Toby Woollaston is a film reviewer for NZME regional media
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![Movie Review: The Girl in the Spider's Web (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: The Girl in the Spider's Web (+trailer)
The girl with the dragon tattoo has made a gritty return to the big screen.
![Movie Review: Brimstone & Glory (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Brimstone & Glory (+trailer)
Brimstone & Glory shows some stunning visuals that capture the beauty of fireworks.
![Movie Review: Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (+trailer)
Westwood is a more measured examination of a designer still working.
![Movie review: Searching (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Searching (+trailer)
The secret world of a teenager's digital life is explored in this desktop thriller.
![Movie Review: On Chesil Beach (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: On Chesil Beach (+trailer)
On Chesil Beach delivers solid performances and an intriguing story about love and sex.
![Movie Review: Interlude in Prague (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Interlude in Prague (+trailer)
With all its pomp, ceremony, feathers and wigs, Interlude in Prague is a sumptuous film.
![Movie Review: Mary Shelley (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Mary Shelley (+trailer)
Mary Shelley is the timely story of an early feminist, writes Toby Woollaston.
![Movie Review: Edie (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Edie (+trailer)
Edie is a story of one woman's journey that defied all odds.
![Movie Review: Tag (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Tag (+trailer)
Tag follows a group of friends in a highly spirited game of tag that goes for years.
![Movie Review: Ocean's 8 (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Ocean's 8 (+trailer)
Toby Woollaston looks at the latest installment of the Ocean's franchise, Ocean's 8.
![Movie Review: The Bookshop (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: The Bookshop (+trailer)
The Bookshop is certainly no page-turner, but is engaging enough, writes Toby Woollaston.
![Movie Review: Mr Stein goes online (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Mr Stein goes online (+trailer)
Mr Stein Goes Online was not as good as expected, for Toby Woolaston.
![Movie Review: Walking Out (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Walking Out (+trailer)
Walking out deftly balances pervasive tension with tender moments of father-son dynamic.
![Movie Review: Peter Rabbit (+Trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Peter Rabbit (+Trailer)
Peter Rabbit's attempt to appeal to the widest possible audience falls flat.
![Movie Review: Mary Magdalene (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Mary Magdalene (+trailer)
Mary Magdalene is a thought provoking movie that highlights the flaws of the church.
![Movie Review: Annihilation (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Annihilation (+trailer)
Annihilation is a brooding, haunting, and at times quite scary sci-fi brain-burner.
![Movie Review: Game Night (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Game Night (+trailer)
Game Night is a cheerful black comedy with no subtext but lots of fun.
![Movie Review: Lady Bird (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Lady Bird (+trailer)
Lady Bird is a small film with a big heart that focuses on mother / daughter relations.
![Movie Review: Phantom Thread (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Phantom Thread (+trailer)
Phantom Thread shows Paul Thomas Anderson doesn't seem capable of putting a foot wrong.
![Movie Review: Downsizing (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Downsizing (+trailer)
What if you could be shrunken to a miniature version of yourself?
![Movie Review: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (+trailer)
The body-swap gag has graced the silver screen many times over the years.
![Movie review: The Greatest Showman (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: The Greatest Showman (+trailer)
The Greatest Showman is full of catchy tunes and a feel-good vibe.
![Movie Review: Borg vs McEnroe (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Borg vs McEnroe (+trailer)
Seldom do sports dramas work but Borg vs McEnroe makes a solid effort.
![Movie Review: Wonder (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Wonder (+trailer)
In Wonder, Stephen Chbosky has negotiated the foggy area between trite and truth.
![Movie Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (+trailer)
The Killing of a Sacred Deer will no doubt divide its audience.
![Movie Review: Ingrid Goes West (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Ingrid Goes West (+trailer)
It's always a sobering experience when a film knowingly holds a mirror to modern society.
![Movie review: No Ordinary Sheila](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: No Ordinary Sheila
An important historical document about New Zealand and one of its resilient treasures.
![Movie Review: Maudie (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Maudie (+trailer)
Maudie is a gently observational piece that takes a slice of Canadian rural life
![Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049 (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049 (+trailer)
It can't be an easy task following up one of the most iconic films of all time.
![Movie review: God's Own Country](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: God's Own Country
God's Own Country is an unsentimental and unflinching depiction of gay love.
![Movie review: Logan Lucky](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Logan Lucky
Logan Lucky has all the knee slappin' swagger of a West Virginian bar brawl.
