Ford v Ferrari Movie Rating 9.5 out of 10 Family Rating Mild swearing, Adult themes but if your children are into car racing they will love it Cast Matt Damon (Bourne Identity, The Martian) Christian Bale (Vice, Batman movies) Catriona Balfe (Outlander) Ray Mckinnon (The Blind Side) I am not a racing car fan. When Bathurst is on I will flick across every now and again and maybe watch the last half hour if it is close. I will only check the Formula 1 results to see how Daniel Riccardo is going. So when the car racing movie, Ford v Ferrari, was released with a running time of 2.5 hours I questioned whether it would hold my interest. Much like the Le Mans 24 hour car race that this story is based on, the length of the movie draws you to the exciting and heart-wrenching end. Ford v Ferrari, is the best serious buddy movie since Shawshank Redemption. (No Dumb and Dumber does not count). It is based on the true story of how the Ford motor company takes on the brilliance of Ferrari to capture the coveted Le Mans 24 hour race title back in 1966. The characters of Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) are likable from the start and the relationship they develop, with all its challenges, creates a team to rival Redford and Newman from the early '70s. There are really two battles going on during the film. The movies' name explains the battle for international race car supremacy between the massive Ford empire and the family-run Ferrari who had ruled the racetrack up until this time. The line from the movie ' Ford produces more cars in a day than Ferrari build in a year' best differentiates the philosophy of these rivals. However, there is an even more telling struggle as independent-minded Shelby and Miles bash heads against the corporate-minded Ford executives. The race scenes are genuinely amazing as you experience not only the speed but also the dangerous conditions in which these drivers made their living, and sometimes their death. These cars were reaching speeds of 300km per hour but had no roll cages and drivers had only just begun to wear flame-retardant suits. The basic safety barriers were bales of hay and the crowds virtually positioned themselves along the edge of this street circuit. The Le Mans 24 hour is literally a race that goes for 24 hours where the driving responsibilities are shared by two drivers to each vehicle. Ken Miles was a British born racer that moved to America and developed a working relationship with Carroll Shelby. Shelby was famous for being the first American to win Le Mans and later as the designer of the Cobra and Mustang. These two shared a special love of cars which saw them come up with…

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - Goosebumps for grownups. Movie Rating 7 out of 10 Family Rating - Scary creatures, suspenseful scenes with jump scares, schoolyard swearing, gruesome endings. The problem with a lot of films advertised as 'horror' is that they can't maintain the suspense for the entire length of the movie. Many stories begin with a good idea but either go way off track or finish with a whimper or without making sense. 'Scary Stories....' is not one of them. Targeted to a young adult audience, the movie focusses on a group of nerdy school friends who take Halloween to a new level by pursuing an urban legend at their local haunted house. The story goes that a young girl was imprisoned by her rich family in a mansion and treated very badly. While locked inside, neighbourhood children would come to the walls of the house and listen as she told scary stories to them. The legend goes that those who listened to her stories were never seen again. Having accepted the challenge to go into the home, an unexpected find has a horrifying impact on the group and those they come in contact with. Zoe Margaret Colleti plays the lead role of Stella, who is fascinated with horror stories. Together with her friends Auggie and Chuck they are targeted for their looks and quirky behaviour. They are joined by Ramon, who is a newcomer to the town with a secret of his own. None of these actors was known to me before seeing this movie but they did a good job in developing characters I recognised from my youth. As the title of the film implies Scary Stories are told that feature the teenagers and their friend. Each story spotlights a personal fear and plays out as a living nightmare with varied outcomes. If you have an aversion for scarecrows, spiders, blobs, big toes or other disturbing creatures from your imagination be prepared to hide behind your hands during some scenes. While not a classic, I enjoyed this movie as it kept the suspense up throughout, was not afraid to sacrifice some cast to a gruesome end but most importantly finished strongly. For those of you who tell me that they don't like horror movies and so haven't attended one for a while, I would recommend that you try this one when it comes to Netflix or Stan. Whether you are creeped out by a suspenseful scene or jump at an unexpected moment there is a great thrill in being a little bit scared. This movie makes being scared fun again.

