The best of Taylor Hawkins

 

The music world is in shock. Taylor Hawkins, dead at 50, leaving behind a wife, kids, bandmates, family, friends, and fans. The Foo Fighters drummer shone with a musical intensity and a wild energy that made him a powerful drummer, a fun interviewee, and the best damned singer in Foo Fighters (sorry Dave, though Dave would probably say the same thing).

I've seen Hawkins play with Foo Fighters three times, and when you're not watching Dave Grohl, you're watching Hawkins. As many people have pointed out since his untimely passing, Hawkins was one of the few drummers in the world who could drum in a band with Grohl and make you cool with the fact that Grohl wasn't playing drums.

Here is a short list as a reminder of what we have lost. Vale Taylor Hawkins.

Drumming for Sass Jordan

Hawkins' first big-time rock gig was backing award-winning Canadian singer Sass Jordan around 1992. With her bluesy vocals and Slash-alike guitarist Stevie Salas, Jordan was trying to bridge the worlds of traditional rock and alternative rock, and having Hawkins in the band certainly helped. As evidenced by the first song in this video, Hawkins hit 'em hard but was already developing his own style.

Drumming for Alanis Morissette

Hawkins joined another strong-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter after Sass Jordan, becoming the live drummer for Alanis Morissette on her mammoth Jagged Little Pill world tour from 1995 to 1997. While he didn't play on the album (did you know Flea and Dave Navarro play on You Oughta Know?) he did make it into a couple of her music videos. You can see in this live clip from London in '95 the skills that caught Dave Grohl's eyes and ears. Hawkins' hits with metronomic power, but has groove to spare and a light touch when needed. It's not his drum part he's playing but he's already making it his own. 

"Can you play Everlong?"

I have no idea what kind of "audition" Hawkins did to the join Foo Fighters in 1997, but at some point he would have had to prove his worth by playing Everlong. It's one of the toughest drum patterns in the Foo catalogue and while it's Grohl playing it on The Colour & The Shape, Hawkins has played it more - over 1000 times, according to setlist.fm. The song has grown into the definitive Foo Fighters track over the 25 years since its release, and Hawkins' ability to nail that furiously precise hi-hat rhythm and dramatic anticipation night in, night out has surely helped secure the song's legendary status. Sadly, it would be the last song he played live with the band.

Aurora

Hawkins' called Aurora one of his favourite Foo Fighters songs, partly because it was the first track for the band that he felt he really nailed in the studio. His debut album with the Foos - There Is Nothing Left To Lose - is a real reset for the band. They're a three-piece, Grohl is starting to spread his songwriting wings, and Hawkins and bassist Nate Mendel have their input, adding more colour to the Foo palette. Aurora is a highlight of the album, and live it became a monster, as evidenced by this massive seven-minute version from one of the most epic shows they ever did on one of their many Australian visits. The last two minutes are among some of Hawkins' finest work.

Have A Cigar

The first time Hawkins took lead vocals on a Foos track is on this Learn To Fly b-side (remember b-sides?). It's an awesome cover of the Pink Floyd classic, and the band does a great version, giving it a suitably early '00s distorted update. The song was a staple of Foo Fighters' setlists in 2000 before being dropped forever, but it gave us a taste of Hawkins' vocal abilities and greater things to come.

Cold Day In The Sun

Hawkins' first original for the Foos was this tune, which is not only a highlight from the acoustic disc of their 2005 album In Your Honour but it's one of the best songs on either disc. Released as a double A-side with No Way Back, it was originally written by Hawkins some four years earlier. That middle eight is killer. On the Skin & Bones tour, Hawkins unleashed his inner Phil Collins/Levon Helm/Roger Taylor by singing from behind the kit, but later on the song became a chance to get Hawkins out front (and Grohl on the drums). But watch the start of this video from Skin & Bones and your heart will break all over again for the connection between Grohl and his soulmate.

