Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018) proves it pays to advertise. #Review

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2018) proves it pays to advertise. #Review

Imagine a world where nothing and nobody adheres to a neatly binary system of good and bad and life is messy and compromised. It’s this real-world untidiness which lies at the beating heart of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”, Martin McDonagh’s brash, darkly funny and often shocking fable of small-town disenfranchised American life. Frustrated by ..

Darkest Hour (2018) Review

Darkest Hour (2018) Review

A British icon. A pivotal moment in history. A desperate race against time. “Darkest Hour” sheds some light on the earliest days of Winston Churchill’s premiership as Europe faced annihilation by the Nazi horde and the British political establishment teetered on the brink of self-destruction. This is no dry history lesson, though, thanks to a ..

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) is an aca-utely disappointing bum note to end on.

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) is an aca-utely disappointing bum note to end on.

In The Craggus household, many films are held sacrosanct but maybe none, save perhaps now “The Greatest Showman”, unite the clan in happy song as much as “Pitch Perfect 2”; fresh, funny and toe-tappingly, finger-snappingly, irresistibly sing-alongable, the soundtrack rivals even that of “Guardians Of The Galaxy” for in-car entertainment supremacy. It’s into this crucible ..

The Greatest Showman (2017) Review

The Greatest Showman (2017) Review

In the run-up to Christmas, I was very taken by the Sky Movies TV ad showing a mum and her daughter watching “The Sound Of Music” over and over again through the years. For me, it perfectly captured the sentimental sweet spot of Christmas, family and the magic of movies. I found myself wondering what ..

Downsizing (2018) Review

Downsizing (2018) Review

Not the quirky high concept comedy the trailer promises, “Downsizing” instead sets out to suggest that no matter how small you make youself, the big problems – the really big problems – never really go away. Concerned by runaway population growth, Norwegian scientist Dr. Asbjørnsen (Rolf Lassgård) invents an irreversible process which shrinks a person ..

All The Money In The World (2018) Review

All The Money In The World (2018) Review

It’s been almost impossible to avoid the publicity surrounding Ridley Scott’s polished-to-a-dull-sheen biographical crime drama “All The Money In The World” thanks to the scandal which engulfed its would-be star after allegations of his sexual predation came to light and Scott’s swift decision to excise the actor from the movie and reshoot all of his ..

Set your faces to stunned – Deep Space Nine is 25 years old. It’s time to head back to Bajor and start celebrating Star Trek’s underrated triumph that’s more relevant today than ever.
Coco (2018) Review

Coco (2018) Review

“Coco”, a vibrant and deceptively poignant exploration of the Mexican holiday the Day Of The Dead, sees Pixar once again doing what they do best: delivering a heartfelt story of family, heritage and passion in a visually stunning wrapping. 12-year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) is determined to be a musician, like his great-great-grandfather. The only problem ..

The World According To Garp (1982) Review

The World According To Garp (1982) Review

This review is being posted as part of the Robin Williams Blogathon 2018 being hosted by Realweegiemidget Reviews and In Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood. One of the most remarkable things about “The World According To Garp” is just how well director George Roy Hill (“Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid”, “The Sting”) and ..

The Great British Blake Off: The 40th Anniversary of Blake’s 7

The Great British Blake Off: The 40th Anniversary of Blake’s 7

Forty years ago, at 6:00pm on Tuesday 2nd January 1978, the BBC launched a new science fiction adventure series: “Blake’s 7”. With its prime slot on the New Year Bank Holiday Monday, this certainly wasn’t a low key launch for Terry ‘Creator of the Daleks’ Nation’s latest sci-fi extravaganza and it proved to be quite ..

The Commuter (2018) Review

The Commuter (2018) Review

Mrs Craggus has a recurring complaint about Liam Neeson, specifically that in many (she says all) of his roles, he just happens to be the exactly skilled person the plot needs. When his daughter is kidnapped, he has that ‘special set of skills’, when his commercial flight is threatened by terrorists, it turns out he’s ..

Early Man (2018) Review

Early Man (2018) Review

If you’re looking forward to a culture-clash comedy which puts the hysterical into pre-historical, then “Early Man” may leave you feeling sick as a parrot. When Dug (Eddie Redmayne) and his tribe are kicked out of their idyllic valley by the bronze-clad forces of Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), he decides to challenge the invaders to ..