I will never get those lost hours back.

This is without doubt the WORST film ever made (excepting Perfume, which is beyond comment). It is also offensive inasmuch as Diamond, a dreadful singer of dreadful songs, demonstrates how he, a white 'boy' (he's actually quite old) shows black people how to groove ... by blacking-up. Further, his acting skills seem to be limited to putting on this puppy-dog face, tilting his head to the side, whilst fixing these 'sincere' eyes on which ever unfortunate fool is on screen at the same time.

Olivier's representation of a Jew is appaling as well, all 'Oy vay!' and wringing hands. It's as if Diamond had managed to totally bypass the social developments of the Twentieth Century.

In all, it made me want to hit myself in the face. I watched it anyway and will regret those lost hours on my death bed, I am sure.

Do not watch this movie, if you like art, film, acting, and so on.

TOP DRAWER MUSICAL

Grab your pearly duds and adopt a London accent.

What a great film this is, great soundtrack and choreography. You feel a nice warm glow throughout and even the most Bolshy musical hater must be impressed.

Nice One Audrey

Does what it says on the box.

This is a Christmas episode. It is written specifically to keep the kids happy Christmas evening while the parents tidy up the wrapping paper.
It does just that.

No, it's not the best episode of Doctor Who.
No, the story won't change your life or your view of the world.
No, Kylie isn't the best Companion ever to be on the show.
But yes, it WILL keep you entertained for the duration.

If you have kids they'll love it.
If you are an old-school fan the buy it for the 'Time Crash' special.

A MUST SEE

To Kill a Mockingbird is the movie based on the Harper Lee novel of the same name about Scout, Jem and their father, Atticus Finch who is an attorney in a small southern town. It is both a coming of age story about the children as well as a hard-hitting drama, as Atticus defends a black man who is on trial for the rape of a white woman.

This review is not an easy one to write, despite the fact that I have seen this film at least 10 times. The reason it does not come easily is that this is one of the most personally important films I have ever seen and is in my personal `Top Five of All Time'. I'm certain there is nothing that can be said about the film that has not already been repeated a multitude of times, so I guess the best thing to do is explain why the film is so important to me.

I first saw this film several years ago and was so profoundly affected by it that I immediately watched it again. Of course, the defense of a man wrongly accused of a crime is a common story line, but To Kill a Mockingbird stands out as an exceptional example for several reasons. Among them, the date that the film was released: 1962, on the cusp of the civil rights movement in America, and the fact that it takes place in the south in the 1930's. It is also far from the first film to explore the experiences of children and their own personal growth, but To Kill a Mockingbird stands out because of its sheer honesty and natural performances by the child actors portraying these rich characters.

But most of all, this film is special because of Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch, a true hero. At the risk of sounding histrionic, my heart aches when I watch him on screen because he is such an incredible man, and is so inherently good. No matter how many times I have seen this film, I smile when I see his interaction with his children, and I well with tears when I see his incredible strength of character. (No easy feat to break through the armor of this cynical film geek who, if given the chance would remake at least a few dozen films with tragic endings.) I was sitting in my car listening to National Public Radio recently the day Gregory Peck died, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I sat and cried hearing the retrospective they offered - mainly because the man who portrayed my own personal cinematic hero was gone, but also because Peck lived his life with the same conviction as his best known role; a fact that makes Atticus Finch all the more tangible. The American Film Institute recently named Atticus Finch the number one hero of all time, a choice I consider both brave and insightful in an age where our heroes generally either wield weapons or have super human physical strength. Atticus Finch fights evil as well, but with his strong moral fiber and his mind.

To Kill a Mockingbird is generally required reading during the course of one's education. If you have not read it, do so. If you have not seen the film, do so; and share it with others. It is an exceptional film that stands the test of time and will remain an important addition to film history for as long as the genre exists.

Good but why a classic?

I've recently been watching"classic" films. Gone with the wind follows the story of Scarlet, caught up in the American civil war, 3 marriages, an unrequited love and good friendships. I had no idea that the film was so long, 224 minutes! Unfortunately I didn't think it should have been that long. It was a nice film, very watchable, sweet story. Scarlet is an incredible character, all the characters arew well written. However, just thought it ended a little abruptly considering the length of time to get there. I guess when it is such a big classic, it's difficult for the film to live up to expectations. I'd recommend seeing it as it is such a classic and its a nice film.

