Minions And Monsters (2026)

I have heard some people recently wonder just who Minions And Monsters is for. It takes the well-liked animated characters and puts them in a film packed with jokes and references to the entire history of cinema. Personally, I think many younger viewers will still enjoy the jokes for the simple silliness of the minions, but if there's one specific demographic being catered for then I'd have to say . . . it's me.

Bookended by scenes that show people wandering around a movie studio and being given information by a tour guide (Allison Janney), this starts off with familiar scenes from the past showing us the minions seeking the most appropriate horrible master to serve. Things don't go to plan, as ever, and the minions end up gate-crashing a movie production in the 1920s. Their anarchy and energy leads to them becoming major movie stars, but that stardom, as happened with people in real life, is threatened by the advent of sound becoming a fixture of movies. Maybe the minions can boost their careers by making a great monster movie. Especially when they have a powerful book of spells to help them create a proper monster.

I am absolutely aware of the fact that my opinion here may run contrary to so many others, but this is easily the best minions movie yet (and there have been a lot of fun adventures featuring these small and servile "crash test dummies"). The animation throughout it wonderful, the plotting and pacing are both perfect for the 90-minute runtime, and writer-director Pierre Coffin continues to excel as the main vocal performer, and the expert on speaking the cute gibberish that is Minionese.

Coffin is joined in the writing duties by Brian Lynch (who has worked on a number of these movies, including the almost equally good Minions). Both of them seem to relish a chance to add some mayhem and cute catastrophes to iconic movie moments, and it helps that the animated form allows for a whole heap of wonderful cameos and caricatures.

It's not just all down to the writing, direction, and voice work of Coffin though. There's a fantastic mix of other celebrities willing to lend their voices to the onscreen silliness, from Janney to Christoph Waltz (a director who feels very much based on the likes of Otto Preminger, Josef von Sternberg, etc), Jeff Bridges (two powerful studio execs) to Zoey Deutch (Debbie), as well as Trey Parker (a cute monster) and Jesse Eisenberg (a cute robot named Dort).  

Whatever the joke, whether it's the standard silliness or something a bit smarter, Minions And Monsters always feels as if it has been made with care and genuine love for cinema. Every main sequence has at least one fantastic homage, and many squeeze in multiple references without feeling as if the film is losing any energy or momentum. I know that some will keep wondering how this is supposed to be aimed at children who won't be aware of most of the references, but I think they'll still have fun with everything on a surface level, and will hopefully develop a sense of curiosity that will actually make it a lot easier to  introduce them to a lot of classic cinema in non-animated form.

9/10

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Netflix And Chill: Voicemails For Isabelle (2026)

Jill (Zoey Deutch) is a young woman who spends her days wishing that she could realise her dreams of becoming a chef in her own establishment and spends numerous evenings navigating her way through many disastrous dates. She copes with her many disappointments by leaving voicemails for Isabelle, her deceased younger sister. Unbeknownst to Jill, Isabelle's number has been repurposed, which means that Wes (Nick Robinson) is receiving all of her calls to his new work phone. Romance, in a very complicated way, inevitably ensues.

Written and directed by Leah McKendrick, who also gives herself a solid supporting role, Voicemails For Isabelle is manipulative, predictable, and built on a central premise that makes the actions of our wannabe-male suitor even creepier than usual. It's also absolutely top-drawer rom-com stuff, with a great balance of laughs and sweetness, helped by a couple of recurring elements that show the bonds that will never be broken between Jill and Isabelle. It also does such a good job of showcasing a certain Robyn song that I am sure that will be returning to charts soon, thanks to the way streaming plays are counted when these things are calculated nowadays.

