Craig Hall Movies
From the time of his debut in the mid-'90s, Craig Hall displayed both a propensity and a gift for tackling sturdy supporting roles in fantasy and action sagas. He took some of his first bows on the small screen, with guest work on the popular adventure series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but by the mid-2000s branched out into A-list feature work in Hollywood, appearing in such productions as Peter Jackson's 2005 remake King Kong, the vampiric horror opus 30 Days of Night (2007), and the family-oriented mythical fantasy The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 2008
A handful of strangers turn into rivals when they line up for an unusual competition in this comedy-drama from Australia. An auto dealership eager to drum up some publicity stages a contest in which some lucky person will drive away with a brand new SUV. All you have to do to win is be the person who keeps their hand on the car the longest, which turns out to be a greater endurance test than most folks expect -- in one such contest, the winner had to stand with their hand on the vehicle for a bit more than five days. One of the people who lines up for the contest is Tom (Craig Hall), a charming but arrogant salesman who is hooked on contests and will do almost anything to win. One of the other competitors is Jess (Melanie Linskey), a single mother and meter maid who wants a new car for her handicapped son. Tom pegs Jess as a lightweight who doesn't stand a chance against him, but it's the chance to prove him wrong (and the fact she needs the SUV a lot more than Tom) that keeps her in the contest far longer than anyone expects. Writer and director Anthony McCarten adapted Show Of Hands from his own novel. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melanie Lynskey, Craig Hall, (more)
Hard Candy director David Slade took the helm for this adaptation of Steve Niles' terrifying comic-book series of the same name. In Barrow, AK, one night can last an eternity. One month every year, this town is plunged into darkness for 30 days due to its location far north of the Arctic Circle. While extended periods of darkness are something that the locals have become accustomed to, this year something sinister is about to emerge from the long and unforgiving night. As a maniacal horde of vampires assumes control of the city streets and begins to feast freely upon the terrified citizens, the local sheriff (Josh Hartnett), his wife (Melissa George), and a small but resilient band of survivors will be forced to choose between saving themselves or helping the few remaining members of their community survive the blood-soaked siege. Original comic creator Niles collaborated with screenwriters Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson to pen the film, which was produced under Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures banner. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, (more)
- 2007
- PG
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A lonely young boy vows to protect the rapidly growing hatchling that emerges from a mysterious egg found on the shores of a Scottish loch in My Dog Skip and Tuck Everlasting director Jay Russell's screen adaptation of writer Dick King-Smith's popular children's novel. Angus MacMorrow (Alex Etel) has made a most unusual discovery, and he's about to find out just how one innocent boy's greatest fantasy can also be a frightened adult population's greatest threat. Unable to identify the egg that he found while walking the sandy shores, Angus is even more perplexed about the discovery and the creature that emerges resembles what comes to be known as a Water Horse, which Angus names Crusoe. As the bizarre new life form begins to grow at an alarming rate, it soon becomes obvious that Angus will not be able to keep it a secret for very long, and the young boy will have to do some seriously quick thinking if he is to keep his new friend safe. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Watson, Alex Etel, (more)
Two lonely misfits embark on a bizarre journey of romance and revenge after bonding at a "come as your favorite animal" costume party in Academy Award nominee Taika Waititi's quirky romantic comedy. Jarrod (Jemaine Clement) is a clerk at the local electronics store. Lily (Loren Horsley) is a shy cashier who earns her keep at the local Meaty Boy. After getting fired from her job, an emboldened Lily determines to put on her favorite shark costume, shed her inhibitions, and attend Jarrod's annual "come as your favorite" animal bash. In the following days, a tentative romance begins to develop between Lily and Jarrod, and when Jarrod announces plans to travel back to his hometown and seek revenge on an old nemesis, Lily decides to follow along for the ride. As Jarrod begins to set his diabolical plan into motion, Lily finds herself stranded in an unfamiliar new town and surrounded by a disorienting collection of eccentrics. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loren Horsley, Jemaine Clement, (more)