Cinderella

Some good re-touches and some excellent original animation bring breathes some life and humour into a classic kids story. Reccomended.

Nice colour, some annoying features…

Nice colour. Some annoying features:
• There’s a lengthy and tedious copying-is-a-crime notice before you get to the root-menu.
• The sound-track of this re-master attempts to match where the voice comes from, to the speaker’s position on the screen. Trouble is, you hear other things move across; e.g. the rustling of the captain’s clothing moves to Maria’s position when she begins to speak. This is very noticeable when listening with headphones.

As Time Goes By . . .

. . . This film simply gets better and better. How can it miss with such a cast? Not only Humphrey Bogart as Rick and Ingrid Bergman as Ilse, but also the ensemble group of minor characters. Who can forget oily-voiced Peter Lorre smuggling the letters of transit? Or rotund Sidney Greenstreet swatting flies at the Blue Parrot? My very favorite, however, is Claude Raines as Louis, the (lovably) corrupt Prefect of Police, whose heart is his"least vulnerable spot," and whose lines, which include"Round up the usual suspects!" are among the best and the most humorous in the movie. His shock, as he stuffs his pockets with his winnings, that gambling is going on at Rick's place, has to be one of the classic moments in cinema.

And, of course, one of the most brilliant scenes--my very favorite"three-handkerchief-blubbering" moment, in fact--is when Nazi Colonel Strasser (Conrad Veidt) and his officers are standing around the piano, belting out"Watch on the Rhine," and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) orders the band to play the"Marseilleise"; although the two pieces of music blend perfectly at first, the"Marseilleise" triumphs in the end. Vive la France!!!

I think that one of the secrets of this movie's greatness is that in addition to the outstanding actors, the writers and the director have combined the right mixture of romance, adventure, and patriotism with a huge dollop of humor. A time-tested recipe that seems to have been forgotten in so many films made today.

series 4=still going strong

3 MORE FANTASTIC EPISODES
SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY-10/10-i found this episode to be very entertaining and deeply intense,which asked viewers plenty of questions and provided the doctor with one of the most brutally fearsome villains he has ever faced...the Veschta Nervada(psychopathic shadows that possess victims bodies)and an excellent cliffhanger.
FOREST OF THE DEAD-10+/10-one of the greatest episodes ever!!!after dealing with the events of the previous episode the Doctor tries to find Donna after being 'saved' and transported to a dreamworld where her life flashes before her eyes...leading to her death!?! can the doctor save her in time?.
Catherine Tate delivers a powerful performance and delivers on all levels(humorous/emotional)...David continues to add depth to the doctor,and the pace of the episode keeps viewers consistently on the edge of their seat throughout...amazing!!!
MIDNIGHT-10+/10-Russel T.Davies delivers us with a scorcher of an episode with another terrifying foe for the doctor to face(one with no form or name and possesses victims)Lesly Sharp provides a terrifying tour de force of a role that lures viewers into the story,while David adds a sense of fear to the doctor and answers the question 'can the doctor survive without a companion?'(Donna is busy sunbathing ha ha)the supporting cast members provide the chills to this episode and again MIDNIGHT is a sheer spectacle that is already a classic episode(look out for an appearance of Rose).
series four has shown to be the best season of the show to date,throwing out excellent episodes every week and genuinely being entertaining and scary at the same time,Tate+Tennant=great television.
with only three episodes to go it looks like series four is going to go out with a bang!!!!(series 4 will be the first season for me to get on DVD!-already on my Christmas wish list:))series 4 has been fantastic all the way through and by far is the most consistent out of the four series' to date...I LOVE IT!!!and so will you.

A decent failure, I suppose

Ultimately this multi Oscar winning epic is a filmic failure. Winning Oscars has never been a guarantee that the movie is actually any good to watch, such a strange bunch sit on the Acadamy's voting panel. Here, we have a film that is a good case in point: The movie is certainly an epic production, has very good technicians at the creative helm, the director, cinematographer and screenwriter unit are very rightly regarded as one of the all time best teams in cinema's history, and yet the movie undeniably lacks something in the end, something it vitally needed - dramatic tension.

