Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Warning: Spoilers
The concept is good but the execution a joke. I like movies with messages as I believe they are important and so is the topic of this movie. But instead of making me think of the bigger picture, I started to question the directors intentions. It seems like the script was written by a kid for a junior school project against racism. It has absolutely no depth or intelligent plot, the entire story is used to portray racist stereotypes in an extreme unrealistic proportion

It appears as if the writer and Director of this Movie reflected his emotions into the movie resulting into what seems to be a rather irrational parody than a educative representation of real problems in our society

As the movie progressed I started to feel more and more uncomfortable because of how the antagonist is depicted. Karen who is named after the Slang "Karen" is not an actual Karen but an openly racist person. This movie tried to portray as if all Karen's are also racist while giving the vibe as if Black Women can't be Karens and that this term is exclusively for white racist women.

The way people in the movie were chosen proves my point. All reasonable friends are black, the lawyer is black and so was the attorney and even the only one in the entire neighborhood who openly stated that Karen is racist was chosen to be Asian. Other white people in this movie have show hidden racist characteristics. Like "oh look black peoples in the neighborhood" and "we need some black peoples in this neighborhood" and of course a white police officer who's a complete psychopath and part of a secret society of powerful white peoples protecting each other and with it allowing them to do whatever they want. And let's not forget the restaurant owner who kicked out the black people from the restaurant. Seems like the whole town is part of the neighborhood.

But at least the movie made the cop who saves the day white right? Probably because making him black would be too obvious.

And for the end the slogan "all lives don't matter until black lives matter too" is over the top like the entire movie. Don't wanna get too political here but I as a white jew have the right to say that this is total none sense. My people are discriminated since always and this slogan gives me the same vibe as "all lives matters" to Black People.

"Black Lives Matter" 100% true "All lives matter" racist people not getting the point "all lives don't matter until black lives matter too" people who think that only racism again black people matters.

I am a fan of the series, though I do have to admit there are some bad eggs and some golden treasures. Dr No is one of the golden treasures, along with Goldfinger and From Russia with Love. Dr No also happened to start this great series off, and with great style and panache. It is very cleverly conceived, and remains true to the essence of the novels. The cinematography and locations are stunning, and the music and theme song are wonderful. The action sequences are simply terrific, the atmosphere is appropriately exotic and the humour displayed is very witty. The dialogue is great, the plot is well done and the direction is solid. Ursula Andress couldn't have asked for a better entrance, while the ever suave and charismatic Sean Connery is perfect as the dashing, debonair and ruthless title character. Overall, a great start to a great series on the whole. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Words cannot describe how wonderful this film was. The story is admittedly daft, but the film itself is witty, sophisticated and hysterically stupid, while being fast, furious and fun as well. The humour is hilarious to the point of sides splitting, from the mocking of the fashion and musical style of the Swinging Sixties period, to countless references to 007, Matt Helm and Our Man Flint. And Austin's catchphrases?... groovy! The film looks amazing, with bright colourful sets and great costumes, and the soundtrack is funky. Then we have Mike Myers brilliant as Austin Powers(better than he was in Cat in the Hat anyway, the less said about that travesty the better), and hysterically over-the-top as the arch-nemesis Dr Evil, and Elizabeth Hurley fabulously sexy as Vanessa Kensington. Overall, wonderful film, better than I thought it would be. Shagadelic, baby! 9/10 Bethany Cox

Dreamworks has been inconsistent for me. I loved The Prince of Egypt, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Spirit, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Antz, liked Shrek 2, Monsters vs Aliens, Sinbad, Kung Fu Panda and Road to El Dorado and didn't care for Bee Movie and Shark Tale(the 3rd and 4th Shreks are between the slightly liked to didn't care for categories). Puss in Boots is not Dreamworks' best, though I do consider it one of their better ones recently. The animation is stupendous, especially in the rich colours and fluid backgrounds. The humans are not as well-drawn as the animals, then again to a lesser extent I found that with the Shrek movies too(especially with Rumpelstiltskin in Forever After).

The music is rousing and gives a sense of jollity and adventure, and Puss in Boots is a cleverly written film with cat puns, witty dialogue and veers from Daesperado, Zorro to Mother Goose and a touch of Sergio Leone. As for the story, for what there is in predictability is made up for with excitement, helped by the hilarious dance fights and superbly choreographed chases up beanstalks and over bridges. The characters are generally great, though I didn't really care for Humpty Dumpty as a character or a villain.

Zach Galifilianakis deserves a lot of credit for his voice work, but while not as bland as Rumplestiltskin, Humpty Dumpty's motivation could have been better explored and he is never really likable or interesting. Consequently by the end, which compared to the rest of the film was too dark for my tastes, he didn't garner my sympathy, like I did with Rameses and especially Lord Shen. Kitty however is wonderfully slinky, and voiced beautifully by Salma Hayek, but it is the title character(one of the Shrek franchise's best characters) who steals the show.

