Death of a Unicorn: Movie Review

Cast: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Tea Leoni, Richard E Grant, Will Poulter
Director: Alex Scharfman

A creature feature that lacks a little bite, Death Of A Unicorn's attempts at satire and scathing social commentary fall somewhat by the wayside as the film abandons it all for a schlocky horror fest.

Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play Elliot and Ridley, an estranged father-daughter duo who are thrust into a weekend away at Elliot's prospective boss, Odell Leopold (a greagrious Richard E Grant).

But on the journey to their destination, Elliot hits a unicorn, severely maiming it. As Ridley tries to persuade him against killing the creature, she bonds with it, getting access to a seeming cosmic connection.

Unsure of what to do with the creature, they bundle it into their car and head to the Leopold's estate. However, when the creature comes back to life, the ailing Leopold decides to kill it for its healing powers - and begins plotting to sell it off to the highest bidder, horrifying Ridley...

Death Of A Unicorn has some edges, but they're not enough to keep proceedings going.

Some extremely weak CGI very early on nearly full derails proceedings, leading to a feeling the film's flawed in extremis, despite a soulful performance from Ortega, a restrained one from Rudd as a father looking to reconnect and a scene-stealing one from Poulter.

But the film feels unsure which way it wants to go, meshing stalker violence with satirical silliness.

That's not to say there aren't moments of vicarious pleasure and laugh-out-loud black humour.

Poulter's garish young heir - complete with white shorts that steal the show - is a blast, and he's clearly having fun playing the most ghastly of characters throughout. Yet the fim's penchant for trying too much to tread the line between genres leaves it feeling neither here nor there.

It's a hard line to walk for comedy-horror, but with either side not strong enough to take the lead (and despite Anthony Carrigan's comedy as Griff and a rarely seen ass-kicking character played by Jessica Hynes), the cheaper edges of the whole thing leaves it feeling more meh than completely essential, sadly.

The Penguin Lessons: Movie Review

Cast: Steve Coogan, Jonathan Pryce, Alfonsina Carrocio

Director: Peter Cattaneo

Based on a true story and memoir by Tom Michell, The Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo's The Penguin Lessons is about as sentimental and crowd-pleasing as they come - but as to how much that will gel with you or grate depends largely on your tolerance for gentle storytelling and gradual reveals.

Coogan underplays the role of Michell, who's come to 1976 Argentina to teach at an exclusive all-boys school. Getting out of the taxi, his shoes are sprayed with paint flicked by a caretaker painting over anti-government graffiti. Making a joke with the school head master (played with prissiness by Jonathan Pryce), it's clear which side of the ledger Michell's on - and collision is inevitable.

But before the movie heads into the familiar, there's a detour where Michelle heads to Uruguay and in a misguided attempt to woo a woman, he rescues a penguin from an oil slick. When his paramour abandons him, saddling with him with his paraffin-infused featered friend, Michell has no choice but to take it back to the school - and use it as a tool to engage his disinterested class.

Part Dead Poets Society, part animal cuteness, this all-gentle film is not without its charms.

Scenes of revolution barely enter proceedings, bubbling away as they do in the background; this is not a film concerned with the politics of the time, merely shadowy governmental figures who snatch naysayers from the streets, while wearing trenchcoats and sunglasses. 

But Cattaneo's less interested in harsher edges, adopting a softer approach to proceedings and ensuring a more broad approach that pulls in audiences, rather than alienate them.

Coogan's affable enough - even though there are traces of Alan Partridge sayings creepings through in some of the dialogue - but he's not quite strong enough to make us care in the way that a stronger-written character would be. Equally Pryce's headmaster seems like he's on a collision course with Michell, but even that falters out into the inevitable, with tension being replaced by a ticking off.

The Penguin Lessons is family-friendly enough fare, but a lack of bite given the film's background feels slightly like a betrayal. However, if you're after an unchallenging night out that has a warmth that's hard to ignore, this low key charmer could be exactly what you're searching for.

What's on Shudder in April

Here’s everything that’s streaming on Shudder in April.

825 Forest Road – Shudder Original Film New Film Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and  AMC+ Friday 4 April 

From the creator of the Hell House LLC franchise,  Stephen Cognetti, the film centers on Chuck Wilson starting a new life after a family tragedy when he moves  to the town of Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Elizabeth. But he quickly discovers that the town has a dark secret. The ghost of Helen Foster has  terrorised residents for decades, since her own suicide back in the ‘40s. Finding Helen’s old home is key  to ending the hauntings, but the address they have doesn’t match any of the town’s existing streets. When  Chuck realises his family might be in danger of Helen’s wrath, he takes it upon himself to locate 825 Forest  Road before it’s too late. 

Shadow of God – Shudder Original Film New Film Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and  AMC+ Friday 11 April  

When several of his fellow Vatican exorcists are  simultaneously killed, Father Mason Harper returns to his childhood home to spend time with childhood friend while he awaits orders from the Church.  However, this small town holds dark secrets about Mason's past and the religious organisation once run by  his father, Angus. Thought dead, Angus reappears, forcing a reunion between father and son. But Angus  is different now, and before long, Mason suspects he’s possessed, not by the devil, but by something…  holy. When Mason attempts to exorcise the presence from his father, he sets off a chain of events that  may end in a cataclysm of biblical proportions testing everything he holds sacred. 

Dead Mail – Shudder Original Film

New Film Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ Friday 18 April 

On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him. The note makes its way to the desk of Jasper, a seasoned ‘dead letter’ investigator at a 1980s midwestern post  office. As he begins to piece together the letter’s origins, it leads him down a violent, unforeseen path to a kidnapped keyboard engineer and his eccentric business associate. 

Fréwaka – Shudder Original Film

Film Premieres Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+  Friday 25 April 

Irish folk horror from Aislinn Clarke (The Devil’s Doorway) follows home care worker Shoo, who is sent to a remote village to care for an agoraphobic woman who fears the neighbors as much as she fears the Na Sídhe  — sinister entities who she believes abducted her decades before. As the two develop a strangely deep connection, Shoo is consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals and superstitions, eventually  confronting the horrors from her own past. 

NEW ADDITIONS TO SHUDDER’S FILM LIBRARY 1 April 

Hostile Dimensions 

Two documentary filmmakers travel through alternate dimensions to uncover the truth about a graffiti  artist who has vanished.  

Last Straw  

A smalltown killing spree lands on the doorstep of a rural diner, where a young waitress must fight for  her life over the course of one long night.  

Eaten Alive (1976) 

Psychotic redneck Judd owns a dilapidated hotel in rural East Texas, where he murders people who  upset him or his business, and then feeds their remains to his large pet crocodile in the swamp beside  his hotel.  

The Wind 

A plains-woman faces the harshness and isolation of the untamed land in the Western frontier of the  late 1800s.  

House of the Devil 

In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that  coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realises her clients harbour a terrifying secret, putting  her life in mortal danger.  

2 April

Repulsion (1965) 

A withdrawn manicurist who disapproves of her sister’s boyfriend sinks into depression and  experiences horrific visions of violence.  

7 April 

Long Weekend (2013) 

A teenager disappears after spending the night locked inside a haunted sanctuary. 

Road Games 

A laid-back American truck driver in south Australia begins to suspect that a man driving a green van  is killing young women along his route, which evolves into a game of cat-and-mouse to catch him. 

14 April 

In Flames 

After the death of a family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart.  They must find the strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to  engulf them.  

Chain Reaction (2006) 

A group of convicts and a doctor seek refuge from the authorities in a lodge deep in the wood, but  their weird inhabitants are not friendly.  

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane 

A 13-year-old girl who lives with her absentee father befriends a disabled teenage amateur magician  and invites him, gradually, into her tenuous struggle against a predatory local neighbour.  

Doomwatch 

The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat  fish caught in those waters become deformed and violent.  

16 April 

Knife in the Water 

A couple pick up a hitchhiker on the way to their yacht. The husband invites the young man to come  over along for their day’s sailing. As the voyage progresses, the antagonism between the two men  grows. A violent confrontation is inevitable.  

21 April 

Timecrimes 

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself  will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.  

Dr. Terrors House of Horrors 

Aboard a British train, mysterious fortune teller Dr. Schreck uses tarot cards to read the futures of five  fellow passengers.  

Mufasa: The Lion King: Disney+ Movie Review

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Mads Mikkelsen
Director: Barry Jenkins

Disney continues its push to remove the magic of its iconic characters by filling in backstory where there was no need in their latest release.

If you ever wondered how Mufasa became king, how Scar got his scar, how Raffiki found his stick or - believe it or not - how the rock was born where Mufasa roared over his kingdom, well you're in luck with Mufasa: The Lion King.

Whether or not you consider that luck largely depends on how keen you are to dive back into the live-animated world of Simba et al.

Forced to babysit cub Kiara while Nala and Simba disappear, Timon and Pumbaa are regaled by Raffiki's tale of how Mufasa and Scar, then known as Taka, came to be friends and frenemies 

Separated from his family by a flood, Mufasa (Pierre) finds himself lost until he's taken in by Taka (Harrison Jr). But Taka's father King Obasi (Lennie James) refuses to acknowledge the stray, causing a rift and dilemma in his son.

However, the pride faces a larger threat - a roaming pride of outside lions determined to rule everything in the land led by Mikkelsen's angry white lion, who's after revenge as well after the death of his own son at Mufasa's hands.

There is no doubting Mufasa: The Lion King's technical prowess.

From in your face POV shots of the lions as they're running to a seamless feeling you're watching a nature doco,the film feels vibrant and alive,rich in wildlife and deep in details. But a desire to keep cutting back to cave antics and in-jokes during the homeward bound riffing story does the flow no real justice and makes the whole thing feel episodic at best.

And the narrative is stymied by the fact both its protagonists and their band of followers must survive meaning dramatically the film is limp, lacking any frisson of danger despite a series of bloodless confrontations.

It's not helped by songs thrown in that are largely forgettable from Lin-Manuel Miranda, a constant reminder of the brilliance of Sir Tim Rice's ear for a good hook and timeless lyrics from the original animated film.

At 2 hours, the film also pushes patience as far as it's willing to go - there's only so far technical prowess can impress.  And while the lion's share of the joy of this is in its visuals, it's a lack of epic emotional edge that leaves you feeling this doesn't quite have the pride of place in Disney's catalogue as maybe it deserves. 

Still maybe that's the nature of the beast.

McDonald's launches Minecraft collaboration

As New Zealand readies itself for A Minecraft Movie, McDonald's has launched a new movie meal to tie in.

From crafting pixel-perfect replicas of our iconic Golden Arches and world-famous menu items to stacking block upon block into full-on restaurants, fans have been building their love for McDonald’s in MINECRAFT for years. And now, inspired by their imagination and the global big screen adventure A MINECRAFT MOVIE debuting in cinemas on April 3rd, we’re bringing the film’s cinematic world to McDonald’s fans of all ages with A MINECRAFT Movie Meal and Happy Meal. 

Starting on April 2nd, fans will enter the McDonald’s portal with the new limited-time meal, including exclusive collectibles and matching cards that unlock additional in-game experiences, a fiery hot sauce inspired by The Nether, special pixelated packaging, and more.

“It’s truly exciting to see MINECRAFT and McDonald’s come together in such a creative way both here in Aotearoa, and around the world,” said Kylie Freeland, Managing Director of McDonald’s NZ & Pacific Islands. “Both brands share a passion for creativity and connection, and this collaboration is a fun, new way for our community to experience McDonald’s.”

Explore Exclusive Collectibles and In-game Experiences

A MINECRAFT Movie Meal stars one of the six A MINECRAFT MOVIE x McDonald’s themed collectibles inspired by McDonald’s most beloved characters and menu items, and popular

MINECRAFT treasures. Elevate your mining sessions with a Big Mac® Crystal, Birdie Wings, Fry Helmet, Grimace Egg, Soda Potion or Zombie Hamburglar – and collect them all to stock up your inventory. Each collectible comes with a matching card and a code that fans can scan to unlock the exclusive skin in the MINECRAFT Marketplace.

• Big Mac Crystal - Mined from the sea of special sauce, this precious block derives its radiant shine from melty cheese and a toasty sesame seed bun.

• Birdie Wings - Keep your eye to the sky or you might miss the early bird soaring high above the clouds with a rare pair of elytra wings.

• Fry Helmet - Forged from the iconic French Fry box, this enchanted helmet is rumoured to protect you from friends stealing your last Fry. 

• Grimace Egg - Emerging from the depths of a purple shake, this magical Grimace mob gets its shape from the most coveted egg of them all. 

• Soda Potion - The electrifying effect of this potion is as mysterious as its recipe: an accidental combo of fantastic fizzy flavours.

• Zombie Hamburger - Little is known about this hungry mob who spawns late at night and wanders all biomes in search of hamburgers.

In addition to the collectibles and cards, McDonald’s App customers have the chance to purchase an exclusive McDonald's MINECRAFT Marketplace add-on using their MyMacca's Rewards points. Fans who purchase the pack will receive a one-time redeemable code to unlock a McDonald's Add-On pack which includes additional components to your game play such as McDonaldland characters, builds and tools.

Build Your World, And Your Meal ft. Nether Flame Sauce. 

Fans can choose any favourites medium combo (Big Mac®, Quarter Pounder®, McChicken®, Cheeseburger, Filet-O-Fish® or 6 pk Chicken McNuggets®) for their A MINECRAFT Movie Meal. Craving a saucy kick to your Chicken McNuggets®? Pair it with a side of Nether Flame – a limited-edition hot sauce inspired by The Nether with crushed red pepper and flaming cayenne, balanced with hints of garlic and sweetness.

It all kicks off from April 2.

What’s on Netflix in April

Here’s everything that’s streaming on Netflix in April.

BLACK MIRROR: SEASON 7

Premieres on April 10, 2025 

Charlie Brooker's dark, satirical anthology series will return with six brand new episodes, including a sequel to the sci-fi adventure “USS Callister.”

Starring: Awkwafina, Milanka Brooks, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Patsy Ferran, Paul Giamatti, Lewis Gribben, Osy Ikhile, Rashida Jones, Siena Kelly, Billy Magnussen, Rosy McEwen, Cristin Milioti, Chris O'Dowd, Issa Rae, Paul G. Raymond, Tracee Ellis Ross, Harriet Walter

NORTH OF NORTH

Premieres on April 10, 2025 

Determined to forge her own path in her small Arctic town, Siaja, a newly single young mom, takes bold risks in her career and love life.

Starring: Anna Lambe, Maika Harper, Jay Ryan, Braeden Clarke, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Zorga Qaunaq

Bailey Poching, Nutaaq Doreen, Simmonds Keira, Belle Cooper, Kelly William

LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM: SEASON 3

Premieres on April 2, 2025 

The search for true love continues as newcomers and returning favourites navigate the ups and downs of dating on the autism spectrum.

YOU: SEASON 5

Premieres on April 24, 2025 

In the epic fifth and final season, Joe Goldberg returns to New York to enjoy his happily ever after… until his perfect life is threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.

Starring: Penn Badgley, Charlotte Ritchie, Madeline Brewer, Anna Camp, Griffin Matthews

DEVIL MAY CRY

Premieres on April 3, 2025 

When a mysterious villain threatens to open the gates of Hell, a devilishly handsome demon hunter could be the world's best hope for salvation.

Starring: Johnny Yong Bosch, Scout Taylor-Compton, Hoon Lee, Chris Coppola, Kevin Conroy, Robbie Daymond

BAD INFLUENCE: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDFLUENCING

Premieres on April 9, 2025 

In this eye-opening documentary exposé, teens and parents reveal disturbing accounts of abuse and exploitation within the world of child influencers.

Country of Origin: United States

MOONRISE

Premieres on April 10, 2025 

After rebel forces attack Earth, a carefree heir becomes the prime suspect and joins a special military unit to find the true mastermind on the Moon.

Starring: Chiaki Kobayashi, Yûto Uemura, Kosuke Takaguchi, Satoshi Yamaguchi

WWE WRESTLEMANIA: 2025

Live on April 20, 2025 @ 12:00PM AEST

The greatest Superstars compete for championship gold and WWE immortality in career-defining matches on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Country of Origin: United States

HAVOC

Premieres on April 25, 2025 

When a drug heist swerves lethally out of control, a jaded cop fights his way through a corrupt city's criminal underworld to save a politician's son.

