Reviews by Kyle Ellis

The idea was great, interesting, somewhat weird and stomach-churning. But the movie doesn't live up to it. There are some good things aside from this idea, I liked the stylistic nods to Hitchcock and Kubrick, the camera work and lighting are good and while he occasionally resorts to cartoon villainy Dieter Laser has many moments where he is genuinely chilling. Against all this, the story is very predictable and lacking in suspense. Despite the premise, it is actually fairly light on gore and gruesome scenes and this diminished the suspense levels for me. The direction has a lot of style but not a lot of substance, technically the film is assured but the characters are stock and the remainder of the other acting is uninspired. The Human Centipede is a very poorly written movie in my opinion with dully written and delivered dialogue and big, obvious and unforgivable medical errors. Overall, has a good idea but bad dialogue, a lack of suspense and a dull story stop it from being any more effective. 3/10 Bethany Cox

I saw The Proposal last Saturday with some friends, and all of us were very impressed with the film. Of course the plot is gentle, yet very predictable, and I did feel the writers could have developed Margaret's dominance over Andrew more. Still, it is very well done. One definite plus was the strong performances from Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, Bullock especially gave one of her better performances in years. The two share a real chemistry and some good comic timing that was really refreshing to see. Out of the supporting cast, who all did very solid work Oscar Nunez deserves mention for his hilarious portrayal as the handyman, it is Betty White a delightful and very underrated actress who steals the show as the matriarch who thinks marriage is preachy. The Proposal is further advantaged by some truly breathtaking Alaskan scenery. It was so beautiful to watch, and perfectly captured by the skillful cinematography. The direction from Anne Fletcher is very nice, and the film is snappily written with some genuinely funny moments. There were some parts in the more slower and subtle parts that I felt tears welling up too. All in all, very well done for a comedy, predictable it is but it is fun too. 8/10 Bethany Cox

'Raw Deal' is for me somewhat of a tough film to rate and review. It is not a great, or even a good, film and is as close to ridiculous as Arnold Schwarznegger films get. At the same time, it's difficult to be too hard on 'Raw Deal' because there is some entertainment value.

Let's start with the good things. Schwarznegger is not the greatest of actors and never has been, but he has always had a hugely charismatic screen presence, a larger-than-life likability and a knack for action sequences. One gets all of this from his performance in 'Raw Deal', even with some expressionless and moments where he does struggle with lines he is immensely watchable and it is very vintage Schwarznegger. Generally it is the cast that come off best. Robert Davi is a rightly hiss-able bad guy and Kathryn Harrold has charm and sass. Sam Wanamaker and Paul Shenar make much of relatively little, they bring colourful menace to their stereotypical roles despite (particularly Shenar) being underused.

There are a few fun one-liners here and there and some excitement in the action. Can't say that on the whole as individual components the script and action were great, but the entertainment was there. The soundtrack is cool too and the scenery has atmosphere.

On the other hand, the story is not just ridiculous (even by Schwarznegger film standards) and generic but has too many scenes that feel like filler and either drag the story out or confuse it. A few nice one-liners here and there, but the script is quite weak and there is a lot of unintentional humour and next to no care developing the characters in a film littered with stereotypes (only Kaminski has any kind of development).

Action-wise, 'Raw Deal' is hardly amateurish and has some exciting moments but too much of it is too routine and a huge amount of suspension of disbelief is needed. Although the ending is certainly memorable, more so than most of the stuff before it, it's for all the wrong reasons. Visually, it has a low-budget made-for-TV-production-like look to it. Ed Lauter is pretty wasted and while the direction is competent it's never more than that.

In conclusion, watchable but doesn't feel cooked all the way through. 5/10 Bethany Cox

