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Doctor Who - The Time Meddler [1965]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: William Hartnell, Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves
directed by: Douglas Camfield

February 04, 2008
Season Two.
Another amusing gem from the prolific Dennis Spooner. This is regarded as the first of the Pseudo-Historicals, and is one of my favourite season two stories.
I can never feel anything but sorrow for the Monk at the end of this story as he's left stranded. I know he was a rogue, as witnessed by his Tardis full of stolen art treasures, but he did help the ancient Britons build Stonehenge with the aid of his anti-gravitational lift, after all.
"Carry on" film star Peter Butterworth plays the part of the monk with amusing relish. I would have loved to have seen him as a regular recurring.....I hesitate to use the word villain, so I'll say character instead.
And by being "shades of grey" in temperament, as ... Read More:

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For A Few Dollars More (Special Edition) [1965]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonte, Mara Krup, Luigi Pistilli
directed by: Sergio Leone

April 18, 2005
For a few dollars more is a great western and is far superior to a fist full of dollars. This film has great pacing and a fantastic score by ennio morricone a great run up to the good the bad and the ugly.

I reccomend this for people who haven't seen a good western before and even those who have.

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Doctor Who - Black Orchid [1981] [1982]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, Michael Cochrane
directed by: Ron Jones

April 14, 2008
I really like this story. As other reviewers have stated it's an Agatha Christie style mystery with the Doctor thrown in for good measure. I do feel that part 1 drags in places - how many shots of Adric stuffing his face or Tegan trying to dance do we really need. Luckerly things really do spped up in part 2. In fact they could have made it a 3 part story for better pacing.

As per usual Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Mathew Waterhouse and Janet Fielding provide a very entertaining commentry track. You can tell they do not like this story very much. It's nice to hear actors enjoying themselves rather than woodenly chatting about how great this scene or that actor was.

The extras are up to the high standard we have come to expect ... Read More:

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Blow Up [1966]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Vanessa Redgrave, David Hemmings, Sarah Miles, The Yardbirds
directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni

July 04, 2005
A strange film by Michelangelo Antonioni. It is a whole period of our life that is coming back. 1966. They dressed bizarre in those days. They behave slightly crazy too. The world was entering the new phase or virtuality. The cold war was a virtual war secreting a virtual peace. The long dreamed for well-off comfort was coming up for the few, the happy few who could follow a track that took them away from the factories. Cars were introducing virtual independence. The new generation of records and turntables and record players was bringing some quite acceptable sound home: virtual music. And real music was not better with all the amplifiers and the loudspeakers: virtual music again. Even life itself was becoming virtual due to the new cameras and the new photography, ... Read More:

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Jour De Fete [1949]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble, Paul Frankeur
directed by: Jacques Tati

November 29, 2004
Tati's first feature film (he has made some shorts before) from 1949 is about an inept bicycle riding postman (Tati himself, of course) trying to adopt more efficient ways of delivering mail in a quaint French rural village, after watching a documentary of the American postal system. One must say first that the gags here are not as good or as funny as in Tati's later films (especially Mr. Hulot's Holiday and Mon Oncle). Still, this is worth seeing, especially in its color version (Tati was disappointed with its primitive color system, so he finally decided to release the film on black and white; the color version of the film was restored and released to the public many years later, after Tati's death). What is more striking of the movie when one sees it now is to look, even in a color ... Read More:

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Quatermass And The Pit [1967]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover
directed by: Roy Ward Baker

November 13, 2006
Having been scared half to death by this in the 70s when it was on late on New Years Eve (and scared completely some time later by the Stone Tapes) this is something that really pre-dates a lot of the later Dr Who (e.g. Pertwee's the Daemons, Troughton's London underground).

A most for any fan of British classic sci-fi

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The Cruel Sea [1953]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Jack Hawkins, Stanley Baker, Denholm Elliott, Moira Lister, Virginia McKenna
directed by: Charles Frend

January 08, 2007
The unrelenting echo of the sonar punctuates this understated J. Arthur Rank film with a taut atmosphere of suspense. Novelist Eric Ambler's intelligent script remains faithful to Nicholas Monserrat's novel about the last voyage of HMS Compass Rose and all who sailed on her. The splendid performances of Jack Hawkins as her captain and Donald Sinden as his #1 bring the novel to life, as do the performances of the entire ensemble cast, which includes Denholm Elliott. One of the best aspects of the Rank organization films of this era is the devotion that went into the delineation of even the minor characters.

Some viewers may shun this picture because it was filmed in black and white. This is a shame, because "The Cruel Sea" is so absorbing that such details as lack of color become totally ... Read More:

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The Devil Rides Out [1968]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Gwen Ffrangcon Davies, Paul Eddington, Sarah Lawson
directed by: Terence Fisher

October 23, 2006
Of all the fine movies made by Hammer Films between 1955 and 1975, this one remains to this day, the most popular with the fans, and the best production ever by the Hammer team with the classic Dracula standing alongside.

The difficult subject of Black Magic was a thorny one for the production team and the censors at the time it was made. But the strong values, great script, and wonderful cast made it the classic it is to this day.

The story based on Dennis Wheatley's classic novel has been pared down to a simple storyline involving a group of five friends, Duc de Richleau (Christopher Lee) Simon (Patrick Mower), Rex Van Ryn (Leon Greene), Marie (Sarah Lawson) and Richard (Paul Eddington) who become involved when one of them becomes ensnared into a Black Magic Cult led by the evil Mocata (Charles ... Read More:

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Doctor Who - Genesis of the Daleks (2 Disc Set) [1975] [1963]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Ian Marter

April 10, 2006
Genesis is of course the story of how the Daleks were created. It shouldn't disappoint because although there are some silly ideas in it e.g., at war for 1,000 years the Thals have only just thought of launching a big missile at the Kaleds, it has been made with such energy and panache that you can't help but be entertained.
Naturally there is a bit of padding at 6 episodes long, but you will rarely find it dragging.
Uncle Tom is in commanding form, being ready to switch off Davros' life support (and Tom plays it like he means it) 1 minute, & debating philosophically the next. He tries to divert Davros from his destructive course but his voice tells us he doesn't think it's going to work. there is some lovely underplayed emotion as he believes his companions dead.
Lis Sladen and Ian marter are a great team ... Read More:

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Glory [1990]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Jihmi Kennedy
directed by: Edward Zwick

June 19, 2000
A rousing story about a black platoon facing prejudice and annilation during the American civil war. Matthew Broderick's finest performance as the leader of the first all black regiment fighting the confederates and racism from their own Union army. Supported by the fine Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. The plight of these brave men will emotionally move you, possibly to tears, although mine was more of a controlled welling, though my lower lip did quiver when the credits rolled.