Starring: Tom Hardy, Forest Whitaker, Timothy Olyphant, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Luis Guzmán, Yeo Yann Yann, Quelin Sepulveda, Sunny Pang, Michelle Waterson-Gomez

TURNING POINT: THE VIETNAM WAR

Premieres on April 30, 2025 

From the Gulf of Tonkin incident to the fall of Saigon, this thought-provoking documentary series examines the cost and consequences of the Vietnam War.

Country of Origin: United States

What’s on Neon in April

Here’s everything that’s streaming on Neon in April.

The Last of Us Season 2 (Mondays from 1pm from April 14)

Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are  drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more  dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.  

Stars: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Rutina  Wesley, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Catherine O’Hara

The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 (April 8 from 4pm)

In the final season of The Handmaid's Tale, June's unyielding spirit and determination pull her back into the fight to take down Gilead. Luke and Moira join the resistance. Serena tries to reform Gilead while Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia reckon with what they have wrought, and Nick faces challenging tests of character. This final chapter of June's journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity, and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom. 

Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Max Minghella, Ann Dowd, O.T. Fagbenle, Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger, Ever Carradine, and Josh Charles

Happy Valley Seasons 1-3 (April 10)

No-nonsense Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood heads a team of officers in rural Yorkshire. When a kidnapping spirals out of control, Catherine comes face to face with the man who destroyed her family.

Stars: Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran, James Norton

Movies 

Twisters (April 9)

A retired storm chaser and a reckless social media superstar find themselves in the paths of multiple storm systems covering over Oklahoma.

Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos

Trap (April 30)

A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realise they’ve become trapped at the centre of a darkly complex FBI operation.

Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Night Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill

A Mistake (April 4)

Elizabeth is a gifted surgeon – the only female consultant at her hospital. But a fatal medical error throws life into a spin, the downward spiral threatening all in her orbit. Based on the book by New Zealand author Carl Shuker.

Stars: Elizabeth Banks, Simon McBurney, Mickey Summer

Transformers: One (April 6)

The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Better known as sworn enemies, they were once friends who bonded like brothers and changed the fate of Cybertron forever.

Featuring the voices of: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi

A Working Man: Movie Review

Cast: Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Michael Pena, Maximillian Osinski, David Harbour, Arianna Rivas
Director: David Ayer

If Jason Statham was hoping to reclaim some of the energy and excitement he garnered with The Beekeeper in his latest outing, he's sorely mistaken.

While A Working Man, with its Sylvester Stallone-helmed plot and production, has elements that work well colliding the everyday with the muscle-crunching fights, most of what transpires is just unterminably dull and dour.

Statham is divorced dad Levon Cade, a former Marine Commando living in Chicago and now working a construction site for a family-led business. A wayward soul, who's given food by plenty of members of the workforce, Cade's the reliable force who sticks up for his immigrant colleagues when the bad guys show but rarely allows himself to be part of a family.

However, when the construction boss's daughter is kidnapped after a night out celebrating school, he's spurred into action at the behest of the family, setting him on a path with a group of child sex traffickers, Russian mobsters and his own troubled past - all while trying to negotiate life as a single dad.

A Working Man is just endlessly and needlessly slow, promising to build to a climax that promises much as the angered sides converge on a single location. But despite maybe 10 minutes of well-orchestrated mayhem, the result is anything but enticing, a damp squib of an ending that hints at Cade colliding with an angered Russian again.

Statham does what he does in the genre - and what he has been doing for years - but the dour touches of the script do little to lighten the mood and even give a hint of warmth to the character. Maybe Cade is damaged by his time in the marines, but the script cares so little for depth that it barely even registers after an initial mention and his father-in-law ranting about how damaged he is.

Ayer's penchant for dyeing everything in a perma-yellow and quick cutting during the action sequences soon grows tired too, leaving you longing for either some well-choreographed fight scenes rather than brutally cut encounters that deny you the thrill of the chase.

It helps little there's no fun nor charisma on show here - and if anything it may be called A Working Man, but you can't help but shake the feeling that it's the audiences that have to work for anything in this film - and that's nothing short of a travesty.

The Studio: Review

Once again, Hollywood eats itself in the new series about making movies.

Seth Rogen, who co-created the show with Evan Goldberg) is Matt Remick, a long-suffering studio executive who's elevated to the head of his dream workplace - and thrust into an identity crisis as he battles moguls, the box office machine and his desire to make commercially successful art and films - something he believes shouldn't be compromised, but bigger powers that be are more concerned with returns.

Across ten episodes, Remick deals with disasters (a few of which are instigated chiefly by him) and egos as well.

Essentially a kind of cross between The Player and Entourage, with some big name cameos (Scorsese! Buscemi, Ron Howard!) scattered throughout. The brief run time of the episodes (just 30 minutes long) allows it to feel like it's just enough fun without becoming too self-indulgent.

While Rogen is fine as Remick and Ike Barinholtz is solid enough as his pal and number two, it's Kathryn Hahn and Catherine O'Hara's marketing manager and former studio head that give the best putdowns and deliver some of the most memorable dialogue.

It's fair to say that movie fans themselves will get more out of the show itself with Easter eggs and nods to iconic Hollywood moments and places, but in truth, the show's got a broad enough appeal to ensure fans of Rogen's stoner antics in previous films will be happy to go along for the ride.

There's a degree of screwball comedy at play here, and while many are willing to debase themselves in places, bingeing the show proves to be a detriment with many episodes feeling a touch repetitive in their set up and denouement.

But the writing ensures that you care enough about these crusades through Hollywood and these cronies as they negotiate their way through the pop culture heavy cinephilia. 

