Robin Williams... this is the one you'll be remembered for - a true classic! This film is hilarious for all ages, offering something for everyone. Every comedy fan will love this, that's a given, but even those of you who are not that into comedy, you will find this film adorable.
Robin Williams plays the role of Mrs Doubtfire perfectly with brilliant delivery and execution of every line. The supporting cast are also extremely good and help to make the film the hit that it is.
The story doesn't offer much in the way of plot twists and it is not a complicated story, which is a good thing because it means your mind can focus on the characters, which are brilliant. The story does its bit in moving the film along and occasionally bringing a tear to your eye but you probably won't need the Kleenex (except for the crippling pain of laughter)
This is my favourite film ever and duly so. I hope you enjoy this film as much as I did. 5 out of 5
'Man Of A Thousand Faces"
(Universal International - U.S.A. - 1957)
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This D.V.D. Release Is A Must Not Miss For Motion Picture Fans Of Any Age And Is An Excellent Tribute To Lon Chaney Senior.
Lon Chaney remains one of my favourite motion picture actors and I consider him the greatest actor the United States Of America has produced. His unique ability to combine skills of pantomime, facial expression, rhythm, comic timing, makeup, personality, helped him to become a character actor virtuoso. The force of his personality came through every one of his thousand faces - no matter what guise he adopted. His acting skills also always revealed the sympathetic side of the monstrous characters he portrayed and he made their subtlest actions meaningful. His skills with ventriloquism were equally renown and it is a shame that he only got to demonstrate this skill in one motion picture:- the remake of Tod Browning's "The Unholy Three" before he died.
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Still Touches Your Heart Strings.
Even today this motion picture still remains a work of homage to the great actor. One scene still touches your heart strings is where Lon Chaney Senior is reading a bedtime story to his young son Creighton Chaney.
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True Classic Of The Cinema.
This a true classic of the cinema which should not be missed by anyone interested in the history of the cinema. It remains an excellent tribute to the late Lon Chaney Senior and includes in its cast such fine actors and actresses as:- James Cagney, Dorothy Malone, Jane Greer, Marjorie Rambeau, Jim Backus, Rober J. Evans, Celia Lovsky, Jack Albertson, Nolan Leary - plus many, many others.
World War Two - hardly the setting for a comedy programme, surely? Wrong!
Whilst the brave and able-bodied men and youth marched off to war, Great Britain was left at the mercy of the Nazi bombings and the ever-impending potential invasion.
However, Britain's last line of defence lay with the elderly and not-so-able-young-men - the home guard, soon referred to as Dad's Army!
From the very first episode, we follow Captain Mainwaring, a plump and proud born-leader, as he sets up a Home Guard unit at the town Walmington-On-Sea and winds up in many ridiculous circumstances alongside his laid-back Sergeant, Mr.Wilson.
With plenty of characters that everyone can relate to, it is very easy to fall into a strong bond with such a marvellous line-up.
From the old & clumsy (yet patriotic) war veteran, Corporal Jones, to the young "mummy's-boy" Private Pike, there is a character for everyone to identify with - and even picture themselves in such a role!
What especially makes this series unique is the fact that it is family-friendly, with the slapstick comedy aspects for the children and the subtle slap-on-the-wrist references that will leave adults red in the face!
Remaining loyal to historical events and dates, it also depicts the hard work involved among the community to ensure Britain functioned as effectively as possible, yet making it as entertaining as possible to watch, too.
This boxset is a marvellous collection of all the episodes, ranging from the very first black-and-white pilot all the way through the series to the tear-jerking final scene.
Surely this series marks a milestone in the history of comedy. Never before has a comedy series been so well developed without ruining the entire franchise. This is a piece of family-entertainment no family should be without - the perfect way to finish off a long day and then tucking the children into bed with Bud Flannagan's "Who do you think you are kidding, Mr.Hitler?" still ringing in their ears and memories of Corporal Jones hanging from the top of a windmill!
Fantastic comedy with a unique British Charm - a real gem of a television series.
I bought this and the 6 - 8 series, hoping that it was as good as I remembered and it was even better! I was in a car accident 2 weeks ago and cracked a rib, so, what I would not recommend is to watch this series when you have a cracked rib - it's put my healing back by a month!
If you're going to buy a boxset this year this should be it - my rating for the boxset would be 9/10. Buy it!
The sixth season of Law & Order introduces viewers to a new detective and kills off another series favourite. There's a seamless crossover episode with Homicide: Life on the Street (which is included in this release) and a compelling season finale that gives insight into how the main characters deal with tragedy.
