See I do like these types of movies

Having given one star for"Gone With the Wind" and three starts for"Breakfast at Tiffany's" friends were acusing me of not liking"girl flicks". Whatever that means.

Well I enjoyed"The Sound of Music" enormously. So there. I admit I hadn't seen it for years and it has sat for some time on the shelf before I watched it but I have to say I thought it had stood the test of time really well.Julie Andrews' voice was so effortless and perfect and the sheer magnificence of Salzburg was such a great background to the story. (Unfortunately, my holiday tape of Salzburg was taped over by my daughter when she was two - I ended up with the Smurfs - perhaps an excuse to go back).

And the special features, especially the real life story of the Familie von Trapp, were of real interest. A great film and a great edition.

Too pleasant

After the success of Branagh's stage version of this play, I was very disappointed with this film and suspect he was pressurised by those putting up the money to make it seems a wonderfully romantic experience from start to finish. Personally I felt that, for the first five minutes, I was bathing in warm honey and then that the enamel was being slowly scraped off all my teeth. Shakespeare's comedies always have a darker side and, unless that is addressed, the play becomes bland. It didn't help that so much of the filming took place in unremittingly gorgeous sunshine. As Peter Quince observes about production in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream',"There are two hard things in this play." Here the first hard thing is to to make Claudio, who has behaved apallingly to Hero, appear likeable when the stain is finally removed from her character; it is not enough to cast a handsome bloke, we must really believe that Claudio's repentance is deep and sincere; that what he has learned about himself means that he will never behave in so shallow and insensitive a way again. The second problem is to make Dogberry and the other members of the Watch appear funny. Branagh seemed to have no idea how to do this and the result was this group cavorted about as if they were young teenagers in the end of term romp. Embarrassing.

Scarecrows and statues

Sometimes you watch something which seems to raise the bar another level and demonstrates what can be possible with a fantastic production team, and more importantly - some creativity.

These 3 episodes are probably my favourite three of the 'third' series and some of my favourites ever.


**HUMAN NATURE / FAMILY OF BLOOD**

This caused a bit of controversy when details of the schedule were released. This was originally a book featuring Sylvester McCoy by Paul Cornell. Cornell adapted the book for this two-parter and a small amount of online grumblers demanded a boycott of the episode for re-using an already established book.

As it happens, the two-parter was the strongest story of the series so far...

We see the backstory explained as a series of flashbacks; the Doctor is being chased and needs to take drastic action. He uses TARDIS technology to become human. The TARDIS sets him up with a history, an identity, and plonks him on Earth towards the beginning of the 20th Century. He is a school master and Martha has to make do with being a servant at the school (the TARDIS can only do the whole Identity and history thing for one person, and she is a black woman in a racist society).

I don't want to discuss the plot too much as I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone. But Jessica Stevenson plays the love interest of John Smith (The Doctor's human alter-ego) with a beautiful understated charm. The episode deals with racism in a realistic way for the age and although her character has disparaging views on ethnic people, you can see her views in the zeitgeist of the setting and the character comes across as warm.
no fancy CGI here - just simple, great monsters. The eerie way the scarecrows move and twist their heads to 'look' at the camera makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. We finally get to have a great cliff-hanger, and the second part continues the story without waning.

This is an interesting episode for fans as we ge to see previous incarnation of The Doctor, including Paul McGann's Doctor. This is done via doodles John Smith makes after Timelord memories start to come to him in dreams.

When you see little moments of The Doctor breaking through, you get twinges excitement. But you also warm to John Smith so much so that some of the scenes are heartbreaking. You get two David Tenants for the price of one in this two-parter. Any doubts about his acting will be blown away when you see him in Family of Blood.

**BLINK**

From the pen of my favourite contemporary Doctor Who writer - Steven Moffat.

After 'Love and Monsters' from 2006, fans were a bit aprehensive about another episode featuring the doctor with only minor screentime."Love and Monsters" was slammed by critics, but 'Blink' was a different story.

It ended up being the episode everyone was talking about at work. My wife turned it off and watched it the following day when it was light as she was so scared! The BBC issued notices on the website that parent should watch this first before letting their children view it.

