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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 July 2024

Author Lily Brett was born in Germany in 1946, grew up in Australia, and now makes a home for herself in the United States.  Her works (books, essays, poems) have received acclaim, and it was her most successful novel, Too Many Men, which won a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize when first published in 1999.  Drawing from her own life, it was the fictionalised tale of a middle-aged woman from Melbourne who took her aging Jewish father to Poland for the first time in four decades after surviving the Holocaust.

Brett’s novel is the source material for the re-titled Treasure, a cinematic adaptation directed and co-written by German Julia von Heinz (And Tomorrow the Entire World).  It features a largely unknown cast apart from the two leads.  Emmy nominee Lena Dunham (Girls) steps into the shoes of Ruth, a 36-year-old journalist travelling to Poland to learn about her family history and craft an article worthy of publication.  BAFTA nominee Stephen Fry (Gosford Park) plays Edek, her elderly father who accompanies his daughter on the trip and provides insight on his own Polish upbringing.

Set in 1991, Treasure is structured as a dark comedy, but the dramatic elements are more pronounced than the comedic ones.  Accompanied by their jack-of-all-trades taxi driver (Zamachowski), the pair visit Edek’s dilapidated childhood home from half-a-century ago and discover family heirlooms (a tea set, a silver bowl) they’d left behind after fleeing the Nazis.  They also visit the “museum” in Auschwitz where Ruth sees the camp building her father was detained in.  It triggers a flood of repressed memories which leaves you wondering if the trip is a help or a hindrance to Edek’s attitude and psyche.

The film’s most interesting layer is a more traditional one – an exploration of the relationship between father and daughter.  Edek is a “glass half full” guy who loves interacting with others and focuses on the positives of his current life.  Ruth is a “glass half empty” person who pours herself into work and is struggling to find a sustained sense of happiness.  The pair argue about trivial details at first, but things get more heated when Edek makes inferences about her failed marriage, and Ruth pushes for more information about her dad’s mental scars.

It’s repetitive in places and not all subplots add value (like Edek’s interaction with two Polish females at his hotel) but the thought-provoking interactions between Dunham and Fry make the film work as a whole.  Fry’s accent is a hammy but it’s still great to watch their respective characters as they push each other’s buttons.  They each get a chance to display likeability, vulnerability, and nastiness.

Selected to play out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival back in February, Treasure is worth a look-see.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 July 2024

Sunflower had its world premiere over a year ago at the Sydney Film Festival and when asked why he made the film, Australian writer-director Gabriel Carrubba said it would all be worthwhile if it stopped just one gay kid from taking their own life.  He can relate to the pressures growing up as a closeted teenager and wanted to play a small part in making sure today’s youth don’t feel as uncomfortable in their own skin.

Made on a miniscule budget, Sunflower is centred on Leo (Mollica), a 17-year-old from Melbourne who lives with his chatty parents and good-natured brother.  In helping illustrate the family dynamic, there’s a wonderful early scene where they sit around the dinner table and humorously debate the difference between a “gathering” and a “small party”.  Leo’s best friend is Boof (Morgan) and the pair regularly hang out together.

It’s clear from the outset that Leo is wrestling with himself internally.  Despite his good looks and friendly nature, there’s an air of shyness and discomfort which others struggle to detect.  A female classmate (Fildes) tries to seduce Leo at a student shindig and what follows is an awkward sexual encounter which leaves both of them feeling embarrassed.  It leaves Leo in a difficult spot as it helps clarify his attraction to men… but he has no one to confide in.

This subject has been explored in countless dramas and given the Melbourne setting, it’s hard not to compare it with the excellent Of an Age, my favourite Aussie film of 2023.  I’ll acknowledge there’s nothing revolutionary about the themes and material, but Sunflower still packs an emotional punch on the back of the performances and direction.  Garrubba maintains a quick, interesting pace (the film is just 84 minutes) and star Liam Mollica (Nowhere Boys) has a likeable screen presence.

