Reviews by Kyle Ellis

I do much prefer Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman,a manipulative character with a crave for jewellery, not emphasised enough in this instalment, but not entirely missed. Unlike some people, I liked Halle Berry in the title role, I liked the scene where she cuts off her hair and revealed her real self. Somehow she didn't look right with all that hair over her face. When she was Catwoman, she looked very sexy in that leather outfit. Now the script was weak at times, but I really liked the overall look of the film, with the splendid sets. The special effects were a bit ropey, and others where it looked part-animated, or like the Matrix, but they're weren't the weakest part of the movie, that was the script, which seemed rather muddled and trite. The supporting players, particularly Sharon Stone weren't that bad, and while slow-moving and predictable at times, neither was the plot. All in all, a fairly watchable movie, not the best superhero movie, but not the worst(Batman and Robin). 6/10 Bethany Cox.

That is along with the original The Day the Earth Stood Still, original War of the Worlds, Metropolis, Blade Runner and the granddaddy 2001:A Space Odyssey. Of the three versions I have seen of this great story, this film for me is by far the most well-done and the most faithful to the source material. It is too short perhaps though, and the ending seemed rather rushed. However the cinematography and editing still hold up very well, and the costumes, sets and effects are timeless. The script and story, with so many interesting ideas, are compelling and these ideas developed very well considering the length and the relatively fast pace(which I personally don't see as a problem). Alongside Dirty Harry, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is Don Siegel's best directed film, the music is atmospheric,there is genuine tension and suspense in the atmosphere which alone sets it apart from the other film versions, and the acting is fine for what it was, with Kevin McCarthy giving one of his more memorable performances. All in all, a sci-fi classic. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I say this as a big fan of the 1956 film. I have nothing against remakes, some are great, some are good, some are bad, some are downright awful. Fortunately Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1978) is one of the truly great ones, one of those rarities that not just lives up to the original film but almost beats it.

The only reason why it doesn't quite is because the 1956 film does more with the change of the townsfolk. That said, it is a very well made film, with the special effects enhancing the mood rather than distracting from it and the scenery and cinematography striking. The make up is also outstanding.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers also has a strong score that just adds to the tension and suspense, a compelling story especially the ending, in fact for me I marginally preferred the ending here, the dialogue is intelligent and well-delivered and the direction is very fine.

There is some great acting too. Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams are strong leads, while Jeff Goldblum steals the scenes he appears in. Overall, a great film and worthy remake. Anybody who has not seen the Invasion with Craig and Kidman, it may be a good idea to keep it that way. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I liked this movie a lot. Technically, it is beautiful- lovely costumes and sets. The script is also good. Sunny, played by the Hoffmann twins, was what made the film. Everything she said made my whole family laugh. It is perfect for adults and adolescents, but very young kids may find it a little frightening. Emily Browning and Liam Aiken are wonderful as Violet and Klaus. I particularly enjoyed seeing Timothy Spall, Billy Conolly and Meryl Streep light up our screens. Jude Law provided the voice of Lemony Snicket perfectly. I have read the books, and have enjoyed them. However, the film does have a drawback. I was a little disappointed in Jim Carrey's performance. I imagined the character as sinister, and Carrey, being an entertaining actor, came across as rather silly. In conclusion, despite that drawback, this is still a very enjoyable film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Ghost Ship is not a terrible movie, far from it. It opens very strongly with a brutal and scary opening sequence. It does look good, with a good and atmospheric vessel setting and the effects are much better than the cheap and over-used ones I was actually expecting. The ghost is sexy yet quite frightening as well, there are definitely some nice jumpy and suspenseful moments. As well as some good photography, decent direction and a spooky but not obvious music score. The acting overall is better than average, Julianna Margoyles has the most interesting character and she is very good here. The support cast support her solidly, especially Karl Urban, Issiah Washington and Alex Dimitriades. Ron Eldard is also good though he does have some of Ghost Ship's worst lines, while Desmond Harrington has a brooding presence if occasionally a too obvious.

Gabriel Byrne is somewhat of a disappointment though, he seems to be aware that his character isn't in a lot of the movie and he doesn't seem to be making of an effort as a result. The script does have poor moments, coming across as stilted and clichéd, while apart from Margoyles the characters are never realised fully. The story gave me a mixed reaction, it does have a great tense atmosphere and some nice creepy moments, plus it does deserve plaudits for not being completely predictable, but it is sluggishly paced a little too often and while creepy apart from the opening sequence there is never anything particularly scary. The last 30 minutes are underwhelmingly silly and the only scene really that I'd consider predictable.

Ghost Ship does have its faults, but overall it is a decent movie with a good atmosphere, decent acting and a great opening sequence. I just wish the pace, script and ending were better and that I learnt more about the characters. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Having really enjoyed/loved 'X Men: First Class' and 'Kick Ass' and being someone who likes a lot of the actors, 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' did seem really intriguing.

There was the intrepidation of whether it would balance the violence and humour well, whether the violence would feel too much or whether the humour would leave a bad taste in the mouth. Finally watching it, 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' was surprisingly brilliant. It sends up the spy genre (primarily James Bond), very like 'Kick Ass did with comic books, and does so brilliantly.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is stylishly and audaciously made, with slick visual effects, very imaginative camera work and editing in the action scenes that gives the film an almost operatic grandeur (like in the fight scene in the church), very cool gadgets, richly coloured lighting and audacious production design. The soundtrack is very groovy and catchy, but is careful not to be overbearing, it is far from one-note too and fits with everything going on very well.

