Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on March 2, 2023.

(M) ★★★

Director: Peyton Reed.

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Katy O'Brian, Bill Murray, Corey Stoll. 

"You're right - we're not in Kansas anymore. My guess is Utah."

After such a great run, it’s been tough watching the MCU faltering. 

Obviously "faltering" is relative. While I enjoyed Black Widow and Eternals, they were ultimately disappointing, and though I loved Thor: Love & Thunder and Dr Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, I can accept the criticisms aimed at them, and at the very least acknowledge they're not as good as their respective characters' previous films, despite my enjoyment of them.

That leaves Spider-man: No Way Home, Shang Chi and Wakanda Forever as the only genuinely great films in the past seven releases (and I'm leaving TV out of this discussion for the sake of simplicity).

Even taking into account this up-and-down strike rate, Quantumania is the best example so far of the cracks appearing in the foundations.

Again, having said that, it's not terrible. There are far worse superhero movies out there, and even worse MCU films. Quantumania is mildly enjoyable, though I wouldn't be rushing to rewatch it like I would with Spider-man: No Way Home, Shang Chi and Wakanda Forever, or even Thor: Love & Thunder and Dr Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.

(Even leaving aside my own critiques, four of the last seven MCU films are among the bottom seven MCU films by Rotten Tomatoes ratings, with the bottom three coming from the last six movies.)

Much like Eternals, Quantumania is an attempt to restart and move onto the next big thing in the MCU. But its eyes are too focused on the horizon, and not looking at the pot-holes directly in front of it.

Having helped save the world in Avengers: Endgame, Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man (Rudd) is living the good life. He's written a book, he's shacked up with Hope van Dyne AKA The Wasp (Lilly), and he's getting to spend quality time with his daughter Cassie (Newton).

Cassie's inquisitive and vaguely rebellious nature sees her following in "grandad" Hank Pym's (Douglas') footsteps and investigating the potential of the Quantum Realm. But something investigates back, dragging the Pym-Lang-van Dyne clan into the universe beneath our own, and threatening to unleash a horrific danger from Janet van Dyne's (Pfeiffer's) past.

Quantumania is very intent on setting up Kang (Majors) as its next Big Bad, and it does so effectively. But its the only character that gets any kind of development or journey throughout the film. Our heroes have no arcs and no relationships beyond a very basic parent-offspring level of interaction. 

The plot itself isn’t bad - its basically of the "we're not in Kansas anymore" variety, except Dorothy and her friends have to stop the Wizard of Oz from leaving Oz too. But without any meaningful character progression or development, it’s just a series of hollow events surrounded by an almost overwhelming level of CG.

It does look amazing, to be fair. Reed leans into the idea that the Quantum Realm doesn't look like anything we've ever seen before, so it's suitably and impressively alien and otherworldly. It's also populated by empty vessels - characters serving as plot points - but at least these ones are occasionally amusing, with Dastmalchian's Veb a highlight.

But only Kang is truly interesting, because Majors and the script seem interested in him. He keeps his cards close to his chest, but he has levels to him, as well as drives and flaws. He's the highlight of the film, and at least his promised presence across the rest of the franchise bodes well.

Rudd's force of personality also makes it hard to hate this film. Ant-Man remains a reluctant yet awesome hero, which is largely due to Rudd, and that shouldn't be forgotten.

But here he's surrounded by an almost-deafening sound and light show that lacks the wit and whimsy of his MCU debut. Quantumania swings big, but forgets the small stuff, to its own detriment.

The Banshees Of Inisherin

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on February 16, 2023.

(M) ★★★★★

Director: Martin McDonagh.

Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon, Pat Shortt, Sheila Flitton.

"What? Can't a man take his fecking donkey for a walk?"

Martin McDonagh is yet to make a bad film. His debut In Bruges is iconic, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the best film of 2018, and even his weakest film Seven Psychopaths is wildly entertaining.

The Banshees Of Inisherin doesn't buck the trend of McDonagh quality - in fact, it's on par with In Bruges and Three Billboards. It's certainly his funniest film since In Bruges and yet also his darkest to date. But perhaps the most amazing thing about it is the fact it explores such huge ideas as the meaning of life, while simultaneously looking at the micro-aggressions of two stupid men with no capacity to deal with their own emotions.

