A Taxi Driver (2017)

Started out with a comic touch and ended up being heart wrenching. Probably one of the better and more poignant films from 2017.

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Initial mixed feelings about it. Thought I was watching an audience award winner that's crowd pleasing, not some art film that's slow moving. Regardless, this one stuck in my memory. Beautiful may be one way to describe it. But it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Disappearance (2017)

Nice!

Coco (2017)

Nice!

Justice League (2017)

The story overall is a yawner. Batman is a doofus. Power levels are inconsistent. Some of the good things include the bit with the Amazons and Aquaman. I won't recommend this one.

Watched in IMAX 3D.

China's Van Goghs - 中国梵高 (2016)

Loved it. Beautifully shot and pieced together. I felt that this could very easily be adapted into a fictional piece of work, because it has a main character with a dream you can follow.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Not too bad. Entertaining though was a little bit draggy at parts. Thor's arms are huge. Hemsworth is eye candy who can act. Hulk and Ruffalo does have a decent part to play. Hela feels blah and underwhelming (not totally Blanchett's fault). Goldblum, for all the brief bits, isn't too shabby either. But... Loki doesn't have the same mojo he did in the earlier films.

Watched in IMAX 3D and it looks great. (The IMAX bit)

In Time to Come (2017)

Struggled to stay awake within the first 5 minutes. Not really my cup of tea.

Forever Love 阿嬷的梦中情人 (2013)

Love this muchly! Cried loads. Chemistry between the two young leads was great!

Annabelle : Creation (2017)

Was okay. The two child talents were great. Just that the genre isn't exactly my thing, entertaining as it might be.

Wonder Boy (2017)

Unengaging and dull.

UPDATE: Watched this a second time. It wasn't that painful and the film didn't feel as bad. Regardless, the entire film didn't come together well in terms of plot, structure and character development. When the final musical number came along, it felt as if there was a missed opportunity to be more impactful - if only the whole film has been stronger in terms of the aforementioned flaws.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

Very nice! Kicks ass! :)

The Big Sick (2017)

Very Nice!

Okja (2017)

Was okay. Thought that characterisation and logic were secondary to plot. The real star of the film was Okja, IMHO. May actually look quite good on the big screen.

Dunkirk (2017)

The cinematography is very nice and it looks fabulous in IMAX. But I didn't enjoy it and I wasn't engaged.

Baby Driver (2017)

Enjoyed it!

Our Time Will Come 明月几时有 (2017)

Poignant and made me cry. But!!!!! Why must it be in 100% Mandarin!! Curse you!!! To the powers that be that dictate that Chinese films screened in Singapore cannot be in dialects. :(

On a separate note, the actors were all very good. And this is a film that not all may embrace because the pace and plot refuses to follow that typical mainstream path. IMHO.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Not too bad. Pretty much by the numbers for a well-made structured film, though not sure if is memorable. Time will tell. May have been tired and struggled to keep awake during the first half.

The Villainess (2017)

Not too bad. Plot has lost of holes and logic does go out the window sometimes. Editing feels a little confusing at parts - not sure when it's a flashback and when it's not. Action sequences has a strong dynamic feel to it. Lost of blood. Not for the faint hearted. Liked the bit where they fought with katanas while on motorbikes. Some may like. Not everyone will, IMHO.

Bad Genius (2017)

Not too bad. Cast has chemistry, IMHO.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

IMHO, has one of the best post-credits sequences ever.

That said, thought this was good but not exceptional. I was  actually more captivated by The Vulture and Michael Keaton stole the show for me.

Didn't think the 3D added much. Didn't mind the IMAX though.

Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight 今晚打喪屍 (2017)

Has some moments but is inconsistent and somewhat shallow. Louis Cheung looks a bit too old for his part, IMHO.

Colossal (2016)

Fell asleep around the later part of the first half. Woke up and from what I watched in the second half, I don't really like it. Characters I don't care about and a storyline that feels unsatisfyingly half-developed to me. Like this poster though.

Wonder Woman (2017)

Not too bad. The IMAX was a yes but didn't think the 3D did much.

Beautiful Accident 美好的意外 (2017)

Starting was kinda slow. But found myself tearing at the end. Started with the ET bit. Gwee Lunmei shines, IMHO.

On a side note, this poster doesn't really sell what the film is really about. Which is a heartwarming drama with a story in the vein of A Christmas Carol.

