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Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2 Disc) [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
Benjamin Barker, Sweeney Todd (Depp) returns to London to get revenge on Judge Turpin (Rickman) who sent him to prison and stole his wife.

Tim Burton brings his dark imagination to vivid life once again in this deeply disturbing and brutal musical horror, and is his darkest film to date.

With an opening shot of raw red blood dropping through machines during the credits, the tone for the film is set and Burton instantly dives deep into the darkness of London, with stunning imagery for the City, and a particularly excellent shot of the London Bridge, helps achieve the ultimate chill factor as Sweeney Todd enters.

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) shows once again why he's the hottest actor around by ... Read More:

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Romeo And Juliet [1996]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite
directed by: Baz Luhrmann

March 04, 2002
I usually enjoy Shakespeare "done modern" but this was awful! It was Shakespeare meets Westside story, Moulin Rouge and greasy was the word that came to mind. The film kept to the traditional language of Shakespeare but it does not suit American accents. The words grated, uttered thoughtlessly for the most part from the mouths of Hawaiian shirted American gang youth. Even Peter Postlethwaite seemed preoccupied with maintaining his American accent over what he was saying.
Dicaprio and Clare Danes however do make a charming couple and you cannot help wishing that their love would survive the maelstrom of brutish hate that the two families have for each other. The film gets its reputation for being "good" from this simple alchemy and possibly ... Read More:

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If.... [1968]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan, Rupert Webster
directed by: Lindsay Anderson

July 23, 2007
If you are British you must see this film. If you are young you must see this film. If you once were young you must see this film again. Unlike the rest of us Travis never got old, never lost his certainty, never compromised. Lyndsay Anderson, thank you for this film. I saw it first when I was 17. I can find no flaw at the age of 50. It is deeply observant, fiercely subversive and as relevant now in 2008 as it was in 68. Look at it and see 2 decades of movie moments that this film inspired. Seminal is the critical description and it is true. See with Kes and it's like an ultrasound photo of modern Britain. An important film from when they made important films.

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Doctor Who: The War Machines [1966]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: William Hartnell, Jackie Lane, Anneke Wills, Michael Craze
directed by: Michael Ferguson

August 25, 2008
Generally this adventure has much to recommend it and does, indeed provide an interesting record of the time in which it was made. I came away glad to have watched it but not clear I would watch it again any time soon. Many things grated with me, in no particular order:

* WOTAN uses the name Doctor Who explicitly several times which I found grating

* The change of companions is abrupt and the story ends just as the new companions enter the TARDIS meaning you miss the trademark 'bigger on the inside' line

* The TARDIS prop is looking very tatty (though the last time I saw the Tennant TARDIS it had a hole in!)

* The last episode has a huge battle scene with War Machines vs. soldiers which is much too ... Read More:

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Cool Hand Luke [1967]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Paul Newman, Joe Don Baker, Clifton James, Lou Antonio, Morgan Woodward
directed by: Stuart Rosenberg

February 01, 2006
Paul Newman stars as Luke along with a marvellous cast in a prison gang film set in the deep south. Luke is a former war hero who when very drunk one night starts damaging parking meters (the very beginning of the film) and ends up serving time. Although apparently a very laid back character, the death of his mother changes Luke's attitude and the film hinges on this critical moment.

I've always enjoyed the film in the past on TV, but was too young to have seen it at the cinema first time round. So to see it now on DVD, in widescreen, on a large TV only emphasised just how good it really is. There are many classic scenes, the most famous of which is the car wash (for the men anyway), and the attempt to eat 50 boiled eggs. Quite a few others will leave an impression ... Read More:

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Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set [1962]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Peter O'Toole, Claude Rains, Norman Rossington, Donald Wolfit, Fernando Sancho
directed by: David Lean

April 09, 2001
When Omar Shariff enters as a speck on the horizon it takes him five minutes to reach the foreground. Letting a match burn down to his fingers, Peter o'Toole explains, "the secret is not to mind it hurting."
Every frame of this movie, the greatest ever, stays in your mind's eye.


What can I say about this 7 Oscar winner of 1962 that the other reviewers haven't said already? This is a wonderful film and a great epic that was directed by David Lean (Ryan's Daughter, Brief Encounter), he is probably one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and most of his films have some of the best cinematography you have ever seen taking advantage of the landscape. In Lawrence of Arabia there is a breathtaking shots of the desert; the musical score is also amazing by Maurice ... Read More:

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Twelve Angry Men [1957]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman
directed by: Sidney Lumet

March 19, 2001
This R2 edition isn't terrible by any means, but the R1 "50th Anniversary Edition" is much better: better picture, better contrast and anamorphic, too. This film famously takes place in one room, and you'll be looking at just twelve faces and four walls for an hour and a half, so treat yourself to the better DVD - you'll be watching it again and again anyway!

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Casablanca [1942]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt
directed by: Michael Curtiz

June 01, 2006
This used to be my favourite. I went to see it at a cinema in the 70s, when it was distinctly arthouse. Times change, though. Now the racism grates too much. When it was made I'm sure it was meant to be radical. Rick saying he does not sell human beings when offered a price for Sam might have been cutting edge in '42. Not now.

It does not matter how captivating Ms Bergman is, I cannot see past her using that American racist insult, 'boy'.

Sam, of course, does not even have two dimensions to his character.

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Citizen Kane [1942]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris
directed by: Orson Welles

January 05, 2004
A couple of the negative reviews on this page are actually referring to a very poor earlier DVD; yet Amazon (in their wisdom) have posted them on this page! Finding the best DVD (or the best copy for the money) is tricky enough without mixing the reviews up. It looks like they've posted the wrong product details as well. For the record, I'm talking about the NTSC R1 two-disc with a gold band at the top. The picture is a great improvement on earlier editions (at least one of which had sync problems, too). There's a lot more detail visible and with a film shot in gorgeous, deep-focus B&W that makes a big difference!

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To Kill A Mockingbird (2 Disc Special Edition)

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Drama
starring: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy, Ruth White (II)
directed by: Robert Mulligan

November 28, 2005
Is this dvd edition anamorphic or not? I would like to know that before buying.