Release date: 2004-07-05 RRP: £13.99 Price: £2.91
Review Looney Tunes - The Best Of Bugs Bunny / Warner Home Video:
Release date: 2005-09-17 Run time: 598 min. RRP: £29.99 Price: £11.98
Review Horrible Histories - 26 Groovy Episodes [2005] / Horrible Histories:
Release date: 2007-02-12 Run time: 70 min. RRP: £3.99 Price: £2.88
Review The Worst Witch / ITV DVD:
Actors & Directors
- Tobey Maguire
- Elizabeth Banks
- William H. Macy
- Gary Ross
- Chris Cooper
- Jeff Bridges
Release date: 2004-02-23 Run time: 135 min. RRP: £17.99 Price: £4.10
Review Seabiscuit [2003] / Buena Vista:Proving that truth is often greater than fiction, the handsome production of Seabiscuit offers a healthy alternative to Hollywood's staple diet of mayhem. With superior production values at his disposal, writer-director Gary Ross (Pleasantville) is a bit too reverent towards Laura Hillenbrand's captivating bestseller, unnecessarily using archival material-and David McCullough's narration-to pay Ken-Burns-like tribute to Hillenbrand's acclaimed history of the knobbly-kneed thoroughbred who "came from behind" in the late 1930s to win the hearts of Depression-weary Americans. That caveat aside, Ross's adaptation retains much of the horse-and-human heroism that Hillenbrand so effectively conveyed; this is a classically styled "legend" movie like The Natural, which was also heightened by a lushly sentimental Randy Newman score. Led by Tobey Maguire as Seabiscuit's hard-luck jockey, the film's first-rate cast is uniformly excellent, including William H Macy as a wacky trackside announcer who fills this earnest film with a much-needed spirit of fun. -Jeff Shannon.
Release date: 2005-09-01 RRP: £49.99 Price: £41.99
Review Anne Of Green Gables / Sullivan Entertainment Europe Ltd:
Release date: 2008-03-17 Run time: 200 min. RRP: £39.99 Price: £19.97
Review The Tick - The Complete Collection (Season 1-3) [1994] / The Tick:
Release date: 2007-11-12 Creator: Phil Redmond RRP: £28.99 Price: £11.42
Review Grange Hill : Complete BBC Series 1 & 2 Box Set / 2 Entertain Video:Tucker Jenkins? Benny Green? Trisha Yates? If these names mean nothing to you, then you've missed out on a hugely influential part of British childrens' television programming. Fortunately, the release of Grange Hill Series 1 & 2 on DVD gives a whole new generation the chance to see where the enduring drama all began. Set in a fictional London comprehensive school, Grange Hill was, from the off, a gritty and down-to-earth programme, far out of keeping with the childrens' shows of the time. Introducing pupils such as those mentioned back at the start (and not for nothing is Tucker regarded as the first `hero' of the show), they were matched by a now-legendary roster of teachers: who can forget Mr Baxter the PE teacher, for instance? The secret to Grange Hill's success is inherent in these two maiden series. And it was the marrying up of a terrific cast of characters to storylines that felt real, without any attempt to gloss anything up. Plus, while it's Tucker and his gang that are at the centre of much of the drama, there's plenty going on in the background too to hold your attention. Nostalgics may be surprised at just how much they remember! But does it all hold up today? Absolutely. This is Grange Hill arguably at its rawest, and it's all the better for it. And while controversial storylines would really push things out in the years to follow, it's surprising just how well these early episodes have endured. Whether you're new to Grange Hill or not, this DVD set is a real treasure from the archives, and a long overdue release. [+]
-Simon Brew.
Release date: 2006-10-16 Run time: 94 min. RRP: £12.99 Price: £3.70
Review Dora The Explorer - Dance To The Rescue / Dora the Explorer:
Actors & Directors
- Jon Voight
- Skyler Shaye
- Sean McNamara
- Logan Browning
- Nathalia Ramos
- Janel Parrish
Release date: 2007-11-26 Run time: 98 min. RRP: £19.99 Price: £3.55
Review Bratz - The Movie [2007] / Momentum Pictures:Get your Bratitude on! Bratz, the life-action film featuring the four sassy tween-queen doll characters, drives home the kid- and (parent-) friendly messages of being true to yourself, and friendship above all else. If some kickass fashion and retail therapy help deliver those pearls of wisdom, who's going to complain? The action centres on our favorite BFFs, Jade, Cloe, Sasha, and Yasmin, starting high school together at Carry Nation High, and navigating through the rigid clique system that seems destined to force the girls apart. Along the way, there are fireworks (created by brainy Jade in chem class), food fights, and lots of cute guys to crush on. Ruling over all: Meredith Baxter Dimly, the Baby Doc Duvalier of high-school politics, somehow managing to be student-body president for at least three years running (maybe the fact that her pop is the principal has something to do with her anointment). Meredith, played to a scheming fare-thee-well by Chelsea Staub, is a formidable villain, but our girls realize nothing can come between true friends, if they just stick together. The climactic comeuppance scene-set at Carry Nation's annual talent show-will have Bratz fans clapping on their feet. The film's soundtrack is upbeat and catchy, and features big names like the Black Eyed Peas and Ashlee Simpson, and the two show-stoppers sung by Staub as Meredith. And that's a Bratz-wrap! -A. T. Hurley.