The Pretender

Picking a single Foo Fighters' track that showcases Hawkins' phenomenal drumming is impossible, but The Pretender is a good start. It's one of the more elaborately arranged Foos songs, and Hawkins' plays an integral part in giving the song its free-flowing dynamism. His footwork early on is cool, and as the song shifts from bit to bit, Hawkins' continually finds the best groove to propel it along. My favourite bit is the "boom cha-cha" he drops with less than 15 seconds to go - the song's practically done, but he's still digging up new feels to bring it home. 

Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders

In between Foo Fighters albums, Hawkins squeezed in records and tours under the name Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. He put out three albums in 13 years, and guests on the records included Grohl, Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor, The Cars' Elliot Easton, Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan, Eagles' Joe Walsh, Heart's Nancy Wilson, and Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell. The songs range from straight-ahead rock to the slightly proggy (see above) and the utterly nuts - check out I Really Blew It.

Singing with The Doors

If you haven't seen this clip yet, it's an absolute treat. Hawkins does his very best Jim Morrison out front of a band featuring The Doors legends Robby Krieger and John Densmore. It's a suitably swaggering performance, but when he hits that scream at 1m55s, it's uncanny. Hawkins' love of old school rock ran deep - see also his old school rock covers band Chevy Metal.

Bob Quit His Job

Following in the footsteps of his best bud Grohl, Hawkins eventually made a record where he played pretty much every instrument. The result is the EP Kota, which is all Hawkins bar a few choice cameos (including fellow Foos Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett). A joyously fun collection of glam rock songs written by Hawkins, it includes the swaggering lead single Range Rover Bitch and the sexy shifting rhythms of Southern Belles. But the highlight is this deliriously ecstatic stomper that Hawkins beams in direct from some of the weirder parts of the '70s. If you've never heard this, you are in for a treat. 

La Dee Da

Concrete & Gold is the under-rated masterpiece in the Foo Fighters back catalogue, and Hawkins' drumming is a massive part of that. That heavy metal swing in Run is a real highlight, as is his gallop and groove in Make It Right, and the sizzling drag of his hi-hat in his boppy patterns in The Line. But the hands-down winner is the inside-out beats of La Dee Da. I've listened to this song dozens of times and it continues to fuck with my head. He's dropping a beat at the start of each verses right? And then in the middle of the verse? Where's the one? What is going on? It's some tricksy proggy shit and I love it. But my favourite song on this gem of an album is...

Sunday Rain

This delicious slice of '70s AM radio gold is the sleeper on Concrete & Gold and it features Hawkins doing his best Don Henley impression. It's a killer vocal performance but also a genuinely great song with the kind of outro that could go on forever and never get old. Also, how rad is that pink kit in the above clip?

Under Pressure

Foo Fighters' go-to party trick in recent years has been busting out some crazy covers at their live shows with Hawkins on vocals. Just prior to his death, it was Queen's Somebody To Love, but before that they were delivering a spot-on rendition of the Queen + Bowie classic Under Pressure. This version with Rufus "Son Of Roger" Taylor on drums is very cool. Look how much fun Hawkins' is having, but also, check out the vocal range on that motherfucker. He will be missed.

Belfast

This is a version of a review appearing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on March 17, 2022.

(M) ★★★★★

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Cast: Jude Hill, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Judie Dench, Lewis McAskie, Colin Morgan.

"Milk? I thought you got the milk."

In the past decade, Kenneth Branagh has shown he can do pretty much anything as a director. Having mostly left the Bard behind (aside from the little-seen biopic All Is True), Branagh has tackled superheroes, fairy tales, spies, and whodunnits with a fair amount of success.

These big-budget Hollywood-friendly flicks share Branagh's deft hand with drama, light touch with a laugh, and eye for spectacle. This is true too of Belfast, even though it couldn't be more removed from his other recent films unless it was an animated western. 

Based on Branagh's own upbringing in the titular city, the story provides a child's-eye-view of The Troubles. Branagh stand-in Buddy (Hill) tries to understand why the Catholics and Protestants of his neighbourhood are at war with each other, and the impact living in Belfast is having on his family.

 

Aside from being a poignant look at The Troubles and those caught up in it, Belfast is a beautiful essay on innocence, belonging, community and family. There's an honesty and simplicity to the way the story is told, befitting of its young guide. In Buddy, the film has a naïve core that's never manipulative - it just feels real and honest. Much of this is due to Branagh's steady hand, the beautiful black-and-white cinematography of Haris Zambarloukos, and the wonderful performance from 11-year-old Hill, who is a revelation.

