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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 March 2022

He’s never been nominated for an Academy Award and he’s never had a leading role in a big Hollywood blockbuster… but few would turn down the opportunity if offered the career of English actor Timothy Spall.  The 65-year-old has been in the business for over four decades and he’s worked under the guidance of directors including Mike Leigh, Kenneth Branagh, Cameron Crowe, Alfonso Cuarón, Tim Burton and Pablo Larraín.  He’s a gifted character actor with a knack for elevating the projects he’s involved with.

That’s again the case with It Snows in Benidorm, the latest from Spanish director Isabel Coixet (The Secret Life of Words, Elegy) which has been co-produced by Pedro Almodóvar (All About My Mother).  Spall plays Peter Riordan (Spall), a man who willingly admits his life is boring and unambitious.  He lives alone in a sparce apartment with no wife, no kids, and no pets.  He goes through the same routines each day and he’s worked as a bank manager for many years – a job that feels more of a monotonous, depressing chore than one offering hope and fulfilment.

These early scenes are terrific.  Spall, under the guidance of Coixet, creates a character who many with understand and empathise with.  It’s at this point where the film shifts tone and takes a different narrative path.  Pushed into early retirement, complete with a generous redundancy package, Peter decides to travel to Benidorm, a seaside holiday town in eastern Spain, to catch up with his brother for the first time in several years.

Within hours of his plane touching down, Peter realises something is amiss.  His brother has gone missing.  Unsure how worried he should be, he starts to ask questions but it’s difficult given he speaks no Spanish and knows very little about his brother’s work and lifestyle in Benidorm.  What follows is a curious, intriguing adventure.  Peter steps out of his comfort zone and learns as much about himself as he does about his brother’s location and wellbeing.

It Snows in Benidorm is an interesting tale that reminds us of the importance of romance, friendships, and general human connection.  Spall skilfully brings the character to life with splashes of narration helping us understand his insular nature.  His opening line is a great example – “neither the weather nor people can be trusted.”  You grow to care more about Peter’s wellbeing than that of his missing brother (one of the film’s unusual charms).

With a solid supporting cast, It Snows in Benidorm is two hours well spent at the cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 February 2022

Released in 2013, Red Obsession was a terrific Australian-made documentary that looked at China's newfound fixation for French red wine.  It highlighted that wine had been transformed from something people drink… into an “investment” that was too valuable to touch.  Narrated by Russell Crowe, the film articulately covered the subject from a range of angles including a detailed look at wine economics.  It’s worth hunting down if you haven’t seen it.

Warwick Ross, one of Red Obsession’s co-directors, is back with a new documentary which again takes us inside a lesser-known part of the wine industry.  Described as “the Olympics of wine tasing”, The World Wine Tasting Championships is an annual event that’s been conducted in France since 2013.  Each competing country is represented by a 4-person team and they are given the same 12 wines – 6 red and 6 white.  They score points for identifying the grape variety, country, name, producer, and vintage.  Teams train for months in advance by sampling and critiquing the widest variety of wines possible.

Blind Ambition focuses on the 2017 event and follows 4 unlikely men from Zimbabwe who are competing for the first time.  The film’s first half delves into their troubled upbringing.  They all overcame much poverty and adversity in Zimbabwe before fleeing to South Africa as refugees in search of a better life.  They didn’t know each other beforehand and none of them had a background in wine.  The only stumbled into the industry after landing small jobs in restaurants.  Their stories are both compelling and inspiring.

The film’s second half sees them raise 6,500 pounds and travel to Burgundy to take on the world’s best wine tasters.  It’s amazing how far they’ve come!  The tale has a Cool Runnings-type vibe with an interviewee describing it as “like Egypt putting together a skiing team for the Winter Olympics.”  Adding a splash of humour is their meddling, talkative coach who is as much a hindrance as a help.  Ross, along with co-director Robert Coe, get some wonderful footage to build suspense as the competition unfolds.

