NYAD (M)
****
Netflix
We just don’t see enough of the great Annette Bening in movies any more. So when she does sign up for a project, you can safely assume Bening’s judgement will pay off in the positive. This is indeed the case for an always-interesting biopic, in which Bening plays a difficult woman setting herself a difficult task. This is the true story of Diana Nyad, a former champion endurance swimmer whose best is seemingly well and truly behind her. That is until, at age 60, Nyad mounted a brutally demanding series of attempts to swim all the way from Cuba to Florida.
This well-constructed production (directed by the Oscar-winning team behind Free Solo) does not try and soften Nyad’s famously thorny personality, nor embellish the obvious adversities (including killer sharks, stinging jellyfish and many a discouraging onlooker) placed in her path. Just to make a good thing even better, another legendarily selective actor, Jodie Foster, contributes a sublime supporting performance as Diana’s long-suffering best friend and coach.
FINGERNAILS (M)
***
Apple TV+
This unorthodox mix of romance, sci-fi and social critique imagines a near-future where the lasting compatibility of a couple can be diagnosed by algorithm. All the program needs is a fingernail from both partners, and fates will be sealed. Yes, it is a risk if the result comes back a negative. But it is also a major reassurance if positive. Well, that’s what longtime couple Anna (Jessie Buckley) and Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) prefer to think. However, Anna may have cause to doubt the algo’s accuracy when she develops a crush on Amir (Riz Ahmed), her new workmate at a company specialising in couples’ assessment. This cleverly offbeat affair might have its flat spots, but it does have plenty to say about the pressures people face in keeping relationships alive and nurturing. The ever-expressive Buckley, as always, reigns supreme in the lead role.
SLY (M)
****
Netflix
This excellent documentary portrait of Sylvester Stallone has complete access to the great man himself, and does not waste a second of it. In fact, Stallone turns out to be a disarmingly frank and intuitive interrogator of his own life story, often expressing himself with a candour and intelligence quite at odds with his screen persona. Looking back upon a career that has seen him celebrated and then castigated repeatedly, Stallone readily admits to many of his mistakes (including his true all-time low, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!) and dishes plenty of vital intel about the difficult creative births and spectacular box-office successes of the Rocky and Rambo franchises. Just as fascinating are Stallone’s painful recollections of his father, a man who spent several decades both shaping and short-changing his son.
PAIN HUSTLERS (M)
**
Netflix
You would think a movie like this would rack up an easy win. With stars Emily Blunt and Chris Evans mounting a Wolf of Wall Street-ish attack on those who profited most from America’s opioid crisis, what’s not to like? Well, after a strong opening hour, Pain Hustlers gets very unlikeable, very quickly. It is almost as if all involved suddenly realised there was no way to adequately end this story. A shame, really, because Blunt gives her all in playing Liza, an ex-stripper who goes from making $60 a night to $600K per year after landing a lucrative sales gig pushing powerful painkillers to dopey, dope-prescribing doctors. Unfortunately, the filmmakers let Blunt down by never quite nailing the tone of bemused outrage the material demands. Evans cops it even worse with a poorly written role as Liza’s cynical boss.
MILLI VANILLI (PG)
****
Paramount+
If you enjoyed the recent Wham doco, then you must make a point of tracking down this equally strong and affecting portrait of another short-lived, mega-successful ’80s pop duo. Unlike Wham, however, there was no happy ending awaiting Milli Vanilli at the end of their stellar run of chart hits. In fact, singers Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus became universally reviled by fans and foes alike when it was revealed they did not supply the vocals for any of their recordings. With Pilatus no longer with us, it is left to Morvan and some other key players in the debacle (though tellingly, not the band’s producer, German pop genius Frank Farian) to shine some new light on a deception bother darker and more complex than originally thought. Highly recommended.
BIG GEORGE FOREMAN (M)
**1/2
Binge, Foxtel
Has there ever been a sporting underdog as oversized as George Foreman? The burly boxing champ might have taken Olympic gold and a World Heavyweight belt early in his career, but it was his banishment from big-time fighting (courtesy of a crushing defeat from longtime nemesis Muhammad Ali) that proved to be both the breaking and remaking of Foreman. This boilerplate biopic covers all bases required, including the spectacular home-shopping success of the Foreman Grill and a truly amazing comeback to the ring in his mid-forties. Actor Khris Davis does not bring a lot of screen charisma to the leading role, but he does communicate the endearing self-belief that saved Foreman from going down for the count. Co-stars Forest Whitaker.
HOT POTATO: THE STORY OF THE WIGGLES (PG)
***
Prime Video
Surprising to think that a ‘proper’ deep-digging doco about The Wiggles has not been done before. Though this one struggles a bit with pacing issues – there is sizeable factual ground to cover – it does convey the full scale of the group’s achievement in becoming Australia’s biggest gift to the children of the world. The doco is at its best when exploring the rewards shared and sacrifices made by The Wiggles’ founding Fab Four (Greg Page, Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Jeff Fatt). Viewers will also come to appreciate the intelligence and intuition that was poured into the original design of The Wiggles concept, which still entertains millions on an annual basis.
PALM TREES & POWER LINES (MA15+)
***1/2
Binge, Foxtel
Make sure you’re feeling up to a testing journey, for once this compelling drama enters every-parents’ nightmare territory, there is no turning back. Seventeen-year-old Lea (Lily McInerny) has started hanging out with Tom (Jonathan Tucker), a sketchy older man almost twice her age. Meeting by meeting, his predatory instincts break down her sincerity and innocence. What should never have been a friendship gradually becomes a courtship, and then, well, you can only hope that the rest does not play out as you have feared. This is not exploitative, sleazy fare. An all-female creative team have ensured the truth of such a toxic situation must be told. An incredible performance from newcomer McInerny ensured this truth is heard.
Originally published as ‘Very unlikeable’: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans star in Netflix flop