In the early eighties, the musician Bruce Springsteen and his career were at a crossroads. He had strong career momentum with the success of his Born To Run album in 1975 and The River in 1980, but he was far from a happy man. He was struggling, and those were the days when people’s mental health was not a comfortable topic of conversation. 

He felt he had something dark and deeply personal to share with his audience, and this set of songs eventually became the album Nebraska. It was unconventionally recorded (at home in his bedroom and onto a cassette recorder) and presented to his record label with instructions to release no singles and with no touring to support it. In a nod to his and manager Jon Landau’s power, the label went against their strong sense of self-interest and complied.

This story is presented in a bleak manner that strays far from overstatement and relies heavily on its excellent cast. Of particular note is Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) as Bruce; he gets the nuances just right, and his emotive expressions say so much while presenting so little. The support cast of Jeremy Strong as Landau, Odessa Young as on and off girlfriend Faye Romano and Stephen Graham as Springsteen’s abusive and troubled father, who also suffered from mental health issues, are superlative.

While not being particularly fun to watch, the emotions on display are raw and feel real, and its underlying message of acknowledging and looking after one’s mental health is an important one. We are slowly making progress in that struggle, and works like this will help to keep that dialogue alive, but keep in mind that this is also a very effective piece of storytelling. One that features amazing performances and exceptional technical execution.
Rob Hudson
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With the success, both box office and storytelling-wise, of the 2022 animated release The Bad Guys, a sequel was always going to be inevitable. Now that that moment has arrived, what are the end results? The charm of the first is mostly intact, but the storyline has been ramped up to the stratosphere, well, outer space, actually.

All the main voice actors and their characters have returned, and we get three new additions. The Bad Girls, made up of Doom (AKA Susan), voiced by Natasha Lyonne, Pigtail Petrova (Maria Bakalova) and the ring leader Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks). The arrival of the three happens mid-film and deprives the audience of an in-depth backstory.

The Bad Guys have now gone good, and with job prospects being nonexistent for ex-criminals, they are struggling to make ends meet. In the midst of all this, they are framed for a crime they didn’t commit and are forced back into the life. The story from this point on just gets more and more outlandish and eventually ends up in outer space.

Relying on the establishment of the characters and their appeal from the first film and putting almost all the onscreen effort into the new storyline leaves little further development to their ways. The set pieces are extravagant and spectacular, and the action never trails off. The appeal of the opening round has been somewhat muted with this approach. It’s still entertaining, but just not as memorable.
Rob Hudson
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In the new chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed 2022 action-comedy hit about a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws, The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.

Based on the New York Times best-selling book series by Australian author Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys 2 reunites the film’s all-star cast and filmmakers.

Returning to their roles as The Bad Guys are Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell as dashing reformed pickpocket Mr. Wolf; Marc Maron as safe-cracker Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as master-of-disguise Mr. Shark, Grammy winner Anthony Ramos as the short-fused Mr. Piranha and Golden Globe winner Awkwafina as expert hacker Ms. Tarantula, aka “Webs”.

The A-list comedic cast includes the return of Zazie Beetz as Diana Foxington, BAFTA winner Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, Emmy winner Alex Borstein as police chief Misty Luggins and Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit.

The Bad Guys 2 is directed by returning filmmaker Pierre Perifel and produced by returning producer Damon Ross. The co-director is JP Sans, who served as head of character animation on The Bad Guys, and the music is by Oscar®-nominated returning composer Daniel Pemberton.
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In the new chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed 2022 action-comedy hit about a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws, The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.

Based on the New York Times best-selling book series by Australian author Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys 2 reunites the film’s all-star cast and filmmakers.

Returning to their roles as The Bad Guys are Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell as dashing reformed pickpocket Mr. Wolf; Marc Maron as safe-cracker Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as master-of-disguise Mr. Shark, Grammy winner Anthony Ramos as the short-fused Mr. Piranha and Golden Globe winner Awkwafina as expert hacker Ms. Tarantula, aka “Webs”.

The A-list comedic cast includes the return of Zazie Beetz as Diana Foxington, BAFTA winner Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, Emmy winner Alex Borstein as police chief Misty Luggins and Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit.

The Bad Guys 2 is directed by returning filmmaker Pierre Perifel and produced by returning producer Damon Ross. The co-director is JP Sans, who served as head of character animation on The Bad Guys, and the music is by Oscar®-nominated returning composer Daniel Pemberton.
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

In the new chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed 2022 action-comedy hit about a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws, The Bad Guys are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do “one last job” by an all-female squad of criminals.

Based on the New York Times best-selling book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys 2 reunites the film’s all-star cast and filmmakers.

Returning to their roles as The Bad Guys are Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell as dashing reformed pickpocket Mr. Wolf; Marc Maron as safe-cracker Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as master-of-disguise Mr. Shark, Grammy winner Anthony Ramos as the short-fused Mr. Piranha and Golden Globe winner Awkwafina as expert hacker Ms. Tarantula, aka “Webs”.

