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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 02 March 2021

We’ve seen it in the United States due to the impact of COVID-19 but here in Australia, Raya and the Last Dragon marks the first time a major Hollywood production is being released simultaneously in movie theatres and on a streaming platform.  You can head to your local cinema and pay the usual ticket price (ranging from $10-$20 per person) or, if you already have a subscription to Disney+, you can hand over $35 and watch it with as many people can fit in your lounge room.  I don’t believe this dual release will become the norm in a post-pandemic world but it’ll be interesting to see the split in viewer numbers.

Written by Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians) and Qui Nguyen, Raya and the Last Dragon is an animated adventure set in a divided fantasy world.  Once upon a time, humans lived harmoniously alongside dragons with the later bringing water, rain and peace to all.  That all changed when a shape shifting enemy, known as the Druun, turned almost everyone into stone statues.

An insecure dragon, Sisu, was able to harness her family’s powers and destroy the Druun but it came with an unfortunate side-effect.  While all human statutes returned to their living form, the dragons did not.  All that remained of their kind was a glowing gemstone said to contain the last piece of dragon magic in the world and which keens the Druun from ever returning.

It’s been 500 years since that fateful event and the dragon-free world has fractured into 5 distinct kingdoms filled with warriors, mercenaries and assassins.  It’s a little reminiscent of Game of Thrones in the sense their egotistical leaders yearn for more wealth and power.  They resent the fact one kingdom has sole custody of the gemstone and while its level-headed custodian (Kim) seeks diplomacy, the others aren’t interested.  A battle ensues, the gem is broken into 5 pieces and the Druun return.  To borrow the famous saying from George Santayana – “those who cannot remember the past are destined to repeat it.”

The future of humanity now rests of the shoulders of an unlikely young woman named Raya (Tran).  Guided by an ancient map, she locates the spirit of Sisu (Awkwafina) and brings the famed dragon back to life.  The pair team up, find a few supporting players to help, and travel to each kingdom with hope of locating the missing gemstone fragments.  The end goal is to piece them together and destroy the Druun one last time (we hope).

The analogies are laid on thickly.  It’s clear from the outset this is a movie about respecting each other’s differences, sharing wealth, and coming together to make the world a more fruitful, trustworthy place.  I do wish there was a little more nuance.  It’s simplistic in its depiction of “heroes” and “villains” to the point where it feels more like a cheap Saturday morning cartoon than a rich animated feature.  There are scenes where people are fighting for the sake of fighting and it’s hard to discern their motivations (considering the Druun are on their doorstep).

There’s still fun to be had here.  As the voice of the dragon, Awkwafina (The Farewell) steals the show with a mix of charm and wit.  There’s an early sequence where she humorously compares herself to the weak link in a group assignment who rides the coattails of others to get a strong grade.  It’s one of several great one-liners as she, failing to appreciate how much the world has changed over 500 years, bumbles her way from scene-to-scene.  Her character’s naivety serves as both an asset and a liability.

It’s not one of Disney’s better animated features and I don’t think there’s a lot on offer for the adults but Raya and the Last Dragon does just enough to engage younger audiences.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 February 2021

Over the Christmas holidays, I had the chance to revisit David Fincher’s Zodiac.  It remains one of the finest serial killer movies ever made.  The focus is not so much on the killer, his identity and his motives, but rather the impact on the frustrated detectives working the case.  I’ll never forget the tagline – there’s more than one way to lose your life to a killer.

The Little Things wants to follow in Zodiac’s footsteps – in that it’s more about the detectives than the killer – but it’s inferior in almost every way.  It’s hard to believe three Oscar winning actors could be involved with something so unsatisfying.  I can only assume the original idea of writer-director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr Banks) looked more attractive as a pitch than as a finished product.