It's stirring enough stuff - and enjoyable enough fare, but any future iterations of The Studio will have to decide whether it wants to abandon its Love-Hate relationship with the machine and what else novel it could spew out.

The Studio is streaming now on Apple TV+

New Doctor Who trailer released

A brand new look at the upcoming second season for Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor has been released.

The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-travelling TARDIS team must face great dangers, bigger enemies and wilder terrors than ever before. 

The new season stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra, and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Previously announced guest cast includes Rose Ayling-Ellis, Christopher Chung, Rylan Clark, Alan Cumming, Anita Dobson, Freddie Fox, Michelle Greenidge, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruth Madeley, Jemma Redgrave and Susan Twist. 

The season consists of the following episodes:

• The Robot Revolution: Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Peter Hoar
• Lux: Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Amanda Brotchie
• The Well: Written by Russell T Davies & Sharma Angel Walfall, directed by Amanda Brotchie
• Lucky Day: Written by Pete McTighe, directed by Peter Hoar
• The Story & the Engine: Written by Inua Ellams, directed by Makalla McPherson
• The Interstellar Song Contest: Written by Juno Dawson, directed by Ben A. Williams
• Wish World: Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai
• The Reality War: Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai

Doctor Who returns to Disney+ from Saturday April 12.

Dog Man: Movie Review

Vocal cast: Pete Davidson, Ricky Gervais, Isla Fisher, Lil Rei Howery, 
Director: Peter Hastings

Sometimes, there's nothing but silliness in children's films and books.

One such case is Dog Man, a movie that does exactly what it says on the tin (it's about a Dog, who's a Man) and yet which eschews sense and sensibility for corny sight gags and insane premises.

Based on Captain Underpants writer Dav Pilkey's book, Dog Man wastes little time getting on with things. When Oh Kay City Police officer Knight and his trusty pooch Greg are blown up by their nemesis Evil Petey (Davidson, playing fast and loose and clearly having blast), the duo are melded into the body of a man and the head of a dog.

But with Petey still on the loose in Oh Kay City, it's up to Dog Man to save the day.

There's little in this story that's deep - and while there's a message about fathers and sons and bonds within unconventional families, the sole raison d'etre of Dog Man is to provide solid family entertainment, with a younger skew in mind.

On that front, it achieves greatly; from mocking movie montages to even a smash and bash city-set finale that Marvel would baulk at for being nothing other than too well-executed, Dog Man comes for 90 minutes and doesn't outstay its welcome.

But in doing so, what is obvious with this film is just how much of a blast it has doing it. From Ricky Gervais' evil fish trying to shake things up via a G-rated take on Die Hard's infamous catchphrase to just some gloriously goofy sight gags, Dog Man, complete with its 2D animation edges a la Captain Underpants, provides some truly solid entertainment - even if it does skew young.

Yet this anarchic and colourful mix of childishness proves to be a cinematic blast out of the cobwebs - and a pleasant distraction for the time it plays out.

What's on DocPlay in April

Here's what's streaming on DocPlay in April.

This month on DocPlay, experience exclusive new titles from master documentarians Raoul Peck (Ernest Cole) and Asif Kapadia (2073), alongside The Pool, Australian director Ian Darling’s (The Final Quarter) homage to the iconic Bondi Icebergs pool. Plus, settle in for Ken Burns' definitive 10-part epic on the history of jazz music.

7 Apr

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found • Exclusive

The new documentary from director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) follows Ernest Cole’s journey as the first Black freelance photographer working in apartheid South Africa. Featuring narration from Oscar®-nominee LaKeith Stanfield, Peck’s search for the soul of the overlooked artists is nestled in an international thriller, delving into the complexities of race through this timeless imagery.

I Am Here

On her 98th birthday, a spirited South African Holocaust survivor reveals her astonishing life journey.

10 Apr

2073 • Exclusive

In this ingenious mixture of visionary science fiction and speculative nonfiction, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia transports us to a future foreshadowed by the terrifying realities of our present moment. 

14 Apr

Jazz

This must-see, 10-part series from master documentarian Ken Burns follows the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to the Lincoln Gardens on Chicago's south side.

Mark Twain

In his time, Mark Twain was considered the funniest man on earth. Yet he was also an unflinching critic of human nature, using his humour to attack hypocrisy, greed and racism. Ken Burns presents an illuminating portrait of the man who is also one of the greatest writers in American history.

17 Apr

The Pool • Exclusive • AU only

Bondi Icebergs is the most photographed pool in the world – an inviting destination for everyone from locals to tourists, beginners to competitive lap swimmers. From sunrise to sundown, rain or shine, we meet the diehard regulars recalling tales of Icebergs past and present. A must-see for all ocean-lovers, The Pool is an evocative, joyous and beautiful picture of a beloved place and its community. 

21 Apr

A Hip-Hop Minute • Exclusive

Relive the glory days of the iconic 1980s New York City rap scene in Pascal Garnier’s directorial debut, which picks up 35 years after the classic Dutch TV documentary Big Fun In The Big Town left off.

Novocaine: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Jacob Batalon, Ray Nicholson
Director: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen

The Boys star Jack Quaid builds on his nebbish personality as Nathan Caine, an assistant bank manager who has a genetic condition that prevents him from feeling pain in this comedy-action film that has its moments but also feels uneven in parts.

Caine is a recluse, driven away from society by bullying when he was younger and forced to not experience life because of his condition. When a flirtation with fellow bank employee Sherry (played by Prey actress Midthunder) leads to him coming out of his shell, he's elated. But things go disastrously wrong when the bank he works at is robbed and Sherry is kidnapped.

