What’s it about?
A town is plunged into chaos when a boy accidentally makes a new friend. And by make, we mean literally and figuratively. The title probably gives that away though.

What did we think?
While it doesn’t exactly tread new ground, My Pet Dinosaur is a delightful throwback to kid’s movies of the 80s. It’s a positively endearing reminder of youth, imagination and love. It would be easy to lump in with a post-Spielbergian genre, but great acting and good characterisation more than overcome the cliches. It’s good solid fun and wonderful to see a movie for all ages that doesn’t talk down to kids or get too caught up in itself.

What’s it about?
A young black man visits his girlfriend’s wealthy white family at their mansion in the woods for the first time, but when he gets there, things seem seriously weird.

What did we think?
True horror is not monsters or ghosts – it’s humanity. And nowhere is this more evident than in Jordan Peele’s Get Out. An incredibly intelligent look at racism, the insidiousness of political correctness and modern America, it’s a movie that defies easy categorisation though it slips into a revenge flick. The true strength is that it will make you uncomfortable mentally long after the credits have rolled. Insightful and witty, it’s a must see not only for film lovers but anyone interested in equality or racial dynamics. Superb.

GET OUT opens in Australian cinemas on May 4. 

What’s it about?

Michael Peña and Dax Shepard reprise the roles made famous in the 1970s/80s by Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox, with the California Highway Patrol officers this time hunting down a mob of motorcycle thugs making a killing from security vans, with suspicions of an inside job. 

What did we think?

Angela says: “Chip happens” is the tagline: an implied sentiment so synonymoys with modern remakes. But surprisingly, this cheesy little comedy is actually not light on laughs. Peña’s Frank Poncherello is a likeable little git, and despite being the writer, director and star, Shepard’s washed-up ex biker makes a great partner. It’s no Oscar-winner, but there’s some serious chortles to be had. It’s a bit like watching a film your douchey friends have made in their spare time – pretty clumsy, but you can’t help feeling happy with it.

What’s it about?
Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin and Michael Caine turn to a bank robbery in order to save their stolen pension funds.

What did we think?
Nick John Bleeker says: Despite being a bit light on the comedy, Going in Style delivers nothing new, but is still driven by a grand chemistry between its three leads.

What’s it about?
Family. But also a buttload of action scenes with cars somehow still being the main attraction. If we’re being real? Cipher (Charlize Theron) makes Dom (Vin Diesel) turn on the crew for mysterious reasons.

What did we think?
Nick John Bleeker says: F8 shows the Fast franchise starting to lose its creative edge, but you just can’t shake the fact that hanging out with the crew is still tonnes of fun. The addition of Theron as a nutcase villain adds to the mix nicely and, at the end of the day, the action is, as always, wonderfully explosive and utterly ridiculous. Exhausting but still a damn good time.

What’s it about?
Major’s brain was saved from a terrorist attack and was the first human brain connected with a robotic body. The military wants her for her murder skills. Everyone else just likes that she gets around naked all the time.

What we thought
Dan says: The prospect of exploring the human condition as it struggles to find itself in this increasingly tech driven environment is quickly shelved to show a naked lady beating seven hells out of robot assassins then sitting in a car talking for 20 minutes. Scarlett Johanson’s butt does so much heavy lifting in this film that you wonder if it wouldn’t have a more promising career if it left ScarJo for a solo career.

There’s some interesting design in this film that’s lifted straight from the source material. A couple of the secondary characters are watchable and have a handful of satisfying moments, but this film is… boring. Unless you really want to watch robots, gunfire and naked ladies, I’d probably take a pass on this one.

What’s it about?
A collection of cobalt forest goblins have funky forest adventures. Each one has a strongly defined vocation except for the singular girl goblin, “Smurfette” who is defined only through her gender. In a massive departure from tradition, Hollywood attempts to address this.

What we thought
Dan says: This film is for kids. It’s not scary, there are almost no stakes. If you’re stuck in the same room as children watching this then you might get a couple of chuckles out of it. You’ll appreciate how pretty it is and find yourself trying to play ‘spot the famous voice’. Sadly “because magic” seems to be the solution to any actual dilemmas. At the end of the day this film is just a bit…

Laaah Lah lala la blaaah

What’s it about?
It’s The LEGO Movie spin-off featuring the hilarious, egotistical Batman you came to love. This time the lone vigilante is faced with a citywide invasion from the Joker’s evil army, after he refuses to reciprocate a love-hate relationship with the villain. In order to save Gotham, Batman is faced with his hardest struggle: working with others.

What did we think?
Candice says: There may not be a catchy sing-a-long to rival Everything Is Awesome, but The Lego® Batman™ Movie still hits the right notes! Theres something for everyone, with plenty of comedic Batman references and pop-culture jokes to keep the adults happy. Batman’s newest orphan recruit Robin and his long-serving butler Alfred add layers of witty, silly (and at times rude) banter between the figurine co-stars. The film gets a little heavy towards the end and may stretch the attention of some younger folk in the cinema, but they’ll quickly be won over with the musical finale.

Looking to take a little bit of The Lego® Batman™ Movie home with you? Say ‘Hey Puter’ to Siri. You’re welcome.

What’s it about?
A seven-year old with an overactive imagination discovers the new baby in his home (voiced by Alec Baldwin) is really a middle-manager from the place ‘where babies come from’; here to complete a spy mission and climb the corporate ladder.

What did we think?
Lisa Clifford Says: while mildly amusing, being convoluted and overly long means The Boss Baby probably won’t become a family favourite. There are genuinely funny moments, though most rely heavily on the corporate executive schtick Alec Baldwin honed on 30 Rock.

In a missed opportunity, it raises, but fails to deal with, the tricky issues for kids around feelings of jealousy and displacement when a new baby arrives, and how a parent’s love is quantified and divided between siblings.

If you miss 30 Rock and have to watch a G-rated movie, The Boss Baby will keep you entertained for about an hour*.

*Full running time is actually 97 minutes

What’s it about?
Really? We’re really going there? Fine. In a shocking twist, Beauty And The Beast Redux is actually a big-screen offshoot of Marvel’s Legion: a fever dream where David places himself in yet another musical hostage situation. But will Stockholm syndrome work for or against this powerful mutant?*

What did we think?
Stephen Scott says: an epic revitalisation of the golden Hollywood musical, replete with a dastardly villain, breathtaking choreographed-from-above dance numbers, and a happy ending for all. There are winks and nods aplenty within this utterly adorable Best Picture Oscar winner for 2018 (without Silence of the Lambs it’ll be a shoe-in).

*1 It’s your fault. You asked. What a stupid question “what’s Beauty and the Beast” about. Idiot.

*2 If you haven’t watched Legion yet, get thee to FX immediately.