A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)

Not too bad. Mainstream stuff. More about the male lead's story. The cat is just part of the journey.

The Road to Mandalay - 再見瓦城 (2016)

Can't say I enjoyed this much. Very raw style of filmmaking. Didn't get that drawn into the characters and their story either. Sorta.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Great performances. I laughed so loud.

A Yellow Bird (2016)

Loved it! Singapore's landscape and familiar sights never looked more captivating. Appreciate the sound design. Strong performances and beautiful cinematography. Meticulous direction too. But may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Your Name. (2016)

Loved this. Cried loads.

Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

Don't like it. Fell asleep in the middle.

La La Land (2016)

Watched this at Capitol cinema which added a bit of charm to the viewing experience. Parts were boring for me but parts made me cry. A very beautiful looking movie with some really emotionally haunting tunes.

Mrs K (2016)

Is okay. Kara Wai not bad. Siow Li Xuan also okay. Basically an ably put together genre pic.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

I need to quit my day job. I cannot watch movies on weekdays now without feeling sleepy. I fell asleep during the front part of this film which started off like a celluloid version of Pokemon Go.

Did I think this was a good film? Not really. It probably served its purpose. It was just not my cup of tea. The visual effects were only ok (when judged against its peers). And the story was vanilla blah.

Fundamentally Happy (2015)

Not too bad. But may not be everybody's cup of tea.

Doctor Strange (2016)

Not too bad. Has Monument Valley feel. Tilda Swinton and Benedict Wong were both not bad. Cumberbatch was good too. In fact, can't complain too much about the casting. Was entertained. Watch in 2D but would love to see if IMAX 3D would add a different feel to it. Probably one of the better Marvel Studios movies to date.

A Monster Calls (2016)

Not too bad. Actually, I had different expectations from the trailer. This was essentially a drama with fantasy elements. It's a very sad but beautiful story.

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Is okay. Bittersweet. I think the main cast were very strong. Simon Helberg was a nice surprise. Love the part where the lady stood up and asked the soldiers to cheer.

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

Was okay. Love the generous sprinkling of a particular swear word in all of its ordinariness in everyday dialogues.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Was okay. But I struggled to stay awake near the front and succeeded in dozing off until the part where the boy and the girl took the boat out to sea.

Seoul Station (2016)

Not too bad.

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Generally liked it. Wished the baddie could have been more Ares like in Perez's first story arc in WW. Love the production design. Actually cried bits, but this could be due to stress from personal life. Think I know why some peeps don't like it cos the pacing is a bit slower at parts. Love the evil sisters. Strong effort, though I think I enjoyed ParaNorman more (although that is a different creature).

Lights Out (2016)

Not too bad.

The Shallows (2016)

Love it! Not for the squeamish at heart. Cast Away meets Jaws.

Sing Street (2016)

Love it! Was tearing for almost the whole of the second part of the film.

Train to Busan (2016)

Great characterisation. Taught storytelling. Possibly one of the strongest films to hit cinemas in 2016.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Don't really like. This ain't the Wall I love. Flag is a wuss. The brainlessness extends from the plot to the characters, and I don't mean this in a good way.

Jason Bourne (2016)

Good actors lift up a mainstream blockbuster which is essentially a roller coaster ride. I did get tired of the chase and fight scene at the end, but thought the whole movie wrapped up nicely. Sad to see what happened to Julia Stiles' character :(

My Feral Heart (2016)

Nice. Steven Brandon gives a memorable performance.

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Was okay. Didn't really dig it that much.

Apprentice (2016)

Not bad. Enjoyed much!

Ghostbusters (2016)

Not too bad but a bit long. Chris Hemsworth stole the show, IMHO.

Distance 再见，在也不见 (2015)

Ok. But not really my cup of tea 100%. Love the poster. Love the theme song. On hindsight, I do have a soft spot for this one and some of the stories.

The Nice Guys (2016)

Loved it! Crowe and Gosling were great and Angourie Rice shines! Great script with great characterisation too!

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Probably appeal more to the intellects although it does have its fair share of action. Rather talky at the start. Appreciated the plot making fair amounts of references to the last two pics. Psylocke rocks!! :)

Golden Gate Girls (2013)

Fell asleep a bit but really dug this historically and culturally important documentary.

Ten Years 十年 (2015)

Struggled to keep awake and missed bits of the second story and probably all of the third.

Technically limited by budget and it shows. The main question is whether this can be called a best film. Regardless, the circumstances around which this film is made and its release is no less potent. Cried during the fourth story and liked the fifth. First one was okay.

