"Actor: Christopher Strand"

• Barbie As Rapunzel | DVD | (06/09/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Barbie as Rapunzel is an 80-minute video that will thrill children aged three to eight, following on from the success of Barbie in the Nutcracker. Barbie may have started life as a doll in the 1950s, but these days she's also making her name as a computer-animated film star. In a modern twist on the classic fairy tale, Barbie stars as Rapunzel--a courageous and imaginative princess who is locked away in a tower by the evil witch Gothel. With help from her friends (Penelope the cute purple dragon and Hobie the rabbit) and through the power of her own creative energies, she paints her way out of the tower to find freedom, truth and love. The video is visually impressive with dark and light colours used effectively to emphasise good and evil, allowing Barbie to be surrounded by her favourite soft pinks and purples. The well-known actress Angelica Huston is memorable as the vocal talent behind the unbalanced and scary Gothel. Excellent sound effects greatly enhance the film and Dvorak's New World Symphony played by the London Symphony Orchestra makes a pleasant change from films' current dependence on pop hits. Hugo the mighty dragon, Otto the nasty ferret and the sword fight between the feuding kings will hold the attention of those brothers of Barbie fans who are less than enthusiastic about watching this film, but essentially this is a little girl's film and the outrageously pink castle, the magical fashion show before the masked ball and the fairytale wedding will make it a firm favourite for its intended audience. --Tracey Hogan.

• Barbie In The Nutcracker | DVD | (25/03/2002) from £11.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Look who became a star. Barbie comes to life in the computer-animated Barbie in the Nutcracker, taking the longtime-favorite doll into a new realm. The 76-minute tale is a slight variation on the traditional story based on Tchaikovsky's music. Instead of an open-ended dream, Barbie and her escort, the Nutcracker (soon to be Ken, natch), are on an adventurous quest. Along the way there are more creatures and derring-do than the original. The sole known voice talent, Tim Curry, has a good old time as the Mouse King, and the animated dancing is gracefully adapted from New York City Ballet members. A few clever characters, bright animation and wonderful music should entrance any Barbie fan from age three to nine. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com

• Dolly Parton - Blue Valley Songbird | DVD | (25/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In a totally unexpected piece of casting, Blue Valley Songbird stars Dolly Parton as a country singer/songwriter with big hair, large breasts and lots of lippy. The comparison ends there, though, because here she plays Leana Taylor, a talented performer hampered by her provincial background (and unpleasant manager/boyfriend) who realises she must escape her small-town roots in order to achieve her true potential. This isn't the most taxing of narratives, but it's the music that counts here. This movie is of the "musical drama" genre--take a star musical performer, give them the lead role in a movie, then furnish them with every excuse to perform therein so long as it can be done as a realistic element within the overall story--and as such it's highly agreeable. Parton not only has buckets of musical talent but also has plausible acting skills, even if the viewer is bound to think that these are mainly to do with being Dolly Parton. In any event, the songs are excellent, so this is well worth watching even if you find yourself fast-forwarding until you see someone picking a guitar up.--Roger Thomas