The Sheep Detectives

Image credit: IMDb

We don’t say it enough, but animals really are wondrous. Think about it, they bring sooo much to human society. They help to feed us, clothe us, guide us, soothe us, they provide jobs in rearing, researching, destroying, and preserving, and they are so often used as such marvelous narrative devices. Whether they are outsmarting villainous fashionist divas a la Disney or satirising the rise of Soviet totalitarianism for Orwell, animals are everywhere and exerting more influence in our daily lives than they and we realise.

In Kyle Balda’s The Sheep Detectives animals, primarily sheep, explore and dissect the generic formula of the whodunnit while remaining a very sweet and moving family movie.

George Hardy is a smalltown shepherd who spends his time tending his flock: feeding them, shearing them, giving them their medicine, and reading crime novels aloud to them. When he is found dead one morning, his flock immediately recognise the telltale signs of a murder, and they put their love of crime novels to the test to solve the mystery.

Based on the novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, The Sheep Detectives is an adorable family whodunnit that is both whimsical and darkly intriguing: like a cross between Babe and Knives Out. Running parallel to the PG murder mystery is a deep and moving story about belonging as well as a shallow exploration into the social complexities of communities and the intricacies of their relationships.

A delightful and whimsical cast of memorable characters zealously dissect and follow the recognisable formula of the whodunnit genre, while simultaneously making fun of the genre by exaggerating key tropes like the inept authorities and hammering home the idea that the formula is so straightforward that even a sheep can solve it. Add to this a darling array of voice talents and it’s a few adorable ideas about the cultural beliefs of sheep and you’ve got a movie that is the perfect way to spend a cozy Sunday afternoon.

Image credit: Australian Catholics

Director: Kyle Balda, 2026

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Regina Hall, Brett Goldstein, Bella Ramsay, Chris O’Dowd, Rhys Darby, Patrick Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Nicholas Braun, Conleth Hill, Tosin Cole, Hong Chau, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, & Emma Thompson

Addams Family Values

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Continuing on with our little trip down the creepy and kooky rabbit hole that has been sparked with the new season of Wednesday on Netflix, Partner and I curled up last weekend to indulge in the family fun and madness of Addams Family Values.

While there is certainly a lot of love going on in the Addams family mansion with the arrival of baby Pubert, there is also discontent. While Wednesday and Puglsey concoct deadlier games to play with their brother, Uncle Fester begins to despair that he'll never find the special love that Gomez and Morticia have. But this changes when Debbie, the new babysitter, enters the mansion and Fester falls head over heels in love with her. But Debbie’s not really a babysitter, she’s a gold-digging serial killer known as the Black Widow and Fester is her next victim.

Where the first movie was all about the kooky novelty of the Addams family, the second one provides a bit more of a narrative backbone, giving the film semi-solid plot reasons for a few of the circumstance in which the characters find themselves. Alongside the central murder plot, which goes delightfully awry as Fester proves harder to kill than a cockroach, is the escape from summer camp plot starring Wednesday and Pugsley. For context, Debbie convinces Gomez and Morticia to send the kids to summer camp, as they suspect she’s not what she seems. Stuck at a cringeworthy camp for the rich and privileged, the two attempt a number of escapes before having to succumb to a full-out mutiny. During these scenes, we get to enjoy more of Wednesday and Puglsey as characters as well as a load of face-scrunching racism, ableism, and other political incorrectness because, it’s the ‘90s.

Still playing on the ironically sweet naivety and trustingness of the Addams Family and the idea that ‘normal’ people are actually the ones to be scared of, the film goes through a series of fun and chuckle-inducing sequences exploring themes of familial bonds, sex, and companionship.

Image credit: Fangoria

A lot more well-rounded that its predecessor, Addams Family Values is another fun, quirky, and engaging family comedy, definitely a bit dated in terms of some social commentary as well as janky special effects, but I think that all adds to the cinematic experience. There’s still never a dull moment.

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld, 1993

Cast: Angelica Houston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, Christina Ricci, Carol Kane, Jimmy Workman, Carel Struycken, Christopher Hart, David Krumholtz, Dana Ivey, Peter MacNicol & Christine Baranski

The Addams Family

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One pro of the reboots and revamp debate in visually consumable media is that it does create/prove the longevity of certain stories or characters by exposing them to a different audience and seeing if it bites. As an example, Partner and I have been recently binging Wednesday on Netflix and enjoying the characters so much that we recently curled up on the weekend and watched the Addam’s Family movie from the early ‘90s.

The creepy, cooky, and eccentric Addams family have been lamenting the loss of their dear Uncle Fester for years, holding seances to try to find him either on this side of existence or the other. Their grief and vulnerability make them the prey of a group of con artists who send a Fester lookalike to infiltrate the manor and steal the fortune in their vault. But the plan starts to falter when Gordon, the undercover infiltrator, starts to develop rapports with the Addamses.

A classic ‘90s spoopy romp that is all about the sight gags and playing on the absurdity of its characters, The Addams Family is a delightfully funny movie that is 100% about its characters and aesthetic rather than its story. The weak narrative with an ending that you can already see coming a mile away is more of an afterthought, a necessary framing structure to support the delightful set design, costume design, performances, and visual comedy.

The fun of the Addams Family has always been the characters. In the role of Gomez Addams we have Raul Julia who is amorous, charismatic, and hilariously zealous in every dance or sword-fighting scene he’s in. We then have Angelica Houston as Morticia Addams: sultry, sincere, a beautifully morbid matriarch. Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams delivers every line with a wonderfully unfathomable deadpan expression and inflection, and then Christopher Lloyd as ‘Uncle Fester’ provides the film with a significant portion of its comic relief, being the bodily trigger for many of the manor’s wonderful traps while also playing the role of heart-fluttering black sheep in an already unusual flock.

