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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 December 2021

At the Brisbane premiere of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a brief interview was played with director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) where, in addition to asking people not to reveal spoilers, he spoke of it being about family above all else.  It’s an accurate statement.  In front of the camera, we see a story centred on a fractured household in search of fresh start.  Behind the camera, Reitman is following in the footsteps of his own father, Ivan, who directed and produced the two Ghostbusters movies from the 1980s.

This new film, which ignores the 2016 all-female reboot, takes place in a small, isolated town called Summerville, Oklahoma.  It’s best described as “the place that time forgot”.  Schools use video cassette recorders when delivering classes, residents go to a drive-in diner when looking for fast food, and one of the characters uses an instant camera to take photographs.  Even if you haven’t seen the earlier Ghostbusters flicks… there’s still plenty of nostalgia on offer.

Callie Spengler (Coon) and her two children, Trevor (Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace), don’t want to be there.  They have no choice though as they family is flat broke.  They were evicted from their previous apartment but thankfully/conveniently, they’ve inherited a farm in Summerville following the death of Callie’s estranged father.  The house is a filthy, run-down dump but at least it’s a place to live.  It also serves as an opportunity for Callie to “pick through the rubble” of her dad’s life and create a few final memories.

It’s the children who do most of the digging and that’s why the story is largely told from their perspective.  You could therefore describe it as a knock-off of Stranger Things (and I’m not just saying that because of the casting of Finn Wolfhard).  Trevor and Phoebe realise their grandfather was an original Ghostbuster, do some background research, learn about the funky ghost-busting equipment, and then get called into action when villainous ghosts pop up in town.  It’s up to the kids to save the world!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released in the United States back in November and pulled in over $120 million USD at the local box-office – decent figures for an industry suffering from the impacts of COVID-19.  It shows there’s still juice in this orange.  The original movies developed a cult-like following (there are Ghostbusters fan clubs all over the world) and existing devotees should enjoy this new tale and its many easter eggs.  Youngsters and other newcomers can have just as much fun with plenty of great one-liners on offer.  Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) gets the best of the jokes as a lazy school teacher.

It could have used more tension in places, especially during the big climax, but Ghostbusters: Afterlife pitches itself as wholesome family entertainment and delivers by offering something for all ages.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 December 2021

I was in a Brisbane book store earlier this week (late Christmas shopping) and saw a section entitled “motivation” that was filled with hundreds of self-help/advice books on an array of topics.  It illustrates that when it comes to life, there’s no one-size-fits-all rule.  We’re all different people with different personalities from different backgrounds.  Books can provide useful guidance but when it comes to finding happiness in life, we’ve all got our own separate path.  It’s something we have to find ourselves.

This is a key theme in the memorably titled The Worst Person in the World, a new movie from acclaimed Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier (Reprise, Oslo August 31^st).  The central character is Julie (Reinsve), a 29-year-old from Oslo who is still searching for love and a career.  It’s not for lack of trying.  She’s just very non-committal.  Like a kid in a toy store, she’ll devote her sole attention to something for a fleeting moment… before something else catches her attention and the process repeats.

Trier’s film is split into 14 identified parts – a prologue, 12 chapters, and an epilogue – which serve as short stories and provide a glimpse into Julie’s world.  She stumbles her way through several jobs, argues with her family, and falls in love with two different guys, Aksel (Lie) and Elvind (Nordrum).  The film’s tone is forever shifting with moments of comedy (she publishes an article on oral sex), moments of drama (people battling terminal cancer), and moments that fit somewhere in between.

As a love of great romantic comedies, Trier set out to make one where it’s not simply about a woman looking for man but rather one which shows how different partners can bring out different things within.  With a traditional rom-com, you often know who the protagonist will end up with (as one guy ends up being a complete schmuck which makes it an easy choice.  That’s not often the case in real life and it’s certainly not the case in The World Person in the World.  It’s refreshing to watch a realistic romantic tale which doesn’t follow well-worn formulas.

The three leads are terrific with Renate Reinsve taking much of the spotlight with her superb performance as Julie.  She won the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earned a nomination at the European Film Awards.  In an incredibly competitive year for non-English language cinema, the movie has been submitted as Norway’s entry for the upcoming Academy Awards (and I’d love to see it earn a nomination).

