features
Aaron Yap’s Top 20 Film Discoveries of 2020
20 intriguing films, most of which are too rare/odd to find on your local streaming service.
14 Dec
Aaron Yap
At an impressionable young age, Aaron was traumatised by Philippe Mora's 1982 monster flick The Beast Within and has never looked back.
features
“A trusted voice”—remembering former NZIFF director Bill Gosden
Bill was a sharp human antenna of what deserved the attention of New Zealand audiences.
09 Nov
reviews
Forgettable new Ip Man movie still offers 83 minutes of thumping Wing Chun fistwork
Watching one dude calmly taking on a horde of thugs hasn’t lost its novelty
04 Nov
features
The 20 best horrors to stream in NZ this Halloween
Everything you need to have a horror-filled Halloween weekend.
30 Oct
features
Bruce Lee’s dream project, Warrior blends brutal action and dramatic intrigue
Season two of Warrior returns to Neon in enthralling fashion.
13 Oct
reviews
Robert Pattinson sleazes up the screen in Netflix’s bloody dark The Devil All the Time
Pattinson’s joined by Tom Holland, Jason Clarke, Riley Keogh and others.
18 Sep
reviews
Visually arresting, Mulan is good enough to wish it was a little better
It’s exactly what you’d imagine a Mouse House wu xia pic might be.
05 Sep
reviews
Sweaty, beefy Russell Crowe goes apeshit in 90-minute hissy fit Unhinged
“There’s some value to be found in the foul, exploitative veneer of its chaos.”
30 Jul
reviews
The Burnt Orange Heresy is more fizzer than a seductive neo-noir
Aaron Yap finds that outside the cast’s charisma, there’s little to recommend.
03 Jul
features
Perry Mason, MVP of TV’s first Golden Age, returns in a new show
Matthew Rhys (The Americans) makes for a terrific, top-to-bottom revision of Mason.
18 Jun
features
The best VHS-era cult classics on Prime Video
The Prime Video vaults hold some unexpected viewing treasures, as Aaron Yap discovers.
09 Jun
reviews
The Assistant is a necessary drama with the nervy rhythms of a thriller
It’s an impressively assured debut feature for Kitty Green.
25 May
features
Back this week, Bosch is the most consistent detective drama on telly
Detective Harry Bosch is back in the go-to comfort show bearing his name.
15 Apr
reviews
Dystopian Netflix thriller The Platform couldn’t have come at a better time
“Done with Contagion and need to expand your quarantine viewing?”
22 Mar
reviews
Girl on the Third Floor isn’t a horror to renovate your Netflix queue
Noble but frustratingly uneven attempt to revitalise stale haunted house conventions.
24 Feb
reviews
The Lighthouse is immaculately engineered nightmare fuel
One of the most uniquely deranged buddy movies to come out in quite some time.
17 Feb
features
Our film guru highlights his 20 discoveries of the year
Includes a film that runs for literally an entire day.
02 Dec
features
Aaron Yap’s Top 10 Scorsese – how many have you seen?
Having dug The Irishman, Aaron Yap ranks the best of a master filmmaker
26 Nov
reviews
The Irishman review: none of Scorsese’s formal mastery has slackened
Scorsese’s daggiest movie to date.
25 Nov
reviews
Last Blood shows Rambo’s not leaving without bringing an ungodly amount of pain
Should keep anyone with an appetite for bloodthirsty action satiated.
19 Sep
reviews
Folk nightmare Midsommar’s bizarre rituals won’t be forgotten anytime soon
Off-kilter, visually striking, deliriously inspired in parts, and yes, stark-raving mad.
18 Sep
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