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The Addams Family is a movie that delivers a cinematic experience based on how well the audience is across its characters and their history. I am certain that there were many jokes that we missed due to our having never seen the original series or followed the characters’ origins but nevertheless, we still found ourselves laughing out loud at the silliness and sharp-witted humour of the film as well as being touched by its heartwarming message about the staying power of family.

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld, 1991

Cast: Raul Julia, Angelica Houston, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson, Christina Ricci, Judith Malina, Carel Stuycken, Dana Ivey, Jimmy Workman & Paul Benedict

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

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We all know that art imitates life and that films often serve as a source of social commentary as well as entertainment. Films about humanity’s increasingly dangerous reliance on technology have been around since the era of Charlie Chapin in which his famous comic character, The Tramp, very humorously showed us what could happen when technology breaks down in Modern Times. And did we listen?

Isaac Asimov has been trying to caution us with this science fiction stories that usually depict robots turning on their masters or evolving an intelligence to rival humans. I Robot, Alien, Blade Runner, 2001 ASpace Odyssey – what do all these films have in common? Villainous AI. Even Disney had a stab at trying to redirect our reliance on technology with WALL-E and now, with the very real rise of AI, Aardman has taken up challenge.

As a present for Gromit, Wallace invents a robotic gnome to help him in his garden. When the neighbours see ‘Norbot’, there’s a scramble to hire him to help in their gardens and households and Wallace quickly becomes a neighbourhood celebrity. Word travels fast and soon a TV interview with Wallace gets seen by none other than Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin who tried to steal the Blue Diamond. Languishing in prison, McGraw soon concocts an elaborate revenge plot against Wallace and Gromit, with Norbot as the key.

While Feathers McGraw may be the villain of this piece, the real evil is society’s reliance on technology. The gadgets that populate Wallace and Gromit’s house have exponentially grown in number since The Wrong Trousers, eradicating the need for Wallce to do anything – even pat his own dog. This lack of physical intimacy between the two heroes is the real drama and helps to hammer home the message that there are some things that technology just can’t do.

The film definitely rides strong on nostalgia, essentially being a longer and less emotional remake of The Wrong Trousers. This ensures bums stay in seats and a few laughs get choked out, but I found Vengeance Most Fowl to be a little bit tortured and straining. The jokes are tired, the story is predictable, and even the chemistry between the heroes feels a bit diluted.

Image credit: Animation Magazine

But the animation is still gorgeous with beautiful scenic backdrops that make this one of the bigger Wallace and Gromit adventures in existence. Seeing Claymation and stop-motion is always refreshing because it is an artform that took off but stayed relatively low to the ground. Like a waterfowl, it’s been steadily skimming the reservoir of cinema for decades, content to just glide along.

Vengeance Most Fowl is a fun visit with old friends but ultimately, I still find the old half-hour features to be more emotionally enjoyable.

Director: Merlin Crossingham & Nick Park

Cast: Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Muzz Khan, Diane Morgan, Reece Shearsmith & Lenny Henry

Wonka

Image credit: IMDb

Sometimes it’s a real shame when one’s cynicism and basic human need to be stubbornly obtuse gets in the way of good time. But isn’t it better to be late to the party than never go at all? This morning my brain decided that 2 hours before my alarm was the perfect time to wake up so I treated myself to an early morning movie in bed and thank goodness I decided to throw my cynicism about biopics of fictional characters out the window, because I had the most delightful movie experience with Wonka, and was happy for the rest of the day.

Young Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) is fresh off a boat in the big city famous for its chocolate and ready to achieve his dream of starting his own shop. After swiftly losing all his money, he finds himself in debt to a couple of scammers and forced to work in their washhouse in order to pay it off. His dreams of a shop start to become even more unreachable as he soon discovers that the city’s industry is run by a cartel of greedy and ruthless chocolatiers. But with his friends from the washhouse and a hatful of dreams, Willy might just be able to stop their tyranny and share his chocolate with the world.

This movie is a delight! It’s a brightly wrapped return to the whimsy of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory while at the same time playing with some pretty serious themes. It perfectly balances that mixture of wonder and macabre in Roald Dahl’s classic story without teetering dangerously on the edge of overkill.

Timothee Chalamet is wonderful: a starry-eyed child in a man’s body. His interpretation of Wonka is a little closer to Gene Wilder’s immortal rendition, being very down-to-earth and charming. And then you’ll see a spark flash through his eyes, something electric flicker across his face and the quirkiness and showmanship of the character bursts out. While arguably a large portion of the film’s whimsy and delightfulness comes from the absolutely stunning art design, set design, costumes, and special effects, an equally large part of it comes from Chalamet’s performance as he so endearingly acts out a story of a wide-eyed dreamer who refuses to be broken by the awful situations he finds himself in.

Image credit: USA Today

As can be expected with any tale that features a literal candyland, there’s a lot of love and hard work going into the art design, set design, costumes, makeup, and special effects. Between Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, gorgeously choreographed musical numbers, and the eventual world of pure imagination, the film is a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Even the subtle explorations into addiction and the evils of the social hierarchy look good enough to eat.

With a gloriously catchy soundtrack, plenty of comedy, and a dash of drama, Wonka is just an absolute delight! It doesn’t ride on nostalgia, though of course a rendition of ‘Pure Imagination’ is featured, but brings a fresh and endearing take on a classic literary character and delivers a story with a timeless and important message. I absolutely adored it!

