Those words also bring out the absolute best in his actors, and the screenplay for Wild Horse Nine gives John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi ample fuel for greatness. The ability to create characters that skirt the fine line between being bigger than life and being totally believable is one of McDonagh strongest traits.

Set in the seventies, Malkovich and Rockwell both give career-defining performances as two world-weary CIA operatives who take a break from fieldwork and visit Easter Island. This is not a vacation, and the reason for the visit is disclosed slowly. The horrors of their wet work are discussed so matter-of-factly, it’s easy to see them as people and not the monsters they actually are.

The film’s anti-American Imperialism stance underlines every word with a strong sense of menace. It also demonstrates the misguided sense of self-righteousness that was US foreign policy in the seventies. A policy that still exists today to the planet’s detriment. This is filmmaking at its finest; it might not be a work for everybody but those that it connects with will be rewarded with vast riches.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/20thCenturyStudios/

Into this maelstrom of conflicting worldviews and anxiety comes the film Klara and the Sun. With the intention of presenting a different view and kinder outlook on the future, humanist writer/director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit & Thor: Ragnarok) delivers a work of vivid contrasts. It is based on the novel of the same name by the writer Kazuo Ishiguro,

It’s all set in a dystopian future where parents genetically modify their children and then homeschool them, which forces said adults to purchase robots for companionship. One such robot is Klara, played with consummate skill by Jenna Ortega, who is utterly charming in the role. She is paired up with Josie (Mia Tharia), a young woman deathly ill from the effects of the procedure they call “lifted”.

This examination of a future where humans and machines live a life of comfortable coexistence feels fresh and optimistic. However unique the film feels, it’s firmly positioned between several signposts of influence, the chief of which are the look and feel of a Tim Burton film and the futurist musings of computer scientist, author and techno-optimist Ray Kurzweil. It’s an appealing addition to Waititi’s ever-growing catalogue of work.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS/

Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a Californian blonde and good-looking actor on the cusp of superstardom. He is kind to those around him and appears to have a good support structure surrounding him. When he falls afoul of mob boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik) and his moll Theresa (Ruby Sear) and is attacked, his life changes forever.

He is badly disfigured in the altercation and when traditional medicine is unable to help him regain his good looks, he turns to experimental medical scientist Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie). Corr provides an extreme solution, and this transforms both his body and mind into something very different. It gives Matt the ability to morph his appearance to mimic those around him.

The beauty-at-all-costs mentality (and industry), with its almost complete disregard for the actual health of the patient, is laid bare. And as Matt’s mind becomes more and more unhinged, the film becomes a cautionary tale. This version of the DC Universe is graphically and story-wise very bold and assertive. James Gunn and company are not playing nice anymore.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

Jesse Eisenberg turned down the offer to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg and is replaced this time by Jeremy Strong. He continues with his usual intense method approach, and this time it suits the material well. Taking an actor easy to dislike to play a person even more disagreeable works in the film’s favour. The two leads, Mikey Madison (Anora) as the real-life whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) as the Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, share real on screen chemistry.

Their relationship is fraught with tension and is pleasingly absent of the usual sentimentality that removes the viewer from the real. Madison gets the nuances just right, and if any of you know any super intelligent people, she nails their palpable sense of isolation. It’s also to Sorkin’s writing credit that he steers far clear of having the couple become romantically entwined. The rest of the cast is strong, and Betty Gilpin is outstanding as Kris, one of the Journal’s bureau chiefs.

The film plays out as a horror show with the leader of one of the most powerful companies in the world showing an almost complete lack of empathy and detachment from the norms of humanity. Zuckerberg’s profit-at-all-costs stance is profoundly illustrated by his reaction to the horrors of the invasion of the American Capitol on January 6, 2021. This is smart filmmaking that requires you to pay attention and, through that effort, develop a healthy sense of real outrage.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS/

Pitt plays James Belmont, a grizzled military veteran with as many mental scars as those that cover his body. His only companion is Odin, a German Shepherd who is himself a retired military combat dog. He too wears the scars of war with titanium teeth and a prosthetic leg. Odin also suffers from PTSD and has nightmares. Their bond is an unbreakable one forged in battle.

The story begins with Belmont and Odin flying a small aircraft to an incredibly beautiful and isolated river in the wilderness of Alaska. A small respite of their solitude is provided by the appearance of a mountain man character played by J. K. Simmons. His presence has an undertone of danger. When a storm rolls in, Belmont and Odin fly out. During this flight, Belmont suffers a heart attack and the plane crashes, thus beginning the survivalist journey back to civilisation.

The threats to life and limb during this journey are absolutely relentless and rivet your attention. Even though the task seems superhuman, things are kept in the realm of human ability. You grow to absolutely admire the bond between human and canine and the love and care that they feel for each other. You become incredibly invested in their outcome, and at the film’s end it takes you some time to return to normal. This is filmmaking at its most compelling.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU/

The film’s gratuitous gore is also more creepy than scary, and it brings to mind John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing. The look of the film with its saturated colours and minimal sets also fits comfortably within the retro-genre, as does its pace. Its short ninety-minute running time is used to maximum effect, and there is no extraneous exposition.

