Jumanji (1995)
Dec 31, 2001Chaos-Unleashing Boardgame
Popular Robin Williams hit about a boardgame that unleashes jungle-themed chaos in a small town. A cute idea that ultimately becomes an incredibly safe fantasy
Bonnie Hunt
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Jun 19, 1999Pixar Animation/Talking Insects
The second film from Pixar. One of their slighter and usually overlooked works, this is nevertheless an enjoyably eccentric reworking of The Seven Samurai set amidst a circus troupe of talking insects
The Green Mile (1999)
Dec 24, 1999Miracle-Healing Death Row Inmate/Stephen King Addaptation
Frank Darabont had a big hit with the Stephen King adaptation The Shawshank Redemption. This, another King adaptation concerning a Death Row inmate with healing powers, seems an attempt to repeat the same
Cars (2006)
Jun 21, 2006Pixar Animation/Talking Vehicles
Winning animated film from Pixar based around the appealingly original idea of vehicles having personalities. The idea is spun out with considerable wit and sophistication. Two sequels followed.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Jun 19, 2010Pixar Animation/The Secret Life of Toys
After such high standards with the previous two films, there is considerable onus on Pixar when it comes to this third entry nevertheless they manage to wring some strong and effective new twists on the familiar
Cars 2 (2011)
Jun 23, 2011Pixar Animation/Talking Vehicles
Sequel to Pixar’s Cars. While the original was a cutely appealing concept with a gentle contemplative message, this plays as more of an out-and-out spy caper making a virtue of its international locations
Monsters University (2013)
Jun 21, 2013Pixar Animation/Monsters in the Closet
Pixar's creative decline has been the point they started making these sequels to their hits. This is a disappointing prequel to Monsters, Inc. that largely recycles the cliches of the Revenge of the Nerds films and seems lacking in any of the wacky humour or moments of cuteness we expect of a Pixar film
Zootopia (2016)
Mar 12, 2016Disney Animation/World of Talking Animals
With Pixar having slumped into terminal sequelitis, Disney now seems to be out-Pixaring Pixar at the sort of films they used to do best. Set in a world that imagines what might happen if animals lived in cities, this is an ingenious reworking of the talking animals premise that overflows with visual ingenuity and warm humour
Cars 3 (2017)
Nov 11, 2017Pixar Animation/Talking Vehicles
Another of the weaker sequels that Pixar seem determined to churn out. This lacks the fun among the anthropomorphic vehicles that its predecessors had with a hardly inspiring story about its hero feeling old and over-the-hill
Red One (2024)
Dec 27, 2024Christmas Action Film
Essentially Christmas the Action Film with Dwayne Johnson as Santa’s bodyguard going into action when Santa is abducted