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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 March 2021

The creative juices can flow for a number of reasons but, curiously, the idea for this movie came to actor Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) after a home invasion.  His house was broken into while he, his wife and his two children were upstairs.  Describing it as a “particularly traumatic” experience, Odenkirk made a snap decision to not confront the burglars so as to avoid violence and to keep his family safe.  A police officer later said to him – “It’s not what I would have done, but you did the right thing.”

In the same vein of Sliding Doors, Odenkirk thought about an alternate reality.  What if, instead of a passive, non-confrontational approach, he submitted to his primal instincts, took matters into his own hands, and went after the people responsible?  The idea was given to screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the creator of the John Wick franchise, and Nobody is the end result.

It’s an interesting idea.  In playing Hutch Mansell, the film’s semi-reluctant protagonist, Odenkirk doesn’t want to be another suave, sophisticated action hero in the same vein as Ethan Hunt or Jason Bourne.  As we learn from the title and a humorous question posed in the opening scene, Hutch is a “nobody”.  He’s a quiet, unassuming guy who isn’t much of a conversationalist.  His daily routine is monotonous, his job is dull, and his relationship with his wife (Nielsen) is waning (they haven’t made love in years).  The bottom line – he’s an ordinary person who goes about his life with little fanfare and attention.

The Mansell home is burgled one evening and, despite having a chance to take down the robbers, Hutch doesn’t take it.  It’s a decision he regrets in the coming days.  Then, as if a switch has been flicked on in the back of his head, he walks out the front door and goes in search of the perpetrators.  Not a word is said to his family.

Hutch encounters a group of unrelated thugs harassing a young woman on a city bus and, as part of his “new” self, defends her honour and beats the men into submission.  That’s not the end of it though.  One of the thugs was the brother of a powerful Russian gangster / money launderer (Serebryakov) who is “as bad as they come”.  It’s not long before a myriad of goons come after Hutch but they, just like the audience, are about to learn there’s more to this hero than they first thought.

Nobody is an action flick with style and this is illustrated by the use of music.  Russian director Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) uses Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, and Gerry & the Pacemakers’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.  These “old school” tunes provide a humorous contrast to the intense, violent fighting sequences.  Having a villain who is a karaoke fan is also a cool, unexpected touch.

It succumbs to a few action clichés in the second half (e.g. incompetent henchmen, over-the-top escapes) and not enough is made of Hutch’s family but Nobody‘s strengths clearly outweigh its weaknesses.  From the intriguing premise, to the creative killings, to the cameo of Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), there’s much amusement on offer.  It’s a notch below the John Wick franchise but it’s still a fun, entertaining feature.

You can read my chat with producer Kelly McCormick by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 March 2021

When brothers Kenny and Keith Lucas first pitched this idea to director Shaka King, they described it as a real-life version of Martin Scorsese’s The Departed.  It’s an apt comparison.  In the late 1960s, the FBI enlisted an African American teenager and used him as a counterintelligence operative to infiltrate a powerful Black Panther group in Chicago.  He remained undetected for years and the information he provided was used by heavyweights within the FBI with an agenda to push.

There are two key stories to be told here.  The first is of 20-year-old Fred Hampton (Kaluuya) who founded the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers in late 1968.  He was a commanding public speaker who had a way of bringing people together to improve the lives of African Americans.  He was also a great negotiator and mobiliser.  There’s a memorable scene where he approaches the Young Patriots Organisation, a very different group, and forges a coalition to target issues such as poverty and police brutality.

The second tale is of criminal-turned-informant Bill O’Neal (Stanfield).  The 17-year-old was caught stealing a car in 1966 and, so as to avoid a lengthy prison sentence, he accepted a deal to work under the direction of FBI Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Plemons).  O’Neal became Hampton’s chauffer and it wasn’t long before he was part of the Black Panther’s inner circle.

Both characters face a moral dilemma.  O’Neal learns the Black Panthers aren’t “sowing hatred” (as he’d been told by the FBI) and in betraying in their trust, he’s betraying the entire African American community.  He’s trapped though.  If he were to reveal his identity, he’d either be sent to jail by the FBI or killed by the Black Panthers.  In the case of Hampton, his girlfriend (Fishback) is pregnant with their first child.  By making himself the face of the Black Panther movement, he realises he could meet the same fate as Martin Luther King and, therefore, leave his child without a father.  Is it time to reassess his life?

