movies

10 decent films you may not have seen

Matthew S. Dillon2 Comments

Movies come and go pretty quickly these days. If you don’t slow down, you might miss a neglected gem. Here are a few enjoyable flicks to get you through the holiday season and beyond.

All the Old Knives (SBS On Demand)
Based on a book of the same name by Olen Steinhauer, the set-up for this classy and compelling espionage thriller is a reunion dinner between former colleagues and lovers, CIA agents Henry (Chris Pine) and Celia (Thandiwe Newton). Henry has been dispatched to find out exactly what happened when both he and Celia were stationed in Vienna in 2012, when a terrorist aeroplane hijacking went tragically wrong. Considerable intrigue, a stellar cast and plenty of cloak-and-dagger shenanigans combine in this complex espionage tale.

Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar (Various platforms)
What did scriptwriters and actors Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo do as a follow-up to Bridesmaids? Would you believe a kooky but sweet and funny – the word “zany” may well apply – spy spoof comedy/musical that has the clueless titular characters attempting to foil an evil genius’ (also played by Wiig) fiendish plot to destroy a seaside Miami holiday community?

Columbus (SBS On Demand)
Sometimes a town can be a character in a film, and one that is as important as its human counterparts. In this case, the eponymous Indiana city is home to some architectural gems, a collection of mid-century marvels that draws visitors from all over the world. Jin (John Cho) is stuck there while he waits to see whether his father, a renowned Korean architect, emerges from a coma. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), who is passionate about design, but whose life is on hold while she supports her drug-addicted mother. In his directorial debut, (he also wrote the script) Kanogoda delivers a film that is quietly absorbing, intelligent and moving.

Downsizing (Various platforms)
Set in the near future, this dramedy starring Matt Damon depicts a time when some people – either through concern for the planet or to embrace a higher standard of living – take the option to shrink down to the size of dolls and move to smaller (of course) communities purpose-built for the new little strata of society. I misjudged this Oscar-winning film when it first came out, or perhaps it was confusingly marketed. Either way, I thought it was going to be an Innerspace-like broad comedy. Gulliver in the world of the giants, perhaps. There is, however, a lot more going on in this moving, nuanced and thought-provoking film.

Haywire (SBS On Demand)
This slick espionage actioner has all the hallmarks of a successful Steven Soderbergh outing: clever editing, rat-a-tat dialogue, cool David Holmes soundtrack and some nifty action scenes. At the centre of the story is the take-no-BS black ops agent Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), who works out when an operation goes awry that her boss and former boyfriend Kenneth (Ewan MacGregor) may not have her best interest at heart. Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and the late, great Bill Paxton feature in the cast.

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? (Kanopy)
Made at a time (2010) when the green building movement was just beginning to get a foothold, this documentary explores the incredible life and extraordinary achievements of architect Norman Foster. Though born, literally, on the wrong side of the tracks, through talent and will (and the encouragement of those who recognised his gift and determination), Foster went from a dead-end Manchester job to the prestigious Yale Architecture School, and then on to design some of the world’s most striking structures, including London’s Gherkin building and Millenium Bridge.

The Lake House (SBS On Demand)
In the 1990s Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves starred in a fantastically visceral action movie called Speed. Then in the early 2000s they reunited for this, a whimsical fantasy romance set in Chicago whose elements include a magic letterbox. She’s a doctor, he’s an architect, but a gap in the space-time continuum is keeping them apart.

Set it Up (Netflix)
Glenn Powell, he of Hangman (Top Gun Maverick) renown, has carved quite a niche of late in romantic comedies, which may or may not be experiencing some sort of revival. In this one from 2018, Charlie (Powell) and Harper (Zoey Deutch) are assistants to horrendously demanding bosses. After meeting one evening during a food delivery snafu, they hatch a plan to play matchmaker to their superiors and thus free up their own professional and personal lives.

3 Days to Kill (YouTube Movies)
Talk about “high concept”. In this action/thriller directed by McG (Charlies Angels) and scripted by the legendary Luc Besson (Leon the Professional, The Fifth Element), Kevin Costner plays a dying ex-CIA agent, who is given access to experimental treatment for his illness in exchange for the use of his particular set of skills. So, it’s Crank meets Taken, with a bit of The Da Vinci Code (there’s a creepy albino henchman) thrown in too. Thoroughly derivative, but also rather enjoyable when undemanding action is called for.

Under the Silver Lake (SBS On Demand)
Can a film be at once meandering and compelling, gripping and baffling, wondered film critics about this 2018 cult sleeper. It sure can. The plot: Sam (Andrew Garfield) becomes besotted with his neighbour Sarah (Riley Keogh) who disappears overnight, almost without a trace. Sam follows a down-the-rabbit-hole/through-the-looking-glass path of conspiracy theories, backwards-played records, concealed maps, hobo-coded messages, obscure hidden signs and underground “vibes” to … well, to all sorts of odd goings-on in a usually unseen LA. One description of this movie has it as a “surrealist neo-noir black comedy thriller”. That just about nails it. There is also a menacing undertone.

Watch every scene – the best films of 2022

Matthew S. DillonLeave a comment

There was plenty of good viewing last year, but not necessarily from films in contention for an Oscar.

Every year my friend Derek and I post our top 10 films from the previous 12 months or so. There is a little bit of wriggle room on the timing. Our usual practice is to wait until Australia Day (January 26) to allow more time to catch up on films introduced in time for the awards season (BAFTAs, Academy et al). Yet there’s no guarantee a film highly regarded by cinema’s critical cognoscenti will resonate with either of us.

