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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 November 2019

In 2007, author Stephen King watched a news story about a 2-year-old pet cat in a New England nursing home that could sense when a resident was near death and would curl up next to them in bed during their final hours.  That odd phenomenon was the spark that motivated him to write a follow up to The Shining, the widely read book that was adapted for the screen by the late Stanley Kubrick in 1980.

He was a 5-year-old in the original novel but now, Dan Torrance (McGregor) is a middle-aged man searching for solace and employment.  He’s poor, he’s dishevelled and he’s an alcoholic.  He still has his power though.  Dan has an ability, which he refers to as “the shining”, to tap into people’s minds and see through their eyes.  He’s spent a lifetime learning to control and supress the power so as not to be identified by those intent on harm.

The villains he fears are a group of strange nomads travelling across the country in a campervan.  They are led by a fearless woman (Ferguson) who has a love for meditation and top hats.  The group have discovered the secret to eternal life but in order to keep their health and youthful looks, they must capture and torture those with psychic abilities so as to “eat their screams and feed off their pain”.  The scenes in which they extract the “essence” from their victims are both cool and disturbing.

It takes a little while (the film runs for over 2 ½ hours) but Dan will have to confront the bad folk in addition to his trauma-filled childhood.  Those with key parts to play include Billy (Curtis), his new best friend who helps get him back on his feet, and Dr Dalton (Greenwood), an Alcoholics Anonymous group leader who finds Dan a job at a local hospice.  The most important character is Abra (Curran), a young girl whose psychic mind is described as being like a radio – “sometimes you pick up some weird stations.”

The horror-thriller genre is one that needs to keep reinventing itself to avoid staleness.  There’s only so many times you can use darkened basements, possessed kids and cheap jolts.  Credit to those involved with Doctor Sleep in trying to offer something different.  This is a strange but intriguing plot where not all questions have an answer.  There’s a lot to digest in the first act as audiences get to know the characters and the background of this peculiar world (it will help if you’ve seen/read The Shining).

The cast is strong.  Rebecca Ferguson is outstanding as the confident, take-no-nonsense cult leader who will stop at nothing to protect those around her.  She’s not someone you’d want to meet in real life!  Ewan McGregor is equally good as the reluctant hero trying to live a subdued, quiet life.  His character reminds me of the iconic line from Magnolia – “we may be through with the past but the past ain’t through with us.”

Adapted for the screen and directed by Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin of Evil), Doctor Sleep makes great use of sound.  Parts of the music score, composed by The Newton Brothers, reverberate like a slow-beating heart and this adds to the film’s ominous tone.  The same can be said of the chilling sound effects that have extra prominence given the dialogue-free nature of lengthy sequences.

Steering clear of clichés, Doctor Sleep will keep you interested and keep you thinking.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 24 October 2019

There are many reasons to hate one’s in-laws but Ready or Not is going for something rather extreme.  The film opens with Grace (Weaving) about to marry the man of her dreams.  Alex (O’Brien) is smart, kind and good looking.  It also helps that his family is “richer than God” with the wedding festivities set to take place at their expansive country mansion.

The ceremony goes to plan but a few hours later, Grace finds herself at the centre of an odd tradition.  Every time someone new becomes part of the Le Domas family, they all congregate in a special room at midnight and play a game together.  Grace has the honour of drawing a playing card from an old box and flipping it over, the choice of game is revealed – hide and seek.

How do you make a movie out of such a simple, childish game?  Writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy have done so by raising the stakes and the consequences.  There’s some weird supernatural stuff going on inside the house (it’s hard to explain) but it boils down to this – Grace has to stay hidden and avoid capture until sunrise.  If she wins, she gets to keep her life.  If she loses, she will be brutally killed.

It’s never easy creating something fresh within the well-worn horror genre but Ready or Not deserves praise for its cool concept.  You’ve got a traumatised young woman being chased by some deranged family members in a giant house that has secret rooms and passageways.  When you throw in ancient weapons, clueless servants and a myriad of security cameras, there are lot of directions in which the story could go.

