The Boss Baby (2017)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Tom McGrath
Voices of: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Tobey Maguire
Duration: 97 minutes
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd

The computer-animated comedy, loosely based on the 2010 picture book of the same by Marla Frazee, follows the arrival of a particular baby in a family. The story is told from the point of view of a unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative seven-year-old named Tim (voiced by Tobey Maguire).

The most unusual Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin) arrives at Tim's home in a taxi, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. The instant sibling rivalry must soon be put aside when Tim discovers that Boss Baby is actually a spy on a secret mission, and only he can help thwart an evil plot that involves an epic battle between puppies and babies.

The voicing cast includes Lisa Kudrow as Tim’s mother and Jimmy Kimmel as his father, and Steve Buscemi as the CEO of Puppy Co.

Although the animation and premise seem very cute, the film has received mixed reviews.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety commented: “Instead of taking us deeper into a child's reality the way Inside Out did, The Boss Baby  is at once overly busy and oddly detached from a child's reality.”

Chris Agar of Screen Rant does not seem to agree. He said: “The Boss Baby is generic animated fare but it's bolstered by a unique visual flair and important lessons for children in the audience.”

Ian Freer of Empire was not as impressed. He wrote: “The Boss Baby has interesting visual textures, a few good jokes and Baldwin has fun. But these elements never transcend an odd premise that fails to deliver big laughs or emotional heft.”

Pat Padua of the Washington Post was more generous: “What really drives the film is the central relationship, a fraternal dynamic that, despite being based on a flight of fancy, is more convincing than many live-action family comedies manage to be.”

The Dreamworks Animation film, released at the end of March, has grossed $199.7 million worldwide so far.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Empire: 2 stars

The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Genre: Action
Director: F. Gary Gray
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Charlize Theron, Scott Eastwood, Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Helen Mirren, Tyrese Gibson
Duration: 136 minutes
Class: N/A
KRS Releasing Ltd

The eighth instalment of The Fast and the Furious franchise finds Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) on their honeymoon, while Brian (Paul Walker, who died in a crash while filming Furious 7) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) have retired from the game and the rest of the crew has been exonerated.

Charlize Theron seduces Vin Diesel back into a world of crime in The Fate of the Furious.

Life seems normal... until a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) seduces Dom back into a world of crime that he cannot seem to escape.

The film is yet to be released internationally but early reviews are promising. Owen Gleiberman of Variety described the film as “a dazzling action spectacle that proves this franchise is far from out of gas”.

The Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore, however,  commented that the film brings nothing new to the franchise as it “recycles plot-twisting devices from earlier chapters”.

Ratings
IMDB: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Empire: N/A