Into this maelstrom of conflicting worldviews and anxiety comes the film Klara and the Sun. With the intention of presenting a different view and kinder outlook on the future, humanist writer/director Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit & Thor: Ragnarok) delivers a work of vivid contrasts. It is based on the novel of the same name by the writer Kazuo Ishiguro,

It’s all set in a dystopian future where parents genetically modify their children and then homeschool them, which forces said adults to purchase robots for companionship. One such robot is Klara, played with consummate skill by Jenna Ortega, who is utterly charming in the role. She is paired up with Josie (Mia Tharia), a young woman deathly ill from the effects of the procedure they call “lifted”.

This examination of a future where humans and machines live a life of comfortable coexistence feels fresh and optimistic. However unique the film feels, it’s firmly positioned between several signposts of influence, the chief of which are the look and feel of a Tim Burton film and the futurist musings of computer scientist, author and techno-optimist Ray Kurzweil. It’s an appealing addition to Waititi’s ever-growing catalogue of work.
Rob Hudson
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Based on the bestselling novel from Nobel Prize-winner Kazuo Ishiguro and written and directed by Academy-Award® winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), Klara and the Sun introduces audiences to Klara (Jenna Ortega), an Artificial Friend who wants nothing more than to find the perfect home.

When Klara meets Josie (Mia Tharia), each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother (Amy Adams)and they’ve suffered great loss, but Klara’s innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie’s complicated world.

Starring Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy with Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne, Klara and the Sun will be released October 22
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When Klara meets Josie (Mia Tharia), each immediately senses a kindred spirit in the other. Josie has a fraught relationship with her mother (Amy Adams) and they’ve suffered great loss, but Klara’s innocent wonder and unwavering loyalty begin to heal the family and bring light to Josie’s complicated world.

Starring Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy with Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne, Klara and the Sun will be released in Aussie cinemas October 22!
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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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The story arc revolves around the foursome’s reverent acceptance into the current society at large that is almost complete. This general consensus is, however, challenged when the Earth comes under attack from an alien presence and they make a personal decision that defies the common good. In a nod to the geniality of this fantasy land, they are not openly attacked; however, the press still has a field day.

Having the story so character-driven only works because the main cast of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm are so well written. Their relationships and personal foibles are pleasantly believable and not completely angst-driven. They seem like they could actually be friends.

There is a world treating peril and heroic action on behalf of the four that saves our fragile blue and green marble (for the time being). It’s easily within comic book parameters. But by film’s end, when the words appear on the screen that state that the Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday, it leaves you slightly disappointed that the next time out, this lovely little world will get folded into the Avengers ideology so soon.
Rob Hudson
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SMURFS features an all-star voice cast including Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña with Kurt Russell and John Goodman.
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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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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, and will be released in Australian cinemas May 19, 2022.

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SHOW DOGS is directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Will Arnett, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Natasha Lyonne, Jordin Sparks, Gabriel Iglesias, Shaquille O’Neal, Omar Chaparro, Stanley Tucci.

SHOW DOGS releases nationally on 13th September, 2018!
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