Who only knows what the fault is for that, but I'd start with questioning the cast list here. Lean has always stood by the decision to have Sharif in the Star role, but forty odd years of criticism of this surely must carry some credibility as a view. In my humble layman's view, like many others I cannot at all see how Sharif can be considered a success in that role. His memorable eyes apart, he is severely lacking in presence and just simple acting ability to be able to really get a hold of his role and attract our constant attention. Christie looks rather overwhelmed by it all, as well, and doesn't spark with any of her suitors, least of all Sharif as Zhivago.

Two performances do standout, the actors responsible are Steiger and Courtney, but it's almost as though they're being asked to carry the film themselves, because the leads haven't turned up. Lean shows some of his great artistic touches again in places, and generally the film looks best when the focus is on the landscape or crowd scenes, rather than close up human drama. At the end of it all I'd still like to know what on earth was all that white stuff? - it certainly wasn't snow! Why on earth did they shoot in Spain, when there were surely opportunities to film in Scandanavia?? Oh well, it's too late now.

Gritty Stuff

Just a few words to say how good this film is. One of the most powerful and intense War/Drama Films Ive seen. You'd have to be dead from the neck up not to like it. Recommended.

A LONG EPIC THAT DESERVES TO BE SEEN BY EVERYBODY

David Lean's"Lawrence of Arabia" is one of the few films that legitimately deserves to be called great... It appears on virtually all"ten best" lists and reveals deeper layers of meaning with repeated viewings...

Lean, a man devoted to the art, gives"Lawrence of Arabia" its spectacular values... He unifies the sand and the sun to flame out the silver screen... Maurice Jarre's terrific music escorts the appearance and disappearance of the sun below the horizon in the sleepy desert...

"Lawrence of Arabia" is a prodigious labor, a masterful mixture of fact and artistry, a masterpiece of intimate moment and spectacular largesse, a film that literally excites the senses... In a visual sense, Lean combines a sure sense of place with an approach to the action that he borrows from an unlikely source--John Ford... Lean turns his vast desert canvas into another Monument Valley, and when his Bedouins ride across it, they are not far removed from Ford's cavalry... In many of the early scenes, the stately gait of the camel's walk gives the film a slower pace, and this is precisely what Lean is trying to achieve... Lean even manages to surpass Ford with his understanding of the relationship between his characters and the landscape; how the desert changes those who go into it...

The film is the story of a solitary adventurer who always knew he was different, but in Arabia he discovers that his proportions are heroic... Perhaps this is the secret of Lawrence of the legends -- that at the bottom of all the violent action is a protagonist about whom one cares... A puzzling personality whom one glimpses but never fully understands... Throuhout the picture one has a sense of a man discovering his own unique dimensions...

Lawrence's mission, largely his own creation, is to unite the feuding Bedouin tribes under the leadership of Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness), and to keep the British politicians, as personified by Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains), from putting the Arabs under their colonial thumb after World War I is over... It is accomplished through a semi-episodic series of battles and raids where Lawrence is sometimes accompanied by Ali (Omar Sharif) and Sheik Auda (Anthony Quinn), and equally difficult bureaucratic struggles he faces with Gen. Allenby (Jack Hawkins).

All the conventional elements of the genre are at peaks of excellence here: The stretch desert with its white golden sands; peril, anywhere and everywhere; danger-for Lawrence of Arabia is a film about guerrilla warfare; prowess-Lawrence crosses Sinai on foot; physical torture-Lawrence in the hands of the Turkish bey; impossible mission- Lawrence takes the seaport of Jordan from behind; ruthlessness-Lawrence shouting 'take no prisoners' leading his men to put to death a Turkish column...

Every component is here, everything one needs for a great adventure film, many spectacular sequences, each of them so perfect: Lean cuts to the sun again and again, turning it into a character; the scene in Feisal's tent when Lawrence first talks with the king; Lawrence striding on top of a captured train, parading before rows of cheering Arabs; the scene between Lawrence and Ferrer illuminating Lawrence's strange perversity, a mixture of masochism and repressed homosexuality; the scene when a Beduin prince appears on his camel, an exceedingly long take in which a strange figure is first resolved out of waves of heat and then, as he approaches, becomes a frightening threat to Lawrence's escort at the desert well...

The photography, the script and the acting are so superb that"Lawrence of Arabia" becomes a lavish epic winner of 7 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Directing, Color, Cinematography, Sound, Muscial Score and Film Editing...