The story is the tale of Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), who live on the fictitious Irish island of Inisherin. After being long-time friends, Colm suddenly decides he has outgrown Pádraic, sparking an uncomfortable war between the men, with horrific consequences.

McDonagh's screenplay is stunningly and surprisingly hilarious. Even as it descends into bleaker and bleaker terrain, it maintains its cracking laugh rate, which often comes from the deadpan delivery of its perfectly timed dialogue. Undeniably dark in places, its fascinating how funny the film is, especially when considering it's tackling themes of loneliness, legacy, isolation, mental illness, social niceties and boredom. 

The golden script is magical in the hands of Farrell in particular. He makes Pádraic's mood swings believable, while also selling him as the nice-yet-dull person everyone thinks he is. He's somehow charming yet forgettable, bland yet emotional. It's a wonderfully complex character, delivered with gentle humour and pitch-perfect humanity. 

Not to be outdone is Gleeson's Colm. He's a more enigmatic character, with hints of a sad past, who also swings between extremes. But Gleeson always personifies him with a level of believability. Both male leads are strange, yet real-seeming, and equally intriguing, with credit going to Farrell and Gleeson for making them so.

Perhaps the flashiest of the main roles in Condon's Siobhán, being the only character seemingly able to effectively express what's on her mind. She provides a fascinating juxtaposition to the two emotionally stunted men at loggerheads in her orbit, and in Condon's hands she is far more than just a side character.

Shot on some of Ireland's beautiful west coast islands, the film is as pleasing to look at as it is oddly dark. It only goes to serve the film's dichotomies all the more.

The Banshees Of Inisherin is not a film you'll forget in a hurry, but if you like your humour dark and stormy, this is the perfect tonic for you.

Ranking the live-action Star Wars TV series

The Star Wars universe continues to expand, but these days it's mostly on the small screen. That's not a bad thing, because what's been released has largely been good, and there's plenty more on the horizon.

Here's my absolutely-definitive-no-need-to-argue ranking of the live action Star Wars TV series.

1. Andor

Much like its parent film Rogue One, Andor doesn't feel like Star Wars usually does. Instead it takes the familiar universe, strips out the mysticism, and makes it a real place, inhabited by real people trying to go about their usual lives in the face of real struggles. No Jedi here - just folks pushing back against their oppressors. The heist is great, but it's fascinating to see the answers to the questions we all forgot to ask, such as "how did the Empire maintain control before the Death Star?", and "how do you fund a rebellion?". Great cast too, filled with hard-nosed performances and a script squarely aimed at those too old for Ewoks.

2. The Mandolorian

Star Wars does the Lone Wolf & Cub series, all the while leaning into its space-western roots. Pedro Pascal is great as The Man With No Face AKA The Mandolorian AKA Din Djarin, but Gorgu AKA "Baby Yoda" steals the show, proving that there are still iconic characters to be created in this universe. The episodic nature has become a bit of an in-joke - almost every episode is a side-quest - but it's still fun and perfectly captures the Star Wars spirit. Its use of deep lore and throwing in some big name characters doesn't hurt either.

3. Obi-Wan

Largely great, give or take an episode or two, this crowd-pleasing gap-filler was more of a fan-service frenzy than the other shows on this list, building quite obviously towards a rematch between two of the franchise's biggest names. The gravitas of MacGregor helps sell this, as does the arc given to Kenobi, and its neat little story is nice, despite inflaming many a plot-hole-spotter. It says something of the revisionist appreciation for the prequel trilogy that this works as well as it does - much like the animated Clone Wars TV series, this helps build the prequel world, making it all the more rich.

4. The Book Of Boba Fett

An utter disappointment. So many cool characters (Fett, Fennec Shand, Cad Bane) are under-written, as is the series itself. What does work - Fett's emergence from the Sarlacc and life with the Tuskens - is interspersed amid a non-sensical plot about taking control of Mos Espa. The final showdown is fun, but it's telling when the show's best episode is about a character from another series.

Records that fell in triple j's Hottest 100 of 2022

So the Hottest 100 of 2022 has been run and won for another year. Records tumbled, Flume won again, and everyone had a great time, with no one complaining about the countdown at all.

Anyway, here's a bunch of things that happened in the countdown.

And don't forget this amazing list of the Hottest 100 songs that missed the Hottest 100.