Director: Paul King, 2023

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Olivia Coleman, Tom Davis, Calah Lane, Paterson Jospeh, Mathew Baynton, Matt Lucas, Keegan-Michael Key, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, & Rowan Atkinson

Spy X Family Code: White

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Feature films that further the narrative of the TV show are not something you see very often in Western entertainment, but with the ceaselessly slowing popularity of anime, it’s a phenomenon that we’re starting to come acquainted with. I think the most recent thing we’ve seen where television and cinematic universes collide has been in the MCU where the events of the show WandaVision were referenced in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

A while ago Partner and I became rather enamored with a superbly adorable and fun anime called Spy X Family, which follows the day-to-day adventures of a sham family established by an organisation of spies to prevent war from breaking out between two nations. It’s a seemingly happy family, but each member has a secret about their identity that they try desperately to hide from the others. The father, Loid Forger, is a spy codenamed Twilight. The mother, Yor Forger, is an elite assassin known as Thorn Princess, and the daughter, Anya Forger, is a telepath. Cue hilarity.

Anyway, after absolutely falling in love with Spy X Family, we were very excited to curl up one evening and watch the movie.

Despite being four years old, Anya Forger is trying her best in school, to help her ‘father’ Loid Forger in his secret mission to save the world from war. But bullies, the stress of an exorbitant workload, and social concepts well beyond her understanding are making Anya’s goal of earning golden Stella stars almost unreachable. When she is given a special cooking assignment that could win her a star, Loid suggests making the teacher’s favourite dessert – a suggestion that takes the whole family on vacation to collect the ingredients. But along the way, Anya accidentally becomes the housing vessel for a tiny roll of microfilm that threatens the tentative peace between the two nations and is kidnapped by enemy forces. Loid must save his ‘daughter’ and retrieve the film – all without arousing suspicion and blowing his cover.

The vibe of Spy X Family is reminiscent of serial comedies of the 1960s and 70s, a la Get Smart and Starsky and Hutch, but with gorgeous and hilariously emotive animation. The simple narrative setting that allows so many endearing and hilarious misadventures to spring from it like fungus on a log, makes it a very delightful and digestible show that’s perfect for an evening after work when your brain’s capacity for absorbing content is diminished. In perfectly balanced half-hour episodes, it delivers action-packed escapades with heartwarming emotional stories, which then work to further the underlying narrative – the sham family starts to feel like a real family.

Image credit: looper.com

The film is really just a feature length episode that tells a wonderfully funny story that starts with a simple goal but get increasingly and unbelievably complicated as it progresses. Like Death at a Funeral or The Birdcage, Spy X Family: Code White begins as a wholesome family vacation film, which then quickly transforms into an action-packed spy movie like a Bond or Die Hard.

I would highly recommend Spy X Family for your next popcorn binge regardless, but if you’re not up to date with the show, that does not actually hinder enjoyment of the film. As a standalone, Code White is a fun and exciting family movie that is easy to follow and promises a good hour+ of excitement and laughter.

Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi & Takashi Katagiri, 2023

Cast (English dub): Alex Organ, Ben Phillips, Lindsay Seidel, Megan Shipman, Natalie Van Sistine, & Corey Wilder.

Wicked

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It was inevitable that Wicked was going to made into a musical film, right? The Disney-fied adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s dark take on the witches of Oz that took Broadway by storm and catapulted Idina Menzel into the centre of the universe lends itself sooo completely to cinematic adaption.

Of course, it’s always risky taking on a challenge like this. Adapting something that is so strongly beloved by a wide and vocal audience and transforming it into a new medium. I’m pretty sure there is an unwritten yet universally established law that if the film adaption of Wicked went south, then there would be sanctified lynch mobs with torches and all manner of sharp utensils on the hunt for all involved.

Thankfully, for everyone involved in the production of Wicked, this is not the case. The film has been received very warmly, spawning a whole new wave of fans of the musical.

Young, rich, and popular Galinda (Ariana Grande) has come to Shiz University with dreams of becoming a great sorceress. But her aspirations are shunned when Elphaba Thropp, a wallflower who was born with green skin catches the attention of Madame Morrible and is given the privilege of personal tutelage. The two girls then find themselves roommates and rivals, until their actions at a party changes their opinions of one another and they decide to become friends. This unlikely friendship is then put to the test when Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is invited to the Emerald City to visit the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.

Covering the first half of the musical that establishes the rival-turned-friendship between the two witches, the film is a bright and glittering croquembouche made up of incredible set design, costume design, makeup, and special effects. Everything is big and bold and bright – a very pretty reimagining of Frank L. Baum’s wonderful world of Oz. But while it brings a classic setting into a modern age, it does not leave the older members of the audience behind. There are a number of sweet and lovely references to The Wizard of Oz, including the original font for the opening title and a very sweet little shadow play from Jeff Goldblum.

The underlying drama of the story, a narrative of racism and tyranny, does get shoved into the backseat of the film, but to be fair this also happened on stage and I can only assume that part 2 of Wicked will cram everything in up to the end – like the last Harry Potter film.

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I enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I was going to, but I definitely do not hold any strong opinions of its brilliance or beauty. It was fine, it’s a good adaptation of the Broadway musical, and yes the performances are all very good. Cynthia and Ariana’s praise is literally being sung everywhere so there’s really not much point in my adding to it. I’ve heard complaints that it’s still too long considering that not a lot happens and it’s only half of the story, but I honestly didn’t notice the length so that argument is for you to make up your own mind about.

Wicked is a very visual film. It’s a feast, there’s no other way to say it, and it certainly does deliver the fun and magic of the Broadway musical. The transition from stage to screen has worked very well and everyone involved has been rightly celebrated. While it’s not a film that I can see myself rushing to watch again any time soon, it’s worth the watch if you have the time and the interest.

Director: Jon M. Chu (2024)

Cast: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Ethan Slater, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Andy Nyman, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Michelle Yeoh & Jeff Goldblum

Wish

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It’s often a wonder to think about the longevity of things that we have created. The passage of time is something that is both amazing and terrifying, as we can never tell what will remain celebrated throughout history and what will fade into obscurity.

