Julius Robert Oppenheimer was an exceedingly complex man and one many see as both a saint and a sinner. He was instrumental in putting the brain trust together for the Manhattan Project, The collection of minds that developed the first atomic bomb. When it was used twice to bomb the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki it divided both the world and scientific communities.

Oppenheimer the pragmatist saw the bomb as necessary due to the race for its completion between America and Nazi Germany but as a humanist, he was conflicted. He didn’t trust the government’s implementation of the technology and always struggled with the balance between technological advancements and their use and abuse by humanity.

Christopher Nolan tells a powerful tale about a complicated man who was both rewarded and condemned for his genius. He was a man who felt great guilt about his part in inventing the atomic bomb and its subsequent use as a political tool by the world’s governments. He felt deeply for humanity and struggled under being seen as the destroyer of worlds.
Rob Hudson
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So with that in mind, it’s great to see Marvel relax the reins on Spider-man: Homecoming a bit and tell a story more character driven than special effects driven. The film’s lighthearted touch with an emphasis on humour makes it much more accessible than some of the recent overly serious Superhero films. It easily lives in the MU while comfortably standing alone. It even features a crazy credit at the very end of the film that sells laughs instead of product.

Peter Parker in comic book form has always been a geeky kid and the new Spidey, Tom Holland gets those nuances just right. He plays awkward as endearing. The story starts right after the Battle of New York and we get an early view of both Spider-man’s progression (further along than the radiated spider bite) and the political machinations that helped to create his new nemesis.

The thoughts of restarting the franchise again are rapidly lost as the charm and humour of this latest edition sweep you away. It gets the balance of action, storyline and character development just right and as such is a blast from beginning to end.

Rob Hudson
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Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Melina. Directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.

“Black Widow” hits Australian cinemas on April 30, 2020.
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Fast forward to 2020 and you now have the latest film attempt to capture some of that magic. It’s loosely based on Lofting’s second book, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle that was originally published way back in 1922. It gives lead actor Robert Downey Jr a chance to break out of the MCU and franchise straitjacket for well, another franchise.

Downey is his usual charismatic self and it’s a good thing as the film doesn’t aim very high. It’s a contented work that settles quite happily for providing an easy to digest escape into a literary character that has a built in fan base, at least for those that still read books. It’s also always fun with movies like this to guess who provides the voices behind the completely computer generated animals.

Charming if not a bit juvenile, Dolittle makes the most out of a minimal storyline and a maximum voice cast who all sound like they had great fun doing what they do. There are few surprises in store but it is quite good at providing a satisfying sense of spectacle. It also answers the age old question, can a dragon break wind and not burn up?

Rob Hudson
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Dr. John Dolittle lives in solitude behind the high walls of his lush manor in 19th-century England. His only companionship comes from an array of exotic animals that he speaks to on a daily basis. But when young Queen Victoria becomes gravely ill, the eccentric doctor and his furry friends embark on an epic adventure to a mythical island to find the cure.

Dolittle hits Australian cinemas January 16!

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After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company. But when the young queen (Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose) falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures.

The doctor is joined on his quest by a young, self-appointed apprentice (Dunkirk’s Harry Collett) and a raucous coterie of animal friends, including an anxious gorilla (Oscar® winner Rami Malek), an enthusiastic but bird-brained duck (Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer), a bickering duo of a cynical ostrich (The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani) and an upbeat polar bear (John Cena, Bumblebee) and a headstrong parrot (Oscar® winner Emma Thompson), who serves as Dolittle’s most trusted advisor and confidante.

The film also stars Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen (The Queen) and Oscar® winner Jim Broadbent and features additional voice performances from Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour, Carmen Ejogo, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Tom Holland, and Craig Robinson.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Stephen Gaghan (Syriana, Traffic), Dolittle is produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum under their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films (Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent) and Susan Downey (Sherlock Holmes franchise, The Judge) for Team Downey. The film is executive produced by Robert Downey Jr., Sarah Bradshaw (The Mummy, Maleficent) and Zachary Roth (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil).
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First it must be said that I like Marvel movies but don’t live them. With that being the case, there are few films that run for over three hours that leave you with the feeling you could easily do another few hours (after a nature break that is). This film accomplishes that feeling as it delivers a mammoth amount of information.

It is also satisfying in so many ways. It has colossal action and human endeavour, both large and small. Some participants don’t make it to the very end, but for the ones that do, their stories are brought to a gratifying close. One hero’s completion arc in particular, is very heart warming.

Trying to live up to such vast expectations and rising above so much hype was always going to make it near impossible for the Russo brothers to succeed, but amazingly they have. This is the art of film making on a massive scale in both story and expense.

Rob Hudson
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The film does present a conundrum when it comes to writing a review though as talking too much about the storyline makes it all too easy to divulge key elements that would ruin the experience for some if not all fans.

Suffice to say that the canvas this time out is huge and it taps into almost every Marvel film with the exception of two and it’s not too difficult to guess which two. The action is dizzying in it intensity and it’s not giving away too much is saying these battles take place on more than one front.

The film is very successful in presenting all your favourite characters in an ensemble piece and not watering down the traits that made them so memorable in the first place. Few films need to be seen with as much urgency as Avengers: Infinity Wars as a lot of the fun is the large number of surprises in store. Waiting runs the risk of diffusing those highs and lows through the disclosure of information.

Rob Hudson
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So with that in mind, it’s great to see Marvel relax the reins on Spider-man: Homecoming a bit and tell a story more character driven than special effects driven. The film’s lighthearted touch with an emphasis on humour makes it much more accessible than some of the recent overly serious Superhero films. It easily lives in the MU while comfortably standing alone. It even features a crazy credit at the very end of the film that sells laughs instead of product.

Peter Parker in comic book form has always been a geeky kid and the new Spidey, Tom Holland gets those nuances just right. He plays awkward as endearing. The story starts right after the Battle of New York and we get an early view of both Spider-man’s progression (further along than the radiated spider bite) and the political machinations that helped to create his new nemesis.

The thoughts of restarting the franchise again are rapidly lost as the charm and humour of this latest edition sweep you away. It gets the balance of action, storyline and character development just right and as such is a blast from beginning to end.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SpiderManMovieAUS

Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

Cast includes Tom Holland,  Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Tyne Daily,  Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jnr, directed by Jon Watts.RELEASES IN CINEMAS JULY 6 2017.