Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) Review

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) Review

If you’re a little surprised that “Hotel Transylvania” got a sequel you’re not alone. The makers themselves seem a little bit taken aback. Even the title card of the movie itself has the ‘2’ only appearing after the ‘Hotel Transylvania’ has faded from the screen. Like they’re saying, ‘I know, right?’. Picking up from the ..

Monster House (2006) #MonthOfSpooks Review

Monster House (2006) #MonthOfSpooks Review

A family-friendly horror movie seems like an oxymoron, but it’s exactly what 2006’s “Monster House” is. It has all the hallmarks and ingredients you’d expect from a really good haunted house movie, it’s structured exactly the way a ‘real’ horror movie would be, except you can watch it with your kids. When DJ, his best ..

Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special III
Penguins Of Madagascar (2014) Review

Penguins Of Madagascar (2014) Review

Spin-offs, eh? It seems like a sure thing: take a popular supporting character and give them own fully-fledged adventure but there can be hidden pitfalls. As the swaggering, cocky never-say-die plot drivers (and frequent deus ex machinas) of the “Madagascar” franchise, the team of Penguins led by were charming and hilarious but really, how hard ..

I, for one, welcome our new elf overlords. An Elf’s Story: The Elf on the Shelf (2011) Review

I, for one, welcome our new elf overlords. An Elf’s Story: The Elf on the Shelf (2011) Review

For a 23 minute thinly veiled cash grab advertising an expensive auxiliary Christmas disciplinary deterrent ruthlessly marketed as an adorable Christmas tradition that also subtly indoctrinates the youth of today to be comfortable living within an overt surveillance state, “An Elf’s Story” actually isn’t all that bad. The cheap and cheerful computer animation is decent enough and the ..

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) #Rediscovered

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) #Rediscovered

I’d been toying around with an idea for an occasional blog feature called #Rediscovered where I’d sit with Mertmas and we’d watch films that I loved when I was around his age but I haven’t watched in years, sometimes decades – possibly even unearthing forgotten gems I’d never even seen the first time round. I’d ..

Craggus’ Christmas Countdown Day 8: The Polar Express (2004)

Craggus’ Christmas Countdown Day 8: The Polar Express (2004)

The award winning book “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg is a charming tale of a magical train which takes a boy who has begun to have doubts about Santa Claus to the North Pole where he meets the man himself and is rewarded with a special gift, forever preserving the magic of Christmas. ..

Storks (2016) Review

Storks (2016) Review

‘Where do babies come from?’ isn’t a question I intend to answer in this review but as to where babies may get their attention spans from, this hit and miss scattergun animated comedy may provide some clues. Junior (Andy Samberg) is the lead delivery Stork for Cornerstore.com, in line to become the boss when his ..

Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special XXVIII

Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special XXVIII

The Simpsons Halloween Special XXVIII sees the series finally succumb to structural anarchy. Having dabbled with ever-increasing-in-length intro sequences, it finally gives in and provides four distinct Treehouse Of Horror tales. Also on show: a bigger and more ambitiously spent animation budget. The Sweets Hereafter “No-one ever wants the apple. They must be afraid there’s ..

The Boss Baby (2017) Review

The Boss Baby (2017) Review

Not since Disney/ Pixar’s “Cars” has an animated movie presented such an incoherent and illogical fictional world as “The Boss Baby” does. Facing an existential threat, Baby Corp sends an undercover operative (Alec Baldwin) to live with the Templeton family to find out what the Templeton parents know about Puppy Co’s plan to launch a ..

Marvel’s first What If…? struggles a little with “so what”?

Marvel’s first What If…? struggles a little with “so what”?

With Marvel letting it all ride on their big multiverse bet, staked first in WANDAVISION and doubled-down on in LOKI, WHAT IF…? offers the MCU an irresistibly broad canvas on which to work. With canon now being a matter of corporate whim, who knows whether what we’re about to be offered will have ramifications beyond ..

Tom & Jerry (2021) Review

Tom & Jerry (2021) Review

Directed by Tim Story – who, like it or not, has directed the best FANTASTIC FOUR movies to date – TOM & JERRY sees Warner Brothers take yet another stab at trying to launch the iconic cat and mouse duo to feature-length success. It immediately makes things weird by going for a WHO FRAMED ROGER ..

