Ballet Shoes Review

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(More customer reviews)BALLET SHOES (starring Emma Watson... celebrated for her lead roles in the Harry Potter films...along with an all-star acclaimed ensemble cast) is absolutely wonderful. I personally am in love it. Targeting a very large and underserved audience which is best defined as "moms and their daughters", Ballet Shoes is a film about realizing ambitions; a film where its tag line `dreams do come true' is really the `spot on' underlying message of the film... and the storyline. I believe it is destined to be a huge success for it is a tale of inspiration indeed.
A big-budget Granada film production, originally for the BBC, Ballet Shoes is based on the literary classic penned by Noel Streatfeild that women especially are very familiar with as key reading material from their childhood. A costume drama with absolutely stunning cinematography, the film portrays 1930's London with a sense of dreamy realism. For those who recall the box office smash "You've Got Mail", the book is the one being sought after that Meg Ryan launches into a verbal expose about. Ms. Ryan was right on the money, as is this adaptation of the tale.
Ballet Shoes is the story of three orphan girls; Petrova, Posie and Pauline (Emma Watson) who are raised as sisters after being brought together by a rich, world traveler as babies. As they grow up, each girl develops a dream of their own. Pauline wants to be an actress; Petrova longs to be an aviator; Posie wishes to dance. Circumstances bring them together, and together they vow to go down in the history books. "We three Fossils vow...". This vow launches the three Fossil sisters on their voyage, a journey that they travel individually as well as together, one that can only serve to inspire any young girl who watches the film.
On a personal note, I watched this film with my 8 year old daughter and 6 year old son. While my son fought to pay attention (not surprising), my daughter was riveted throughout the film. The appearance of `Hermoine' as a teen brought her into focus early on, and then the tale itself kept her eyes and ears wide open. She's asked repeatedly to watch Ballet Shoes again, which of course she has. My son, of course, is back to watching `his thing', Spiderman, Superman and The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers...
Ballet Shoes, in a certain sense, is a long form faerie tale, and I recommend it with no reservations whatsoever as superb family viewing.


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Dreams do come true… Emma Watson (Hermione from Harry Potter) stars in Ballet Shoes, a heartwarming and uplifting film based on the beloved, best-selling novel by Noel Streatfeild and featuring an award-winning cast that includes Emilia Fox, Victoria Wood, Richard Griffiths and Eileen Atkins. "We three Fossils vow to put our name in the history book, because it is ours, and ours alone…" With these words, three orphans, raised as sisters, leave their sheltered lives and embark on an exhilarating journey that takes them to the heights of the stage, screen and sky! DVD EXTRAS: Exclusive 20-Minute Interview with Emma Watson Deleted Scenes, Ballet Shoes Audiobook Excerpt

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Acting Shakespeare (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw this video in my high school British Lit. class in 1986 and was mesmerized. I was not a particular fan of Shakespeare at the time, was in fact one of those kids who found Shakespeare mostly boring and irrelevant, but this turned me on to all that Shakespeare can be and why he has remained popular for so long. I have been a huge fan of Ian McKellan ever since; he is superb in this. I have been looking for this video for years, checking McKellan's website, ebay and everywhere I could think of, so I was so excited when I googled the title today, and found it on Amazon! I cannot recommend McKellan's _Acting Shakespeare_ highly enough. It remains, in my memory, the best theatre -- Shakespeare or otherwise -- that I have ever seen. It is just Ian McKellan on a bare stage, no props or costumes as far as I remember, performing monologues from several Shakespearian plays and commenting on the plays and characters and how he approaches them. The simplicity is perhaps part of what makes this so beautifully done.As it hasn't been released yet, I cannot comment on the technical quality of the sound or video. My hope is that the reason they took so long to release it is because they were picky about getting the audio and video quality right. Anyway, it is superb.

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A masterful tour de force from "one of the most distinguished performers of his generation" (The New York Times).
Alone on stage, without props or costumes, Ian McKellen performs some of Shakespeare\'s most striking monologues and offers his own personal anecdotes about life in the theater. From Henry VI to Macbeth, McKellen demonstrates the incredible universality of Shakespeare\'s plays with wit and humor – skillfully revealing the actor behind the writer in this celebrated one-man show.
Produced by Andrew Susskind and presented at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
Also includes an 8-page booklet with reflections by Ian McKellen.