The horror film Ferryman stars John Rhys-Davies as a man who has cheated death for centuries thanks to the shifting Blade, a weapon that allows him to kill a person in trade for his own life. As the title character, death itself, appears again, the old man must find his next victim among a number of unsuspecting tourists. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerry Fox, John Rhys-Davies, (more)
One of the greatest adventure stories in Hollywood history gets a new interpretation in this action drama from Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson. In the early 1930's, Carl Denham (Jack Black) is a daring filmmaker and adventurer who has gained a reputation for his pictures documenting wildlife in remote and dangerous jungle lands; despite the objections of his backers, Denham plans to film his next project aboard an ocean vessel en route to Skull Island, an uncharted island he discovered on a rare map. Correctly assuming his cast and crew would be wary of such a journey, Denham has told them they're traveling to Singapore, but before they set sail, his leading lady drops out of the project. Needing a beautiful actress willing to take a risk, Denham finds Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a beautiful but down-on-her-luck vaudeville performer and offers her the role; cautious but eager to work, Darrow takes the role, and onboard the ship she strikes up a romance with Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody), a respected playwright hired by Denham to write the script for his latest epic. When Denham and Company arrive on Skull Island, the natives react with savage violence, but they happen to be the least of their worries. Skull Island is a sanctuary for prehistoric life, and lording it over the dinosaurs and other giant beasts is Kong, a twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla who can outfight any creature on Earth. The natives kidnap Darrow, giving her to Kong as an offering to appease the giant beast; Denham and his men set out to find her, with Driscoll bravely determined to save the woman he loves. Eventually, Driscoll finds Darrow and Denham outwits Kong, intending to take the giant ape back to New York for display. But Kong has bonded with Darrow, and his attraction to her proves to be his undoing. Andy Sirkis, who provided the body movements for Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings pictures, performed similar duties on King Kong, studying gorillas so he could mimic their actions, which were then used as the basis for the special effects crew's digital animation of the great ape. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naomi Watts, Jack Black, (more)
- 2004
Before synopsizing the made-for-TV romantic comedy Raising Waylon, it is essential to point out that hero Reg (Thomas Gibson) is a blue-collar bar owner who prefers to date models; that heroine Julia (Poppy Montgomery) is a globetrotting photographer who likes to go out with rock stars; and that, except for only one blind date, Red and Julia are not now and never have been "a couple." All this changes when the parents of 9-year-old Waylon (Jeremy Bergman) are killed in a car accident. It seems that Waylon's parents had arranged that blind date for Reg and Julia, had assumed that the two were "made for each other",and had arranged for them to be Waylon's godparents. According to the terms of the deceased couple's will, Waylon is to be raised by Reg and Julia, with the boy's elderly but peppery Great Aunt Marie (Doris Roberts) allowed to drop in from time to time to dispense advice. Since Reg and Julia don't get along too well, they do their best to alternate looking after Waylon, even though it forces them to reluctantly rearrange their busy schedules. Soooooo. . ..how long will it be before hero and heroine finally realize what Waylon's parents knew all along: That they were, indeed, Made For Each Other? Raising Waylon premiered February 22, 2004 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In this Xena-fied version of Richard Connell's suspense classic The Most Dangerous Game, Xena (Lucy Lawless) responds to a message from the dying Amazon Queen Marga (Sela Apera). It doesn't take long before Xena finds herself the prey of crazed hunter Prince Morloch (Sandy Winton), who wants to add the Warrior Princess' head to his already overstocked trophy room. Meanwhile, Marga's death ushers in the honor of a lifetime for Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) -- provided she lives long enough to enjoy it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, (more)
- 1995
Hades (Erik Thomson) summons Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) to the Other Side on a mission of mercy. It seems that the latest lost soul to arrive in Hades' domain is handsome young Timuron (Craig Hall), who, according to the rules, must be severely punished throughout eternity for crimes allegedly committed while alive. But Hades believes that Timuron is innocent and demands that Hercules collar the real criminal: King Sysiphus (Ray Henwood), who had framed Timuron in order to claim the dead man's widow Daphne (Angela Gribben) as his bride. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst, (more)
