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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 June 2025

F1 is the Happy Gilmore of motor racing movies.  You can enjoy it as simple entertainment, but it bears no resemblance to the sport itself.  This is a cliched, Hollywood-ised action piece, and you don’t need to be a Formula One aficionado to recognise that fact.  As is so often the case with sporting films, there’s no substitute for the real thing.  If looking for a “crash” course on Formula One, I’d suggest watching a live race on television or connecting through the popular British documentary series Drive to Survive.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), F1 is centred on the fictitious Sonny Hayes, a washed-up, 50-something-year-old who had a fleeting career in the 1990s which amounted to nothing.  He’s played by Brad Pitt in a very Brad Pitt-type role.  He’s a jokey, playful, carefree character who goes “against the grain” like we saw in Moneyball, The Big Short, Bullet Train, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  Pitt also serves as producer with the film co-funded by his own Plan B Entertainment company.

Sonny is lured back into the sport when approached by a former driver, Ruben Cervantes (Bardem), desperate for help.  Ruben now runs the APXGP team but, having burned through $350 million over three years and not earned a single place on the podium, he’s reached the bottom of the barrel in search of answers.  He wants Sonny to serve as #2 driver for the team while also mentoring the young Noah Pearce (Idris) who has natural talent but lacks maturity and experience.  They’ve got 9 races to prove themselves or else it’s “curtains” for their respective careers.

The production values are top-notch.  Kosinski and his team had permission to shoot scenes on actual Formula One race weekends over two years and it’s why the sets, costumes and extras look so genuine.  They don’t have much in the way of speaking lines, but the film finds a way of incorporating a bunch of real-life commentators and drivers, including Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, into the drama.  The race sequences will get the blood pumping and composer Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) adds further energy with a pulsating music score, nicely showcased during the opening titles.  I’ll be adding it to my soundtrack collection!

It’s a shame the script doesn’t offer more.  It’s as if they filmed all the racetrack stuff first and tried to cobble together a narrative in the editing room.  I realise that’s not the case but it’s how the film comes across.  From Sonny Hayes rediscovering his skills with next-to-no training, to a group of ignorant investors with minimal knowledge, to a pioneering female engineer (Condon) who becomes a token love interest, to a pit crew member lacking confidence when changing tires… yeah, it’s hard to swallow.

While it has its fair share of positive attributes, F1 suffers by being a movie which “features” Formula One but is not “about” Formula One.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 June 2025

Walking into Materialists, I felt like a cartoon character who has an angel above one shoulder and a devil above the other.  The angel told me to think positively as it’s directed by Celine Song – the creator of Past Lives which earned an Oscar nomination for best picture and made by top 10 list in 2023.  The devil had me thinking negatively thanks to a fluffy trailer which gave the appearance of a cheesy, formulaic, unrealistic romantic comedy.

While it isn’t perfect, I’m happy to report the angel came out on top.  Song takes chances and the film is better for it.  It revolves around Lucy (Johnson), a thirty-something-year-old single woman who lives in Manhattan and earns roughly $80,000 a year working at a high-profile “matchmaking” business.  Clients pay a membership fee and in return, employees match them up with compatible suitors.  It may sound old fashioned, especially given the use of apps these days, but such businesses still exist and in fact, Song briefly worked for one early in her career.

There are many talking points to come from Materialists and one centres on the industry itself.  Lucy remarks that people tell her things they wouldn’t tell their own therapists… and it’s true.  She deals with a range of customers who will openly admit to being racist, ageist, vain and/or materialistic.  The way some ego-driven folk see themselves and what they want out of a relationship… yeah, it’s both laugh-out-loud funny and darkly scary.  What percentage of the actual population are represented in these characters?  I’d hate to know the answer.

Another differentiating quality is the “greyness” of Lucy.  She’s a not-always-likeable person who, at times, comes off like a slimy real estate agent who will say whatever is necessary to close a deal.  She’s not looking for love herself and, as evidenced in a “wedding crasher” scene, we learn she is quite jaded and cynical when it comes to lifelong devotion.

