Gulliver’s Travels (2010)
Jan 13, 2011Land of Little People
Jonathan Swift's classic tale of a man in a land of miniature people is turned into a comedy vehicle for Jack Black and outfitted with a series of vulgar and pop culture gags
Ingenious Media
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Aug 12, 2011Planet of the Apes Prequel
Reboot of the classic franchise, a loose remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Thanks to some remarkable CGI effects, the apes entirely outshine the humans
X: First Class (2011)
Jun 5, 2011Comic-Book Superheroes/Origin Prequel
An X-Men origin story that serves as the occasion to recast the series with younger actors. This works far better than the previous two films, integrating the characters in a strong story, although is quiet at the superheroic action
Hitchcock (2012)
Dec 1, 2012The Making of Psycho
A non-fiction film about Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho. The script does a great job nailing the psychological undertows and the parts are brought to life with several tour-de-force performances
The Watch (2012)
Aug 3, 2012Neighbourhood Watch vs Alien Invaders Comedy
An uninspired comedy about a neighbourhood watch encountering alien invaders that falls somewhere between Ghostbusters and The ‘Burbs. The film's virtues lie less in the weak premise than in the director allowing the stars to freely improvise with occasionally funny results
The Book Thief (2013)
May 16, 2014Growing Up in Nazi Germany/Death Personified
Narrated by Death, this story of a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany comes with the self-importance of awards consideration bait. One of the great crimes of modern history (The Holocaust) is reduced to picture postcard sentiments
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Jan 12, 2014Daydreamer's Fantasies
Ben Stiller's remake of the unfunny Danny Kaye vehicle about an impractical daydreamer has no more depth than an inspirational postcard and takes a long time to deliver it
The Wolverine (2013)
Aug 3, 2013X-Men Spinoff Film
While this received a good deal of fan buzz, I must admit to being disappointed. It strips much of the superheroics and mutant cameos of the other X-Men films until it feels more like a Westerner in Japan thriller like Black Rain or even a routine film noir plot that happens to be cast with Wolverine
The Maze Runner (2014)
Sep 28, 2014Young Adult/Maze World/Conceptual Breakthrough Story
One of the better among the current fad for Young Adult dystopian SF works post-The Hunger Games. This dispenses with dystopian Coming of Age stories and gives us a fascinating conceptual mystery even if the answers prove underwhelming
High-Rise (2015)
Oct 17, 2015Residents of an Apartment Block Revert to Barbarism/J.G. Ballard Adaptation
Ben Wheatley's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel about the residents of a high-rise apartment block and their descent into barbarism. The film is rich with biting social allegory and is Wheatley's most accomplished to date
Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
Aug 30, 2015Videogame Adaptation/Action
The second film based on the videogame, more a reboot than a sequel. This is far closer to the game than the earlier film and emerges as the superior of the two due to a slick action movie polish
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Oct 29, 2016Secret Home for "Gifted" Youths
Tim Burton used to be the great hope of fantastic cinema but his efforts since 2000 have been greeted with general disappointment. This Young Adult adaptation plays out like a fantasy version of the X-Men
Max Steel (2016)
Jan 29, 2017Film Based on Toy Franchise/Superhero Film
An ill-conceived attempt to compete amid the high stakes box-office superheroics enjoyed by Marvel and belatedly DC, this had one of the most disastrous box-office showings of 2016 … Based on a popular line of action toys, this gets nothing right – it's hard to tell it is meant to be a superhero film for half the show
Unhinged (2020)
Nov 6, 2020Road Rage Psycho
The first film to go into wide US release during Covid lockdown with Russell Crowe snapping and turning psycho after a road rage incident. Much better than the lukewarm reception it received, this is a quite reasonable variant on Duel
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Jul 2, 2022Future Surgical Experiments
A 79 year-old David Cronenberg returns with one of his best films, a synthesis of his major themes in an extraordinary and perverse look at a future where surgery has become performance art. This site's best film of 2022.
Hypnotic (2023)
Jun 10, 2023Psychic Powers/Reality Bender
Robert Rodriguez makes a film with Ben Affleck as a detective dealing with a man who can control others' minds. However, this develops into a mind twister of considerable reality bending proportions
The Tank (2023)
Jul 17, 2025Monster Movie
A New Zealand-made monster movie where a venture down into an old water tank succeeds in disturbing an amphibian creature