Actors & Directors
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Jason Lee
- Holly Hunter
- Craig T. Nelson
- Daniel Hansen
Release date: 2008-06-23 Run time: 202 min. RRP: £15.99 Price: £9.98
Review The Incredibles/Meet The Robinsons [2004] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:The Incredibles After creating the last great traditionally animated film of the 20th century, The Iron Giant, filmmaker Brad Bird joined top-drawer studio Pixar to create this exciting, completely entertaining computer-animated film. Bird gives us a family of "supers," a brood of five with special powers desperately trying to fit in with the 9-to-5 suburban lifestyle. Of course, in a more innocent world, Bob and Helen Parr were superheroes, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. But blasted lawsuits and public disapproval forced them and other supers to go incognito, making it even tougher for their school-age kids, the shy Violet and the aptly named Dash. When a stranger named Mirage (voiced by Elizabeth Pena) secretly recruits Bob for a potential mission, the old glory days spin in his head, even if his body is a bit too plump for his old super suit. Bird has his cake and eats it, too. He and the Pixar wizards send up superhero and James Bond movies while delivering a thrilling, supercool action movie that rivals Spider-Man 2 for 2004's best on-screen thrills. While it's just as funny as the previous Pixar films, The Incredibles has a far wider-ranging emotional palette (it's Pixar's first PG film). Bird takes several jabs, including some juicy commentary on domestic life ("It's not graduation, he's moving from the fourth to fifth grade!"). [+]
The animated Parrs look and act a bit like the actors portraying them, Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter. Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee also have a grand old time as, respectively, superhero Frozone and bad guy Syndrome. Nearly stealing the show is Bird himself, voicing the eccentric designer of superhero outfits ("No capes!"), Edna Mode. Nominated for four Oscars, The Incredibles won for Best Animated Film and, in an unprecedented win for non-live-action films, Sound Editing. -Doug Thomas Meet The Robinsons Developing positive self-esteem and persevering in the face of difficulties are fundamental parts of growing up, but when 12-year old orphan Lewis (Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry) can't seem to get adopted or make his inventions work despite repeated efforts, he begins to seriously doubt himself and his abilities as an inventor. A CGI picture by Disney with great animation and a fresh vision of what the future might look like, Meet The Robinsons follows Lewis from his lonesome days at the orphanage to his crushing failure at the school science fair when his newly invented memory scanner won't work. Then, an odd boy named Wilbur Robinson (Wesley Singerman) shows up to warn Lewis about the mysterious "Bowler Hat Guy" (Stephen J Anderson) lurking around the science fair, an evil man Wilbur claims is from the future. The next thing Lewis knows, he and Wilbur are en route to the future via time machine. Once there, Lewis meets the very quirky, extended Robinson family with whom he feels oddly at home. As the search for the Bowler Hat Man and his constant companion Doris (Ethan Sandler) becomes more and more dangerous, the Robinson family becomes crucial in keeping Lewis safe. In the end, Lewis returns to the present with a whole new inner strength, a sense of his place in the world, the knowledge that his actions directly affect others and an optimistic determination to "keep moving forward. " While comparisons with the Back to the Future films are inevitable, Meet the Robinsons stands apart from its predecessors as its own, thoroughly entertaining family film. -Tami Horiuchi.
