An arse-kicking, gnarly, brutal, scary, balls-to-the-wall action horror thriller with CGI aliens that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival – that right there is the funniest thing I’ve heard all year. Then someone on Letterboxd said; “If you miss Michael Bay’s Transformers, this film is for you” and I’ve never sat up in my chair faster in my life.

What’s the most exciting thing to happen in your local film scene recently? I can tell you what it is for me – a few longtime friends of mine got together, and through a tremendous two-year effort, successfully made a full-blown half-hour short film. And the best bit? It’s bloody fantastic.

Every year the New Zealand International Film Festival takes place across the country – this year I did some volunteering as an usher, and had the opportunity to see some interesting films.

I promised myself as I’ve matured to not always write online about how certain films relate to and affect me on a personal level and blah, blah, blah – but I’ll say this much; the previous Tom Holland Spider-Man films each came at the right time for me over my adolescence, relatability and resonance and nonesuch. I’m glad to say that Brand New Day continues that trend, and tells a fantastic Spider-Man story too.

Some films play better on a bigger screen. In Pacific Rim’s case, seeing it at a very reclined angle while gazing upwards at a planetarium screen upon which godlike mechs and monsters brawl simply makes the heart soar.