This is one of those filler episodes to bridge the gap whilst the main cast are busy filming scenes for other episodes. But with Steven Moffat's previous work on Doctor who including the"are you my mummy?" belter 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' and the tear inducing 'Girl in the Fireplace' this was always going to be good. There are a few plot-holes, but you can forgive it that for being practically perfect in every other way.

The simplest monsters ever in a Doctor Who episode made this a memorable viewing experience. Simple yet very effective. Statues - genius! Even at the end of the episode, there is a montage of statues shown simply to add to the fear factor, they're everywhere!

The main Character is Sally Sparrow, played by Carey Mulligan and is an actress I'd certainly like to see more of (steady on lads). I hope that one day we see Sally Sparrow back in a Doctor Who episode, as a companion would be great! Her performance was heart-warming and convincing, as were the ones by the rest of the cast.

I don't want to talk about the story too much as I don't want to give any spoilers away. All I'll say is that next time you buy a new DVD, you'll be actively searching for the Easter Eggs!


**In a nutshell**

This is an absolute stonking set of Episodes to have on a DVD. It's a fantastic coincidence that these three episodes managed to be aired in this order so that you can get them all on one DVD. Another reviewer has said that if you only buy one Doctor Who DVD, this should be the one. I agree, this is creative fiction at its absolute best.

Tom & Jerry, not exclusivly Hanna & Barbera"stuff"

In the period between 1941 and 1955 there where at least 2 separate teams at MGM under Quimbys supervision, namely Hanna & Barbera and Tex Avery. It was a steady flow of ideas and cartoonist excahange between the 2 teams. It’s quite obvious that Tex Avery had a strong influence on the early Hanna Barbera’s use of typical wild Tex Avery gags, giving the early Tom& Jerry a certain Daffy & Elmer or Bugs & Daffy"feel" to them.
As can be seen in the later Hanna Barbera movies, they left this crazy influence and became more apropriate and Disney-family-like in story and style.
What a loss to us all !

Classic Disney Animation

101 Dalmatians is one of the best Disney animated films ever made. The classic story of Pongo and Perdita, the two dalmatians who somehow manage to have ninety-nine puppies is well known around the world. As is the film's evil villain, Cruella De Vil.

In the film, she decides that she wants to use the precious puppies to make an exquisite fur coat. However, when Roger and Anita - Pongo and Perdita's owners - refuse to give them up, she chooses to steal them instead. The adventure which ensues will captivate the whole family and unite those young and old in appreciation for this often unmentioned classic.

An animated masterpiece that will enchant, thrill and uplift the whole family!

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.

I Loved It - Yeah Yeah Yeah !

I saw the trailer at the Cinema, but the film was never shown. I loved the Beatles Music , but the film was obviously a labour of love, and even gave me more insight into the reasons for some of the Beatles Songs ( But not all of them )
My wife hated Sgt Pepper but was impressed with this fim.
I am so pleased that other reviews also give this the respect it deserves. What a pity it didn't get more from the Cinema awards .

JIM DEVLIN.

No me gusta...

To be fair I don't generally like musicals. I got this because I love Audrey Hepburn, and found myself diappointed. The songs were all right, but unnecessary. Though Hepburn was charming as usual, the rest of the movie fell short. It was misogynistic, classist, too long, and lacking romance or any sort of human connection. I'm not sure how it stood the test of time.

Amazing

I didnt know what to expect from this dvd, as unfortunatley i have never seen the stage show, ive listened to the cd and it blew me away, so i ordered this dvd, all i can say is FANTASTIC its magical with stunning performances from all the cast and singers and the fab backing from the royal philharmonic-i would reccommend it to all LES MIS fans. It is truly awesome!!!!!