Dora the Explorer - Fun for all the family Movie Review 8 amigo's out of 10 Family Rating There is nothing in here to stop anyone from watching Last week three generations of the Duffus family celebrated our son's birthday by going to watch this genuinely entertaining movie. The characters will be familiar to all those who watched the animated series of the same name, as children or with their children, from 2000 on. Dora and Diego, Boots, Backpack, Map and of course Swiper. Dora, who is now a teenager, is played by the very talented young actress, Isabel Moner (Instant Family). Still rocking a bowl haircut, Dora has to leave the jungle for the city where she is reunited with her cousin, Diego. Adjusting to suburban life is difficult for this native girl and the first couple of scenes address the challenges of being different and how to deal with it. While Dora is away, her parents go missing while searching for an ancient Incan city of Gold. A kidnapping takes Dora and three school friends back to the jungle where they race against the evil villains to rescue her parents.  The four teenagers learn how to work together and trust in each other with Dora's perky nature lifting them to achieve things they had never imagined. Throughout the movie, the characters reflect their animated characters, with asides to the audience, a fascination with pronouncing words in Spanish and of course keeping the treasures away from Swiper. Our granddaughter was entertained throughout by the antics of Boots the monkey and the fart and poo jokes which had her laughing out loud. There is nothing innovative or ground-breaking in the story or production but it is so refreshing to have a movie that kids from 8 to 80 can watch together and enjoy. With school holidays upon us, this is the one movie that you should take the time to see.

Ad Astra - to the stars and back? Movie Rating 7 stars out of 10 Family Rating It is an adult drama but has limited coarse language and some violence. I would not recommend it for children as it is slow-moving and driven by adult themes. After watching so many Marvel movies I was looking forward to Ad Astra as it was noted as a film with a slower pace and more thought-provoking than the smash and bash of recent months. The film is very much a vehicle for Brad Pitt who is Roy McBride, accomplished astronaut, who is seen to have a passion for space that is stronger than all other relationships. We learn that Roy's love of the planets and beyond comes from his famous father Clifford, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who led Lima Project group to Neptune seeking life beyond our own galaxy. However, no one has heard from the expedition for many years. When a mysterious power surge hits the earth with devastating effect, Roy is enlisted to assist as it is believed that the surge has been generated from the outskirts of the galaxy. Having proven himself as a talented astronaut and sharing a link with his father he is sent on a mission to find the source of the power surge and to nullify any future damage. To achieve this he has to travel to the moon, then Mars and on towards the last planet of the solar system (we all know that this is really Pluto!!). It is understood that space travel has many perils and Roy has a number of these to contend with, but this movie is not a high action sci-fi story of the Star Trek variety. Brad Pitt is very much the centre of the film and spends much of it alone with his thoughts. The story is conveyed through Roy's voiceovers as he ponders his relationship with the Universe and the lack of relationship that he had with his father, who he idolised but also never really knew. As the film progresses he struggles with his own beliefs as he grows to understand the real intent of his mission. The musical score is hauntingly beautiful and there is a calming effect as you watched Roy travel through space. At the same time, the tension builds towards a conclusion that you sense will not be a happy ending. In playing Roy McBride, I saw glimpses in Brad Pitt of a middle-aged Robert Redford but I don't believe Pitt has the charisma to hold the story together. Tommy Lee Jones, as Clifford McBride, struggles to portray, with any real depth, the role of a man who's soul is broken so badly by what he discovers that he loses all hope in humanity. As a film about space travel, Ad Astra's tone is reminiscent of…