Marvellously voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots is suave and although the cute big eyes gag is used quite a few times, I find it far too endearing for it to be getting old. Overall, a fun film, beautifully animated, generally exciting and clever. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Have an appreciation for horror, remember really liking 'The Conjuring' films (though they need a re-watch) and liked the idea. The advertising also suggested a quite creepy film if done right. Seeing that 'The Nun' was not positively received, critically and by word of mouth, however lowered my expectations somewhat, being one of not many to have respect for critics opinions.

Seeing 'The Nun' with an open mind, with the intent of actually liking the film and going against the grain (as has actually been the case quite a number of times, though often do agree with general consensus), for me it was not as bad as many have said and it is not one of the worst of the year. It's not even among the worst of the horror genre. It was though a disappointment and managed to be worse than my lowered expectations, far from being one of the best of the year as well.

'The Nun' at least didn't insult my intelligence (on the most part), it is not that amateurish and didn't get the sense it was completely not trying, while thinking that it could have tried harder. From personal opinion, 'The Nun' does have similar problems as 'Slender Man', except it's a better film.

Found 'The Nun' to be a good-looking film, very spooky in setting and atmospheric in lighting. It's slickly photographed too and the effects not cheap. The music does have an unsettling ambience and doesn't sound cheap in how it's recorded or orchestrated.

It started off very well, the beginning was unnerving and did have dread and tension.

However, 'The Nun' did go downhill quickly too early and struggles to recover. One is told too much and far too soon, which completely diminishes the suspense and makes things very predictable. The direction is both leaden and disorganised and while the actors try gamely they have nothing to work with, with clunky dialogue galore and poorly developed clichés passing for characters that are both bland and annoying.

Dialogue throughout has no natural flow and reeks of cheese. The story is very poorly paced, mainly dull, and the back-story is far too ridiculous, clichéd and with bland atmosphere and nothing new to engage with it or take it at face value. It is not fun, with comic relief that is not funny, sometimes not tasteful and features too much. 'The Nun', like 'Slender Man', feels like a short film over-stretched to breaking point for a feature film, the content is just too little and the titular character is far too underused and is more so what than scary when revealed. 'The Nun' also fails at being scary or interesting, the too thin story and deadly dull pacing kills the tension, suspense and dread, making the atmosphere bland throughout, while there is too much of an over-reliance on jump-scares that are too random, senseless and obvious to be creepy.

On the whole, not terrible but disappoints. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I don't think it is John Landis's best film or anything, but there are a lot of very likable things about this film. I agree that when the film slows down, some the jokes do too and the pacing lags slightly then. That said, it is confidently directed, has a sweet story and the jokes that work do outweigh the ones that don't quite. The film looks good too, with some interesting locations and lush cinematography and the soundtrack is memorable. Eddie Murphy does a fine job carrying the film and manages to be very likable, not to mention some fun cameos of his courtesy of clever make-up. Arsenio Hall is good too, and it is wonderful to see James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair again, same with scene stealers Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy. So in conclusion, I like Coming to America very much, and Murphy does shine here. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Now I don't think Willow is the best fantasy film ever made(a three way-toss up between Pan's Labyrinth, Edward Scissorhands and The NeverEnding Story) nor is it the worst(Dungeons & Dragons). It does have problems, but I thought it was entertaining.

My first problem is Warwick Davis, now his title character is a very charming and likable character, but Davis's performance is somewhat uneven. At first it is uncomfortable and bland, then as the film progressed he got better as we got to know the character better. Another problem is that the special effects are a little dated especially the beast with the two heads. My final flaw is that there are one or two scenes in the middle half that felt a little forced.

However, thanks to a quirky, funny and honest script, it is actually entertaining. You may argue that the film is too long, and that the plot is unoriginal and formulaic, but the film does move quickly and a lot happens. The scenery, cinematography and costumes are also really nice to look at, maybe not as stunning as other fantasy films such as the Lord of the Rings movies, NeverEnding Story or Legend(which has one of the most exquisitely rendered forest sets I have ever seen on it) but it at least looks nice. The score by James Horner is also really pleasant though Horner has done better(I still bawl at the main theme for The Land Before Time), the main theme is definitely memorable and is surprisingly not generic. The direction from Ron Howard is good, and the acting is decent as they bring alive somewhat interesting characters. Davis is uneven as I have said already, but Joanne Whalley is alluring as Sorscha, while Val Kilmer does really well in a flashier and darker role with some good lines. Rool and Franjean are the funniest characters, and it is a delight to see Billy Barty again. However, Jean Marsh steals the show as Queen Bavmorda, her performance is the epitome of sheer evil.

Overall, flawed but decent fantasy film with some interesting elements. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The first film was a disappointing and mediocre film, but actually was reasonably entertaining. There has been the general impression that the sequel is better than the first film, but I can't agree. Yes, I accept it was more faithful than the brilliant cartoon show, but I still think it was a very poor sequel.

The script was very very weak, and even lower in laughs than the first film. I liked the idea of Dr Claw escaping from jail, but the pace of this film was way too fast, and lacked energy as well as felt rushed. And the editing was choppy, and the effects substandard.