Most appearances by an act in the history of the countdown

Hilltop Hoods hold the records for most appearances and entries in the Hottest 100.

The bods at triple j like to talk about who has the most "entries" in the Hottest 100. Unofficial Hottest 100 historian Patrick Avenell likes to talk about "appearances". I wrote a whole thing about it, but let's look at where the records stand now, starting with "appearances". And no, I'm not counting the "all-time" countdowns, so don't @ me.

Counting featurings, remixes, withs, versuses, and Xs, here's where the table now stands after Hilltop Hoods scored two entries in the 2022 countdown.

24 - Hilltop Hoods

22 - Powderfinger, Foo Fighters, Flume

20 - Kanye West

19 - Tame Impala

17 - Silverchair, Muse, Grinspoon

16 - The Wombats, The Living End, Lime Cordiale, John Butler Trio, Billie Eilish

15 - Regurgitator, Arctic Monkeys

14 - You Am I, Spacey Jane, Something for Kate, Placebo, Pearl Jam, Ocean Alley, G Flip, Florence And The Machine

13 - Rüfüs Du Sol/Rüfüs, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, Illy, Green Day, Bring Me The Horizon, Ball Park Music

12 - The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cat Empire, The Amity Affliction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Garbage, Eskimo Joe, DMA's

Note this is appearances as a named act, not as individuals. It's also worth noting that Billie Eilish strengthened her lead as the most successful woman in the history of the Hottest 100.

Most appearances by individuals in the history of the countdown

Dave Grohl holds the record for most individual performances in the Hottest 100.

But for shits and gigs, let's have a look at the individuals table. I haven't built a proper database for this, because it's a real rabbit-hole, but with the bare minimum of research here's what I've got, which is probably wrong. From what I can tell, there were no records set here, but Bernard Fanning, Hilltop Hoods and Flume all shortened Dave Grohl's seemingly unassailable lead.

31 - Dave Grohl

25 - Bernard Fanning

24 - Suffa, Pressure, DJ Debris

22 - The non-Bernards of Powderfinger, Flume

21 - Nate Mendel

20 - Kanye West

19 - Tame Impala aka Kevin Parker

18 - Daniel Johns

17 - Ian Kenny, Jack White (if he really is singing on the Electric Six track Danger! High Voltage, otherwise he's on 16), Chris Joannou, Ben Gillies, all three members of Muse, all four members of Grinspoon, Chris Cheney, Quan Yeomans, Damon Albarn

16 - Paul Dempsey, Scott Owen, The Wombats, Lime Cordiale, John Butler, Billie Eilish 

15 - Florence Welch, Taylor Hawkins, Ben Ely, Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, Tim Rogers, Thom Yorke

Most entries by an act in the history of the countdown

The record shared by Powderfinger for most entries in the Hottest 100 has been surpassed.

Now lets do it by the Dave-Ruby-Howe-approved-triple-j-certified book, and not count featurings, remixes etc.... Note that Flume is the biggest loser when you look at the list this way.

23 - Hilltop Hoods

22 - Powderfinger, Foo Fighters

19 - Kanye West

18 - Tame Impala

17 - Silverchair, Muse, Grinspoon, Flume

16 - The Wombats, The Living End, Lime Cordiale, John Butler Trio, Billie Eilish

15 - Regurgitator, Arctic Monkeys

Most countdowns appeared in

Foo Fighters are now tied for most Hottest 100 countdowns appeared in.

If consistency is key, then here's the table that matters most - the table for most countdowns appeared in, which is another record equalled by Hilltop Hoods this year. By comparison, Spacey Jane's 14 entries have appeared across just four countdowns.

13 - Hilltop Hoods, Foo Fighters

12 - Kanye West

11 - The Living End

10 - The Wombats, The Chemical Brothers, Illy

9 - Tame Impala, Something for Kate, San Cisco, Radiohead, Powderfinger, Pearl Jam, John Butler Trio, Grinspoon, Flume, Arctic Monkeys

Most countdowns between first and most recent appearance

Damon Albarn set a new record for most countdowns between first and most recent appearance.

