Review: Luca

A simple but entertaining story. Luca lives under the sea with his parents as a family of sea monsters, working every day herding fish, when the intrigue of fallen objects from the land above gets the better of him. So begins a classic fish-out-of-water story, with added Vespas. Sometimes there isn’t a whole lot to…

Review: Fantastic Beasts – The Secrets of Dumbledore

Does anyone care about the Fantastic Beasts franchise anymore? Evil wizard Grindlewald is still out there, but with the great Dumbledore powerless to act against him, a political powerplay seems inevitable. However, a team of unlikely heroes could stop the conspiracy, if they act as unpredictably as possible. In 2018 we got our first look…

Review: Encanto

The Disney magic is very much back in Encanto! A young girl has to face the reality that she is the only member of the family who has no magical powers. But when a vision brings her portents of doom to their enchanted home and abilities, will she be completely ostracized? It is irritating that…

Review: Soul

Gorgeous Pixar movie with a neat little premise, but just lacks a little something… Aspiring Jazz pianist Joe Gardener is trapped teaching music lessons at a local High School, and just when his big break is around the corner… he dies. But when he rejects his fate and runs from the light, his soul finds…

Review: The Flight of Dragons

Imagine a time before DVDs, before the Internet, before streaming services. A time when you had to go outside, and to your local video rental store if you wanted to watch a new movie. A time when here, in the UK, we had four television channels; cable did not exist. A time when phones were…

Review: Toy Story 4

If you are certain Toy Story should have remained a trilogy, this will probably not change your mind. Nine years ago, Bo Peep was taken away after Andy’s sister decided she didn’t need her anymore. Now Woody and the gang are with Bonnie, their new child, and Woody finds new purpose in caring for Forky, a…

Review: How to Train Your Dragon 3 – The Hidden World

So Dreamworks flagship goes the way of trilogy of Godfather, Robocop, and Back to the Future… where the third entry is definitely the weakest. When a new threat to their pet dragons emerges, the vikings of Berk need to consider finding a new home. Meanwhile, love is in the air when Toothless meets a Lightfury….

Review: The Lego Movie 2

Everything is average, everything is lame when it feels unnecessary. Following from the closing moments of the first film, the constructed heroes do battle against the cutesy forces from the Sis-star System, and only grisly determination can overcome the cuteness. Warning: this review contains overblown praise for the first Lego Movie. This film is a…

Review: Bumblebee

Dialling everything back to basics, Bumblebee is simple yet charming, a straightforward action adventure with none of the previous films’ dementia. Before Sam Witwicky has his fateful encounter with Autobot Bumblebee, the robotic warrior had another friend. Together, the two had to battle the odds and prevent the evil Decepticons from locating Earth. As an…

Review: Coco

An absolutely stunning piece of animation. A bright, vibrant and heartfelt experience. It is Dia De Los Muetros, the Mexican Day of the Dead, when families celebrate lost loved ones and honour their memory. Miguel is torn; his love of music is not shared by his family, who after his great-grandmother’s fury after her husband…