MoviesThe House of Mouse is on something of a roll at the moment, enjoying yet another ‘Golden Age’. It’s not just through its recent acquisitions of Marvel and Lucasfilm that Disney are riding high, their core Animation studio continues to go from strength to strength. Coming hot on the heels of “Wreck-It Ralph”, “Frozen” and ..
MoviesTarantino’s pseudo-western is a film brimming with so much confidence that it almost swaggers across the screen. Jamie Foxx turns in a great performance but Cristoph Waltz just about steals the whole picture from him – as much as he chilled you in “Inglorious Basterds”, he will charm you in this. Add into the mix ..
Star TrekOpening with a cute moment as the crew of the Cerritos find themselves on Beta III from the original STAR TREK episode RETURN OF THE ARCHONS explaining to the populace once again not to blindly follow the instructions of the megalomaniacal computer Landru. It’s a wonderful touch that Ransom’s log shows Kirk and Spock as ..
Doctor WhoAfter an absence so long it almost qualifies for the sobriquet the Fourth Great Doctor Who Hiatus (especially if one understandably overlooks the forgettable “Return of Doctor Mysterio”), proper “Doctor Who” is back on telly for a tenth [thirty-sixth] season. So what does mischievous showrunner Steven Moffat call this overdue return? “The Pilot”, obviously. The ..
MoviesSweeter and more whimsical than its two bawdy predecessors, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” sees the long-suffering Griswald family actually staying put for once while the chaos comes to them. This time, Clark is determined to deliver his dream of a big family Christmas with all of his loved ones under one roof and, at the ..
Star Trek*SPOILERS* There’s plenty to chew over in this week’s cold open but chew it well because you might choke on what follows in the rest of the episode. Having been called in by Starfleet Command to be told off for doing exactly what he was ordered to do, Lorca finds his journey back to the ..
MoviesIf there were such a thing as a ‘True Story’ shared cinematic universe (okay, I guess technically there is), the authorities of that universe would no doubt be monitoring Mark Wahlberg very closely indeed. His presence at the sites of natural disasters or terrorist attacks is becoming so common, he’s almost the Stan Lee of ..
MoviesWell, well. Who would have thought in a year of play-it-safe ‘live-action’ remakes – some good, others not so much – Disney would release a beastie like “Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil”, an elaborate fantasy epic that, for better or worse, swings for fences at every pitch. Five years after the death of King Stefan, the ..
MoviesPicture the scene – it’s the mid-1990s and adapting cartoons is all the rage for some reason. Disney studios turns its attention to multi-Oscar winning cartoon character Mr J Quincy Magoo, an elderly, wealthy and extremely near-sighted retiree who constantly gets into scrapes thanks to his refusal to acknowledge his near-sightedness. He’s a character very ..
ArticlesBig news today then, in the world of Super Hero Movies with the (oddly timed) announcement that Sony and Marvel had struck a deal to share custody of Spider-Man and not only that but he is scheduled to turn up in “Captain America: Civil War” before appearing in another solo movie. It’s great news, news ..
MoviesFresh off the triumph of “What We Do In The Shadows”, New Zealand director Taika Waititi’s follow up is a witty and heart-warming adaptation of Barry Crump’s novel “Wild Pork and Watercress”. Troubled, hip-hop-loving orphan Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is given one last chance to settle in a foster home or else he’s bound for juvey. Child ..
MoviesBravura stunt work fails to mitigate the shortcomings in plot and dialogue that cause MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE to self-destruct. With Daniel Craig’s Bond having abdicated the long-held action crown in a Quixotic quest for prestige picture legitimacy, Tom Cruise has deftly manoeuvred and manipulated his one enduring franchise onto the vacant ..
MoviesTo call it ‘This year’s “Mamma Mia!”’ is a bit lazy, as “Sunshine On Leith” has enough going on to step out of the shadow of its glittery sequined predecessor. Smaller and more parochial in scale and story, it does bear some similarity to the Abba musical but free of “Mamma Mia!”’s exotic fantasy of ..
HorrorAlthough it borrows heavily from classic horror imagery, “Horns” isn’t really a horror movie and despite some clever subversion of religious faith and nifty Easter Eggs where the licence plates of the principle players’ cars point to character-relevant bible chapters it’s not really a religious satire in the vein of “Dogma” either. It works well ..
MoviesWelcome to the world of tomorrow…yesterday! If you’re hoping for a laugh-a-minute retro sci-fi comedy romp then “Space Station 76” is likely to disappoint. While it is an affectionate pastiche of 1970’s vision of the future, the retro sci-fi trappings and space station setting are largely ancillary to the film’s real focus: the universal trials ..