Both leads are very easy to like, which is another big plus. Deutch is better here than she has been in anything else I've seen her in (although that may just be due to me not seeing her best work) and Robinson does well enough to stay cute and well-behaved while dealing with the problematic nature of how he has fallen in love with a woman who doesn't know how much of her life he has been able to hear. McKendrick and Harry Shum Jr. are very enjoyable as friends and about-to-be-newlyweds who are also best friends with our male lead, and very quick to point out how wrong and creepy his behaviour is when he confesses to what is going on, and there are fun supporting roles for Toby Sandeman, Lukas Gage, and Nick Offerman, all playing decidedly awful men who make Jill's life much harder than it needs to be. Megan Danso seems to be playing someone determined to remain silently suffering and stoic throughout, but she benefits from the fact that her character has a believable enough transformation just in time for the final act.

While using tech at the heart of the premise, McKendrick is very smart in how she presents that as just one small way in which people can stay connected. There are so many others presented throughout the film, from that aforementioned pop song to food, from nicknames to similar past experiences that shaped who you are today, and they're all bundled together to show how people hold on to what they treasure above all else, but also how people can know when to let something go now that it has done the job of helping to define them as they continue to move forward through life.

It's hard to think of anyone not getting some joy from this, although the kind of people who point-blank refuse to acknowledge any of their own feelings will want to stay away. It's both sweet and spicy, but not too spicy, there are a lot of very funny gags littered throughout the screenplay, and McKendrick puts in a lot of very hard work to ensure that there's a good enough sense of redemption and penitence before the standard "running against the clock to hopefully reunite" finale. I was going to say that I enjoyed this despite knowing how every moment was going to play out, but there were also one or two surprises that allow it to pretend to be less formulaic and predictable than it ultimately is. 

I really wasn't looking forward to this, the title and the marketing imagery didn't instil me with great confidence, but I would happily rewatch it right now. 

7/10

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Juror #2 (2024)

Two days in a row for legal thrillers on the blog. I could have planned things a bit better, but what the hell . . . my blog, my rules.

Written by Jonathan Abrams and directed by Clint Eastwood, Juror #2 is very entertaining for most of the 114-minute runtime. You have to work hard to keep suspending your disbelief though, especially when it comes to some of the moments engineered to specifically ratchet up the tension.

Nicholas Hoult plays Justin Kemp, the juror of the title. He's being asked to decide the guilt or innocence of a man (James, played by Gabriel Basso) accused of murdering his partner (Kendall, played by Francesca Eastwood) after a drunken argument witnessed by many people. What those people didn't witness was Justin also in that bar, looking at a drink that he was tempted by, before he drove home, hitting "something" in the road on the way. Justin thinks he can maybe convince the rest of the jury that James is innocent, but that will have people looking harder for someone to arrest for the crime. It's not just a criminal case. It's a political hot potato for Faith Killebrew (Toni Collette), who wants to prosecute this case successfully before bagging a DA role.

It's easy to see why this screenplay would appeal to Eastwood and his cast. Every minute of the runtime seems to see the stakes and drama increase, and the leads barely get to catch their breath as they get swept up by the tide taking them towards a finale that should, at the very least, prompt a bit of conversation between people about what they would or wouldn't have done in Hoult's situation.

Hoult is a big plus for the film, and he's good enough to get through even the more ridiculous sequences without embarrassing himself too much. The same can be said of the other main cast members, but it's Hoult stuck with the worst plot points to work around. Collette and Chris Messina do the usual movie lawyer schtick, playing the prosecuting attorney and defence attorney, respectively. Basso has to spend a lot of the movie trying not to be too expressive, J. K. Simmons is good fun as an ex-cop on the jury who starts to smell a rat, and Zoey Deutch, Leslie Bibb, and Kiefer Sutherland get to make very little impact.

I'm not going to say that I didn't enjoy some of Juror #2, but I cannot recall the last time I watched something with such a strong premise go downhill so quickly. What I hoped was going to be a knotty and thought-provoking riff on 12 Angry Men turns into something so laughable and contrived that it's impossible to keep caring for the main character for the entire runtime. 

If you can watch this without thinking about the absurd lack of logic then you may end up enjoying it, and I'm sure many can be carried through it all by the leads. Abrams and Eastwood make things very difficult though, the former not doing good enough with the writing and the latter not adding anything to distract from it. It may not be criminally bad, but it's not very good.

