DVD Collectors Online

From Up On Poppy Hill, a review by GSyren

Title	From Up On Poppy Hill (5-055201-823700)
Director	Goro Miyazaki
Actors	Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Rumi Hiiragi, Yuriko Ishida
Produced	2011 in Japan
Runtime	91 minutes
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
Subtitles	English
Overview	In 1963 in Yokohama, Umi is a 16 year old high school girl and lives in a house located on a hill overlooking the harbour. Every morning she raises a signal flag which is "a pray for everybody to get a safe trip" as her father died on his ship during the Korean war. Meanwhile the entire nation is going through a transformation to ready itself for the approaching Tokyo Olympic Games, and old buildings are being destroyed for new ones. The old crumbling Culture Club "Quartier Latin" building inside Umi's high school is also about to be swept over by the transformation. Shun is one of student leaders trying to protect the beloved building and they garner enthusiastic support from students. Then as Umi suggests, they begin their opposition by cleaning up the place. But this "clean up" will go further than they think...
My thoughts	is done with style. Admittedly I did not know this in advance, so selecting to watch it with the English dub was a bit of a gamble. The animation is... Ghibli. Well, if you've seen other Ghibli films you know that they have a special look. It's anime, but it's Ghibli anime. You like it or you don't. I like it. I'm not a huge anime fan in general, but I do like Ghibli's films. Not all anime fans will like this film as much as I did. I liked it a lot. Give it a chance.
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on April 2nd, 2014)

Look Who's Talking Too, a review by samuelrichardscott

Look Who's Talking Too (1990) - R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
In this hilarious sequel to LOOK WHO'S TALKING, little Mikey figures he's got it made after uniting his mother (Kirstie Alley - TV's 'Veronica's Closet', 'Cheers') with the dad of his dreams (John Travolta - 'Swordfish', 'Pulp Fiction'). But instead of family bliss, Mikey gets the biggest surprise of his life - a baby sister.
Bruce Willis returns as the voice of Mikey, while Roseanne Barr's voice delivers baby Julie's delightful wisecracks. Together, these two fast-talking tots face a series of kiddie dilemmas, including the trials of potty training, their parents' marital squabbles, and an inevitable - but very funny - dose of sibling rivalry. As this loving family is about to learn, twice the trouble is also twice the fun!

My Thoughts:
How do you follow up a movie about a talking baby boy and his first couple of years of life? Easy, get his mother (Kirstie Alley) to marry taxi driver / pilot (John Travolta) and give him a sister voiced by Roseanne Barr. Unfortunately, this isn't much fun and it looks like the cast knew it. The script is not as witty and misses out on the comedy aspect of the film. When the best part of your movie involves a toddler dreaming about a toilet monster, you know you're in trouble. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the worst film out there... I mean, at least there's no talking animals right? Oh, the third movie? Dear god no. Skip this unless you're a (very big) fan of the cast. 2/5

(From Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews) on July 28th, 2010)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 2.03 School Reunion
Writer: Toby Whithouse (Writer), Bob Baker (Original Characters By), Dave Martin (Original Characters By)
Director: James Hawes
Cast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Anthony Head (Mr Finch), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Rod Arthur (Mr Parsons), Eugene Washington (Mr Wagner), Heather Cameron (Nina), Joe Pickley (Kenny), Benjamin Smith (Luke), Clem Tibber (Milo), Lucinda Dryzek (Melissa), Caroline Berry (Dinner Lady), John Leeson (Voice of K9)

The story itself is nothing special, but it is great to see the doctor reunite with Sarah Jane Smith. And I like how the meeting affects Rose.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on March 27th, 2014)