Hugh Jackman is the shepherd George Hardy, who loves his herd almost too much and dislikes almost all humans. His love is so strong that he has given them all names and treats them like his children. He even reads to them nightly from his collection of detective novels. While the sheep can converse with each other, the humans only hear the baas.

When George meets an early and untimely end and the police prove incompetent, the sheep have to pitch in and help the authorities. As the investigation expands, you learn more and more about the reclusive shepherd. The human characters are very by-the-numbers, but the mammals’ personalities are much richer.

You would have to be quite cold of heart not to let a little bit of sunshine in with The Sheep Detectives. Its life lessons are worthy of being told, and the human element supports the narrative quite well, if even a little bit one-dimensional. This should prove to be engaging and entertaining to all the members of an open-minded family.
Rob Hudson
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But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realise they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Starring Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, with Hong Chau and Emma Thompson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby, The Sheep Detectives will be released in Aussie cinemas May 7!
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The fact that the MCU regular regulars are mostly absent only reinforces the change in direction. Florence Pugh as family member Yelena tries her best to carry the film and it’s great to see a not-so-perfect woman be the heart and soul of the work. Comic interludes also play a large role in establishing the newish feel.

The big evil this time is a bit hard to categorise and the two characters actor Lewis Pullman plays, Robert Reynolds or Bob and Sentry are two distinct personalities and couldn’t be more different. Sentry’s internal darkness is shown by actual darkness and is pleasantly creepy. David Harbour as the blunt tool Red Guardian is played mostly for laughs but also provides some nice family moments.

Other than the crazy credit scene at the very end that makes Thunderbolts* feel a bit like a two-hour trailer for the upcoming Marvel release The Fantastic Four: First Steps, this work is a step in a satisfying direction. There are many valid characters in the Marvel Universe to be discovered on screen and it’s time to showcase the lesser known ones. Especially the relatable female ones.
Rob Hudson
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After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?

Returning to their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles are Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The cast also includes newcomers to the MCU—Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.

Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts*” opens in Australian cinemas May 1 2025.
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David Harbour, who plays Red Guardian in the film, was on hand to debut the new extended trailer for excited fans at the Brazil D23 event.

Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present “Thunderbolts*,” an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.

The film stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Edward Pierce, with David Harbour, with Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Jake Schreier directs “Thunderbolts*” and Kevin Feige is the producer. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek and Jason Tamez serve as executive producers.
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Beth’s world quickly unravels when she overhears Don admit to her brother-in-law, Mark, that actually, he doesn’t like the new book. She vents to her sister Sara that decades of a loving, committed marriage pale in comparison to this immense betrayal.

Meanwhile, therapist Don faces his own professional problems as he finds himself unable to care about or even recall his unhappy patients’ issues anymore… and they’ve begun to notice.

You Hurt My Feelings is directed by Nicole Holofcener and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies and is coming to Australian cinemas on July 15, 2023.
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Beth’s world quickly unravels when she overhears Don admit to her brother-in-law, Mark, that actually, he doesn’t like the new book. She vents to her sister Sara that decades of a loving, committed marriage pale in comparison to this immense betrayal.

Meanwhile, therapist Don faces his own professional problems as he finds himself unable to care about or even recall his unhappy patients’ issues anymore… and they’ve begun to notice.

You Hurt My Feelings is directed by Nicole Holofcener and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Owen Teague and Arian Moayed.
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The oddities begin with the film’s set up. Elfs are living in a photorealistic world where magic was once common place but has now been relegated to history due to laziness. Into this world we meet the Lightfoot family, Youngest son Ian (Tom Holland) eldest son Barley (Chris Pratt) and mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Their’s is a broken family due to the early death of the family patriarch Wilden.

The possibility of reuniting with dad through magic sets the two boys on a massive road trip that consumes most of the film’s running time. Ian also comes into his own with emerging magical powers. There are subtle and not so subtle life lessons peppered throughout the adventure and the heart of the film is an affirmative one. The look as always with Pixar is sumptuous and at times spectacular.

With an underlying message that is visited oh so often in a wide plethora of films, it would take something very original to add to the lexicon. There are a number of elements in Onward that are positive additions but taken in its totality, it comes up a bit short. It’s Pixar though and their heritage is still intact as there is enough entertainment value to justify your time and effort to see it.

Rob Hudson
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During the holiday, Pete Staunton (Ferrell) when faced with a potentially dangerous situation, acts in a cowardly fashion. His motives or the cause of this digression is never fully explained, either through backstory or in the ongoing storyline. A previous family tragedy is mentioned but never fully explained. The gap this causes is quite noticeable.

Even though Ferrell plays someone who seems emotionally damaged, his wooden and reserved delivery gives very few clues as to why. His wife Billie (Louis-Dreyfus) becomes even more distant and the two seem to share very little common ground as a couple or as the loving parents of their two young boys. This situation seems to have existed long before the holiday got underway.

Not having seen the Swedish, French, Norwegian film, Force Majeure, that Downhill attempts to recreate, it’s open for debate if that experience might have helped provide the necessary information to aid in deciphering the character’s actions and motivations. As it is, those omissions prevent one from being fully immersed in the actions and trajectory of the players in this new version.

Rob Hudson
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Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae—the team behind Monsters University.

Onward opens in Australian theatres on April 2, 2020.
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