In also crafting the script, Garrubba uses dialogue sparingly and creates a workable blend of tones.  Some sequences are tough and confronting while others are sweet and uplifting.  As difficult as life can be, it’s nice to be reminded there’s often light at the end of the tunnel.  The developing relationship between Leo and his two parents is another subplot handled with delicacy.  It’s easy to put yourself in their shoes of their characters’ and understand their confusion.

Fresh off its run at film festivals around the country, Sunflower is now receiving a small release in Australian cinemas and hopefully it connects with its target audience.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 July 2024

Independent American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung wowed audiences in 2020 with Minari, a slow-burn drama loosely based on his own upbringing and about a family who emigrates from Korea to the United States in search of a better life.  Produced for just $2 million USD, it earned 6 Academy Award nominations including a win for best supporting actress (Youn Yuh-jung), and nods for best picture and best director.

You could have given me a gazillion guesses and I wouldn’t have predicted Chung’s follow up feature film.  With a whopping budget of $200 million USD, he’s been handed the reins on Twisters, an action blockbuster which serves as a sequel to the 1996 release starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton.  Given its success (it was the second highest grossing flick of the year behind Independence Day), it’s a surprise it’s taken this long for Hollywood to cash in on a follow-up.

Twisters is described as a “standalone sequel” in that there are no references to characters or plot points from the earlier movie.  The prologue introduces us to young scientist Kate Cooper (Edgar-Jones) who, in trying to win a lucrative grant, is working with close friends on tornado research in Oklahoma.  An expedition goes bad, people are killed, and Kate flees to New York City to take a more routine desk job as a meteorologist.

We then slip 5 years into the future where the film’s formulaic setting is laid.  Oklahoma is experiencing a “once in a generation tornado season” and despite Kate professing that “I’m not that person anymore”, she is guilt-tripped out of retirement (for one week only!) by an old friend (Ramos) who is using the latest military equipment to perform 3D scans of tornados and forecast their movements.  She agrees to provide her Nostradamus-like prediction skills because if the work is successful, it has the power to save lives and townships.

As part of her adventures, she encounters Tyler Owens (Powell), a self-described “tornado wrangler” who seems less interested in tornado research and more interested in self-promotion on his widely watched YouTube channel.  Their early interactions are frosty but as the days pass, they realise they have more in common, in terms of both background and values, than they first thought.

It’s a contrived narrative but Twisters is worth the price of admission.  A few supporting players are caricatures (e.g. the English journalist, the property-buying cowboy) but the three leads do a great job in creating plucky characters.  After the success in recent months of Anyone but You and Hit Man, Glen Powell has mastered the art of creating a likeable protagonist caught up in a cheesy, unrealistic scenario.  Daisy Edgar Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing) and Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) also give it everything with their emotive roles.

Director Lee Isaac Chung is a natural when it comes to the action genre.  The pace is fast, the visual effects are convincing, and the sounds are epic.  I found myself caught up in the excitement of key scenes as the heroes extricated themselves from tornado-related terror (while superfluous folk got sucked up into the sky).  See it on a big, big screen!

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 July 2024

In 1963, Danny Lyon was a young guy studying for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Chicago.  With a love for both photography and motorcycles, Lyon took a series of pictures which he then shared with Hugh Edwards, a curator at the Art Institute of Chicago.  It was Edwards’ idea to turn the images into a book and in 1968, The Bikeriders was first published.  It featured black and white photographs of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club and interviews with members across several years.

To quote Lyon himself, the book was a “total flop” but somehow, enough copies remained in circulation to keep folks talking.  It’s gone through several reiterations since (including a 2014 version which Lyon loves) but it was in 2003 that American writer-director Jeff Nichols (Mud) was given a second-hand copy by his younger brother.  Nichols didn’t have much knowledge of “biker culture” but he loved the photographs, the material, and thought it would make for a great movie.

