(dir. Josh Margolin) This is a sweet comedy about a ninety-three year-old (played by June Squibb) falling victim to a scam and vowing to find those responsible. The script is funny throughout and the gentle spoofing of Mission: Impossible action scenes adds to the pleasure. I think anyone with an older relative will relate to Thelma’s determined resistance to being patronised (and her struggles with computers!). ★★★★☆

(dir. Alexandre Espigares) This is a breath of fresh Yukon air compared to most animated films for children–no rushed plotting, comic-relief characters, talking animals, or mediocre songs. It’s beautifully animated, tells an interesting historical tale, and is a perfect eighty-five minutes long. After suffering through the entirely unnecessary Mufasa in the cinema yesterday, watching this with my five year-old today was sweet relief. ★★★★☆

(dir. Takashi Yamazaki) This is a reboot of the Godzilla story, and certainly succeeds in creating some impressive moments of monster destruction. The postwar Tokyo setting allows the writers to explore themes of trauma and sacrifice, but unfortunately I found the dialogue a bit heavy-handed and the resolution too neat to satisfy. That said, Godzilla looks great and if you are a fan of kaiju 怪獣 you will enjoy this. ★★★☆☆

(dir. Joseph Kosinski) This is better than I remembered–at least until the last act. The cinematography–even in the real world sections–is all cold shiny symmetries, and together with Daft Punk’s electronic score it works to create a unique style for the film. The main problems, though, are with the characters: Garrett Hedlund’s protagonist lacks charisma; Jeff Bridges is a hokey The-Dude-in-Cyberspace; and every female character is a robotic cipher. The dialogue in the final third is also atrocious (the “warm, radiant, beautiful” line about the sun must rank up there with Anakin Skywalker’s musings on sand).

I watched in 3D on a VR headset thanks a MakeMKV rip processed with BD3D2MK3D. The 3D looks good but is not transformative. ★★★☆☆

(dir. Jean-Pierre Melville) This film was not well-received at the time of its release, but its rerelease in 2006 led to it being widely hailed as a classic of cinema. Melville (Le Samouraï) creates a grim tale of Resistance members in occupied France. Pierre Lhomme’s cinematography is striking, and he was involved in the absolutely gorgeous remaster available on Bluray. As gripping as any spy thriller I’ve seen. ★★★★★

A road trip movie in an America fallen apart. The lead performances are very different but all work together to show how the horror of war leaves its scars. Slow sometimes and breakneck at others, it builds to a ruthless climax that regrettably makes great sense.

The sound is very well designed, veering between near silence, music tracks, and gunfire. The cinematography is sometimes gorgeous, and sometimes shocking.

Well worth your time. ★★★★★

Yes, it’s long, but the endless sewing and rate negotiations do give a sense of what life is like for the people working in the clothing workshops in Zhejiang. It will make you look differently at any Chinese-made clothing you have in your wardrobe! ★★★★☆

It has dark and hilarious moments, but never really coheres as a satisfying film. ★★★☆☆

Great script, impeccably made, and full of good performances. Spielberg at his best. ★★★★★

The dubbing is distracting, yes, but the story and cinematography are superb. Clint Eastwood is as good as he ever was, but even more credit should be given to Eli Wallace for his comic but believable role as Tuco. ★★★★★

A gripping thriller about a serial killer in a small town in Korea in the 1980s. The incompetence and violence of the local police is both hilarious and awful, and the descent of the big city Seoul cop to their level handled convincingly. The 80s aesthetic and locations are also great. This is superb. ★★★★★

After the non-character that Ethan Hunt was in the first two movies, Tom Cruise finally realizes he should turn on the charm and make us like the protagonist. With that improvement together with the nastiness of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance, this Mission Impossible succeeds. ★★★★☆

It’s a good film with some unique action and moments of beautiful cinematography. Plot, script, and acting are more workmanlike. A solid B-movie. ★★★☆☆

A clever script, fantastic acting from all the leads, and great cinematography. This is an absolutely outstanding modern western. ★★★★★

Gloriously fun, with continued brilliance of animation and music. ★★★★☆

Not quite Airplane! but there’s still enough ridiculous jokes to make this extremely (re)watchable. ★★★★☆

A melodramatic zombie flick that is fine but fails to surprise. ★★★☆☆

It’s not Fury Road but still a hugely enjoyable action spectacle. ★★★★☆

A dull plot, and Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is still a non-character, but John Woo’s fun action choreography and stylistic touches elevates this into an entertaining action oddity. ★★★★☆

It’s surprising how unlikeable Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is in this one, but it’s a highly-effective spy thriller. ★★★★☆