Maybe I should catch it again to see what the third story was about. Second one was kind of slow. Overall, worth a watch, IMHO.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Struggled to keep awake in first thirty minutes. Peeps around me were talking but I didn't care. Was tired from work.

Excited about the new Spider-Man and Black Panther. This is essentially an Avengers movie and it's Civil War in name only (no different from most heroes vs. each other scenarios, IMHO)

Action sequences were kinetic and exciting, and the one with the Avengers fighting each other was a real highlight.

Didn't think this was worth catching in 3D or IMAX 3D.

Overall, was ok. I wasn't that excited about THE WINTER SOLDIER as most. Likely the same case here.

The Jungle Book (2016)

A bit boring (because not my cup of tea). Fantastic visuals though.

Eye in the Sky (2015)

Tight script. Tight direction. Great performances. Loved it.

The Kid from the Big Apple - 我来至纽约 (2016)

Five minutes into it and i already disliked it. Unconvincing performance from the child lead (or maybe it didn't fit my stereotype). Movie feels more talk than show. Overtones of preachiness. And then this supporting child character called Jia Bao became such a delight to watch. And when the main child lead started speaking in Mandarin as well (her supposed NY accent just didn't convince me), it felt less grating. I started enjoying it. I even cried at parts. Granted, the narration isn't perfect. It feels episodic. The conventional cause and effects one learns from filmmaking textbooks don't seem closely adhered to. But at the end of the day, there was so much charm and heart in this one that I can't help but think it deserves a wider audience. The kids who watched this in the cinema seem to enjoy it.

The Songs We Sang - 我们唱着的歌 (2015)

Found this a bit long, but thought the subject would be of great interest to those who lived through the 70s and saw how Chinese had to give way to English as the main language of education.

Regardless, this is a potent piece of documentation, and an important record of the artistic pursuits of those who went beyond dreaming and just did it.

IMHO - definitely ranks amongst the best amongst recent Singapore cinema releases.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Watched this in IMAX 3D and managed to grab a prime seat in the hall - right in the centre!

Not sure if the 3D was best as spotted some double images - but this was a minor complain.

Movie was ok. It's definitely brawn over brains. It's lovely to look at. It's pulse pounding for the most part. Diane Lane has the best line in the whole film, IMHO. Gal Gadot looks great as Diana Prince undercover. I kind of like this Batman better than the last one, though I find him kind of stupid. Love this Luthor but felt they could have done more if not for the film's brawn and visuals taking precedence over brains. Poor Supes get overshadowed cos I think the fear of Superman angle is a really interesting one that could have been explored more. Overall, not too bad. But remember to check your brains at the door.

And oh! Definitely not friendly for kids (it's the tone - nothing to do with it being filled with sex and violence, which has been trimmed to fulfil the PG13 rating). This is what sets it from those Marvel Avengers pics (which i find more kids friendly).

Trumbo (2015)

Narrative felt kind of flat in terms of drama. But there's compelling enough performances and subject matter here for me.

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Really enjoyed this but not sure if a mainstream audience will like it. Deserves to be seen on a big screen. Felt like watching again just to catch details I might have missed. Fantastic performances all round with a fun script and direction.

Anomalisa (2015)

I wanted to get up and clap at the end. But this is not for everyone.

Our Times - 我的少女時代 (2015)

I didn't take to the starting where the exaggerations in performance and style grew on my nerves. But once our female lead character dispenses with her ugly styling, things went much smoother.

Both leads have some electricity with each other. But the adult versions of the characters look nothing like them. AT ALL!!

Basically one of those you'll file together with TITANIC.  I think I get why so many girls will go to the theatre to watch this. Probably repeatedly. And I also think I know why some people don't like it.

Deadpool (2016)

Not much of a plot. But Reynolds commands the role and is hot!

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

Yawn.. not my cup of tea.

Panay - 太陽的孩子 (2015)

Possibly one of the best films to come out from Taiwan in 2015. Great performance from Ado Kaliting Pacidal who plays the female lead.

Mermaid - 美人鱼 (2016)

Not bad. But the Cantonese dubbing was a bit off sync.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Nice! :)

The Big Short (2015)

Not bad!

Room (2015)

Didn't really like this much. Didn't really connect with the direction and the characters.

Our Brand is Crisis (2015)

Wasn't sure what to expect but ended up liking this much. In the veins of those Clooney driven political flicks, Sandra Bullock really shines in this one.