Tag Archives: Nick Frost

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) – Movie Review

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TL;DR – It earned Test Drive.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit snippet.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Hiccup stands off against a dragon.

How to Train Your Dragon Review –

Well, if there was one film I was hesitant to see, it was this one. I adore the How to Train Your Dragon films; How to Train Your Dragon 3 is in our Top 10 Animated Films of All Time, though I think that list might need an update. So, I was not one of those people jumping for joy when it was announced that it was getting one of those dreaded live-action re-makes. I say that because they are mostly trash and rarely get even into the same ballpark as the originals. Well, I was shocked because I could not believe how quickly this film had entranced me.

So, to set the scene, in the great arctic north, there is a village called Berk. The people of the town were summoned from across the Viking lands for one reason: to find the Dragon’s nest and destroy it. They just have not had a lot of success on that front because even though it is an old town, every house is new. At night, the dragons attack to steal their livestock and burn down their village, and every time, the villagers fight back. However, within this highly competent town lives Hiccup (Mason Thames), the son of the village chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Who wants to work smarter, not harder, but no one trusts him. But one night, as the village burned, Hiccup wheeled out one of his inventions and aimed it at a mysterious Night Fury, and for the first time in his life, he struck gold.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: The Real Good Guys and Full Season Review

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TL;DR – A riot of fun from start to finish.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Jod performs for the droids with a lightsabre menacing those who know.

Skeleton Crew Review –

Well, it is season finale time for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and I am kind of not ready for it. This has been such a blast of a season that I wish we had gotten more of it. But all good things must come to an end, so today, we will first look to see if they stuck the landing before exploring the season as a whole.  

So, to set the scene, well, the kids Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman) are in trouble. They have made it home to At Attin but in the hands of Pirate Captain Jod (Jude Law), who now knows where the greatest treasure in the history of the Star Wars galaxy is hidden. He also knows who every single parent of the kids is and has made some explicit threats to their safety. The only question is: can the kids get the alarm out before the raiders take the planet? Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: We’re Gonna Be In So Much Trouble – Review

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TL;DR – We are jumping from strength to strength, making this one of the things I look forward to during the week.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The barrier of Ad Attin is a gas layer.

Skeleton Crew Review –

For quite a while now, Star Wars has been a product filled with animosity and frustration where it felt like those with their hands on the wheel didn’t know what they wanted and with no clear leadership at the top, the community became toxic, or more toxic. That is why it has been such a joy to find Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which has seemingly punctured through that malaise and is linked back to what made Star Wars good in the past yet with a modern veneer.

So, to set the scene, well, things are finally looking good for the kids: Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman). At the end of Zero Friends Again, they reclaimed the Onyx Cinder and are on their way to At Attin. The only problem is that Jod (Jude Law) and their pirates might have gotten there first. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Zero Friends Again – Review

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TL;DR – It’s a fun little romp to get us moving towards the end game.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Skeleton Crew Review –

If there is one thing that I will always appreciate Skeleton Crew for, okay, other than for making me learn how to spell skeleton correctly, is that it brought the fun back to the Star Wars universe. Now, I don’t mean that they brought jokes back. Every film in the modern era has had its fair share of quips. I mean that joy you get when you have a smile on your face because what you are watching is fun. Today, we will see if they can continue that moving forward.

So, to set the scene, well, things are not looking good for the kids, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman). For in You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates, Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) betrayed them all by forcing SM-33 (Nick Frost/Rob Ramsdell) to declare that the dubious force user was now captain. Not wanting to be a part of his dastardly plan anymore, Wim has a quick thought and yeets the kids through a trap into the floor. Now they all have to work out where to go from here, trapped on the bottom of a mountain, away from their ship, betrayed by the one person they trusted. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates – TV Review

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TL;DR – An episode that balances both the fun that this show needs and the seriousness that the universe has acquired over the decades.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The crew on the bridge of the Onyx Cinder.

Skeleton Crew Review –

Well, today is the first day that I am going into Star Wars: Skeleton Crew with a touch of trepidation. This is because last week’s episode, Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin, was the first that fell flat for me. Which was doubly disappointing given the quality behind the production. The question I am now faced with is, was that just a speed bump on the road, or was that a sign that we had shifted in the wrong direction?