The A-list comedic cast includes the return of Zazie Beetz as Diana Foxington, BAFTA winner Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, Emmy winner Alex Borstein as police chief Misty Luggins and Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit.

The Bad Guys 2 is directed by returning filmmaker Pierre Perifel and produced by returning producer Damon Ross. The co-director is JP Sans, who served as head of character animation on The Bad Guys, and the music is by Oscar®-nominated returning composer Daniel Pemberton.
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A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak.

Years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she fights to rebuild her life and find redemption.

Starring Andrea Riseborough, Andre Royo, Owen Teague, Stephen Root, James Landry Hebert, Marc Maron and Allison Janney, To Leslie will be released in Australian cinemas March 9!
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Competition will be drawn March 8, winners will be notified by email.

The film also stars the voices of Kevin Hart (the “Jumanji” and “Secret Life of Pets” films), Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live,” the “Magic School Bus Rides Again” films, “Ferdinand”), John Krasinski (the “Quiet Place” films, “Free Guy”), Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live,” “Office Christmas Party,” “Trainwreck”), Natasha Lyonne (“Show Dogs,” “Ballmastrz 9009”), Diego Luna (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Maya and the Three”), Marc Maron (“Joker,” “GLOW”), Thomas Middleditch (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie”), Ben Schwartz (“Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Duck Tales”), and Keanu Reeves (the “Matrix” and “John Wick” films).

In “DC League of Super-Pets,” Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the Super Heroes.

Stern, a veteran writer/consultant on the “LEGO®” movies, makes his animated feature film directorial debut, directing from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator John Whittington, based on characters from DC, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is produced by Patricia Hicks, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Jared Stern. The executive producers are John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Allison Abbate, Chris Leahy, Sharon Taylor and Courtenay Valenti.

Stern’s creative team includes production designer Kim Taylor (“The LEGO® Ninjago Movie”) and editors David Egan (“Game Night,” “Vacation”) and Jhoanne Reyes (“Teen Titans GO!” “Young Justice”). The music is by Steve Jablonsky (the “Transformers” films).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Seven Bucks Production, “DC League of Super-Pets.” The film will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in theaters internationally.

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When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.

DC League of Super-Pets stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne , Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz and Keanu Reeves, coming to Australian cinemas soon!

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In the new action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, based on the New York Times best-selling book series, a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yet—becoming model citizens.

Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys—dashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), seen-it-all safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron, GLOW), chill master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine franchise), short-fused “muscle” Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians), aka “Webs.”

But when, after years of countless heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good.

Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade, Paddington 2), an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that they’ve been transformed. Along the way, though, Mr. Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what he’s always secretly longed for: acceptance. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Mr. Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become … The Good Guys?

The film co-stars Zazie Beetz (Joker), Lilly Singh (Bad Moms) and Emmy winner Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).

Based on the blockbuster Scholastic book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys is directed by Pierre Perifel (animator, the Kung Fu Panda films), making his feature-directing debut. The film is produced by Damon Ross (development executive Trolls, The Boss Baby, co-producer Nacho Libre) and Rebecca Huntley (associate producer, The Boss Baby). The executive producers are Aaron Blabey, Etan Cohen and Patrick Hughes.

https://www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

In the new action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, based on the New York Times best-selling book series, a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yet—becoming model citizens.

Never have there been five friends as infamous as The Bad Guys—dashing pickpocket Mr. Wolf (Academy Award® winner Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), seen-it-all safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron, GLOW), chill master-of-disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine franchise), short-fused “muscle” Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos, In the Heights) and sharp-tongued expert hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina, Crazy Rich Asians), aka “Webs.”

But when, after years of countless heists and being the world’s most-wanted villains, the gang is finally caught, Mr. Wolf brokers a deal (that he has no intention of keeping) to save them all from prison: The Bad Guys will go good.

Under the tutelage of their mentor Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade, Paddington 2), an arrogant (but adorable!) guinea pig, The Bad Guys set out to fool the world that they’ve been transformed. Along the way, though, Mr. Wolf begins to suspect that doing good for real may give him what he’s always secretly longed for: acceptance. So when a new villain threatens the city, can Mr. Wolf persuade the rest of the gang to become … The Good Guys?

The film co-stars Zazie Beetz (Joker), Lilly Singh (Bad Moms) and Emmy winner Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).

Based on the blockbuster Scholastic book series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys is directed by Pierre Perifel (animator, the Kung Fu Panda films), making his feature-directing debut. The film is produced by Damon Ross (development executive Trolls, The Boss Baby, co-producer Nacho Libre) and Rebecca Huntley (associate producer, The Boss Baby). The executive producers are Aaron Blabey, Etan Cohen and Patrick Hughes.
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