Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Metal Gear Solid is one of the best games ever created. The graphics are revolutionary, the gameplay is excellent, the storyline is top, the gameplay relys on stealth rather than Doomish action. You are Solid Snake, a super-agent who is sent to Alaska to take out the terrorists that occupied a U.S. nuclear facility. You arrive at the dock-area, and the place is crowded with armed guards. You sneak your way past them. If you try to kill them, there is a good chance that you`ll be killed. Brilliant! The storyline is very good and borrows heavily from blockbuster action-movies, but this is far better than most movies. The only downside of this magnificent title, is that it is too short, but don`t refuse to buy it because of that. MGS is a massive game, that will change the way action-games are developed! 10/10

Warning: Spoilers

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a fantastic experience that combines the medium of game and film in a never before seen way. It tops its predecessors in audio/visual quality as well as in story telling and dialogue, making the whole experience not only more intense and captivating, but also more accessible to a broader audience. It is impossible to compare Metal Gear Solid 4 to any game out to date, and it will surely take a long, long time until anything as good as this comes along again - if it ever happens.

Even more so than the previous Metal Gear Solid games, this last installment rises above its medium, and becomes more than just a game. People have debated over the question whether games can be considered as "art", and while this is all in the eye of the beholder, Metal Gear Solid 4 comes as close to art as any game before. In my view, Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't just art, but it's also one of the finest pieces of art I've ever encountered. It's a masterpiece, a complex and layered experience that will move you on so many levels, in so many ways, and even manages to be unique, new and refreshing. And isn't that what art is all about?

Metal Gear Solid 4 has its minor issues, and surely not everyone will be happy with the directions the story takes. But it is impossible to discard all the fantastic moments this game has to offer because of these (minor) issues.

Metal Gear Solid 4 will forever mark gaming history. It's sad to see the series come to an end, but what an end it is. Thank you mister Kojima, for more than twenty years of incredible and groundbreaking entertainment.

I mean jeez and here i thought silent hill 2 was scary, this game is seriously messed up it's unbelievable how creepy it is, start to finish it's a horrifying experience.

The main character heather mason is one of the most likable down to earth protagonists, easily my favorite in the series and you are going to feel sorry for her throughout the whole game and you will want her to survive the terrifying nightmare that is silent hill.

It's the darkest and also one of the most colorful games in the series the way that it's mostly red compare to the gray empty feel of the 2nd game also graphically it's easily the best in the series, the freakin' textures still look amazing to this day.

In terms of story, 2 is just too good to beat but this is a damn good sequel to the original game and one of the best in the series overall.

I always thought that video games were due for some respect as a legitimate art form, but far too many games relish their positions as mindless gorefests. That's why this game is such a breath of fresh air. It combines all the best elements of a video game with the creepy ambiance of films like SEVEN. Even better is that the game gives you characters that are complex and troubled.

You play as James Sunderland. James lost his beloved wife Mary to a strange disease three years ago, and he's been drifting through his life in a deep depression since then. Then, out of the blue, he receives a letter signed by his late wife saying to meet her in the town of Silent Hill, a faorite vacation spot of theirs when they were married and the site of Mary's death. So James travels to the town, to find it devoid of natural human life and engulfed in fog. Something terrible has happened here, and James starts to learn the truth about the town's horribly mutated, monstrous inhabitants.

Few games have made characters seem so real. James doesn't have superpowers, and he isn't trying to survive any longer than it takes to find his wife. He's not searching for treaure, he's searching for a reason to live, and he doesn't necessarily care if he finds it. There are several other mysterious characters inhabiting the town. All have stories to tell, none of which are pretty, and we watch in fascination as various characters fold under the mental strain of the sights they are seeing.

By the end of the game, there are several questions left unanswered, and several new ones are raised. Where did the monster's come from? Where did the strange little girl come from, and how did she survive? And (most interestingly) does this nightmarish Silent Hill actually exist, or is it all a figment of James' twisted imagination?

The game provides some brilliant environments and creature design, some challenging puzzles and creepy, grainy camerawork. It uses these things to grab hold of your emotions and twist them around. Few games have ever been able to capture raw fear, but this one succeeds brilliantly. Most importantly of all, this game makes you think. This is a formula that more games of this genre should follow, if video games ever hope to receive respect as an art form.