When this first came out, I believe it received a lot of criticism. I think the criticisms have been unfair, for this is a very smart and funny send up of the action genre. I also think this is underrated, of course the plot is a little complicated, about a young boy getting sucked into the celluloid world of his hero, in places and it is slow to begin with. But there is a lot of fun to be had; including the spectacular set pieces and the expert direction of Hunt For Red October director John McTiernon. The scenery is lovely, the sets are colourful and the costumes are very nice. Plus the action is exhilarating. Arnold Schwarznegger I think is talented, and he gives a great performance here. Austin O'Brien is appealing as Danny, Charles Dance is terrific as Benedict and Ian McKellan is literally unrecognisable as Death. Other excitements to be had in this film are the many cameos from the likes of James Belushi, Sharon Stone, Joan Cartwright and Jean Claude Van Damme. All in all, a fun and smart take on the action genre, on par with Loaded Weapon 1 and High Anxiety and better than the disgusting trash of Disaster Movie, Epic Movie etc. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I really like Conan the Barbarian, and while I heard Conan the Destroyer had a dubious reputation I was all for seeing it. Conan the Destroyer is disappointing, lacking the fun and kitsch magic of its predecessor. It does have its good things however, the scenery and costumes do look great and the special effects are an improvement I think. The ending is also fantastic and makes up for the truly dull middle section, and as the villainess Sarah Douglas is perfect. I am not sure whether I take the fact that there is more action here as before as a good or bad thing, either way it was quite exciting. Against all that, the score was rather uninspiring, most of the direction was flat, the story is meandering and dull and the dialogue is cheesy, Tracey Walter's dialogue especially is reminiscent of a badly written Scooby Doo episode. The acting is nothing to write about either, Douglas is for me the only good performer. Arnie is charismatic but the fact that he has more dialogue here than before does show his limitations as an overall actor, Grace Jones does little more than be sexy and hiss and fight, Tracey Walter is annoying with grating catchphrases, Olivia D'Abo is cute but hopelessly miscast and Wilt Chamberlain may have a towering presence but his acting is laughable. All in all, disappointing but I would hardly call it one of the worst sequels ever. 4/10 Bethany Cox

While a little too long and a little too simplistic in the storytelling, there is a lot that makes Conan the Barbarian entertaining. It looks fabulous, with beautiful scenery, sets, costumes and cinematography, while the score is brilliant particularly in the first fifteen minutes. The dialogue is pretty good as is the direction, while the action sequences are top notch and the special effects decent. The pacing is brisk enough, while the acting I had little problem with. Arnold Schawarznegger is great as Conan, while James Earl Jones has fun as Thulsa Doom and Max Von Sydow is good value as King Osric. All in all, while no masterpiece Conan the Barbarian is very entertaining and worth watching at least once. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I don't know why the animators decided to use the ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast to advertise the film. It did put me off seeing it, but when I eventually decided to do so, I am glad I did. I thought Lilo and Stitch a warm and entertaining film, with beautiful animation with the Hawiian coast. The characters were engaging and funny, especially Jumbaa(wonderful voice work from David Ogden Stiers, in fact all the voice work was terrific, the other standout being Tia Carrere) and Pleakley. Their scenes were hilarious, like Pleakley getting bitten by mosquitoes. This is all helped by a superb script, that mixes hilarious and poignant brilliantly. The music is lovely and quite nostalgic. I thought I would never say that, but it honestly does add to the sense of fun. Both Lilo and Stitch are engaging, and there are plenty of bonding scenes with them together, that makes the film often moving(I was genuinely touched by Lilo telling Stitch about her parents and the significance of the Ugly Duckling story). I have two criticisms with the movie, and they are that at times it is a bit slow, and the climax is a tad rushed. But both flaws are redeemed by the film's good nature, emotional heart and spirit. I will award Lilo and Stitch an 8/10, for entertainment and warmth. Bethany Cox

Don't get me wrong, Cars is a good movie, it's just that it isn't a great one. Personally I do think it is my least favourite Pixar movie, but there was still a lot I enjoyed. So what were its problems? Well, firstly I felt the narrative was a little too slack and sedate particularly in the middle act. Secondly, while there were some nice jokes, some didn't quite work and the script had its weak spots, could've done with more sophistication. Thirdly, the film's message is a little muddled.

But there is a lot to enjoy. The animation is superb, the backgrounds are beautiful and the character movements are crisp. The film has some really bright and inventive colouring which was a delight to see. The soundtrack is quite exhilarating as well, and the race scenes themselves are like mini-masterpieces of editing.

The characters are at least likable and engaging, Lightening McQueen(a refreshing retread from the dull and flaccid hero), female Porsche Sally(who is really cute) and Doc Hudson(the wise old-timer with a secret past) are the best characters in my opinion.

The voice acting is very well done. Owen Wilson gives a spirited and appealing vocal performance as Lightening, this was really refreshing to see and it really helped that Lightening himself was likable, yes he is cocky and arrogant then again even the best characters ever in film have a flaw or so of some kind. The late talented Paul Newman is a sheer delight as Doc, and Bonnie Hunt is delightful as Sally. Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Keaton, Tony Shalhoub and John Ratzenberger also give solid turns in their roles.

Overall, Cars is my least favourite of the Pixar movies but for the animation and voice acting especially, not to mention the race sequences it is well worth watching. 7/10 Bethany Cox