Cinematic adaptations of video games have, for the most part, disappointed both gamers and movie goers; and the cinematic landscape is littered with failed adaptations. Borderlands follows the same inglorious footsteps of those that have come before it. Some of these failings can be attributed to studio interference and extensive rewrites and reshoots. Borderlands follows…
The original Jumanji (1995) concerning a board game coming to life, which starred Robin Williams, was a rolled gold winner. The reboot – two years ago – was in my eyes an unmitigated disaster, notwithstanding its box office success. This sequel is slightly better than that, but still basically very, very silly. Give me the…
Assigning human characteristics to animals invariably makes for cute viewing and that’s the case in the The Secret Life of Pets 2. This film follows the success of the original (2016) in which terrier Max (the voice of Patton Oswalt) had to learn to share his owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper) with a new dog, a…
The phrase “a Kevin Hart comedy” is oxymoronic. Hart is one of the unfunniest comics making movies in Hollywood, and his grating, shrill, over the top and unsubtle shtick wears thin very fast. At the preview of his latest effort Night School, we were told Hart’s films have grossed something like $124 million at the…
It’s the time of year when serious Oscar contenders swamp our screens. But sometimes it’s good just to sit back, disengage your brain and indulge in something silly. For that, there’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. This is a faux-sequel to 1995’s Jumanji, a film perhaps nostalgically remembered as better than it actually was. The nostalgia…
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…
