Frodo is Great … Who is That!!? (2004)
Jul 29, 2004Lord of the Rings Fandom
Documentary devoted to a fan following that grew up around Bret McKenzie who had only a single shot appearance as an elf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Jemaine Clement
Gentlemen Broncos (2009)
Nov 30, 2009Novice Science-Fiction Writer/Nerd Comedy
Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess visits the same territory with this comedy in which teenager Michael Angarano has his manuscript stolen by SF writer Jemaine Clement
Rio (2011)
May 9, 2011Animation/Talking Macaws
A Blue Sky Studios animated film set around a talking macaw and his journey to the wilds of Brazil for the first time to mate and repopulate the species. Familiar cliched story arcs conducted with a good deal of colour
Men in Black 3 (2012)
May 24, 2012Alien Coverup Conspiracy Agency
One fails to greet another sequel with any enthusiasm. This mostly consists of tired, familiar gags, where the most generous compliment you can pay is that it is better than Men in Black II
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
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
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
Mar 22, 2014Muppet Movie
The Muppets were successfully revived in The Muppets; this is a lesser follow-up that leaves us with a feeling that the creative team used their best ammunition first time around
Rio 2 (2014)
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
The BFG (2016)
Jul 10, 2016Roald Dahl Adaptation/Friendly Giant
Steven Spielberg adapts the Roald Dahl story. Despite the film bombing at the box-office, it is one of considerable charms. Spielberg doesn't produce another E.T. but then he hasn't delivered another Hook either
Moana (2016)
Feb 11, 2017Disney Animation/Pacific Island Mythology
Despite being a big success, I am in a minority in disliking this. Maybe it has to do with the fact it appropriates the culture from my neck of the woods to spin it out as a series of glib jokes and one-liners
DC League of Super Pets (2022)
Sep 4, 2022Animation/DC Comics Superhero Pets
Superheroes have overrun screens. It is starting to seem a little too much when we now get an animated film about animal superheroes who form their own Justice League
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
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