Yet, in true rom-com fashion, the film introduces two men trying to win her affections.  They’re as different as chalk and cheese with Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) playing a penthouse-owning, millionaire venture capitalist while Chris Evans (Captain America) plays a handsome but dirt-broke actor she dated several years ago.  Instead of wondering who she’ll choose, audiences might instead ask the question of whether she deserves either of them.

Song makes a few missteps.  There are unnecessary elements such as a caveman tale, which bookends the film, and Lucy’s odd redemptive arc with a client relationship gone wrong.  They don’t fit very well.  Still, I enjoyed the intelligent, well-crafted dialogue where characters open-up and talk about love in a transactional manner.  It’s weird but also witty and thought-provoking.  Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner seems to always have the camera in the perfect place and the use of continuous takes gives certain conversations more weight.

Further bolstered by the quality performances of the three leads, Materialists is a romantic comedy for those who are a little sceptical of romantic comedies.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 June 2025

In need of a refresher?  28 Days Later, released in Australia in 2003, was a brilliant, lowish-budget horror film about a zombie-inducing virus inflicted on the people of the England after a medical lab ape goes feral.  It provided a compelling survival tale, centred a courier played by Cillian Murphy, but also asked meaningful questions about how technology could work against humanity and leave society on the verge of annihilation.  It turned a tidy profit at the box-office and a less successful follow-up, 28 Weeks Later, debuted in 2007.

For the two individuals responsible for the original, director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) and writer Alex Garland, it’s been a busy two decades.  Boyle won an Academy Award for the popular Slumdog Millionaire and oversaw the well-received opening ceremony for London’s 2012 Summer Olympic Games (loved Queen Elizabeth II’s cameo).  Garland transitioned into direction and made a string of discussion-generating films including Ex Machina, Civil War, and Warfare.  Both have returned for this new instalment, aptly titled 28 Years Later.

I respect artists who take risks and Boyle, working closely with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire), have done that by shooting the bulk of the footage using off-the-shelf iPhones.  It’s head-shaking stuff.  The small device currently resting in my pocket has the power to conjure imagery for a $60 million studio film shown on giant cinema screens across the globe.  As you’ll see for yourself, it allows for distinctive camera angles – from a tight facial close-up of an emotive person through to a multitude of perspectives as a zombie is split open by a piercing arrow.

The narrative (obviously) takes place 28 years after the “Rage Virus” was first released and focuses on a small group of Brits who have found refuge on a zombie-free island close to the coastline.  They’re still alive… but it’s a very different lifestyle to the one they left behind.  I liked the film’s many small details.  Bacon is a luxury good, residents must recycle, and job options are narrow.

The zombies are freaky, and the deaths are gory but the strongest attribute of 28 Years Later is the robust family tale at its core.  Young English actor Alfie Williams is a revelation as the 12-year-old Spike.  He’s a big-hearted kid who wants to help his ailing mother (Comer), but he lacks the nous and emotional maturity to fully grasp the risks he is taking.  Spike treads the fine line between bravery and stupidity.  The dynamic he shares with his “macho” father (Taylor-Johnson) is also an interesting subplot.

If curious about the unresolved loose ends when the credits start rolling, you’ll be happy to know the next chapter, entitled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is slated for release in early 2026.  Hopefully it’s great too!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 June 2025

On 20 June 1975, almost 50 years to the day, Jaws was first released on over 400 screens in the United States.  It propelled the career of a young Steven Spielberg, it became the highest grossing movie of the year, and it intensified our fear of sharks.  A new generation of filmmakers have since put their own spin on this niche genre, sometimes dramatic and sometimes comedic, but no other shark film has achieved such a cultural breakthrough.

The latest director to “dip his toes in the water” is Australian Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones) with Dangerous Animals, shot here on the Gold Coast.  Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) stars as Tucker, a scruffy boat operator who runs a small shark cage diving business for tourists.  I’m reminded of the Latin phrase “caveat emptor” or, in English, “let the buyer beware”.  Customers should be reading Google reviews because Tucker is not someone you want to deal with.

