Reviews by Kyle Ellis

I am not completely sure whether to say this is Francis Ford Coppola's best work or not but it is up there with his best. It is a truly harrowing masterwork with nothing to criticise.

Apocalypse Now is filled with memorable, mystical images, helped by the wonderful cinematography, splendid effects and authentic sceneries. The music is superb, the script is wonderful, I especially loved Robert Duvall's "I love the smell of napalm first thing in the morning", the story is always compelling and the film is brilliantly directed by Coppola. Apocalypse Now is long, but it is never boring.

The acting is excellent, Marlon Brando especially is unforgettable, and Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper adeptly support him. Overall, this is harrowing I warn you but it is a brilliant film regardless. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I am not completely sure whether to say this is Francis Ford Coppola's best work or not but it is up there with his best. It is a truly harrowing masterwork with nothing to criticise.

Apocalypse Now is filled with memorable, mystical images, helped by the wonderful cinematography, splendid effects and authentic sceneries. The music is superb, the script is wonderful, I especially loved Robert Duvall's "I love the smell of napalm first thing in the morning", the story is always compelling and the film is brilliantly directed by Coppola. Apocalypse Now is long, but it is never boring.

The acting is excellent, Marlon Brando especially is unforgettable, and Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper adeptly support him. Overall, this is harrowing I warn you but it is a brilliant film regardless. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Well, I finally managed to write a review on this, and I have to say, I like this a lot. I do think Values is marginally better, but both are solid entertainment, two good examples of films, driven by character not plot(though there was a very good one in both films). Like Values, the rating is too low, why? My only criticism, is that I don't like the rap song over the end credits at all. Apart from that, it had spirited direction, great incidental music, great performances, and a gem of a black humour filled script.

The plot is simple but grabs the attention of adults, as young children might not understand it. The script is witty, dark and very funny, something that Reunion forgot to add to the proceedings. Barry Sonnenfield directs with spirit and enthusiasm, but it's the performances that I was most impressed with.

Raul Julia and Angelica Huston were perfect as Gomez and Morticia, and I was sure that Tim Curry and Daryl Hannah would have been, had they a half-decent script and director to work with.(alas!) Christopher Lloyd was great fun as Fester, but the performance of Christina Ricci steals the film. Everyone else deserves a mention.

In conclusion, a well-done and inventive film, with a 9/10 from me! Bethany Cox

I love Toy Story, which I still think is the best Pixar animation to date, but Toy Story 2, not only surpasses its predecessor, ,it also manages to make rock-solid entertainment out of a simple story.

The animation is faultless. I could find nothing wrong with that. The script was just as irreverent and witty as the one in the first film, with jokes that adults will enjoy as well as kids. And the song When She Loved Me was beautiful and vital to the story.

The voice talents are also faultless. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are brilliant here as Woody and Buzz, but they were equally brilliant in the first too. Wayne Knight was also fine as Al, who kidnaps Woody to sell him to a museum. Joan Cusack was great as Jessie, though I do agree she has been better. Frasier's Kelsey Grammar is resoundingly entertaining as Stinky Pete(what a great name!). Solid support also from Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Jodi Benson(Ariel from little Mermaid)and Annie Potts.

All in all, a fantastic film, that has enough visual jokes(like Wallace and Gromit) to satisfy adults and kids alike. Rock- solid entertainment that thoroughly deserves a 10/10. Bethany Cox

This movie is without doubt the best animated movie of all time. The artistry was perfect. I was spellbound at the animated sequences to the songs "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast" especially. The characters were very well drawn, and because of the dark and colourful backgrounds, the film looked beautiful. The songs are fantastic. Another movie with great songs is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"(which has the best beginning to a Disney movie). In fact, all the Alan Menken scores are brilliant, with the exception of Home On The Range, which is one of the weaker Disney efforts. My personal favourites, were the songs I just mentioned, and "Gaston" was great fun too. The incidental music was the best in any Disney movie, and that is the same with the other Menken scores. The music in the transformation of the Beast was phenomenal, as well as the animation, and reminded me of the last movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, which is really frightening. Another Disney with great incidental music is "The Lion King". The story is quite simply one of the best love stories ever, and the characters are wonderful. Belle was voiced beautifully by Paige O'Hara, who has a beautiful singing voice. I love Belle, she is beautiful, clever and strong, and is one of the best Disney characters for those reasons. Gaston was made into a complex villain, and quite narcissistic(great idea Disney). When he was nasty he was quite frightening, and Richard White can really sing. Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers were really entertaining as Lumiere and Cogsworth,(I just love how witty, elegant and debonair Lumiere is) and Angela Lansbury gives a brilliant rendition of the title song. The best voice over was that of the Beast, who was very frightening, and there were some parts that were truly sensitive. Why are some people fussed about him as a human? Remember, true beauty comes from within. In conclusion, an essential to your Disney collection with a very poignant ending. 10/10. Bethany Cox

