The Peanuts Movie (January 2016)

Official Australian release date: 1/1/16. Viewed: 5/1/16.

Director: Steve Martino

Actors: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, Hadley Belle Miller, Alex Garfin

Genre: Comedy

Rating: G       

‘The Peanuts Movie’ (or ‘Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie’, as it’s billed in some places) seems long overdue, seeing as Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip has been around since 1950. Since he passed away in 2000, Schulz’s children have done well continuing on his legacy, as this film honours him and Peanuts well – the animation is quaint at times, but detailed and colourful when needed.

The whole Peanuts gang is here – the klutz Charlie Brown (Schnapp), the nagging Lucy (Miller), Charlie’s best friend Linus (Garfin), the odd-pair Patty & Marcie, Charlie’s sister Sally, the followed-by-a-cloud-of-dust Pig-Pen and, of course, Snoopy the beagle and Woodstock the bird. The film’s set in winter, so there’s plenty of snow and ice skating, and plenty of opportunities for Charlie Brown to embarrass himself. Plot = new girl moves in across the road, Charlie Brown spends the entire movie trying to impress/talk to her!

This director has form, with ‘Horton Hears a Who!’ and does well to keep things happening, especially when Snoopy’s daydreaming and dogfighting in the European WWI skies against the Red Baron! The other adult reference kids won’t get is Charlie Brown reading Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ – a 1,200+ page book for his book report – and asking for “Leo’s Toy Store” at the library! I didn’t like the weird sounds they used in place of adults/teachers, but otherwise it’s well made.

Overall: Enjoyable kids film.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.   

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (December 2015)

Official Australian release date: 17/12/15. Viewed: 18/12/15.

Director: J.J. Abrams

Actors: Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure

Rating: M       

{Disclaimer = no spoilers here! May update it with more plot details in 2016}

It’s finally here – something that some fans have been waiting 32 years for! (Although the last theatrically-released Star Wars film, ‘The Clone Wars’, only came out seven years ago). Since I wasn’t born until after ‘Return of the Jedi’ and grew up watching them on VHS and am a pretty big fan, the sequel trilogy (as opposed to the prequel trilogy) and 'The Force Awakens' has long been hoped for.

OK, let’s see if I can do a vague storyline with no spoilers… 30 years after the Battle of Endor, Han (Ford) is the first ‘original’ we’re reintroduced to – well, technically Stormtroopers are, followed by the Millennium Falcon. But first, we meet Poe (Issac), an X-Wing pilot for “the Resistance” (the new Rebel Alliance); BB8, a ball-like droid; Finn (Boyega), a former Stormtrooper; and Rey (Ridley), a scavenger, barely surviving on the desert world of Jakku (which plays a role in the ‘Lost Stars’ novel, well worth a read!). BB8 holds some important data and needs to get it to Leia (Fisher), before the “First Order” (the new Empire) and Kylo Ren (Driver) get it, so they can all find Luke (Hamill). The only ones missing are Lando & Wedge.

It feels like a lot has changed, but also not much at all – it truly feels like the original Star Wars universe, with plenty of new aliens, spaceships and droids, but also plenty of old ones. Abrams has definitely nailed the tone, with plenty of adventure and zest, and also some humour and drama. The pace rarely sags and it doesn’t feel like two & a bit hours, but nor does it try to cram too much in. It’s not exactly a carbon copy of ‘A New Hope’, but definitely borrows a lot of themes from it.

Some questions are answered, but are lot are left unanswered, so the anticipation remains for the next films. While the film is definitely a great movie – and far better than any of the prequels – I sometimes didn’t feel as if as much was at stake as it was in the originals and a few things didn’t sit 100% right, also probably a by-product of my high expectations. Still, Ridley & Boyega are both very good to watch and valuable additions, and Driver’s intriguing – I look forward to watching their characters grow in Episodes VIII and IX.

Overall: A soon-to-be-classic entry in the greatest film series of all time!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.   

The Good Dinosaur (December 2015)

Official Australian release date: 26/12/15. Viewed: 13/12/15.

Director: Peter Sohn

Actors: Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand

Genre: Comedy/Adventure

Rating: PG       

‘The Good Dinosaur’ is a fun kid’s movie that has a few strenuous moments, but I saw it with a five-year-old and she was fine, so its PG rating for “some scenes may scare young children” is probably fair. Fairly simple plot – the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago just misses Earth, hence allowing mammals & dinosaurs to evolve and coexist.

The story follows Arlo (Ochoa), an Apatosaurus, and his anthropomorphised family, of which Arlo’s the runt of the siblings. Wright & McDormand are mum & dad, who spend their time farming. Arlo falls in the river and gets swept away and begins a quest to get back home and is aided by an unlikely partner – Spot (Bright) the human, who’s really more of a puppy! Plenty of similarities to ‘The Adventures of Milo and Otis’ and ‘The Lion King’, with Arlo having to find his own courage before he can find his family.

There’s actually not that many dinosaurs (a few T Rex, Pteranodons, Velociraptor and Triceratops) as the film really sticks with Arlo & Spot. The backdrop they’re set against, which looks like the mountains of Canada, is superb, with all the scenery seemingly vividly real – truly exceptional CGI, with the only things looking cartoony are the characters! Some sad bits, some funny bits and some lessons for good measure.

Overall: Well-made family film.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.   

The Night Before (December 2015)

Official Australian release date: 3/12/15. Viewed: 3/12/15.

