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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 September 2023

As a fan of Jan de Bont’s box-office smashing 1994 hit Speed, I like the idea at the heart of Retribution.  A successful American businessman, Matt Turner (Neeson), is driving his two kids to school in Berlin when he is called from an unknown number and told by a voice-masked individual that the car will explode if any of them leave it.  A quick check using his mobile phone, which grabs a picture of a bomb beneath the driver’s seat, confirms the threat to be genuine.

Over the next hour or so, the villainous phone caller asks Matt to drive around the city streets and complete a series of errands.  If he fails to comply or tries to alert the authorities, they will be killed using a remote detonation switch.  His task becomes increasingly more difficult after Matt is incorrectly identified as the main suspect in a series of other crimes and the police are on his tail.  Can he find a way to get help and extricate he and his family from the car without tipping off his potential assassin?

Pitched as an action-thriller with a splash of dark comedy (“think of it as a profound life experience”), Retribution lacks credibility and thus, it’s hard to see audiences on the edge of their seats.  The further it goes, the less sense it makes.  The interplay between Matt and his kids doesn’t ring true (everyone is far too calm) and the villain’s ideas and subsequent media/police reaction fall into place far too neatly.  Nothing is as phony as the rushed finale.

While it feels like a padding-the-back-account flick for Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List), the sole member of the cast who does impress is Tony Award nominated actress Noma Dumezweni (The Little Mermaid) as a shrewd, level-headed detective trying to piece the unusual puzzle together.  It’s a shame her character isn’t introduced earlier in the film given the personality and sincerity she brings to the role.  Other recognisable cast members include Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket) and Embeth Davidtz (Matilda) but their full acting skills are rarely called upon.

A few moments work, highlighted by a scene where Matt parks beneath an underpass and authorities plot a course of action, but these are few and far between.  Retribution has early promise but stumbles to the finish line.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 September 2023

It’s not the easiest genre to navigate but filmmakers such as Christopher Guest (Best in Show), Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows), and Larry Charles (Bruno) have shown what’s possible with mockumentaries.  One key ingredient always comes to mind – great actors who can generate laughs while maintaining a serious, deadpan disposition.  They (almost) make you believe you’re watching real people in a real setting (despite the stupidity of the scenario).

Theatre Camp is the genre’s latest entry and is centred on a summer camp for nerdish kids who love acting and musical theatre.  The latest camp begins on an unplanned note when the long-time manager has a strobe-light related mishap (both humorous and tragic) and her inexperienced son takes the reins.  He knows as much about theatre as he does about business (which is nothing) and so it falls upon the loyal, eccentric teachers to pick up the slack.

In trying to put thoughts into words, I’m split down the middle on Theatre Camp.  It’s a fun idea but the execution doesn’t live up to the concept.  As an example, the idiosyncrasies of the adult characters are overcooked.  Does Troy need to be such a clueless try-hard when it comes to management?  Does Janet need to be so goofily ill-equipped in taking the new job?  Does Rebecca-Diane need to be so obvious with his continual disappearances?  The film’s best/realest characters are the children and I wish they had more of a focus.

That said, there are still more than enough laughs to be extracted from the material.  Some are quick, throw-away gags where someone will be made fun of… while others require a longer set up including the climax to an original musical performed by the kids as the camp comes to a close.  Most audiences should enjoy this but those with knowledge of musical theatre will probably latch onto a few more jokes than the rest of us.

Many were involved in bringing Theatre Camp to life, but significant credit belongs to 27-year-old Molly Gordon who serves as director, writer, and actor.  The script was heavily improvised, and the shoot was wrapped up in less than 3 weeks.  In interviews, Gordon has acknowledged mockumentary guru Christopher Guest as an inspiration and it’s easy to see from the finished product.

Getting a small Australian release following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, Theatre Camp is a light, breezy watch.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 September 2023

Much has been said, and rightly so, about Blue Beetle being the first live-action superhero movie with a Latino lead.  22-year-old Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai) was born in the United States, but his ancestry is a mix of Mexican (mum) and Cuban Ecuadorian (dad).  It goes further than that though.  Director Ángel Manuel Soto is Puerto Rican, writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer is Mexican, and the supporting cast has a strong Latin America connection.  Considering roughly 20% of the United States population is Hispanic or Latino, how has it taken this long to see them represented front and centre in a Hollywood action flick?

I’ll describe Blue Beetle as a film of two halves – not in terms of time but in terms of “sides”.  Headlining the “good guys” is Jaime Reyes (Maridueña), a college kid who returns home following graduation and his hit with a wall of bad news – his parents are about to lose their house (rents have tripled), his dad recently suffered a heart-attack, and the family business has gone broke.  They may be light when it comes to wealth and possessions, but they’re a loving, tight-knit group who still see life’s glass as being half-full.

The interplay between the family members is the film’s strongest attribute.  When Jaime touches a small alien creature and is unwillingly transformed into an all-powerful superhero, there’s fun to be had.  There’s a small lull as we go through the genre’s obligatory learning-how-the-powers work stuff but once we move on, the family rally together in support on their own.  The two standouts are Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel) as a feisty grandmother with a curious past, and comedian George Lopez as the funny uncle with a penchant for cars and technology.

