Men (2022)

Effectively weird and creepy, with lots of effective nightmare imagery, but I'm not particularly fond of this strain of modern horror where it's basically the 'weird creepy stuff starts happening' first act stretched out for the whole movie, and the whole thing does just end up being an extended metaphor and not much else.

Rating: interesting but slight

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

One of those fake B-movies that doesn't actually understand the style and isn't half as well made as the real deal, like a copy of a copy of a copy with no bite. File alongside Snakes On A Plane, Drive Angry, Shoot Em Up etc etc.

Rating: Utterly shit, gave up about half an hour in.

The Bad Guys (2022)

Very irritating, smug movie with an incredibly confusing and overworked premise yet no actual story. Yeah yeah, Ocean's Eleven, very clever.

Rating: gave up after half an hour.

65 (2023)

A movie that is pretty much purely 'sci-fi guy stranded on dinosaur planet' lives or dies on its execution and there was just nothing surprising or audacious here. Reminded me more than anything else of the Skull Island segment of King Kong '05.

Rating: Disappointingly bland.

It Follows (2014)

Cool concept (though quite Ringu-ish), and very well made, though it was irritating how often characters who absolutely knew this thing was real weren't half as careful as they should have been, and it just doesn't have an ending so it goes with the standard Freddy Krueger one (looks like you killed it! But did you?!?!). Also, it's not the film's fault, but I think the thematic resonance has been severely overstated by critics who want to sound clever (it's a supernatural STD, so it must be a metaphor for STDs! And that's about the extent of it.)

Rating: Pretty good.

Matilda The Musical (2022)

SPOILERS BELOW

Really enjoyed it! A few little nitpicks (when there was a whole kid chorus singing the lyrics occasionally got lost, Trunchbull's defeat didn't feel quite as cathartic as it should, and it was a bit weird going with the 'fat kid who constantly eats' and making him wear a fake belly), but overall really good performances, songs, direction. Really ambitious with the amount of acting, singing and choreography required from so many kids, too.

Rating: Great.

Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves (2023)

Really enjoyed it. You can feel it straining against its budget the whole way through, but it's charming, funny, inventive and exciting. What I really loved about it was how expansive and deep it made the world feel - every chance it got there was a quick flashback to a whole new place and adventure, everywhere you look there's some little creature sitting in the corner scratching itself or whatever.

Rating: Very good.