Director: Jonathan Levine

Actors: Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan

Genre: Comedy

Rating: MA       

“It was ‘The Night Before’ Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” – except for Isaac (Rogen) “tripping balls”! This is almost more of a drug film than a Christmas movie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing – or a good thing. Simple concept – Ethan (Gordon-Levitt)’s parents died when he was 18, so his two best friends, Isaac & Chris (Mackie) have a Christmas Eve tradition where they go drinking in New York.

From there, it’s easy – people grow up & grow apart, so this is their farewell to the tradition. Drugs are taken, ridiculous situations ensue. Rogen didn’t write this, but there’s still plenty of jokes for him and his drug-addled self, even if he is playing the “responsible Dad” from Neighbours’, just with the night off. Lizzy Caplan needed more screen time and backstory, but it’s good to see Michael Shannon, Tracy Morgan & James Franco pop up.

A few great laugh out loud moments, particularly in the Midnight Mass scene, and some other chuckles throughout, but there’s not enough sustained hilarity, or heartfelt moments, even if the film gets there at the end. Not the worst Christmas film, but nor is it ‘Bad Santa’.

Overall: Solid Christmas adult comedy.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.   

Spectre (November 2015)

Official Australian release date: 12/11/15. Viewed: 13/11/15.

Director: Sam Mendes

Actors: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes

Genre: Action

Rating: M       

‘Spectre’ is the 24^th Bond film and Daniel Craig’s fourth – and final – outing as 007. Is not the best Bond, but nor is it the worst. It does play a lot on nostalgia and the villains/plots (Spectre) of the Moore/Connery eras. It has a lot of classic Bond attributes going for it: worldwide locations (Mexico, Italy, Austria, Morocco), great cars & car chases, plane/helicopter stunts, some sly humour, martinis, explosions and disobeying orders, but it also feels a little tired in places.

The plot does well to link in aspects of ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Quantum of Solace’ and ‘Skyfall’, but doesn’t really offer much of a driving force, as does Blofeld (Waltz)’s motive as the villain – it’s there, but poorly articulated and Waltz is not fully utilised as well as he could be, which is a shame, since we know he can be a great bad guy (‘Inglorious Basterds’ & ‘Django Unchained’). Swann (Seydoux) is also adequate, but never 100% convincing.

There’s probably too many “down”/slow moments in a 2 & a half hour film, but at times the score – or lack of, before it kicks back in – is excellent. Q (Whishaw) and M (Fiennes) are both good and get a bit more screen time than usual. The fight scenes are well done and there’s plenty of action, but I’m interested to see who the next Bond is – and hope they give us four or five years to anticipate it.

Overall: Does what a Bond film should.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.   

Bridge of Spies (October 2015)

Official Australian release date: 22/10/15. Viewed: 24/10/15.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Actors: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Scott Shepherd, Austin Stowell

Genre: Drama

Rating: M       

‘Bridge of Spies’ is an espionage thriller at its finest. It’s set in the late 50s & early 60s and certainly looks the part – I always love seeing the old cars driving around New York, looking classy. Starts off like any classic spy film, but then Abel (Rylance) is caught. In comes Donovan (Hanks), an insurance lawyer who is asked to defend Abel, so he can receive due legal practice. The first 45min or so is a good courtroom drama and moves along fast enough, with Hanks giving a few great speeches and making some solid points about what’s right and what’s best.

The movie really captures well the Cold War tension in America and what families would’ve gone through. It helps that this is the best film Spielberg has made in a few years and the best film Hanks has been in for a while. Once the movie turns into political chess, with an exchange of Abel for Powers (Stowell) in Berlin, the stakes are raised and there’s plenty of great subterfuge.

Hanks basically owns the film, with everyone having some good moments (especially Rylance, with his “would it help?”s), but he really plays a great everyman who stands up to both Germany, Russia & his own country (mostly portrayed by the CIA/Shepherd) for what is morally right and just, not just what is politically acceptable at the current time.

Overall: Really well made Cold War true story.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.   

The Martian (October 2015)

Official Australian release date: 1/10/15. Viewed: 2/10/15.

Director: Ridley Scott

Actors: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejifor

Genre: Action / Sci-Fi

Rating: M       

‘The Martian’ is based on Andy Weir’s excellent novel – one of my favourite books from last year. It’s a very simple concept – in the near-future, a manned-mission to Mars goes awry and Mark Watney (Damon) is presumed dead, as the rest of the team returns to Earth. However, rumours of Watney’s demise were exaggerated and he just manages to survive, only to be faced with the conundrum of how to stay alive on a freezing planet with almost no food, water or oxygen until he can be rescued?

It’s beautifully shot, with Jordan a good stand-in for Mars on most occasions, and the CGI doing the rest. And there’s obviously a few shots of Earth from space – always a great perspective to see. Scott directs well, with the pacing good, and time spread across the strong cast – Chastain, Peña, Mara, Stan and Hennie on the spaceship home; and Daniels, Ejifor, Bean and Wiig at NASA – showing how everyone involved deals with the initial tragedy and then attempted rescue mission(s).

However, the film belongs to Damon, who has to use all his charm and skills to make one man talking to a video journal interesting. The film’s possibly 15min or so too long, but luckily, it’s a great book & a good screenplay, so there’s plenty of levity to go along with the serious life-or-death/fingernail-chewing moments. Tense/great final 25min or so. Never quite reaches the heights of the book, but comes very close.

Overall: Great, realistic, space adventure.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.