Dornan and Balfe are also great as Buddy's parents, as they try to do the right thing by their family in the face of war, depression and recession, without forsaking the city and community they feel is part of their very beings. They're ably assisted by the grandparents, Hind and Dench, who add gravitas and humour to the mix.

The humour is important. Not only does it lighten the heavy load of the film, but it helps capture the Northern Irish charm, spirit and heart in the face of adversity. Belfast is as much a love letter to a lost youth and a loved city, as it is a snapshot of The Troubles. You will laugh out loud throughout this film, just as you'll be wowed and even moved to tears.

Branagh's lived experience obviously shines through in this, but its his ability to distil it into a moving and enjoyable film that's perhaps more important. There are some bravura moments and some beautiful shots that capture the intimacy of a childhood home and community torn apart by religion-fueled insanity. 

Encanto

(PG) ★★★★★

Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith

Cast: (voices of) Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitán, Diane Guerrero, Wilmer Valderrama, Rhenzy Feliz, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Adassa, Maluma.

Little did she know the killer donkeys were right behind her.

Disney's willingness in recent years to expand the horizons of the typical Disney film is commendable. It's generated some intriguing films with compelling ideas. From 2010's Tangled through to the Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph films, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana and last year's Raya & The Last Dragon, Disney's gone to fascinating places and shown us new types of princesses, heroes and anthropomorphic animals.

Amid the pro-active princesses and buddy comedies, one fascinating new trend has been the ability for Disney (and Pixar for that matter) to make the occasional movie without a nominal villain. Frozen doesn't pit its heroines against Big Bad Evil Guys/Gals, but rather against each other, the world at large and their own inner worlds (also check out Pixar's Inside Out for the greatest example of this). To a lesser extent, Moana and Raya & The Last Dragon do this too, with the BBEG being a world in decline. The likes of Scar, Shere Khan, and the various evil stepmothers of the past are nowhere in sight.  

Encanto is another magnificent version of this new (for Disney) type of storytelling. It enhances the drama, downplays the action, and finds a beautifully rich world full of compelling characters, culture and self-discovery.

Set in a magical Colombian enclave shut off from the outside world (an encanto), it centres on the Madrigal family. Each member has incredible superpowers except for 15-year-old Mirabel (Beatriz), who is convinced that the family's perfect existence is on the edge of disaster. 

Encanto bursts with energy and life - it's in its songs, its characters, and its production design. It's Colombian setting infuses every element, making for a rich lived-in world that's engaging, exciting and fascinating. Mirabel's journey of self-discovery rarely take her outside her own home, but that's cool because even the house is overflowing with personality, culture and magic.

Amid a cast of incredible characters, Mirabel is a marvel. She's determined yet nervous, strident yet confused, and strong yet powerless. Her journey of self-discovery is delivered beautifully and poignantly, and her relationships with the rest of her family, particularly her grandmother, are rich and propel the story forward in wonderful ways. 

There is so much to love about Encanto, although for such a fresh story it feels weirdly predictable in some ways. While it manages to subvert expectations on the whole, it still feels kinda obvious in places. Still, the way it gets where its going always feels honest, real and captivating, and there are enough little surprises to keep you guessing.

It's also great fun. The bouncing and colourful songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda are joyous but also keep the story moving, there is humour everywhere amid the heavy themes of self-discovery, family and expectation, and there are enough action beats to keep the pace up.

Encanto is bound to be remembered as The Colombian One, but that shorthand will fail to fully capture the richness of storytelling and absolute joy and heart inside this tale. Come for the culture and songs, but stay for everything else.

REWIND REVIEW: Booksmart (2019)

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on February 3, 2022.

(MA15+) ★★★★

Director: Olivia Wilde.

Cast: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Diana Silvers, Skyler Gisondo, Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Austin Crute, Victoria Ruesga, Eduardo Franco, Nico Hiraga, Mason Gooding, Mike O'Brien.

The pole repair crew were on the scene.