Judas and the Black Messiah struggles with the breadth of material.  Two hours is not enough time to fully dissect these characters and their troubled psyches.  It takes large leaps and you’re not quite sure what has taken place in between to justify a change in relationships.  A good example is Jesse Plemons’ FBI handler character who shows glimpses of integrity in some scenes while coming across as a one-dimensional villain in other scenes.

This is still a film to be seen for its broader narrative and its performances.  I’m not quite sure how Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) slips into the supporting actor category (it feels he’s joint-lead with Stanfield) but after winning the Golden Globe last week, he’s an odds-on favourite to take home an Oscar statuette next month.  It’s a juicy role that comes with grand speeches in front of big crowds and heartfelt duologues with his worried girlfriend.

If you’re a sucker for interesting true stories, Judas and the Black Messiah is a film you must see.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 March 2021

As I often say when looking at a movie like this through a child’s eyes – “they’ll have fun with it.”  There are rabbits, hedgehogs, toads, ducks, badgers, rats, pigs and deer.  They talk, they have cute expressions, and they make mischief.  In the film’s best scene, they team-up and execute an elaborate plan to steal dried fruit from a farmer’s market.  Kids will enjoy the chaos and mayhem created from such an event.

Looking at it broadly and comparing it to other family-targeted offerings in recent years, Peter Rabbit 2 underachieves.  It’s the script which is to blame.  The first film, released in March 2018, was a well-thought out adventure with jokes on offer for all ages.  Its key theme was also memorable – we shouldn’t broadly categorise people as “good” or “bad” as there’s a lot of greyness in between.

Peter Rabbit 2 is more muddled in what it’s trying to say.  Despite Peter Rabbit (Corden) and farm owner Thomas McGregor (Gleeson) resolving in their differences in the original flick, returning writer-director Will Gluck (Easy A) has tried to create tension between the two once again.  It doesn’t work this time around with Thomas seemingly having a different view about Peter in every scene.  Faux drama is created such as sequence where Peter is falsely accused of stealing Thomas’s prized tomatoes.

The least interesting subplot involves Bea McGregor (Byrne) writing a book about Peter Rabbit and his friends and having it picked up by a major publishing house.  Its manager, Nigel Basil-Jones (Oyelowo), wants to turn it into a profitable franchise by having Bea “spice up” the characters and sending them on crazy adventures into space.  Bea is worried this will betray the essence of her beloved rabbits but at the same time, more book sales will allow her to save more land from development in her small town.  To be blunt, I couldn’t care either way.  I don’t think kids will understand either.

The better stuff in the film is where the humans are pushed aside and we focus solely on the animals and their problems.  Peter befriends a thieving, city-based rabbit named Barnabas (James) who has some creative approaches to finding food.  Thinking he’s not appreciated enough on the McGregor farm, Peter becomes part of Barnabas’s friendship group but he’ll soon learn the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

The release of Peter Rabbit 2 has been delayed a year due to impact of COVID-19 but it finally arrives in Australian cinemas in time for the Easter school holidays.  A few jokes hit the mark (I liked the one about recycling coffee cups) but this lacks the engaging narrative that made the first movie so much fun.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 March 2021

I’ve long believed that professional sport is more of a financially-driven “entertainment product” as opposed to “sport”.  Networks pay money for television rights so they themselves can derive revenue from advertisers.  Corporate sponsors become involved to increase their sales, improve their brand and enhance their image.  Athletes are remunerated for both their on-field performance and their off-field performance (e.g. media appearances, social media posts).  Fans are willing to pay top-dollar for the spectacle of a major event.