MoviesRecently, the littlest Craggling has been tentatively spreading her cinematic wings beyond the admittedly lush and verdant shores of Disney, Pixar, Illumination and exploring other options. We’ve watched Wes Anderson’s “The Fantastic Mr Fox” and, recently, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” so when we saw a trailer for “Mary And The Witch’s Flower”, she was smitten. One ..
Shark WeakToo short to be a miniseries but too long, really, to be a movie, this Hallmark production weighs in at a whale shark-esque two hours and forty minutes, which is a long time to endure a bad shark movie, so it’s a good thing this one is – believe it or not – actually halfway ..
Star TrekHere’s your weekly Omnibus Edition of Craggus’ Trek Trek Phase II covering Season 2 episodes 11 to 17: View this post on Instagram A post shared by thecraggus.com (@thecraggus) View this post on Instagram A post shared by thecraggus.com (@thecraggus) View this post on Instagram A post shared by thecraggus.com (@thecraggus) View this post on ..
Doctor Who*SPOILERS* It’s hard to say where expectations are for THE HALLOWEEN APOCALYPSE, the first episode of Whittaker’s third and apparently final, season of DOCTOR WHO. With the announcement of her, and indeed showrunner Chris Chibnall’s departure, the scene should be set for a celebratory romp to the finish line, as is par for the course ..
MoviesTaking the term literally, “The Space Between Us” gives a new spin on the star-crossed lovers trope in this amiably cheesy and uneven young adult romance. In the near future, charismatic Genesis CEO Nathaniel Shepard (Gary Oldman) is sponsoring the first colonisation mission to Mars. A few weeks into the journey Sarah Elliot, the lead ..
MoviesBased on historical fact, SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, the latest Sky Original Movie, takes the very real existence of the Augusta Victoria College, in Bexhill-on-Sea, a boarding school which in the final days before the outbreak of World War II housed the daughters of high-ranking and influential Nazi families and uses it as the setting ..
MoviesThere was a howl of outrage heard around the world when plans were first announced to make another “Jumanji” film. Up until then, I don’t think anyone had really been aware of in what high esteem the original – albeit fondly thought of – had been held. Turns out the Robin Williams CG-heavy jungle adventure ..
HorrorAlthough it’s not showered with the same plaudits as its perfect predecessor, “Poltergeist II: The Other Side” is a far better sequel than its generally given credit for. It honours the events of the first film while expanding the mythology in satisfying and occasionally unexpected ways, It carves out a complementary yet distinct identity for ..
Doctor WhoShould old acquaintance be forgot? Not when you’ll see them again in five minutes! DoctorWho – Eve Of The Daleks Review *SPOILERS* With implications of The Flux still reverberating around the still much-reduced universe of DOCTOR WHO, all eyes turned to the first episode of 2022: EVE OF THE DALEKS. Of course, the Chibinista who ..
MoviesRejected multiple times for military service during World War II, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top-secret programme aimed at creating the ultimate soldier. When his qualities put him at the head of the pack, he undergoes an experimental procedure which gives him superhuman strength and endurance, but the experiment is interrupted by agents of HYDRA. ..
MoviesFor my money, the definitive filmed adaptation of the legendary Yeti is The Goodies’ episode “Big Foot” but this tale of a tribe of Yetis living in secret on a Himalyan mountaintop might just come a close second (Wampas don’t count). Migo (Channing Tatum) is happy living in his village where all Yetis live under ..
Shark WeakFrom its Saul Bass-inspired opening credits, it’s clear that SHARK KILLER isn’t your everyday crappy shark movie. Instead, it’s a goofy action-adventure movie with a dashing hero, a feisty love interest and a plot-driving MacGuffin – with a bunch of sharks thrown in for good measure. This is a bad shark movie by way of ..
Doctor Who*SPOILERS* For me, this is the first time this series that a first episode of a two-parter hasn’t set the bar particularly high for the conclusion to come. In fact, I really hope this turns the whole convention on its head and next week’s “The Zygon Inversion” retrospectively manages to salvage something from this dull, ..
Star TrekHere’s your weekly Omnibus Edition of Craggus’ Trek Trek Phase II covering Season 4 episodes 19 to 25: View this post on Instagram A post shared by thecraggus.com (@thecraggus) View this post on Instagram A post shared by thecraggus.com (@thecraggus) View this post on Instagram A post shared by thecraggus.com (@thecraggus) View this post on ..
MoviesAn unexpectedly family-friendly detour from gore-meister Eli Roth, the spookiest thing about “The House With A Clock In Its Walls” is that there’s a Jack Black-starring “Goosebumps” sequel coming out this year and this isn’t it. Instead, it’s an adaptation of the novel by John Bellairs telling the story of Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) who, ..