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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 May 2025

He’s been in the business for three decades and Wes Anderson shows no signs of altering the style which has made him one of Hollywood’s most distinguishable directors.  He’s known for quirky characters, a dry sense of humour, colourful costumes, symmetrical sets, and a fast-panning camera.  The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is my favourite Anderson flick but you could arguably pick anything from his extensive catalogue and enjoy yourself (unless offbeat comedies aren’t your thing).

The Phoenician Scheme stars Oscar winner Benecio del Toro (Traffic) as Zsa-Zsa Korda, an uber-wealthy entrepreneur who is despised/envied (take your pick) for his success.  He’s dodged numerous assassination attempts, and the movie opens with him comically surviving another plane crash.  Korda knows he’ll die “sooner rather than later” and so he’s appointed his only daughter (Threapleton), currently training to be a Catholic nun, as sole heir to his lucrative business empire.

The bulk of the film is spent following the pair as they travel across the fictious country of Phoenicia and woo business partners for a series of transformational infrastructure projects that will generate a 150-year income stream.  A boardroom full of conniving rivals have undermined Korda’s venture by increasing the price of steel rivets and so it’s a question of which co-investors will fund the cash flow “gap” to ensure the projects proceed as intended.

It’s a fast-moving, joke-filled narrative and, like most Anderson outings, multiple viewings will be required to fully grasp the humour and creative flourishes.  I’m not sure every scene works (Scarlett Johansson is underutilised) but there’s enough insane nuttiness to keep you smiling – from Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston playing basketball through to a band of guerillas shooting up a stylish nightclub.  It’s a great cast with a deadpan del Toro leading from the front as the film’s unflinching protagonist.

The Phoenician Scheme is shallower than other Anderson works when it comes to heart and emotion.  Others have tackled darker, meatier issues including questionable parenting (The Royal Tenenbaums), nostalgia (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and young love (Moonrise Kingdom).  The movie fleetingly delves into themes such as family, colonization, religion, and the afterlife but not to an extent that will question your views on the world.  Anderson’s emphasis here is farcical comedy as opposed to drama.  That doesn’t make it a bad movie (my thumbs are still up) but it’s not as memorable as I’d have hoped.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 May 2025

Is this finally it?  After 8 movies and countless world-saving missions, is this the last roll of the dice for our hero Ethan Hunt?  You’d think so given star Tom Cruise is now 62 years old, the title refers to a “final” reckoning, and clips from prior movies are spread throughout which gives it a nostalgic, let’s-wrap-it-all up vibe.  The budget is a whopping $300-400 million USD which makes it one of the most expensive films of all time.  The producers are going out with the biggest bang possible!

The Final Reckoning serves as the second half of the 2023 release, Dead Reckoning (it will help considerably if you’ve seen it).  A self-aware computer virus known as “The Entity” has taken control of machinery across the globe.  It’s shutting down systems and spreading misinformation but worst of all, it has the capability of launching nuclear weapons which will obliterate the planet.  Hunt and his savvy Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team have roughly three days to stop the virus or else it’s the end of humankind.

Directed by Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie, who made the last three movies, The Final Reckoning is to be lauded for its action.  There are two set pieces which stand out – one involving a sunken submarine, and a finale itself featuring two biplanes.  McQuarrie developed a knack for the genre given these scenes aren’t overcooked with heavy CGI and fast-paced editing.  Yeah, the situations are farcical, but we clearly understand what’s going on and the stakes involved.

I was less enamoured by the storyline.  Esai Morales (Ozark) returns as the central villain but he’s not particularly menacing nor clear with his taking-over-the-world plans.  I was similarly underwhelmed by the monotone U.S. Government cronies who have zero faith in Hunt (despite his success in the past) and are boringly one-sided with their opinions.  The film also leans a too heavily into the source material with stereotypical moments involving bombs, countdown clocks, and wire cutting.  Ethan Hunt takes considerable risks… any chance the screenwriters could do the same?

It’s rare to see a blockbuster released on a Saturday here in Australia (Thursday is standard) but the delay is due to the film’s gala screening slot at the Cannes Film Festival, currently underway on the French Riviera.  Clocking in at a too-long 170 minutes, The Final Reckoning is slow to start but ultimately finds it feet and develops into an engaging final chapter.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 May 2025

Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou found fame in 2023 when their debut feature, Talk to Me, grossed close to $100 million USD at the international box-office.  It also won 8 AACTA Awards including a deserved statuette for best picture of the year.  Horror flicks can be formulaic, especially when it comes to big-budget, franchise stuff, but the Philippou brothers crafted an imaginative movie where the refreshing focus was on characters as opposed to gimmicky frights.  If you haven’t seen it, put it on top of your “must watch” list.

I’m pleased to report their next outing, Bring Her Back, is even better.  They’re continuing with the horror genre, but this is an original screenplay unconnected with Talk to Me.  It’s centred on two siblings, Andy (Barratt) and Piper (Wong), who been placed in a temporary home after a tragic event.  Their new foster mum is Laura (Hawkins) and within seconds of meeting her, audiences will know she’s an odd human.  It’s a testament to the versatile talent of Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), who we’re accustomed to seeing in “friendlier” roles, that she can create such an unsettling character so quickly.

