After he grows up and draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life—and that his trusty purple crayon may set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible.

When the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends’ creativity to save both the real world and his own. Harold and the Purple Crayon is the first film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic that has captivated young readers for decades.

Directed by Carlos Saldanha and produced by John Davis, the live-action hybrid family adventure/comedy stars Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery, Benjamin Bottani, Jemaine Clement, Tanya Reynolds with Alfred Molina and Zooey Deschanel. The film’s screenplay is written by David Guion & Michael Handelman, based on the book by Crockett Johnson.
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Inside of his book, adventurous Harold (Zachary Levi) can make anything come to life simply by drawing it.

After he grows up and draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life—and that his trusty purple crayon may set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible. When the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends’ creativity to save both the real world and his own.

Harold and the Purple Crayon is the first film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic that has captivated young readers for decades.

Directed by Carlos Saldanha and produced by John Davis, the live-action hybrid family adventure/comedy stars Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery, Benjamin Bottani, Jemaine Clement, Tanya Reynolds with Alfred Molina and Zooey Deschanel.

The film’s screenplay is written by David Guion & Michael Handelman, based on the book by Crockett Johnson.
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Jenny is being raised by the archetype pushy Father and understanding Mother as an only child in a typical English row house. She is intelligent and studious and gets good grades in school. She is also intelligent enough to be bored with what her current situation has to offer. This is the sixties and extraordinary things are happening all over the world except in her hometown. Along comes the older man David and sweeps her off her feet.

In one of those cases of the audience always being one-step ahead of what progresses on-screen, the story offers few surprises. The transition of Jenny’s parents from overprotective guardians to co-conspirators while even if accurate to Barber’s true story feels false. There is enough authenticity to carry some elements of the story but overall it’s less than totally convincing.

You tend to ignore some elements of the story and just enjoy the performances but then a strange thing happens. The film with a running time of only 95 minutes has one of the most rushed feeling final acts on record. It’s a strange way to end a film and feels like the product of too many test screenings. It’s still worth seeing if for nothing else but the actor’s fine work but the believability and pacing of the story are a bit of a letdown.

Rob Hudson
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Nobody could have imagined the impact that Vianne would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, she creates mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness. When a handsome Irish Gypsy arrives in town, Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires.

Chocfest Chocolat Screening
2pm Sunday July 7
Dendy Portside, Brisbane
www.dendy.com.au

The film follows the rise and fall of Senator Hart, who captured the imagination of young voters and was considered the overwhelming front runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination when his campaign was sidelined by the story of an extramarital relationship with Donna Rice.

As tabloid journalism and political journalism merged for the first time, Senator Hart was forced to drop out of the race – events that left a profound and lasting impact on American politics and the world stage.  Also starring Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons and Alfred Molina, The Front Runner is written by Matt Bai & Jay Carson & Jason Reitman, based on the book All the Truth is Out by Matt Bai, and produced by Jason Reitman, Helen Estabrook, and Aaron L. Gilbert.

The Front Runner stars Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Alfred Molina and is in Australian cinemas January 24!
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