I often marvel at the longevity of cinema –many of the larger studios have been celebrating centennials in the last few years and I got to thinking about the evolution of cinematic art and technique, how so many people have contributed to a medium that continues to grow and is both incredible in this respect, but also incredible when you consider how many people often lament the ‘golden days’ of it.

I was put onto this train of thought a while ago when I sat down and watched Wish – Disney’s 100^th film. The stakes were high for this one and while I can appreciate some of the animated techniques and choices, at the end of it all I found this movie to be a real disappointment and that just made me appreciate the Disney films from my childhood that little bit more.

The kingdom of Rosas is a peaceful and prosperous land, ruled by the magic and merciful King Magnifico who has the power to grant wishes. Each year he selects a single wish from his subjects to make come true. This tradition has been uninterrupted for years, making Rosas the wonderful land it is. That is until Asha, a young girl who dreams of becoming the king’s apprentice, discovers the king’s true motives. He only grants the most harmless and unambitious wishes, in order to retain his leadership and keep his people in line. Angered and betrayed by the injustice of the king, Asha wishes on an evening star for change, but gets more than she bargained for when the star literally falls into her lap stirring up mischief and sparks of rebellion.

To give credit where it is due, Wish had a lot of potential. The story is timeless, exploring the evils of tyranny, made fun and more accessible to its younger audience with the added element of magic – something that Disney is all about. The film was clearly intended to be a celebration of magic – the true magic in the world that comes in the form of love, friendship, believing in oneself and all that jazz. Good messages. And that’s kind of where the joy ends.

Wish was certainly ambitious. The art style is a fusion of the beautiful 2-dimensional watercolour backgrounds that created memorable worlds of Classic Disney – think the forests in Sleeping Beauty and Snow White- and the modern 3-dimensional character art that has since become the Disney norm a’la Tangled. While the combination of the two art styles is certainly an interesting idea, for whatever reason it just didn’t work so well and, rather than having a rich and vibrant Disney world that we can get completely enveloped in, the cinematic experience is tainted with a feeling that there is something off and it takes a good fifteen minutes to half an hour before you can actually put a finger on what’s bugging you.

The story itself is predictable, the characters aren’t particularly interesting, new, or even memorable, and even the songs are a real letdown with Chris Pine’s ‘villain’ song being the most memorable (for all the wrong reasons).

Image credit: slashfilm

And then we have the end. Up until the last 10 minutes of the film, I had been happy to be of the opinion that this movie was ambitious, quite simply Disney, and had its fun moments, but was nothing remarkable. And then someone made the decision to remind audiences of Disney's 100 classics and cram so many easter eggs and references into the last 10 minutes that I could feel my body cracking from the nostalgic whiplash. I suppose this decision was made to remind older audiences of the classics from their childhoods (yes, ok that worked) and inspire the younger ones to delve a little into some Disney animated history. But really it just felt like a greedy and smug flaunting of Disney’s golden ages. It was so heavy and saccharine, like being clubbed over the head with a hardened hunk of sugar that it completely, completely, ruined the already-mediocre opinion I had of this movie.

If you have any interest in checking out Wish, spend an afternoon with a friend with a Disney+ subscription, maybe some enjoyment can come from the conversational dissection that comes afterwards.

Director(s): Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn, 2023

Cast: Ariana Debose, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Niko Vargas, Evan Peters, Harvey Guillen, Ramy Youssef, Chris Pine & Victor Garber

Inside Out 2

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With the exception of Toy Story, Pixar have not had a particularly good track record when it comes to making sequels. While follow-up stories that feature many of our favourite characters are enticing enough to ensure bums in seats, the last string of Pixar sequels have been considered narratively lackluster and predictable.

While Pixar has by no means broken this pattern of easily predictable plot twists with their latest sequel, Inside Out 2, they have nonetheless managed to produce a follow-up movie that is intelligent, sweet, and relatable.

Riley’s emotions have been living together in perfect harmony for a while now, but when the ‘puberty’ alarm goes off one day, Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Sadness suddenly find themselves having to make room for a whole new host of emotions – and not everyone is seeing eye-to-eye. As Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui move into Headquarters, Joy and her friends find themselves being suppressed and finally kicked out of Headquarters altogether. With Riley on the cusp of starting high school and the new emotions reshaping her entire personality, Joy and the others are racing against time to get back to Headquarters and save the Riley they know.

While the ultimate message of the film is the same as the first - the fact that we need to experience bad days and hurtful emotions in order to become a well-rounded and functional human being – Inside Out 2 cleverly and funnily explores the intricacies of those more complicated emotions that tend to shape us during a most impressionable and (often) emotionally traumatic time: adolescence. Seriously, how many adults spend their time talking to their therapists about what happened to them in high school? My hand is raised.

The cleverness of the Inside Out movies is that there are really no villains, rather it’s the ignorance and tunnel-vision of the characters that causes the drama. This idea is very sweetly depicted through the new character of Anxiety, voiced beautifully by Maya Hawke. Anxiety enters as the ‘leader’ of the new emotional recruits, essentially being a counterpart of Joy. And while the film depicts her as something of a dictator and villain, it’s also made clear that she is acting in (what she perceives to be) Riley’s best interests. Thus, this captivating drama unfolds with Anxiety trying to prepare Riely for the coming years, but ultimately causing distress and drama.

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The seriousness of the film’s themes is then delightfully lifted with many cleverly written jokes and puns like Riley’s ‘stream of consciousness’ – a literal river that features whatever Riley is thinking about- and the dreaded sar-chasm. The heart-warming humour mixed with the colourful characters makes Inside out 2 a great film for both children and adults – transcending generational boundaries, hell yeah!

Filled with important messages about mental and emotional health, as well as comedy, drama, and action, Inside Out 2 is a delightful little film that really is fun for the whole family.

