Kangaroo Review

Kangaroo

Release Date: 18th September 2025 - Australia

Production Companies

Cultivator Films

Bunya Productions (in association with)

Brindle Films (in association with)

Screen Australia (presents)

StudioCanal (presents)

Screen Territory (in association with)

Screen NSW (in association with)

Distribution

StudioCanal Australia

Genre: Family/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 107 minutes

Box Office Gross: $412,642 (Australia - figure subject to change)

Plot Summary

Chris Masterman, a former

TV personality, becomes

stranded in a town in the

Australian Outback near

Alice Springs. There,

he meets a 12-year-old

Indigenous girl named

Charlie. An unlikely bond

forms between the pair as

they work together to save

and rehabilitate orphaned

joeys in a remote yet

spectacular Outback

settlement. This undertaking

proves to be life-changing

for both of them.

Cast

Ryan Corr - Chris Masterman

Rachel House - Jesse

Lily Whiteley - Charlie

Brooke Satchwell - Liz

Deborah Mailman - Rosie

Rarriwuy Hick - Brenda

Rick Donald - Trap

Ryan Clark - Lifeguard Jacko

Wayne Blair - Ralph

Trisha Morton-Thomas - Gwennie

Emily Taheny - Dorinda

Ernie Dingo - Dave

Genevieve Lemon - Bernadette

Salvatore Coco - Phil

Shaun Martindale - Joel

Matt Burton - Trap's Mate #1

Warren H Williams - Warren

Catherine Mazur - Studio Assistant

Lucy McLeod - ABC Reporter

Anthony Ritossa - Host

Steve Kidd - Neil the Butcher

Yalyal Hick - Casper

Phoenix Cunningham - Freddy

Lene Clarsen Walters - Ruby

Luke Follayttar - Silver Gum Kid

Jaimee Morettti - Studio Employee

Charlotte Walters - Grace

Luca Saunders - Lifeguard #1

Zoe Walters - Bowling Lady #2

Sam Follayttar - Silver Gum Kid

Kristina Kidd - Bowling Lady #1

Crew

Director - Kate Woods

Writer - Harry Cripps

Additional Material - Peta-Lee Cole-Mandolis and Danielle Maclean

Additional Writing - Melina Marchetta

Executive Producers - Aaron Ensweiler,

Marcus Gillezeau, Ron Halpern,

Marian Macgowan, Anna Marsh,

Louise Smith and Elizabeth Trotman

Producers - Rachel Clements,

David Jowsey, Angela Littlejohn,

Tristan Morton-Thomas and Greer Simpkin

Casting Director - Anousha Zarkesh

Production Designer - Sam Hobbs

Art Director - Jodie Whetter

Costume Designer - Edie Kurzer

Makeup Supervisor - Helen Magelakis

Hair and Makeup Designer - Sheldon Wade

Director of Photography - Kieran Fowler

First Assistant Director - Danielle Blake

Second Unit Director - Warwick Thornton

Stunt Designer/Coordinator - Dean Gould 

Editor - Chris Plummer

Visual Effects Supervisor - Jonathan Hairman

Supervising Sound Editor - Angus Robertson

Sound Designer and Re-Recording Mixer -

Sam Hayward

Music -  Josie Mann and Matteo Zingales

Review

In 2000, Kate Wood launched her directorial career with her film adaptation of Looking for Alibrandi, which won critical acclaim and box office receipts. Since then, her work has taken her overseas, directing episodes of television series such as Law & Order, Without a Trace, Person of Interest, and The Lincoln Lawyer. The motion picture that has prompted her return to Australia and the silver screen is KANGAROO, a heartfelt family comedy loosely based on the true story of Chris "Brolga" Barns, a one-time tour guide who established a kangaroo reserve near Alice Springs in 2011.

Although the film's narrative arc is somewhat predictable, it remains captivating. The film navigates the emotional themes of the story with sensitivity, while maintaining the comedic charm and friendly atmosphere of small country towns. Kieran Fowler's cinematography brings KANGAROO to life. His warm and bright approach captures the grandeur of the Northern Territory's spectacular landscapes and conjures up the fictional town of Silver Gum.

Woods has enlisted a talented group of actors to lend weight to their characters. Ryan Corr delivers an outstanding performance as an egotistical weatherman who transforms into a kangaroo conservationist. However, the best cast member in this film was Lily Whiteley, who plays Charlie. Despite her lack of experience, the first-time actress delivers an engaging performance that defies her age. Deborah Mailman brings warmth and sympathy to her role as Rosie, Charlie's grief-stricken and struggling mother.

