone), her young, poor cousin who seeks employment.  The book smart Abigail starts out as a lowly scullery maid but it’s not long before she’s using a few tricks and a few fingers to gain the Queen’s attention and trust.  What follows is a dangerous game with both Sarah and Abigail tossing their morals aside (assuming they had them in the first place) in pursuit of the power and status that comes with being Queen Anne’s “favourite”.

Based on actual events, The Favourite is a rich, dark comedy filled with great one-liners and unexpected twists.  From the Queen’s bipolar nature to Sarah’s tell-it-like-it-is persona (“you look like a badger”), there’s so much room for humour.  The eyebrow-raising sex scenes only add to the laughs as exemplified by a bedroom scene involving Abigail and her new husband (Alwyn).  It’s very much the opposite of a Jane Austen period piece.

Lanthimos adds further spice to the material by using a mix of classical and modern-day composers to create an unsettling, violin-laden music score.  Cinematographer Robbie Ryan (I, Daniel Blake) also impresses with the use of unconventional camera movements and wide lenses.  All of that said, it’s the performances that are likely to resonate most strongly with audiences.  Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are at their very best and all three are on track to earn Academy Award nominations next month.  Deservedly so.

You can read by interview with Australian screenwriter Tony McNamara by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 December 2018

It’s a narrative that we’ve seen in Hollywood many times – a famous comedic actor makes the transition into drama and impresses both critics and wider audiences.  Think Adam Sander in Punch Drunk Love, Steve Carell in Foxcatcher, Jim Carrey in The Truman Show and Bill Murray in Lost in Translation.  Melissa McCarthy becomes the latest member of that growing group with her lead performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and if you believe the Oscar pundits, an Academy Award nomination awaits.

Set in 1990s New York, McCarthy takes on the role of Lee Israel, a gifted but struggling writer.  She had one success many years ago but the royalties have dried up and now, she can barely meet the rental payments on her small, dingy Manhattan apartment.  Her editor (Curtin) suggests she start writing more commercial stuff but the strong-willed Lee is intent on pursuing her niche projects (such a biography about Fanny Brice) and not “selling out” like fellow writer Tom Clancy.

Melissa McCarthy deserves praise for creating a rich, complex, interesting character.  As we see from her interaction with others, there’s a side to Lee where she’s rude, disrespectful and mean-spirited.  When friends try to offer help or constructive criticism, Lee throws up her defence mechanisms and is quick to push them away.  It’s a major part of the reason she lives alone and rarely socialises.  This is best illustrated in an amusing scene at a writer’s party hosted by her editor.

She may sound like a simplistic grouch but Lee is anything but.  The screenplay from Nicole Holofcener (Friends with Money) and Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) looks beyond her prickly persona and shows a softer side that yearns for warmth and attention.  Lee has a deep-seeded desire to love but in the absence of a meaningful human relationship, she pours her affections into her passive cat.  There are fleeting moments where Lee comes out of her shell (such as a date with a bookshop owner) but her self-sabotaging nature usually destroys the chance of something profound.

It’s important to note that Lee Israel is not a fictional character.  Can You Ever Forgive Me? is based on her autobiographic novel and it’s for this reason that the film’s second layer is both fascinating and concerning.  Desperate for money, Lee starting forging personal letters from deceased authors such as Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman and Noël Coward and then sold them to wealthy literature lovers.  It’s clear she felt more pride than guilt in perpetuating the fraud.  Her techniques (involving multiple old typewriters) and intricate research provided both inner satisfaction and rent money.

The only person in on the sham was Jack Hock (Grant), a rare friend with whom Lee shared a common love for writing, alcohol and negativity.  There’s so much to enjoy about this film from director Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) but the interaction between Lee and the chatty, equally complex Jack is perhaps its strongest element.  Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I) can dust off his tuxedo because it’ll be needed at a few awards shows over the coming months.  It’s a career-defining performance.