5/10

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Netflix And Chill: The Outfit (2022)

There are some films that suffer from the fact that they feel like stage plays, a showcase for actors without any real cinematic scale or flourishes. That isn't to say that those films are necessarily bad films. They just don't quite feel like full films. The Outfit often feels like a stage play, but it's not a bad film. In fact, it very much plays up to the idea of putting the quality of the screenplay and cast ahead of any unnecessary bells and whistles.

Mark Rylance plays Leonard, a tailor (actually no . . . he's a cutter, and there's a subtle difference between the two, as explained in the film) who has the misfortune of his shop being used by a group of mobsters. Trying to go about his business with the least amount of trouble, and giving due respect to those who view him as being beneath them, Leonard finds himself in real bother when Francis (Johnny Flynn) and Richie (Dylan O'Brien) make use of his store during a particularly eventful evening. Richie has been shot, and Richie is the son of the big boss, Roy (Simon Russell Beale). Everything will be fixed soon, however, as the two young men are about to uncover the identity of someone who has been informing on them. There's a rat, and everyone is a suspect, even Leonard's young shop helper, Mable (Zoey Deutch).

The feature debut from director Graham Moore, who also co-wrote the film with Johnathan McClain, this is a smart and sharp movie that impresses with the care taken at every turn, from the cast to the look of the whole thing, from the dialogue to the nicely-crafted plotting. There aren't any surprises here for people who have seen any of the many other films that wander through similar territory, but at no point to Moore and McClain feel as if they are trying to pull any kind of "gotcha" on viewers. They have faith in their tale, and faith in the people they have chosen to help tell it.

O'Brien and Flynn are a bit over the top in their roles, but it works well. They are the hot-headed youths who are used to having everything go their way, any problems being solved with threats or gunfire. I think both do a great job here, and they are nicely balanced out by the calm of Rylance, who is giving one his best turns in the lead role (and that is really saying something, considering how many great performances he has given us throughout his acting career). Beale is also much calmer, perfectly embodying the kind of person who knows that he doesn't have to shout or show off to get things done. He has held on to power for a long time, and everyone interacting with him knows the score. Deutch, the lone female for a large portion of the film, is enjoyably spirited and defiant, putting on a front while she (incorrectly?) assumes that she's not significant enough for any of the dangerous men to be bother about.

Yes, things need to keep running like precise clockwork to get to the ending that we get, but it never feels implausible. The characters stay true to how they are presented throughout, the backstories teased out through a number of conversations are intriguing snapshots of lives that have happened to converge at this exact time and place, and the whole film is just as unassumingly impressive as the lead character trying to stay safe at the heart of it.

A real treat, especially if you're one of the many sensible people who appreciate the talents of Rylance (and, to a lesser degree, the excellent O'Brien). You might call it . . . a cut above the rest.

8/10

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Netflix And Chill: Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

While most sequels aren't always met with great expectations, especially when a decade has passed between the release of the original and the release of the next instalment, Zombieland: Double Tap was one that I was looking forward to watching. Not looking forward to enough to prioritise it too highly, mind you (which is why this review is appearing about four years after it was released), but I was heartened by the fact that everyone both in front and behind the camera was coming back for some more comedic zombie slaying.

We reunite with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) at a time when they seem quite happy with their lot in life. They take over a big house, they get to spend their days avoiding mayhem, most of their time is now available for them to just play around and have fun, and it's almost what you could describe as blissful. Then Wichita and Little Rock leave. Tallahassee and Columbus pick up a new companion (Madison, played by Zoey Deutch), but it's not long until Wichita returns to ask the guys for help. Little Rock is in danger, something much worse than the zombie carnage. She's gone off . . . with a musician.

Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are joined this time around by Dave Callaham, and it's clear that none of the three had a strong enough idea to make this whole adventure necessary. It's also clear, however, that working to a similar enough template to the first film isn't a terrible idea, considering that it allows us to spend more time in the company of characters who made such a strong impression the first time around. Director Ruben Fleischer is also happy to retain the same style and energy that added to the fun of Zombieland. Some may be quick to point out that you may as well just watch the first film again, and they wouldn't be too wrong, but there's still plenty here to enjoy, including a very fun performance from Deutch as the new, super-perky but not-too-bright, potential member of the group.

Harrelson and Eisenberg still work very well together, the juxtaposition of laid-back cool and constant anxiety keeping things amusing in between the more obvious gags. Stone adds more cool, and is as good as ever, while Breslin is enjoyable enough in her limited amount of screentime. Deutch aside, as she's already been mentioned, other newcomers to the series include Avan Jogia (the dreaded musician), Rosario Dawson (a character named Nevada who catches the eye of Tallahassee), and Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch (both fun, but playing two characters providing a comedic set-up that feels very close to a gag that was presented much better in Shaun Of The Dead).

If you had some kind of Zombieland bingo card then it wouldn't be long until you were shouting out "house". Metallica over the opening credits again, more rules to help you survive the zombie apocalypse, a journey to a final setting that may prove to be a deathtrap if a large enough zombie horde swarms in, and at least one fun celebrity cameo proving to be a highlight. The familiarity doesn't do enough to detract from the fun though. And, from the opening logo sequence to the end credits, this IS fun.

7/10

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Vampire Academy (2014)

Marketed as being from the director of Mean Girls, Vampire Academy serves as a sobering reminder that a movie is not made by the director alone. He needs a talented team around him, including a great writer, and a decent cast. Neither of these things are present here.

The plot goes thus: Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) is a sorta-vampire who protects nice vampires (in her case, it's her BFF Lissa, played by Lucy Fry) from attack by nasty vampires. They both attend the titular vampire academy, which is ruled over by headmistress Kirova (Olga Kurylenko), and Rose attempts to further her training under the watchful eye of Dimitri (Danila Kozlovsky) while Lissa tries to make life easier for both of them by using magic on those who decide to give them a hard time. And that's quite a few people, although it's hard to figure out just who is the most serious about actually causing any harm to Lissa.

I've probably made Vampire Academy sound better than it really is with that description. Or, if you think I've made it sound pretty dull, I may have got it just right. It's an unexciting, unfunny movie, the kind of tick-the-boxes stuff that makes you feel annoyed while it plays out in all of its smug glory.

Deutch is hampered by the fact that she's not Ellen Page. I'm sorry, but she looks and sounds so much like her that it's impossible to watch the film and not imagine she was the second choice for the role. Fry may not call anyone else directly to mind, but she's eminently replaceable in her role, having no great charisma that shines through. Kozlovsky at least knows that he's there to be the eye candy for the girls, both onscreen and off (I guess), which is more than can be said for the likes of Kurylenko, Gabriel Byrne and Joely Richardson. All three of the relatively bigger names appear for no other reason than to slightly embarrass themselves, although they all have the sense to take roles that don't involve a lot of screentime. Sarah Hyland is the only person who I actually liked seeing onscreen, and she somehow managed to overcome the writing that made her character development painfully obvious.

I'm unfamiliar with the source material (novels by Richelle Mead), but the screenplay by Daniel Waters just doesn't work at all. There's a mythology that already feels stale and overdone, compared to the many other vampire and Young Adult movies to come out in recent years, there's a lack of genuine wit, and there's a lack of . . . . . . . .  well, anything to make this a movie worth your time. I'm not sure how much of the script would have been left in if the director hadn't been his own brother, Mark Waters, therefore both men can share the blame for the bad final product.

It lacks style, tension, a sense of fun. Thankfully, there's just enough technical competence to make it bearable, but that's it. I'd rather rewatch Twilight, THAT'S how bad it is.

3/10

http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Academy-Blu-ray-Zoey-Deutch/dp/B00HQOFIA0/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1406370412&sr=1-3&keywords=vampire+academy