So, to set the scene, things are tense for the crew of the Onyx Cinder as SM-33’s (Nick Frost/Rob Ramsdell) memory was activated and they turned on Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman). Knowing that they could turn on the crew again, the question remains: keep him tied up, or see if you can find the coordinates for At Attin in their memory banks? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin – TV Review

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TL;DR – The first speed bump for the season

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The Onyx Cinder arrives at At Achrann.

Skeleton Crew Review –

Throughout the series so far, I have been filled with delight and joy. But there is always a feeling that there has to be a bump in the road somewhere; even DS9 had its rocky episodes. Well, unfortunately, it looks like today is the day.  

So, to set the scene, after getting a map back in Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem, the Onyx Cinder arrives back at At Attin. But instead of the friendly welcome, they are locked into an auto-piolet landing sequence. But something does not feel right because where are all the people? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem – TV Review

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TL;DR – Okay, so we are Star Wars x Treasure Island x Goonies. I can work with that.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

People run with a gas giant hanging in the background.

Skeleton Crew Review –

There are a lot of reasons I want to sit down and watch some TV. It could be dangers, suspense, wonder, or sometimes I just want to have some fun. Well, if Skeleton Crew were only doing one thing right, it would be the fun. But they have a lot more going for them other than just that.

So, to set the scene, things went from bad to worse once the Onyx Cinder blasted outside of the barrier and into deep space. Because the kids didn’t understand just how valuable they were, and what weight the name At Attin had. So, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman) all end up in the brig at the Pirate Port of Port Borgo. Luckily for them, in the jail cell is also the Jedi Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), and it looks like it is escaping time. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Way, Way Out Past the Barrier Review: Pirates, Robots, and Space Adventures, Oh My.

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TL;DR – It continues the energy of that first episode by throwing our characters right in the deep end and seeing if they can swim.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Hyperspace.

Skeleton Crew Review –

Today, it is time to look at the second part of our two-part opener for Skeleton Crew. Our first episode very much homed in on that Goonies-In-Space vibe, which was just a charm to watch. Today, we see if that was just a first-episode glitch or if they really can make this vibe last a whole season or more.

So, to set the scene, after being accidentally flung into hyperspace on a surprise spaceship in This Could Be a Real Adventure. The new crew of Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith/ Kacie Borrowman) have to work out how to get the Onyx Cinder back home. When they wake up the robot’s first mate, SM-33 (Nick Frost/ Rob Ramsdell), all they want to do is get back home. The only problem is that the ship does not know where that is. It is also damaged, so they go to a pirate port for repairs. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Countdown – My Personal Top 10 Films of All Time List

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TL;DR – Today we countdown my Top 10 films of all time; from towns where there are a lot of ‘accidents’, to all forms of Sci-Fi, to do you know the man with six fingers on his right hand, and everything in between.

Countdown –

Recently I watched the CineFix crew countdown their Top 10 films, and it had me thinking what are mine? Now it was at this point where I of course naturally spiralled as how can you reduce thousands of films that you have seen into only a Top 10. Just before I threw my hands up in resignation and chucked in the towel I happened to catch an episode of Movies with Mikey on how he determined the best sequel. With this in mind I wondered if there was a set of criteria that I could use to categorise the films into a list that I would be happy with, and after some work, I came up with the following criteria that work for me.

  • Films that are beautifully constructed
  • Films that mean something to me
  • Films that are always re-watchable
  • Films that have added to my love of the craft of cinema

With this criterion in mind I went through all the likely candidates and with a bit of a struggle I think I have been able to come to a final list, well at least until I change my mind next week, which is always a chance.

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Movie Review – Tomb Raider (2018)

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TL;DR – A solid action flick, with a good homage to the titular video game, but it is not the golden gem the video game adaptation that is still eluding filmmakers

Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene after the title card

Tomb Raider banner

Review –

The elusive video game adaption, for years Hollywood has tried to crack that particular gem. While comic book films like The Avengers and unfilmable literary epics like Lord of the Rings have found their feet, video game adaptations have remained just out of reach for the industry. In this battle, we have had disasters like Super Mario Bros. and close-but-no-cigar films like Warcraft. So today we have our first major attempt in a while to cross that divide … and it almost gets there.

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