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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 September 2025

I’m not sure what sparked the idea of screenwriters Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona but Fight or Flight comes across as a quirky combination of Snakes on a Plane and John Wick.  It’s got a barrage of contract killers trying to claim a $10 million USD bounty by killing a specific target… and the action takes place mid-flight on a passenger airplane where escape options are limited.  It doesn’t make a lot of sense but the deliberately silly plot, and the apt title, grabbed my attention.

The film also continues the career renaissance of Josh Harnett.  Thrust back into the spotlight after his distinctive supporting performance in Oppenheimer and his lead turn in Trap, Harnett is once again a box-office draw.  Here, he steps into the shoes of Lucas Reyes, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who now resides in Bangkok after his job went pear-shaped.  It’s a strong outing from Hartnett who finds the right blend of humour and masculinity in creating the character.

Reyes has a chance to “clear his name” and return to the United States but to do so, he needs to help the Government identify and apprehend a computer hacker who is onboard the flight.  The intelligence agency has limited information on the hacker and so the first part of the mission is identification.  Once that’s sorted, and I won’t spoil who it is, the next step is survival.  They must evade the skilled, contracted assassins looking to make big bucks.

Directed by first-time feature filmmaker James Madigan, who has a lengthy career as a visual effects supervisor, Fight or Flight succeeds in providing surprising laughs and bloody battles.  It’s outlandishly violent and while that may alienate the squeamish, the shock value adds to the film’s dark humour.  The body count is high with a mix of broken bones and eyebrow-raising facial injuries.  Cinematographer Matt Flannery, best known for his work on the excellent Indonesian action flicks The Raid and The Raid 2, delivers in spades.  I’m amazed how many great angles his fast-moving camera was able to access aboard a passenger airplane.

The back-and-forth scenes which take place at the U.S. agency are iffy.  They’re a bunch of boring, one-note characters.  Fight or Flight works best when things are at their most nutty and chaotic – in the air with an increasingly exhausted Josh Harnett killing bad guys.  See it for that reason!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 August 2025

Thrillers about spies and undercover operatives tend to focus on characters more than method.  There’s certainly nothing wrong with that.  You root for the James Bond-like hero as they take down a villain with sinister motives.  Relay is not dissimilar but what creates an interesting point of difference is the heightened emphasis on “method”.  Instead of using the two hours to create backstories regarding families and love interests, writer Justin Piasecki gets into the nitty-gritty of “spy work” and the creative ways they avoid detection.

Set largely in New York City, Tom (Ahmed) works for a secretive organization which acts as an intermediary between dodgy folk.  His latest assignment has him working for Sarah (James), a researcher sacked by a biotech company after she expressed internal dissatisfaction with their practices.  Before leaving, Sarah took a copy of a damning food safety report which would threaten the company’s value and reputation but, after having second thoughts, she’s decided not to go public.  She knows the dangers of being a whistleblower and would rather maintain a simpler life.

This is where Tom comes in.  For a juicy fee, it’s incumbent on him to craft a solution which works for both parties.  The biotech company’s bigwigs will pay hush money to Sarah and in return, she will hand over all documents and keep quiet.  A major part of Tom’s responsibilities is to ensure everyone fulfills their obligations in terms of the short and long term.  He must do this as covertly as possible, from the exchange of money through to the protection of people, to keep it under the radar of the public and local police.

Relay is fun, slick entertainment.  It’s great to follow Tom as he meticulously puts plans in place and outsmarts a group of savvy adversaries.  He’s damn good at his job with his extensive experience providing a sense of control and confidence.  However, his line of work creates issues in his personal life (few friends, a lack of trust) that result in a sense of “emptiness”.  Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) shines in the juicy lead role.  Lily James (Downton Abbey) and Australian Sam Worthington (Avatar) have less to do but still impress with their supporting performances.

Directed by the skilful David Mackenzie, the man behind the Oscar nominated Hell or High Water, Relay keeps you thinking and keeps you on your toes.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 August 2025

Director Darren Aronofsky has made a few stinkers (Noah, The Whale) but I will always respect him highly because of two masterpieces – Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler.  Both were the #1 movie on my annual top 10 list in their respective years of release.  Caught Stealing won’t achieve such lofty heights but it’s still an above-average, “return to form” for Aronofsky.  He’s guided by a twisty screenplay from Charlie Huston who is adapting his own novel, first published 20 years ago.

Set in New York City in the year 1998 (they go overboard with the Twin Towers imagery), the film is centred on an alcoholic bartender, Hank (Butler), who is going nowhere in life.  He was once a baseball prodigy touted for the big leagues but after his knee was wrecked in a nasty car accident, those dreams were torched.  He now lives alone in a shabby apartment which contains more liquors bottles than food items.  The only person steering him in the right direction is Yvonne (Kravitz), an on-again, off-again love interest who works as a paramedic.

