Author: Mark Goodyear

There is perhaps no working director today who can explore humanity’s enduring connection to the past as well as Makoto Shinkai. Throughout his over twenty-year career, time and reflections on the past have been prominent themes of his work. Even from his debut feature, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, his keen interest in history, both created and real, is clear for all to see. Now with his latest film Suzume, he’s proven he’s one of the greatest auteurs ever to tackle the massive weight the past has on the world and ourselves. 

The film follows the titular Suzume (Nanoka Hara), a high-school girl who lost her mother as a child and grew up in the care of her aunt Tamaki (Eri Fukatsu) on Kyushu Island, Japan. She lives an everyday life, but the world as she knows it is changed when she meets a wandering man on her way to school who tells her he’s looking for a door. The man is Souta (Hokuto Matsumura), and he’s a Closer, a kind of guardian of Japan who travels around the country closing mysterious doors that bring disaster when they open. 

It’s a very Shinkai plot, but this time there’s a fundamental change in its composition; Suzume is a road movie set across Japan. Once Suzume realises she has inadvertently activated doors across the country, she becomes fully involved in a thrilling journey that sees her and Souta race to save Japan while, unbeknownst to her, Suzume is getting drawn into confronting her tragic past. 

See, the doors only activate in places where natural disasters have occurred. One character Suzume meets along her journey calls them “lonely places,” which underlines the whole film. Shinkai said he was inspired to make the film over a decade ago when the great East Japan earthquake hit in 2011. That natural disaster caused indescribable destruction, and places like that are what Suzume explores; she explores and saves the memories of the lonely places. 

One such location is an abandoned school once caught in a landslide, and as Suzume and Souta close the door that’s opened there, they see the school’s memories and pray for them to be returned to peace. This happens with every door they close, and it’s a beautiful reminder that despite humanity’s powerful ability to move on, we should never forget the lonely and scarred places we leave behind.

And this is what Shinkai has always been about, how our connections to the past impact us in the present. From slowly slipping away from your first love in 5 Centimetres Per Second, to an inexplicable connection through time joining two people to one tragedy in Your Name, Shinkai has always insisted we remember the past and use it to push forward. He’s a visionary, and Suzume is the perfect culmination of his career up to this point. It’s at once exciting and entertaining as it is moving and poignant, and it is most certainly one of his best. 

Visually Suzume is just as brilliant as all of Shinkai’s recent works. The fantastical elements inspire awe just as the reality-inspired destruction garners empathy. There’s such kindness too. Through all the beautiful places Suzume goes, someone meets her and helps her in their own ways. This prompted me to note that Shinkai doesn’t create villains; he lets reality play that part, whether that be earthquakes, floods, or the inescapable ticking of time, he forces his characters to confront and overcome something very real that is only shrouded in fantasy. So when Suzume finds this out for herself and the film ends, one can’t help but feel that Shinkai has completed this phase of his work, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what he does next.

Suzume sees Makoto Shinkai continuing to produce work of the highest calibre, further proving that he is one of the best working directors today.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods: The BRWC Review

In 2019 the DC universe stumbled onto a miracle when Shazam! proved to be a success. The film opened so well that in no time, a sequel was confirmed, and after thoroughly enjoying the original, I was totally on board. With director David F. Sandberg continuing at the helm and Zachery Levi returning to the titular role, I was sure Shazam! Fury of the Gods was going to be another family hit, and it pains me to write that it isn’t. 

The first film left off gifting the franchise countless possibilities. It saw Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his foster siblings take on superhero form and save the day after a touching, often genuinely hilarious adventure about belonging. And what did the sequel do with this open-ended setup? Not much. 

With so many possibilities open to them, the DC masterminds decided to take a step backwards and instead make another formulaic superhero movie relying on brand recognition and cheap gags to get by. There’s still some charm to be found, young Jack Dylan Grazer still has his moments as Billy’s brother and best friend, Freddy Freeman, but it is hollow compared to the original. The main issue is that after taking Billy through his emotional journey in the first film, the writers didn’t know what to make the crux of this film, so they simply rehashed it. 

When we meet our heroes again, they have been trying to make themselves the heroes of Philadelphia, but every heroic act they do is only half successful, seeing them labelled the ‘Philly Fiascos’. From here, it’s not long before the same old story of Billy confronting his fears of abandonment arises, and you can’t help but feel it doesn’t matter because the ending is a foregone conclusion. But what surprised me most of all was how bogged down it often gets on the way there. For a comic book movie, Fury of the Gods is awfully slow, often making time to have asides that exist as mere joke segments; there’s not much fury or fighting until the end.