With intelligent, insightful, honest dialogue between the characters, The Worst Person in the World is one of the more interesting and thought-provoking movies releases this year.  Worth your money.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 December 2021

With roughly 500 stores around the world and generating close to $10 billion Euro each year in revenue, Gucci is one of the world’s most recognisable fashion brands.  Its distinctive “double-G” monogram recognises the company’s founder, Guccio Gucci, and was developed by his son, Aldo, in 1933.  You’ll find it on most iconic Gucci items – from belts and shoes to handbags and scarves.

Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator), drawing on a screenplay from writers Becky Johnston (The Prince of Tides) and Roberto Bentivegna, covers a tumultuous period in the organisation’s history between 1978 and 1995.  The family business was now in its third generation and there were fights over control, strategic direction, designers, and money.

The film revolves around five characters.  Brothers Rodolfo and Aldo Gucci (Irons and Pacino) are co-owners of the firm founded by their father.  They each had a son would become part of the business – the flamboyant Paolo (Leto) who wants to bring his own style to Gucci’s brand, and the semi-reluctant Maurizio (Driver) who isn’t sure if he should take an active role.  Guiding Maurizio is his ambitious wife, Patrizia (Lady Gaga), a socialite with expensive taste.

Highlighting the pitfalls of family-run businesses, the problem with House of Gucci is its focus on the wrong people.  The bulk of screen time is devoted to Maurizio and Patrizia.  He’s a boring guy who goes through some quick-fire personality/love changes with little explanation.  Just because he’s rich and (arguably) successful, doesn’t make him interesting.  She’s a one-note, conniving “villain” looking to dominate all those around her.  Adam Driver (Marriage Story) and Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) are proven actors but I tired of the repetitive interplay between the pair.

The two most appealing characters are relegated to supporting status.  A deliberately over-the-top Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) has fun with his portrayal as Paolo while Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) relishes the chance to play a chatty, melodramatic individual in telling Aldo’s story.  They liven things up but we don’t see them enough across the film’s lengthy 158-minute run time.

The reactions since the film’s release have generated a few laughs.  Heirs to the Gucci family, who were not consulted prior, described it as “an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today.”  If anything, those comments will only add fuel to the public’s interest.  Once you’ve seen the movie, you’ll realise it was never intended to be a gritty, blow-by-blow documentary.  The filmmakers have taken real life events and turned them into something satirical and comedic for the entertainment of audiences.  I’m okay with that.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 December 2021

The internet has been flooded with tributes over the past week in recognition of iconic composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim who passed away at the age of 91. On accepting a Tony Award in 1972 (he won eight in total), Sondheim quoted playwright David Trainer in reminding people that theatre, unlike television and movies, “is the only medium that acknowledges the presence of the audience.”

It’s part of the reason why Manhattan in New York City is one of my favourite places on the planet. Between 41^st Street and 54^th Street, you will find 40 theatres that hold audiences of up to 2,000 people. Tickets can be pricey but you have the opportunity to see some of the world’s finest actors perform live and, if you’re lucky, you can nab their autograph on your complimentary program and say “you were awesome” if you wait outside the stage door after the show.

Given it had won the Tony Award that year for best new musical (beating out Come from Away), I made sure to catch Dear Evan Hansen at the Music Box Theatre when visiting New York in July 2017. I described it at the time as “gut-wrenchingly beautiful with an incredible lead performance from Ben Platt.” Writer Steven Levenson crafted a complex narrative with an anti-social leading character, and musicians Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) added distinctive songs which amplified the film’s key emotions.

Two downsides of theatre are (1) not everyone can jump on a plane and head to Broadway / West End to see a much-hyped new show, and (2) once you’ve seen it, you must rely on memories of the experience (or perhaps listen to the soundtrack a few times). With Dear Evan Hansen now adapted into a movie by director Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), the opportunity exists for new audiences to discover this acclaimed musical and for existing fans to relive it.

The story is centred on Evan Hansen (Platt), a 17-year-old introverted high school student who has no good friends and is seeing a therapist to help deal with depression and social anxiety. A convoluted series of events then upend his life. A fellow student, Connor Murphy (Ryan), commits suicide and in the aftermath of the tragedy, Connor’s parents erroneously believe Evan was one of their son’s best friends. Evan goes along with the ruse (he doesn’t want to upset the parents further) but when welcomed into the Murphy family and asked detailed questions, the lies become bigger and a reluctant Evan isn’t sure what to do next.

