Is bullfighting a subject appropriate for children? I don’t think so. It’s an ancient and barbaric practice. Just why the producers of Ferdinand believed it was appropriate to turn this into a cutesy animated feature is puzzling, to say the least. I say that notwithstanding that the central character is a gentle giant. At one point he literally…
A remarkable piece of work, Loving Vincent is the world’s first fully painted feature film. Written and directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, the movie brings to life the paintings of Vincent van Gogh, telling his astonishing story. Every frame of the picture, some 65,000, is an oil painting. The finished work has been hand-painted…
The animated Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is the first feature film based on the popular series of children’s’ books. Written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey, the series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide. It centres around George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch). They’re best friends and overly…
A ninja story with young Lego block heroes, The Lego Ninjago Movie is the third in the franchise of Lego films, which started with The Lego Movie in 2014 and earlier this year offered up The Lego Batman Movie. Lloyd, the Green Ninja (the voice of Dave Franco), and his friends – Kai, the Fire…
With the successful Despicable Me franchise, new kids on the block, Illumination Studios, have rivalled animation giants Pixar and Dreamworks who once set the bar. The success of the Despicable Me franchise is largely due to the scene-stealing antics of the mischievous, diminutive and simple minded yellow creatures known as the minions, who talk in gibberish. The…
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is not a rookie anymore. Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers and one in particular – the cocky and arrogant Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) – the legendary Piston-Cup champion finds himself suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. While Lightning is still the same self-assured car audiences fell in love…
What is the perfect size of a family? Three, four or more? That is concept explored in The Boss Baby, a colourful, funny and often endearing animated feature from DreamWorks, the studio that brought us Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. It has been inspired by the best-selling picture book by Marla Frazee. The story…
There are big changes brewing in Gotham City and if he wants to save the city from the nefarious clutches of The Joker, Batman is going to have to drop his lone vigilante persona. Will Arnett reprises his starring role from The LEGO Movie as the voice of LEGO Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. Zach Galifianakis…
Girl kicks butt and sings a happy tune. That about sums up Disney’s latest foray into fantasy, this time into the Pacific Islands. Moana is an animated feature about an adventurous teenager who sails away from home on a daring mission to save her people. The title character is the 16-year-old daughter of the chief…
Who doesn’t love their pet or pets? Many of us dote over them as if they were the most precious and prized member of the family. I know my wife certainly does. So the idea behind The Secret Life of Pets – what pets do behind closed doors when humans are not within earshot –…