Throughout though Shazam needs a new villain for the franchise, this time they are The Daughters of Atlas, a trio of women comprised of Kalypso (Lucy Liu), Hespera (Helen Mirren) and a third sister the film keeps secret for a time. They plan to restore their magical abilities with the staff Shazam broke in the first film and then take the powers from the superhero family, making them all just children again.

They aren’t from any comic book; they’re merely plucked from Greek mythology and made into uninteresting comic book villains. However, both performances are admirable, particularly Liu’s – no one can claim she only turned up for the paycheck, she really goes for it at specific points.

But to no avail, as a whole, the performances in this film merely get by, as they have so little to work with. Levi does his best; he’d be great in a gender-flipped Freaky Friday as he convincingly portrays the child in a man’s body gimmick, but it isn’t as successful as the first film. Rising star Rachel Zegler also appears as a love interest to Freeman, but Grazer and her share very little chemistry, and despite the film’s best efforts, it’s quite a mismatch that takes up a larger portion of the film than it should.

All in all, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a disappointment that takes the wonderful work of the first film and has no idea what to do with it. The upcoming Flash film may well mark the end of this DC universe, and that’s probably for the best.

When I heard there was an Australian film releasing that was freely boasting of being shot in Byron Bay, I rolled my eyes, expecting a tourism ad. So, when I finally saw Tyler Atkins’ feature debut, Bosch & Rockit, I was pleasantly surprised. What Atkins provided instead of my cynical assumptions was a heartfelt ode to fatherhood through the lens of a boy coming of age with a criminal dad.

The story, which is inspired by true events, follows the titular Bosch (Luke Hemsworth) and Rockit (Rasmus King). They lead pleasant lives on the NSW coastline, but it’s hampered by two things: one Rockit’s mum Elizabeth (Leeanna Walsman), has left them, and two Bosch funds their lives by being a drug dealer. It isn’t long until the second of these issues flares, and Bosch is forced on the run to Byron Bay to hide from the police, who have discovered his drug trade.

What I expected to follow was a wild goose chase, but that takes a back seat, and instead, we get a touching story of an ostracised boy finding his place in the world. See, Rockit can’t read well, and he’s bullied in school for it. So much so he often doesn’t go; he heads to the beach and does what he loves most in the world, surf. If there’s one thing Aussie movies get right consistently, it’s the wonder of the surf. It was magical in Simon Baker’s Breathe, and it remains so here. It’s perhaps Australian cinema’s greatest asset, and it’s always a joy to see it presented so beautifully.

The film from there is much like the surf, calm at points but hectic and challenging to traverse at times. However, the current through it all is the relationship between a boy and his father, which is solidified through King and Hemsworth’s performances. Joining them and delivering a strong performance is Savannah La Rain, who plays Ash, a young girl who finds Rockit to be her only friend while on holiday in Byron Bay. As an ensemble, they are the key players, and they level the often very high drama into something touching when it easily could have been volatile.

The pacing in the middle of the film is where things go slightly awry. There’s a set piece where a character is rushed to a hospital that feels more forced than necessary, and a key member of that sequence later leaves the film off-screen. It’s a minor issue in the overall experience, but it is noticeable. Perhaps the ending will also garner disapproval as it ends with a comma rather than a full stop, but I found it poignant. Not every story needs to be tied into a bow, and leaving things where Atkins does feels like the right decision.

On the tourism front, I can safely say that if this is another sly Screen Australia tourism ad, at least it’s an enjoyable one. The issue isn’t so egregious that every Australian film is set in a gorgeous tourist location, but it does happen more than it should. All in all, though, if they must be made, make them like this.

Bosch & Rockit is one of the best Australian films of the year, thanks to the fantastic and moving work of Luke Hemsworth and Ramus King in the titular roles. As a debuting director, Tyler Atkins should be very proud, and I am eager to see what comes from him next.

The dynamics of shooting a film can change a bad project to a good one and vice-versa. It can even elevate a weak premise or an overdone one and make them feel compelling and fresh. In action movies, this is especially important. There needs to be flow and constant pacing to keep that flow. Brian Goodman’s Last Seen Alive fails to generate this and instead takes an overdone thriller premise and drags it further through the mud. 

Essentially Goodman’s film is Taken, but instead of Liam Neeson with a secret, very particular set of skills, we get Gerard Butler as an “everyman” property developer. His name is Will, and we meet him as he and his wife Lisa (Jaimie Alexander) are going through a divorce. He’s dropping her off at her parent’s house so they can get some space from each other, but when he stops for gas, she gets kidnapped. What follows is one man’s delirious search for the woman he loves, even if she might not love him back. 