Director: Kelsey Mann, 2024

Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Liza Lapira, Ayo Edibiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adele Exarchopoulos, Yvette Ncole Brown, Diane Lane & Kyle McLachlan

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Image credit: themoviedc.org

It’s an odd feeling when a franchise gets rebooted, to fairly positive applause, and then gets a sequel that just doesn’t hit the same heights or notes of the reboot. It just goes to show that rebooting beloved cinematic greats are a slippery slope indeed. This train of thought comes from going along to see Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, after quite enjoying Afterlife. All I can say is that the sequel is fine, but nowhere near as enjoyable as its predecessor.

The new Ghostbusters have set themselves up in the old haunt from days bygone, and while there is plenty of work to keep them occupied, it is not without its problems. Constantly getting in trouble for damages to both private and public property, the strain is really put on when Mayor Peck threatens to shut them down if Pheobe (still being a minor) continues to work for them. As familial tensions begin to run high, a new spook threatens humanity: one that will literally leave its victims frozen in fear.

I think everything about this movie was fine and nothing more. Alongside the age-old threat that gets unknowingly unleashed and threatens to bring about a second Ice Age, we have the emotional dramas of teenage angst and its role in familial conflict. Pheobe becomes the annoying adolescent who thinks they know everything and while there is absolutely some truth to this – seeing as she is up against ‘dickless’ from the very first movie – it nevertheless becomes annoying very quickly as well as narratively predictable.

Alongside the family drama we have another ancient evil that threatens the world: a pretty cool exhibition of creature design and computer wizardry. Equipment, gags, and scenes from the original classic are back in the spotlight causing the same problems as before, but because the capturing and containment of apparitions became a science back in the ‘80s there are a number of cool and fascinating upgrades that come into play.

At the end of the day, I just found this sequel a bit lacking. The personal dramas of the characters that run alongside the central conflict are predicable and even lackluster, the character growth is kind of boring and minimal, and there aren’t really any new jokes to lift the film’s spirit.

Image credit: IMDb

Filled with action, chases, drama, and a race against time, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a fine and kind of fun way to pass the time, but I definitely feel that there is more love and enjoyment to be had from its predecessor.

Director: Gil Kenan (2024)

Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Patton Oswalt, Emily Alyn Lind, Kumail Nanjiani, Ernie Hudson, Dan Akroyd, Annie Potts, & William Atherton

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken

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The appeal of animated family films, aside from the bright colours and, memorable characters, and scripted life lessons, is the fantasy of them. Dreamworks has been consistently coming out with some fresh and fun takes on celebrated stories and genre, often twisting traditional representations of fantasy creatures around so that they become loveable leading characters rather than the monsters of their original texts. Within the span of 90 minutes, ogres can go from vicious maneaters to sweet and misunderstood romantics or, in one of Dreamworks’ most recent films, krakens can go from shipwrecking monsters to protectors of the ocean.

Ruby Gilman Teenage Kraken tells the story of Ruby Gillman, a young kraken living with her family in a seaside human town. Her problems are just like any other teenager’s; maths, trying to prompose to her dream guy, and keeping up the façade that she’s from Canada rather than a kraken. But when she rescues her dream guy from drowning, something awakens in Ruby and she transforms into a giant kraken. Suddenly a promposal is the least of her worries, as she discovers she’s a warrior princess destined to protect the entire ocean from the clutches of the evil mermaid queen Narissa.

This is a fun Little Mermaid story that flips the roles of the heroes and villains. Just imagine that final climactic battle scene, except both Arial and Ursula are ginormous and Arial’s wielding the trident and laughing maniacally. Internally, it’s a sweet coming-of-age story about finding one’s a place in their community and being true to oneself.

The animation is very pretty with the giant krakens themselves being particularly beautiful: all sparkling and luminescent. There’s a fun cast of eccentric characters that each have their time to shine, and a modern, poppy soundtrack to round out the fun.

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It’s not the most incredible family film that Dreamworks has come out with, but it’s a harmless way to while away some of the afternoon.

Director: Kirk DeMicco & Faryn Pearl (2023)

Cast: Lana Condor, Colman Domingo, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Blue Chapman, Jaboukie Young-White, Sam Richardson, Toni Collette & Jane Fonda.  

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

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Whenever a beloved film from a bygone era gets targeted for a reboot, the initial response is always dubious. And rightly so. Cinema’s history, particularly the time ranging from the naughties through the 2010s is littered with the withered husks of fantastic films that got turned into franchises and milked for all they were worth. So it’s really a lovely surprise to watch a reboot and get to the end and go, ‘huh that’s was actually very entertaining and well done’. This is the feeling that I am currently experiencing, having just finished watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife (I’ve got tickets to the new one as a perk from my job so I figured I’d better watch its predecessor).

When Callie is evicted from her apartment she hopes to find a silver lining in inheriting the house of her late father. But when she and her kids Trevor and Pheobe get there, they find a dilapidated manor on the outskirts of a town in the middle of nowhere. While Callie and Trevor bemoan the loss of their city life, Pheobe discovers some very strange things about their new home including a basement filled with scientific gadgets, a garage with a very odd car, and a ghost. With the help of her new friend Podcast and her summer schoolteacher Mr. Grooberson, Phoebe discovers that her grandfather wasn’t some crazy old man like everyone says, he was a Ghostbuster intent on saving the world right to the end.

This was just a really fun film. Set in the present day, but in a universe where the events of the original Ghostbusters happened, it follows in the awkward and silly footsteps of the original; neither being too whimsical nor too serious. What I really liked about it was that it was made with love and respect for the original film. Ghostbusters is such a beloved classic from the ‘80s and it was really lovely to see a reboot that not only tied in elements of the original story, but employed the same humour, and didn’t rely too heavily on computer wizardry. In fact the reprisal of a few computer generated characters are actually really tastefully done with the holographic visage of a deceased actor and the janky ridiculousness of the famous hellhounds. It was fresh, but also nostalgic and I think that’s what really made it so enjoyable.