The execution is a touch clumsy.  The film is at its best when it’s creating tense sequences (such as a scene in a butler’s kitchen) where you’re not sure how the protagonists will extricate themselves.  These moments are a little clichéd but they’ll still have an impact on audiences.  The film is at its weakest when it tries to transition from horror to comedy.  There are a few well-earned laughs but for the most part, the gags feel unnecessary and they detract from the menacing tone.

27-year-old Australian actress Samara Weaving (Picnic at Hanging Rock) will win fans with her emotion-charged performance as Grace.  She’s created an authentic lead character who makes the odd mistake and who reacts/overreacts to situations in a way that we can relate to.  The make-up artists deserve praise for their key part in creating the cuts, bruises and injuries that mount up with each passing hour.

More could have been made of the villainous Le Domas family (the likes of Andie MacDowell are wasted) and the decisions of some characters lack logic but on the whole, Ready or Not offers more pros than cons.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 30 October 2019

If you think of long running animated series like The Simpsons and Family Guy, you’ll know that for the most part, every episode begins anew with no knowledge of what occurred in previous instalments.  It’s why Bart Simpson is still in the 4^th grade despite the show running for more than 30 years!

This same logic is starting to creep into the film world.  Halloween was released in 1978 and was followed by nine sequels (most of them very average) between 1981 and 2009.  When the producers brought back Jamie Lee Curtis and pushed the reset button in 2018, they asked audiences to ignore all the previous movies and pretend this new movie was a direct follow on from the 1978 original.

That’s again the case here.  Director James Cameron wowed audiences a few decades ago with The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991).  The later was the highest grossing movie of that year.  After a lengthy pause in the franchise, three more sequels followed in 2003, 2009 and 2015.  They didn’t make enough money and so, once again, it’s time for a reset.  We’re asked to believe those movies occurred in an “alternative timeline” with Terminator: Dark Fate picking up the storyline not longer after the events of Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

In the first movie, a terminator travelled back in time to eliminate Sarah Connor before she could give birth to the person who would lead a resistance against the robots.  He failed.  In the second movie, another terminator travelled back to kill Sarah’s now 10-year-old son for the same reason.  He failed.  In this third movie, yet another terminator (Luna) has travelled back in time to go after a new target, Dani Ramos (Reyes), who has a key part to play in that future resistance.

You can see that Dark Fate isn’t offering a lot of creativity in terms of plot.  It’s sticking with the same themes and formulas that worked effectively in the earlier movies.  James Cameron helped write the script but the directorial duties this time have been taken on by 49-year-old American Tim Miller who rose to prominence in 2016 with Deadpool.

The standout ingredient in this film is the return of Linda Hamilton.  She hasn’t starred in a major studio flick for over 20 years and having fled Hollywood for a simpler, better life in New Orleans, Hamilton was coaxed out of semi-retirement to step into the shoes of Sarah Connor one more time.  She’s so good here.  She full of grumpy one-liners in portraying the 60-something-year-old Sarah as angry, gritty and crusty.  Her character has an important role in protecting the confused Dani.

You’ll see Arnold Schwarzenegger again (how could you not make a Terminator film without him?) but he’s playing second fiddle to Hamilton and 32-year-old Canadian actress Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049).  Davis plays an “augmented” human soldier from the future who has followed the villainous terminator back in time with hopes of eliminating him.

In terms of action sequences, Dark Fate has what you’d expect – lengthy punch-ups, slow-mo gun fights and a crazy car chase.  That’s all in the first 30 minutes!  It starts to get a little tiring in the closing act with Miller electing to go with farcical, over-the-top action as opposed to credible, inventive action.  A scene involving a military plane (without giving too much away) is the best example.

I think Terminator: Dark Fate is worth a look but if the broader public disagrees, I’m sure the “reset button” will get another push!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 October 2019

After the Wedding joins the likes of Cold Pursuit, The Kindergarten Teacher and Gloria Bell as foreign language movies to have been recently adapted into English to appease those who dislike subtitles.  In this instance, the original was a Danish drama directed by Susanne Bier which earned an Academy Award nomination for best foreign language film in 2007 (losing to The Lives of Others).