As expected, many threads pop up to lead us on a trail to find Lisa: The gas attendant seems to be hiding something, Lisa once had an affair, and everyone quietly suspects Will because of the pending split. All except for Lisa’s parents, who loudly suspect Will and are just all-round horrible people who could never actually exist. These threads get cut down as new ones form, and along the way, we meet the man with the best performance in the film, a police chief played by Russell Hornsby. 

The chief is the only one who seems to feel the weight of the plot; he suspects everyone and everything, allowing him to get to the bottom of the mystery. Unlike Will, who, for reasons known only to him, decides to strike off on his own to find his wife, leading him down a bloody and vengeful path. For just an average guy who is also a very wealthy property developer, Will is exceptionally brave and tough. He fights tooth and nail for his wife, eventually leading him to a gang of drug dealers. 

The sequence that follows is where the film ultimately falls apart because of how it’s shot. Up to this point, everything is competent enough, if predictable. But once Will gets to the meth lab, the film grinds to a complete halt to fill its runtime. All that happens is we see Butler sneak around for what feels like an hour as he barely escapes being caught. All the while, we have no idea if Lisa is there, and really, I began not to care. Worst of all, Goodman shot none of it in long takes — it’s clunky cut after clunky cut as you watch the film fall apart. Had there been some ingenuity or any sense of flair, the sequence could have captivated, instead, it feels like the camera is blinking for you; each cut achieves that little. 

Butler does what he does best, but he’s working with so little that this is some of his least memorable work of all time. Alexander too gets nothing to work with as the damsel in distress, leaving Hornsby, whose best scene could’ve wound up on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, it becomes almost parody-like, as the ending promotes this crazed fantasy that all you have to do to get someone to love you again is save her from a meth lab, and I don’t think anyone involved would be happy it came out the way it did. 

Last Seen Alive is as generic as it gets and should serve as a warning to anyone looking to cash in without effort with one of cinema’s most overdone plots. 

Perhaps my most significant issue with modern blockbuster filmmaking is the unwillingness to take risks – everyone is always looking for a sure thing. And sometimes that’s enough; Marvel does it especially well. When something is lacking, add another hero, and fans will rejoice, myself often included. But outside of their dominance, the remaining blockbusters nowadays don’t fare quite as well, mainly due to the lack of being able to add more spandex. Instead, they languish in mediocrity, often hinting at semblances of narrative depth but never having the courage to dive in. The frustrating concoction that brings me to this point is Aaron and Adam Nee’s The Lost City. 

I want to start by saying The Lost City is not a bad film; it’s just one that could and should have been so much better. It tells the story of Loretta (Sandra Bullock), a once lively linguist and historian turned reclusive novelist after the death of her husband. Her books became a bestselling romance series, all with the same male cover model, the handsome but witless Alan (Channing Tatum). Upon releasing her latest entry, Loretta finds herself kidnapped by the nefarious Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) to translate ancient writing and ultimately find some long-lost treasure, leaving only hapless Alan to save the day. 

It’s hardly anything too daring, but it boasts a fantastic cast, so that was enough for this to get by. The missed chances begin to arise with Loretta’s sombre past and how she never honestly confronts it despite the film often insisting it’s the entire point. There’s a compelling story about how Loretta shuts herself away from everything she knows and loves after her husband dies, but instead, that takes a back seat to a mismatched romance between Tatum and Bullock. As a comedic pairing, they are often hysterical together, but when their feelings for one another begin to blossom, it always feels awkward and unnecessary, and the film would have worked far better had they just been friends. 

What does work is the humour. Almost all the jokes land, from Brad Pitt’s hilarious cameo to a devilishly good Daniel Radcliffe. My biggest worry was that the gags would fall flat, but I was proven wrong as my theatre bit for near every line, especially in the opening portion. But, again, when things become randomly raunchy, things begin to fall apart, which only happens once, but it feels entirely out of place and off-tone with the rest of the film. Outside of that, audiences will have a lot of fun coming to see The Lost City, even if the story leaves plenty to be desired. 

The fun is thanks to the star-studded cast, who all boast wonderful comedic chemistry. Including Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who plays Loretta’s only true friend and publisher Beth, Patti Harrison as Loretta’s social media intern Allison, and Oscar Nuñez as Oscar, who is just a quirky guy with a goat we meet along the way. All have laugh out loud, family-friendly moments. 

The Lost City had the potential to tell a moving story and instead opted to play it safe. The entire endeavour almost becomes a mess boasting a mismatched romance at its centre. But thanks to the everlasting charms of Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, there are many funny moments to at least make you enjoy what we got, even if it’s still hard not to wonder what could have been.