Feel like going to the movies? Not sure what to see? Here are five options currently open to you and worth the effort.

The Freaking Film Festival

There’s a whole bunch of cool stuff showing at this year’s International Film Festival, which finishes up in Auckland on August 3rd and continues throughout the country. Check out my picks here.

The Guest

Enjoying a small, late-arriving theatrical run in New Zealand cinemas, this genre-bending instant cult classic is well worth seeking out on the big screen, for which its unnerving delights were surely designed. Full review.

Ant-Man

I seem to be reacting to this film a bit more ecstatically than many of my peers, but I just had such a rollicking good time watching Ant-Man, and I want the world to know it. Full review.

Paper Towns

I sat down to watch this film out of professional obligation only. I never would’ve seen it otherwise. I didn’t see the other one. By the time the credits rolled, I was a total convert — Paper Towns got me in the gut in a manner I never predicted. I guess I’m not made of stone, after all. Full review.

Minions

It’s being somewhat overshadowed by the justly lauded Inside Out, but like other recent inspired “kids” films Shaun The Sheep and The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, this shames most live-action comedies with its laugh-rate. Full review.