Don't miss the last five minutes of the season finale. Without saying a word, Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) conveys all the emotions of a guilt-ridden man.
Starring on the side of the 'Law':
After the departure of Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth, who would return to the franchise in Series 5 of sister show Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Lennie gets a new partner, Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt).
Rey is a by-the-book do-gooder, a devoted husband and father, Rey sees things in black and white, while Lennie views things in shades of grey. It isn't until he helps send a man to the electric chair that Rey struggles with his own sense of morality.
And on the side of 'Order':
Sam Waterson and Jill Hennessy return as attorneys Jack McCoy and Claire Kincaid. Under the watchful eye of their cantankerous boss Adam Schiff (Steven Hill).
Together they are expected to keep criminals at bay, even when the evidence seems to be working against them. Adam is perfect in his role, ordering deals, demanding justice, and laying out non-PC justice.
Guest stars include Patti LuPone, Kim Raver, Amanda Peet and Jennifer Garner.
I was a bit sceptical when I got this film on DVD, bearing in mind I'm nearly 20 and the main characters are young teenage girls, but I have to say I throughly enjoyed it!
It was nice to see an English film that was relevant. I thought it portrayed been a teenager very well and the time flew by. This lovely girly film will cheer you up on a sunday afternoon,it's so light hearted and fun!
Film about a teen girl growing up
To simply call 'P.S I love you' a 'standard chick flick' is criminal. This film has hidden depths, its story is intelligent, its characters believable and it leaves you looking deep into your own life and relationships and finding a new appreciation for them.
Hilary Swank plays the part of a young woman who becomes widowed when her husband passes away from a brain tumour. Knowing her better than she knows herself, he leaves her 10 letters, delivered over a year, which are intended to ease her pain and help her move on with her life.
This film tugs at your heart strings with its engrossing story and fantastic and convincing performances from Swank and Gerard Butler (the husband). But whatever you do, make sure you have the tissues at the ready - it's a tear-jerker! In fact, I haven't cried so much at a film since Ghost!
What a film!
I saw this film at night in an outside restaurant in Cyprus and could not wait to get home and let my family know about it, It's pure comedy and it's Jack Black, what more could you want? Great for kids and adults alike and even my parents loved it! I would recomend to anyone! x
Jonathan Frakes' slick new Thunderbirds is for the instant-gratification generation. Some lazy plotting sees The Hood disable space-station Thunderbird 5 simply by firing a missile at it and, conveniently, all the flying Tracys zoom to the rescue, enabling him to occupy Tracy Island and plot a series of audacious bank robberies using its hidden technology. Only Alan and his pals, Fermat, the boy genius son of Brains, and Tin-Tin, daughter of Jeff Tracy's manservant Kirano, stand in his way.
Eschewing the normal "how it all began" approach, the film introduces us to this future via an eye-filling stylised-cartoon title-sequence, which cleverly depicts the Thunderbird craft going about their business whilst Alan takes the school bus and a funky version of the famous march plays on the soundtrack. In fact, this live-action version turns out to be more of a cartoon than the original ever was, a shiny-clean world of Teletubbies Day-Glo colours where the sleek CGI effects flow indistinguishably into the smooth limbs and jut-jaws of the heroes. The sons, with their matching jumpsuits but varied hairstyles (one even has a quiff just like that other famous Tin-Tin), look barely old enough to be in long trousers and have all the gravitas of a boy band. Alan is even played by an actor called Brady.
Although much of the original concept is here in one form or another, it has a pre-digested quality and a spray-on flip hipness, right down to the forgettable slangy dialogue: "You mean we're good to go?" says Jeff. Still, this is a PG film and younger children should be sufficiently diverted, given the short running time, Frakes' breathless direction, and three engaging young leads.
Unaccompanied adults, however, may feel uneasy, especially those who grew up with the series. There are undeniable pleasures, such as references to that future history: the monorail crossing the Thames, Lady Penelope's transmitter teapot, favourite vehicles like the Mole and the Firefly, and the Vault of Death in which are heroes become trapped.
There is Sophia Myles, sparkling as a smart and sexy Lady P, ever-immaculate in designer gear, so nonchalant she can get a stylish makeover in between foiling villains, albeit one which turns her into a high-kicking Emma P (of The Avengers). Matching her is Ron Cook's unflappable Parker. The pair's witty banter was given extra spice by comedy writer Richard Curtis ("The Hood? Sounds like an alias to me, m'lady.").
There is Sir Ben Kingsley himself as The Hood, able to impart resonance even to such deathless lines as, "The Thunderbirds are here - kill them all!", and there is the droll way in which the same reporter (played by Frakes' wife, Genie Francis) is always on hand the minute a disaster occurs.