Remember that classic school-set movie about subverting expectations and stereotypes, discovering your true identity, and realising no one knows who they really are in high school?

Am I talking about The Breakfast Club or Booksmart? The answer is both.

They're great timeless themes, which is why The Breakfast Club has endured, and Booksmart will too. Olivia Wilde's feature film debut has been likened to Superbad, but the truth is Booksmart is so much deeper, richer and bolder. It's also funny as fuck, boasts a cracking soundtrack, and stars a note-perfect cast.

Molly (Feldstein) and Amy (Dever) are two high-achieving, straight-laced high school bookworms who discover on the day before graduation that the kids they perceived to be slackers, wasters, and losers have also managed to get grades good enough to get them into America's top colleges - except they did it while enjoying themselves.

With one night of high school left, Molly and Amy set out to make up for lost time, by enjoying themselves like they've never done before. 

The setting is perfect for self-discovery and some classic coming-of-age moments - there's the heartbreak, the gross-out, the make-out, and the accidental drug freak-out. But what's fresh and fascinating is the way Wilde's film weaves its tale of identity and exploration through so many characters. Feldstein and Dever's Molly and Amy are outstanding, hilarious and hold the film together, but there is a fascinating parade of flakes, fakes, floozies and fools on the side that we also get to learn about along the way. 

How these kids are perceived and who they really are (and how they don't fully understand who they are) makes for a vibrant and beautiful mess that splatters across the canvas of a "one night on the town" scenario. It feels realistic too - the characters, though convenient in their characteristics, don't come off as kids written by adults. Their existential problems are intriguing, and delivered with humour and heart.

Wilde's direction is assured and energetic, with a couple of fantastical moments that may divide audiences in terms of their effectiveness. But she's taken a classic coming-of-age chassis, updated it, chucked on a few mod-cons, and given it a very fresh paint job. The resulting ride is fast, fun and will take you back to your youth.

REWIND REVIEW: Kenny (2006)

(M) ★★★★★

Director: Clayton Jacobson.

Cast: Shane Jacobson, Eve von Bibra, Clayton Jacobson, Ronald Jacobson, Jesse Jacobson, Morihiko Hasebe, Vicki Musso, Glenn Preusker, Chris Davis.

You never want to see this face poking through your dunny door.

I recently joined Jono Pech on his excellent podcast Comedy Rewind, which re-examines funny films from a bygone era and looks at how they hold up. Our topic was that great Aussie comedy Kenny. Listen here as we dissect the film in great depth.

Or you can read this blog. Or both.

--------------------------

"None are less visible than those we decide not to see."

- Stadtler Lewis

I can't figure out who Stadtler Lewis was. There was a geneticist named Lewis Stadler, who quite possibly said this rather profound quote, but the internet isn't definitive on this.

Either way, this quote opens Kenny and sums up the oddly philosophical nature of the film. While on the promotion circuit for the movie, director Clayton Jacobson and his actor brother Shane were keen to spruik Kenny as a kind of Dalai Lama of dunnies, Buddha of bogs, guru of garderobes, shaman of shitters... I can go on and on with these... wise man of water closets... ok, I'll stop now. 

These epithets are weirdly accurate and nail the utterly bizarre idea behind the film. A mockumentary about a man who works in the portaloo industry, whose "chin up" credo helps him keep his head above the literal and not-so-literal shit in his life - who the hell would watch that?

Lots of people evidently. Kenny is the 45th highest grossing Aussie film at the Australian box office of all time (as of Jan 2022), earning almost $7.8m. That puts it higher than Crocodile Dundee 3, Wolf Creek and Mad Max. Not bad off a sub-one-million-dollar budget.

It's also not bad for an essentially plotless faux-doco. At the time of its release, Kenny somehow became a cultural phenomenon in Australia. Shane Jacobson appeared on talk shows in character, current affairs programs did glitzy packages on it, and the country fell in love with this lisping, put-upon plumber. He even scored a (little-watched) spin-off TV series. For a short while, Kenny was everywhere, in a way few Aussie films ever have been in Australia.

