5:00 PM, 13th October, 2018
After four successful seasons saving the world on TV, the Teen Titans realise that if they want to be seen as 'real superheroes', they need to star in a movie. Thus, the team set about getting Hollywood to make a movie about them, in between their day job of saving the world from all manner of villains.
The team comprises team leader Robin, free of Bruce Wayne’s restrictive protection; Starfire, a super-powered alien fleeing her home world and more often than not the voice of reason in the team; Cyborg, half-man, half-machine, reimagined as a friendly jock bro; Raven, the half-demon sorceress, now an impossible-to-impress emo; and Beast Boy, the class-clown of the team who can turn into any animal.
The “Teen Titans Go!” animated TV series exists as an irreverent spoof of the always-too-serious DC superhero universe, and this movie-length adventure fortunately doesn’t rock the boat too much from that successful formula.
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies keeps the show’s original voice cast, adds a roll call of celebrities as villains and side characters (including the Justice League, voiced by Nic Cage, Jimmy Kimmel and a swag of teen pop stars), and follows the same zany spoof formula that will hit surely home for eight-year-old and 40-year-old kids alike.
Adam Gould
7:00 PM, 13th October, 2018
The Spy Who Dumped Me is an action-comedy spin on the classic buddy movie that throws two everyday women – Audrey (Kunis) and her best friend Morgan (McKinnon) – into a globe-trotting espionage conspiracy. When Audrey’s ex-boyfriend (Theroux) unexpectedly re-enters her life and reveals that he is a CIA agent with a string of assassins on his tail, both she and Morgan find themselves in danger and forced to fend for themselves.
The film finds most of its laughs in how these two 30-year-old, middle-class city women go about saving the world. Many of these rely on stereotypes (such as women being bad drivers, and not being able to tolerate pain) rather than subverting them, but the admirable chemistry between Kunis and McKinnon pulls through and makes it work.
The actresses’ performances reflect both their considerable comedic experiences, as evidenced in Kunis’ surprise hit, Bad Moms, and McKinnon’s terrific work on “Saturday Night Live” and in 2016’s Ghostbusters. And with director Susanna Fogel at the helm, this is definitely a strong vehicle for female comedic talent.
Go see The Spy Who Dumped Me if you’re after ridiculously adrenaline-filled action sequences, unbelievably lucky escapes, and quality banter with the girls.
Zachary Schofield