Reggie (Will Ferrell), Bug (Jamie Foxx), Hunter (Randall Park) and Maggie (Isla Fisher) are the canines in question and they prove there are consequences to miss-treating man’s best buddy. Just ask that human dropkick Doug (Will Forte) who ends up paying a very heavy price for his bad behaviour.

Director Josh Greenbaum gets the raunch just right and keeps the profanity flowing. One would also hope that Jamie Foxx gets paid for every f-bomb he drops because that would make him a very rich man. The rest of the voice actors add their individual touch to what is in essence a road movie that tugs at the heartstrings and makes some valid points about the mistreatment of man’s best friend.

With most of the world quite literally going to the dogs these days, there are few outlets with the redemptive value to make up for the mess. One way that has always worked is spending quality time with the domestic breed of your choice. Their pure affection and love is quite redemptive but after seeing Strays one has to wonder what is actually going on between those floppy ears.
Rob Hudson
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When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug (Will Forte; The Last Man on Earth, Nebraska), Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose.

But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was in a toxic relationship and begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is.

Determined to seek revenge, Reggie, Bug and Bug’s pals—Maggie (Isla Fisher; Now You See Me, Wedding Crashers), a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter (Randall Park; Always Be My Maybe, Aquaman), an anxious Great Dane who’s stressed out by his work as an emotional support animal—together hatch a plan and embark on an epic adventure to help Reggie find his way home … and make Doug pay by biting off the appendage he loves the most. (Hint: It’s not his foot).

A subversion of the dog movies we know and love, Strays, directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and written by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal), is a hilarious, R-rated, live-action comedy about the complications of love, the importance of great friendships, and the unexpected virtues of couch humping.
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When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug (Will Forte; The Last Man on Earth, Nebraska), Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose.

But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was in a toxic relationship and begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is.

Determined to seek revenge, Reggie, Bug and Bug’s pals—Maggie (Isla Fisher; Now You See Me, Wedding Crashers), a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter (Randall Park; Always Be My Maybe, Aquaman), an anxious Great Dane who’s stressed out by his work as an emotional support animal—together hatch a plan and embark on an epic adventure to help Reggie find his way home … and make Doug pay by biting off the appendage he loves the most. (Hint: It’s not his foot).

A subversion of the dog movies we know and love, Strays, directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and written by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal), is a hilarious, R-rated, live-action comedy about the complications of love, the importance of great friendships, and the unexpected virtues of couch humping.

Featuring a powerhouse comedic supporting cast—including Grammy winner Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast), Harvey Guillén (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Emmy nominee Rob Riggle (The Hangover), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Jamie Demetriou (The Afterparty), and Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)—Strays is produced by Picturestart founder and CEO Erik Feig (Luckiest Girl Alive, Cha Cha Real Smooth), by Louis Leterrier (director Fast X, The Clash of the Titans), by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal) and by Lord Miller partners Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) and Lord Miller President of Film Aditya Sood (The Martian, Cocaine Bear).

The film is executive produced by Jessica Switch, Nikki Baida and Julia Hammer.
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Wright pulls remarkable performances from his entire cast. Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent) shows a real star turn as the enigmatic title character and both Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx really sell the menace as they both play great criminal psychos. Headmaster Kevin Spacey keeps them all together with a solid mix of benevolence and belligerence.

Special mention should also be made about the car chase scenes. Without any noticeable computer generated imagery, this overused and tired cinematic device is presented as fresh and unique as it’s been in many years. This is down to the driver’s raw abilities and some amazingly staged choreography of the cars and their surrounds.

It’s fast paced but still slows down long enough for some effective character development. Few films this year will fire on all cylinders with as much assurance and energy as Baby Driver. Don’t miss it.

Rob Hudson
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When the rumours of Tarantino tackling the Western genre first surfaced, what a hundred years ago, it provided a number of great movie conservationist’s topics. Could his make cowboys look and sound cool? Could he recharge careers and get superlative performances from his regulars? Could he make an increasingly jaded audience stand up and cheer? In almost all categories the answer is a resounding yes.

Few are unaware of the film’s basic synopsis after another nuanced series of trailers but suffice to say Tarantion molds both history and a take on slavery into a very modern tale. Jamie Foxx gets to become the ultra badass he always seemed capable of, Christoph Waltz continues to place focus on how criminally underrated actors from anywhere other than America actually are in big budget bonanzas and Leonardo DiCaprio chews up and spits out every line of his dialogue, which culminates in a ferociousness not seen from him in a long time.

Django is a long, wordy trip down the memory lane of one of modern cinema’s most iconoclastic auteur and it’s a joy to behold. One wonders where Tarantino will go next but rest assured we will have a long time to ponder it.

Rob Hudson
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This June, Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new feature film Soul introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth.

Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tried to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.

Directed by Academy Award ® winner Pete Docter (Inside Out, Up), codirected by Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami) and produced by Academy Award nominee Dana Murray (Pixar short Lou), Disney and Pixar’s Soul opens in Australian cinemas later this year.
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It’s interesting to note that the main impact of the film comes more from the story than from the actor’s overwrought emotions. Michael B. Jordan as civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson and Foxx play their characters with a believable sense of restraint. Lawyers, especially, are taught to keep their emotions in check and Jordan resists the chance to show off acting chops to the detriment of the realism that is at play.

Some will feel that more thespian intention was warranted to fully engage the audience but then it would leave the realm of believable and dive headlong into conventional fiction overload. There is more than enough emotion in this overview of the woeful breakdown in the American judicial system this case represents. It also highlights the USA’s backwards and barbaric use of capital punishment, long after it’s been proven to not deter capital offences.

After enduring setback after setback, the film’s conclusion does provide some degree of redemption. Those that know history and stay for the interludes during the final credits however will be reminded that things change very slowly in certain parts of America (and the world at large). Reading the history of the actual case will also fill you with amazement of the egregious misuse of power and the outrageous disregard for legal protections.

Rob Hudson
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Join Palace Cinemas from 6.00pm for a glass of prosecco and a Connoisseur Gourmet Ice-Cream stick on arrival before the screening commences at 6.15pm.

Starring Michael B. Jordan and Oscar winners Jamie Foxx & Brie Larson, JUST MERCY brings one of the most important cases of our time to the big screen. Following the story of Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer who, rather than finding lucrative work after graduating from Harvard, moved to Alabama to defend those without the means to defend themselves, finds the case of Walter McMillian (Foxx), a man who was sentenced to death for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of political maneuverings and overt racism as he fights for Walter against a corrupt system is this inspiring and powerful true story.

Palace James Street
22 January, 2020
6.00pm for 6.15pm

Palace Barracks
22 January, 2020
6.00pm for 6.15pm

Head to www.palacecinemas.com.au for more information and to book tickets

A powerful and thought-provoking true story, “Just Mercy” follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson).

One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds—and the system—stacked against them.

JUST MERCY stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson, and will be released in Australia in theatres on January 23, 2020.
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However, an accident causes Gardner’s soul to be separated from his body and transported to the “You Seminar”, a center in which souls develop and gain passions before being transported to a newborn child, and Gardner must work with souls in training, such as 22, a soul with a dim view on life after being trapped for years at the You Seminar, in order to return to Earth before it’s too late.

Soul stars Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, and will be released in Australian cinemas June 2020!
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