Billy Crudup

News, Reviews & Features
  • Alien: Covenant

    Movie Review | Ali Gray | 11th May 2017

    By rights, the Alien franchise should be dead by now, all curled up on its back like a big dead spider, flambéed by the flamethrower of critical ire. How many other movie series would be allowed so many misses and still get invited back to the plate for another swing? Throughout its various iterations since the 90s - sequels, prequels, versus match-ups - the Alien franchise has succeeded only in corroding its own legacy. Even 2012's promising Prometheus, directed by franchise progenitor Ridley Scott, fell short of expectations thanks to its entire cast suffering total frontal lobotomies in the third act. Well, the rot stops here. In Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott has directed the best Alien movie of the past 30 years, and although that isn't exactly a glowing compliment, know this: not only does Covenant deliver a payload of short, sharp scares and atmosphere in spades, it course-corrects the franchise as a whole, retroactively making Prometheus feel like a better movie too.

  • The Watch

    Movie Review | Rob | 25th August 2012

    2004. Anyone recall what happened that year? There was a football tournament I think? I do remember failing my first driving test because I went to see Dodgeball that same night to cheer myself up. And in a tedious way to link to this film, that was the last time Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn shared a screen together. Since then, neither has really been keeping the funnies consistently flowing. I passed my driving test by the way.

  • Public Enemies

    Movie Review | Ali | 29th June 2009

    On paper, this movie has it all. A credit crunch-defying story about renegades sticking it to the money men. A mouth-watering A-list face-off between two of the coolest bastards on the planet. A director who couldn't direct a shitty shoot-out if Michael Bay had him at gun-point. Why, then, does it feel so lacking? Despite all th...

  • Watchmen

    Movie Review | Ali | 26th February 2009

    Dear Alan Moore, Hi. How are you? We hope Northampton is nice this time of year. I mean, obviously it's not, but unlike Zack Snyder, at least we're aware that it isn't in London. In fact, that Snyder fellow is the reason we're writing to you. We're sure you're aware his adaptation of your timeless graphic novel Watchmen is ab...

  • Mission: Impossible III

    Movie Review | Ali | 11th July 2006

    "The creative industries can be broken down into four distinct elements: creation, production, distribution and consumption." That's how my 2,000 word essay is looking after approximately three days of pacing, panic attacks and numerous toilet breaks, and it's due in about 16 hours. Cue a phone call from a friend in the indust...