If you’re someone who likes seeing good things happen to good people, Blind Ambition deserves your attention.  It shines the spotlight on a cool, fascinating wine competition but, more broadly, it reminds us that to achieve big things, we must first be given an opportunity.  The faith shown by many people in these refugees is a testament to that.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 March 2022

Jackson Briggs (Tatum) is a pill-popping, ex-U.S. Army Ranger who is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after several overseas tours.  He has trouble sleeping, gets blurry vision, and often has a ringing sensation in his ears.  He needs support, both physically and mentally, but doesn't want to ask for it given his macho, shrug-things-off type mentality. 

Support finally arrives but in an unlikely form.  When a close friend / fellow Army Ranger commits suicide, Jackson goes on a lengthy road trip down the western side of the United States, from Washington to Arizona, to attend his funeral.  He is accompanied by Lulu, the late Ranger’s dog who spent much of her life working as a military dog and is battling demons of her own.

You’ll know where this film is going from the outset.  It’s like the classic tale of two troubled people coming together, cathartically opening up, and helping each other in the process.  The slight catch is that one of them is a barking Belgian Shephard.  Three different dogs were used as part of the shoot (you’re unlikely to notice the difference) and I’ll give them credit – they’re well-trained and deliver convincing performances.  The best scenes in the movie are the one-on-one interactions between a frustrated Jackson and cheeky Lulu.  A good example is a sequence where they spend a rainy night in a rusty, rundown barn.

The rest of the film is a little iffy.  The screenplay finds it hard to straddle the line between being a light-hearted animal flick that kids can equally enjoy, and a darker tale of war, PTSD and suicide.  There’s a heavier subplot where Jackson is trying to reconnect with his wife (I think) and young daughter but it’s so woefully underdeveloped that you wonder why it’s included.  It’s as if they don’t want to probe, make Jackson unlikeable, and aggravate audiences.  A quick-fire shot of them all together at the very end is such a cop-out!

There’s the aforementioned “through-line” but Dog is largely structured as a series of short stories involving unconnected characters.  As the pair travel from town to town, they interact with an assortment of people including seductive spiritual healers, a pretentious police officer, a pair of weed farmers, a gullible hotel concierge, and a fellow military veteran with a dog of his own.  Again, some moments are better that others.  I laughed at a scene involving a reconciliation and a lollipop… but cringed at one involving a jail cell and a line-up.

It’s worth noting Dog marks the directorial debut of 41-year-old Channing Tatum (Step Up, Magic Mike) who teamed up with long-time friend Reid Carolin in bringing this project to life.  I don’t think it’s part of any major transformation (he’ll be sticking to acting in the short-to-medium term) but given the story is loosely based on a road-trip he took with his own dying dog in 2018, it’s understandable why he wanted to be more involved in the film’s creative process.

Pitched at those who love canines and feel-good crowd-pleasers, Dog is well-intentioned but not particularly deep or memorable.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 February 2022

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”  The line is from Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott but it could also be used to describe the plot of Cyrano, a movie based on a stage musical based on the play.  The original source material is Cyrano de Bergerac, a romantic tale set in the 17^th century authored by French dramatist Edmond Rostand and first performed in Paris in 1897.  The work has been adapted many times of the screen including Roxanne, released in 1987 and starring Steve Martin, and a 1990 French version which earned 5 Academy Award nominations including a nod for the iconic Gérard Depardieu.

Those familiar with previous iterations will know it’s centred on an intelligent man with an unusually large nose, Cyrano, who doesn’t believe he’s attractive enough to land the woman of his dreams, Roxanne.  The pair have been friends for many years with Cyrano never revealing his true feelings.  Then along comes Christian, a young, good-looking military man who captures Roxanne’s eye.  Christian asks for Cyrano’s help in wooing Roxanne and, when one lie leads to another, we end up with a love triangle that becomes increasingly complex with each passing day.

Writer Erica Schmidt was commissioned to transform Rostand’s play into a musical and it was first performed in Chester, Connecticut in 2018.  The biggest change in her adaptation is that she’s ditched Cyrano’s ridiculously large nose and made his perceived weakness less obvious.  The Cyrano we see is of short stature and it’s why he’s so insecure about his appearance.  This change also allowed Schmidt to cast her husband, Emmy-winning actor Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), in the lead role (call it nepotism if you want but Dinklage is still terrific).