But those fans will despair at the sidelining of the Tracy boys, majestic Thunderbirds, and meticulously-plotted disaster-and-rescue scenario in favour of a commonplace coming-of-age tale of three resourceful kiddies; the ridiculous comedy-fight sequences; the reducing of Brains to sexually-harassed comic relief; the mobile-phone masts on Tracy Island (Jeff, how could you?); the horrible end-title song by (the aptly named) Busted - more suited to a sit-com - with its idiotic refrain of "the boys are back in town"; and of course the junking of the 'iconic' pink Rolls-Royce in favour of a nondescript pink Ford with wings.
The DVD has some attractive extras: an urbane and informative solo commentary from the director; featurettes on key elements such as Tracy Island, Lady P's wardrobe, and FAB1; fact files; and even a game, 'The Hood vs Thunderbirds'.
Jeff Tracy and his four eldest sons operate an elite worldwide emergency service from a secret island base. When a criminal mastermind known as the Hood traps them all in space it is up to the youngest son and his two friends to save them, the world, and the day.
Wow, I've always wondered how it all began and watching the first episode it bought back many memories. Grabbing the first stick, pen, pencil or any other object and holding it up high and shouting "Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats, Hooooo", if only I still had my plastic sword that I once had when I was a kid. There"s also a lesson to learn in each episode and somehow I never realised it taught you anything, until now. Each character has an easy name to remember as they"re all named after the feline species. There"s Lion-O, Cheetara, Panthro, Tigra, Wylikit and Wylikat, not forgetting "poor old Snarf". Have you ever wondered why Lion-o grew up and the rest still maintained their age? There"s always a favourite character and mine is the strong Panthro. The boxset holds a massive 65 episodes lasting more than 23 hours, enough to last you a while before you make the next purchase for the second season. The boxset also includes a special feature video of fans speaking out about their experience of Thundercats. At its current price, I would definitely recommend it!
Graham Linehan's record of writing and directing TV comedy is probably second to none and it appears from the three series of IT Crowd that he hasn't lost his touch.
The Irishman's ability to make audiences laugh using original clever modern ideas must be applauded, and his latest incarnation is no different.
A sitcom based in and around the IT department set in the bowels of Reynholm industries, centres on three key characters. Moss is a cyber geek who still lives with his Mum and Roy is a computer nerd with a lust for the girls. Both of whom lack severely in the social skills department. Jen is the manager of the IT department. Unfortunately for her she knows nothing about computers.
The gags are a combination of some effective bizarre visuals and circumstances expertly created by Linehan and comments and catchphrases delivered perfectly by the cast of Richard Ayoade, Chris O'Dowd and Katherine Parkinson.
Many of the funniest moments appear in episodes where Moss and Roy are placed in strange (to them) situations. This brings out the full extent of their characters especially when situations get out of control and snowball.
As IT Crowd progresses through its three series the characters are allowed to develop more and escape the confines of the office basement. This allows the show to stretch its comedic legs. Some of the strongest episodes which do this include 'The Work Outing', 'The Dinner Party' and 'Are we not men?'. The show however doesn't forget its I.T roots and plays out a great take on modern social life in the episode 'FriendFace'. Based on the internet social network websites, the writer exaggerates a point to a precise level without overcooking it for us non geeks ending it with hilarious results.
Silly, ridiculous and imaginatively written. If you like your comedy like this then you won't be disappointed!
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
From the writer of Black Books, Father Ted and many more, a new form of comedy arrives. Its I.T but not as we know IT!
I was immediately drawn to this film by its subject matter: a story of Portugese Jesuit missionaries arriving in 17th century Japan, directed by one of key figures of the Japanese New Wave, Masahiro Shinoda, and scored by the legendary Toru Takemitsu. Add to this it was being released by the impeccable Masters of Cinema label, and I was sold.
Did it live up to my expectations? The answer is absolutely. I have long been fascinated by the relations between the East and West, and 'Silence' is a rare chance (for Western viewers) to see an Eastern perspective on the work of devout Christians spreading their religion to the four corners of the globe. Before I saw this film I was only dimly aware of Christianity in Japan, and thus the film becomes fascinating as a piece of history asides from the quality of the movie itself.
