Men in Black 3 (2012)

Men in Black 3 (2012)
Rating: ★★
May 24, 2012Alien Coverup Conspiracy Agency
One hardly greets the attempt to generate another entry out of this franchise with any enthusiasm. This mostly consists of tired and familiar gags, where maybe the most generous compliment you can pay is that it is better than Men in Black II was

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
Rating: ★★½
Mar 22, 2014Muppet Movie
The Muppets were successfully revived in The Muppets; this is a follow-up. While amiable and far snappier than the desultory 1990s Muppet films, this never truly hits any genuine laughs, leaving us with a feeling that the creative team used their best ammunition first time around

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Rating: ★★★★
Feb 14, 2015Vampire Comedy/Mockumentary
Hands down, this is the best vampire comedy ever made. An incredibly witty effort that contrasts the cliches of the genre with the mundane business of a group of vampires flatting together in New Zealand. A film that comes with sly deadpan gags packed into the corner of every frame

Rio 2 (2014)

Rio 2 (2014)
Rating: ★★½
Apr 25, 2014Animation/Talking Macaws
I hate the utterly formulaic films of Blue Sky Studios, the ones behind the endless Ice Age sequels. That said, this is one of their more enjoyable – despite a plot that is amazingly busy trying to reintroduce characters from the first film, the screen overflows with colourful exuberance

Moana (2016)

Moana (2016)
Rating: ★★
Feb 11, 2017Disney Animation/Pacific Island Mythology
Despite being a huge box-office and critical success and being nominated for an Academy Award, I am in a minority in disliking this. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that it appropriates the culture from my neck of the woods and only spins it out as a series of glib jokes and one-liners

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Rating: ★★★★
Apr 8, 2023War Between Human Colonists and Aliens
James Cameron finally delivers his sequel to Avatar. Nothing could quite repeat the same phenomenon a second time but this does well with Cameron taking the opportunity to show more depth to his alien world