2017

Gold

73/100
I was distracted by how much he looked like Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder, but it will never be accused of being subtle.
Reviewed on February 4, 2017

Florence foster Jenkins

70/100
Alma said: Watch this film to see what true love is. Meryl wows us with her abilities yet again.
Reviewed on January 29, 2017

Lion

81/100
1st half was brilliant. 2nd half not so much, but I still had to stay afterwards for cheek-wiping. Deserves it's Oscar nom.
Reviewed on January 25, 2017

Moana

72/100
Moana is gorgeous, but there was a lot of style over substance. I found the songs a bit boring too. Give me Kubo any day.
Reviewed on January 23, 2017

Jackie

57/100
I know Natalie Portman much more than Jackie O, so it seemed like a bad impression. I was very close to falling asleep.
Reviewed on January 16, 2017

Manchester By The Sea

83/100
Captivating. It's a tragedy, but doesn't go overboard on the heart-wrenching. Has a good smile to tear ratio.
Reviewed on February 4, 2017

Moonlight

76/100
Like a prequel to The Wire about a less confident Omar. I wish it was made like Boyhood so it connected the dots better.
Reviewed on February 6, 2017

Hidden Figures

76/100
Like Mad Men if Peggy was 3 black women/math geniuses. A bit overly earnest and wholesome for me to fully enjoy it.
Reviewed on February 26, 2017

Patriot's Day

81/100
Really well made and a fitting tribute, but it's hard to enjoy it too much when you know it's based on a true story.
Reviewed on February 9, 2017

Fences

78/100
1st half dialogue is so relentless it's exhausting. Don't walk out though, as the 2nd half it slows down and is really good.
Reviewed on February 9, 2017

The Lego Batman Movie

72/100
It's fun at times, but not that funny. I had really high expectations, but found it too long and repetitive.
Reviewed on April 6, 2017

Life

67/100
Mildly entertaining, but not scary at all. Maybe because I cared about Calvin more than the crew. Eddie Murphy version better.
Reviewed on March 23, 2017

Kong - Skull Island

71/100
If you have some time to waste, it's not a complete waste of time. Not enough Steve Wiebe for a Kong movie.
Reviewed on March 22, 2017

Logan

77/100
Slower than modern day superhero movies, more like Universal Soldier. A bit brutal for a family drama but still pretty good.
Reviewed on March 7, 2017

T2 Trainspotting

70/100
Like the Star Wars prequels, now that it's got the budget to polish the vision, it loses the raw energy and charm.
Reviewed on February 26, 2017

GOTG Vol 2

55/100
Way too corny. They take the easy option every time. It's sad when the characters have to provide a laugh track as well.
Reviewed on May 17, 2017

Alien Covenant

76/100
The best Alien franchise movie since the 80's. There's been a few sucky space movies lately. This isn't one of them.
Reviewed on May 15, 2017

Their Finest

80/100
It's got a little bit for everyone, which all add up to it being a pleasant little blend of smiles with a few tears.
Reviewed on May 15, 2017

Get Out

77/100
It's pretty slow and low on scares, but it's smart and has occasional moments of brilliance.
Reviewed on May 9, 2017

Pork Pie

56/100
Like an unfunny road version of The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Sadly, not every NZ movie involves Taika Waititi.
Reviewed on May 9, 2017

A Dog's Purpose

78/100
Going into a dog movie, you know you're going to cry. It's too relentless in it's pursuit of those tears though.
Reviewed on May 19, 2017

John Wick 2

65/100
Surprising slow, it livens up with more death in the 2nd half. Less justified deaths than the original, thus less fun.
Reviewed on May 18, 2017

Norman

79/100
Like a good secondary plot of a House of Cards season packed into one movie. When did Richard Gere become Dustin Hoffman?
Reviewed on June 5, 2017

Wonder Woman

70/100
There's a nice little fish out of water romance in there somewhere. Everything else is so long, slow and over the top.
Reviewed on June 4, 2017

Don't Tell

72/100
The subject matter makes it hard one to enjoy. It's a solid effort, yet not in the same league as Spotlight.
Reviewed on May 19, 2017

Spiderman Homecoming

81/100
The Freaks and Geeks inspired comedy of the first half was awesome. The action parts weren't too bad either.
Reviewed on July 10, 2017

The House

75/100
I expected to be using it as a tax deduction for work, but it wasn't a complete write-off. Got me to chuckle a few times.
Reviewed on July 4, 2017

Cars 3

63/100
Kinda repetitive and repetitive. Highly predicatable, except for an infuriating twist. Tighten up your rules Piston Cup!
Reviewed on June 28, 2017

Despicable M3

64/100
It's probably fine for kids, but I found it pretty boring and without any laughs. Not despicable, but disposable.
Reviewed on June 19, 2017

Neruda

65/100
I get the feeling that the director is trying to hypnotise me, same as he tried to with Jackie. I don't like that feeling.
Reviewed on June 5, 2017

