Reviews

I recently read Pride and Prejudice, having read and enjoyed Bridget Jones and knowing that it is based on P+P. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, although it took a long time to get through as the writing is such good quality. I remembered the series being shown in 1995, and although I was too young to watch it or have any interest then, I still remember the way it captured the hearts of the whole nation in a way that nothing else had done before or has done since. I managed to scab the video off a friend, and settled myself down one evening to start watching it with my mum. I was expecting it to be good, but - what can I say, it blew me away. We watched about 2 hours that night, and the next day I was so impatient to see the rest that I watched the next 3 hours in one go, without my mum, who wasn't best pleased with me...

All of the humour of the book was captured perfectly. The characters of Mr and Mrs Bennet, Miss Bingley, Lydia and Mary were all hillarious, although I must admit, there were times when all I wanted was to see Darcy! (That lake scene... I have never seen anything quite so erotic!) You could feel the sexual tension and chemistry between Elizabeth and Darcy, they must be one of the best screen pairings ever. Not many others could say so much with one look.

I recommend this very VERY highly, although I do bitterly disappoint having missed out on the frenzy of 6 years ago. Hopefully some other such thing will come along soon. :-)

A high class action film with some thought provoking themes - imagine having to wear the face of the man who killed your son - even if you do have to be lenient with the artistic license. But the bit that most stands out is the ridiculous and really quite psychologically scary ending. Archer's like "Hey look, guys, I've found us a new son to replace the dead one! He even looks the same! Now I can really get over his death." Freud would have a field day.

I used to LOVE this film when I was little and then, like most other kids' films I forgot about it. However, the other night I was babysitting until 3.30am and to keep awake I invaded the family's video collection. On watching Dumbo, I was as moved as ever, but also reminded of what a scary and shadowy film it is. My brother had to be guided out of the cinema, crying with his hands over his eyes, when he saw it, and that says a lot for a kids' film. The use of shadows and silhouettes is widespread and the weather is largely rainy and stormy. I can remember being scared during the scene when the train is travelling through the stormy night and particularly when the men (all black, I notice) are building the Big Top. The Pink Elephants sequence is imaginative and impressive for adults but imagine watching it as a kid - it's pretty scary. It's strange to have a film where the main character, title character even, doesn't actually talk, but I suppose there's nothing for him to say, his actions and expressions say it all. The treatment of Dumbo's mother always gets me, particularly the beautiful and haunting "Baby Mine" scene. However, through all the sadness and sinisterness, the heart of the film shines through, and it's a beautiful one with a wonderful message.

A fine, fine film. In my opinion, children's movies are some of the best ever made but they are often over-looked because they don't have gritty storylines or passionate (physical) romances, but that's what makes them great. They are a fantasy escape into a world we've never seen but we all wish we had. And that's what Mary Poppins does so brilliantly. I don't think that anyone anywhere can honestly, truthfully say that they didn't yearn for Mary Poppins to fly to their doorstep and teach them magic when they were little.

I watched this film religiously as a small child. I LOVED Julie Andrews (and I still do) and used to be fascinated by the fact that Mary and Maria from the Sound of Music (another favourite) were played by the same person. I loved her so much I also used to continually watch her in Victor/Victoria which is quite a rude film involving a lot of gender swapping which, as a five year old, I didn't really understand. Julie is just magical, so graceful and wholesome.

My one fault would be the whole bank palava. I know it's basically the whole story, but as a child I didn't understand maths or money and had no wish to, so I just switched off during that whole bit. There's not enough Mary during that middle bit so there was no incentive for me to watch it. I really do love Mary, but if I had to pick a fault with her, it would be that she is "practically perfect" and she bloody well knows it. She's just not quite modest enough. Also, I always wanted to know who or what exactly Mary was, where she came from, but I suppose it just increases the air of mystery surrounding that wonderful woman who literally goes where the wind takes her.

A great, sing-a-long soundtrack. My personal favourites are the lullabies Mary sings to Jane and Michael and, most of all, Step in Time, the chimney sweeps' rousing song and dance bit on the rooftops of London. Spectacular scenery and great choreography.

I was never particularly into Bert, I could never quite get past that distracting accent, but he is good fun. I always wished they'd explain how Bert and Mary know each other but I guess it's better left to the imagination.

All in all, a great film not to be missed. I know I'll be bringing my children up on it, it's a brilliant imagination-developer. Good, innocent fun. 10/10

What struck me most about this film is something that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet which is the use of colour. For a large section of the film, the overwhelmingly predominant colour is yellow, traditionally the colour of Satan. Then, as the birth draws near and after the birth, blue is brought in, an allusion to the Virgin Mary. There are many scenes symbolically comparing her to Mary, notably one while she is giving birth with her head on a pillow with yellow stripes on it so it appears she has a halo. There are so many things like that to notice, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.

This is my favourite show on TV at the moment. Whenever I'm feeling down ao bored or anything in fact, I just put a Friends tape on and it just makes me feel so happy and warm, it has that affect on everyone I think, whether they're too desperate to be non-conformist to admit it or not. I stick by it when people say it's got worse over the last few years because I think if anything it's got better. Let me be one of the first people here to say I LOVE MONICA AND CHANDLER. Even if no one else does, I think they make a brilliant couple and they have a wonderful chemistry. I watched it religiously from the beginning but began to lose some of my enthusiasm during the mid-seasons, even going so far as to miss a few episodes! However, C+M's enchanting relationship got me hooked again, it breathed a breath of fresh air into a flagging show. It needed that change around. Their characters have changed slightly since, but I like the changes, everyone changes as years go by, especially when you're in such an important relationship. It would be unrealistic if they didn't change at all. I would say however that they should finish it soon. I will be very upset when it finishes, but I can't help but think that signing on for another 2 years was a mistake. I'm not really sure if they can keep it up, but I always keep a positive attitude towards it because I have faith that it will.

Dawson's Creek is really good but I really wish they'd end the stupid, unconvincing Pacey/Joey thing and get Dawson and Joey back together. It's lost its magic since they ended it. They spent so much time building on it, it seems ridiculous to just dump it. It was the best thing DC had going for it. Pacey and Joey are just a transparent attempt to "liven the show up a bit"

My earliest memories of this film are of my sister going through a huge River Phoenix phase just after he died and watching this film over and over again. A while ago I remembered it and watched it and now I can't get enough. I'm only 15, so this film has really affected me and made me view my friendships in a different light. Oh and River Phoenix is luuuuuuush!