Luverley with the Hepburn vocals

Like other people, I saw this film on broadcast tv with a not so brilliant copy, and on VHS. Although this has been 'restored', I feel the people involved nodded off during the process. There are literally hundreds of damaged frames left in, some very bad. There's nothing left in that could not have been repaired. Having said that, the film is as enjoyable as ever, and if you don't like musicals, (I do not) zap the songs. The film works as well without them, but listening to Audrey Hepburns' own vocals reveals to me that they should NOT have dubbed the film. As a musician I can hear that the vocal isn't perfect, but she's a poor flower girl. In Hollywood today, it probably would not happen, but in the 1960's that is what happened to many actors. Hepburns' accent isn't half bad, let us not forget she was not an American doing a Dick Van Dyke! Almost all of the actors give great performances, spot the one dodgy accent if you can.(It's none of the main players)

WHY DO FANS WRITE SUCH LONG WINDED REVIEWS

If your not a fan you won't enjoy this,if you are it 's hit and miss at best.Get it for christmas off your mum.
I do think some fans have too much time on their hands going by the length and amount of reviews on dr who .
GOODBYE.

A Masterpiece of the Western Genre.

While I must confess that my favourite Leone film is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in many ways, Once Upon A Time in the West is his masterpiece. Not only does it feature classic Leone figures, the silent gunman (Charles Bronson), the cruel hitman (A suprising turn from Henry Fonda) and the charasmatic rouge (Jason Robard), it is the only Leone film and one of the few westerns to have its central figure be a woman. It also pays homage to many great westerns, in particular High Noon with the films brilliant opening, and is also intellegent, many critics interpreting it as a parable on capitalism. As well as brains, it has muscles though, with terrific set pieces and landscapes, exciting action and, as ever with Leone's films, enough suspense to make you heart skip a beat. The music is also great, and it, like Leone's previous films, makes the audience laugh.

a loser with much money

It's said this is the best film ever made. I don't discuss his objective quality, but life of Charles Foster Kane never interested me although yes, this a good movie, and one can understand that one can know all things and facts about a person without knowing absolutely nothing about who was that person.
The origins of such a personage seems real. Kane is based in a real figure of a big millionaire and owner of several newspapers in the USA at the turn of XIX- XX centuries. It's mentioned the war of the USA with Spain for the colonies of Cuba and Philippines, and in the movie, Kane has"to put the war".
And well, this is the case that behind this powerful man, a big disgrace exists, that justify, in a psychoanalitic way, his life, his successes and must of all, his enormous downfall. Of course you can believe in psychoanalisis or not. It seems Orson Welles was a true believer in this technique.
Kane starts well his business, as he has been educated in the best colleges of the world, Switerland, USA... but his soul is broken from almost the beginning of his life, as he's more or less betrayed by his fathers, and losses the only thing he really loves: Rosebud, a small sledge for snow.
So is as Orson Welles presents to us the motor of Kane to become so wealthy. His adult life is a prosecution to recover Rosebud, and he dies pronouncing that enigmatic word.
Life of Kane, however, apparently is brilliant, but effectively he has inside some sense of autodestruction, and he fails in his marriages and from there, in his political aspirations, a power that he's unable to reach. His late marriage with a vulgar singer he wants to force to become a star of the opera, is the beginning of his decline and final death in Xanadu, his palace, surrounded by a enormous amount of expensive pieces of art. Well, fathers use frequently the phrase:"We think the best for my sons". The problem is the sons frequently doesn't want the best. They only want that they want, as simple as that. Rest in peace citizen Kane with Rosebud. Actors and photography are excellent.

Wonderful buy

Since I bought the DVD, I've watched the scenes with Gerard Butler more than 100 times. I would say it was the best money I spent for a DVD. Do not listen to the silly critics. I found his acting absolutely superb and I believe this to be case with most open minded people who do not have their fixed idea of what Phantom of Opera should be like. His voice was fascinating. Otherwise, I would not have bought CDs to listen to his songs on the way to work and on the way back home. After 5 months, I still love his songs. And I know many who adore his singing voice.

Some criticised him that his acting was overdone when Christine took his mask off in his lair. Noncense. The phantom was supposed to have quite a temper. And you would act exactly the same if you had been beaten everytime your face was shown. His acting makes the Phantom perfect and real.

Steelbook Edition

Just to let everyone know that this edition is indeed the 4 Disc Steelbook Edition and that it is at a bargin price. You will not find this cheaper anywhere else.......

Extremely well made considering a low budget

This musical is fanstasticand all of the songs are awesome!!!

I totally agree with the other reviewer about the most of the money being spent on the stars; but considering that the set looks fanstastic and everyone in it can really sing, even Richard Attenborough!!!

They have moderised the musical for the 21st century very well and most people seem to always go for the original ones, but Donny Osmand is the best one by far.

This is one of my favourite musicals and a must buy.

Waste of money

I've seen some bad films in my time, even some very bad films, but 99% of the time I see them through to the end, you might as well if you've got halfway. I even watched both series of `Rome'. Really.

This was one of the very rare times where I just got so bored, and so annoyed at the appalling acting, and total lack of even an attempt to curb strong British accents in supposedly Russian characters, that I turned it off after about 40 minutes and did something else. I knew Jude Law was a bad actor, but he excels himself here, as does Rachel whatshername, they had the chemistry of puddle of tomato soup, and constantly sounded like they were at a English garden party.

I normally like Bob Hoskins, but he was woefully miscast here, he belongs in London based gangster roles that he fits perfectly, not as a Russian general with a cockney accent. I think casting people just put anyone famous they can find in lead roles so they can put their names on posters, not caring whether they will actually work or not.


The opening sequence was not bad, but lacked the intensity of the Saving Private Ryan beach landings, and the action from then on was just dull. I couldnt have cared less who sniped who. Cant comment on the rest of the film as I turned it off like I said. Its going straight on Ebay tonight. Im ashamed to say I bought this at the same time as Das Boot, which is a masterpiece of a war film; didnt deserve to be put in the same envelope as this tripe.

hehehe

ok well i am a suprisingly big fan of doctor who and own all but 2 of the dvds of the doctors comeback, 1 of the 2 is this christmas special.The main reason is the price .I do not really enjoy Dr who confedentail so for me i would be paying the same amount of money for ONE episode that i would normaly spend on 3.
The episode itself was good apart from the giant spider ,though i did like it being there because it made me laugh when it flew its arms everywhere as though it was swatting an unwanted fly ,no this hilariose spider was looking forward to a much bigger dinner.

Almost Perfect

If you could another leading lady into this film, it would be just about perfect; Bob Fosse not only handles the musical sequences in this film deftly, but he creates the chaotic whirl of a disintegrating Weimar Germany quietly and sharply. And most of the actors more than distinguish themselves; Michael York as the Oxford graduate out to see a bit of life and getting more than he bargained for; Joel Gray as the death's-head Emcee of the Kit-Kat Klub, the voice of a cynical, corrupt society that ultimately, in the wake of the Nazi triumph, will seem like a lost paradise of sorts; Fritz Wepper as the dapper gigolo with a heart, and Marisa Berenson as the elegant Jewish heiress to whom he loses that heart.

And then there's Liza Minnelli--strictly as a musical performer, she's quite good in the lighter numbers, particularly"Money, Money" with Gray--but the title song and the ballad"Maybe This Time" bring out her soggiest please-love-me mannerisms. And in the dramatic sequences, sharply written by Jay Presson Allen and an uncredited Hugh Wheeler, she is too cute, too shrill, and finally too nice to be playing the casually-awful Sally Bowles. When she drops York at the end of the film, almost as casually as she picked him up at the beginning, it doesn't ring true.

Ultimately, this film is a bit sad, because it suggests that Fosse's talents went far beyond simple razzle-dazzle. He had it in him to be a serious filmmaker on a range of subjects, and he never quite moved beyond his show-biz turf to explore those talents. Which is a pity, especially when you consider that smaller talents such as Coppola and Scorcese were allowed to become the New Face of American Cinema . . .

You have got to own this DVD!

First on this disc, the not-so-good"Fear Her", with quite a boring storyline and a cheap monster, a drawing on the wall. But as for the series finale"Army Of Ghosts"+"Doomsday" they are FANTASTIC! The Cybermen AND the Daleks in one episode, FIGHTING EACH OTHER! WOW! And Rose and the Doctor get seperated, sad, bless, boo-hoo! A brilliant selection of episodes!