The other actors also perform well. Wayne Blair, Ernie Dingo, Rachel House, Genevieve Lemon, Trisha Morton-Thomas, and Roy Billings play some of the strange people of Silver Gum. While there are real joeys in the film, many adult marsupials came to life through its minimal yet impressive CGI, demonstrating how far we have come since the release of Kangaroo Jack in 2003.

KANGAROO is one of those family-friendly films with cute animals that local audiences tend to love, similar to Babe, Red Dog, and the classic Storm Boy. I recommend it to those who want to see it, as you will take your kids there.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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In Memory of Robert Redford (1936-2025)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Redford (1936-2025)

The legendary actor Robert Redford has died. He was 89 years old. He is most famous for roles in films such as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "All the President's Men," and "The Sting." One of the most iconic movie stars of the 1970s, Redford bridged the gap between the Hollywood new wave and the mainstream film industry with ease. Over the ensuing decades, he also became an Oscar-winning director and producer. He also spearheaded the development of American independent cinema by co-founding the Sundance Film Festival, whose platform showcased films such as "Reservoir Dogs," "The Blair Witch Project," "Donnie Darko," "Fruitvale Station," and "Coda."

Born in 1936 as Charles Robert Redford, he grew up in Los Angeles, California. After being expelled from the University of Colorado, he took up a course in acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Following a series of minor roles on television, in theatre, and in film, he began to gain recognition in the early 1960s. In 1962, he earned an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "The Voice of Charlie Pont," after which he secured a lead role in the original 1963 Broadway production of Neil Simon's renowned play "Barefoot in the Park." Redford's big break came in 1965, when he played a bisexual film star opposite Natalie Wood in "Inside Daisy Clover." For this performance, he received a Golden Globe nomination.

Fame came to Redford after a period of successful Hollywood films, including "The Chase" and the screen adaptation of "Barefoot in the Park." His career reached new heights with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," the hugely popular 1969 outlaw western in which he starred alongside Paul Newman and Katherine Ross. It received seven Oscar nominations, though not for the actors. In the 1970s, he appeared in such films as "The Way We Were" with Barbara Streisand, "The Sting" again with Paul Newman, "Three Days of the Condor," "All the President's Men" with Dustin Hoffman, and "The Electric Horseman."

Following an extended hiatus from acting in the late 1970s, Redford launched his directing career with the ensemble drama "Ordinary People," based on the novel of the same name by Judith Guest. It performed well at the box office, winning four Oscars in 1981, including Best Picture and Best Director for Redford. It remained the only recognition he never received for his acting. In the 1980s and 1990s, he continued to enjoy success as an actor, although perhaps with less of the groundbreaking impact than he had in the 1970s. He appeared in "The Natural" and "Out of Africa" before resuming his directional career with "The Milagro Beanfield War" and "A River Runs Through It," both of which tackle rural America in different ways.

A year later, he reached a turning point of sorts with the erotic thriller "Indecent Proposal," a pure Hollywood venture in which his character, a businessman, offers a million dollars to sleep with Demi Moore's character. It reinstated Redford's status as a commercial presence. In the 1990s, he directed two films: "Quiz Show" and "The Horse Whisperer," for which he also starred.

During this period, the Sundance Film Festival, co-founded by Redford's production company in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival and renamed after Redford's Sundance Institute in 1984, emerged as a prominent showcase for American independent cinema. The festival promoted the work of renowned filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith. Its impact increased further in subsequent decades, establishing itself as a platform for promoting movies and helping them to achieve commercial success and awards recognition. Notable films showcased include "500 Days of Summer," "Napoleon Dynamite," "Whiplash," "Fruitvale Station," and "Coda."

While "Lions for Lambs," his 2007 film about the Afghan War, was a failure, Redford's 2013 survival-at-sea drama "All is Lost," in which he delivered an exceptional solo performance, was a notable improvement. In 2014, Redford signed up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the role of Alexander Pierce in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." He played the same role in a cameo appearance in "Avengers: Endgame" in 2009. Redford cut back on his directorial work in the mid-2010s, relinquishing his role as steward of the Sundance Film Festival and confirming his retirement from acting. His last significant role was in the David Lowery-directed 2018 crime drama "The Old Man & The Gun."

Throughout his lifetime, Redford received numerous accolades, including an Honorary Oscar in 2002.