It’s unwise to reveal too many plot points as I’d prefer crowds to experience the film with as little background information as possible.  I have much respect for the Philippou brothers and co-writer Bill Hinzman for the way they’ve produced a movie which induces anxiety from start to finish.  From an introduction involving a bathroom shower, through to sequence involving a muddy puddle, there were many times where I raised my eyebrows in surprise and thought “wow, they actually went there.”

Bring Her Back gives off a similar vibe to Ari Aster’s Hereditary in the way it blends realistic family drama with the wild supernatural.  It reminds us that emotional manipulation is just as scary as any physical weapon.  I cared genuinely about Andy and Piper and was deeply invested in their fate (they aren’t dispensable like a hackneyed slasher film).  Australian newcomer Sora Wong, who is vision impaired in real life, and English actor Billy Barratt (Responsible Child) are to be praised for the breadth they bring to their respective characters.

Enhanced by the striking cinematography of Aaron McLisky, Bring Her Back is not a movie you’ll soon forget – because of both its disturbing content and its directorial brilliance.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 May 2025

Born in London, Marianne Elliott is one of the great theatre directors of the modern age.  I had the chance to see War Horse at the Lincoln Centre Theatre in New York in 2011, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time when it came to Brisbane in 2018.  Both won Elliott a Tony Award for best director and, in addition to many other honours, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.

It’s stunning that despite a successful 30-year theatre career, she has never made a movie before now.  In an interview with Deadline at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, Elliott explained she was often approached by studios, but they’d disappear when she expressed a desire to make a film centred on an older woman.  That changed during COVID-19 when read the popular memoir The Salt Path and realised it would be the ideal source material for her feature film directorial debut.

The narrative is centred on the true story of a 50-something-year-old couple, Raynor and Moth Winn, who turned heartache into inspiration in 2013.  They were left homeless after the bank took their farm in Wales following an investment-gone-bad, and Moth had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease that was starting to affect his movement and memory.  Unable to get public housing, the pair made the impulsive decision to hike the 1,000 km South West Coast Path in England.  By day, they could enjoy the beautiful British landscapes and by night, they could cook up cheap noodles and sleep in a small tent.

The Salt Path is a wonderful movie to reflect upon.  It’s a reminder that life is about people as opposed to material possessions.  It serves as motivation to get out of one’s comfort zone and experience new things.  It shines the spotlight on poverty and the challenges homeless folk face in obtaining government support.  It asks us to look kindly on the downtrodden and help whenever we can.  So many scenes will put a smile on your face – from a young café attendant providing them with free food through to Moth becoming a makeshift busker.

The two leads, Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) and Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus), offer beautifully authentic performances.  They portray Raynor and Moth as loving, strong-willed individuals who won’t be defeated despite the odds.  They’re so easy to like!  French cinematographer Hélène Louvart (Pina) deserves praise for her work in capturing everything from the broad, desolate landscapes through to the simplicity of life in small coastal towns.  There’s also a chance the film will encourage others to take the same walk.

See it and spread the word.  The Salt Path sticks with you.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 May 2025

It’s a production line showing no sign of stopping.  Whether you enjoy them or not, Disney continues to take its popular animated features and transform them into live action to lure existing fans and new audiences.  Some have worked like The Jungle Book (2016) and Beauty and the Beast (2017).  Others have been uninspiring cash-grabs such as the two Maleficent (2014, 2019) and Alice in Wonderland (2010, 2016) movies.  The latest effort, a remake of Snow White released two months ago, is ranked users on the Internet Movie Database as one of the worst films of all time (it’s not great but it isn’t that bad).

If new to Lilo & Stitch, the original premiered in June 2002 and turned a healthy profit through cinema attendances and DVD sales.  It was the story of a genetically developed monster from a faraway planet who travels to Earth and becomes the “pet” of a friendless young girl from a small Hawaiian island. I’m not sure if was the easiest material for kids to understand but the humour and cute characters made it an entertaining tale.  It also contained key themes about the importance of family.

Given their hit-and-miss nature, I’m happy to report the reboot of Lilo & Stitch is a winner.  The screenwriters have remained faithful to the original material and while that could be perceived as a negative, especially by those looking for freshness, it succeeds because of its casting.  8-year-old Maia Kealoha is a natural as Lilo, Amy Hill is wonderful as a grandmother figure, and Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen add comic relief as clumsy aliens.  The film’s emotional core comes via a touching performance from newcomer Sydney Elizebeth Agudong who captures the challenge of caring for Lilo while having to sacrifice her own needs and dreams.

Director Dean Fleischer Camp finds the right balance in blending goofiness with heart.  He’s also to be praised for assembling a great group of visual effects artists who bring the furry alien to life.  Considering the carnage Stitch causes, it’s easy to lose yourself in the mayhem and forget he’s just a computer creation.  Lilo & Stitch is what you’d expect from Walt Disney Studios and while it won’t win points for originality, it’s quality family fare.  Children should enjoy.