The underlying message is a positive one (believing in yourself and seeing greatness in everyday moments) but really even if the theme was completely saccharin, who could take that much offense when it is delivered by yellow plastic beings with hooks for hands!

The jokes fly fast and furious while the filmmakers get the mix of adult humor and childlike wonder spot on. There is also the fun of identifying the voice actors. The list includes Morgan Freeman, Jonah Hill, Liam Neeson and Channing Tatum to name just a few.

Few films released this year will be as guaranteed to entertain the entire family as The Lego Movie. Its wild imagination and chock o block approach never lets up and rarely skips a beat. Just a note to end, for families on a budget, you can feel comfortable in skipping the added expense of 3D screenings as the film works just as well in 2D.

Rob Hudson
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In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, teenage Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a loveable underdog monster into a champion.

Starring Will Arnett, Terry Crews, Geraldine Viswanathan, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, Tony Danza, Becky Lynch, Susan Kelechi Watson, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz and Michael Buffer, Rumble will be released in Australian cinemas April 1 2021!
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Emmet (Chris Pratt) is back and so is his main squeeze Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) together they lead an idyllic and peaceful existence. Perfect it is, until aliens invade and turn their colourful home into a bleak and monotone land. They also kidnap Lucy and the rest of Emmet’s best buds and disappear off into the plastic cosmos.

This abduction leads to major adventures and a long quest that visits many new lands. The life’s lessons are inter spread amongst an onslaught of comic routines both visual and word based and the film kicks into overdrive from this point on. It really does throw everything but the kitchen sink at you and most routines hit their target.

Nothing seems to be off limits in the pursuit of humour with hilarious takes on popular culture, classic movies, the MC Universe and even a joke about Radiohead that was spot on. It’s wacky fun and provides a good time for the young and old.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/TheLEGOMovie

Three meditations are now available in the free Smiling Mind app to coincide with the release of The LEGO Movie 2 in Australia on March 21. The meditations voiced by beloved minifigures Emmet and Lucy draw on Emmet’s eternal optimism to give kids the tools for a healthy mind and outlook. They also explore the topics of self-acceptance, self-compassion and empathy, all themes from the movie. The app is available to download from the App Store or Google Play Store.

CEO of Smiling Mind, Dr Addie Wootten, said, “Children love movies and story-telling and we know the significant, and scientifically proven, benefits children experience from meditation, so, this is a great way for us to combine the two. Kids need to be engaged and what better way than having the voice of some of their favourite characters help them focus on the meditation.”

“Smiling Mind is always looking for innovative ways to deliver content that is accessible and aims to change lives through positive pre-emptive mental health tools. We have no doubt that this will be the start of a very exciting collaboration that will see children’s favourite movie characters come to life in such a positive way,” Dr Wootten said.

Emmet agrees. “When I’m not busy building awesome LEGO stuff, battling space aliens and saving the world with my best friend Lucy, I like to take a few minutes to reflect on what’s really important,” he stated. “These easy-to-follow meditations from Smiling Mind help me get in touch with the power of my thoughts so I can always try to be my best self.”

www.thelegomovie.net

The battle to defeat them and restore harmony to the LEGO® universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.

THE LEGO® MOVIE 2 is directed by Mike Mitchell and stars Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz and Arturo Castro.

THE LEGO® MOVIE 2 releases in Australian cinemas on March 21, 2019.
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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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Show Dogs is directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Will Arnett, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Natasha Lyonne, Jordin Sparks, Gabriel Iglesias, Shaquille O’Neal, Alan Cumming, and Stanley Tucci.

Show Dogs releases in Australia and New Zealand on 28th June 2018!
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It seems to the Teens that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies—everyone but the Teen Titans, that is! But de facto leader Robin is determined to remedy the situation, and be seen as a star instead of a sidekick. If only they could get the hottest Hollywood film director to notice them. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their heart, the Teen Titans head to Tinsel Town, certain to pull off their dream.

But when the group is radically misdirected by a seriously Super-Villain and his maniacal plan to take over the Earth, things really go awry. The team finds their friendship and their fighting spirit failing, putting the very fate of the Teen Titans themselves on the line!

TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES is directed by Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail and stars Will Arnett, Kristen Bell, Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong and Hynden Walch.

TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES releases in Australia and New Zealand on July 26, 2018
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Following his success in the original Lego Movie, voice actor Will Arnett reprises his role of Batman / Bruce Wayne as he’s an excellent choice. His voice has just the right amount of wit and snark and he plays it all to the hilt. Without getting all the Batman fanboys and girl’s knickers in a bunch, the whole billionaire crime fighting playboy with a dark side gets the send up it so richly deserves and what better way to do that than with a world built on plastic pieces.

The animation this time out is a bit more conventional than the Lego Movie. Things like running water now look more CGI than before. In past the effect looked more stop motion animation and was represented by cascades of blue coloured plastic pieces, now it looks like it was created by a keyboard. It’s a change that takes away a bit of the original’s charm but was probably done as a cost cutting measure.

The kid friendly storyline this time focuses on the value of family and having people to share things with both good and bad. This gives the experience an accessible young person element that will sit well with the olds. For the rest of us, there is still much to admire amidst a world where the jokes come flying at you and hit more often than miss.

Rob Hudson
www.legobatman.com

The underlying message is a positive one (believing in yourself and seeing greatness in everyday moments) but really even if the theme was completely saccharin, who could take that much offense when it is delivered by yellow plastic beings with hooks for hands!

The jokes fly fast and furious while the filmmakers get the mix of adult humor and childlike wonder spot on. There is also the fun of identifying the voice actors. The list includes Morgan Freeman, Jonah Hill, Liam Neeson and Channing Tatum to name just a few.

Few films released this year will be as guaranteed to entertain the entire family as The Lego Movie. Its wild imagination and chock o block approach never lets up and rarely skips a beat. Just a note to end, for families on a budget, you can feel comfortable in skipping the added expense of 3D screenings as the film works just as well in 2D.
Rob Hudson
www.thelegomovie.com