Barbie
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae
Director: Greta Gerwig
Rating: PG
Synopsis: Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.
Reviews
“Barbie takes a ride from her dream house to reality as Little Women writer-director Greta Gerwig takes another cultural icon and lovingly subverts it.”
The Guardian
“…Barbie is uneven and the script could have used a lot more tightening up, however, it’s definitely a fun film to watch.”
City Hub Sydney
Oppenheimer
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: MA15+
Synopsis: The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Reviews
“Given Nolan’s preference for shooting on Imax 70mm film, the picture has a depth of detail you could drown in.”
The Guardian
“Christopher Nolan masterfully captures one of history’s defining figures.”
ABC News
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas
Director: James Mangold
Rating: M
Synopsis: Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission — not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Reviews
“The wise-cracking interaction between Cruise and Atwell has a nice, old-school screwball flavour”
The Guardian
“He’s still got it! Tom Cruise delivers action scenes of the year.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
The New Boy
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Aswan Reid, Deborah Mailman
Director: Warwick Thornton
Rating: M
Synopsis: Set in 1940s Australia, The New Boy is the story of a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy (Reid) who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery, run by a renegade nun (Blanchett), where his presence disturbs the delicately balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.
Reviews
“Aswan Reid delivers Australian cinema’s most impressive child performance for some time, as the titular youngster taken to an outback orphanage.”
The Guardian
“Amid the setting of a remote outback orphanage, Warwick Thorton takes on some big questions about God and the universe – but fails to answer them.”
The Australian Financial Review
Insidious: The Red Door
Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
Director: Patrick Wilson
Rating: M
Synopsis: The Lamberts must go deeper into The Further than ever before to put their demons to rest once and for all.
Reviews
“Patrick Wilson makes his directorial debut with a labored legacy sequel that should hopefully close the door on the long-running franchise.”
The Guardian
“Insidious: The Red Door is one that we should shut and deadbolt closed!”
The AU Review
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas
Director: James Mangold
Rating: M
Synopsis: Get ready for the return of the legendary hero, Indiana Jones, in the fifth instalment of this beloved swashbuckling series of films. Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artefact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Reviews
“There’s still much to dig about the octogenarian archeologist as he teams up with Phoebe Waller-Bridge to re-defeat the Nazis.”
The Guardian
“And, you’ve likely never cried before in an Indiana Jones movie, but Dial of Destiny might very well be the one where you do.”
Cinemablend
Elemental
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie Del Carmen
Director: Peter Sohn
Rating: PG
Synopsis: The film journeys alongside an unlikely pair, Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The fiery young woman and the go-with-the-flow bloke are about to discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.
Reviews
“Decent family entertainment set in the city of four elements, with a message of acceptance in bricks of colour and concepts as if originated via algorithm.”
The Guardian
“The movie begs for a kaleidoscope of colour and duly delivers big time. The picture is glorious to look at. The animators have done a fabulous job bringing Element City to life. More than that, the film has charm, pizzazz and spirit. It’s a good one for parents to take their little ones to.”
The Blurb
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Rating: PG
Synopsis: Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.
Reviews
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is at once an emotionally complex character study, whilst serving as affectionate tribute to the visual ingenuity that has been put forth in creating the comic series over the years. It’s so optically fascinating that, even at 140 minutes, you’ll never be lost for sumptuousness.”
The AU Review
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse does not compromise or dilute its soul. It leans full-tilt into its zaniness.”
news.com.au
The Flash
Cast: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
Director: Andy Muschietti
Rating: M
Synopsis: Barry Allen gets struck by a bolt of lightning, mate, and thus, an extraordinary power is born inside him: The Speed Force. When he uses this power to run back in time and save his mother, he creates a world without heroes and General Zod has returned. To defeat him, his only hope rests in the hands of a retired Batman, another Barry, and an imprisoned Kryptonian.
Reviews
“Succeeding in spite of its own imperfections, The Flash conjures enough awe, emotion, humour and visual wonder to earn its place amongst the upper echelons of its genre.”
The AU Review
“That emotional journey with a handful of authentically affecting scenes elevates The Flash above its many compatriots.”
news.com.au
The Little Mermaid
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy
Director: Rob Marshall
Rating: PG
Synopsis: The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, Ariel is a beaut and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. Longing to find out more about the world beyond the sea, Ariel visits the surface and falls for the dashing Prince Eric. Following her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to experience life on land.
Reviews
“Sure, the waterworks are impressive but it’s Bailey’s presence and voice that steals the show in this Disney live-action remake.”
ScreenHub Australia
“If you’re a fan of the animated Little Mermaid, this remake isn’t about to replace the original in your affection. But – and I know this might come as a shock – not everything is made for you. For some kids, it may just be their new favourite thing, and a film that opens them up to a world of cinema, music, and fantasy.”
ABC News
