Inside Out 2: Disney+ Review

Cast: Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Phyllis Smith, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Ayo Edebiri
Director: Kelsey Mann

Inside Out 2's central message will be no surprise to anyone.

Chiefly that you need a whole range of emotions to be who you are and function on a daily basis - it's not rocket science at all. 

And yet, the execution of this animated sequel to Pixar's phenomenally successful 2015 outing proves to be sweetly surprising and innately funny as it churns its story out.

Riley is now 13 and despite Joy's best attempts to keep her on an even keel, puberty is just around the corner, spinning Riley's world - and subsequently Joy and her emotional friends - into utter chaos.

As Riley hits those difficult years, she finds herself experiencing a whole new range of emotions - chiefly among those Anxiety, whose arrival causes internal upheaval for Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.

With a few throwaway laugh-out-loud lines, some smart gags and basically an updating of the Inside Out journey from 2015, Inside Out 2 manages to be both a clever exploration of the internal turmoil of teenagers and the insecurities of life in general.

It's fair to say it doesn't hit the emotional heights of the first, but in among the caper elements, there's a large degree of sentimentality that hits targets here, rather than overwhelming proceedings. And it's also fair to say that of the original emotions, most - except Joy - are largely confined to the sidelines in favour of Maya Hawke's newcomer Anxiety.

But Pixar knows how to keep the magic going.

With bright, tight animation to hurry the script along and a universally relatable story, Inside Out 2 offers thoughtful and engaging family entertainment that may provoke a few discussions afterwards. A deeply enjoyable experience led by a shining Poehler and Hawke, this is in some ways, a do-over of their first success, but no-less a fun movie to revel in.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Review

There's a distinct Amblin-esque flavour to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, a family-led romp through a galaxy far, far away.

Focusing on Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), a kid whose schooling is taking a backseat to his love of adventuring, this latest trek into the Star Wars world is set in a time of piracy in the hyperspace corridor and post the fall of the Empire.

When Wim stumbles across what he believes is a Jedi temple in the woods on the way to his school, he - along with a group of friends and frenemies end up lost on an adventure they'd not expected.

There's an innocence to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew that's sweet and not too cloying to make this a family-style watch that would appeal to fans who adored the Ewoks world. That's not to say it's annoying, more that in its format, it zips along with a pace that's likely to engage some and enrage others.

From a blue-skinned elephant type creature Neel that's Wim's classmate in dreaming - and is the more uptight of the pair - to two girls that accidentally fall into the romp too, the kids are alright in this series.

Things come alive a little when Jude Law's charismatic and ambiguous character Jod Na Nawood arrives and the danger levels step up. There are elements of his character in Peter Pan and Wendy that Law mines for this - but there's a great deal of charm and raffishness that Law provides on screen and it's an enticing, intriguing proposition that he provides. (Though over the course of three episodes which were provided for review, there are more questions than answers).

But the children are also good bedfellows for this adventure. The friendship between Neel and Wim is adorably cute and relatable for both parents and younger viewers. And the slight friction between the girls Fern and KB and the boys is also highly familiar.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew stays just the right side of family-friendly fare, set in an overly familiar world. Whilst there's just the right amount of setup for the adventure, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew offers an intriguing course into the middle ground of family entertainment. Not too babyish for some and not too terrifying to alienate others, the clever combination of the avuncular but mysterious Law with a bunch of kids proves to be the kind of catnip that perhaps the franchise has hitherto been missing.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premieres on Disney+. Three episodes of the show's eight were made available for review.

Win a double pass to see Sonic The Hedgehog 3 in cinemas 

To celebrate the release of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 in cinemas, you can win a double pass thanks to Paramount Pictures New Zealand!

About Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before.

With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is in cinemas December 26th.

Borderlands: Blu Ray Review

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon
Director: Eli Roth

It's easy to see why the Borderlands movie has been so widely mocked.

It's the paper-thin story of a mercenary Lilith (played with ennui by Blanchett) who takes on the job of tracking down Tina (Greenblatt), the errant daughter of the owner of the Atlas corporation (Ramirez) at his request.

But when Lilith heads to the planet Pandora, she finds Tina is in the company of Roland (Hart) and Krieg (Munteanu) and determined to stop Tina falling back into the wrong hands.

Essentially true to the 2K game's aesthetics, much of Borderlands feels like it's reverential to its origins - and even Blanchett is having a blast as the flame-haired sharpshooter as she moves from one encounter to the next. Even Black's OTT hyperactive delivery as Claptrap, the robot more likely to shoot its mouth than a gun follows the game's roots.

However, where Borderlands the movie falls short is in a little of its dynamics and narrative.

Granted not every video game adaptation should be The Last Of Us grime and grit, but a lack of chemistry and depth within the team doesn't help matters.

Hart's soldier and Munteanu's beefed up wrestler type are reduced to mere stereotypes and one-liners - it's never entirely clear why Roland has taken on this quest to protect Tina from Atlas - and as the film continues, it becomes a regular frustration in among the bloodless gun-slinging and destruction just how surface level some of the main characters are.

More successful is Blanchett's gunslinger-for-hire who absorbs the wearied approach of her character and clearly has fun playing the basic part to the hilt.

It's perhaps maddening that Borderlands doesn't hit more of the highs than it should - it's frustrating to think the ragtag group of misfits would be compared to Guardians of the Galaxy's group (and the film's more acceptable behaviour) - but in truth, it's a comparison it brings upon itself with thanks to feeling underdeveloped for a 100 minute CGI-led escapade.

But Borderlands isn't as bad as they'd have you say - with its adherence to its game roots and its execution thereof, it feels like the perfect adaptation. However, it falls apart as you realise what it could have been if the script and the characters had been a little more polished and rounded.

What's on DocPlay in December

Here's What's on DocPlay in December.

The Bibi Files, The Stones and Brian Jones, Gulag: The Story, and Teaches of Peaches: discover extraordinary documentary films and series coming exclusively to DocPlay in December.

Gulag: The Story  •  2 Dec  •  Exclusive

This landmark 3-part series tells the little-known history of the Gulag, the notorious Soviet concentration camp.

The Missing Heiress  •  5 Dec  •  Exclusive

When casino heiress Agnes Le Roux went missing in 1977, all eyes turned to her divorce lawyer-turned-lover. The new, bingeable true crime series The Missing Heiress covers the evidence at the time, from mysterious family drama and the 1970s Nice casino war, to business competition with the mob.

The Bibi Files  •  12 Dec  •  Exclusive

Fresh from a World Premiere screening at DocNYC in November, the riveting feature documentary The Bibi Files offers an incisive look at the corruption of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

The Stones and Brian Jones  •  16 Dec  •  Exclusive

Renowned documentarian Nick Broomfield uncovers the true story of Brian Jones, the creative force and heartbreaker behind one of the world’s greatest bands - The Rolling Stones.

Teaches of Peaches  •  30 Dec  •  Exclusive

Celebrate the world of gender-punk icon Peaches in this audacious Teddy Award–winning documentary.