The performances were pretty dire. French Stewart proves once again, like he did in the excrement that is Home Alone 4, that he falls well short of the charisma and energy of his character and came across as rather wooden. I didn't like Tony Martin's Dr Claw either. I much preferred Rupert Everett's suave take on the classic villain, and Martin hamming-up came close to embarrassing rather than entertaining. In fact, the only redeeming quality, and this is a slight one, is the talented Caitlin Wachs, who deserved better.

Overall, very poor, don't waste your time. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Of the NBC live productions, 'The Wiz' is by far the best, which is saying a lot seeing as 'The Sound of Music' and particularly 'Peter Pan' fell completely flat.

Also think that it is a big improvement over the 1978 Sidney Lumet-directed film with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. That did have a few good thing, such as Jackson, but generally it is down there with the worst film musicals with Ross being horribly miscast and the whole thing felt misconceived.

'The Wiz Live' is not perfect but entertained and was mostly well performed, far better than anticipated. The musical itself this reviewer likes a lot, there may be some bias though as someone who performed the backing vocals in our school production ten years ago and has fond memories of the experience. The songs, in a 1970s Motown style, are catchy with a great mix of the funny and the emotional, and are surprisingly accessible, and the story is a clever updated version of the classic 'Wizard of Oz' story.

Starting with the many good things, 'The Wiz' is by far the best-looking of the NBC live productions, 'Peter Pan' did look beautiful if a little confined sometimes in space while 'The Sound of Music' looked sparse and cheap. 'The Wiz' however is far more expansive in space and is bursting with colour with inspired use of video screen to create background sets. The costumes, apart from the cheap ones for the Winkies that are not right for dancing really, are beautifully designed and look great especially the breathtaking one for Glinda.

Choreography is full of energy, with a fantastic contribution by Cirque De Soleil who not only do some wonderful dancing and characterful acting for the Flying Monkeys and Poppy Girls but manage to solve potential problems with scene changes, was surprised at how well the tornado came off. The staging is similarly energetic and also boasts some very touching moments, though this reviewer has always found the ending rushed and abrupt and it's the case here. Less successful is the updated dialogue, with some jokes that badly jar and feel stale and out of date.

Musically, the production is mostly very good, with rousing and nuanced playing from the band, beautifully balanced and enthusiastic backing vocals and alert and sympathetic musical direction. Most of the performances are quite excellent, with standouts being Elijah Kelly's vulnerable and full-of-life Scarecrow, Ne-Yo's charming and sometimes witty Tin Man, David Allen Grier's purr-fect (pun intended) Lion, Amber Riley's sympathetic Addaperle and Stephanie Mills (a great Dorothy herself a long time ago) touching Aunt Em who makes the most out of "The Feeling We Once Had".

Unfortunately a few don't come off so well. Shanice Williams' inexperience does show in some rather one-dimensional acting and stiff and not-sure-of-the-steps dancing as Dorothy, though she does possess a good voice, especially in "Home" and "Ease On Down the Road". Uzo Aduba looks and acts positively angelic as Glinda, but while some of her singing is good she does sound strained and flat in "Believe in Yourself".

Mary J Blige and particularly Queen Latifah are more problematic. Mary J Blige sings well in the role of Evilene, though this viewer prefers a more gospel sound in "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News", but her acting falls flat, Evilene should be menacing but also funny, Blige is neither and looks ill at ease with the menace being non-existent and the scenery-chewing being ham-fisted and unnatural. In a gender reversal, Latifah is all wrong in the title role, she shouts her way as well as sounding somewhat drunk in her introductory song and her acting feels like a bizarre comedy skit with flat line delivery.

Overall, while an uneven production 'The Wiz Live' was far better than anticipated. By far the best of the NBC Live production and superior to the film. 6/10 Bethany Cox

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This is most certainly the best way to watch the Wizard of Oz. The movie itself needs no introduction, so this will be about the steelbook and the 4k restoration.
The steelbook itself is quite good, not the best ever, but a good design nonetheless. Thee poppies are not as vibrant as in the picture, they only look that way at certain angles. Dorothy has a different finish to the rest of the steelbook, more glossy, and the title has been embossed (think thats the right term). Inside are two discs, one 4K disc with the movie, and a documentary (not in 4k), with the rest of the special features on the standard blu-ray disc. Many reviews on the internet show people recieving a digital code with this set, but it seems that the UK release does not contain that, as the only paper is an ad for the much larger collector's set.
The 4K HDR is possibly the best quality of this movie you will ever see, with incredibally deep blacks and the vibrancy of the technicolor is fully depicted. For an example, you only need to look at the Wicked Witch of the West, whose jet black cloack perfectly contrasts the now visible menagerie of greens that make up her complection. Dorothy's freckles are very visible, and the only downside to this clarity is that you can really tell how much makeup was caked onto Judy Garland's face. And a personal first, I never realized that the farm help at the beginning of the movie are actually Dorothy's 3 companions during the rest of the film (although this has more to do with my ineptitude and less with the film itself).

Overall, Warner Bros. have really done this film justice with this restoration, and they most certainly have struck a goldmine, as any fan would be a fool not to buy this version of the film. Steelbook optional, of course.