Tag Archives: Family

The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis – Movie Review

Posted on by
2

TL;DR – A delightful return of these fun characters that knows precisely how long you can lean into the shenanigans without outstaying their welcome.      

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was given a free ticket to see this film.

The gang in a line up.

The Bad Guys: Little Lies and Alibis Review –

Back in 2022, there was this odd kid’s animated film that came out of nowhere and quietly captured my heart. The Bad Guys was such a fun blast of energy from start to finish, and who doesn’t like a good heist? I knew that the sequel was going to come out later in 2025, but talk about my surprise when I got a sneaky reunion a touch early before I watched Dog Man.

So, to set the scene, at the end of The Bad Guys, the titular bad guys discovered in themselves that even though they were going to prison, they were not, in fact, bad guys but good guys. Well, after serving their time, Mr Snake (Marc Maron), Mr Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), and Ms Tarantula (Awkwafina) are still required to visit a parole officer which they can’t miss. Which, of course, means that they are about to have a disaster of a day, which includes an unfortunate run-in with chicken nuggies.

Continue reading →

Dog Man – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – This is a profoundly silly premise. However, they commit to it with such gusto that you can’t help but be brought along with it.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was given a free ticket to see this film.

Dog Man jumping in the air.

Dog Man Review –

There are animation studios out there that are defined by the visual style that they use in their films. You can look at a Studio Ghibli or Pixar film and know it comes from one of those studios. This was once the case for DreamWorks Animation. However, in recent years, I have been fascinated by the different experiments that they are taking with their animation styles. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Wild Robot, and The Bad Guys have all shown this in action. Today, we get to see the next entry in this experiment with Dog Man.   

So, to set the scene, Ohkay City is under threat from Petey (Pete Davidson), the world’s most evil cat. Chief (Lil Rel Howery) sends out the only team that can take Petey down, Officer Knight (Peter Hastings) and his Golden Retriever Greg (Peter Hastings). They may be a menace, but they are the only hope the city has, that is, until tragedy strikes. A bomb set by Petey explodes badly, injuring Knight and Greg. There is no hope until a nurse has a bright idea: why don’t we attach the good dog head and the good human body, and Dog Man (Peter Hastings) was born?     

Continue reading →

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – A fun pomp back to that past nostalgia, which, while not quite having the strength to get all the way to the end, was still a blast when it leaned into the looney side of the toons.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Daffy Duck and Porky Pig

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie Review –

Unfortunately, if there has been an entity that has been the most affected by this current blight of shelving products for tax purposes, it has been the Looney Tunes. So, to see one of those fallen products escape containment and get a release was reason enough to make it down to the cinemas. My big question was: could it connect with a new audience? And I was fascinated to see the outcome.  

So, to set the scene, Daffy Duck (Eric Bauza) and Porky Pig (Eric Bauza) have grown up together under the guidance of Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore). But with him gone and suburbia encroaching on their former farm, they are stuck with a profound predicament: find $10,000 to fix a hole in their roof, or their house will be condemned. But what caused the hole? Why is that scientist (Fred Tatasciore) covered in goo? And does it have something to do with Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), who just walked into the coffee shop?

Continue reading →

Disney’s Snow White (2025) – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – While it is not the disaster that everyone fears, you can still see the narrative decisions that held it back from being quite remarkable.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Snow White.

Snow White Review –

Now, I have not been the biggest fan of the current batch of Disney films that turn their classic animated works into live-action works, or if you are The Lion King ‘live-action’. They tend to struggle because they have a hard time finding a new voice when they are anchored to the past. Well, today, we go all the way back to the first-ever animated feature to see if it follows a similar fate.

So, to set the scene, in a kingdom of complete happiness, singing, and lots of apple pie, one snowy day, a princess was born. She was a delight for the whole kingdom and the King’s (Hadley Fraser) and Queen’s (Lorena Andrea) pride and joy. But when the queen unfortunately dies, and the king remarries a sorcerous, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), things start to change. Even more so when the King is sent away to the southern kingdom and never returns. Now Snow White (Rachel Zegler) is a servant, and the kingdom has fallen into darkness. Until one day the Evil Queen visits her Magic Mirror (Patrick Page) and discovers that she might not be the fairest one of all.

Continue reading →

Paddington in Peru – Movie Review

Posted on by
Reply

TL;DR – While it has not reached the heights of its predecessors, it was still a joy to be back in this world.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and end-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Paddington in Peru Review –

Few films series have hit such high expectations as the Paddington series, especially after just two films. Paddington 1 will always hold a special place in my heart because of getting to watch it with friends at a drive in one day and the joy that came with it. I don’t think I need to tell you about Paddington 2, given its impact on the film landscape. I mean, it was an entire plot point in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But can they make it a hat trick? That is what we will find out today.

So, to set the scene, there have been a lot of changes to the Brown household. Henry (Hugh Bonneville) has a new boss, Madison (Hayley Atwell), who has told him he has to embrace risk. Judy (Madeleine Harris) has begun looking for a University, Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) has gone full-teenage and spends all his time in his room, and Mary (Emily Mortimer) is struggling with the coming empty next. But Paddington (Ben Whishaw) has just gotten his British citizenship and passport, which was just in time because The Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) of The Home for Retired Bears in Peru writes to let everyone know that Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) not well. The Brown family rush to Peru, but when they get there, they find out that Aunt Lucy is missing and only Paddington might know where she has gone.