Indeed, in the recent past there has been an almost complete disconnect between what the film festival juries, academy committees and critics’ associations dub worthy of praise and what has provided pleasurable viewing.

A classic example is the highly regarded opus, Triangle of Sadness, from Scandinavian enfant terrible (there’s probably a better Swedish expression) Ruben Ostlund.

The Cannes Film Festival jury awarded the contemporary riff on Lord of the Flies its highest honour. I saw it as a means of taking refuge on a hot Melbourne day (along with my partner Lucy), but found it equal parts pretentious, irksome and risible, boasting a cast of thoroughly unlikeable characters.

Yet 2022 also offered plenty of thrilling, engaging and entertaining films. There were more than enough to fill a top 10. So no, I did not watch every scene of every film, but did manage to check out some good ones.

Turn Every Page
This absorbing documentary explores the extraordinary working relationship between octogenarian writer Robert Caro and editor Bob Gottlieb, a professional partnership that has stretched over 50 years, and continues apace as Caro attempts to put the finishing touches to his landmark five-book exploration of power as manifested in the career of US President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

True, it isn’t exactly hard-hitting, and this is explained by the fact that at the helm of the movie project was Lizzie Gottlieb, Bob’s daughter.

But through Lizzie’s insistence – both Caro and Bob are extremely guarded about their privacy – we are provided some fascinating insights into Caro’s astonishing persistence, dedication and perfectionism, and into Bob’s own remarkable career.  

After Yang
Featuring nuanced, delicate performances from its small cast, particularly Colin Farrell, After Yang is a science fiction film that approaches the question of artificial humanity with no small amount of imagination and curiosity, posing questions about identity, family, memory, and much more.*

The Lost King
The eponymous monarch of the title is Richard III, much maligned throughout history as an evil hunchback villain – and that’s certainly how he’s depicted in the Shakespeare play. But was he? Based on a true story, the film explores how amateur historian Sally Hawkins (Philippa Langley) pours through old records, maps and books in search of the king’s misplaced skeleton so that he might be given an appropriate interment.

Top Gun: Maverick
I thoroughly enjoyed this film even though – or perhaps because – it is so derivative of the original, in terms of plot, style and tone. There is even a beach scene depicting athletic young pilots playing sports (in this case US football rather than volleyball as in the original). The cinematography is amazing, the technical achievement astonishing. And you may well find yourself involuntarily punching the air by the end. But – and it’s a big but – there is nothing at all revisionist in this egregious piece of propaganda celebrating US capability with such jingoistic vervour. It is unapologetically even “more Top Gun” than the original. That’s a bit of a problem.

The North Man
This is the first film from director Robert Eggers I haven’t walked out on (or, if you are my friend Bernard reading this, “on which I haven’t walked out”). I heard it referred to as “arthouse Conan the Barbarian” (actually Derek coined that phrase, hoping the film could live up to it). It’s not quite that, lacking as it does a certain something. Verisimilitude, perhaps.

The Gray Man
In his first mainstream action film, Ryan Gosling plays a Nikita-like blunt instrument of espionage. Rescued from unfair incarceration in the US penal system, he’s moulded into a covert black ops assassin for the CIA. But when corruption reaches the upper levels of the agency and our hero Court Gentry is himself earmarked for termination, his adroit skills come to the fore, across (of course) numerous picturesque international locales.

The Man from Toronto
Yes, my third “Man” film for the year, a comedy/action caper featuring endearingly hopeless athletic industry entrepreneur Teddy (Kevin Hart), who through a “printer toner situation” finds himself at the wrong address, and mistaken for the eponymous hombre (Woody Harrelson), an assassin renowned for his skill and cruelty.

Bullet Train
A yappy new age hitman known as Ladybug (Brad Pitt) takes a job on a, yes, Japanese fast-moving train (bullet, get it?) in this “crazy mix of Snatch, Kill Bill, John Wick and Murder on the Orient Express” according to one online review, which pretty much captures it. There are also shades of Snakes on a Plane, El Mariachi, Layer Cake, Grosse Pointe Blank, and any other flick featuring fast-talking killers for hire. Somewhat derivative, but an enjoyable, er, ride, nonetheless.

Glass Onion: a Knives Out Mystery
Master sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is on the case again in this twisty tale of murder involving billionaire tech mogul Miles Bron (Edward Naughton). Bron invites five friends to his Greek mansion, Glass Onion, where murder most foul is committed, and of course, with the renowned Bayou detective on the case, elegantly solved.      

Hustle
Featuring a cast of NBA players and an authentic b’ball story brought to screen (although this one focuses more on the business than playing side of hoops) Hustle tells the story of lifelong basketball lover Stanley Sugerman (Adam Sandler), a career scout who has always wanted to coach, but because he’s so skilled at spotting talent, has never made the transition to the coaches’ bench. In Spanish playground legend Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), perhaps he’s found a path there?

Everything Everywhere All at Once**
Everyone’s favourite metaverse-set action-comedy is bought to life by a fantastic performance by Michelle Yeoh, who as mild-mannered laundry owner Evelyn Quan Wang must liaise with the many versions of herself to save the fate of the multiverse, or some such thing.

*After Yang was a buzzer beater, after Derek gave me the heads-up on Australia Day. Thanks D,

**This is actually no 11.