We start things with Austin Abrams of The Walking Dead and Euphoria fame playing courier Bryan Hodukavich, who is delivering what appears to be a transplant organ to staff at a hospital. After they take possession, he is tasked with another mysterious package that needs to be delivered to Raccoon City General Hospital ASAP. Abrams is excellent, and his comic timing is spot on, and his “ah shucks” innocence is played for maximum effect.

This is the eighth full-length film in the series (and second reboot), and it continues with the mix of fright and fun that bodes well for the future of the franchise. Writer/director Zach Cregger (Weapons & Barbarian) has proven to have a sure hand on the tiller and knows exactly what kind of film he wants to make, the kind that entertains and makes you laugh at the same time!
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS/

Those wild gadgets would alway carry the Acme label, and the brand suffered from extreme quality-control issues. They never worked as advertised, and those products inform the story here. The film starts with a bit of industrial maleficence and then jumps to some Road Runner versus Coyote action. It looks magnificent on the big screen and sets the visual tone for what follows.

The mix of live action and cartoon characters has been done before (think Who Framed Roger Rabbit) but never in quite this fashion. Even the real actors chosen for the main roles (Will Forte and John Cena) have more than a bit of cartoon ethos in them. Forte as the lawyer who takes on the case against the big conglomerate Acme on behalf of Wile E. Coyote hits the right marks to give the fight a proper David and Goliath feel.

Drawing a parallel with the overabundance of power modern corporations now wield, the court scenes are especially topical. The satisfaction of the little guy coming out ahead is especially apparent when Wile E. captures the baddies with a great Rube Goldberg contraption. This film is surprisingly accessible for audiences of all ages and, looking for context in relation to events of today, has an underlying sense of subversion. Now the only thing missing is a breakfast bowl of rainbow coloured sugar.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/PinnacleFilmsAU

The music press (and large numbers of conventional media outlets) were awash with tales of their bad boy behaviour and outsized use of alcohol and nose candy. Their tours were shambolic to say the least, and it was a crap shoot to find the brothers playing on stage or just fighting. When the wheels well and truly fell off the wagon and the band broke up, it didn’t really surprise anyone. That they stayed apart for fifteen years did.

The eventual reconciliation, when it occurred, made for the perfect storm to film the proceedings and turn it into a feature-length film, and now we have Don’t Look Back in Anger in cinemas. The film’s structure starts with the band (minus their lead singer) in a very large rehearsal space working out the songs and set list. When Noel finally arrives, he presents an ominous and negative presence. By the time the new concert footage begins, a change becomes very apparent.

It is not surprising that someone finally put together a tour offer so lucrative that it was accepted, but the revelation that actually occurs is how much passion it created with the modern audience. The scenes of fans driven to tears are plentiful and not just from an English speaking audience. This adulation forms the backbone of the film. The interviews and voice over behind a lot of the scenes also highlight the cooling of animosities between the two brothers. This transition makes this work hopeful. I’ll end with this Gallagher quote that puts things in perspective. “If you’re going to be a c*nt be a funny c*nt.”
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/DisneyAUNZ/

Also returning are Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as the elder Owens, and the youngsters are now played by Joey King and Maisie Williams. The story revolves around the family curse that means any family member who falls in love will see their partner die a horrible and early death. This is such a buzzkill that Sally (Bullock) has gone out of her way to keep the family secret (that they are witches) and the curse from her two daughters. She has also stopped her practice of magic.

The free-spirited sister Gillian (Kidman) has stuck to her guns and kept the practice of magic alive. Her extroverted and playful approach gives the film a lighter, more accessible feel, so when the danger arrives, it is in stark contrast and makes things feel more ominous. When Sally’s daughter Kylie (King) falls in love with Gideon (Xolo Maridueña), it sets off a chain of events that shakes the family to the core. It also leads to some continent-jumping and includes a trip to England.

For a film with magic in its name, the prestidigitations take a mostly back seat to the human activities and the emotions that they create. The main joy in the film is the on-screen camaraderie between the members of its cast, with Bullock and Kidman riffing off each other in a most pleasing way. The female sensibilities make it a work that women of all ages should enjoy, and there is enough of a male presence to satisfy other members of the audience as well. The story does take a bit of a back seat to the drive of the characters, but it’s a pleasing mix.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

Writer/director David Robert Mitchell continues his fascination with American suburbia with a Science Fiction yarn that involves dinosaurs and time portals. The story is also a bit of a throwback with its presentation of danger. As the Thunder Lizards and their ilk ramp up their occupational numbers, the violence inherent in their ways is played mostly for comic effect.

A-list actors Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor are given roles in which their lives are mired in the downward trajectory of an unhappy union. She is a frustrated writer, and he has problems with employment while secretly day drinking. They endure plain lives with an optimism that feels from another time. When their heroism emerges, it feels organic.

The End of Oak Street reminds one of a time in the cinema universe that would have felt right at home in the days of drive-ins and enjoying on-screen peril while rugged up in your jammies, drinking hot cocoa while being surrounded by your family members and enjoying every minute. It’s the kind of look back at a simpler time that will always feel welcoming.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/