Baby Driver

76/100
Very similar to Drive, which I think is a better movie. Tries very hard to be cool, when all I wanted was a Cornetto.
Reviewed on July 25, 2017

Dunkirk

73/100
High on tension, but very low on dialogue. Unneccesary jigsaw puzzle too. Their Finest is a much better Dunkirk movie.
Reviewed on July 25, 2017

It Comes At Night

78/100
Not very forthcoming with details about what's going on, but it'd be the best The Walking Dead episode in years.
Reviewed on July 10, 2017

The Big Sick

82/100
The first third had it heading for a Alma-like score. Then it turned into a drama and held on for a good Humph score.
Reviewed on August 20, 2017

War for the Planet of the Apes

72/100
Like LOTR in both quest & how drawn out it is. No need to spring for 3D, there's barely any action.
Reviewed on July 27, 2017

Logan Lucky

68/100
Unbelievable, but not in a good way. I'm all for an underdog story, but at least let me believe it's possible.
Reviewed on August 29, 2017

Wind River

80/100
Like a cross between Mystic River and Insomnia. Was tracking to be my favourite of the year, but it lost it's way a bit.
Reviewed on August 21, 2017

A Ghost Story

45/100
I had such high hopes, but the 1st half was so quiet and drawn out I even considered walking out. It got a bit better.
Reviewed on August 21, 2017

mother

50/100
Nup. I like my movies where what you see on the screen is what's happening, rather than a big allegory for something else.
Reviewed on September 26, 2017

American Made

75/100
Good to see Tom Cruise back in the cockpit. It'd be great as a Narcos sub-plot, probably didn't need it's own movie.
Reviewed on August 29, 2017

Happy Death Day

63/100
Recycled Groundhog Day jokes with Final Destination sequels-like scares. Always either too obvious or ridiculous.
Reviewed on October 31, 2017

Brigsby Bear

85/100
It's weird, but it's just the right amount of sweet. Welled up with happy tears the whole 2nd half. It's dope as shit.
Reviewed on October 31, 2017

Ali's Wedding

75/100
It's like an episode of True Story without Hamish & Andy. It's not that funny, but it's heart is in the right place.
Reviewed on October 23, 2017

Good Time

79/100
Reminded me of Buffalo 66, but with an intense soundtrack. Pattinson was so good I'm almost tempted to watch Twilight!
Reviewed on October 23, 2017

IT

75/100
The Stand By Me-ish bits are really good, it's just a pity the supposed scary parts are so over the top they're kinda lame.
Reviewed on October 16, 2017

Bad Genius

81/100
Great Thai Ocean's Eleven style heist thriller, but it lost a few marks for being too long and over-dramatic by the end.
Reviewed on November 14, 2017

Detroit

49/100
So unenjoyable when the few characters you get to root for get treated the worst. I just found it way too hard to watch.
Reviewed on November 11, 2017

Ingrid Goes West

79/100
I don't even like using my own social media let alone watching someone else use theirs, but as a drama I liked it.
Reviewed on November 8, 2017

Thor Ragnarok

83/100
It's a superhero movie with Waititi tendencies. I kept imagining how great a big budget full Waititi movie would be.
Reviewed on October 31, 2017

Justice League

55/100
I only fell asleep once, but I was close many more times. Don't go see it straight after a 7 hour drinking session.
Reviewed on November 20, 2017

Borg vs McEnroe

72/100
Needed more McEnroe! Too much Borg and how they showed the match was a bit of a let down. LaBeouf was great though.
Reviewed on November 28, 2017

Lucky

82/100
Maybe I'm biased because Lucky is just an older version of me. I woulda sung the Spanish version of Hotel California instead.
Reviewed on November 28, 2017

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

80/100
A few hours ago I gave it 75, but I think the comedy was so dark I couldn't quite see it until now.
Reviewed on November 21, 2017

Loving Vincent

65/100
Is the painting gimmick just to distract you from how boring it is? I felt like I shoulda been wearing 3D glasses.
Reviewed on November 21, 2017

The Disaster Artist

84/100
I haven't even seen The Room yet, but this is a great movie on it's own without any prior knowledge.
Reviewed on December 10, 2017

Star Wars : The Last Jedi

68/100
I mean it's fine, I just expected more. Little things annoyed me and there were a few laughable moments.
Reviewed on December 19, 2017

Wonder

78/100
It got a few tears outta me, which was all I was really looking for. It's not that sad though, they were happy/sad tears.
Reviewed on December 19, 2017

Only The Brave

73/100
Some great moments, but was mostly slow and tedious. I can finally cancel my Jennifer Connelly fan club membership.
Reviewed on December 19, 2017

Coco

70/100
It was always on the move, but it never got to a reveal before it was completely obvious. Far too slapstick, not enough tears.
Reviewed on December 10, 2017