Then when his ex-schoolmate and now sworn enemy Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara) escape from incarceration and vow lethal revenge, it turns Gru and his family’s life upside down. They are soon whisked off into witness protection and relocated to a posh neighbourhood where they do anything but fit in. Add to this the sycophantic next-door neighbour Poppy Prescott (Joey King) who forces Gru back into the life.

With a more mature storyline for the characters to indulge in, the film relies on those irrepressible Minions to provide most of the humour and they do it well. Those in yellow have a series of running gags that show juvenile pranks are always good for a laugh or two and they are as cute as ever. There is one gag about being trapped in a snack vending machine that is consistent in the laugh-generating stakes.

Riffs on the class system and the recidivist nature of criminals add a bit of gravitas to the story but things are mostly kept light and frothy. After three other successful chapters in the franchise, the formula has proven to be effective and remains in place for number four. There are no real surprises in store for the audience, which would have been nice but the entertainment factor remains high as does its relevance for the enjoyment of all ages.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

The story is a simple one, a young girl named Bea (Cailey Fleming) who is going through tough times gains the ability to see people’s imaginary friends or IFs. She discovers she shares this trait with her neighbour Cal (Ryan Reynolds) and together they try to reconnect the IFs with the people they helped but abandoned as they grew up.

It’s played mostly for fun but there are some salient moments delivered with an ease that makes them never seem preachy or heavy-handed. It occupies a space that will appeal to almost anyone who has kindness in their heart and sees the good in others more often than not. It is delivered with an ease that feels very inviting.

IF’s appeal lies in a few key elements. It’s easy going and its life-reaffirming stance is very welcome. It also features a who’s who list of actor pals who lent their voices to the animated characters. This adds a lot as it’s fun to guess who there are. When the full cast list finally rolls at the film’s end you will be surprised by the ones you got right in addition to the ones you didn’t. For those that might suggest it is too slight, can we really have too much kindness in the world?
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU

IF stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

IF will be released in Aussie cinemas May 16!
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU

Following the 2022 blockbuster phenomenon of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) and Lucy (Oscar® nominee Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.

Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.

The film features fresh new characters voiced by Joey King (Bullet Train), Emmy winner Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live). Pierre Coffin returns as the iconic voice of the Minions and Oscar® nominee Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom.

Packed with non-stop action and filled with Illumination’s signature subversive humor, Despicable Me 4 is directed by a co-creator of the Minions, Oscar® nominee Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets), and is produced by Illumination’s visionary founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Brett Hoffman (executive producer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Minions: The Rise of Gru). The film is co-directed by Patrick Delage (animation director Sing 2 and The Secret Life of Pets 2), and the screenplay is by the Emmy winning creator of White Lotus, Mike White, and the veteran writer of every Despicable Me film, Ken Daurio.
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From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.

IF stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

IF will be released in Aussie cinemas May 16!
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.

IF stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU

IF stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Alan Kim, Liza Colón-Zayas and Steve Carell, IF will be coming to cinemas May 2024!
www.facebook.com/ParamountPicturesAU

Following the 2022 blockbuster phenomenon of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) and Lucy (Oscar® nominee Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.

Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.

The film features fresh new characters voiced by Joey King (Bullet Train), Emmy winner Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live). Pierre Coffin returns as the iconic voice of the Minions and Oscar® nominee Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom.

Packed with non-stop action and filled with Illumination’s signature subversive humor, Despicable Me 4 is directed by a co-creator of the Minions, Oscar® nominee Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets), and is produced by Illumination’s visionary founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Brett Hoffman (executive producer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Minions: The Rise of Gru). The film is co-directed by Patrick Delage (animation director Sing 2 and The Secret Life of Pets 2), and the screenplay is by the Emmy winning creator of White Lotus, Mike White, and the veteran writer of every Despicable Me film, Ken Daurio.
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

That idiosyncratic nature plays out in the look of the sets and costumes, the colour palette and lighting, the dialogue and performance of the actors and the whimsical nature of the stories they tell. Seldom laugh-out-loud funny, the humour is too dexterous for that, this is the kind of mirth that builds most in remembrance.

Trying to reduce Asteroid City to a mere synopsis does it a disservice as it is a work filled with subtext, subversion and subliminal cues that emerge in retrospection. Anderson’s movies almost always grow in stature the more you think about them. They are uniquely memorable.

It’s those memories that power avid fan’s desire to have so many of his works on high rotation at home. Asteroid City will have the power to be either the most or least favourite of his films and that distinction will only come into focus after many visits to his deep well of weirdness.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

From the beautiful mind of Wes Anderson, starring an all-star cast comes ASTEROID CITY, a wonderfully colourful and hilarious cosmic tale about a family and their travel to a remote American town aptly titled Asteroid City.

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

“…it’s beautiful to look at, surreal, nostalgic and funny in a weird, distanced way.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“Wes Anderson returns with one of his most dazzling, rich and playfully self-reflexive films to date.” – Little White Lies

“Asteroid City, the latest from Wes Anderson, is a true achievement from one of America’s most unique cinematic voices.” – Chicago Reader
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