To use examples… the AFL negotiated a TV deal where they will earn a combined $946 million AUD for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.  Nike provides uniforms and apparel for all 32 teams in the American NFL and pays roughly $120 million USD per annum to do so.  Argentinean footballer Lionel Messi earns $92 million USD playing for FC Barcelona while picking up a further $34 million USD in endorsements.  If you wanted to attend the Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor fight in 2017, a front row ticket would have set you back over $100,000 USD.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing.  Humans love to be entertained and there are people and organisations that can capitalise financially on that passion.  The movie industry is no different.  A major Hollywood star can be paid $20 million to appear in a movie while a no-name, acting school graduate might only get $20,000.  The acting of the star isn’t a thousand times better.  Rather, it’s a decision based on profit and how paying $20 million to a single person is justified based on the additional box-office that can be generated from their loyal fans.

There’s no shortage of great sporting biopics and documentaries.  My favourites list would include Raging Bull, Rudy, Chariots of Fire, Senna and Hoop Dreams.  These movies take us “behind the scenes” and probe the highs and lows of great athletes.  That’s also the case with the new Australian documentary Girls Can’t Surf but, more importantly, it’s as much about the commercial and financial realities of professional sport.  It’s rare to see a film tackle this subject in detail.

Assembled by director Christopher Nelius, Girls Can’t Surf spends the bulk of its time in the 1980s and delves into the early years of professional women’s surfing.  It was a tough road for the surfers who constantly played second fiddle to the men.  When the waves were poor, they’d delay the men’s competition and send out the women.  When it came to articles in surfing magazines, men got the front cover and women were seldom mentioned.  Prizemoney is where the difference was most stark.  At one point, the total annual purses for women’s events were less than 10% of those offered to male counterparts.

Things have improved over the past four decades but it’s been a long, hard slog for those involved.  In addition to archival footage, the film includes current day interviews with the likes of Freida Zamba, Jodie Cooper, Wendy Botha, Pam Burridge, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Anderson and Layne Beachley as they reflect back on their careers and their fight for recognition and equality.  These women have strong personalities and a great sense of humour.  They’re also wonderful storytellers which is a major reason why this documentary is so compelling.

With women’s sports expanding here in Australia, Girls Can’t Surf provides a relevant exploration of the hurdles along the way, the pioneers who overcome them, and the importance of the end goal.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 March 2021

I loved the way writer-director Woody Allen approached the “riches to rags” narrative in his 2013 effort, Blue Jasmine.  Cate Blanchett won an Academy Award (and just about every other award) for her performance as a wealthy socialite who loses everything when her husband is convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison.  The film finds the right balance between ridicule and respect.  As I said in my review at the time – “Just when you start to feel empathy towards Jasmine, she’ll do something or say something to instantly squash such feelings.” 

French Exit has been crafted from the same mould with writer Patrick deWitt adding a curious splash of the supernatural (the less said, the better).  The central figure is Frances Price (Pfeiffer), an egotistical mother from New York City who was born into wealth and privilege and has never worked a day in her life.  She describes herself as “odd” and “difficult” and wears these terms like a badge of honour.

Frances detests change but unfortunately, it’s about to be thrust upon her.  Her wealthy husband passed away 12 years ago and having burned through much of his estate, she’s reached the point of insolvency.  She can’t even afford to pay the servants (the last cheque bounced).  With few other options, she sells her remaining assets and moves to Paris with her 20-something-year-old son, Malcolm (Hedges), where they can stay for free in the apartment of a long-time friend.  It’s the only way of maintaining her current lifestyle.

French Exit is to be enjoyed for the lead performance of Michelle Pfeiffer.  There are times when Frances comes across as cruel, heartless and condescending.  This is illustrated in a sequence where she is invited to dinner by a friendly American woman (Mahaffey) living in Paris.  As the film progresses, the curtain is slowly pulled back and we see a softer, more insecure side to Frances via exchanges with her son, her pet cat, and an unorthodox “witch”.

In the same vein as Blue Jasmine, French Exit straddles the line between comedy and drama.  There are moments that provide unexpected, eyebrow-raising laughs (e.g. the refrigerator scene) and there are more sensitive moments that delve into the bond between a self-destructive mother and her loyal son.  It’s a little sluggish in terms of pace but it’ll keep you on your toes and you’re never quite sure what’s behind each corner.

I’m not fully convinced by what it all adds up to but the quirkiness of French Exit makes it worth the trip.

You can read my chat with star Lucas Hedges by clicking here.