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In the ‘80s it was the band of bumbling male scientists, in 2016 it was the committed crew of female leads, and now it’s time for the kids to drive. The performances are all very good with a fun assortment making up the motley crew. We’ve got an awkward teenager tyring to be cool, an introverted and socially challenged 12-year-old, an overly enthusiastic young content creator, and a cool, down-to-earth teenage girl. Minus the delightful cameos during the climax, the gender divide is pretty well-bridged, bringing new elements and chemistry into the mix.

I really rather enjoyed Ghostbusters: Afterlife; it was both nostalgic and refreshing, it treated the original source material with respect, and it held something for those who have seen the original film and those who haven’t.

Director: Jason Reitman, 2021

Cast: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Conner, Paul Rudd, Annie Potts, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, J. K. Simmons, Bill Murray & Sigourney Weaver.

Kung Fu Panda 4

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Perhaps it’s because I don’t go to the cinema as often as a I used to, or perhaps it’s simply because I’m an adult now and therefore not paying all that much attention to children’s films, but it seems to me that there is a real lack of good family movies around at the moment. With Disney’s family successes being far and far between, and other studios like Dreamworks and Illumination not coming out with things as regularly as they used to (I think before the pandemic), there’s not a whole lot of family fun happening at the movies – at least not as much as I remember. It really makes you consider how cinema has changed thanks to the pandemic and the general way in which society is evolving and changing the way we consume media.

This chain of thought was brough to my mind because I recently went and saw Kung Fu Panda 4.

Po has successfully made the most of out of his life, going from humble beginnings working in a noodle shop to becoming the famous Dragon Warrior, achieving inner peace, and rising to the role of protector of the Valley of Peace. But his journey his not over. Po must now choose an apprentice to whom he can hand over the title of Dragon Warrior so that he can become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But Po’s not too keen on this idea. Thankfully, the pressure is lessened when a thief breaks into the Hall of Heroes around the same time that reports of sightings of Tai Lung come to the valley. Po discovers that there is a dangerous sorceress at large with plans of world domination, so he teams up with the thief, a fox named Zhen, and goes on another adventure of spiritual growth and butt-kicking kung fu.

While this movie is certainly not bad, it was not asked for nor do I think it was needed. And Kung Fu Panda is my favourite Dreamworks franchise. This film is a clumsily written story of emotional maturity and character growth that absolutely works but is uninspiring and definitely lacking in the emotional payoff that the previous films have. While I could feel that there was some love that went into it, for the most part this movie feels more like a pay cheque than anything else, with lackluster writing and performances just not reaching for the same heights as before.

I’ve already touched on the story being clumsily constructed, uninspired, and relatively predictable, but I think the fact that there is no Furious Five in the mix also had a major impact on the film. Without the awesomeness of these characters to look up to and their friendship to relish in and bounce off, Po’s bubbly and sweet character loses its fizz and now sits flat. There’s still flavour, but it’s not as enjoyable as before. It really goes to show just how important supporting characters are!

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But to give credit where it is due, the animation is still incredible especially surrounding the villain: a shapeshifting chameleon with magical powers that allow her to basically become a kung fu master chimera during the third act.

At the end of the day, Kung Fu Panda 4 is not a bad movie, it just seems that the franchise has run out of steam. The film is still fun, heartwarming, and entertaining, btu I won’t be adding it to the library.

Ooh but do stay for the credits, because Tenacious D do a cover of Baby One More Time and it’s awesome!

Director: Mike Mitchell & Stephanie Stine (2024)

Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan & Viola Davis

The Colour of Magic

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The troubles and perils of adaptations are an exciting and dubious part of human society. Sometimes it works incredibly well, e.g. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, or it goes horrible wrong: e.g. The Golden Compass. I like to think that the world’s best adaptations are examples of shared interpretations, senses of humour, and textual understandings that can transcend generations. In a good adaptation, you can often see, feel even, the love for the original story that everyone working on the project has.

With all the reboots, and remakes, and piggyback films, and spinoffs that populate cinematic history, it’s always pleasant to come across an adaptation of a fresh, beloved work. I have just finished watching one such adaptation: The Colour of Magic.

On the back of a giant turtle swimming in space, stands four elephants that hold the Discworld on their backs. The Discworld is an amazing and dangerous place filled with all sorts of wonders and perils. Twoflower, the Disc’s first tourist, wishes to see all of these wondrous things and so he hires an exiled wizard, Rincewind, to be his guide. What begins as a hapless wizard’s con to get as much money as he can from the clueless tourist, turns into a mighty adventure across the Disc (and sometimes off of it) in which the unlikely duo ride dragons, get thrown off the edge off the edge of the world, interrupt a Druidic sacrifice, admire the clock sitting in Death’s hallway, and somehow save the world.

I can understand why there aren’t many adaptations of Terry Pratchett’s works. Film and distribution rights for one thing, but also (having only started reading the books in the Discworld series) there is a such a unique sense of humour to his works that definitely would not be picked up or understood by everyone. This might account for the only adaptations of any his works being British.

Based on the events of both The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic is a fun and exciting two-part feature that beautifully depicts a medieval fantasy world with a lot of modern ideas and attitudes. Unlike the glamorised, rustic aesthetic of Rohan or the Shire, darkness, dust, muck, and dinginess make up the places in which the heroes find themselves in varying predicaments and the absence of a ‘Hollywood’ sheen only serves to better depict the world of the Disc.