Put simply, he’s a psychopath.  He kidnaps young people, often loners and backpackers, and dangles them from a crane at the back of his boat.  He adds a splash of blood in the water and then waits for hungry sharks to sink their sharp teeth into fresh meat.  It gets worse.  Tucker films the killings with an old VHS camcorder and unemotively rewatches the tapes while sitting inside his cabin eating breakfast.  You’d think cops might have caught on at some point but meh, it’s a minor plot quibble.

Tucker’s latest target is Zephyr (Harrison), an American on holidays in Australia to enjoy our wonderful surfing conditions.  She wakes up to find herself handcuffed to a metal bedframe in the boat’s hull and once the reality of situation sets in, Zephyr knows she has only has 24 hours to outsmart Tucker and escape.  Someone with a role to play is Moses (Heuston), a young, inquisitive Aussie she had a romantic fling with just prior to the abduction.

When the film is good, it’s very good.  First-time writer Nick Lepard has crafted a workable script filled with tense moments while Jai Courtney enhances the material with his unsettling performance.  You’ll be left wondering how Zephyr will extricate herself from life-threatening peril and you’ll feel the anxiety as she tries to keep her plans from the observant Tucker.  Coming in at a taught 98 minutes, the movie should also be praised for avoiding a long-winded set-up and getting straight to the suspense.

On the flipside, when the film is bad, yeah, it’s bad.  It’s laughable to see Zephyr and Moses having calm discussions, with a splash of romance, when realising they’re likely to die.  There are a few too many convenient plot points where a heroic character is seconds away from freedom but comes unstuck (one on a beach is particularly annoying).  Acknowledging the film was made on a shoestring budget, the visual effects and camera trickery are also too obvious.

Jaws playfully used the tagline “don’t go in the water” while Dangerous Animals flips that on its head by saying “you’re safter in the water.”  It’s an entertaining horror ride that reminds us that humans can be scarier than any shark.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 June 2025

Pixar’s latest hits hard from the outset.  This isn’t an animated feature about cute talking animals going on goofy misadventures.  The opening scene introduces us to Elio (Kibreab), an 11-year-old who has recently moved in with his Aunt Olga (Saldaña) following the tragic death of his mum and dad in a car crash.  It’s an intensely painful event for both with the preteen Elio retreating into his “shell” and struggling emotionally, while the kind-hearted Olga puts her career ambitions on hold (she wants to be astronaut) to raise her nephew.

A trip to an air and space museum lifts Elio’s spirits in a quirky, unusual way.  He becomes fascinated by extraterrestrial life!  So much so that, unhappy with life on Earth, he sends a message into the cosmos asking aliens to abduct him.  His wish comes true when an intergalactic spaceship beams him up, mistakes him as Earth’s leader, and then has him lead a complex negotiation against the insecure warmonger Lord Grigon (Garrett) who seeks control of the universe.  It provides a coming-of-age awakening for Elio who makes new friends but, in the process, learns life isn’t easy no matter what planet you’re from.

As always, it’s nice to engage with an animated movie which isn’t a sequel, spin-off or remake.  Elio tackles an array of themes including trauma, loneliness, sacrifice, courage, friendship and family.  I don’t think every subplot works (some are rushed) but kids of different ages will find an “in point” to connect with these characters.  Mature children will tap into the film’s heavier, emotional material.  Those younger can still have fun with the vibrant aliens and the four-eyed villain, distinctively voiced by Emmy winner Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond).

It’s unusual to see three directors credited with a film’s creation.  Adrian Molina, a co-writer of 2017’s Coco, kickstarted the project but stepped away partway through to work on a Coco sequel.  The reins were then handed to Domee Shi (Turning Red) and first-time feature director Madeline Sharafian to see Elio through to completion.  They’ve done a nice job bring the aliens to life – from Remy Edgerly as a playful worm through to Scottish actress Shirley Henderson as a tiny, blob-like supercomputer.  The use of colour and light also stands out.

It’s not “top shelf” Pixar but Elio is an amiable outing to occupy the kids over the winter school holidays.