Director Joe Wright (Atonement) saw the stage musical and reached out to Schmidt with hopes of bringing it to the big screen.  This is the end result and, as we’ve seen with other recent Hollywood musicals, it tries to preserve the intimacy of the story while making things a little grander in terms of sets and costumes.  Dinklage and Hayley Bennett (The Magnificent Seven) reprise their roles from the stage and have been joined by Kelvin Harrison Jr (Waves) and Australian Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom) in the key supporting roles.

It’s an old-fashioned story which has been beautifully told.  Like something out of a Shakespearean comedy, the characters humorously skirt around the bleeding obvious without harnessing the courage to express their inner thoughts.  It’s something many will relate to – a classic fable of unrequited love.  You can sense Cyrano’s love for Roxanne (“even her imperfections are perfect”) but understand his timidness when comparing himself to the handsome Christian.  His secret love letters also remind us how the pen can be mightier than the sword.

The songs, sung live on set as opposed to in a sound stage, have been cleverly constructed by Aaron and Bryce Dessner (music), and Matt Berninger and Carin Besser (lyrics).  They don’t fall into the trap of being over-written and instead, keep things simple and offer insight into these characters and their deepest feelings.  They may not be as memorable as a West Side Story but they suit the film’s tone.

Musicals have found it tough going at the box-office over the past year and, while Cyrano may meet the same fate, it’s still worth your time and attention.

You can read my interview with star Kelvin Harrison Jr by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 March 2022

It’s a stretch at 2 hours, 56 minutes but to the film’s credit, it doesn’t waste time on a long-winded introduction establishing Batman’s origins.  We know he’s Bruce Wayne and that he was orphaned at a young age.  We know he’s a filthy rich recluse and is aided by a loyal butler.  We know he goes out at night to help rid Gotham City of its gangsters and criminals.  If you’ve seen one of the many cinematic interpretations of this character (there’s even a LEGO version), none of this is new information.

So… it’s straight into the story and the action.  Gotham is as corrupt as it’s ever been and a masked man, known as The Riddler (Dano), is intent on exposing the dirty, powerful men behind it.  The mayor is his first victim and that’s followed by other respected, high-profile individuals who have been engaged in illegal activity for many years.

Some in the community see The Riddler as a hero but given the way he brutally kills his victims, as opposed to letting them have their day in court, Batman (Pattinson) paints him as a villain who must be identified and apprehended.  To paraphrase – “the city may be beyond saving but he has to try.”  Those offering support include police officer James Gordon (Wright), putting his neck out to provide Batman with access to crime scenes, and Selina Kyle (Kravitz), a well-connected nightclub bartender with hidden skills.

I’ve seen stronger stories.  The writers build early intrigue but the more it progresses, the more you realise it’s a simplistic tale of corruption with little nuance.  I hoped for more.  The Riddler could easily have been the most interesting character but we don’t spend enough time with him to understand his mindset and methods.  Without giving too much away, how did he orchestrate it all?  His key scenes generally involve gruesome/creative killings as opposed to insightful conversations with others.

Batman himself lacks complexity.  He’s so emotionless and forlorn that it makes me wonder how he gets out of bed of a morning!  Why does he keep doing what he’s doing?  We get a splash of detail through the use of narration but I wish the filmmakers delved more into his depressing nature as opposed to sequences where he cases crime scenes quicker than Sherlock Holmes and solves riddles faster than a Mensa member.  

The limitations of the screenplay are offset by the stellar direction of Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and cinematography of Australian Grieg Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty, Dune).  I lost track of the number of times I thought “whoa, that’s a great shot!”  It all takes place at night (I’m not sure when these characters sleep) and it allows them to make great use of light and shadow in creating a stylish superhero movie.  Kudos also goes to the editing team of William Hoy and Tyler Nelson for using their tools selectively instead of abundantly.

Creating enough points of difference to distinguish itself from the successful Christopher Nolan-helmed Batman trilogy, The Batman is dark, interesting… and a little frustrating.