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Sean Astin, sticking out like a sore thumb in knee-high socks with sandals and a loud floral shirt, is truly delightful as Twoflower, delivering a performance that is naïve, excitable, and overall just very sweet. David Jason as Rincewind does a delightful job of being the hapless, constantly menaced victim, that somehow grows to care for his charge. And Tim Curry is perfect as Trymon, a murderous and ambitious wizard who is out to gain all the power he can.

A two-part miniseries made for TV, The Colour of Magic is a delightful adaptation of a truly unique world and cast of characters, filled with action, adventure, and plenty of comedy.

Director: Vadim Jean, 2008

Cast: Sean Astin, David Jason, Tim Curry, Brian Cox, Jermey Irons, Geoffrey Hutchings, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Michael Mears, Will Keen, James, Cosmo, David Bradley & Christopher Lee

The Boy and the Heron

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The world of art and content creation is dynamic, meaning it changes all the time to suit the current attitudes of society, whilst also being static, meaning parts of it stay the same. In film, this is usually obvious in changing artistic design, filmic techniques, and technological enhancements showing the every-changing nature of art, while genre and some stylistic choices made by the director remind the audience who’s work they are enjoying and offering them the cinematic experience that they have come to expect from said artist. Whenever we head into a dark cinema, we are armed with the preconceived knowledge of what sort of experience we are going to have, simply by choosing to see a film because of its genre or director. This then gives us great comfort and satisfaction when that experience is realised. I had this experience yesterday when I treated myself to a movie day and went and saw Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron.

The film follows young Mahito who loses his mother in a hospital fire and evacuates to the country with his father during the Pacific War. His father marries his aunt, Natsuko, and while Mahito is distant from the woman at first, he develops a bond with her as she tells him stories from her past and protects him from the strange happenings that occur when a grey heron begins talking to him, promising to reunite him with his mother. When ill Natsuko disappears into the forest, Mahito goes in search of her and finds himself transported to another world full of wonder and danger. He and the heron must work together if they are to find Natsuko and return safely to their own world.

The Boy and the Heron is a semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age film that explores complex themes such as redemption, acceptance, learning to see beyond oneself in the world, and the power/burden of creation. Mahito’s journey is both physical and emotional, as he begins the film hurt and full of self-pity, but then grows to see that the world stretches farther than his own fingertips and his problems are not the greatest of woes, travelling through a strange world that seems to be in conflict with itself and falling apart.

The animation is another triumph; absolutely beautiful, mesmerising, and dramatic from the opening scene where we are placed within the flames of war, to the calm and picturesque Japanese countryside, to the captivating other-realm where young girls create fire and parakeets march with blades behind their backs. The animation is what makes Miyazaki’s films and many from Studio Ghibli so wonderful because, despite the fantastical aspect, they are truly transportive works of art that gently guide viewers through beautiful and captivating biomes with light and sound that makes it feel as though you are actually there, lying in the soft grass feeling the wind place over your face and listening to the soft burble of a nearby stream. This transportive power is why I get so excited when I learn there is a new feature coming from Miyazaki, the experience is always wonderful and I have never been disappointed.

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The Boy and the Heron is a stunning piece of cinema filled with action, adventure, bravery, magic, and wonder. I would certainly recommend you treat yourself and see it in cinemas.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki, 2023

Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yohsino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, Karen Takizawa, Shinobu Otake, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, & Shohei Hino

Language: Japanese. An English dubbed version is available featuring the voice talents of Christian Bale, Wilem Dafoe, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, & Robert Pattinson

Disenchanted

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There is always a risk with sequels. More often than not they are never as good as their predecessors, especially if those predecessors take the world by storm, as Disney’s Enchanted did. Remember that saccharinely sweet, absolutely over-the-top production that launched Amy Adams into the stratosphere and had us all singing? Admittedly the film is not all that amazing in hindsight, but what made it so huge was the clever way in which it played to that romantic part of us that really adores the idea of love at first sight and happily ever afters. When I discovered that there was a sequel, I didn’t know how to feel about it. How do you write another story when the lovers kiss and ride into the sunset that signals The End?

Giselle has had her happily ever after for a while. She has found her true love, gained a daughter, and even brought a new addition to the family. But when stress of parenthood and being stepmother to a teenager begin to wear her down, she wonders if there are new happily ever afters out there. So she and Robert decide to move to suburbia. Upon moving to Monroeville, the family is visited by King Edward and Queen Nancy of Andalasia, who bring with them a magic wishing wand for their baby goddaughter Sofia. After a fight with Morgan, Giselle uses the wand and makes a wish that turns Monroeville into a fairytale village complete with an evil queen. But her wish takes a turn when she starts to adopt behaviours befitting a wicked stepmother.

This movie was really surprising. As a sequel, it’s actually really good. All of the original cast reprise their roles and it has that same over-the-top, fairytale splendour that so violently coloured the original. The story is a lot more complex, as it explores the intricacies of changing identities, growing up, and the dynamic social roles in both the family and community. The driving force for all the characters is trying to adapt to a world that is getting older with them and mourning the loss of better days. Morgan is going through adolescence, Robert is close to hitting a mid-life crisis, and Giselle struggles to find happiness in a world where there is no magic. It’s actually hard to verbalise all the stuff that is going on.

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The performances are all great and the soundtrack features some bangers that will absolutely be making it into my Favourite Musicals playlist. And every visual aspect of this movie is absolutely gorgeous from the costumes, to the set design, to the choreography, and the computer wizardry that sees some truly amazing scenes.

I’ll admit that I was sceptical and not sure about it for the first half, but the film turned itself around and became something that I really enjoyed and was surprised by. If you liked Enchanted, then I think you’ll enjoy Disenchanted.