This longevity record is once again as big as it can possibly be. There have been 30 countdowns and only one artist appeared in both the first Hottest 100 in 1993 and the 2022 countdown. This table is a bit inexact probably, but to the best I can figure it goes like this:

30 countdowns apart - Damon Albarn (Blur - For Tomorrow at #90 in 1993, and Gorillaz - New Gold at #13 in 2022)

29 - Paul Kelly (with Christine Anu - Last Train at #61 in 1993, and with Ziggy Ramo - Little Things at #99 in 2021)

27 - Bernard Fanning (three songs with Powderfinger in 1996, and with Baker Boy - Wish You Well at #31 in 2022)

22 - Zack de la Rocha (two songs with Rage Against The Machine in 1993, and with Run The Jewels in 2014), Dave Grohl (Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box at #20 in 1993, and Foo Fighters - Something From Nothing at #84 in 2014)

21 - Pat Smear (Nirvana - About A Girl from the MTV Unplugged concert at #7 in 1994, and Foo Fighters - Something From Nothing at #84 in 2014)

20 - Tim Rogers (You Am I - Adam's Ribs at #50 in 1993, and with The Bamboos in 2012), Hilltop Hoods (first appearance in 2003, most recent in 2022)

19 - Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters - Down In The Park at #21 in 1996, and Foo Fighters - Something From Nothing at #84 in 2014)

18 - Robert Smith (The Cure - Friday I'm In Love at #39 in 1993, and with Crystal Castles in 2010), and three quarters of Arctic Monkeys (Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders played on I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor in 2005 and two songs in 2022's Hottest 100)

Most wins

Flume is only the second act to win twice.

Oh yeah, that's right - the big one. Flume and Powderfinger are the only acts to win twice, though Bernard Fanning has three wins thanks to his solo victory with Wish You Well in 2005.

Most songs in a single countdown (and other related records)

Spacey Jane equalled the record for most songs in a single countdown.

Spacey Jane finally equalled Wolfmother's long-standing record of six songs in a single countdown. But if you want to get super-nerdy (and who doesn't?), then there are a few more records to unpack within those six songs.

Spacey Jane now have the record for the most songs in the top 75 of a countdown - Wolfmother's lowest-scoring song in its triumphant 2005 effort was #84, while Spacey Jane's lowest was #75. 

As for the top 50, Spacey Jane and Wolfmother each had five of their six songs in the top half of the countdown, with Lime Cordiale the other band to achieve that feat. In fact, all three bands landed five in the top 40. But Lime Cordiale's five all finished in the top 26 of the countdown - a feat that's unlikely to be beaten any time soon. The weird thing about Lime Cordiale's five-in-the-top-26 effort is that they didn't get a single song in the top 10 that year - their songs came in at 11, 16, 20, 25, and 26.

But perhaps most impressively, Spacey Jane are the first band to get three songs in the top six. Previous to 2022, Powderfinger and Gang of Youths had scored three songs in the top 10.

The "hottest number" 

The concept of the "hottest number" was devised by Tyler Jenke for his sadly dormant Hottest 100 Unofficial Database. The way it works is "a song in the #1 position gets 100 points, #2 gets 99 points, and so on until the #100 songs get 1 point". Simple right?

The hottest number could be seen as a bit of a nonsense stat, but it's a bit of show of quality amid the quantity. Yes, it's one thing to have lots of appearances, but how high were those appearances?

Hilltop Hoods were already on top of the table but have extended their lead by 77 points with the 2022 countdown. Here's the table as it stands now going by total points:

1. Hilltop Hoods 1589

2. Powderfinger 1467

3. Flume                 1454

4. Foo Fighters 1245

5. Tame Impala 1219

6. Lime Cordiale 1106

7. John Butler Trio 1062

8. Grinspoon         1053

9. Silverchair         1046

10. The Living End 1017

11. Spacey Jane 1009

This stat gets really fun when you start looking at what an act's average hottest number is - the higher the better. Of course there are some acts with a perfect average of 100 - The Wiggles, Denis Leary, Wanz, Kai, and May-A all have an unblemished record when it comes to the hottest number - they've all appeared on one song, and it landed at #1. 

But let's sort the hottest number average by acts with more than one appearance in the countdown (number of songs in brackets).

