When it comes to top-quality family films we really are being spoilt at the moment. Lucky us.
With Toy Story 5 still setting box office records across the globe’s cineplexes, along comes Minions & Monsters, the latest addition to the Despicable Me series, the world’s most successful animated film franchise.
This decidedly loopy adventure takes place in 1920s Hollywood on the brink of the sound era.
Having enjoyed fame in a series of monster movies, The Minions – those cute little yellow guys who speak fluent jibberish – go in search of a new super villain to serve.
But Henry and James, two new characters, want to make their own monster movie and find a star who turns out to be more monster than they expect.
We always appreciate it when filmmakers incorporate positive messages into movies for children but you’ll be hard pressed to find anything too deep and meaningful amidst all the glorious mayhem served up here.
It’s just flat-out fun.
Less so is Supergirl, the latest big-budget attempt to breath new life into the waning superhero genre.
Set mostly on faraway planets, we find Superman’s cousin Kara (Australian actress Milly Alcock) taking a break from her time on Earth (featured only in a few flashbacks) because the atmosphere negates the effects of alcohol, which she likes a lot.
When her dog Krypto is poisoned by intergalactic bad guy Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) she goes in hot pursuit, teaming up with Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a girl who wants to exact revenge on Krem for making her an orphan.
Though Alcock tries hard, Kara’s slacker attitude is tough to warm to and the action sequences all have the type of frenetic editing that quickly becomes tiring to watch.
A passable adventure, Supergirl has already been a box-office catastrophe, probably because too little of the action takes place on Earth. It might play better once it hits the stream.
Over at the arthouses, discover Glenrothan, a warm Scottish comedy-drama directed by veteran actor Brian Cox (Succession) in which he plays Sandy, the owner of a whiskey distillery who invites his estranged New Yorker brother Donal (Alan Cumming) to visit, hoping to repair the bond they had as teenagers.
The scenic Scottish Highlands are lovely and the performances strong, with Cumming proving especially good.
Anyone who has ever been to a dinner party that goes off the rails will relate to the goings on in The Invite, a biting relationship comedy about an intimate get-together that takes a series of unexpected turns.
It doesn’t help that the marriage between Angela (director Olivia Wilde) and Joe (Seth Rogen) is on the verge of collapse when their upstairs neighbours Pina (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) drop by.
Brimming with caustic banter and funny barbs, it’s a terrific four-hander designed for seasoned adults. (Opens 9 July)
And now, a Public Service Warning.
While bits of it are funny, Jackass: Best and Last is just too disgusting to recommend to anybody other than those who consider themselves diehard devotees of these extreme stuntmen who love torturing and humiliating each other.
Host and creator Johnny Knoxville again promises that this will be their final fling. Here’s praying he means it this time.
In the rather clever, rather salty romantic comedy Voicemails for Isabelle, San Francisco baker Jill (Zoey Deutch) copes with the loss of her beloved sister Isabelle (Ciara Bravo) by leaving private voice messages on her phone, which are being secretly picked up by Wes (Nick Robinson), a realtor.
Against his better judgement he uses the information to lure Jill into a rosy relationship, inevitably finding his growing love for her playing havoc with his conscience over the deception.
A very satisfying piece with a strong story and exceptionally energetic performances, the film is a real winner.
No surprise it’s ruling the roost on Netflix. Catch it.
For more visit jimschembri.com with updates on X at @jimschembri
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