What a kicker of a game, Silent Hill takes ideas from Rosemary's Baby, The Shining, and even a little Jacob's Ladder, and runs with it, making it the most horrifying game ever released, even topping Resident Evil 1. Harry Mason, the main character, decides to take his daughter Cheryl on a vacation. Harry is a writer and has just lost his wife to an unknown disease, and decides to take a break. While driving to Silent Hill, Harry is passed by a motorcycle cop in quite a hurry. The cop looks at him, and zooms off. Harry pays no mind until he sees the motorcycle wrecked a couple miles up the road, he quickly takes his eyes off the road to check out the wreck and spots someone walking across the road. Harry slams on the brakes and ends up wrecking... He wakes up in Silent Hill, his head is bashed a little bit, but other than that he's fine, except for the fact that Cheryl is missing... The game sends you on a hellish mission to find your daughter, with the help of Cybil, the motorcycle cop. Silent Hill turns out to be a nightmare town, full of evil creatures. This game screws with your head as Harry undergoes several sequences that makes it seem like he's trapped in hell. You fight several different creatures during this period like evil devil children and hellhounds. But it's all just a dream... isn't it? The music doesn't make the playing experience any easier on you, evil and ominous industrial music adds to the tension of yours and Harry's quest. Great graphics and great music, and great gameplay. Instead of screwing with your nerves like Resident Evil does, Silent Hill screws up your brain. Is this real? What is that creature? Who do I trust? The only beefs I have with this game is that it's short, and when you find out how to solve every puzzle, you can breeze through the game when you play it a second time. In my opinion, Hollywood should quit trying to come up with the right script for Resident Evil and should put their attention into Silent Hill. It's a much smarter and much more frightening game with a better script and a better plot... what's the main plot? Beats me, there is never an exact plot to begin with...

Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) used to be an S-Mart employee with girlfriend Linda. They go to a cabin in the woods and Ash is pulled into a vortex and lands in the middle ages. He is taken prisoner along with Henry the Red by Arthur's men. He is thrown into the pit with the evil dead. Wiseman sends down his chainsaw and he uses it to defeat them. He becomes a feared hero and sets Henry and his men free. Sheila (Embeth Davidtz) hopes that he would battle the evil but Ash only wants to go home. He needs to quest for the book Necronomicon to return home.

This is a fun romp of a medieval horror misadventure. Sam Raimi is having fun and Bruce Campbell is the guy to deliver it. The over-confident irreverent Ash is hilarious. It's both a great comedy and a fun action adventure.

I remember being a kid and seeing commercials for this show but, since it was on late at night, I never had the pleasure of watching it. Chiller TV ran marathons of this 7 or 8 years ago and, being the low budget, schlock loving individual that I am, came to enjoy this series greatly.

Season one shines far brighter than season two with episodes such as "It's A Miserable Life", "Sister's Keeper", "Do Dreams Bleed" and "Identity Crisis" standing out amongst the pack. Almost all of the episodes are cheesy as all get-out but still just kind of have that weird 80's vibe compounded by random and bizarre stories that make them enjoyable nonetheless.

I'd love to see this series get a full release on video. It's a classic among schlock mongers and utilizes standard 80's stereotypes that would likely be considered weird by those born long after the series originally aired.

Sheryl Hoover (Toni Collette) is trying hold this crazy family together. Her brother Frank Ginsberg (Steve Carell) is just released after his suicide attempt. Her husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) is a bad motivational speaker who is always talking about winning except he's a loser himself. Her son Dwayne (Paul Dano) is tired of his family, and has vow to be silent. Grandpa Hoover (Alan Arkin) was kicked out of his nursing home for misbehaving. Finally daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) is so excited about getting into the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.

The reason this movie works is that I love these characters. I love everybody except for the dad. They are just so weirdly likable. They are the essence of an underdog story. I love this family, and it's not only for the cute little girl. I even love the VW van.

When I first heard about this little film I wasn't particularly interested. Being a high school teacher, I wasn't impressed with the idea of seeing a movie concerning a teenage mother. Believe me, I know enough of them already! However, on a lark, I decided to finally watch the film--almost two years after it debuted. And, in hindsight, I should have just gone and seen the film when it came out, as unlike my ASSUMPTION, it was not really a glorification of teen pregnancy but a very complex film--a film with a lot of different messages and possible interpretations. This is definitely NOT a by-the-numbers (formulaic) film--there is a lot that is original and new. And, if you were worried that the film would be pro-teen pregnancy or abortion or whatever and it might offend you, don't think that way....the film is great for anyone, conservative or liberal alike. And, it might just be an excellent film for you to see with your teens. Excellent, simple and very effective.

I could say a lot more about the film, but considering the huge number of reviews already and the film came out some time back, I'll be brief and stop here.

Played by: Sigourney Weaver

Also appears in: Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997)

Final Girl traits: Female, gender ambiguous name (Ripley), investigative, audience's point of identification, defeats killer, survives

Alien is a sci-fi thriller, not a horror film, but the first film might as well be a slasher with the alien as the serial killer. And Ripley is undoubtedly the gender-bending point of identification, and ultimately the last astronaut standing (er, floating?). Like Evil Dead's Ash, she transitions to action hero in the later films.