Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Claymation (9)
May 15, 2026Clash of the Titans (1981)
Clash of the Titans is Ray Harryhausen's final film and his farewell to the medium he helped invent. Desmond Davis directed it. Harry Hamlin plays...
May 15, 2026Coraline (2009)
Coraline is Laika's first feature and one of the best films ever made for children, with the understanding that "for children" includes a willingness to...
May 15, 2026James and the Giant Peach (1996)
James and the Giant Peach is Henry Selick's second feature and one of the strangest American family films of the 1990s. Tim Burton produced it. Selick...
May 15, 2026Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Jason and the Argonauts is Ray Harryhausen's masterpiece. Don Chaffey directed it. Todd Armstrong plays Jason. Nancy Kovack plays Medea. Honor Blackman...
May 15, 2026Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
Shaun the Sheep Movie is the rare modern feature animation that contains no spoken dialogue. Mark Burton and Richard Starzak co-directed. The film is...
May 15, 2026The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is the film where Ray Harryhausen invented the modern fantasy adventure. Nathan Juran directed it. Kerwin Mathews plays Sinbad...
May 15, 2026The Boxtrolls (2014)
The Boxtrolls is Laika's third feature and a strange, beautiful, sometimes overstuffed adventure that does not get the credit it deserves. Anthony Stacchi...
May 15, 2026Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)
A Close Shave is the third Wallace and Gromit short and one of the finest pieces of stop-motion animation ever produced. Nick Park directed it. The short...
May 15, 2026Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is Nick Park's first feature-length Wallace and Gromit film and the rare animation that earns its long form. Park directed...