Cornered in a dark alley by a knife-wielding thug? It is nothing that the gun in her handbag and the stiletto heels to his testicles can’t take care of. Tackling a difficult and highly emotional reading for a film part, nailed it! Even freeing Los Angeles from the grip of fear caused by a certain serial killer? It’s all in a day’s work.

Made to complement the other editions in the trilogy, it is not a necessity to have seen the others but for those in the know, this story takes place after the events in X. It straddles the line between horror and comedy with a deft touch and has a smarmy charm all of its own.

With an enjoyable old-school look and feel to the film and its mid-eighties-centric parade of clothes fashion and hair, it all ends up looking so fun and funky. It’s also great to see a female protagonist who can be strong without resorting to the usual gender based stereotypes. Maxine is a total badass and boy does she know it.
Rob Hudson
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MAXXXINE is coming to Aussie cinemas August 1.
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When he invites his patient’s surviving brother (Sam Claflin) into his home to meet his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and daughter, his family life is suddenly torn apart.

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE is directed by Vaughn Stein and stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Claflin and Veronica Ferres.

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE releases in Australia cinemas on April 22, 2021.

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In her first case, Judy represents a woman forced to flee her home country after being persecuted by the Taliban for opening a school for girls. While juggling her life as a single mother, Judy fights tenacious battles in and out of court, not only saving her client’s life, but changing the Law of Asylum in the United States.

This case has saved the lives of thousands of other persecuted women around the world. Like ERIN BROCKOVICH, SAINT JUDY tells the story of a remarkable woman who overcame tremendous odds, and reminds us how one person can change the world.

Saint Judy will be released in Australian cinemas August 20.
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The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT IN CINEMAS AUGUST 2!
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The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.
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Casting Mark Wahlberg as one of the heroes of the piece seems a no brainer as it’s a role he has played time and time again. To his credit this time his portrayal of a somewhat flawed character rings truer to real life than many of his previous roles. The story revolves around the domestic terrorist bombing that occurred during the 2013 running of the Boston Marathon and the events that followed as seen through the victims, authorities as well as the perpetrator’s eyes.

The film’s action sequences involving the ensuing manhunt and police shootout after the bombing play out like the wild machinations of a Hollywood writer on too much caffeine. It’s only after reading up on the actual circumstances that you learn of the extraordinary real events than took place. Even the perpetrators are give an extra edge by the normalcy of their everyday existence.

In stark contrast to many films of this ilk, Patriots Day carries quite the emotional impact. Even the overstated coda at the end is effecting. It was a horrible crime and one that brought out reserves of strength from both victims as well as those tasked with finding the criminals behind it. Having the heroics on display cover the gambit from small moral victories to large scale efforts give the film a surprising sense of emotional engagement.

Rob Hudson
www.patriotsdayfilm.com

Pixels follows on from the likes of Wreck It Ralph and TRON, mashing up the real world with that of the video game. This time around it turns out that a videotape of classic arcade games was sent into space in the early eighties and discovered by aliens who used its contents to model weapons with which to attack us. It all makes perfect sense really. Naturally the best hope for Earth’s defence are former classic gamer champions who suitably proceed to kick all kinds of pixelated ass. Yes, it’s silly. Yes, it’s fun.

There’s enough pop culture references from the eighties to the tweenies to poke fun at both gens X and Y whilst remaining supremely entertaining for gen Z. There’s plenty of visual gags, generation specific quips and some outstanding CGI to tie it all together and only the hardest of sardonic hearts could fail to be entertained, even if it were only the slightest bit.

Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad are joined by some remarkable star power that includes Brian Cox, Sean Bean and Dan Aykroyd among a slew of other cameos wanting to get their face into a big budget movie. Most of the performers deliver their expected shtick and in a movie of this nature, there’s nothing wrong with that.

The film’s climax is a fantastic exercise in classic game character spotting, incumbent with the obligatory in-game sound signatures that accompany each of them.

Pixels is a mindless, fun blockbuster. Will history hold it in the same esteem as TRON or Wreck It Ralph? No, it’s much more disposable than that. But it delivers more than you’d expect from a film that is clearly derived from a popular trend set by better predecessors.

Stuart Jamieson
www.pixels-movie.com