Toy Story 4 Movie Rating 8 out of 10 Family Rating A great movie for fans of all ages In 1995 Toy Story was made as the first full-length CGI feature and established Pixar as the leader in animated films ever since. Four years later came Toy Story 2, another 11 years before Toy Story 3 and finally the end of the series with Toy Story 4. I hope that no one got paid the big bucks to come up with names for these movies. There would not be too many people out there who don't know about the friendship between cowboy Woody and spaceman Buzz Lightyear and their loyalty to their child, Andy. In the original movie, we came to know Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Slinky, Rex, Barbie and Hamm, all of whom made up the strange band of toys who join in Buzz and Woody's adventures. In Toy Story 2 Jessie and Bullseye join the crew. Everyone has their favourites with a great rift between the Woody fans and the Buzz Lightyear fans just like Vampires v Werewolves fans in the Twilight series. Maybe not but we still all have our personal favourites. One of the themes that carry through all the Toy Story movies is the knowledge in the background that the toys will someday no longer be a key part of their owner's life and what will become of them. Andy has gone to college and his younger sister Molly is too old for the toys. At the end of Toy Story 3, the toys become the property of Bonnie who was one of the children at the daycare centre. Having been luckily passed on through three children, Toy Story 4 deals with the situation of becoming a 'lost toy' or a toy without an owner. This movie introduces some fun new characters who add a lot more comedy to the story. Bonnie's craftwork from school, Forky, is mortified when he finds that he is alive and a toy when all he wants to be is trash. This adventure centres on Woody's attempts to keep Bonnie happy by ensuring that Forky is always there for her. In the meantime, he runs into his old romantic flame, Bo-Peep, who was given away during an earlier movie. As per recent Hollywood movies, Bo-Peep comes across as the independent woman and helps Woody realise his new role in life. In addition to Forky, we meet Giggles McDimples, Ducky and Bunny, Duke Caboom, Gabby Gabby and some frightening ventriloquist dolls If you really love the Toy Story series then let me advise you to bring some tissues as this is the final adventure for the group. During the last ten minutes, I heard numerous patrons shed a tear as the 24-year saga came to a satisfying end. With the school holidays coming up then…

Men in Black: International - Those sunglasses just aren't cool anymore. Movie Rating 6 out of 10 Family Rating: Sci-fi violence, low-level coarse language When is a Men in Black movie not a Men in Black Movie? When it doesn't have Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in it. The original Men in Black was amazing and established great chemistry between Agents J and K. It was so successful that not only did everyone see the movie but they learnt the choreography to the MIB theme song. MIB II and III still carried some of the strengths as the original but did not have the same impact so it was not unusual to see the franchise try a whole new angle with MIB: International. Replacing Smith and Jones are Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and Agent M (Tess Thompson) who had worked together in Thor: Ragnarok. Once again it is the rookie teaming up with an established agent in their attempts to save the world. The setting for this movie is London where MIB has established an international branch led by Agent High T (Liam Neeson) When an alien arrives on Earth, carrying an enormously powerful weapon MIB unsuccessfully protect him and it becomes obvious that there is a mole within the MIB organisation. From here the story is fairly predictable with clues set to point you in the wrong direction before all is revealed, an hour after most of the audience has worked it out. The CGI was very poor for what you would expect from this big a franchise and the whole feel of the movie was that not much money was spent on its production. While Thompson and Hemsworth work well together I found the Agent H character very annoying as his ego and outlandish behaviour was more like a James Bond spoof rather than what you would expect from a MIB agent. Another sign that the story would not carry the movie was the inclusion of the alien sidekick, Pawny. This little character, voices by Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) attaches himself to Agent M and adds the little humour there is to the story. The other favourable cameo was Emma Thompson as the MIB Director Agent O. She came across as the one true MIB operative. Men in Black: International isn't bad enough that you will want to neuralize yourself after watching it but I would be surprised if the franchise continues.