Everything flips upside down when Hank is dragged into a world of gangsters and drug dealers.  His British next-door neighbour goes overseas, he’s asked to care for a snarky cat, and it sets in motion a series of events that leave him fighting for survival.  Hank is not a traditional hero with an arsenal of weapons and battle skills.  When we beaten to a blood pulp in the opening act, we see Hank more as an “ordinary guy” who is in waaaaaay over his head.

This serves the film perfectly.  Hank doesn’t want trouble but the more he tries to escape it, the more it finds him.  There are also several subplots that, without revealing spoilers, spin the narrative in unexpected directions.  One could draw comparisons with Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie given the blend of violence, comedy and crime… but this is sufficiently different.  I like a protagonist with vulnerability and Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis) is terrific in the lead role.  You have a clear sense of the physical and emotional pain his likeable character endures.

With Regina King and Zoë Kravitz adding further interest with their supporting performances, Caught Stealing entertains in many ways.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 August 2025

Spoof comedies were all the rage in the 1970s and 80s with films including Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Airplane!, Young Frankenstein, This Is Spinal Tap, Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs.  They’ve lost their lustre in recent decades, largely because of dreadful outings like Epic Movie and Disaster Movie, but if there’s one franchise with a chance of reinvigorating the genre, it’s The Naked Gun.  The Leslie Nielsen-helmed trilogy, released between 1988 and 1994, was a commercial success and its best gags are still quoted today.

For this new instalment, Liam Neeson takes the reigns from the late Leslie Nielsen (a joke in itself given how similar their names are).  He plays Frank Drebin Jr, a largely incompetent lieutenant in Los Angeles’ Police Squad, who rarely follows the rule book and bumbles his way through cases.  His boss (Pounder) has finally had enough and takes him off a lucrative investigation involving a cunning entrepreneur (Huston) but it doesn’t stop Drebin Jr from getting involved.  He’ll be aided by a crime novelist (Anderson) who has motives of her own.

 Directed by Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod), The Naked Gun may not have you “rolling down the aisle” with laughter but it’s good, old-fashioned entertainment.  It’s clearly trying to recreate the dry, sarcastic sense of humour which worked so effectively in the earlier movies.  I don’t think Liam Neeson (Taken) has the comedic delivery and facial expressions to match Leslie Nielsen but he’s giving it a decent crack.  Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl) is a welcome addition with her own light-hearted role.

The best jokes are the ones you don’t see coming.  I’ll admit to audibly laughing at the cinema on several occasions.  On the flip side, there’s a few gags which don’t quite land and some others that feel too familiar and predictable.  The runtime of 85 minutes is perfect with the outlandish characters not overstaying their welcome.  It’s also nice to see the iconic music theme, created by Ira Newborn in 1982 for the Police Squad TV series, getting a run during the amusing closing credits.

If you like “dad jokes” and shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, this is right up your alley.  It may not achieve the cult-like status of its predecessors, but The Naked Gun is the perfect “popcorn movie” and delivers harmless, mindless fun.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 August 2025

A private investigator (Qualley) looking into the strange death of a new client.  An evangelist (Evans) who uses his pulpit to  be prey on vulnerable women.  A chatty police detective (Day) who leaks information like a sieve.  A police officer (Plaza) in need of love, love and more love.  A single mum (Connolly) juggling a household with too many kids.  An office assistant (Beans) with a very light workload.

The Coen brothers have a long-held reputation of creating quirky, memorable characters (e.g. Fargo, No Country for Old Men) and while they now work separately, Ethan Coen continues the trend in Honey Don’t!  It’s a short (89 minute) dark comedy described as being part of a “lesbian B-movie trilogy.”  The narratives don’t overlap but this is the second outing following last year’s Drive-Away Dolls. Once again, Coen is collaborating with his wife, Tricia Cooke, who is credited as a screenwriter.

I appreciate why some may not like this.  A more traditional storyline would link the subplots and resolve them to audiences’ satisfaction.  Coen and Cooke take an alternative approach. They’re vastly different movies but I could draw a comparison to last week’s major new release, The Naked Gun.  You don’t watch a movie like that for its big finale – which is borderline irrelevant to one’s enjoyment.  Rather, you buy a ticket in anticipation of the jokes and interactions along the way.

That’s the attitude you must take into Honey Don’t!  The entire cast, including the minor supporting players, leave an impression with their distinctive performances.  They’re helped by the quality script which allows them to wittily interact with each other.  Margaret Qualley (The Substance) is central to all – from her back-and-forth debate with Chris Evans about being “open”, through to a discussion with Aubrey Plaza about “third dates”.  Adding to the film’s allure is the horniness of its characters.  So many of these people are either getting laid… or want to be getting laid.

Set in a small, desolate town where every building needs repairs (another cool point of distinction), Honey Don’t! taps into my own warped sense of humour.  Thumbs up.