In the Mood for Love 花樣年華 (2000)

About 17 years ago, I watched this in the cinema and fell asleep. Maybe I was tired. This time round, I get why I might have fallen asleep. But the art direction is lovely; and Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung look so good together. I still don't get that last bit in Angkor Wat and all though.

Gifted (2017)

A bit draggy but good. Talents were mostly good, from Lindsay Duncan to Mckenna Grace to Octavia Spencer to Jenny Slate. Chris Evans is both a strong talent and a hunkalicious one too.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Don't really like because the lead character turns dumb towards the end and a certain bit seems to copy a famous fight scene from ALIENS.

Citizen Dog (2004)

Not too bad. Loved it.

Lucky Boy 天公仔 (2017)

Not too bad. Movie is much better than the trailer and the red poster, which I don't really like. This poster I like better but it still feels like it lacks a certain punch that might bring it to the next level of greatness.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Not too bad.

Some plot holes, IMHO. Why does Ego need Mantis? As a living planet, why doesn't Ego move faster?

Adequately entertaining though I wasn't sure I'll want to watch twice (I'm now at that stage).

Chris Platt looks "fatter". Lovely story about fathers and sons. And sisters. And Fleetwood Mac saves the day (sorta).

On a side note, Ego seems to behave like Trigon from the Wolfman and Perez NTT, while Mantis' empathic ability reminds me of a younger Raven from the same period (without the burden of a demonic father).

Pop Aye (2017)

Was ok.

Fast & Furious 8 (2017)

Chair was comfy but it leaned back more than I'm used to. Struggled to keep awake after a bit and then basically woke up towards the end and found it too noisy for my liking. To be fair, I watched this at the end of a long and tiring day, but the only bits I like (and managed to catch awake) had Jason Statham and Helen Mirren in them. The 3D felt unnecessary.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Visuals were pretty. Storytelling not that compelling. Not sure if it was worth the 3D format but yes to IMAX.

Life (2017)

Nice!

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Thumbs down, generally.

Kong is a magnificent sight to behold (kudos to the visual effects and sound teams for bringing him and the other creatures to life).

Every time Brie Larson appears, I keep thinking when she will change into Captain Marvel to save the day. Not Hiddleston's fault, but I kept thinking of Loki when I see him. Samuel L Jackson overdoes things (not his fault, blame the direction or casting). John C. Reilly is one of the best things about this film. A few of the supporting cast stand out. Tian Jing looks like she doesn't belong in the movie at all. She's just wallpaper that occasionally talks. The best part with her is after the end credits. At least she looks like she belongs in the scene there.

Won't wish for anyone to emulate the violent behaviours of the human characters in the film. And if you wonder if there's condescending behaviour from the visitors to the island towards the native characters, look no further.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

(A non-existent ground for) controversy aside, this was pretty much a snooze fest for me. The last part picked up a bit but this didn't leave me impressed the way the original did back in 1991. Zzz...

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Didn't like the first movie. This one, not bad though. It kicked ass.  

Logan (2017)

Not too bad. Some issues with the plot though...

Arrival (2016)

Struggled to stay awake at the start as the pacing was slow. Found this brain storming but interesting. Wished I had caught in IMAX. One way to look at this is that it's a very sad and brave story. Amy Adams speaking Chinese didn't work for me though. 

Hidden Figures (2016)

Went in with high expectations as the genre was right up my alley (sort of). Performances were generally good but this is pretty much a by-the-numbers drama that could've been watched on the small screen, IMHO.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Not a fan of war movies but decided to give this a shot due to strong word-of-mouth. Turns out to be pretty good. In fact, I liked it muchly.

The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

Was all right. Enjoyed more than THE LEGO MOVIE.

The Founder (2016)

Generally ok but I wasn't overtly impressed. Michael Keaton's performance is one of the anchors of this piece.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

My second movie of the year and also watched overseas. Fell asleep twice. Seat was spacious. Audience mostly well behaved.

The Great Wall - 長城 (2016)

Watched in IMAX 3D. Watching on a big screen is definitely the way to go with this one. Not sure about the 3D though.

Typically enjoyable monster pic augmented by the beautiful visuals that (only) someone like ZY can deliver. Glad that the Chinese don't speak English and the English guys don't speak Chinese (except some). The styling for Jing Tian makes her look like a digitally created character straight out of some video game.