Audiences are likely form different opinions about Lee Israel but hopefully they can all agree that this is one of the year’s best films.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 December 2018

He’s one of the most popular superheroes to be created by Marvel and over the past 16 years, we’ve had 6 films dedicated to the adventures of Spider-Man with 3 different actors stepping into his skin-tight suit – Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland.  If you think that’s heavy, wait until you see what’s in store over the next few years.

For starters, we haven’t seen the last of Tom Holland who rebooted the franchise in 2017 with Spider-Man: Homecoming.  We’ll see him again in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home and there’s likely to be more given Holland is contracted to make six Marvel Universe movies in total.  It’s also possible that we’ll see the character (with a different actor) appear in Sony’s new superhero universe which kicked off profitably back in October with the release of Venom.

If that’s not enough, we now have a new animated flick that features not just one but rather, several iterations of Spider-Man!  The villainous Kingpin (Schreiber) has opened up a portal into other dimensions which feature alternate versions of Spider-Man.  They all end up in the same location and it’s a recipe for laughs and creativity.  Just went you think you’ve seen it all within the genre, along comes a movie with six different Spider “men” trying to save the world.  I don’t want to give too much away but the animation team have done a sensational job in giving each character a distinct look and feel.

Someone needs to take the lead and that responsibility falls upon Miles Morales (Moore), a New York City based teenager who takes on superhero qualities after being bitten by a spider (his reaction wins big laughs).  The character will be new to some cinemagoers but he’s been appearing in comic books since 2011 and has featured in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated television series.  Miles is also a step in the right direction in terms of diverse role models given his father his African American and is mother is Puerto Rican.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the funniest superhero movies that we’ve seen over the past decades.  It feels like it’s tapping into the success of Deadpool in that it’s very self-aware and broadly mocks the genre.  It makes references to past Spider-Man productions and even the old TV theme from the 1960s gets a run.  Another cute touch are the words that flash up on screen as characters get hit (again, another fun homage).  The fact that it’s an animated movie, which we don’t often see within this genre, has allowed the writers and directors to push boundaries in terms of visuals and originality.

There’s an added poignancy to the film in that it marks the first Marvel themed flick to be released following the death of Stan Lee who passed away last month at the ripe old age of 95.  This is recognised during the closing credits but more importantly, there’s another great Stan Lee cameo part way through the movie that audiences will enjoy.  If you’re paying really close attention, you’ll spot Lee in the background of several shots – a fitting Easter egg provided by the three-man directing team.

Likely to earn an Oscar nomination for best animated feature (it already has a Golden Globe nod), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse takes chances and is rewarded in a big way.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 November 2018

It was 18 years ago when director Ron Howard released a live-action version of the acclaimed Dr. Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Jim Carrey stepped into the shoes of the famed leading character and the film went on to make $345 million USD at the international box-office and win an Oscar for best makeup.

It seems that enough time has passed for Universal Pictures (who still control the rights) to put a remake into production and introduce the character to a fresh batch of children.  This time around, they’ve gone with an animated version with the reigns handed over to Illumination – the studio behind the The Lorax (the last feature film to be based on a Dr. Seuss work) and the Despicable Me franchise.  They’ve even thrown in a quick Minions short which screens before the feature in cinema.

This is largely faithful adaptation as we follow two characters on a collision course.  The first is The Grinch (Cumberbatch) who has a passionate hatred for Christmas.  Forced to leave his isolated cave and heading into the town of Whoville for some grocery shopping on December 20, he’s quick to avoid everyone and everything.  He destroys a kid’s snowman, he runs from carollers, and he inconveniences a customer at the store.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a young girl named Cindy Lou (Seely) who has embraced Christmas.   She’s not a big heart which is evident in her letter to Santa.  Rather than ask for a bunch of tangible presents, she asks that Santa help her time poor mother (Jones) who is juggling work whilst also raising three children.