If only the “bad guys” were as interesting.  Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) is an accomplished actress but she’s not the right choice to play Victoria Lord, the CEO of a military company creating a robotic army in pursuit of power and profit.  She’s a clumsy written villain whose actions and motivations make little sense.  How can anyone take her seriously?  I feel similarly about Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario) who plays her top henchman.

The script is too black and white (the morals/family stuff is pushed VERY hard) but there are some worthy quotes (poor people being invisible), a charismatic lead performance Maridueña (he’s a name to watch going forward), and strong production values.  The distinctive neon lighting in labs and underground lairs reminded me of Tron.  It may not be remembered as vividly as the iconic motif from All Quiet on the Western Front but there’s an equally impressive three-note tune from composer Bobby Krlic (Midsommar) which creates energy at just the right moments.

Blue Beetle underperformed at the U.S. box-office and while it’s not groundbreaking when it comes to narrative and themes, it’s worth a look for its many positive qualities and what it broadly represents for the Latino community.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 04 September 2023

We had three live action movies between 1990 and 1993, then we had a one-off animated feature in 2007, then we had a franchise reboot with films in 2014 and 2016, and now the reboot button has been pressed once more.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem takes us back to the beginning.  It shows us (again) how they came into existence (fluorescent green ooze) before pitting them against a nasty adversary intent on destroying the world.

Just like a revived Broadway play/musical, director Jeff Rowe didn’t want this to be a slavish remake.  For starters, it has a fresh visual footprint in the same vein as the recent Into the Spider-Verse series.  The concept was to make it look like it had been drawn by amateurish teenagers with “weird shapes and bad perspectives.”  While there’s nothing wrong with the alternative (animated features striving for perfection with rich detail), it’s nice to look at something distinctively different.

The casting is another talking point.  This is the first time a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie uses actual teenagers to voice the title characters.  Rowe also made the wise decision to bring the four actors together and record the dialogue in a single sound studio (unusual for the genre).  This provided them with more freedom to go “off script” and talk over the top of each other.  It adds up to performances which are fun, realistic, and organic (feels weird saying that about a talking turtle flick).

There are two key cast members with voices you will recognise.  69-year-old Jackie Chan (Rush Hour) brings his comedic personality to the character of Splinter, the mutant rat who becomes a father figure to the turtles.  The other is Ice Cube (21 Jump Street) who entertains as Super Fly, a feverish villain who sees humans as the enemy and wants them all to become fellow mutants like him.  The likes of Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Paul Rudd and Post Malone also pop up with small roles.

I liked this more than expected.  The painting-like animation is a big plus but the screenplay is a winner too.  Characters have nuance and to use Splinter as an example, he’s unnecessarily overprotective (“humans are the demon scum of the Earth”) and yet willing to put his life on the line to save his family when required.  The educative interaction between the four turtles and their first non-mutant friend, April O’Neill (Edebiri), creates opportunity for humour as their eyes are opened to different worlds.  The writers have also thrown in several amusing pop culture references which show the target audience is as much adults as it is children.

The action is a too chaotic in places, particularly during the finale, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem takes chances and is rewarded.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 September 2023

Regardless of the artistic medium – books, movies, TV shows, plays – audiences’ interest in the “whodunit” has endured for as long as the genre has existed.  We yearn for entertainment and, as unrealistic as these tales can be, there’s something satisfying about stepping into the shoes of an experienced detective, piecing the clues together, and identifying the murderer(s).

Right now, there are two film franchises tapping into that demand.  The first is the Knives Out Mystery series, created by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig as the camp detective Benoit Blanc.  Films were released in 2019 and 2022 with a third instalment hurriedly in production.  The series has been deservedly lauded for its fun and freshness with both nominated at the Oscars for best screenplay.  Through hilariously eccentric performances and craftily written twists, they strike the right balance between realistic intrigue and silly spoof.

The second franchise is based on the works of the late Agatha Christie and sees newly minted Oscar winner Kenneth Branagh (Belfast) serving as both director and star.  He embodies the character of Hercule Poirot, a world-renowned detective who is the first person contacted when a complex crime needs solving.  Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022) are now followed by the latest outing, A Haunting in Venice.

Bringing back memories of Woody Allen’s 2014 comedy Magic in the Moonlight, Venice opens with Poirot lured out of retirement by an old friend (Fey) and asked to debunk the methods of a woman (Yeoh) who can communicate with the dead.  It all takes place on a rainy evening in a rundown, “haunted” Venetian mansion owned by a mother (Reilly) who has engaged the spiritual medium to help answer questions about her daughter’s untimely death.  Those in attendance include family connections and the hired help.

I refer to Knives Out to help illustrate the limitations of the Branagh-led series.  There’s nothing overtly wrong about A Haunting in Venice but the material feels “dated” in comparison.  It’s a ho-hum 1940s mystery that doesn’t offer up any shock-inducing twists and sticks to the well-worn mould – a murder, interviews where everyone has a motive, and a relatively straight-forward resolution.  Laughs are thin (Poirot makes the odd quib) and, except for Michelle Yeoh as the spiritualist and Tina Fey as a waning American writer, the characters’ backstories aren’t hugely interesting.  Knives Out offers more originality and humour.

A Haunting in Venice is the kind of movie where you’re never bored… but you’re never blown away.