Actors & Directors
- Paul Schneider
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Diane Keaton
- Bezucha Thomas
- Claire Danes
- Rachel McAdams
Release date: 2006-04-17 Run time: 99 min. RRP: £15.99 Price: £3.90
Review Family Stone, The [2005] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:For anyone who views holiday gatherings with equal parts joy and dread, The Family Stone offers plenty of comedy to identify with. Writer-director Thomas Bezucha's slapstick premise begins when Everett (Dermot Mulroney) brings his fiancé Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) home to meet his family for Christmas. It's an instant disaster when parents Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) agree with their gay, deaf son Thad (Ty Giordano, who is actually hearing impaired), pot-smoking son Ben (Luke Wilson) and daughters Amy (Rachel McAdams) and Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser) that Meredith is way too uptight to be welcomed into their family. Meredith recruits her sister Julie (Claire Danes) to help her thaw the Stone family cold front, and after building a solid emotional foundation for his holiday comedy, Bezucha starts to stack the deck with plot developments that, while heartwarming, border on the absurd. You either go with the movie's flow or you don't, and with this appealing cast (featuring some really nice work by Keaton, Nelson, Parker and Danes) it's easy to forgive Bezucha's unlikely blend of yuletide cheer, petty animosities, and romantic tables turned in the blink of an eye. Toss in a case of terminal illness and you've got a sad-happy tearjerker that works in spite of itself. If you don't recognize at least part of your own holiday clan in The Family Stone, you probably haven't been paying attention. -Jeff Shannon.
Release date: 2007-02-09 RRP: £3.99 Price: £1.05
Review Animal Farm / Boulevard Entertainment Ltd:
Release date: 2007-11-19 Run time: 56 min. RRP: £12.99 Price: £3.99
Review Little Princess: Vol 3 - Winter Special [2007] / Little Princess:
Release date: 2005-09-26 Run time: 75 min. RRP: £19.99 Price: £6.48
Review The Cat Returns / Optimum Home Entertainment:The Cat Returns brings back Muta, the cranky fat cat, and Baron von Gikkingen, the elegant statue, from the feature Whisper of the Heart. On her way home from school, Haru, a confused 17-year-old, prevents an elegant gray cat from being hit by a truck. She's inadvertently saved the life of Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom, and his royal father decides to thank her. He fills her locker with gift-wrapped mice and decides she should come to his kingdom and marry Lune. Haru seeks help from the Cat Bureau, and eventually returns to relatively normal life, with the assistance of Muta and the Baron. The Cat Returns recalls Whisper of the Heart and Takashi Nakamura's Catnapped, but it offers neither the wistful charm of the former nor the bold visual imagination of the latter. Hayao Miyazaki has been seeking young directors for Studio Ghibli for several years. After preparing the script and storyboards for Whisper, he turned the film over to Yoshifumi Kondo, who died tragically shortly after the film's release. The Cat Returns was directed by Hiroyuki Morita, who shows promise, but lacks Kondo's elegant sensibility. The DVD extras include a fulsome making-of documentary, Morita's voluminous storyboards, and mini-interviews with the vocal cast that includes Tim Curry, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle and Elliott Gould. [+]
-Charles Solomon, Amazon. com.
Release date: 2007-10-01 Run time: 104 min. RRP: £24.99 Price: £15.25
Review Happy Feet [Blu-ray] [2006] / Warner Home Video:Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams
Release date: 2007-09-24 Run time: 148 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £2.74
Review Hector's House [1968] / Contender Entertainment Group:
Release date: 2007-09-24 Run time: 190 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £2.65
Review The Complete Mary, Mungo And Midge / Contender Entertainment Group:
Actors & Directors
- Mike Mitchell
- Kurt Russell
- Michael Angarano
- Bruce Campbell
- Dave Foley
- Kelly Preston
Release date: 2006-02-06 Run time: 95 min. RRP: £17.99 Price: £3.39
Review Sky High [2005] / Walt Disney Home Video:
Release date: 2005-06-06 Run time: 90 min. RRP: £7.99 Price: £5.22
Review Max And Ruby - Hide And Seek / Max and Ruby:
Release date: 2001-11-12 Run time: 75 min. RRP: £11.99 Price: £5.28
Review Michael Jackson - History- Video Greatest Hits [1995] / Sony Bmg:
| Browse Children's DVD:
Models & Brands: Looney Tunes - The Best Of Bugs Bunny, Horrible Histories - 26 Groovy Episodes [2005], The Worst Witch, Seabiscuit [2003], Anne Of Green Gables, The Tick - The Complete Collection (Season 1-3) [1994], Grange Hill : Complete BBC Series 1 & 2 Box Set, Dora The Explorer - Dance To The Rescue, Bratz - The Movie [2007], The Incredibles/Meet The Robinsons [2004], Family Stone, The [2005], Animal Farm, Little Princess: Vol 3 - Winter Special [2007], The Cat Returns, Happy Feet [Blu-ray] [2006], Hector's House [1968], The Complete Mary, Mungo And Midge, Sky High [2005], Max And Ruby - Hide And Seek, Michael Jackson - History- Video Greatest Hits [1995] |