1. Mataya                 93.00 (2)

2. Phoenix                 92.50 (2)

3. DJ Snake                 91.00 (2)

4. Ryan Lewis                 89.67 (3)

5. The Verve                 88.00 (2)

6. Tom Cardy                 87.00 (2)

7. MGMT                 86.50 (4)

8. Bluejuice                 85.75 (4)

9. Bernard Fanning         85.67 (3)

10. The Cranberries 85.00 (3)

Now (because we're having fun aren't we?) let's look at the hottest number average for acts with five or more appearances. 

1. Gang of Youths                 78.67 (9)

2. Chet Faker                         78.00 (9)

3. Tool                                 76.29 (7)

4. Gorillaz                         74.00 (9)

5. Red Hot Chili Peppers 73.83 (12)

6. Calvin Harris                 72.86 (7)

7. Bush                                 72.80 (5)

8. Korn                                 72.40 (5)

9. Spacey Jane                 72.07 (14)

10. The Killers                 71.63 (8)

11. Peking Duk                 70.45 (11)

12. SZA                                 70.00 (5)

To look at this a different way, every SZA appearance averages getting voted in at #31, and every Chet Faker song averages #23. 

Shall we do the hottest number average for acts with 10 appearances or more?

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers 73.83 (12)

2. Spacey Jane                 72.07 (14)

3. Peking Duk                         70.45 (11)

4. Lime Cordiale                 69.13 (16)

5. Rüfüs Du Sol                 68.77 (13)

6. Lorde                                 66.77 (13)

7. Powderfinger                 66.68 (22)

8. Ball Park Music                 66.54 (13)

9. John Butler Trio                 66.38 (16)

10. Hilltop Hoods                 66.21 (24)

11. Flume                         66.09 (22)

We could do this backwards too - which is the act with the lowest hottest number average with 10 appearances or more? In other words, who's had lots of appearances in the Hottest 100, but on average lands towards the bottom of the countdown?

1. Bring Me the Horizon         33.62 (13)

2. Metallica                         34.60 (10)

3. Ben Harper                         35.60 (10)

4. The Amity Affliction         38.75 (12)

5. Kanye West                         38.95 (20)

6. Queens of the Stone Age 39.27 (11)

7. The Chemical Brothers 39.64 (11)

8. Bliss n Eso                         39.80 (10)

9. Josh Pyke                         40.10 (10)

10. Flight Facilities                 43.00 (10)

Lots of heavy music there and no surprises that Bring Me The Horizon tops the "coolest" number - they've never gone higher than #38, yet have had 13 appearances.

REWIND REVIEW: Zappa (2020)

(MA15+) ★★★★

Director: Alex Winter.

Stills of Zappa without a cigarette nearby not available.

As I've written before, a good music doco not only has to tell the story of a musician in a way that can engage both the casual fan and the hardcore enthusiast, but it also needs to capture and reflect the artist's essence in some way.

Whether it be the joie de vivre of the Beastie Boys in a theatre telling tales and cracking wise, or the mind-numbing grind that was Radiohead’s OK Computer tour, or Amy Winehouse struggling in the face of endless papparazzi snaps, the best docos allow the artist's spirit and the reality of their situations to seep into the film.

In Zappa, it’s the zigging and zagging of the sound and vision as it goes that is the most Zappa-like thing about it. Concert footage is intertwined with found footage edited by Frank Zappa himself, stop-motion sits between interviews, and the many musical and non-musical hats of Zappa get an airing.

Constantly attention-grabbing, the doco details as much of Frank Zappa’s life as it can fit into two hours.The film moves episodically through all the Wikipedia moments - childhood, early bands, the Mothers, and on to the PMRC censorship war, Czechoslovakia and his cancer battle - with us much detail as it can muster, illuminated by Frank’s archival comments and a handful of ex-band mates, plus his late wife Gail. As such, it’s a collection of snapshots, with each one bolstered by personal recollections that help to paint a reasonably complete picture.

Given his astonishing work rate, remarkable output, and his endlessly chameleonic artistry, the film has a lot of bases to touch on, but it still finds time to provide an insight into who he was. It doesn’t pull back from the tough stuff - he slept around, hardly saw his kids, and was difficult to work with due to his exacting standards. On that front the film is admirable. 

Surprisingly concise but still well rounded, Zappa is the best doco of this under-appreciated talent that we’re likely to get. Hardcore fans may have hoped for more, but it does a great job of showcasing one of music's most daring, driven, and creative characters.