We discover the Jesuits first arrived in 1549 during the Sengoku/Civil War era, when a unified Japanese state no longer existed. Over the next forty years the number of converts reached a quarter of a million, but the changing fortunes of war and politics among the Japanese saw the formal decision by the reunified state of the Tokugawa shogunate to ban Christianity and to follow it up with a policy of persecution, torture, and execution. This is the compelling background to the film as two Jesuits arrive secretly on the shores of Japan. They are sheltered by poor Christian villagers who have secretly kept the faith going, constantly facing persecution. To their despair the villagers follow a religion that seems to have fused Japan's native myths and customs with their cherished Catholicism. Religion mutates, it would seem.
I won't spoil any further plot details, except to say that inevitably the priests fall into the hands of the authorities, and religious zeal in the face of state oppression is given very serious questioning. Who has the right to spread their beliefs if they know that the result be the persecution of those they convert? This is only one of the tough questions Shinoda gives us in 'Silence'. Visually the film is provocative and compelling, and Takemitsu's core is wonderful, mixing Western melodies and Japanese dissonance to great effect (capturing the tension between cultures). And the silence of the film's title? The silence of God, of course.
Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, with the former starring as a fictionalized version of himself, are the two men responsible for the conception of this Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winning American sitcom. They pitched Seinfeld as a "show about nothing". Nearly every single episode is based on a real life experience by one of the writers.
The show revolves mainly around four characters. Jerry Seinfeld, a stand-up comedian; George Costanza, Jerry's best friend since high school; Elaine Benes, Jerry's ex-girlfriend and still close friend; and finally Cosmo Kramer, Jerry's friend and "crazy neighbour".
The Seinfeld Series 1-3 boxset comes with 8 DVDs all with episodes from the first trio of seasons which initially aired on NBC. Other than the episodes, on the DVDs are many, many extras. These include commentaries by the cast and writers of the show, through selected episodes; deleted scenes, and "Notes about Nothing" which is text shown at the bottom of every running episode which informs you of many interesting facts about the series and the episode being watched at the time. Other extras included are "How It Began", an hour-long look at how the creators came up with the idea and how it emerged as one of the best sitcoms ever created; Bloopers, and an interesting look at the hilarious character, Cosmo Kramer played by Michael Richards.
Episodes to look out for in the first three seasons are: "The Chinese Restaurant", "The Pony Remark", "The Parking Garage", and "The Subway".
I would recommend this boxset in a heartbeat, whether you are a fan or haven't seen the show before. It's great value for money, especially with the number of extras that come with the set, but most importantly it is hilarious and you really should see one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.
Award-winning Sitcom? - Check.
DVD boxset worthy of the Sitcom? - Double check.
Worth buying? - Triple check.
Since reunification German Cinema has seen a number of films, such as "Downfall", "Goodbye Lenin", and Austro-German co-production "The Counterfieters" reappraising its Nazi past and the aftermath in the post war years. "The Lives of Others" written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck may well prove to be the high point of this artistic phase.
The plot is the story of Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler (Friedrich Muhe) who is ordered for spurious reasons to bug and follow a playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) to find evidence of pro-western activity and crimes against the state. In doing so Weisler becomes privy to Dreymans' s whole existence and largely happy life. In playing the role of voyeur to Dreyman's relationship with a leading stage actress Christa-Marie (Martina Gedeck), Wiesler becomes caught up in the frustrations of State interference felt by the playwright and those in his artistic circle. He is forced to re-evaluate the emptiness of his own life and is challenged in his role as a loyal servant to the Party. Upon discovering the real reason for the surveillance, the desire of a leading Party Minister to lure Christa-Marie away from Dreyman, his sympathies lead to his making personal choices that have a dramatic and fundamental effect on all the parties concerned.
The story set in 1984 East Germany, with the invasive nature of the one party system should make for unappetising and unappealing viewing. However the tight emotional performance of Muhe as Wiesler is outstanding and was rightly lauded.
The central role of Weisler acts as a metaphor for the re-evaluation of the totalitarian system and the opportunities it denied for the sake its political doctrine. It is a mark of the direction and the completeness of the film that in receiving the Academy award in 2007 for best film in a foreign language it did so at the expense of Del Torro's multi award winning "Pan's Labryinth".
"The Lives of Others" is utterly compelling and very complete. If this is not the high point of the current phase of German Cinema output - Bring it on!
Most critics burned this movie to the ground; I won't be doing that.
Yes, the plot has been seen before in various forms in other movies (Enemy of the State, The Net and I, Robot being the most obvious ones), but that does not mean that you aren't drawn into the story. Some say the Big Brother thing has been done to death; however, with all the technology that surrounds us today, the things we see in this movie have become more and more plausible and not just fiction. Of course, almost everything we see on the screen is blown out of proportion, but can anyone truly say our lives aren't out there in cyberspace? Is it really impossible for someone with unlimited access to all that data, to take over our lives or change vital information about us? If nothing else, this movie asks those questions and leaves you free to come up with your own answers.
