Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) reprises her role as ‘Grace’ in Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s (Ready or Not, Scream VI, Abigail, the forthcoming new instalment in The Mummy Franchise) sequel READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME. Joining the film series is Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Abigail, “Big Little Lies”), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Shawn Hatosy (“The Pitt”), and Elijah Wood (The Monkey). Néstor Carbonell (The Dark Knight), Kevin Durand (Abigail), and David Cronenberg (The Fly) round out the cast. Guy Busick (Abigail, Scream) and R. Christopher Murphy (“Castle Rock”) return to pen the script, along with producers Tripp Vinson (Fountain of Youth, Murder Mystery), James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Fountain of Youth), Bradley J. Fischer (Transformers), and William Sherak (Abigail, Scream).
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The dumb stoner Dean (Angus Cloud) gets it first and then the bodies start to fall. The elastic rules that govern how a vampire can be permanently dispatched allow the filmmakers to share some very humorous moments as gore and viscera wash over the screen.

The story involves a group of professional misfits who kidnap a young ballet phenom, Abigail (Alisha Weir) to hold for ransom from her extremely rich father. Unfortunately for them, the girl has a secret, one that will change things dramatically. The hunters become the hunted and it’s fun to watch them as they drop one by one.

The blood flows freely as do the laughs as this irreverent approach makes for a comically sinful experience. Cumulatively there are so many films that feature versions of the undead (of various forms) that it takes some unique thinking to come up with something new. Abigail succeeds at that task, serious it is not but it is serious fun.
Rob Hudson
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After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

From Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI—comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick, written by Stephen Shields (The Hole in the Ground, Zombie Bashers) and Guy Busick (Scream franchise, Ready or Not).

Abigail stars Melissa Barrera (Scream franchise, In the Heights), Dan Stevens (Gaslit, Legion), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Freaky), William Catlett (Black Lightning, True Story), Kevin Durand (Resident Evil: Retribution, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Angus Cloud (Euphoria, North Hollywood) as the kidnappers and Alisha Weir (Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, Darklands) as Abigail.

The film is produced by William Sherak (Scream franchise, Ready or Not), Paul Neinstein (Scream franchise; executive producer, The Night Agent) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Scream franchise) for Project X Entertainment, by Tripp Vinson (Ready or Not, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) and by Radio Silence’s Chad Vilella (executive producer Ready or Not and Scream franchise). The executive producers are Ron Lynch and Macdara Kelleher.
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Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania”also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. The sci-fi adventure opens in Australian cinemas on February 16, 2023.
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Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang. The sci-fi adventure opens in Australian cinemas on February 16, 2023.
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This time Vince Vaughn is the serial killer the Blissfield Butcher who trades bodies with teenage girl Millie (Kathryn Newton). Millie has yet to come into her own and is still dealing with the long dark shadows cast from a family tragedy. Her mother drinks too much while her sister hides in her job as a police officer.

Most of the film’s humour arrives via Vaughn’s acting chops as he plays a giddy teenage girl trapped in a scheming psychopath’s body and to amusing effect. The victims he/she polishes off are quite a cliche bunch but that does little to dampen the fun when they go down for the count.

Featuring a not always comfortable mix of gratuitous bloodshed and teenage troubles, Freaky is still an entertaining way to bring the week to a close. It breaks little new ground but does well with the parts it has in play. This Friday, give your loved one a dozen black roses and a good time at the cinema.

Rob Hudson
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Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s Big Little Lies) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries.

When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming.

With some help from her friends—ultra-woke Nyla (Celeste O’Connor, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), ultra-fabulous Joshua (Misha Osherovich, The Goldfinch) and her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton, Enter the Warriors Gate)—Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.

The film also stars Alan Ruck (HBO’s Succession), Katie Finneran (TV’s Why Women Kill) and Dana Drori (Hulu’s High Fidelity).

From the deliciously debased mind of writer-director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, the Paranormal Activity franchise) comes a pitch-black horror-comedy about a slasher, a senior, and the brutal truth about high school.

Freaky is written by Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy (Fox’s Bordertown) and is produced by Jason Blum (Halloween, The Invisible Man). The film is produced by Blumhouse Productions in association with Divide/Conquer. The executive producers are Couper Samuelson and Jeanette Volturno.
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The first-ever live-action Pokémon adventure, “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu” stars Ryan Reynolds as Detective Pikachu and is based on the beloved Pokémon brand—one of the world’s most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and one of the most successful media franchises of all time.

Fans everywhere can now experience the iconic Pokémon Pikachu on the big screen as never before, as Detective Pikachu, a Pokémon like no other. The film also showcases a wide array of beloved Pokémon, each with its own unique powers and personality.

The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

POKÉMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU is directed by Rob Letterman and also stars Justice Smith as Tim, and Kathryn Newton as Lucy, a junior reporter following her first big story; as well as Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, and Rita Ora, with Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe, and Bill Nighy.

POKÉMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU releases in Australia on May 9, 2019.
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The first-ever live-action Pokémon adventure, “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu” stars Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, the iconic face of the global Pokémon phenomenon—one of the world’s most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and the most successful media franchise of all time. Fans everywhere can now experience Pikachu on the big screen as never before, as Detective Pikachu, a Pokémon like no other.

The film also showcases a wide array of beloved Pokémon characters, each with its own unique abilities and personality.

The story begins when ace private eye Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself.

Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu is directed by Rob Letterman and also stars Justice Smith as Tim, and Kathryn Newton as Lucy, a junior reporter following her first big story; as well as Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, with Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu releases in Australia on May 9, 2019.
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The parents this time out are the clueless ones and this is played to maximum humour and effect. John Cena is specially funny and unafraid to go to extreme lengths to generate laughs. Their hearts are in the right place but their manic escapades do raise questions about their brain power.

The story revolves around a pact the three girls have to lose their virginity at the up coming High School Prom. It’s a testament to the script writers and actor’s abilities that such a tired and overused plot device doesn’t sink the entire ship.

That these clueless parents raised such strong women gives hope that future filmmakers can be less cliche and still generate laughs. The underlining message of parental love is delivered with less sugar and the moments are sweeter because of it.

Rob Hudson
www.blockersmovie.com