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The Magnificent Seven (Special Edition) [1960]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn
directed by: John Sturges

June 25, 2001
Whilst this probably isn't the best western ever made its certainly up there amongst the top flight. It was fortunately made a few years before 'A Fistful of Dollars', which changed westerns and what was expected from them.

Take the classic Kurosawa film 'Seven Samurai' (which is given its due in the opening credits) and reinvent it in the American west. Then add the staggeringly good cast of Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, James Coburn and Robert Vaughan and what you have is a near perfect piece of Cinema. Some of these guys (like McQueen) were not the bigshots they would later become, but they are incredibly cool. Just a look is enough for these actors. For example, James Coburn hardly says a word throughout ... Read More:

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Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [HD DVD] [2005]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Daniel Radcliffe
directed by: Mike Newell

November 20, 2006
The picture quality and sound is vastly improved over the standard definition version and at these plummeting prices, it's definitely worth owning. I've watched it several times now as I was blown away by the Hi Def picture.
Fingers crossed that Warner Brothers will back track and release all the future Harry Potter movies on HD DVD.

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Star Wars Episode VI:Return Of The Jedi (Limited Edition, Includes Theatrical Version) [1983]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Kenny Baker
directed by: Richard Marquand

September 11, 2006
Return of the Jedi was my favourite film as a kid growing up when there was only the original trilogy and with the Star Wars saga now complete it still remains my favourite. The first part of the movie is in my opinion some of the past Star Wars adventure out of all six films covering the famous rescue of Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt with still impressive action sequences such as the rancor and sail barge battles. The second half really delivers a satisfying conclusion to the story on all front with the classic intercutting of three distinct battles all being crucial to the resolution of the story. Stunning effects still in this day and age and a really emotional stoyline make for in my opinion the best conclusion the Star Wars saga could have hoped for.
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Hitman - Extreme Edition [2007]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen
directed by: Xavier Gens

March 31, 2008
Hitman belongs to the genre of Terminator; the killer who cannot be stopped and cannot be beaten. In this case our anti-hero is a variety of assassin janissary trained from birth and with more tricks than a wagon-load of monkeys. But when sent to clip the Russian President he finds himself in the cross-hairs from his own organisation, pursued by the FRS played by a graduate of the Dennis Hopper School of Being Coldly Evil. Not only are his own brethren after him as well as an entire state's secret police but (hooray) two British rozzers from Interpol; naturally, our boys in plain-clothes come the nearest to catching him. The plot has exactly the amount of slaughter you'd expect from a computer game. It also has some glaring holes (why does no-one spot lots of shave-heads ... Read More:

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - 2 Disc Special Edition [1966]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli
directed by: Sergio Leone

April 26, 2004
This film is getting on a bit, but Sergio Leone knew how to make us sit up and take notice, oh yes.

The double disc set is the one to go for as the Eastwood / Wallach chats to camera are fascinating as they look back. The commentary is superb too, adding enormously to the pleasure you get out of this (restored to original length) film.

It's now in 5.1 surround as well and the picture quality on an upscaling DVD player into a big 46" 1080p TV are astonishing.

tom.

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Batman Begins [Blu-ray] [2005]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman
directed by: Christopher Nolan

July 14, 2008
I watch this movie before I watched the original Batman (I know I'm a bit behind), and I actually enjoyed the move better. The story follows a similar path to the first Spiderman film in that it's takes you back to where it all began. It works well and Christian Bale is awesome.

As a Blu-ray, the experience only gets better...

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Wanted [Blu-ray] [2008]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman
directed by: Timur Bekmambetov

December 01, 2008
I watch this movie before I watched the original Batman (I know I'm a bit behind), and I actually enjoyed the move better. The story follows a similar path to the first Spiderman film in that it's takes you back to where it all began. It works well and Christian Bale is awesome.

As a Blu-ray, the experience only gets better...

Average Rating:

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National Treasure [2004]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight
directed by: Jon Turteltaub

April 25, 2005
Although I enjoyed the film on a very basic, escapist level, the cynical American nationalism on show was quite replellent. As the film bowls along we are given endless panoramic views of American landmarks, cities, and - what a shock - an aircraft carrier brimming over with fighter planes. The theme throughout appears to be "Gee, aint the good ole USA amazing!" with a flimsy adventure almost tacked on. Also, in the company of Harvey Keitel and Sean Bean (what were they thinking?) Nicolas Cage proves once again that he can't act; I suppose that's what nepotism is all about - if Uncle Francis Ford Coppola couldn't give his nephew a hand up, who could? He did it with his daughter in Godfather 3, after all. Oh, and the villains are the Brits as usual. Well, it's about the Declaration ... Read More:

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The Winds Of War - Special Collector's Edition [1983]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Robert Mitchum, Ali McGraw
directed by: Dan Curtis

September 08, 2008
Although I enjoyed the film on a very basic, escapist level, the cynical American nationalism on show was quite replellent. As the film bowls along we are given endless panoramic views of American landmarks, cities, and - what a shock - an aircraft carrier brimming over with fighter planes. The theme throughout appears to be "Gee, aint the good ole USA amazing!" with a flimsy adventure almost tacked on. Also, in the company of Harvey Keitel and Sean Bean (what were they thinking?) Nicolas Cage proves once again that he can't act; I suppose that's what nepotism is all about - if Uncle Francis Ford Coppola couldn't give his nephew a hand up, who could? He did it with his daughter in Godfather 3, after all. Oh, and the villains are the Brits as usual. Well, it's about the Declaration ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Gangs of New York [2003]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Action and Adventure
starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Roger Ashton-Griffiths
directed by: Martin Scorsese

June 30, 2003
My main reason for wanting to see this film was because, after seeing 'The Deaprted' some weeks back I have now become a huge fan of DiCaprio's acting and heard from fans that this was one of his best performances. I'm a self-confessed very poor historian, so I knew very little about the civil war raging through America in the time this film was set (1860s I believe) and it was only afterwards I discovered that New York had in fact been ruled by gangs during this time period, riddled with violence and bloodshed.

Whenever you watch a Martin Scorsese film, you know you are going to be in for a treat, especially if that film also boasts Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis cast in the two main roles, and this film is certainly no disappointment. The film is slow, and focuses more of the ... Read More: