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No Country For Old Men [2008]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly MacDonald, Stephen Root
directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

June 02, 2008
This film is tricky to review. For anyone else this would be a 4 star review, but this is the Coen's and somehow you just expect more. The acting is uniformly good (Bardem, Brolin and Jones getting most of the plaudits, but I felt Kelly MacDonald was the stand-out as the innocent dragged into the mess) and the premise and opening are fantastic, but...
As I said, normally I love the Coen's films and this doesn't find it's subject matter too far from their usual fare. The problem I think is two-fold. Firstly it is adapted from a crime-thriller book and for some reason this doesn't leave the Coen brothers enough scope to add their slightly bizarre and off-key humour that made films like Fargo and The Big Lebowski so iconic. Add to this the ... Read More:

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Atonement [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Vanessa Redgrave
directed by: Joe Wright

February 04, 2008
Seriously not a film I would recommend. I spent half of it wondering when it was going to get going if you know what a mean, and the other half wishing it hadnt.

My fourteen year old daughter had pestered me to watch it I warned her truly I did but she insisted, she felt like me it was such a let down.

The acting was weak the film was poor dont punish yourself by watching it go for a run instead.

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Gavin And Stacey : Complete BBC Series 1 [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Ruth Jones, James Corden, Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Rob Brydon

October 29, 2007
I have recently discovered modern British comedy, and I am a HUGE fan of comedies like Shameless, Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy's road to nowhere, Extras and The office. This comedy was recommended to me based on my opinion on Shameless, which I think is the best TV-show ever. However, "Gavin and Stacey" doesn't even get close to any of the shows mentioned. To me, it seems "stiff", very "acted" and WAAY to sweet. The character Nessa is a bit funny, and rescues it from being a complete disaster, but in general I find the rest of the cast quite boring or even repulsive. (Couldn't stand the smiley doll Stacey.)I was very disappointed.

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P.S. I Love You [2008]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Jeffery Dean Morgan
directed by: Richard LaGravenese

May 12, 2008
I have wanted to watch this movie ever since it came out, and especially after I read the book. Although it is quite different from the book, which I love also, I thought the film was absolutely wonderful. I don't agree with anyone who says don't watch it because it is nothing like the book. a book i s a book and a film is a film. The book is brilliant, but the film is also brilliant in its own way.

I don't know how many times I started to cry in this film, I lost count. The acting is outstanding and the way the film is put together is really good too. you still get the escence of the book. Yes, there are some characters taken out, a different setting and it goes a different way sometimes, but it isn't the book as a film, it is a film based ... Read More:

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Juno [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner
directed by: Jason Reitman

June 09, 2008
Ellen Page (Hard candy) stars as Juno, a teenager who falls pregnant and doesn't want the baby for herself.

In all its hype and being a huge fan of the drama genre and J.K Simmons (Spiderman) I was really looking forward to this. I had a reasonable day at work and sat down ready to be enticed into the trauma of a young girl with a load on her shoulders, but in a way, this Oscar nominated picture kind of strayed from her emotions in the first hour, which I felt was a big mistake. A 16 year old who is carrying a baby that belongs to the love of her life who has suddenly gone cold on her, and she isn't bothered by this massive burden ahead of her? Ok a rough past may have made her grow up, but still some emotion at the beginning would have given the ... Read More:

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Sex and the City: The Movie

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth
directed by: Michael Patrick King

September 22, 2008
I went to see this film with a friend and that is how it is supposed to be viewed, now thats over with I want to say i loved this film as a young man i still managed to connect with many of the characters and even shed a slight tear when the wedding didn't go as planned it was funny and moving and a lot like the series which was a big bonus. Its completely overdone and emotional and heartwarming its a real feel good movie and one worth buying merely for those down moments. It is exactly what the cinema going audience needed a big hug in film form and is up there with Wall-E (one of the best films i think iv ever seen) for best film of the year so far.

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The Kite Runner [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub
directed by: Marc Forster

June 02, 2008
A complete must see - the most compelling and thought provoking film I have seen in a long time. It really does open your eyes to the realities of todays world. Brilliant! One for the library.

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The Other Boleyn Girl [2008]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Natalie Portman, Ana Torrent, David Morrissey, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana
directed by: Justin Chadwick

June 30, 2008
Having read the book, I knew the historical accuracy would be shaky as it was based on what is now largely discredited research. When it comes to the film, it's virtually non-existent. Yes, Anne fell in love with Henry Percy (although she didn't marry him), yes Anne was renowned for her wit - the scene where she has a crowd of people laughing around her is probably not far off - and yes, Henry overturned the Catholic church, became head of the Church of England and executed a number of people who didn't support the changes because she wouldn't sleep with him. And errm, oh yes, she did wear a gable hood, ermine and a grey damask dress for her execution.

Visually, the film is fantastic. A few historical inaccuracies in the costumes but the deliniation of class through dress ... Read More:

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Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
directed by: Tim Burton

May 19, 2008
It should have been good but it was dull and boring. I'm glad I did not buy this.

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Prison Break - Season 3 - Complete [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, William Fichtner, Amaury Nolasco, Wade Williams
directed by: Kevin Hooks, Greg Yaitanes, Michael Switzer

May 19, 2008
The story hasn't finished yet so until we see season 4 you can't really comment on the story too much. What we've seen so far has some similarities with season 1 but not so much that it ruins it at all. It's still interesting and you always want to know what happens next. The characters are all great and every little thing ties in well (although not quite as much as season one). Still brilliant tv though! Things happen much faster than in the likes of Lost.

Best if watched in the space of a few days!