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Gavin And Stacey : Complete BBC Series 1 [2007]

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

October 29, 2007
So here it is in a nutshell. I don't understand modern comedy. The Office. Little Britain. The Fast Show. Two Pints of Lager and a Whatever. I just don't get it. Any of it. They all leave me colder than Anne Widdecombes bloomers. Are they meant to be funny? Are they meant to make you cringe? Anyone?

So we come to Gavin and Stacey. The latest "comedy" to cause a stir. The series was recommended to me by someone who is usually reliable (my mum) and so I watched it with some anticipation.

I have now fallen out with my mum.

For those who haven't endured the show, the series features two families, one fom Barry in Wales, the other from Billericay in Essex, and the burgeoning relationship between two youngish ... Read More:

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I Am Legend [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson
directed by: Francis Lawrence

April 21, 2008
A scientist creates a cure for cancer which ends up causing a virus turning people into cannibalistic vampires. Those who were not infected were eaten, and those who were hide in the dark until the sun goes down. One man remains, and he and his dog stalk the city looking for uninfected survivors by day, while trying to attempt to cure the infected.

Will Smith holds up well on his own, but he really needs another character to play his lines off to really shine. Most of the movie is consisted of him alone, talking to himself, talking to store dummies, or talking to his dog.

The action is minimal and the feeling of tension is felt more by what you can't see in the daylight. it was still entertaining, but I felt it was ... Read More:

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The Golden Compass [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore
directed by: Chris Weitz

April 28, 2008
Forgive the hyperboly, but I feel it justified.

I adored the Northern Lights, and the whole trilogy. But this film has failed in every respect.

Mrs Coulter was wrong, Lord Asriel was wrong. The Premise was ridiculous - turning the Church into a Universe-conquering organisation headed by Christopher Lee makes the story stupid, and the whole point about why the Church is evil is missed. Which I guess is the point.

The film doesn't end properly, which means the film adaptation of the Subtle Knife is going to have to begin strangely.

Visually, stunning. Very nicely done. This is the first star. The second star is the soundtrack.

In all, the story adaptation and casting (mostly) is an insult to the ... Read More:

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Enchanted [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
starring: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Susan Sarandon
directed by: Kevin Lima

April 07, 2008
This has to be the worst Disney film I have ever seen..there is absolutely nothing to reccomend it..don't bother to even rent it.I cannot imagine the IQ of the people who produced and directed this lame atempt of a fairy tale...shades of 'Snow White', 'King Kong', and every other cliche in the book..If you wish a better attempt at magic, try 'Stardust', not 4 stars, but light years better than this fiasco.
DV

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St Trinian's [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Jodie Whittaker, Russell Brand
directed by: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson

April 14, 2008
This was not viewed on the big screen first. I watched it on DVD in the safety of my own loungeroom without the spotty teens that may have lingered into the theatre to view this....

Sadly, the extras features were more entertaining than the movie.

The movie was lame!

Lame with cheese on top.

Extra cheesey.

My gut feeling was that the music, which made the originals classics, was ignored in this version...no one had a little musical theme etc to listen to like the old ones...

You Brits can do better than this...Simon Peg would have given it some life...or someone similar...

St Trins meets Hot Fuzz, now that would be fun.

Tom in Oz.

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P.S. I Love You [2008]

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

May 12, 2008
PS I Love You is a great romantic movie with laughs and tears among the way. I have read the book and yes, there are some bits that arren't in the movie or don't follow in the book's writing. But it's a good effort with stunning peformances from the lovely Hillary Swank as Holly and Gerard Butler as Gerry. They had so much chemisty that it was boiling, they really did look like a couple in love. You will shed tears, I'm warning you now. But there are some laughs and bittersweet moments so you won't be crying too much. In all, the greatest rom-com in a long while.

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Prison Break - Season 3 - Complete [2007]

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

May 19, 2008
Firstly, I love the format of Prison break - the way you never know where its going to go and what can happen next. Thats the beauty of the whole show. The fact that the story takes you to a Panama Prison is awesome. The fact that this seaon is shorter is a bit of a pain, but they still managed to give a full rounded feel to the season, without feeling like anything had been missed. It makes me laugh that some mark it dowmn for that, as everybody in the world new about the wirters strike, and there was NOTHING the creators could do about that. They made the best of it and it worked. Some say its too much like the first season. Well if you watch a show called 'Prison Break' its pretty bloody obvious that it will revolve around a prison and an escape. If thats not ... Read More:

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Black Books Complete Box Set

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
by: Black Books

August 14, 2006
This is quite poor tv. The concept is good but the actual delivery is not.
I had never seen the programme before on tv, I live in Spain and depend on recommendations from others who live in the UK to tell me what is good: This time it was a recommendation from Amazon itself - thanks Amazon!! Actually I view this programme as I would the 'embarassing friend' in a pub, ie -'Please stop'!!!! As another reviewer has said there are a few good jokes and sketches, but that is about it!!!!!

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Ashes to Ashes: Complete BBC Series 1 [2008]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
starring: Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster, Montserrat Lombard

May 05, 2008
One can say almost without a doubt that yes, Life on Mars was a better show.
But Ashes to Ashes is entertainment at quite a high. The premise isn't exactly fresh anymore, but they don't treat it like it should be in the show either. You have a main character who knows the premise themselves, which gives it a different air entirely.
Keeley Hawes takes a few episodes to get used to this, but she does even out after the first couple. And her chemistry on screen with Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt is fantastic, every bit as good as John Simm, although for entirely different reasons.
We all know how Life on Mars ended, so there seemed to be no surprise waiting for us at the end of this show. We still watched though because it was a welcome break from other shows ... Read More:

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The Lives Of Others [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > DVD
starring: Martina Gedeck, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Hans Bauer, Ulrich Muehe
directed by: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck

September 17, 2007
I usually enjoy foreign and independent films but found this way too slow. It was a nice idea but unfortunately not enough to base a 2 hour film on.