Director: Adam Shankman, 2022

Cast: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Gabriella Baldacchino, Idina Menzel, Jayma Mays, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alan Tudyk & James Marsden

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

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It’s been a while since I really looked forward to the release of a new movie. What with the pandemic making us forget about the cinematic experience and a lot of new content simply being churned out, there isn’t a lot to get excited by. But the 1^st of June brought out the new animated Spiderman movie and you better believe that partner and I were planted firmly in that cinema as soon as we were able. I absolutely loved Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse; the freshness of the animation and art style was mesmerising and when I learnt that a second one was upcoming, whoo baby, was I excited!

Miles Morales is one of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Mans, stopping bad guys in his dimension and struggling with trying to live the life of a normal teenager. With the prospect of college and heading into the wider world looming, Miles is facing even more challenges, but these get thrown out the window when a strange, interdimensional leaper called The Spot labels Miles as his nemesis and vows to take away everything his loves. When Spot’s actions trigger an anomaly in the interdimensional timeline, Miles joins Gwen and some new friends in the Spiderverse to try and take him down. But things take a dramatic turn when Miles finds out some upsetting truths about how he came to be Spider-Man.

This film is a definite upswing in the visual department. The wizards who designed and brought to life this incredible painted, pixeled, and perfect world deserve all of the accolades. In this film we get to visit other dimensions within the Spiderverse, and each one has a different art style that is just breathtaking. Be sure to keep an eye out for the differences in the backdrops because the intricate layers that make up the brilliance of this movie absolutely begin with the different art styles and visual achievements of the art department and computer wizards.

We then have this fantastic and intricate story that centres on the universal turmoil of actions and consequences. While certain aspects of the story are a mite predictable, most of it draws the appropriate amount of laughs and gasps from the audience. And the script is absolutely delightful, being a perfect blend of heartfelt life lessons and clever comedy. The dialogue is sharp and full of wit and the injection of meme culture into the mix adds even more delightful humour. There are some seriously funny gags in this film. Watch out for them.

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I would absolutely recommend a night at the cinemas to see Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. It’s fresh, funny, heartfelt, and just all around brilliant!

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson, 2023

Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Bryan Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Andy Samberg, Jharrel Jerome, Mahershala Ali & Oscar Isaac

The Little Mermaid

 

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It’s a weird feeling that is becoming ever-increasing nowadays as studios, primarily Disney, decide to take animated classics and make ‘live-action’ versions. On the one hand there are many that lend themselves to being brought into the fleshy, 3D world we live in, whereas others might be best suited to be left alone. This phenomenon has a tendency to cause strong and conflicting feelings within the hearts of audiences, with some being for, some being against, and some being of the opinion that we won’t know how we feel about it until we see it. The latter is how I’ve felt about Disney’s latest classic to receive a revamp: The Little Mermaid.

 Young Ariel is a spirited mermaid with an obsession for the world above the waves. Forbidden by her father to venture to the surface, Ariel satisfies her curiosity with collecting trinkets from shipwrecks. But when the lure of the surface becomes too much, she defies her father’s wishes and saves a human prince from drowning. Quickly falling in love with him Ariel goes to Ursula the Sea Witch for help and is granted legs and a chance to become human. But the deal comes with a price and Ariel has only 3 days to get true love’s kiss or else belong to the Sea Witch forever.

Honestly, I was expecting to dislike this much more. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by this revamp of a classic. It was a mixed bag of highs and lows, ebbs and flows, but overall a very enjoyable night out at the movies.

The story takes a on a bit more of a cultural narrative, exploring the traditional beliefs about mermaids and sirens much more openly than the original animated classic. I also enjoyed the symmetry between the two royal families of the land and sea. Both Eric and Ariel are similar characters, as well as their parents and there’s a nice look at the discourses in politics between the generations as well as other cultures. Triton’s multicultural family is a little bit of a PC handwave, but at least it does make an effort to explain why some of his daughters are Asian, African, Caucasian, Mediterranean etc.

The performances were all fine, but nothing outstanding. Indeed the two people who shine in this movie are Halle Bailey who brings a new life to Ariel, although I felt that her performance was shaky until she got onto land, and Awkwafina who does the voice of Skuttle and brings a lot of fresh comedy to the show. Javier Bardem as Triton was formidable and impressive, but didn’t have fatherly warmth, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian was funny, but a copy of Samuel L. Wright with a higher voice, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula – one of the greatest Disney villains ever – needed a little salt. This saddened me the most because I rather like Melissa and I absolutely adore Ursula. McCarthy’s performance was almost a carbon copy of Pat Carroll’s, minus some notes on the diva scale. For the first half of the film it felt like McCarthy just wasn’t having any fun being this fantastic character, but I will say that she did a very good job of ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ and that’s when she started to really sink into the role.

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Then we have the special effects. Creating the vibrancy of an underwater world has gotten a lot easier over the years, as nature documentaries and underwater geographical exploration has brought wondrous images to the surface that can now be recreated in fantasy films. While the colour and splendour of under the sea is definitely gorgeous here, the interaction between the characters and their surroundings still seems a little off. There’s still a level of ‘fake’ that slides about the screen during the first half, set underwater. The way the merpeoples’ hair moves, for example. Perhaps it’s because we’re already primed with the knowledge that green screens are everywhere, but it’s hard to get beyond the weird CG film that coats everything in the more fantastical, otherworldly scenes, and this sadly does influence the cinematic experience.

This all sounds worse than it actually was however. At the end of the day, I had a really nice cinematic experience from this movie. It delivered wave upon wave of nostalgia and voyeurism, the addition of a few new songs were a nice surprise, and while the performances felt lacklustre in the first half, everyone came into their own in the end. I honestly do think that everyone involved did a really good job and deserve congratulations because this is a tricky film to flesh out of the realm of animation, and I do believe that everyone did accomplish that.

For a nice night out at the movies, you could do worse than The Little Mermaid.

Director: Rob Marshall, 2023

Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, & Melissa McCarthy.