FILM OVERVIEW: THE LEGO MOVIE AND MUPPETS MOST WANTED

The kid's movies these Easter holidays -- The LEGO Movie and Muppets Most Wanted -- could very well prove to be a case of parents dragging their offspring along to see them. Both films tap so strongly (and deliberately?) into the childhoods of generations X and earlier, that the wee youngsters may be at a loss as to explain what they're doing there. While both films are satisfying family entertainment, there's a lot more going on for the grown-ups in attendance.

Not that the colour and movement of The LEGO Movie (now showing; Roadshow Films) won't keep the little ones transfixed for the majority of its running time. But this ode to, and yes, commercial for, those coloured building blocks which inspired many a child's imagination (and were the bane of every parent's bare foot), has such a playful and, at times, cynical sense of humour that there may be a lot of "what's so funny?" asked of the parentals. (And as it's directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, responsible for 2012's 21 Jump Street and its upcoming sequel, you may be grateful that's all they're asking!)

The plot -- concerning a prophesized MasterBuilder who will end the evil reign of Lord/President Business (Will Ferrell), and the work-a-day chump, Emmet (Chris Pratt), who is mistaken for said chosen one -- may just be a delivery service for such homilies as believing in yourself and being creative, but it's the journey, the detours and asides, which are the real fun of The LEGO Movie, and not the borderline saccharine third act.

And the voice cast -- Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, as well as Pratt and Ferrell -- make that journey a delight. Banks' kickass Wyldstyle, disappointed to learn she's not the MasterBuilder in spite of her being more than capable than all her male counterparts; Freeman mocking both the wizened old man cliche as well as his own all-knowing ubiquitous voice-over work; and Arnett's rather douche-y Batman who's really only interested in looking out for number one.

The LEGO Movie may not be as awesome as Tegan and Sara's super-infectious theme song suggests (just try getting it out of your head!) but it's pretty darn good.

Void of the nostalgia which made much of The Muppets (2011) such the pleasure that it was (particularly for a certain segment of the audience), Muppets Most Wanted (opening April 10; Walt Disney Studios Films) still manages to be good fun; recalling the more plot-driven caper films of Kermit and the gang in the 1970s-early '80s.

Picking up immediately where The Muppets ended, the gang ask themselves "where to now?" with the obvious answer being a sequel. Cue a song (again written by Oscar winner, Bret McKenzie) about the pitfalls of sequels, the introduction of two bad guys, Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) and Constantine, and a whirlwind tour of Europe where, by sheer coincidence, the theft of ancient artifacts occurs on every stop on The Muppets' tour.

Of course, it's not coincidence. Constantine is a master criminal who also happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Kermit. That is, other than his strong Slavic accent and the mole on his face; the latter covered by green concealer and the former seemingly ignored by the rest of the gang when Constantine assumes Kermit's identity and control of the tour (Kermit having been mistaken for Constantine and sent to a Russian gulag).

One of the driving forces behind The Muppets' big screen return in 2011, actor-writer Jason Segel, is noticeably absent this time around but writer-director James Bobin returns to bring the fun and frivolity, if not the big time yucks or the teary eyes which the nostalgia-filled reboot effortlessly elicited.

And while Bret McKenzie's songs aren't as clever or instantly memorable this time around -- there's no Life's A Happy Song or Man Or Muppet -- you'll still find the lo-fi disco beats of I'll Give It To You hard to shake from your mind. And Tina Fey's gulag commandant singing Welcome To The Big House should have more than a few mums and dads flashing back to video clips of the 1980s.

The cameos for cameos sake (James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Lady Gaga, that guy from Dowton Abbey) may not work to the film's advantage but the somewhat old fashioned sense of fun and silliness is more than enough to get the young and the young at heart chuckling, occasionally LOL'ing, and exiting the cinema with a warm grin if not a big smile plastered across their face.

What more could you want these Easter holidays?

DVD GIVEAWAY: ENDER'S GAME

Young Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, a genocidal alien race which nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion.

Based on the critically acclaimed novel, Ender's Game is an epic space adventure starring Oscar nominees Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld and Oscar winner, Ben Kingsley.

Thanks to Icon Home Entertainment, we have 3 DVD copies of Ender's Game to give away. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed (@TheLennoXFiles) for your chance to win. Note: open to Australian residents only.

Ender's Game is available on Blu-ray and DVD April 4.

DVD GIVEAWAY: FILTH

From the creator of Trainspotting comes Filth, a fast-paced, razor-sharp black comedy starring James McAvoy in a career-making performance as a corrupt, sociopathic Edinburgh cop, Bruce Roberston. With a stellar cast including Imogen Poots, Jim Broadbent and Jamie Bell, Filth was one of the local box office successes in the UK in 2013.

Desperately bored with his duties as a Detective Sergeant, Bruce survives on a mixture of cocaine, alcohol and sexually abusive relationships. Determined to secure the lucrative promotion to Detective Inspector and reconcile with his estranged wife and daughter, Bruce begins concocting a plan to sabotage his colleagues, turning his nearest rivals against each other, one by one, and by increasingly creative means. But when his drug addiction and unchecked psychological issues combine to test his grip on reality, they finally push him over the edge.