The first half of the movie is a slow, tedious exploration of Denzel Washington’s character.  He plays Joe Deacon, a grey-haired deputy sheriff stuck doing dead-end jobs and living in a dilapidated home.  It’s as if he hasn’t smiled in a decade.  He clearly has a backstory and we soon learn he once had a very high-profile role within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  Supporting characters interact with Joe cryptically (hinting at the past but never spelling it out) so as to drag things out as long as possible.  This plot device is overused to the point of becoming frustrating.

The film’s second half is about the ongoing investigation into a series of murders and the interrogation of a key suspect.  Detective Jim Baxter (Malek) teams up with “Kojak” Joe (that in itself lacks logic) and they start trailing a loner named Albert Sparma (Leto) in search of evidence and a motive.  The softly spoken Albert is bizarrely enjoying the attention but he’s quick to inform he’s not the man they’re searching for.

I enjoyed the unsettling music score from Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption) and the cinematography of John Schwartzman (Seabiscuit) but when it comes to the more important ingredients of narrative and performance, The Little Things is lacking.  Perhaps I’m part of the minority view given the puzzling awards season love for Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) who picked up Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for best supporting actor.  I don’t get it.  There’s minimal development in terms of character and the role requires little more than a creepy voice.

The shaky screenplay also limits the performances of Denzel Washington (Training Day) and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody).  Perhaps the most laughable sequence is where a tormented, drooling Denzel is lying in bed and trying to find a connection between mugshots posted on his motel wall.  As for the continually brooding Rami, I don’t understand how an intelligent detective with a wealth of resources needs to rely so heavily on one man.

Hollywood productions with big-name stars are a rare commodity in Australian cinemas right now given the impacts of COVID-19.  It’s a shame this isn’t worth recommending.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 February 2021

There are hypothetical question that many will have thought about and discussed with friends.  What would you do if you won $50 million in the lottery?  Could you survive on a deserted island like Tom Hanks did in Cast Away?  If you could have one super power, what would it be?  Blackbird poses a heavier question to reflect upon – if you knew you only had one month left to live, how would you spend the time?

It’s the situation that a grandmother, Lily (Sarandon), is forced to answer after being diagnosed with a fast degenerative disease that will soon take her life.  She’s a stubborn individual who doesn’t like showing signs of physical weakness but she’s clearly struggling.  Basic tasks – such as walking down stairs, opening a box or holding a wine glass – now require more time and more concentration.  Her doctors have said it will only get worse over the coming weeks.

With the help of her long-time husband Paul (Neill), Lily has organised one last family get-together at their idyllic beachside home.  Attending will be her two daughters (Winslet and Wasikowska), their respective partners (Wilson and Taylor-Klaus), her lone grandson (Boon) and her long-time friend (Duncan).  The afternoon starts out simply with crossword puzzles and charades and it’s followed by a beautiful dinner with great food and copious amounts of alcohol.

As you can imagine, the event is a mix of both happiness and sadness.  Everyone is putting up a brave face but it’s impossible to avoid the elephant in the room.  There are moments of humour as demonstrated in a scene where family members discuss whether it’s appropriate to buy Lily a farewell gift.  There are moments of tenderness such as a conversation where Lily gets her grandson to open up about his dreams for the future.  There are moments of raw emotion as characters struggle to hold back the tears knowing what lies ahead.

The one-on-one stuff is nice but the film is weakest when it brings all the characters together and succumbs to unnecessary melodrama.  It’s one of those movies where secrets come into the open, family members say what they really think about each other, and arguments then ensue.  There’s little subtlety to these scenes with the likes of Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Australian Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) being asked to overplay their roles.

Directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Morning Glory) and based on a 2014 Danish film (Silent Heart), Blackbird isn’t perfect but it presents an interesting scenario that’s worth exploring.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 February 2021

A movie about elderly men and their dogs searching for rare truffles in Northern Italy.  It doesn’t scream “box-office hit” but The Truffle Hunters is a fascinating documentary that premiered a year ago at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and recently made the shortlist (the top 15 films) for best documentary feature at the upcoming Academy Awards.  Many are tipping it will receive a coveted nomination.