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The Magic Pudding Review

The Magic Pudding

Release Date: 14th December 2000 - Australia

Production Companies

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (produced with the assistance of)

Energee Entertainment

Icon Entertainment International

New South Wales Film & Television Office (developed with the assistance of)

Premium Movie Partnership (produced with the assistance of)

RTV Family Entertainment AG (produced with the assistance of)

Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 80 minutes

Budget: A$12,000,000 (estimated)

Box Office Gross: A$1,001,000 (Australia)

Plot Summary

Bunyip Bluegum is a

splendid young koala on a

quest to find his missing

parents when he comes

across a magic pudding named Albert and meets a loud sailor, Bill Barnacle, and his penguin mate, Sam Sawnoff. Together, they form the Noble Society of Pudding Owners, as they constantly thwart the attempts of the Pudding Thieves.

Voice Cast

Sam Neill - Sam Sawnoff

Hugo Weaving - Bill Barnacle

Geoffrey Rush - Bunyip Bluegum

John Cleese - Albert the Magic Pudding

Dave Gibson - Uncle Wattleberry/Possum/Additional Voices

John Laws - Rumpus Bumpus

Greg Carroll - Watkin Wombat

Peter Gwynne - Benjamin Brandysnap

Michael Veitch - Bandicoot

Robyn Moore - Henrietta Hedgehog/Additional Voices

Jack Thompson - Buncle

Mary Coustas - Ginger

Sandy Gore - Frog on the Log

Toni Collette - Meg Bluegum

Roy Billing - Tom Bluegum

Martin Vaughan - Parrot

Gerry Connolly - Dobson Dorking

Lee Perry - Additional Voices

Marg Downey - Additional Voices

Crew

Story Development/Director - Karl Zwicky

Based on the Story "The Magic Pudding" - Norman Lindsay

Story Development - Morris Gleitzman

Screenplay - Harry Cripps,

Greg Haddrick and Simon Hopkinson

Executive Producers - Paddy Conroy

and Carmel & John Travers

Executive Producers: Icon - Bruce Davey,

Ralph Kemp and Mel Gibson (Uncredited)

Producer - Gerry Travers

Production Designer/Background

Style Development/Drawn Background

Artist/Digital Background Supervisor/Artist -

Helen Steele

Production Designer/Background Style

Development/Key Color Stylist/Digital

Background Artist - Kelly Wallwork

Character Designer/Storyboard/

Timing Artist/Animation Director -

Robbert Smit

Character Designer/Storyboard Artist/

Key Layout Design - Daniel Foley

Character Designer/Storyboard/Layout Artist -

David Wilkinson

Character Designer/Layout Artist - Jo-Anne Boag

Storyboard/Layout Artists - Stephen Doric

and Joe Wylie

Storyboard/Layout Artist/Mouth Breakdown -

Astrid Nordheim

Layout Director/Animation Supervisor -

Margaret Parkes

Editor - Richard Hindley

Sound/Re-Recording Mixer - Phil Judd

Re-Recording Mixer - Peter Purcell

Music/Original Songs/Keyboards/

Programming - Chris Harriott

Original Songs - Dennis Watkins

Conductor/Orchestrator - Christopher Gordon

Concert Master - Phillip Hartl

Review

As a young kid, I was unfamiliar with the children's classic, The Magic Pudding, having never read it, but having seen the animated movie only once a long time ago. I have good memories of it and can't wait to see the film again. While it had decent production values, a tremendous voice cast, and terrific animation, the character designs remained true to the book illustrations. Unfortunately, the plot is unfaithful to the original story Norman Lindsay wrote. It lacks the wit and the surrealistic charm that make it so great. Perhaps the filmmakers got the recipe wrong and substituted their interpretation for the original storyline.

The songs don't highly advance the plot and are unmemorable and instantly forgettable. Perhaps they were trying to follow in Disney's footsteps, but by the time the film premiered, they were unaware that the Disney formula had ended with the advent of computer animation, thanks to Toy Story. On the bright side, the racist overtones in Norman Lindsay's story are gone to make it more politically correct.

There are some good things about this film, especially the voices with actors like John Cleese, who is fitting as Albert, the irascible magic pudding, and Geoffrey Rush, who is appropriately sincere as the plucky young koala Bunyip. The rest of the cast, including Hugo Weaving, Sam Neill, and Jack Thompson, is also good, to be honest. I never knew Toni Collette could sing, and she is heard briefly as Bunyip's missing mum.