It would have been easy for Kenny to fail, but Jacobson's sincerity in the lead role makes it not just succeed - it makes it iconic. Kenny is a true blue-collar hero. His quest is for happiness and respect, and he encounters no real villain beyond a snide society that looks down on him. There is no real hero's journey here, but Kenny seems a bit more comfortable in his own skin by film's end. He has a job opportunity (which he rejects), a potential romance, and he finally takes symbolic revenge against the aforementioned snide society by pouring shit into an arrogant yuppie's sports car. 

But really, Kenny just keeps being Kenny. He's easy to love. He reels off home-spun wisdom, poo facts, and wonderful one-liners ("He's as silly as a bum full of Smarties" is my personal favourite), while enduring a shitty ex-wife, an arsehole of a dad, dim-witted colleagues, and a crap job (pun intended). He largely does it all with a smile and a joke. He's accepting of everyone, and wants to be everyone's mate.

The secret hero is director Clayton Jacobson. Imagine if Kenny was a straight-ahead comedy film, not a mockumentary. It would suck. Unequivocally. Shane Jacobson's naturalistic performance could make it feel real, but the doco approach amplifies it to another level. It makes everything hit harder than it ever could. The pathos is dialled up a notch, and so is the humour, the heart, and the message. Add in the support cast (especially Eve von Bibra) that let Kenny shine even more, and it bubbles with Aussie underdog charm.  

Kenny is a rare Australian film. It's in that elite bunch of homegrown movies everyone knows about and loves, alongside the likes of The Castle, Strictly Ballroom, Crocodile Dundee and Babe. But it's also a real lightning-in-a-bottle kind of movie. It's an unlikely success on paper, utterly unrepeatable, and unlike any other film in Australian cinema history. 

Who will win triple j's Hottest 100 of 2021?

It's Hottest 100 time again. It's on January 22 and will once again deliver what triple j listeners deem to be the best songs of the past year, creating a musical time capsule for decades to come.

It will also bring with it much debate. There will be the typical whingeing from people who don't listen to triple j anymore and who preferred it in the '90s when they played more Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers and who haven't caught up to the fact that triple j is the national youth broadcaster and thus keeps up with the youth and not ageing morons whose musical tastes haven't moved with the times. Get over yourselves, haters. (Oh, and listen to Double J on Sunday, January 23 when they replay the Hottest 100 of 2001 in full.)

When it comes to picking a winner, there are three key indicators - the bookies, social media vote counter 100 Warm Tunas, and ARIA chart performance. The first two are somewhat obvious and are usually pretty close (although 100 Warm Tunas was wrong in 2019 and 2016). ARIA chart performance is the icing on the cake - only five times out of 28 has the Hottest 100 winner failed to chart in the ARIA top 50 prior to winning.

I've added an extra "expert" opinion this year courtesy of GQ, because I've never known them to take an interest in the Hottest 100 before and the more the merrier I say.

Let's look at who might win this year.

(All stats and odds were correct at time of publication.)

Stay - Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber

100 Warm Tunas: #3

Sportsbet: $2.20 (favourite)

ARIA: #1

GQ: #1

Why it will win: This song has been everywhere and nails the all-important crossover factor between mainstream radio and triple j. The last winner to not reach the ARIA top 50 was Ocean Alley's Confidence in 2018 and before that you have to go all the way back to Muse's Knights Of Cydonia in 2008. Stay debuted at #1, spent 14 weeks there, and hasn't left the top six in the six months since its release. It's also the sixth most played track on triple j this year. If Kid Laroi wins, he'll be the first indigenous artist to take top place, with the previous best being Thelma Plum reaching #9 with Better In Blak - that's a big tick for a large portion of the triple j audience. And if you think the Bieber Factor is a drawback, consider this - Bieber has been around for over a decade. How many kids grew up listening to him before crossing over to triple j as they matured, and therefore don't see his name as a negative like older listeners do, but rather a kind of nostalgia? Stay is the favourite, and triple j's Hobba & Hing recently let slip the winner had a clear lead. This is the one. 