The problem with Nichols’ film is including Lyon as a featured supporting character.  He’s played by Mike Faist (Challengers), one of my favourite actors, but his scenes are a time-wasting distraction which add little.  Instead of watching Lyon take photographs and conduct lengthy interviews on his old-school tape recorder, I’d have preferred to follow the motorcycle club members more closely.  I wanted to “see” things take place (via re-enactment) as opposed to listening to an after-the-fact conversation between two people.

The rest of the movie isn’t too bad and is centred on three key characters.  Johnny (Hardy) is the head of the Chicago Vandals motorcycle club, Benny (Butler) is a likeable member who everyone gets along with, and Kathy (Comer) is Benny’s chatty wife (they got married five weeks after first meeting).  The first two acts delve into the largely positive culture of the club (it was like a Men’s Shed for motorcycle enthusiasts) and the power dynamic between its members.  Benny is described as the loner with “no feelings” but it doesn’t stop others fighting for his attention – Johnny because he considers him a successor, and Kathy because she’s in love and wants to spend her whole life with him.

The final act is the juiciest as the club grows and Johnny starts to lose his grip on power.  It raises interesting questions about whether the club is too big to control, and what level of loyalty is expected (it’s damn hard to quit).  Supporting players with parts to play include Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals) along with Australians Damon Herriman (The Nightingale) and Toby Wallace (Babyteeth). 

I’d have preferred the tension to be ratcheted up early on but if interested in motorcycles and this slice of 1960s American history, The Bikeriders is worth your time.

You can read my chat with star Austin Butler by clicking here.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 July 2024

Hollywood has made some wonderful movies showcasing the bravery of astronauts and the technical nous of those working behind the scenes at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  First Man centred on Neil Armstrong, Hidden Figures spotlighted female African American mathematicians, and the award-winning Apollo 13 chronicled one of the great rescue missions of all time.

Unfortunately, Fly Me to the Moon can’t match any of the aforementioned films when it comes to credibility and excitement.  History books look back fondly on Americans stepping foot on the moon in July 1969, but it was a chequered lead up in terms of government and public support.   With several competing priorities (poverty, civil rights, Vietnam War), many soured on the enormous taxpayer funded price tag of the Apollo moon landing program.

In the case of Fly Me to the Moon, that’s about where the truth stops, and the fiction begins.  The main narrative revolves around three key individuals.  Moe Berkus (Harrelson) is a secretive figure working for President Richard Nixon who wants to spruik interest in the space program.  Kelly Jones (Johansson) is a colourful, chatty marketing guru employed by Moe to generate positive buzz for NASA.  Cole Davis (Tatum) is the Launch Director for the upcoming Apollo 11 mission and is focused solely on getting the job done.

None of these people existed in real life.  I understand when a group of characters are merged into one to help a movie’s runtime (as they did with Jonah Hill’s statistician role in Moneyball) but why be so flippant with facts here?  Actor Ed Harris iconised Flight Director Gene Kranz in Apollo 13 (earning an Oscar nomination for his efforts) and so it’s weird to see Channing Tatum play a shallower, goofier version of the same person but with a different name.  Tatum is anything but convincing.

The film may have worked better if it went the fully comedic route (playing for laughs as opposed to accuracy) but there’s a raft of tonal changes which don’t suit.  Given the silliness of these fake characters and some of their actions, it’s hard to take them seriously when the film rushes through dramatic plot elements like Cole’s internal turmoil over three astronauts who perished in the first Apollo mission.

One positive is the broader performance of Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) who infuses her character with feminine power and non-stop energy.  When you throw in the editing, time period and striking costumes, it reminded me a little of what Renee Zellweger achieved in the 2003 cult classic Down with Love.  Despite her best efforts, I wasn’t as sold on the small romantic subplot between her and Tatum (I’ll blame the writers there).

Likely to generate chatter amongst conspiracy theorists (you’ll know why once you’ve seen the movie), Fly Me to the Moon wants to be light and fun but, unlike the Apollo 11 astronauts themselves, struggles to achieve its mission.