The setting and character names have been changed but for the most part, this is a close remake.  Isabel (Williams) is a middle aged American woman who has spent the last chunk of her life running an orphanage for abandoned children in India.  Isabel and the other volunteers are passionate about their work but they lack the financial resources to provide a better life for the kids who reside there.

Their prayers appear to be answered when contacted by Theresa Young (Moore), an extremely wealthy businesswoman who controls the biggest media placement company in the United States.  Theresa is keen to donate $2 million towards the orphanage but before doing so, she’s asked Isabel to travel to New York so they can meet face-to-face and discuss plans.

It’s at this point where things get a little strange.  The pair meet on a Friday morning but instead of Theresa signing the deal and writing out a cheque, she asks for extra time to fully consider the proposal.  Realising that Isabel has been inconvenienced and cannot immediately return to India, Theresa provides an invitation to her daughter’s wedding which is scheduled to take place the next day.  It’s an odd request and Isabel is somewhat troubled by the fact she’s attending a wedding where she doesn’t know a single guest (including anyone in the bridal party).  Theresa even offers to buy her a dress!

There are a few twists in this tale and so it’s unfair for me to reveal the surprises for those unfamiliar with the Danish original.  What I can say is that there are plot developments that come across as artificial and manufactured.  Highlighted by a meeting between Isabel and Theresa’s daughter (Quinn), it feels like all these characters are tiptoeing around certain subject matters for the purpose of prolonging the narrative.  Why are they so afraid of asking obvious questions?

It’s hard to point the finger of blame at Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) and Billy Crudup (Almost Famous).  They’re doing their best with the limited material and it’s nice to see such a quality group of actors sharing the screen together.  I only wish that the emotion displayed by their respective characters was the equal of that experienced by the audience.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 27 October 2019

It’s as straight forward as movie titles get.  This is a film about a person named Brittany who runs a marathon.  Her decision is driven by her waistline and her wallet.  Brittany’s doctor suggests she lose 25kgs for the betterment of her long-term health and, too poor to afford a gym membership, she takes up running with the goal of completing the prestigious New York City Marathon.

In that regard, this a feel-good, inspirational flick.  There are plenty of us out there (myself included) who could lose a few kilograms but we lack the motivation to do so.  Star Jillian Bell shed 18kgs herself as part of her preparation for playing the titular character.  It provided insight into the changes required to one’s diet and exercise regime to lose such a substantial amount of weight.

There’s a lot more to this film however.  Yes, it’s about a physical transformation but given just as much prominence is the exploration of Brittany’s prickly, uneven personality.  She’s rude to her newfound running buddies, she disrespects family members, and there’s a shocking sequence where she taunts another woman with weight issues.  She’s a really, really hard person to like.

Writer-director Paul Downs Colaizzo, in what is his debut feature film, gives audiences plenty to digest in scrutinising the troubled Brittany.  She’s lacking in confidence and she’s quick to push people away who offer assistance.  Many of Brittany’s self-inflicted problems can be easily solved but it’s as if she’s addicted to self-pity and a continual “woe is me” attitude.

Jillian Bell is outstanding in the way she captures her character’s fragile nature and also in the way she balances laughs with poignancy.  It’s a darker comedy than some might expect.  Bell has built a steady resume of supporting comedic performances in films such as Office Christmas Party, Fist Fight and Rough Night and this provies she proves she’s more than up to the task when it comes to leading roles.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January where it won the lucrative audience award for the best U.S. feature film.  A bidding war ensued involving the likes of Lionsgate and Netflix but in the end, it was Amazon Studio who were wowed by its “hilariously rich story” and who snapped up the bidding rights for $14 million.  It may lack the star power of other big-screen Hollywood comedies but this is one movie you must see.

You can read my chat with star Jillian Bell by clicking here.