Aladdin - Enjoy a whole new world with a story you already know. Movie Rating - 8 out of 10. Family Rating - This movie is entirely suitable for all. A true Disney standard from the past. This is exactly the same story as the Robin Williams animated movie and very similar to the amazing stage play that we saw in Sydney last year. So after two successful tellings why see another version? To be honest, I wasn't going to make the effort to see it but Jene agreed to come along and I couldn't turn that offer down. So with little expectation, we went to last night's premiere showing. There were only about 30 people in the theatre so I guess very few others had caught the vision either. I don't know if it was because there has been so much tension and despair arising from the recent election campaign but I really really enjoyed this movie. As I mentioned earlier there are no new plots or characters but it had a great sense of fun and entertainment that you couldn't help but be lifted by the experience. The choice of Will Smith as the Genie was questioned and I wondered how anyone could outdo Robin Williams but he played the role as Will Smith and brought his own character to the part. The lead characters in Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott were what you would expect from a Disney family movie but had good chemistry and were very likable. Marwan Kenzari plays a mean Jafar and the CGI characters of Abu and Iago are aimed to entertain the kids so don't expect Marvel quality. Let me just say it again that even though this is just another version of Aladdin both Jene and I really enjoyed. There were some corny comedy, mostly from the animals, and schmaltzy romance but enough to make you laugh or utter an "Awwww' when Aladdin and Jasmine finally hook up. And of course there is the soundtrack which is nothing new or extra exciting but I extend to everyone the challenge of leaving the cinema and then not singing lines from 'A whole new world. I was singing it during the movie, again through the credits and all the way home. I am already feeling sorry for my work colleagues who will hear it for the rest of the week. If you are looking for something to lift your spirits or just want to go to the movies for old fashioned entertainment this is a great film to take all the family to see and every one of them will find something to enjoy.

Shazam! The magic word for teenage entertainment Movie Rating 8 out of 10 Family rating It has an M rating with mild swearing, some disturbing gargoyle-like creatures that cause harm to humans, and superhero violence. Equivalent type movies would be Goonies or Poltergeist. With DC continually falling short of Marvel movies for entertainment, they have created Shazam to bring some fun back to the franchise. The movie is still about superheroes and of course super villains but does not come with DC's usually dark and grimy undertones. It has a good young cast, contains juvenile humour and is much more appealing than most of their stories and is suitable for older families. It carries themes that many youth/young adults can relate to such as being different, dealing with bullying behaviour, broken families and learning to deal with growing up. The story revolves around a teenage boy, Billy Batson, who has been through numerous foster homes after becoming separated from his single mother. In his efforts to locate his mother he falls foul of the police and is taken into custody and reassigned to another family. This household consists of five other foster children, each dealing with their own issues. However, Billy becomes friends with one of the boys, Freddy, who deals with a disability by being annoying to everyone. At the same time, there is an old wizard who has been given the task of keeping the supernatural bad guys under control. However, he is getting too old and is seeking a pure-hearted person to pass his powers on to. He is continually interviewing potential candidates but they have all failed the test that would qualify them for the power. One of these unsuccessful candidates is Thaddeus Sivana, who then does everything to obtain the power of the Wizard Shazam. Dr Sivana releases the seven deadly sins and as Shazam is nearing his end he recruits Billy to be the keeper of the power. This is done by calling out the word Shazam which turns Billy into an adult superhero. The movie then deals with Billy learning what superpowers he has as well as learning to act like the adult that he now looks. The adult Shazam is played with a childish innocence by Zachary Levi. The rest of the movie explores what can happen when someone acquires power without knowing how to use it, how it impacts on friendships and how to use it for the benefit of others rather than for selfish reasons. While watching the film I had the sense of seeing this before and in many ways, it is similar to 'Big' in which Tom Hanks becomes an adult overnight, or 30 Something with Jennifer Garner doing the same. In this movie, though Billy is able to change from a teenager into a superhero and back again by using the magic…

