Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance, a married couple (Julianne Moore, Charles Melton) buckle under the pressure when a Hollywood actress (Natalie Portman) meets them to do research for a film about their past.

Todd Haynes is a filmmaker who has always remained true to himself as a filmmaker, choosing to tell stories that stretch the canvas of a given narrative while always inspiring an emotional reaction from his audience. May December fits this mould exactly. Inspired by the scandalous life of Mary Kay Letourneau, May December tells the story of actress Elizabeth Berry (Portman), who gets drawn into the lives of Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), a woman who in 1992, was caught having sex with her son’s 12-year-old school friend Joe Yoo, and who despite her criminal conviction has built a life with Joe (Charles Melton), raising a family, and seeming to have a normal life. But there’s nothing normal about Gracie. Haynes builds out a bubbling psychodrama that soon becomes a battle of wills between the two women as Elizabeth falls deeper into Gracie’s torrid past life and the consequences that have followed her.

Haynes keeps his audiences on the edge of their seats the whole time with this one, and while there’s an everyday presence of normality, there’s always the crime and the trauma that follows from it. Haynes looks at the very idea of scandal in both the past and present and how there are some choices we can never run from. He also frames the story around the actress and subject, making it all the more intense of an experience, as while Elizabeth is looking for ‘truth’, when she finds it in Gracie, it’s far more scarring than she could have imagined. May December is all about the subtext and tone, and a plethora of emotions from love to happiness, jealousy to anger, and indifference to sincerity all play out, and your mind gets taken for a ride with this picture.

There’s a reason Julianne Moore is regarded as one of the best actresses working today, and the Academy Award winner gives a hell of a turn in her performance as Gracie Atherton-Yoo. Her performance is best described as two-faced, with Gracie appearing as the perfect presentation of the Southern hostess who has built a life for herself and her new family despite her crime and torrid past. But behind this clear side of her is an unpleasant nastiness, a spiteful contempt of those around her, and Moore gives you the impression that there’s much more to Grace than at mere face value. It’s a powerful and, at times, unsettling performance, and you never quite know where Moore is going to do with her performance.

Playing in direct opposition to Moore is Academy Award winner Natalie Portman, who matches her toe-to-toe with her performance as actress Elizabeth Berry, who is meeting with Gracie, Joe and their family for research into a new film about Gracie’s life and the scandal that erupted. Portman’s performance has an almost voyeuristic quality to it as she becomes dangerously close to Gracie and Joe, the ‘subjects’ of her performance, and as she desperately tries to understand what would lead Gracie to commit the act that she did. Like Moore’s own performance, there’s a tension to Portman’s character and her pursuit of Gracie as a character, and this tension does reach a boiling point that audiences won’t expect.

Praise must also be lavished on Charles Melton, a rising star on the Hollywood scene, which throws away his usual youthful bravado and presents a clear and fractured portrait of a man who seems lost in the world and with the choices he made. As the now 35-year-old Joe, whose own children with Gracie are about to graduate from high school, we see a man struggling with his life’s choices and an event that he can never run away from. It’s through Melton’s performance and the perspective of the characters around him that we see the events of his past with Gracie in a new life, and Haynes keeps things on a razor’s edge the entire time. All of it leads to a disturbing emotional reaction, and the psychological complexities of the story lead to a disquieting conclusion.

May December is a picture from a filmmaker who is in complete control of his craft, and its unexpected narrative and characters, plus the layered and complex performances of the film’s cast, will keep audiences on edge and close to shock right to the very end.

Image: Transmission Films

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Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Thor attempts to find inner peace, but must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster – who has become the Mighty Thor — to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.

New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi re-vitalised what a Marvel Cinematic Universe film could be with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, now, five years later, he’s back in the director’s chair and ready to take audiences on a wild ride into the outer cosmos with Thor: Love and Thunder. And this film is pure METAL! Bringing the unique trademark of his classic dry Kiwi wit and ability to conjure the fantastical from pure imagination, Thor: Love and Thunder is a film that is pure Taika, and audiences will fall in love with it all over again. Waititi’s mission with Thor: Love and Thunder is to take everything up a notch, and this film is a cosmos-hopping adventure of one lonely Thunder god who has to find a new purpose in his life, and re-kindle the feeling of what it means to be a hero again. And he absolutely delivers on it.

