Toni’s latest feature film, the French comedy “Madame”, has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Australia in November, and I’ve been happy to receive my copy. The film has made it to theaters in various European cities as well, and for once I cannot understand the critics being rather mixed on this one. The story might not be the most realistic – a modern-day Cinderella story with quite an odd Cinderella (a charming Rossy De Palma) – but it drags you as soon as you commit yourself to it. It has a poignant ending though that I really liked. Toni Collette has the “evil stepmother” part in this one, and for one I can’t understand the negative reviews for her portrayal, with the Herald Sun calling it “one of the few complete performance misfires of her career with a very loud bang”. And that in a year which brought us “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage”? :-) She was having fun with the part, and I’d recommend “Madame” without hesitation. Screencaptures from the Blu-Ray have been added to the photo gallery.

In Please Stand By, Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds, The Twilight Saga) plays a young woman with autism who runs away from her caregiver in order to boldly go and deliver her 500-page Star Trek script to a writing competition in Hollywood. Will she live long and prosper? You can find out on Jan. 26, when the film is released in theaters, on demand, on Amazon Video, and on iTunes. Please Stand By is written by Michael Golamco (NBC’s Grimm) and directed by Ben Lewin (The Favour, The Watch, and the Very Big Fish, the John Hawkes-starring The Sessions). The film costars Toni Collette, Alice Eve, and Jessica Rothe from the recent hit horror film Happy Death Day, with a special guest appearance by Patton Oswalt.

Toni Collette stars in Wanderlust, a searingly insightful and funny exploration of the relationships of a multi-generational family. Toni is joined by Steven Mackintosh (A Song For Jenny, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, The Halcyon), Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat, Not Safe For Work, Case Histories) and Royce Pierreson (Line Of Duty, Our Girl, Murdered By My Boyfriend) in the six-part drama. Commissioned by BBC One and a co-production with Netflix, the series will premiere in the UK on BBC One and globally outside of the UK on Netflix. Wanderlust is the first television series scripted by award-winning playwright Nick Payne (Constellations, The Sense Of an Ending, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet) and is directed by Luke Snellin (The A Word, Our Girl, My Mad Fat Diary). Made by Drama Republic (Doctor Foster, King Charles III, The Honourable Woman), it looks at how we build and maintain happy relationships and asks whether lifelong monogamy is possible – or even desirable. Wanderlust follows Joy Richards (Toni Collette) a therapist trying to find a way to keep her spark with her husband alive after a cycling accident causes them to reassess their relationship. As we meet her family, friends, neighbours and clients, remarkable yet relatable stories of love, lust and forbidden desire emerge. Toni Collette says: “I am honoured and thrilled to work with Nick Payne’s wonderful words on Wanderlust. It is an authentic and revolutionary story about relationships, sex, love and all the things we really care about. I could not be more excited.” Nick Payne says: “I’m over the moon to be working with Drama Republic, the BBC and Netflix. And the cast – what a galaxy of talent. Toni Collette is an astronomically adept performer, and someone I’ve long admired.”

“Unlocked” has been released on Blu-Ray in the United Kingdom on Monday and I was thrilled to finally watch it. I was expecting something bad after the film has been in the shelf for over 3 years (as you can clearly see on Toni’s hair, growing back after shooting “Miss You Already” in 2015). Luckily, the film’s quality was not the reason for its delay – at least not in my book. It’s a good entertaining thriller, nothing new to say the least, but still very well done and a good ride. I was looking forward to an ensemble piece, given the talents of John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Michael Douglas and Orlando Bloom involved, but it really is a one-woman show with Noomi Rapace commanding the screen – and every single scene. It’s another powerful leading role. The only real disappointment about the British Blu-Ray is that it includes absolutely no special features, zero. It would have been nice to go behind the scenes and learn more about the making of the film. Make sure to grab your copy or catch it in an American theater for its US release starting tomorrow. Screencaptures from the Blu-Ray have been added to the photo gallery – be advised that they contain spoilers.

Today, Amanda Sthers’ underdog comedy “Madame” releases Australian cinemas. Reviews have been mixed, ranging from charming to lousy. So, if you’re Australian, make sure to get your own opinion on this indie French film.

Screen Daily, Sarah Ward (August 18, 2017)
Toni Collette and Harvey Keitel might bring star power to upstairs-downstairs comedy Madame, but it’s Rossy de Palma who shines brightest in this English-language debut of French writer turned filmmaker Amanda Sthers. Among the cast, scenes between de Palma and Smiley render him Madame’s second standout player. In fact, it’s Collette and Keitel who make less of an impact, largely thanks to their underwritten characters. One can arch her eyebrows in disdain with the best of them, and the other amble around with charm, but their parts serve the narrative more than their talents

The Herald Sun, Leigh Paatsch (August 16, 2017)
An irksomely erratic French comedy of (bad) manners, Madame would normally have struggled to secure an Australian release. However, the usually inviting presence of our own Toni Collette in a starring role has jemmied open the door. Enter at your own peril. And also be warned that Collette issues one of the few complete performance misfires of her career with a very loud bang. While Collette’s awkward repartee with Keitel (those two as a married couple? Really?) is not so hot, her character’s constant, cruelly bitter jabs at Maria leave a decided chill. A movie that can sometimes turn tolerable (thanks to the unconventionally endearing de Palma, a gem who deserved better than this) just when it’s getting terrible.

Urban Cinefile, Louise Keller (August 15, 2017)
The premise is fun and the Paris setting gorgeous, yet this would be Cinderella story with a twist prickles with contrivance. There is something that grates about the way writer director Amanda Sthers has written her characters, although nothing takes away from the splendid turn by Rossy de Palma. The dinner scene when Maria attracts the attention of David (Michael Smiley), a British aristocrat who clearly is bewitched by her, is a lot of fun, but as the romance progresses, nothing rings true about Anne’s behaviour – or the way Collette has been directed.

Newscom.au, Wenlei Ma (August 14, 2017)
A classic Cinderella story, Madame is a joyful romp through the delights of upper class Paris and the immigrant underclass that serves them. It’s no wonder de Palma is sometimes described as Pedro Almodovar’s muse — she’s worked with him on seven films since 1987. Her Picasso-esque face is extraordinarily expressive and open and she has an incredible screen presence. She is the heart of Madame, even if, the titular “Madame” is Collette’s Anne, at least by frequency of address. The ridiculous Anne (“Louboutin doesn’t even make a size eight!”) borders on caricature at times but this could be a deliberate choice to underscore Maria’s authenticity.

Screencaptures from both parts of “Blue Murder: Killer Cop” have been added to the photo gallery. Richard Roxburgh has delivered a fantastic follow-up to the performance that made him a household name in the 1990s. And it’s been great to see Toni Collette featured in both a very successful Australian film (“Jasper Jones”) and an Australian series this year – alongside frequent co-star Dan Wyllie, whose performance was exceptional as well.