Instant Family will bring the family together. Movie Rating 8 out of 10 Family Rating It is rated PG but does have some coarse language Recently there have been too few movies that I have been able to recommend for families to watch together but Instant Family fits the bill. It is a movie for families that addresses what makes a family and how we all want to be part of one. The story centres on a married couple, Pete and Ellie Wagner (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) who in their late 30's recognise that they have missed their prime for having children. Instead, they consider adopting and thus begins a story that puts the foster/adoption programme on display. The movie begins with Ellie and Pete attending an 8-week training programme run by Karen (Octavia Spencer) and Sharon (Tig Notaro) who bring some comedy to this phase with their diametrically opposed training techniques. Next stage is meeting their foster children, yes multiple, Lizzie, Juan and Lita with their various characteristics and traits. Without giving too much away we then follow their journey as they try to become a 'normal' family. For those who are a little older, this movie has an 'Uncle Buck' feel to it that has the right mix of comedy and tenderness. There were many scenes in which I laughed out loud as the characters acted out just as many familiar members of my own family. There were cringe-worthy 'foot in mouth' moments that we can appreciate as something our partner, our parents or unfortunately ourselves would say. As with any family, but possibly more with a blended family, there is the awkwardness of establishing boundaries, relationships and trust and of course the horrible fear of rejection or failure that at times will dog us. There is a large supporting cast of family members and other parents going through the adoption process that all help the movie to share its message. From the adult sibling rivalries and involvement of parents/grandparents, through to the reality of being sometimes relieved that others are coping even worse than yourself, this has at least a couple of scenarios that we can all relate to. Instant Family may be seen by some as a sugar-coated tale that glosses over the many challenges facing both children and adults in the foster/adoption programs. However, I felt that it shared with the audience some of the hardships that have to be overcome and the overwhelming joy that can come to those who face these challenges and are willing to stick it out. to the end.  

Movie Rating 8 out of 10 Family Rating Adult Themes, Violence, some coarse language M Night Shyamalan started his directing his career with the incredible The Sixth Sense, then in 2000 came Unbreakable with Bruce Willis in the lead. Since then, many of his films failed to register with audiences, Signs, The Village, The Happening and then he went from poor to awful with The Last Airbender and After Earth. His career looked at an end until he went back to his roots and made the amazing Split, with James McAvoy and this last piece of the trilogy, 20 years in the making, Glass. While Unbreakable and Split can be watched without knowing the full story, I would recommend that you watch both of these before seeing Glass. If you haven't seen the first two there may be some spoilers ahead but not the outcomes of each movie so I hope it encourages you to see them rather than puts you off. Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis tells the story of David Dunn, the sole survivor of a major train crash, who becomes the obsession of Elijah Price, Samuel L Jackson, who is a brilliant man but has a condition that has weakened his bone structure so that they will break under the slightest pressure. Price confronts Dunn and tells him that he believes that he is a superhero who has a role to play in helping others. This movie has a real twist at the end that I will not reveal. Split is the story of a man, James McAvoy, who has 24 distinct personalities. He has kidnapped 3 young girls and the movie goes through how each of the personalities interrelates, with some trying to save the girls while others welcome the arrival of the personality known as the Beast. James McAvoy is amazing as he revolves through so many characters, who refer to their collective self as the Horde, each with its own voice and characteristics. The film plays out as a stand-alone story until the very last scene where Split and Unbreakable become linked. So this is a long build-up to my review on Glass. This movie focuses on the character of Elijah Price, from the Unbreakable movie. Dr Ellie Staple, Sarah Paulson, brings Dunn, the Horde and Price together in a program designed to reform people who believe that they may have superhuman powers to see that they are just normal. While none of them is the standard superheroes/villains of Marvel status they believe that they have significant powers which are brought into question by the doctor's treatment. The film has continual twists and without adding any spoilers we find out at the end who has been manipulating who. The three main actors in Bruce Willis, James McAvoy and Samuel Jackson, play their roles brilliantly and the film becomes a real…