Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Groundhog Day is a wonderful movie. Essentially it is a one-joke comedy, but what makes Groundhog Day so delightful is that whereas it could have been derivative and predictable, the film is always full of life and full to the brim with fresh ideas. The script is a delight, always funny, quotable and witty, while the story has a surprisingly refreshing concept and several great scenes.

The cinematography is beautiful, and the locations and production values are consistently striking. Also Harold Ramis's direction is excellent, the pace rarely lags and all the characters are credible. The acting is wonderful too, and by far one of the best assets of this film. Bill Murray gives one of the best performances of his career, Stephen Tabolowsky gives a superb turn as the nerdy insurance salesman and the lovely Andie McDowell has never been better.

In conclusion, a delightful film that works on all levels. 10/10 Bethany Cox

While not quite in the same league as the Frankenstein films and Dracula, having a few scenes that drag and one or two of the dialogue-heavy scenes feeling repetitive, The Mummy is still creepy and very effective even now. The sets are still wonderfully extravagant as are the costumes and the cinematography is stunning. James Dietrich's score is very haunting, the script in general is poetic and the story complete with a superb beginning and ending and of one where Imhotep permits his love to relive her past is interesting. The acting is fine, Edward Van Sloan gives one of his better performances here, while Zita Johann is beautiful and in a unique and stunning way. Stealing the film, in a very powerful and magnetic performance is Boris Karloff. All in all, a very good film, not quite a masterpiece but it is the best Mummy film by far. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Werner Herzog was, and still is, a very talented film-maker, but he's not the only reason as to why to see 'Nosferatu the Vampyre'. That it is based on a classic story, had a larger than life, commanding and great actor in the title role in Klaus Kinski and that it was a re-make of the 1922 Murnau masterpiece 'Nosferatu' were further interest points.

Admittedly did question as to whether 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' would work, being a re-make. Re-makes hardly ever are equal to their originals and some don't even come close. There is no doubting which is better and more influential between Murnau's film and this, but 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is a strong example of a re-make that works well, with the Murnau film being a very clear influence, and is a very good film on its own terms. Found myself never questioning its necessity, like can be the case watching re-makes.

The ending is a little rushed and doesn't quite have the unforgettable chills or power of the 1922 film. Personally had little problem with the acting, but a couple of actors did deserve more screen time, a notable example being Van Helsing. Can understand the criticisms with the pacing, 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' to me actually worked very well as a deliberate mood piece and as a film told through primarily visuals but maybe yes it could have taken a little less longer to get going.

'Nosferatu the Vampyre' looks magnificent, perhaps one of Herzog's most visually striking and most atmospheric films. This is coming from the director whose films were also well-made and looked great but when his films are being talked about this element can be upstaged by the talking about the themes and Herzog's trademarks, which are undeniably fascinating to read and talk about but Herzog's production values are worthy of a little more credit. The colours dazzle, the lighting is very atmospheric with a striking contrast of light and dark, the production design is both audacious and eerie but how the camera shots and editing are composed.

Popol Vuh's music score is both unsettling and dream-like, matching the nature of the visuals perfectly. Typically Herzog directs splendidly, delivering on the substance as well as the style. The script flows surprisingly well and is cohesive, and the story is rich in an atmosphere that's at times grimly eerie and at times contemplative. Despite calling it a re-make, 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is more a faithful homage while also having significant updates and expanding on the titular character's tragic loneliness.

Klaus Kinski is in towering form as Nosferatu. He is genuinely scary in a larger than life way, almost as nightmare inducing as Maximilian Schreck, but counter-points that wonderfully with tragic pathos delivered with heartfelt sincerity. While the other actors aren't quite as good the divide isn't as wide as one would think. Isabelle Adjani is suitably ethereal, making even more of an impression are Roland Topor's creepy, skin-crawlingly so, Renfield and Bruno Ganz's assertive but vulnerable Harker (a role much better acted than most, a notoriously bad example being Keanu Reeves in Coppola's otherwise often impressive film). Walter Ladengast is suitably low-key though with not a role as meaty as ought.

Overall, great film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

After reading reviews that either disliked or were indifferent to Hotel Transylvania and being dubious because Adam Sandler(who has been in a lot of really bad movies recently) was in the lead role, I was unsure of whether to see the film. But my love for animation and the appetising trailer over-rode my doubts and I saw it anyway. And you know what, while The Pirates and ParaNorman were better animated movies from this year in my opinion I found Hotel Transylvania much better than expected. More could have been done with the relationship between Jonathan and Mavis, it is a romantic angle that has been used many times before and as well as feeling somewhat under-baked very little new was done with it. While a vast majority of the film is fast-paced with no real dull spots, some parts of the film did feel rushed. On the other point of view, the animation is excellent, the backgrounds are both beautiful and Gothic and that is the same with the colours. The characters are well-modelled. The soundtrack is catchy and upbeat, though some of the songs could have been more than just snippets. The writing is zany and often witty with a surprising amount of heart also.

The story is predictable, but not dull. It has a number of great moments, the genre references are not as inspired as they were in ParaNorman but they are fun to spot, and I loved a lot of the slapstick-in-style gags. Especially the zombie Beethoven, the scream cheese Hors-D'Oeuvres, the shrunken heads do not disturb tags and the digs at Twilight(much more fulfilling than any of the movies combined). But it does have a lot of heart. Is the over-protective father idea clichéd? Of course. But I did find it genuinely touching instead of overly-exaggerated as I have seen described. Dracula's past is also shown in a darkly emotional way. The characters are not the most memorable I have ever seen, but they do have their likability, my favourite here was Dracula. And the voice acting was surprisingly great, to me from a non-fan who has liked him in some movies(Punch Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, Spanglish and Happy Gilmore) and hated him in others(Jack and Jill, Going Overboard, Zookeeper and Mr Deeds) Adam Sandler gives one of his better performances of late in the role of Dracula, he is actually funny as well as emotive in alternative to irritating. Selena Gomez is endearing as daughter Mavis and Adam Samberg brings some heroism to Jonathan. Kevin James, David Spade, Jon Lovitz, Fran Drescher and especially Steve Buscemi give solid support. In conclusion, surprisingly good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

As I like Tim Burton, and I am fond of the timeless story, I was eager to see what this 1999 film was like. I also grew up on the Disney classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman creeped me out so badly when I was little I thought I would never see the day when I would see that topped. Now after seeing this I think I just have. The Headless Horseman is terrifying here, Christopher Walken does a phenomenal job playing him. I do agree that the story does drag on occasions, but plenty makes up for that minor fault. Visually, Sleepy Hollow is amazing, like Batman Returns and Edward Scissorhands, the sets and cinematography are dark and Gothic, and the special effects are wonderful. Also Tim Burton I think was the perfect choice for director, he is oddball and eccentric and that directorial style is perfect for this film allowing him to give a clever, unique and atmospheric take on the story. The music score by none other than maestro Danny Elfman is dark, suspenseful and haunting, like it should be. The story is a true timeless tale of horror, and really well structured here, as is the nuanced script. The performances are excellent once again, with Johnny Depp absolutely brilliant as the maverick yet intuitive Ichabod Crane and Christina Ricci fine in a poignant sort of way as the lovely Katerina. Solidly supporting them all the way are Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gough, Jeffrey Jones, Ian McDiarmid and Richard Griffiths. And of course the film is full of cruel shocks and thrills, the murder scenes are shocking and violent but not in the sense that you have to look away. Overall, very unique and beautiful take on the tale. 9/10 Bethany Cox