![Atomic Blonde: Bog-standard and well-trodden spy flick](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Atomic Blonde: Bog-standard and well-trodden spy flick
Charlize Theron's new role may as well be a female Bond
![Dunkirk: Snapshot of Allied troops' evacuation masterful effort](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Dunkirk: Snapshot of Allied troops' evacuation masterful effort
Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk remains a giant at the international box office
![Movie Review: Baby Driver (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Baby Driver (+trailer)
Like all Edgar Wright movies, Baby Driver is a kinetically charged explosion of style.
![Movie review: David Lynch: The Art Life](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: David Lynch: The Art Life
Essential viewing for Lynch fans, but also for those interested in an artist at work.
![Movie review: War for the Planet of the Apes](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: War for the Planet of the Apes
Its many parts are curiously engaging despite the misleading marketing.
![Movie Review: Long Way North](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: Long Way North
Long Way North has finally made its long way south onto our screens.
![Movie review: Monsieur Chocolat (+ trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Monsieur Chocolat (+ trailer)
Chocolat isn't just about the whimsically joyful world of clowns from yesteryear.
![Movie Review: This Beautiful Fantastic (+trailer)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie Review: This Beautiful Fantastic (+trailer)
Gentle comedy is a modern day fairytale.
![Movie review: The Mummy](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: The Mummy
Buckle-up, as this looks like only the first of many more monstrous turds flung our way.
![Movie review: Adult Life Skills](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Adult Life Skills
Adult Life Skills is infused with as much playfulness as it is with existential insight.
![Movie review: Wonder Woman](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Wonder Woman
Better than most from DC's universe but Wonder Woman still fails to rise above its genre.
![Movie review: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
The sum of all its excellent parts doesn't quite make the film a coherent whole.
![Movie review: The Case for Christ](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: The Case for Christ
The Case for Christ proves a little more engrossing than most films of its denomination.
![Movie review: Get Out](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Get Out
Get Out is well worth seeing and is a genuinely fresh take on the genre.
![Movie review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
It is fully aware of its objectives - take you on a jaunty adventure and make you laugh.
![Movie review: Beyond the Known World](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Beyond the Known World
Beyond the Known World remains a fictional account of a tale that is believably told.
![Movie review: Their Finest](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Their Finest
Sentimental entertainment that is easily digestible and certainly worth your time.
![Movie review: The Salesman](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: The Salesman
A refreshing and taut mystery by Oscar winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi.
![Movie review: Life](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Life
Life is a sci-fi thriller that owes a lot of its style to many that went before it.
![Movie review: Loving](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Loving
Jeff Nichol's latest film about an unlawful interracial marriage in 1958 America.
![Movie review: A Street Cat Named Bob](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: A Street Cat Named Bob
There seem to be plenty of films that anthropomorphise their animal subjects to a level where they might as well be a human. Obviously
![Movie review: Alone in Berlin](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Alone in Berlin
It never ceases to amaze me the seemingly boundless supply of obscure stories from our past that bubble to the surface. Unfortunately
![Movie review: Notes on Blindness](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Notes on Blindness
"As one goes deeper into blindness, one begins to live by other interests, other values. One begins to take up residence in another
![Movie review: Silence](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Silence
I am always wary when a film of notable scope and pedigree such as Silence is largely ignored during awards season. Either I'm reading
![Movie review: Fences](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Fences
Adapting a celebrated Broadway play to the screen without it being considered "stagey" can't be easy. The award winning play Fences
![Movie review: Manchester by the Sea](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Manchester by the Sea
It's Oscar season and the nominated films are being released thick and fast. One of the contenders, Manchester by the Sea, is the
![Movie review: The Country Doctor](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: The Country Doctor
Doctor turned Director Thomas Lilti can at least claim to know his material. Topically similar to his last directorial outing (Hippocrates:
![Movie review: Moonlight](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Moonlight
"Who is you, man?" - a question posed to the protagonist of Barry Jenkins' latest feature film, Moonlight. Issues of "identity" are
![Movie review: Lion](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Lion
Lion is directed by a relative newcomer to the feature film set, Garth Davis, who has taken the reins of bringing the seemly impossible
![Movie review: Assassin's Creed](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=808)
Movie review: Assassin's Creed
BASED ON THE SUCCESSFUL video game series of the same name, Assassin's Creed is another attempt by a studio to transfer onto the bigger