While there’s no true substitute for quality live theatre, Chbosky does an admirable job translating the energy from the stage show and bringing it into the movie. Hollywood tends to favour big, colourful, loud, well-choreographed musical numbers with huge ensembles. Dear Evan Hansen leans in the opposite direction. This is particularly evident in an early scene involving Connor’s parents (Adams and Pino) and sister (Dever) as they agonise over their son’s death (the song is entitled “Requiem”).

Using cinema as a storytelling medium also affords the director with further options and to illustrate, Chbosky weaves well-timed flashbacks into the narrative to provide additional background to the characters. Connor’s sister, played wonderfully by Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), is an example of someone who gets more attention and hence, feels like a clearer, more fulsome individual. I’m not sure it was necessary but small changes have also been made to the finale to soften the harder edges.

A few have been critical of the film’s messages and others have questioned using a 28-year-old to play the lead teenager (despite the fact Platt is reprising the role he made famous on Broadway). While there is some merit in those barbs, Dear Evan Hansen still holds up as a darker musical about grief, depression, families, social media and redemption.

You can read/listen to my chat with director Stephen Chbosky by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 December 2021

As I’ve often remarked, cinema is a blend of art and commerce where the percentage allocated to each element varies from project-to-project.  Red Notice, a much-publicised Netflix release, is a star-driven, action-comedy with budget of roughly $200 million (a staggering number for such a film).  You’d describe it as 99% commerce. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, this year’s Golden Bear winner in Berlin, was made on “the smell of an oily rag” and has alienated many viewers.  It’s not intended to make money and is 99% art.

Applying the same criteria, West Side Story lands somewhere in the middle.  On one hand, you could look at this project with cynicism.  The stage musical debuted in 1957 on Broadway and has since been performed in countless countries across the world.  The movie adaptation from 1961 won 10 Academy Awards (one shy of the all-time record) including best picture.  74-year-old director-producer Steven Spielberg has the financial resources to create any movie and so why go with a relatively safe remake a widely-regarded classic?  What’s he hoping to gain aside from more money in the bank account?

It turns out Spielberg may get the last laugh after all.  As we’ve seen with everything from Hamlet to Frankenstein, if a story is good enough, it can be told repeatedly and still woo audiences.  So why this particular work?  Spielberg was just 10 years old when his father bought the Broadway cast album of West Side Story.  After listening to it repeatedly on the family record player and memorising every song, it became his “favourite musical”.  Having never made a movie musical across his 50-year career, this new adaptation is his chance to refresh the story and impart his love for the material on a new generation.  We can call it part of his “legacy".

Spielberg hasn’t gone for a full-nuke modern transformation.  Tweaks have been made to the order of the songs and who sings them, a new key character is introduced (played by Rita Moreno), and a little more background information is provided (such as why the gang war begins in the first place).  That said, it’s still set in the mid-1950s in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and it still utilises the iconic music of Leonard Bernstein and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim.  It feels like you’re watching something both old and new at the same time – and I like that vibe.

If you’re new to the story, West Side Story is a modernised take on William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (which itself has been told a gazillion times).  Two teenage gangs, one with white Americans and the other with immigrant Puerto Ricans, fight for control of their neighbourhood and their way of being.  As the battle goes on, a once-incarcerated boy from one side falls in love with a virtuous 18-year-old girl from the other side and, rather than defusing the situation, it only adds to the tension between the rival groups.

This is one of the year’s best films and there’s so much to love about it.  The cast are extraordinary.  Mike Faist as Riff was my personal favourite but not far behind are Rachel Zegler as Maria, Ariana DeBose as Anita, and Rita Moreno (who won an Oscar for appearing in the 1961 movie) as the “keep looking for better” Valentina.  The 89-year-old Moreno will break the toughest of hearts with her climactic performance of “Somewhere”.

The technical elements are also top-notch.  The costumes help build the narrative (note the differences between the gangs and then the use of white of Maria), editing is used selectively (really enjoyed the longer takes), and the cinematography/choreography used in elaborate music numbers like “Gee, Officer Krupke” and “Cool” create a vibrant, infectious energy.  Many will be downloading the soundtrack after seeing it.

I’m normally someone who prefers surprising, original cinema but West Side Story proves an “old school” tale can be just as good when backed by a talented cast and crew.