What can you say?

Call me a heathen (or whatever), but I have never quite got Citizen Kane. Yes it 's a very good film, but is it really that good?

The Third Man is that good. Tight direction, an omnipotent Wells as Harry Lime, a haunted post-WWII city in ruins and the repetitive melody of the zither, all combine to create a superb masterpiece.

For me, the real star was Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Wells was of course enigmatic and Vienna was the perfect backdrop to a bankrupt Germanic landscape. Cotten as Holly Martins was a little pedestrian, yet his character was never meant to be a sophisticated moral crusader.

The film taps into the psychi of the lowest form of humanity, i.e. those that prey on the sick and inflicted.

Memorable, and yes a true classic.

Ruined, alas

Despite fine performances from an all-star cast, this film is spoiled by mawkish camerawork and a startlingly inappropriate score from the ever-disappointing Patrick Doyle. Almost unwatchable.

A Must See

A real classic from 1973 shows David Essex as a young Jimmy MacLaine and shows his life growing up. He leaves home and works on a pleasure beach then fair ground. This is a classic and has many starts which were not fully recognised back then, included are people like Karl Howman, Dave Edmunds, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Adam Faith, Peter Duncan, Larry Hagman and many more.
The first disk"That'll Be The Day" is the first part of the double feature where the second is Stardust which shows his life when he turns pop star.
If you haven't seen this then go out and buy or rent it, you wont regret it.

Bored out of my skull..sorry Gerry

I only sat through this because I'm a Gerry Butler fan, because I generally don't like musicals. I still don't like musicals. This was a very lush production visually. Emmy Rossum is a stellar singer and Minnie Driver offered some welcome comic relief with her over-the-top character, but Patrick Wilson was so bland he could not possibly offer any real competition against the Phantom for the affections of the heroine of the piece. Sigh. Gerry sings surprisingly well, but I found the raw, rough edge that they opted for in some of his songs not always successful. I always thought it was Carlotta whom the Phantom murdered not some backstage hand. Couldn't understand the decision to go that route because it makes the Phantom less sympathetic if he just seems to randomly murder someone rather than doing it of his obsessive love of whats-her-name. Oh well. Not my kind of film, but not their fault, they certainly tried hard enough.

the best of series 3

utopia.4/5.

this is a very good episode. the end of the universe theme was really good , captain jack seems better than in series 1. the ending was the best for a long time . the only bad thing in the episode was that the futurekind weren't used a lot. they were kind of subplot to the main story.

the sound of drums.5/5.

best episode on the disk. very exiting and fast paced, and we get to see a glimpse of gallifrey. john simm plays the master very well. good first part.

the last of the time lords.4.5/5.

brlliant episode. it is a doctor who apocalipse story. vey sad ending and martha leaves. very fitting ending to a brilliant series.

highly recomended,hope to see more of john simm as the master in the future or the past or present. doctor who can go anywhere.

Wow

I never watch Doctor Who, I always thought of it as dumb sci-fi, so I was surprised when I saw these three episodes on TV. If you've never watched Doctor Who before, buy this DVD first before any others (although there's some in-jokes there that you don't get if you're not a fan).

There are three episodes on here and the first up is Human Nature, where a school teacher dreams of havign adventures in space. Worst episode on the disc, but still very scary. Baines, the villain is a brilliant actor and those scarecrows are... scary.

THe second is the second part of Human Nature; Family of Blood. More Baines, more scarecrows, and some truly sad moments. Paul Cornell is a brilliant writer and all the actors are incredible.

The final episode is Blink, and if you go to any Doctor Who website, most people say this is the best Doctor Who episode. It doesn't have Doctor Who in it much, but the plot which starts very confusing makes brilliant sense in the end and the bad guys are very creepy.

The weird thing is, these are the first Doctor Who I watched and Doctor who was in all three episodes together for about five minutes. Still great though.

Definitive

Rutherford is the definitive Miss Marple, a part, as another reviewer states, she made her own. I was so pleased to see this boxed set for sale and was not disappointed: this set has something that others have never managed to achieve - a sense of time and place in which the character seems so real and ideally placed. When I watch these films I find myself back in another time when the act of murder most foul was just that, rather than commonplace, but more than this I feel the films in much the same way as when I first saw them as a youngster: they are classics of their kind and delightful to watch.