THE MAGIC PUDDING is an average but watchable film. Young children unfamiliar with the book will likely enjoy this movie. Those who have read the classic Australian book will be disappointed by this film, as its story differs significantly from the original.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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Jaws 2 Review

Jaws 2

Release Date: 30th November 1978 - Australia

Production Companies 

Universal Pictures

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Thriller

Rating: M (Not Suitable for Young Children)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Budget: $30,000,000

Box Office Gross: $187,884,007 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Four years after a Great White

Shark had left Amity Island

with a fear of shark attacks,

and after having a ferocious

encounter with the predator,

Sheriff Martin Brody is

investigating a disappearance

and boating accident, which

suggests something is amiss.

Brody's fears come true when

there is another Great White,

which has come to terrorise

everyone in the sailing

competition.

Cast

Roy Scheider - Chief Martin Brody

Lorraine Gray - Ellen Brody

Murray Hamilton - Mayor Larry Vaughn

Joseph Mascolo - Peterson

Jeffrey Kramer - Hendricks

Collin Wilcox Paxton - Dr. Elkins

Ann Dusenberry - Tina

Mark Gruner - Mike Brody

Barry Coe - Andrews

Susan French - Old Lady

Gary Springer - Andy

Donna Wilkes - Jackie

Gary Dublin - Ed

John Dukakis - Polo

G. Thomas Dunlop - Timmy

David Elliott - Larry

Marc Gilpin - Sean Brody

Keith Gordon - Doug

Cindy Grover - Lucy

Ben Marley - Patrick

Martha Swatek - Marge

Billy Van Zandt - Bob

Gigi Vorgan - Brooke

April Gilpin - Renee

Coll Red McLean - Red

Allan L. Paddack - Crosby

Kathy Wilson - Mrs. Bryant

Herb Muller - Phil Fogarty

Mary A. Gaffney - Mrs. Silvera

Crew

Director - Jeannot Szwarc

Based Upon Characters - Peter Benchley

Writers - Carl Gottlieb and Howard Sackler

Associate Producer/Production Designer/Second Unit Director - Joe Alves

Producers - Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown

Technical Advisor - Fred Zendar

Art Directors - W. Stewart Campbell and Gene Johnson

Set Decorator - Phil Abramson

Costume Designer - Bill Jobe

Director of Photography -

Michael C. Butler

Live Shark Photography - Ron & Valerie Taylor

Unit Production Manager - Bill Badalato

Production Manager - Tom Joyner

First Assistant Directors - Scott Maitland and Don Zepfel

Second Assistant Directors - Katy Emde and Beau Marks

Stunt Coordinator - Ted Grossman

Special Mechanical Effects - Roy Arbogast and Robert A. Mattey

Film Editors - Steve Potter,

Arthur Schmidt and Neil Travis

Sound - James R. Alexander

Sound Re-Recording - Robert L. Hoyt

Sound Effects Editor - James Troutman

Music - John Williams

Review

When Jaws came out in 1975, visitors to the beach were so terrified by the film that they were afraid to go into the water. It was a career boost for young Steven Spielberg as he would later direct big successes like Close Encounters, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schneider's List, Jurassic Park, and others. Meanwhile, JAWS 2 came into being without Spielberg's involvement in 1978. Due to the first instalment's success, Universal was keen to capitalise on its popularity, and audiences asked for more bite-sized thrills. Looking back at the sequel, it's just your typical shark movie, and there's nothing new and more thrilling than the original. What also disappointed me about the film is that Richard Dreyfuss didn't return (which is why he refused to return without Spielberg).

While a decent director, Jeannot Szwarc, falls far short of Steven Spielberg's standards. He doesn't have as much enthusiasm as Spielberg did when he filmed the first Jaws movie. All things considered, he did a decent job with the material at his disposal. The plot is too similar to that of the original film. Yet, the suspense of the first instalment remains, especially in the second half. The shark appears as good as it did in the first one. However, its behaviour is more akin to that of a serial killer than an enraged beast. Even the teenage characters are rather one-dimensional. You don't get to know many of them well enough to care whether they survive or become shark food.

The ensemble cast is solid, with Roy Scheider's performance as Chief Brody standing out in particular. The only reason Roy agreed to appear in this sequel was that he remained under contract with Universal for multiple films. According to outside sources, JAWS 2 was his way out of that situation, even if it meant clashing with the new director.

The series should have ended when Roy Scheider refused to continue playing the role. While this sequel may appear to be a cash-in on the original film, the poor quality of the following two films proves that this is indeed the case. JAWS 2 was so popular with audiences that it didn't need any more follow-ups.

Although it's not as good as its predecessor, JAWS 2 is undoubtedly the least disappointing of the series and the only watchable sequel. I'd recommend this to fans of the original.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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