By Kurt Jensen Although its plot centres on a family of friendly witches, the romantic drama Practical Magic 2 (Warner Bros.) involves no advocacy for the dark arts. They simply exist as part of the fanciful premise. Instead, the film's appeal, like that of its 1998 predecessor, is meant to lie in its portrayal of strong female bonding amid adversity. One hint that the occult element is ...

By John Mulderig Place one of Western civilisation's foundational texts in the hands of one of the entertainment industry's greatest living auteurs and the results are likely to be impressive. And so it proves with The Odyssey (Universal), writer-director Christopher Nolan's lavish and absorbing adaptation of Homer's epic poem. While taking some liberties with his source material, Nolan ...

By Jacinta Jakovcevic Over the past 50 years, the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Choir Camp has inspired, educated, entertained, and enabled generations of young musicians to engage with the Church through its music. Fostering fellowship, friendship and a lifelong love of Church music worship, Choir Camp brings together young choristers from all denominations, providing them with th...

By John Mulderig Set primarily in the Hollywood of the 1920s, the delightful, animated comedy Minions & Monsters (Universal) is at once director and co-writer Pierre Coffin's paean to and satire of early Tinseltown. Humorous versions of classic movie scenes abound, all recreated in the key of silly. But even those with little knowledge of cinema history can enjoy this romp through th...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHmCH7iB_IM Four and a half decades on from the bicentennial year in which it premiered, the "Rocky" franchise is still a cinematic gift that keeps on giving. Thus "Creed III" (United Artists), the ninth film in the series, is a thinking-person's sports drama that will appeal even to those with no particular interest in well-choreographed slugfests. W...