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Grease [1978]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl
directed by: Randal Kleiser

September 23, 2002
I can't believe you haven't seen Grease!! A classic you can watch time after time and enjoy it every time. A fresh faced duo of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John will have your feet tapping throughout.

In a violent, bloodthirsty world this is escapism for all. Enjoy

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Romeo And Juliet [1996]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
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 > Classics
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 > Classics
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 > Classics
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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Dumbo (Special Edition) [1941]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
directed by: Ben Sharpsteen

May 07, 2007
This film is lovely, everytime I watch it it take me back to my childhood.
Very sad, but a lovely film for all to enjoy.

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Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set [1962]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
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 Jarre ... Read More:

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Doctor Who - The Trial Of A Time Lord [1986] [1963]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Colin Baker

September 29, 2008
I didn't expect nothing good of this. The trial of a Time Lord has a very poor fame, and the idea I had so far was that this was a huge crap. Well, after watching it camly, I don't agree. OK, it is a flawed show: The mysterious planet is routinely done, Mindwarp improves greatly, but Brian Blessed is completely over the top, Terror of the Vervoids is highly watchable if you don't start making questions (err, from the future? And "edited"? COME ON!!), and The ultimate foe gave us one of the best stories for Ainley's Master but leaves lots of plot holes. After watching the making of each program, I must say the final result is surprisingly good, considering the amount of trouble the production team had to face.
Colin Baker is much more relaxed and mellow here than in the previous season, and ... Read More:

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My Fair Lady (40th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition) [1965]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper
directed by: George Cukor

April 05, 2004
The title says it all, I think and the reviewer who considers it classist and misogynist has obviously failed to see the point of the movie which actually makes fun of these attitudes. Remember the scene at Mrs. Higgin's house or Alfred P. Doolite's remarks on 'middle-class morality' - hardly narrow-minded.

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Twelve Angry Men [1957]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
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!