Sherlock Gnomes (2018) Review

Sherlock Gnomes (2018) Review

Following in the footsteps of the Man Of Steel and Captain America, Gnomeo and Juliet become the latest characters to have their sequel hijacked by a bunch of different characters as the franchise tries to position itself as a vehicle to reimagine classic British literature, a sort of anthology of garden toy stories. When garden ..

Inside Out (2015) is Pixar back to their emotional, inspirational best.

Inside Out (2015) is Pixar back to their emotional, inspirational best.

Two long-running streaks came to an end when “Inside Out” opened at the American Box Office in June this year. The first was Pixar’s record of always opening as the number one movie thanks to “Jurassic World” continuing to run rampant at the top of the cinematic food chain and despite “Inside Out” scoring a ..

Cars 3 (2017) Review

Cars 3 (2017) Review

“Cars 3” begins by doing what most right-thinking people do, which is pretending “Cars 2” simply doesn’t exist. It then moves on to hoping you don’t really remember “Cars” particularly well as it sets out to tell the same story once again, only this time it’s Lightning McQueen who’s the reigning champion raging at the ..

Norm Of The North (2016) Review

Norm Of The North (2016) Review

Just in time for “Zootropolis” to crush it under-hoof, “Norm Of The North” lands in cinemas to give us a timely reminder of just how bad animated movies can be. When the arctic (the “North” in this case refers to northern Canada) comes under threat from an unscrupulous developer, Norm – a Polar Bear who ..

Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special VIII
UglyDolls (2019) ain’t got no alibi.

UglyDolls (2019) ain’t got no alibi.

A little bit of “Toy Story”, a little bit of “Monsters Inc” and a whole lot of cynical box-ticking does not an animated classic make. In the adorable fabric world of Uglyville, the Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) yearns for the day when she will be chosen by a child of her very own to be loved ..

Capture The Flag (2016) Review

Capture The Flag (2016) Review

Bright, cheerful and energetic, Spanish 3D animated movie “Capture The Flag” surprises and delights in equal measure and while it’s nowhere near troubling the giants of animation, it’s a welcome alternative to the other family fare on offer at the moment. When billionaire Richard Carson casts doubt on the legitimacy of the Moon landings and ..

Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special VII
Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special XIX

Halloween Re:Animated – The Simpsons Halloween Special XIX

It’s another leadenly ‘topical’ opening for this Simpsons Halloween Special as Homer attempts to vote in a hilariously rigged satirical version of the 2008 Presidential Election. Ah, nothing like looking back at complacent comedy from the vantage point of 12 years later. Untitled Robot Parody “Now that we are not fighting each other, we can ..

The Incredibles (2004) might just be the best superhero movie of all time.

The Incredibles (2004) might just be the best superhero movie of all time.

There are very few films as perfect as “The Incredibles”. Not only does it work flawlessly as one of the finest ever examples of a superhero movie, it also serves as an insightful deconstruction and analysis of the genre itself and still finds time to satirise the rise of entitled fan culture with a prescience ..

Isle Of Dogs (2018) Review

Isle Of Dogs (2018) Review

A literal shaggy dog story told in a quintessentially Wes Anderson way, “Isle Of Dogs” is just as whimsical but maybe a little darker than you might be expecting. Younger children might find some of it frightening and upsetting but older kids are likely to lap up its stunning visuals and exquisite animation. In a ..

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water (2015) Review

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water (2015) Review

There’s something comfortingly familiar and yet frustratingly unambitious about SpongeBob’s latest cinematic outing. All the usual hallmarks are there: it’s cute and unashamedly goofy, the roster of characters are exactly as you might remember them and the oddball plot rambles along in the haphazard way we’ve come to know and love, peppered with the occasional ..

What If… Zombies?! is grisly, gripping fun!

What If… Zombies?! is grisly, gripping fun!

It may not be the most pressing, or indeed grammatically structured question posed by Marvel’s animated AU series but WHAT IF… ZOMBIES?! might just be the most fun. Returning from the Quantum Realm (as seen in ANT-MAN AND THE WASP), an infected Janet Van Dyne attacks Hank Pym and together they bring the virus back, ..