Reviews by Kyle Ellis

As much as I loved The Kid, The Gold Rush, Modern Times and The Great Dictator, City Lights is the film I consider Charlie Chaplin's masterpiece. And there are several reasons why this is so for me.

I love how City Lights is filmed, once again the cinematography is stunning as are the costumes and sets. The music is also a delight(though my favourite soundtrack in a Chaplin movie is the one for Modern Times) with plenty of themes that stuck in my head, while the sound effects are wonderfully incorporated and the subtitles easy to understand. The comedy is brilliantly done, the scene in the boxing ring is not only one of my favourite scenes in a Chaplin movie(along with the final sequence and the dance of the bread rolls of The Gold Rush, the final scene of The Kid and the speech from The Great Dictator) but ever in a comedy, while there is a very touching love story between the Tramp and the little blind girl(played touchingly by Virginia Cherrill) he falls in love with. And I also found the close-up climax achingly poignant because of its beauty and ambiguity. Chaplin is superb, his pantomime skills and physical humour are extremely well judged and he is acts beautifully with Cherrill.

Overall, yet another Chaplin masterpiece, yet for me this is the best of them all. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I highly recommend the stunning original, and the inspirational TV series, but I don't recommend this, I'm sorry.

The animation was a lot of the time very flat and too garish, especially in the scenes with Morgana. Speaking of Morgana, never have I seen such a bland villainess. Ursula scared me so much, as I repeatedly watched the Little Mermaid. Morgana was just a wannabe, which is always ill-advised Disney. Why didn't they recreate the Evil Manta, who after Ursula, was the most convincing of the villains in the TV series? The characters were a mixed bag. Ariel was alright, though rather childish,but Melody was annoying at times. (I did think the story, on a parallel with the original, was rather unoriginal and rushed despite some effective scenes) Sebastian was the best character here, but he was also ruined to some extent. So was Scuttle and Flounder. Scuttle wasn't funny, whereas Flounder put me off with his nasal tone, since when did Flounder have a nasal tone of voice? Tip and Dash were also uninspired, and Undertow wasn't mean enough. And the flying bat creatures? They weren't even scary, they were nothing like flotsam and Jetsam, who were scary! Even the chef wasn't funny. Him chasing Sebastian was badly underplayed, really unfunny.

However, there were some positives. Kenneth Mars does a great job as King Triton, the only character I cared for completely, but you don't see him that much. The songs weren't bad but nowhere near as good as the original, and I love Jodi Benson's voice, though "For a moment" sounded a little like the song featured in the episode "wish upon a starfish" or the beginning of it did anyway. The beginning wasn't bad either, in fact the beginning was one of the better scenes of the movie. Some aspects of the story worked nicely, but I wish they showed less of Tip and Dash. The climax with Morgana was the highlight of the film, with some really colourful segments.

In conclusion, a sometimes colourful, but hugely disappointing sequel to one of Disney's finest. Mind you, the Cinderella and Jungle Book sequels were worse. My sister will probably hate me when she reads this. 5/10, maybe too harsh? Bethany Cox

Return To Neverland isn't terrible, but it does fail on many levels, so can't be classed as a good sequel. The animation and the story were the redeeming qualities, but unfortunately the songs and the characters fall flat.

The animation is mostly bright and colourful, but falls flat in the dark backgrounds. The story wasn't bad either, trying to keep Hook from getting the treasure and everything. I also liked the war scene, because that was quite interesting on an animation perspective, and brought some intrigue on a contextual level. I was unimpressed by the trailer, but the film itself wasn't bad, but loses the charm about 15 minutes in. I will say it has a great message about cherishing your childhood.

The first problem was that the kidnapping scene took far too long, despite the breathtaking animation of Hook's ship, and I hated the change to Hook. In the original and the criminally underrated TV series Peter Pan and the Pirates, which are both classics, he is complex and vindictive, but here he was manipulative in a negative way, and lacked menace. The best character was Jane, but that isn't saying much, and Peter's new voice was horrible, too bolshy. The songs were terrible and forgettable immediately after you've finished watching the movie, likewise with the dialogue. The main problem was that it isn't a true sequel at all, compared to the first film and the book. And the octopus, why replace the crocodile may I ask?

I'm sorry that this is mostly negative, but Return To Neverland was very disappointing. Though better than the trailer suggested, it is still a pretty charmless film, with a 3/10(Adequate) Bethany Cox

The first Despicable Me was a wonderful film, so while there is the worry of whether a sequel would work you can't help wanting to see it anyway. Despicable Me 2 was just as good as the first one, maybe not as fresh in terms of plot but what worked so well in the first works equally well here. The animation, also having the advantage of staying true to the style and look that the first had, is bursting with vibrancy and colour without looking too over-saturated as well as having a lot of detail to it. The retro-futuristic designs and gadgets are inventive and very striking to look at, while the music has rousing energy and is also memorable. Despicable Me 2 in the writing and gags is peppered with humour, and this is of the laugh-out-loud hilarious kind, though because there's a lot and that you may be laughing so hard you may be at a risk of missing something. To counter-balance the hilarity, the film also incorporates a message, it is a heartfelt one and doesn't feel cloying and out-of-place. For what the story may lack slightly in freshness in correlation with the first, it more than makes up for it in wit, heart, excitement and how briskly it moves without feeling rushed. Having more of the minions- one of the best assets of the first film- was a masterstroke also, and their subplot also gave the story an increasing sense of jeopardy and threat(though theirs is a little more interesting than that of world domination). Gru is a lovable character, whether a villain like in the first or not, and adds a lot of charisma and energy to the film. The top-notch vocal talents of Steve Carrell, Steve Coogan, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt and even Russell Brand are a further advantage. All in all, like the first Despicable Me this sequel is fantastic family fun and equal to it. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The Man With the Golden Gun is a fun James Bond movie. While not my favourite of the Bond franchise, it is one of the better Bond movies with Roger Moore in the title role. The film does have its slow parts, the plot isn't quite as tight as it could have been and the script isn't quite as well constructed as previous Bond outings due to some of the slapstick humour that didn't quite work. On the plus side, it is fun and is better than its reputation certainly. It is hugely benefited by the beautiful exotic locations, and Maud Adams is stunning here. So is Britt Eckland. The stunts are neatly executed, and the performances are brisk and solid. Roger Moore doesn't quite have the charisma and flair of Sean Connery, but gives a convincing enough portrayal of our favourite special agent, that makes Geoge Lazenby think "Now I know where I went wrong". Scaramanga is one of the more interesting Bond villains and is played with crisp efficiency by the majestic Christopher Lee, and Herve Vilechaize is certainly a scene stealer as henchman Nick Nack. And the music is outstanding. Overall, a very good movie, that is well worth watching for the locations and Lee's performance. 7/10 Bethany Cox

While not the best Bond movie, this is one of the better Roger Moore Bond movies in my opinion. It isn't a masterpiece, but as an introduction for Roger Moore as 007 it ain't half bad.

Yes it is overlong, yes the story is frantic and yes the villain's scheme could have done with more development. Not to mention the fact that Dr Kananga's death is probably the silliest yet most epic death in a Bond film.

But it is visually striking, has some cool gadgets, some amusing one-liners, a fun theme song, a sexy Bond girl beautifully played by the lovely Jane Seymour, good direction and a credible turn from Roger Moore as the title character. Personally I consider Sean Connery the best Bond, but Moore doesn't do too bad a job.

In conclusion, a fun and above decent entry in the series. 7/10 Bethany Cox