This movie is without doubt the best animated movie of all time. The artistry was perfect. I was spellbound at the animated sequences to the songs "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast" especially. The characters were very well drawn, and because of the dark and colourful backgrounds, the film looked beautiful. The songs are fantastic. Another movie with great songs is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"(which has the best beginning to a Disney movie). In fact, all the Alan Menken scores are brilliant, with the exception of Home On The Range, which is one of the weaker Disney efforts. My personal favourites, were the songs I just mentioned, and "Gaston" was great fun too. The incidental music was the best in any Disney movie, and that is the same with the other Menken scores. The music in the transformation of the Beast was phenomenal, as well as the animation, and reminded me of the last movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, which is really frightening. Another Disney with great incidental music is "The Lion King". The story is quite simply one of the best love stories ever, and the characters are wonderful. Belle was voiced beautifully by Paige O'Hara, who has a beautiful singing voice. I love Belle, she is beautiful, clever and strong, and is one of the best Disney characters for those reasons. Gaston was made into a complex villain, and quite narcissistic(great idea Disney). When he was nasty he was quite frightening, and Richard White can really sing. Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers were really entertaining as Lumiere and Cogsworth,(I just love how witty, elegant and debonair Lumiere is) and Angela Lansbury gives a brilliant rendition of the title song. The best voice over was that of the Beast, who was very frightening, and there were some parts that were truly sensitive. Why are some people fussed about him as a human? Remember, true beauty comes from within. In conclusion, an essential to your Disney collection with a very poignant ending. 10/10. Bethany Cox

I wasn't expecting the remake to Nightmare on Elm Street to be as good as the classic original, but I was expecting a decent enough film. As a remake and on its own terms, this Nightmare on Elm Street is a mess. Is it the worst remake out there? Not quite, Psycho and Wicker Man were worse. But it is among the most pointless, at least to me. This time round, the story is over-simplistic, the characters shallow and dull and the script jumbled. And apart from one, the acting is terrible, especially from Kyle Gallner. The editing in general could've been tighter while the effects lack clarity and distract from the atmosphere rather than enhance it. Speaking of the atmosphere, it seemed bland here, the nail-biting suspense and build ups seem very subdued and I don't think I remember being shocked by any scene from this movie. The only redeeming quality I feel is the efforts of Jackie Earl Haley. Robert Englund's performance was iconic and wonderfully creepy so Haley had big shoes to fill, and while he is a little too small for the role his makeup is believable and he does make a valiant attempt with his characterisation. All in all, pointless and messy. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Based on the graphic novels by Frank Miller (who also co-directed and wrote the screenplay) Sin City tells three stories of crime, corruption, and redemption set in the fictional town 'Basin City'. The first story details the quest of Marv (Mickey Rourke) who searches town for the man who murdered Goldie (Jamie King), the woman he believes to be his one true love. The second tells of Dwight (Clive Owen) who must cover up the death of a corrupt police officer (Benicio Del Toro) in order to avoid a war between the cops, and the girls of old town, led by Gail. (Rosiaro Dawson) The final story shows Hartigan, (Bruce Willis) a beat up retired cop framed for a crime he didn't commit, trying to save the life of a girl whose life he saved at a young age, who grew up to become a stripper, (Jessica Alba) while all the while being tracked by a mysterious stranger with a grotesque appearance. (Nick Stahl)

It's a churning vat of old fashioned pulp style stories, each one more dark and edgy then the last. And yet, Sin City itself is morbidly fascinating; if you don't mind delving through the haze of sleaze, violence and corruption you'll find a really compelling story underneath the hard exterior. Sin City exudes the essence of classic film noir, except combined with over-the-top violence, characters and dialogue to maintain that comic book feel. Giving co-director status to creator Frank Miller and allowing him to write the screenplay was perhaps the wisest move director Robert Rodriguez ever made, because Miller's gritty influence shines through, perfectly capturing the mood of his original creations.