Vaughn does a fine job directing here. Not just achieving the right balance of humour and violence (injecting much needed fun into a genre that has become increasingly serious over the years) and keeping the story absorbing and the characters interesting, but standing out in particular were how he properly allows the audience to properly take in what is happening in the action, without jumping around incoherently or being static, and the huge amount of work that he even puts into the little things like with the opening credits.

The film's script is deliciously irreverent, sometimes raunchy, unrelentingly vulgar and very witty, with a plethora of laugh-out-loud funny to hilarious moments. While the action is grim and unflinching (some of it is not for the faintest of hearts) but nail-biting and surprisingly dynamic, the fight scene in the church especially standing out. The story is very clever and absorbing, with incredibly energetic pacing without being too hectic or rushed. The film does deal with the twist well, it could easily have been out-of-place, clichéd or overly silly but it's actually a lot of fun with a touch of humanity injected.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' contains some very memorable characters, including a hench-woman with legs that can kill. It's very well acted too, three of the standouts being Colin Firth, cast against type but doing a phenomenal job (also doing incredibly well in the action), Taron Egerton as an immensely likable main lead and Samuel L. Jackson (though his performance has divided reviewers it seems and understandably), who is clearly having the time of his life as lisping megalomaniac villain Valentine. That is not to dispute Michael Caine, who is more than dependable as a somewhat ambiguous sort of character, and Mark Strong who has a knack of making even weak material interesting, or Sophie Cookson, very fetching though in a slightly underwritten role, and Sofia Boutella who nobody wants to mess with.

If there is something that lets 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' down it is the ending with the anal sex. This was the one part of the film that to me came over as really unnecessary and tasteless, also seeming very out of place compared to the rest of the material and it is introduced randomly. The infamous Princess line is pretty offensively perverse as well.

All in all, though, a surprisingly brilliant send up that does nearly everything right. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Have always been fascinated by Greek mythology and the Trojan War, and Homer's 'Iliad' is a major example as to why. Also love and appreciate many film epics, of which there are numerous classics, and they were the main reasons in my interest in seeing 'Troy' (another being that it was the film of choice at the friend/family weekly film night).

'Troy' had a lot going for it. A talented cast, it is hard to go wrong with Brian Cox, Sean Bean, James Cosmo, Eric Bana, Brendan Gleeson and Peter O'Toole, a more than capable director in Wolfgang Petersen (though he seemed a curious choice on paper) and a fine composer in James Horner. Will admit to not being completely sure about Brad Pitt, in terms of physicality and whether he had the complexity and presence for a character as complex as Achilles, and Orlando Bloom at first. The reviews for 'Troy' were very mixed and still are, some like and even love it and have been very passionate in their defence and others dislike it intensely and are just as passionate in their criticism. My opinion is somewhere in between, leaning towards moderately liked, there are many strengths that have been mentioned and for me some big weak points, so can see both sides of the debate very clearly.

Starting with the positives, 'Troy' looks great. The setting and production look very handsome, evocative and imposing in scale. All beautifully photographed and the editing flows and is at least coherent. Worried that Petersen would struggle with the bigger and bolder approach his directing would need than the claustrophobic approach impressively brought to 'Das Boot', actually he does well in this regard.

Particularly in the action sequences, which are exciting and tremendously well staged, showing the passion that was missing in some of the drama. James Horner's score is nowhere near one of his best or most inspired, the rushed composition process does show, but it does have its rousing, beautiful and haunting parts.

Most of the cast acquits themselves well. Brad Pitt was better than expected as Achilles, not always comfortable but the charisma and passion is definitely there. Eric Bana excels, providing a noble and sympathetic Hector and have no qualms with Sean Bean who has some of the script's better lines. Brian Cox brings relish and steely intensity, while Brendan Gleeson is a powerful presence in a role that in lesser hands would have been incredibly bland. Likewise with luminous Rose Byrne. James Cosmo is as ever reliable, while Peter O'Toole is perfectly cast, on an emotional level he and Bana are the most believable.

Not all the cast fare well, though only two really didn't do much for me. Orlando Bloom is a very characterless Paris, even for a character written as a coward there was nothing interesting about the character and got nothing out of Bloom on a performance level. Diane Kruger has a non-entity role and some of the script's worst lines, and she made the character even blander by bringing absolutely nothing and looking completely lost and even out of place.

Would have liked more passion and deeper characterisation, did like that the film didn't try to take sides or make the characters too black and white but the complexity of some of the characters is lost. The romantic elements fare the worst, whereas the action was exciting and passionate the romantic elements were pure soap opera with no chemistry let alone emotion. It is here where Petersen's direction became static.

Am not going to go into detail about how many inaccuracies and dumbing down there are in order to be kind to the film, but a lot of the dialogue is more cornball and soapy than thought-provoking or natural. The pace is uneven, there is urgency and purpose when needed but in more intimate moments the film does go dead. Am not going to criticise the film massively for being overlong, there are much longer epics out there on film (many classics), though it did feel at times there wasn't enough content and that the film tended to be too on the surface and not have enough substance so for a two and a half hour film some of it felt on the thin side.

Overall, somewhat of a mixed to moderately liked view here where both sides are understandable. 6/10 Bethany Cox