Novocaine has a charm thanks to its two leads and their easy chemistry, but the film's slow-burn build up at the start gives way to some tonal jerkiness and a distinct feeling that the movie doesn't want to go too far into its penchant for bone-crunching agony.

There are elements of Nobody brought to the script's fore as the everyman protagonist is forced into action and Quaid makes for a likeable companion on this journey. But the script's attitude of fight, quip, fight soon outstays its welcome.

Thankfully an unexpected twist makes proceedings more bearable and also provides a shot of adrenaline into the stakes - and the appearance of Batalon as Caine's online gamer buddy adds an element of humanity and warmth that's welcome.

As a concept, Novocaine is a great one, an idea that's largely carried off by Quaid's innate likeability. If the script had been a little more polished and the direction had decided on which genre it truly wanted to go in, it would have been unstoppable - it's not a painful experience by any stretch of the imagination, it's just that some of the more clearly crowd-pleasing led elements don't quite land as they should.

What's on Prime Video in April

Here's everything that's streaming on Prime Video in April.

This April, Jacob Elordi stars as Dorrigo Evans in the highly anticipated Amazon Original series, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. A savagely beautiful five-part series adapted from Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel, the story is a testament to the power of love, even in the darkest of times.

Viola Davis stars in action-thriller G20 as U.S. President Danielle Sutton, who becomes the number one target when the G20 summit comes under siege. She must do all she can to defend her country, safeguard world leaders and  – most importantly – protect her family.

Following one uninhibited night, pre-med student Shaw (Sydney Taylor) and tattoo artist Rule (Chase Stokes) alter their friendship forever in Marked Men. Kevin Bacon raises hell in The Bondsman as a murdered bounty hunter resurrected by the Devil to catch demons that have escaped the prison of Hell. Created by Ramy Youssef, the absurd and hilarious adult animated series, #1 Happy Family USA presents the Hussein family navigating post 9-11 America. 

Also new this month is It Ends With Us, Mobile Suit Gundam Gquuuuuux, Leverage: Redemption Season Three, Ash and Terrifier 3.

NEW ADDITION TO MARCH

MobLand, the new global crime series from Guy Ritchie, will premiere March 31, exclusively on Prime Video in New Zealand.  The series stars Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan as the head of an organised crime family, fighting for power within a global crime syndicate. 

Mobland (March 31)

MobLand is an electrifying, new global crime series from Guy Ritchie centered around two warring families based in London whose enterprises stretch all corners of the globe and the fiercely loyal "fixer" charged with protecting one of them at all costs. The series stars Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan as the head of an organised crime family, fighting for power within a global crime syndicate.

MobLand stars Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Mandeep Dhillon, Jasmine Jobson, Geoff Bell, Daniel Betts, Lisa Dwan, Emily Barber and Helen Mirren.

The Narrow Road To the Deep North (April 18)

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a savagely beautiful five-part series charting the life of Dorrigo Evans (played by Jacob Elordi as a young man, with Ciarán Hinds as the older Dorrigo), through his passionate love affair with Amy Mulvaney (Odessa Young), his time held captive in a POW camp, and his later years spent as a revered surgeon and reluctant war hero.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is an intimate character study of a complex man, a compelling portrayal of the courage and cruelty of war, and an unforgettable love story that sustains one through the darkest of times.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is directed by Justin Kurzel and stars Jacob Elordi, Ciarán Hinds, Odessa Young, Olivia DeJonge, Show Kasamatsu, Thomas Weatherall,  and Simon Baker.

G20 (April 10)

When the G20 summit comes under siege, U.S. President Danielle Sutton (Academy Award winner Viola Davis) becomes the number one target. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders in this action-packed thrill ride.

G20 stars Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Christopher Farrar, Antony Starr.

The Bondsman (April 3)

Murdered bounty hunter Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon) is resurrected by the Devil to trap and send back demons that have escaped from the prison of Hell. By chasing down those demons with the help and hindrance of his estranged family, Hub learns how his own sins got his soul condemned–which pushes him to seek a second chance at life, love, and country music.

The Bondsman stars Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Nettles, Damon Herriman, Beth Grant, Maxwell Jenkins, and Jolene Purdy.

Marked Men (April 4)

Pre-med student Shaw (Sydney Taylor) has always harboured deep feelings for Rule (Chase Stokes), a rebellious friend who's a tattoo artist. Their friendship soon shifts after an uninhibited night becomes a test to see if love can bring them together–or tear them apart.

Marked Men stars Chase Stokes, Sydney Taylor, Natalie Alyn Lind, Alexander Ludwig.

Etoile (April 24)

Set in New York City and Paris, the eight-episode Étoile follows the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies, as they embark on an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars.

This dramedy is the much-anticipated follow-up to creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino’s beloved comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which over the course of five seasons on Prime Video collected 22 Primetime Emmy Awards, 6 Critics Choice Awards, 3 Golden Globes, and a Peabody, as well as countless fans worldwide.

Étoile stars Luke Kirby, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lou de Laâge, Gideon Glick, David Alvarez, Ivan du Pontavice, Taïs Vinolo, David Haig, Simon Callow, Yanic Truesdale

#1 Happy Family USA (April 17)

From creator Ramy Youssef comes #1 Happy Family USA, an adult-animated series following the maniacally upbeat Husseins - the most patriotic, most peaceful, and most definitely-not-suspicious Muslim family in post-9/11 "Amreeka." With satire and absurdity, it redefines finding humor in hardship as they navigate the early 2000s under the watchful eyes of their terrified neighbors.