Why it won't win: The Bieber Factor. triple j crossed a bridge it never expected to cross when it began playing this song, with the youth broadcaster torn between supporting an indigenous rapper they unearthed and playing one of the poppiest of pop stars. In the eyes of many listeners, Bieber is the antithesis of everything triple j once stood for, and in a year of once-unlikely winners, Bieber ranks pretty highly in the unlikely stakes. Just watch the hardcore triple j-heads lose their shit when he wins.

Elephant - The Wiggles

100 Warm Tunas: #1

Sportsbet: $4.50 (third favourite)

ARIA: N/A

GQ: #2

Why it will win: As noted with Bieber, there are a lot people among the current crop of triple j listeners who grew up on The Wiggles. A lot of those same people love Tame Impala. For those listeners, this is a match made in heaven. 100 Warm Tunas has this down as #1, and those algorithms have been right more than they've been wrong.

Why it won't win: A Like A Version has never gone higher than #5, when Denzel Curry's Bulls On Parade blew the lid off. #5 is also the highest any cover has gone - see also Spiderbait's Black Betty and Boy & Bear's Fall At Your Feet. In 2019, 100 Warm Tunas predicted Curry's cover would win, which is where the algorithm falls down. Outside triple j, Like A Version's have no traction. The Wiggles doing Tame Impala is something of an exception to that rule because their cover gained a bit of media notice outside triple j, which will send it higher than #5. But it won't be enough to get the win. But it sparks an interesting question: which win would piss off the purists more - The Wiggles or Justin Bieber?

The Angel Of 8th Ave - Gang Of Youths

100 Warm Tunas: #2

Sportsbet: $7 (fourth favourite)

ARIA: #48

GQ: #3

Why it will win: In a field that includes The Wiggles, Bieber and former Disney pop princess Olivia Rodrigo, this is the purists' favourite. With six entries since 2015, including three in the top 10 in 2017, you could argue their due. And unlike 2017, GOY don't have a whole album worth of tracks to split their vote. If Warm Tunas is wrong about The Wiggles, this is next in line.

Why it won't win: None of the big indicators - Warm Tunas and Sportsbet - tip it to win, and it only barely scraped into the ARIA top 50. And only Kendrick Lamar has ever topped the countdown after previously placing at #2.

Good 4 U - Olivia Rodrigo

100 Warm Tunas: #4

Sportsbet: $4 (second favourite)

ARIA: #1

GQ: #4

Why it will win: Similar to Stay, this has major crossover appeal. It's been in the ARIA top 50 for 34 weeks, and is still in the top 20. Rodrigo is one of the 20 most played artists on triple j and this rocky throwback track sounds like it could have been on triple j's playlist five, 10 or even 20 years ago, which will win over a lot of people.

Why it won't win: Rodrigo is a Disney-approved pop star and High School Music graduate. Much like Bieber and The Wiggles, this factoid gets up the nose of the purists. But more importantly, Rodrigo's track Driver's Licence (another worldwide hit) is also likely to do well, which will split her vote.

Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

100 Warm Tunas: #8

Sportsbet: $21 (fifth favourite)

ARIA: #3

GQ: #5

Why it will win: triple j loves Billie Eilish. She was their most played artist in 2021 and she won the Hottest 100 in 2019. She hasn't missed the top 10 in the past three years - only Powderfinger has ever done that, but it's a record she's likely to break this year as this song is a dead cert for the top 10. But can she get to #1 again? 

Why it won't win: Eilish would have to pull a Powderfinger to win - the Queensland rockers are the only band to top the annual countdown twice. It's enough that she'll be setting a new record for most consecutive years in the top 10.

Kiss Me More - Doja Cat feat. SZA

100 Warm Tunas: #5

Sportsbet: $41 (eighth favourite)

ARIA: #2

GQ: #7

Why it will win: Another of triple j's most played songs this year, it's this year's WAP. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion set a Hottest 100 record for women of colour and female rappers last year, and Doja Cat and SZA have a chance to set the bar higher again with this boppy number.

Why it won't win: It doesn't have the buzz of the aforementioned songs but is still destined for the top 10. Warm Tunas and the bookies at least agree on that. 