And the visuals... extraordinary. The entire film is shot in black and white, except for certain items which appear in colour. (a red dress, red blood, although sometimes the blood is stark white, and not to mention Nick Stahl's character, Yellow Bastard, who is, indeed, yellow) Rodriguez is also smart enough to use a greenscreen backdrop, so as to recreate Miller's gritty, moody sets by computer animation instead of trying to create them first hand. And it works, wonderfully - the sets perfectly set the tone for the rest of the movie: dark, bold, over-the-top and quality work unlike any other. Add the characters' noirish costumes (almost every male character sports, as Marv puts it, a "damn fine coat") unique appearances, (it says a lot for the quality of the movie when a character like Yellow Bastard doesn't seem out of place) and movement (take note that if the movie was paused at any given point, the frame would look like a panel from a comic book) and Miller and Rodriguez perfectly nail the comic book feel.

It also helps that a wonderful cast has been assembled to bring life to the mayhem. Spot on performances abroad here, but the standouts in my opinion were Elijah Wood, who was truly chilling as Kevin, the silent, cannibalistic serial killer; Nick Stahl as Roarke Junior/Yellow Bastard, a truly creepy and disgusting character; Clive Owen, playing against type as Dwight; (who isn't exactly a sophisticated, British gentleman, but then again, no one in this film is) Mickey Rourke as Marv, managing to turn out a stunning performance, even with his face buried under several layers of latex; Benicio Del Toro almost unrecognizable as corrupt cop Jackie Boy and a welcome appearance from Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute, an enforcer specializing in inflicting pain. The hard edged ladies also do a great job, with Jessica Alba, Rosiaro Dawson, Carla Gugino, Jamie King and the rest all giving great performances.

It's all in the style of such films as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, so it may be wise to use those films as guidelines of what to expect in terms of content. It's true that Sin City is not for everyone: the violence is brutal and unflinching, most characters are disreputable, manipulative and sleazy, and the whole feel of the film is undesirable, and not too cheery. But if none of that deters you, Sin City should be known as a must see, for the superb visual stylistics if nothing else. But the style and feel of the comic books is perfectly captured and thrust into our faces. Frank Miller must be proud.

-10/10

Movies: Sleeping Beauty (1959)

First Appearance: Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Voiced by: Eleanor Audley



Hands down, no argument, the greatest animated villain ever. She's sexy, she's sensuous - in a Disney cartoon! - and she can TURN INTO A DRAGON. For added badassishness, she takes revenge on poor, defenceless infants in retaliation for perceived social snubs. Yes, if you fail to invite her to your next soiree, she'll probably curse your baby to a future as Sarah Palin or something. OK, so technically she's a fairy, which sounds neither scary nor powerful, but this lady is to normal fairies what Michael Phelps is to the Water Babies class at your local leisure centre. Her only flaw? Hiring cinema's least competent henchmen.

Stroke of genius

She turns into a frickin' dragon; what more do you need? Although we do also like her twisted scheme to imprison Prince Charming until he's decrepit and only then let him rescue Sleeping Beauty.

Fun fact

The sound of Maleficent's dragon fire was created properly, with the use of a flame-thrower, not any namby-pamby mixing desk. The sound of the dragon's teeth snapping, however, was recorded using castanets for a little Spanish flavour.

Movies: Coraline (2008)

First Appearance: Coraline, a novel by Neil Gaiman, 2002

Voiced by: Dakota Fanning

Neil Gaiman's dark-tinged children's tale combines perfectly with stop-motion genius Henry Selick's signature style, and Coraline herself pops off the screen even without the 3D glasses. She's a fully-realised kid, prone to annoying her parents and going off in a huff and being irritated by a neighbouring geek. But she's also smart, capable and ultimately fearless in seeing off the dark forces that threaten to tear her away from her family, showing that there's more to her than being a brat. She's also a masterpiece of stop-motion animation, with thousands of facial expressions and spot-on pre-adolescent body language.

Stroke of genius



It's the scene where Coraline hangs her hands around a doorknob and swings back and forth, pestering her father for attention while he's trying to work.

Fun fact

To weave the cloth and knit the jumpers used for the film's puppets, the team had to use needles as fine as human hair. Now that's what you call detail work.