Shia LeBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are an unlikely leading couple, but there definitely is some chemistry between them. Billy Bob Thornton is being superb as ever and Julianne Moore has one of the sexiest computer voices I have heard in a long time.
If you are in the least interested in modern technology, enjoyed the movies I mentioned before and are like me concerned about how far any government is willing to go to keep track of all our movements, than you should definitely take a look at Eagle Eye. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
I'm a great fan of Zombie films. I watched the Dawn of the Dead remake and was happy with it so I had good expectations for this one.
I liked the fact it was running along the same time lines as Dawn, made obvious by Ving Rhames character as Officer Rhodes' brother in this one.
However, when the people just started turning to zombies without dying first it kind of destroys the whole point of zombies. It makes them out to just be ill because it's a virus, like flu.
And now they can jump for miles and climb buildings!!!
Disappointed I'm afraid
There are films that you look back on and smile.
There are some that you wish you could forget.
This is the film that broke my heart.
A simple, elegant story, beautifully constructed of love and friendship.
The acting is astute, moving, intense and vulnerable.
It moves with a slowish pace but it's more enjoyable for it.
Sweeping you into a world that you're glad you stepped into.
And, yes, I'm unashamed to admit... I cried.
Watch this film, you won't regret it.
I've watched it many times since and if ever chatting about films, it comes up.
Like an old friend.
Released on Blu-ray disc in time to put you off Christmas, Vince Vaughn's 2007 crime against cinema is now available for you to own for ever. That's if you're part of the audience it's made for: the thick, the gullible, or the festive obsessed. I am admittedly festive obsessed, which is why I ventured out to see this piece of tinsel-town trash last Christmas at the cinema. Having learnt my lesson, I was left to marvel at how excellent A-list stars like Paul Giamatti and, gasp, Kevin Spacey can degrade themselves in order to make such a worthless and appallingly bad film. Vince Vaughn is allowed to; he practically created the genre, and most of his films cater for those who prefer dumb, crude and brainless humour as apposed to witty dialogue and original comedy. The pathetic excuse for a story consists of Santa's brother, Fred, being summoned to the North Pole to work off his money debts to his brother by stamping Christmas lists and sorting out presents. Mixed with some rather unnecessary sex jokes, pointless snow ball fights and vague mutterings of "the true meaning of Christmas", the story gets lost and descends deeper into a puddle of sickly, drippy nonsense.
This is a rather sinister stalker story, exploring what a lonely man will do to feel wanted or significant in someone else's life. Here this man is a photo developer named Sy Parrish, played creepily by Robin Williams, who develops an obsession with a middle class family who go to his photo developing department in a large supermarket. Whenever the family give in their photos to be developed, he makes a copy for himself, building up a collage on wall at home with all their holiday snaps, baby-photos and birthday pics. He examines their seemingly perfect lifestyle, then, when he discovers imperfection under the surface, begins to pull out the building blocks of their lives, and watches them crumble.
Robin Williams takes care to make sure his character doesn't descend into a pantomime villain, and excels in the role as Sy, not only making him believable, but a character we can both hate and feel sorry for. The exquisitely executed filming style is highlights the glossy and material lives of the families in modern day suburbia, and the colour tones, from Director of Photography Jeff Croneweth, add a shiny coolness to the eerie atmosphere. As a whole, this is a excellently drawn character study, but can be broken down into key moments of realization in many different lives. The point of relisation when we ask ourselves "what have we become?".
At the beginning of the Autumn season on ITV1 this year, a three-part series called "The Children" screened to critical acclaim. This was a grim relationship drama, mostly how adult relationships affective children. This film with the same title is not linked at all to the ITV series, but also notices how children react to the actions of adults. However, here we have another issue to worry about: a virus which can potentially turn children homicidal. And throughout this tension filled British film we see several nasty scenes where the children fight back at their parents, wielding meat knives, glass, hooks and colouring pencils (believe me, the latter form of weapon is the worst). These horrifically violent acts occur when two middle-class families are spending the Christmas holidays together and find their children suddenly taken ill, with sickness and strange behaviour. This strange behaviour goes from haunted looks to flesh tearing slowly but effectively, with the underlying level of hysteria bubbling convincingly over into narrative.
A chilling horror and a powerful look at the choices of parents in situations that involve truly heart-breaking decisions (do you kill your children if they are trying to kill you?), this BBC film is one of the most well made horrors I have seen this year.
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