DVD Collectors Online

Babes in Toyland (1961), a review by GSyren

Title	Babes in Toyland (786936-831085)
Director	Jack Donohue
Actors	Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello, Ed Wynn, Tommy Kirk
Produced	1961 in United States
Runtime	106 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles	English
Overview	Disney's triumphant musical production arrives on Blu-ray for the first time, featuring an incredible new digital restoration with enhanced picture and restored sound! The legendary Annette Funicello is at her best in this joyful adventure for the whole family. Experience a fantastic excursion into the world of Mother Goose where all roads lead to magical, merry Toyland. While Mary Contrary (Funicello) and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding, the villainous Barnaby schemes to steal Mary away, setting off a series of hilarious comic chases and double-crosses. Will the silly villain succeed, or will there be a happily ever after for Tom and Mary? Enjoy this delightful fantasy like never before on Blu-ray!
My thoughts	I had originally not planned on getting this title as it didn't really seem like it would be something that I would enjoy. I changed my mind when I learned that Zorro regulars Henry Calvin and Gene Sheldon were in it. I should have trusted my initial instinct. For a Disney musical, Babes in Toyland is unusually drab. The story is mediocre, the songs are uninspired. Annette Funicello is cute, but unexceptional, Tommy Sands comes off as a poor mans Frankie Avalon. Ray Bolger is ok as the villain, but is upstaged by his henchmen (Calvin and Sheldon). The best thing I can say about this blu-ray release is that the video quality is really good. This film might be fun for small kids. And possibly for grown-ups that saw this as a kid. For me it was mostly boring.
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on February 10th, 2014)

King Kong (1933), a review by addicted2dvd

King Kong (1933/United States) Trailer |Wikipedia |IMDb | Warner Home Video Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack Writing: James Creelman (Screenwriter), Ruth Rose (Screenwriter), Edgar Wallace (Original Material By), Merian C. Cooper (Original Material By) Length: 104 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1

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Stars:
King Kong as The Eighth Wonder of the World
Fay Wray as Ann Darrow
Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham
Bruce Cabot as John Driscoll
Frank Reicher as Capt. Englehorn
Sam Hardy as Charles Weston

Plot:
A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal giant gorilla who takes a shine to their female blonde star.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Closed Captioned

This may surprise some of you... but this is the first time I ever seen this film. I have seen both remakes... but never seen the original before today! Something I am glad I finally rectified. Thanks to a good, generous friend that got me a copy after finding out I never seen it before. I must say... I am surprised just how much I enjoyed this one. I definitely prefer it compared to either of the remakes. For such an old film it holds up beautifully. The look of Kong was a lot better then I was expecting considering the age of the film. I must say... I enjoyed every moment of it... one I definitely recommend!

And a big Thank You! to my generous friend for sending me this set! 



(From What Movies I Been Watching on April 24th, 2013)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

What's the show about?
Black King? White Knight? Nate is a former insurance investigator but now he works with a thief (Parker), a hacker (Hardison), a hitter (Eliot) and a grifter (Sophie) to help people the normal law can't or won't help. Nate is a master at Xanatos Speed Chess and he uses this ability to outmanoeuvre his opponents and get what he wants.

"The Nigerian Job"
The CEO of an airplane manufacturer hires Nate to be the boss of a gang of thieves to steal back blueprints that were stolen from him. But he has played them all and tries to get them killed. Now Nate is turning the tables. He hires a new face and old "friend" of his, Sophie, and together they are getting the prints back and the CEO in trouble.

My Opinion
It's a worthy successor of the 80's A-Team and basically as unrealistic - which didn't matter then and doesn't matter now. Back then B.A. welded some steel together and built some form of tank, today Hardison is manipulating any electronic device to get hoodwink the bad guy. The characters are funny to watch and two of them (Nate and Sophie) have an even more personal connection.

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on September 11th, 2009)