Everything comes to a head when our two protagonists put their respective plans into action.  The Grinch is sick of everyone else being happy and so he concocts a scheme to “steal” Christmas.  He’ll sneak into everyone’s homes on Christmas Eve and take whatever festive material he can find (including presents).  As for Cindy Lou, she’s set up a trap in her living room so she can capture Santa and ask him face-to-face about her Christmas wish list.

This is a cute film.  There’s a great attention to detail as we watch the residents of Whoville go “all out” with their Christmas celebrations.  I’d hate to see their electricity bill given the number of lights that adorn the streets and houses.  They’ve also got a Christmas tree that in terms of size, would rival the giant cow that is doing the rounds on Australian social media.

Benedict Cumberbatch is almost unrecognisable as the voice of The Grinch and it’s nice to see 93-year-old Angela Lansbury making a quick fire cameo.  Of the cast, Pharrell Williams makes the biggest impression as the film’s narrator.  He helps preserve the spirit of Dr. Seuss’s 1957 book by speaking in rhyme when called upon during key scenes.  I also enjoyed the work of the animation team who have created distinctive Whoville characters with large heads and tiny legs.

With an apt release date, The Grinch should help get kids in the Christmas spirit (not that some of them need it) in the lead up to the big day.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 December 2018

New Zealander Christian Rivers always had a love for movies growing up and, in an attempt to break into the industry, the 17-year-old sent a bunch of drawings into Peter Jackson in the early 1990s with hopes of landing a job.  It worked.  Rivers was hired as a storyboard artist for the zombie comedy Braindead (released back in 1992) and since then, he has been a part of every Peter Jackson directed film in a number of capacities.  He even won an Oscar in 2006 as a visual effects artist on King Kong.

Decades of experience have led Rivers to this moment – an opportunity to sit in the director’s chair and pull the strings on his first feature film.  There’s a lot at stake too.  Fans of Philip Reeve’s best-selling 2001 novel will be curious to see how it has been condensed and adapted for the big screen.  Investors will be nervous given the $100 million budget and the largely unknown cast.  The future of this new franchise will most likely be determined by the early box-office.

This will sound like a backhanded compliment (probably because it is) but the film’s most interesting element is the world in which it’s set.  The human race was all but obliterated in the early 22^nd century when the Earth’s crust shattered during the “Sixty Minute War”.  Mortal Engines is set another 1,600 years after that cataclysmic event where technology has regressed (it was all lost during the war) and humans have created a very different way of living.

In rebuilding the world from scratch, leaders got creative.  High-rise cities such as London were set on wheels so they could move about the world in search of food, water and energy.  It sounds practical but there’s also a more sinister element.  Large predatory cities attack smaller ones and the citizens watch with amusement as if it’s some kind of sport.  This is illustrated in an action-packed opening sequence which, to the backdrop of a pulsating film score from Antonius Holkenborg, creates a cool Mad Max: Fury Road type vibe.

If only the story had the same level of creativity and originality.  Instead, we’ve got some characters repeatedly throwing up cheesy lines and others providing obvious spoilers as to their fate (“if I should die…”)  Perhaps the narrative could have been saved by a charismatic, thought-provoking villain but again, that’s lacking here.  Australian Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) plays Thaddeus Valentine, the quasi-mayor of a giant city who seems to be driven by power and nothing else.  There’s no subtlety to the character nor any reason to appreciate his point of view.  I don’t even know why people fight alongside him.

The team of “good guys” are headlined by Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar (An Ordinary Man) and Irish-born Robert Sheehan (Misfits).  They play two stereotypical heroes, Hester and Tom, who are tasked with the responsibility of removing Thaddeus from power.  They also develop a romantic connection which ticks off another genre (in addition to action, comedy, drama and sci-fi).  The only appealing character in the mix is a green-eyed robot named Shrike (played by Stephen Lang) who, unlike everyone else, is tricky to read and keeps you guessing.

The special effects are top-notch and there are some great ideas at play here but regrettably, Mortal Engines doesn’t quite connect.

You can read my chat with director Christian Rivers by clicking here.