The story of this secretive world will be of interest to many.  The white Alba truffle, found exclusively in Italy’s Piedmont region, is one of the expensive foods in the world with the market price often exceeding $10,000 AUD per kilogram!  It’s a classic case of supply and demand economics in that the price is high because supply is rare.  The truffles grow for just two months a year and, as they cannot be cultivated, they can only be found by experienced hunters foraging in little known forests.

The background to this documentary is as remarkable as the subject itself.  Filmmakers Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw were travelling through Italy one summer when they first learned about truffle hunters.  It took them roughly 3 years to pull the film together with much of that time spent living in Alba, earning the trust of the guarded townsfolk, and getting them to share their stories.

The end result is simple yet beautiful.  There’s no unnecessary narration and no talking heads.  We’re just observing these characters, often from a distance, and listening in on their day-to-day exchanges.  Shots have been meticulously framed with a single, motionless camera capturing the conversations as if those involved are completely unaware.

The Truffle Hunters is the kind of documentary that fills your brain and lifts your spirits.  You’ll be shown a world you never knew existed and then want to tell your friends and family about it.  You’ll discover that truffle hunters do much of their work at night so rivals won’t learn of their treasured rummaging spots.  One of them is 87-years-old but he’s still as active and passionate as ever.  You’ll also learn about the unspoken truffle hunting rules and get a glimpse as the hunters negotiate prices with keen buyers.  This is a film you must see.

You can read my interview with director Gregory Kershaw by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 February 2021

The United States of America has long been described as the “land of opportunity” and it’s why so many have been attracted to its shores.  More than 40 million people living in America right now were born in another country.  These people were lured by its economy, culture, health care, education, living space and, perhaps most importantly, its career opportunities.  It remains the top country of choice (by a significant margin).

There’s a seemingly endless number of real-life stories you could tell when it comes to immigrants in search of the American Dream.  A small number have been told on screen before as evidenced by In America, The Namesake, The Visitor, Brooklyn and Coming to America (the later offering a comedic perspective).  American writer-director Lee Isaac Chung adds a new title to the list with Minari – a tale loosely inspired by his own upbringing in Arkansas during the 1980s and the strong desire of his Korean father to create a better life for the whole family.

There’s division amongst the characters from the opening scene.  Tired of his job as a “chicken sexer” in California, Jacob (Yeun) has purchased a small farm in Arkansas which is to be the new family home.  He believes the property has the “best dirt in America” and his goal to grow niche Korean vegetables, sell them to local supermarkets, and watch the money roll in.  He’s finally working for himself as opposed to someone else.

His wife, Monica (Ye-Ri), is not as enamoured with the change.  She had no idea the farm would be so remote and she’s appalled by the old, leaky demountable they now must live in.  Money is also tight and she’s worried this venture, which requires significant bank borrowings, might see them end up in a worse position than beforehand.  Their arguments are often overheard by their two perceptive children, Anne (Cho) and David (Kim), who sense the family may soon split apart.

If you’re a fan of the film, you’ll probably describe it as “patient” and if not, you’ll refer to it as “slow”.  It’s an observational, skilfully acted drama where we watch these characters go about their daily lives (the perspective continually changes) and there isn’t much in the way of action and surprise.  Jacob gets help on the farm from a heavily religious man (Patton), Monica invites her Korean grandmother (Yuh-jung) to move in with them, and the two kids try to make friends at a nearby church.

As the days pass, the connections between the characters evolve.  By pouring so much time and energy into his work, Jacob has become blinkered to the negative impact his fatherly absence is having on the rest of the family.  Grandma Soon-ja steps up to fill the parenting gap and she slowly wins the affections of her grandson.  The interaction between 8-year-old Alan Kim and 73-year-old Young Yuh-jung is one of the film’s biggest strengths.

Minari earned the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize back in January 2020 and the acclaim has continued through to the current awards season.  It picked up three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations (including best cast) and you’re likely to be hearing it mentioned again when the Oscar nominations are announced in mid-March.