Packed out with bright colours and breathtaking creativity, Thor: Love and Thunder is poured from Waititi’s imagination with zeal and enthusiasm. Moments of epic planet-sweeping action and laugh-out-loud hysterics collide, with audiences swept up in all of it. It’s bold filmmaking on a new level, and Waititi takes what worked in Thor: Ragnarok and adds to it for an event movie that will resonate with so many people. Waititi has worked to make this film meaningful for everyone, and it’s an inclusive and fun romp that will have you smiling from ear to ear. His inventiveness helps bring to life previous unseen features of the MCU, and his neon palette makes for a vivid experience of visual wonder. Taika gets to play with all his action figures this time around, and it’s one hell of a show.

Aussie star and MCU legend Chris Hemsworth is once again centre screen as Thor Odinson, the ‘space Viking’, and Thor: Love and Thunder marks a new chapter in this character’s journey, and Hemsworth approaches it with zeal. Gone is the ‘Bro bod’ and instead we get the ‘God bod’, with Hemsworth looking every part the superhero in the film, and he has a blast swinging Stormbreaker around. But it’s not just hammer time for Hemsworth’s Thor, instead this Asgardian God undergoes quite a journey, and it’s a dramatic one. We get a greater insight into Thor’s motivations as part of his reinvention, and it’s clear to audiences that Hemsworth’s own life has impacted his performance. Waititi works to give Hemsworth’s Thor a new dimension, and he’s faced with a new challenge that tests him to his core as a hero.

Facing down Thor this time is Christian Bale as Gorr, a humanoid-alien who becomes possessed by the darkness of the Necrosword, and in his transformation, becomes known as ‘The God Butcher’. And his is a horrifically scary performance. Bale’s performance as Gorr could be likened to a combination of classic villains such as Nosferatu and The Child Catcher, and Gorr has a diabolical and bleak sense of humour that he torments his victims with. And Bale’s delivery is sure to make you shudder. Gorr is a truly worthy villain for Thor to face down, and Bale brings him to life in vivid detail, and audiences will be animated as the God and the God Butcher battle it out. Bale’s performance as Gorr ranks up with other top-tier Marvel villains such as Thanos and Eric Killmonger, and he’s sure to haunt the dark reaches of your nightmares.

Making her return to the MCU as Jane Foster is Natalie Portman, one of the MCU originals, and what a return it is! Faced with a life or death battle, Portman’s Foster harnesses the power of a reconstructed Mjolnir and becomes the Mighty Thor…and she wields the lightning with absolute authority. Foster picks up her terrific mix of chemistry and banter with Hemsworth once more, and the two of them get to have so much fun together in this new adventure. Whether they’re battling shadow monsters or falling in love with one another again, Portman and Hemsworth make a great pair on screen together, and their joint control over thunder and lightning makes this return that much more fun to watch.

Audiences should also expect a great mix of supporting performances as well. This time around the Guardians of the Galaxy are also along for the ride, and it’s fantastic to see our favourite characters back for all the fun. And then there’s Academy Award winner Russell Crowe who makes his MCU debut as the King of the Gods himself, Zeus, and he’s utterly enchanting in the role. Best described as a self-absorbed fop, Crowe’s Zeus has a very memorable interaction with Thor, Foster and their team, and Crowe gets plenty of laughs out of his audience. Plus stay around for the end credits for an incredibly important MCU debut that will get you amped for the future.

As a cinematic experience, Thor: Love and Thunder is a full-on heavy metal, superhero rock opera, and this film will have you amped from beginning to end. Packed full of bright colours, heavy riffs, and monster-bashing goodness, Thor: Love and Thunder is a flat-out fun ride, and you’ll be in full headbanger mode with this one. Waititi’s choices as a director are packed full of surprises, and the film’s third act delivers one hell of a roar that rocks the cinema with energy. From his unique incorporation of Norse mythology to his bold, imaginative worldbuilding, Waititi succeeds with Thor: Love and Thunder, and MCU fans will be pleased with this one.

Lightning strikes with Thor: Love and Thunder, and this is a film of pure fun for everyone. Every frame is energetic, animated and crackling with passion and brilliance, and it makes for a fabulous time out at the cinema.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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