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Extras - The Complete First Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, let me help you out! As a British ex-pat living in the USA perhaps I can shed some light on who these "famous" people are:
Ep. 3 Ross Kemp: A former regular cast member of BBC soap "Eastenders", he played tough-thug-with a-heart-of-gold Grant Mitchell ('e loved 'is Mum, 'e did!) for many years, then went on to front a TV show about fishing. Hmm.
Ep. 3 Shaun Williamson: Another Eastenders regular, he played failed son of a second-hand car dealer Barry Evans, who (in the show) married Natalie, who had an affair with Ricky, who was married to Samantha Mitchell (Grant's sister). Oh, and Barry's father was married to Ricky's mother, Pat. It's all true!!
Ep. 3 Vinnie Jones: Actually you may have heard of him - he was recently seen in X-Men 3: The Last Stand as Juggernaut. He was also in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (debt collecting) and Swordfish (random thug). In the UK however, Jones is best known for playing football (sorry, Soccer...) for Wimbledon and grabbing fellow UK football star Paul Gascoigne by the scrotum during a game (all true and caught on film). I realize it may be confusing for those who associate Wimbledon only with Tennis, but the place is well known for its (now defunct) football team and Wombles (but that is another tale for another day).
Ep. 5 Les Dennis: Les came to the public eye as part of a comedy/impersonations duo with Dustin Gee on Russ Abbott's Mad House (old-fashioned British humor from the eighties, say no more), which led to their own show "The Laughter Show". Their best known skit featured impersonations of Vera Duckworth (Gee) and Mavis Riley (Dennis) from UK soap Coronation Street. The Mavis Riley character was known for being wimpy, downtrodden and indecisive, hence Dennis's (over)use of the phrase, "I don't really know!"
Dennis's more recent role was that of host of Family Fortunes (the UK version of Family Feud) which spawned his famous catchphrase, "If it's up there I'll give you the money myself", when contestants came out with particularly stupid answers. Both of these catchphrases feature in the Extras episode, hence the long and boring explanation.I hope that shed some light on things. Episode numbers are per HBO screening. Fortunately there are fewer UK celebs in Season One than in Season Two!

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Meet Andy Millman, Actor. Never forgets his lines because he never gets any. Andy (Ricky Gervais) is a desperate man. He's been an actor for five years but thanks to his useless agent (Stephen Merchant), he?s never done any real acting. Instead, he?s a lowly film extra, making his mark in the background while the stars do their work. His partner in arms is the pitiable Maggie, a fellow extra and a hopeless romantic. Andy may be an extra, but he?s a star in his own right. Too bad nobody else agrees.DVD Features:Deleted Scenes:Never-before-seen deleted scenes featuring Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Stewart. Over 20 minutes of exclusive outtakes. Other:"The Difficult Second Album" behind-the-scenes featurette. "Finding Leo" -- Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant?s desperate attempt to secure a guest appearance by one of Hollywood?s top celebrity?s. Deleted ScenesFeaturette:The Difficult Second Album- Behind the scenes of EXTRAS Finding Leo- featuretteOuttakes

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That Girl - Season One (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews)This set is a big box of eye candy and I'm so pleased to have it.
That Girl is a television series that aired from 1966-1971. Shout Factory recently released That Girl season one on DVD. The colorful five disc set includes all thirty episodes from the shows first season. The picture and sound quality is great on the episodes.
If That Girl was before your time let me refresh your memory. The set includes the pilot episode. In this episode Ann Marie is seen in the big city pursuing her acting career. She is working at a counter when she is spotted by film makers looking for a last minute actress. On her lunch break she decides to look at a desk that is for sale and she crosses paths with a man named Don who is also interested in the desk. They cross paths later in the evening while she is filming a kidnapping scene and he thinks she is being kidnapped for real and he tries to rescue her. Everything works out fine and Ann Marie and Donald become boyfriend and girlfriend.
Although That Girl aired in the 1960's, it really opened the door for women sitcom stars. This show was before Mary Tyler Moore and decades before shows like Murphy Brown, Blossom, Ally McBeal, Ellen,Grace Under Fire and Suddenly Susan. The situations that Ann Marie finds herself in our themes that became common in the Hollywood sitcom. Babysitting woes, minor court cases, problems with parents, and much more.
This is a really great set and one of the best TV on DVD sets Shout has ever released. It's so bright and colorful and full of bonus features. Bonus material includes:
-Original That Girl Pilot Episode
-That Show...That Woman...The Creation Of That Girl with Marlo Thomas
-That Girl promos
-That Girl in New York with Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky
-Audio commentaries with Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky


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That Girl ran five seasons on ABC (following Bewitched) from 1966-1971 at a time when the three broadcast networks captured 95% of the viewing audience. Marlo Thomas’ character, Ann, was groundbreaking as an independent female forging her own way and forever changed the manner in which women were portrayed on TV, influencing the development of many of the other successful female-lead shows that followed, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Kate & Allie and more.Wildly popular, That Girl received four Emmy® nominations, as well as a Golden Globe Award for Thomas for Best TV Star Actress. The That Girl cast included Ted Bessel (Hollinger), Ruth Buzzi, George Carlin, Dabney Coleman, Rosemary DeCamp and Lew Parker (Lou Marie) and featured such notable guest stars as Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Carl Reiner and Danny Thomas (Marlo's father).This 5-DVD box set features all 30 half-hour episodes from the historic first season plus: • Original That Girl pilot episode • "The Making Of That Girl Featurette" with Marlo Thomas • That Girl Promos • That Girl In New York with Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky • Audio commentaries with Marlo Thomas and Bill Persky

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