When it is funny, Office Christmas Party can be a hoot, and it’s always nice to see firebrands like McKinnon getting an opportunity to strut their stuff so magnificently. But Gordon and Speck can’t hold it all together, things spiraling in so many different directions their bits of emotional pabulum that they toss in willy-nilly throughout fall achingly flat.

Gillespie has obviously learned a lot from his time working with Wheatley, but that doesn’t mean he’s able to deliver on his promise this first time out of the gate, the nihilistic lunacy of Tank 432 coupled with its ridiculous implausibility leaving me coldly indifferent to the director’s high-concept debut.

“You can’t tell people how they are supposed to feel. What some people do when they watch the movie is they project themselves into it, and I think that’s neat. I think that’s what people should be doing. You make a movie, once it gets out there, it’s no longer about me, it’s about the viewer. It has to be able to take whatever it gets from them. That’s how it is. That’s also how it should be.”

Man Down is seldom boring, and I can say it held my attention start to finish with very little in the way of effort…But it all ends up being for naught, and by the time the film was over I was almost angry I’d given it a look, the way it wastes fine performances from all involved and an intriguing premise ripe with possibility coming perilously close to being unforgivable.

Manchester by the Sea is a stunner, delivering in ways that defy easy description. Lonergan is fearless, going after the human condition in ways that are beyond compare, refusing to soften his points or offer easy outs for any of his characters. This is a movie about life, its ugliness and the destruction a single unintended mistake can exact upon those both guilty and innocent.

Don’t Breathe holds up surprisingly well on second viewing, the magically creepy spell Alvarez and Sayagues end up crafting undeniably long-lasting. I was also even more impressed with Lang’s performance, the breadth and depth of it startling.

I adore the simplicity of The BFG, the subtlety that Spielberg and Mathison bring to Dahl’s source material really speaking to me. I’ve watched the film four times now and it just gets better with each viewing, the richness of the emotions startlingly pure. It’s a terrific movie, and one I hope more people will take the time to look at now that it’s available for home consumption.

Finding Dory is frankly wonderful, and while not the instant classic its predecessor was this Pixar sequel is still incredibly strong, continuing the story in ways that are engaging, smart and emotionally captivating.

Allied looks great, features some wonderful performances by the stars and supporting players and has moments that held me ecstatically spellbound. But the odd, obtuse emptiness of the climax left me cold, and no matter how extraordinary much of this might be that’s one landmine I’m finding it hopeless to get around without my affinity for the film exploding into disappointed nothingness.