And here are some other songs destined to do well:

Lots Of Nothing - Spacey Jane

100 Warm Tunas: #6

Sportsbet: $34 (seventh favourite)

ARIA: N/A

GQ: #6

On My Knees - Rufus Du Sol

100 Warm Tunas: #7

Sportsbet: $26 (sixth favourite)

ARIA: 43

GQ: #10

Hertz - Amyl & The Sniffers

100 Warm Tunas: #9

Sportsbet: $201 (equal 18th favourite)

ARIA: N/A

GQ: #13

Driver's Licence - Olivia Rodrigo

100 Warm Tunas: #21

Sportsbet: $51 (ninth favourite)

ARIA: #1

GQ: #11

Seventeen Going Under - Sam Fender

100 Warm Tunas: #11

Sportsbet: $176 (equal 15th favourite)

ARIA: N/A

GQ: #14

And here's my top 20 so you can check out how wrong I am:

1. Stay - The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber

2. Good 4 U - Olivia Rodrigo

3. Angel Of 8th Avenue - Gang Of Youths

4. Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish

5. Elephant - The Wiggles

6. Seventeen Going Under - Sam Fender

7. Lots Of Nothing - Spacey Jane

8. Kiss Me More - Doja Cat feat. SZA

9. On My Knees - Rufus Du Sol

10. Alive - Rufus Du Sol

11. Industry Baby - Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow

12. Hertz - Amyl & The Sniffers

13. Chaise Longue - Wet Leg

14. Drivers Licence - Olivia Rodrigo

15. Apple Crumble - Lime Cordiale & Idris Elba

16. Sunscreen - Ball Park Music

17. Gold Chains - Genesis Owusu

18. Queen - G Flip feat. mxmtoon

19. Solar Power - Lorde

20. I Don't Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance) - Glass Animals

REWIND REVIEW: Borg Vs McEnroe

This is a version of a review airing on ABC Radio across regional Victoria on January 20, 2022.

(M) ★★★★

Director: Janus Metz Pedersen

Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny, Scott Arthur, Tom Datnow.

Tracksuits. Fuck yeah.

There aren't a lot of tennis movies. The majority of sports films seem to be about boxing or baseball, which is a fair indication of the American domination of both cinema and sport.

Amazingly two great tennis films landed around the same time back in 2017. One is the excellent Battle Of The Sexes, and the other is this fascinating Danish/Swedish/Finnish co-production. Both are outstanding partly because they're about more than just tennis, but are also quite faithful to the sport their celebrating.

Borg Vs McEnroe builds to the 1980 Wimbledon final, which is widely considered one of the greatest Grand Slam finals ever played, was the peak of the rivalry between Swedish wunderkind Bjorn Borg and American firebrand John McEnroe.

What makes the film fascinating is the way it explores the psychology behind elite sportspeople. The Borg-McEnroe rivalry was iconic because of their "fire and ice" temperaments - Borg was seen as robot-like and emotionless, while McEnroe was the swearing-and-spitting "superbrat". This would have made it easy to make McEnroe the villain, but the story exceeds expectations by making us understand and even empathise with McEnroe somewhat. 

It also argues the two athletes were, for all their differences, incredibly similar; that Borg merely internalised what McEnroe let out. Both men are driven by a fear of losing, and almost everything in their lives is built around this phobia of not being the best. This notion is highlighted to show what set them apart, along with the sacrifices made along their journeys.

The drive and tenacity of them both, and how that manifests, keeps the film interesting, even as the story moves slowly and feels occasionally padded. It also suffers a little from focusing mostly on Borg, when McEnroe comes off as the more interesting character. It should be noted this is not the fault of the stars - Gudnason is wonderfully intense and "behind the eyes" as Borg, while LaBeouf deftly avoids making McEnroe feel like a caricature, which would have been easy to do. 

But the pay-off is great. Director Janus Metz Pedersen thankfully dedicates the last half an hour to the match itself, which is suitably intense, making a good mix of close-ups of the actors playing shots and body doubles for the rallies. The whole thing looks great, from the era replication to the nice use of short focus to highlight the isolation of the tennis stars.

Between this and Battle Of The Sexes (I haven't seen King Richard yet), it makes you wonder why there aren't more tennis movies.