#1 Happy Family USA stars Ramy Youssef, Mandy Moore, Chris Redd, Alia Shawkat, Kieran Culkin, Akaash Singh, Whitmer Thomas, Salma Hindy, Randa Jarrar.

It Ends With Us (April 6)

Lily Bloom moves to Boston to chase her dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon soon sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, she begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents' relationship. When Lily's first love re-enters her life, her relationship with Ryle gets upended.

It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar, Hasan Minhaj.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQUUUUUUX (April 9)

Amate Yuzuriha, a high school girl who lives a peaceful life in a space colony floating in space, meets Nyaan, a war refugee girl, and gets caught up in the illegal mobile suit dueling competition 'Clan Battle.' Using the entry name 'MACHU' Amate pilots a GQuuuuuuX and throws herself into fierce battles every day. At the same time, an unidentified Mobile Suit 'Gundam,' pursued by both the space army and the police, and its pilot, a boy named Shuuji, appears before her. And the world is about to enter a new era. 

Mobile Suit Gundam Gquuuuuux stars Tomoyo Kurosawa, Yui Ishikawa, Shimba Tsuchiya

Ash (April 24)

On the mysterious planet of Ash, Riya (Eiza González) awakens to find her crew slaughtered. When a man named Brion (Aaron Paul) arrives to rescue her, an ordeal of psychological and physical terror ensues while Riya and Brion must decide if they can trust one another to survive. 

Ash is directed by Flying Lotus and stars Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale, and Flying Lotus.

Never Let Go (April 11)

In this psychological thriller/horror, as an Evil takes over the world beyond their front  doorstep, the only protection for a mother (Halle Berry), and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go.

Never Let Go stars Halle Berry, Matthew Kevin Anderson,Christin Park, Stephanie Lavigne, 

Terrifier 3 (April 10)

After surviving Art the Clown's Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they're safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare.

Terrifier 3 stars Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, Antonella Rose, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Alexa Blair, Mason Mecartea.

Leverage Redemption Season 3 (April 17)

In Season Three of Leverage: Redemption, the team pits themselves against a power broker stealing the clean water under people's feet and turning into dirty money, fight against a mayor who's literally the judge and jury of his small town, outrun a mark who's finally caught up with them mid-con, outhustle a pool hustler with a side business in international extortion, and bring down an industrialist exploiting child labor. All this while dodging an intricate plan of vengeance from a past enemy and working through the fallout of their new personal relationships. But no matter what, when someone needs help, they provide ... Leverage.

Leverage: Redemption Season Three stars stars Gina Bellman as Sophie Deveraux, Christian Kane as Eliot Spencer, Beth Riesgraf as Parker, Aleyse Shannon as Breanna Casey, Noah Wyle as Harry Wilson, and Aldis Hodge as Alec Hardison.

APRIL 2025 TOP PICKS:

RENT OR BUY

THE BRUTALIST (MOVIE) AVAILABLE NOW TO RENT OR BUY

MICKEY 17 (MOVIE) COMING SOON

STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO

MOBLAND (SERIES) 31/03/2025

LEGALLY BLONDE (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE AND BLONDE (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979) (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (2005) (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

HOT PURSUIT (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

OVERBOARD (1987) (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

OVERBOARD (2018) (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

DEAD MAN WALKING (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

FARGO (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

RAIN MAN (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

1984 (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

MADAGASCAR (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

MOONSTRUCK (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

UPTOWN GIRLS (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

THELMA & LOUISE (MOVIE) 1/04/2025

THE BONDSMAN (SERIES) 3/04/2025

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) (MOVIE) 3/04/2025

MARKED MEN (MOVIE) 4/04/2025

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM GQUUUUUUX S1 (SERIES) 9/04/2025

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (MOVIE) 9/04/2025

TERRIFIER 3 (MOVIE) 10/04/2025

G20 (MOVIE) 10/04/2025

NEVER LET GO (MOVIE) 11/04/2025

GET SMART (MOVIE) 15/04/2025

#1 HAPPY FAMILY USA S1 (SERIES) 17/04/2025

THE BOOGEYMAN (2023) (MOVIE) 17/04/2025

LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION S3 (SERIES) 17/04/2025

THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH (SERIES) 18/04/2025 

LAW & ORDER: SVU S1-S13 (SERIES) 21/04/2025

ÉTOILE (SERIES) 24/04/2025 

ASH (MOVIE) 24/04/2025

DJANGO UNCHAINED (MOVIE) 28/04/2025

JUPITER ASCENDING (MOVIE) 30/04/2025

Snow White: Movie Review

Cast: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap

Director: Marc Webb

The 2025 remake of Disney's jewel in its animated crown is a curious beast, an uncanny valley of a movie that never really seems to dabble in much other than anti-climactic endings and aloof emotional edges.

But in among all the fury over the woke edges, and the truly unnerving CGI dwarf updates, there is a bright shining star to anchor it all.

Rachel Zegler's Snow White is a princess who takes control, but who has warmth, kindness, empathy and a great deal of charisma as the story whirls through the very familiar beats of the 200-year old story.

Sadly the same can't be said for Gal Gadot's woefully underwritten wicked witch, whose character is so poorly painted that even with big vampy Shirley Bassey-style musical numbers, she can't muster the menace of someone wracked with insecurity that someone else would be finer than she.

Despite shimmering in some slinky costume choices and trying her best, she pales into insignificance compared to Zegler, who musters through her part with ease.

Written through more with a Robin Hood-esque storyline, with Snow White playing Maid Marian to the troupe (feeling much like Baldrick actor Tony Robinson's Maid Marian and her Merry Men 80s TV series for children), Andrew Burnap's Jonathan does as well as he can with the updated prince motif. His and Zegler's bickering song Princess Problems is a new addition to the film is a joyous touch, a rare diamond in plenty of soulless updates.