Continue reading →

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Movie Review

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – A fun blast of nostalgia and charm, but not much more than that.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

A crimes lead back to Wallace.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Review –

One of the great joys, when I was a kid, was being stuck in my mother’s university library, bored out of my brain, but then discovering they had this VHS collection of wired animated stop-motion films. It was my first jump into the world of Aardman, and I have always looked forward to a new entry whenever they come out. Indeed, Chicken Run is still in my Top 10 Animated Films of All Time. Well, today, we get to dive into the latest entry and back into the world of Wallace & Gromit.

So, to set the scene, it has been years since the dastardly Feathers McGraw was apprehended by the eccentric inventor Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his loyal beagle Gromit. Now, the two live together in a house full of inventions, but inventions don’t tend to pay the bills. That is when Wallace comes up with Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), a smart gnome that can clean and tidy gardens. But when Feathers McGraw spots this from their zoo jail cell, soon a plan of vengeance most foul is afoot.

Continue reading →

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review: Third Time’s the Charm

Posted on by
8

TL;DR – Well, I think the third time is the charm, as they finally get a story that makes the most of their outstanding character work.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Sonic Racing

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review –

I have had real issues with the previous two Sonic films because while Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had strong character work, they were let down with generally average at best narratives. Even their absurd Knuckles series came across these same issues, which meant that when I walked into the third instalment, I didn’t have much hope. Well, have I ever been glad to be wrong.

So, to set the scene, things are almost calm in the lives of the Wachowski family, bar the fact that they are now home to three different alien beings with extraordinary powers. But while Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) can’t out-race or fight Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (Idris Elba), they can still surprise with an Earthday party. But while this wholesome bonding session is happening in Green Hills, Montana. Over in Prison Island in the Bay of Tokyo, one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet has just escaped. G.U.N. needs Team Sonic’s help because Shadow (Keanu Reeves) ripped through their teams. Well, when Team Sonic is called, they respond, and thankfully, a helpful explosion lets them know where to go and immediately get stomped.

Continue reading →

Mufasa: The Lion King – Movie Review

Posted on by
1

TL;DR – This movie feels like a little cub trying to put its footprint inside one of their parents. It’s cute, but it does not compare.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

A pride of Lions.

Mufasa: The Lion King Review –

I’m going to be honest; I came into his film feeling a bit apprehensive. On the one hand, The Lion King is one of my favourite animated films of all time and was the first film I ever watched in a cinema. However, the 2019 version fell flat in so many ways. Would the second time be the charm or be more of the same?

So, to set the scene, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) is concerned because a storm is coming, and her parents, Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), have gone to give birth to a second child. But she was not left alone because Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) were there for security. But what is the best way to pass the time? Well, it is to have a story, and the best storyteller around is Rafiki (John Kani). Who tells the time when her Grandfather Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins/Aaron Pierre) first stepped into the world alone?

Continue reading →

Moana 2 Review: A Visual Spectacle with Emotional Depth

Posted on by
3

TL;DR – While the plot might be a bit convoluted in places, and the music does not hit quite as hard. When the story, emotion, and characters collide, you can’t help but feel that joy wash over you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Moana blows a shell horn.

Moana 2 Review –

This is a good day for me because I honestly believe that Moana is the best-animated film that Disney has made in their current era. I loved the world that they built, the narrative they created, and the music they crafted. Coming back into this world was always going to be a joy for me, but given how much I liked the first film, can it ever live up to what has come before?

So, to set the scene, it has been a number of years since the events of Moana, and Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) has spent that time exploring out from Motunui to find new foods, new resources, but also to reconnect with the people that Te Fiti had cut off. However, no matter how many islands she discovers, she can’t find any people. But when Heihei (Alan Tudyk) stumbles across some pottery that shows that there are people out there, Moana puts together a team of Loto (Rose Matafeo), Kele (David Fane), and Moni (Hualālai Chung) to explore. However, there may be a god out there who does not want them to succeed, hoping she will end up like her ancestor Tautai Vasa (Gerald Ramsey), the last Wayfinder who failed to find the fabled island.

Continue reading →

Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story – Movie Review

Posted on by
12

TL;DR – A wild story of a family that will probably be recognisable to you even in this crazy situation.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this film.

Chaos in the Stools family.

Nugget is Dead Review –

Many things foreshadow that the end of the year is near, the temperatures rise, the rains come in, people care about turkey for some reason, there is tinsel everywhere, and Stan will release their Christmas film. Back in 2023, we got the fascinating Jones Family Christmas. In 2022, we got a Christmas Ransom. And all the way back in the past of 2021, we got the film that started it all: A Sunburnt Christmas. They have all been fun, charming events, and the question is: can that follow that trend in 2024?

So, to set the scene, back in Christmas 2010, the Stools family introduced a new member of the family, the puppy Nugget. Many years later, as the family has grown up and moved out of home, it is once again three days before Christmas. However, as their eldest, Steph (Vic Zerbst), has made the decision not to come home for Christmas, one problem is that she didn’t tell her family. They don’t seem like the listening type anyway, and also Nugget (Reuben) is sick. So, now Steph is going down to visit her family, who does not know she is not staying, and they are A LOT. She just needs to deal with them for 24 hours and escape … if everything goes to plan.

Continue reading →