Thanks to Icon Home Entertainment, we have 3 DVD copies of Filth to be won. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed (@TheLennoXFiles) for a call to action to get your entry in the draw. Note: open to Australian residents only.

Filth is available on Blu-ray and DVD April 4.

FILM OVERVIEW: TRACKS AND WADJDA

2013 was a great year for female roles in film, which is to say a better than average list of films boasting strong female characters. And even if the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences chose more safely from among those eligible for the Best Actress Oscar (Cate Blanchett's turn in Blue Jasmine excepted), that there were more than five to choose from is something of a victory in and of itself.

Early in 2014 and that trend of strong-willed, independent and even spunky heroines looks set to continue with Tracks (Transmission Films, now showing) and Wadjda (Hopscotch Films, March 20), the latter a 2013 title which makes its way into Australian cinemas after a successful festival run and awards campaign around the world (although, ironically, one which did not end with a much-anticipated Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film).

Tracks, directed by John Curran and adapted by Marion Nelson from the bestselling book by Robyn Davidson, depicts the infamous journey of Davidson (a perfectly-cast Mia Wasikowska) who, in 1977, trekked from Alice Springs to Uluru (then still called Ayers Rock) then westward across the West Australian desert to the Indian Ocean, some 1,700 miles in mostly searing heat (the landscape beautifully photographed here by Mandy Walker).

The daughter of a one-time adventurer, Robyn is determined to learn how to train the camels which will accompany her on her trek, and complete the adventure on her own. Well, as much as humanly possible. Four camels and her trusty dog, Diggity, will accompany her. And when aboriginal custom dictates, an elder, Eddie (Roly Mintuma), will guide her through sacred land.

Though he speaks little English, Robyn finds Eddie far more agreeable company than Rick Smolan (Adam Driver), the photographer whom National Geographic, who are bankrolling the expedition, have assigned to document Robyn's journey across the interior; Rick's frequent rendezvous' with Robyn becoming more and more appreciated as the elements and events begin to take their toll on the young woman who, like Garbo, simply wants to be alone.

"You could die out there", suggests more than one doubter before she departs, to which Robyn replies not so much with words but a silent, inner shrug. Robyn doesn't have a death wish but she has somewhat of an accepting fatalism. The destination isn't the point of the journey but nor, it seems, is survival.

Wasikowska, an interesting looking actress who continues to choose interesting projects (2010's Alice In Wonderland excepted), has the ability to convey a great deal whilst saying very little. As the voice-over narration lessens and the journey progresses, it's left to Wasikowska's searching eyes and weather-beaten face (not to mention Walker's exceptional lensing work) to chart the physical, psychological and emotional terrain, the occasional and not entirely necessary childhood flashback withstanding.

Not so epic but no less ambitious is young Wadjda's desire to own a bicycle, specifically the green-framed model with the streamers on the handlebars which sits out front of her neighbourhood toy store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It costs 800 riyals but Wadjda, an enterprising young lass played perfectly by Waad Mohammed, isn't about to let money or dogma-based sexism -- women don't ride bikes! -- deter her from her goal: not just to own a bike but to race her best (male) friend, Abdullah (Abdullrahman Al Gohani).

It would be easy, and understandable, to equate young Wadjda's ambitions with those of the film's writer-director, Haifaa Al-Mansour, not only the first woman to direct a film in Saudi Arabia but the first person, period. Cinema has been banned in the Middle Eastern country for some 30 years. And in a country where women aren't even permitted to drive, making a film or indeed, riding a push bike, are near revolutionary acts.

Yet as political as Wadjda is -- how can it not be? -- Al-Mansour is never heavy-handed with her message of female self-empowerment nor the oppressive State in which her young heroine finds herself living. Smart, entrepreneurial and flexible, Wadjda knows how to get what she wants. Not one for religious observance (she finds the headscarf an annoyance more than anything), Wadjda seizes on the opportunity to enter a Koran recitation competition when she learns the prize money is a much needed 1,000 riyals.

A Hollywood film would make this competition and the heroine's preparation the focus of the story but Al-Mansour chooses to observe Wadjda as she goes about her school and home life; the young heroine witnessing her mother's struggle to please a husband who must first please his family by finding a second wife to bear him a son; her elder peers' struggle to reconcile their faith with adolescent preoccupations like magazines, nail polish and boys; and the easy way in which Abdullah moves through the world simply because he is male. Although a kind-hearted boy who promises to marry Wadjda when they're old enough, he's no match for the young lady on any level.

Like The Rocket last year (both films screening at the Sydney Film Festival), Wadjda is a crowd pleaser but in the best sense of the word. It's appeal and emotions are universal and not lowest common denominator; you'll boast a huge smile and maybe be a little misty-eyed at film's end because you actually care about young Wadjda and her hopes and dreams.

Here's hoping 2014 brings more films like Tracks and Wadjda, and even more female characters like their heroines: independent, single-minded, strong-willed and smart.