Yet the film seems confused about what it wants to do. It hits every single original story beat without hitting any emotional high, giving a feeling of rushing through bizarrely. And the colour grade on Webb's film feels muted, more washed out than vibrant - even if the enchanted forest's twisted darkness and menace bristles with nightmare fuel.

As for the dwarves themselves, their Hi-Ho introudction is perfectly fine, a warm fuzzy blanket of nostalgia washing over viewers to take them back to when they first saw it. But the CGI proves to be distracting, and the fact there's even a person with dwarfism in Jonathan's band of merry men makes the Disney creative decision jarring in extremis.

Ultimately, while nowhere near as ghastly as early worries would suggest, the 2025 remake of Snow White works only because of Zegler - elsewhere throughout, thanks to underwritten edges and weak narrative beats where action happens simply because it should rather than organically, the film feels like it's sold the legacy short rather than enhanced it greatly.

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: Review

Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Published by SEGA
Platform: PS5

If you thought the idea of a Yakuza game being set inside a pirate sim was madness, you'd be right.

But what you'd be wrong about is the next thought you'd have which probably would be to dismiss it outright as a waste of time and a distraction from everything you love about the series.

In fact, what Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii does instead is take everything from the franchise, transplant it into a pirate setting and make it extremely playable for anyone wanting to sit down and pour a few hours into it all.

You take control of Goro Majima, the main protagonist of the franchise. Waking up on a shore with a bad case of amnesia and only the clothes he's dressed in, Goro must explore Rich Island and find some idea what has happened before to help him continue on into the future.Saved by a local boy Noah, he gets the lay of the land and must take on pirates, steal and crew ships and generally lord it up as a pirate.

In many ways, it's a very simple premise and in truth, the game offers little depth for long-term play. But what it does proffer is a very enjoyable combat system and series of minigames to wile away the hours with ease.

It's really only once the game takes out to the seas after you've beaten up some local pirates terrorising the chilled Hawaiian natives that it starts to find its sealegs. With swift combat on the waters and a sense of purpose, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii entangles the player in a world of gangster-based absurdity but places it squarely in the pirate world.

Angling definitely for a more compact experience, the latest Like A Dragon has the bonus of appealing to non-fans from the genre - and with a wider remit than just GTA in Japan that's dogged the previous outings, the studio's desire to try something different pays off handsomely.

Sniper Elite Resistance: PS5 Review

Developed by Rebellion Games
Published by Rebellion
Platform: PS5

It's very much a feeling of deja vu for Rebellion's Sniper Elite series with the latest release that really doesn't offer much in terms of improvement from its last release to make you feel like you have a new iteration of the game.

With Harry Hawker taking over the reins of the rifles and stepping out into his starring role, the game puts you squarely in the French lines in the run-up to D-Day. With Hawker engaged in helping the resistance bring down the Nazis, it's also up to you to find out more about a Nazi superweapon that's been talked about.

Within an eight level set up and with the option to play alone or in co-op, Sniper Elite Resistance continues to do what it does well. 

From the opening cinematic that sets the scene through to the dynamics of stalking your prey and executing them from afar, the game knows what it wants to do and doesn't really veer from it - for better or worse.

If perhaps you'd missed Sniper Elite 5, which this game runs parallel to, you'd feel perhaps this is a solid entry into the Sniper world. With the trademark X-ray killcam in place and the game's commitment to bloody dispatches when necessary, it certainly feels like a usual release for Rebellion.

Perhaps that's a disappointing element at times - there's little that feels wildly fresh here, no matter how well the gameplay reaches its targets. Maps are riddled with open spaces for you to let fly at the bad guys, and there are plenty of vantage points to kill or be killed, so there's nothing that's wildly unenjoyable about this.

It has to be said, Sniper Elite Resistance hits the target but it fails to hit a bullseye - even in slow motion. 

Avowed: XBox Series X Review

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment
Platform: XBox Series X

The Last of Us' fungus has a lot to answer for.

Having collectively ravaged the consciousness back in the games and then the phenomenally popular TV series, the ripple effect of the idea lives on in Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed.

Within moments of opening, a curious and cute critter is overrun by spores, its decaying body turned into a mesh of spores and hatred (looking somewhat like an iconic Brian Bolland 2000AD cover too) - signalling the previously lush-looking Living Lands are about to become a nasty fighting ground for your future gaming pleasure.

As an envoy of a distant empire, you have been sent to investigate - and what you find at every corner is less than ideal, but requires you to summon all your RPG experience to ensure the future of the Living Lands as well as your own.

While you investigate the plague (known as the Dreamscourge) you also get to meet a myriad of characters and face a large amount of choices, as well as fighting off reanimated corpses, skeletons and other creatures determined to see you go.

Avowed does what it does very well.

While it has been criticised for not breaking the mould, it's an unfair arrow to sling - sometimes games don't need to offer new mechanics to exist, nor do they need to be outrageously different simply because. It's something Obsidian knows well here, making sure that the game is immersive and also engaging enough for those who want to purchase it.

With plenty of customisation options as well as many different ways of upgrading for combat, there are more than a few options for players to lose themselves in - and while the options are many, the need for them is light.

Simple gameplay mechanics take a little time to adjust to, but once it kicks in, Avowed heads off at a gallop as it spins off from the Pillars of Eternity universe.

With a substantial world to explore and plenty of reasons to engage for long periods with the game, Avowed shows that just committing to the bit is sometimes more than enough.