CD-Charts Position 1
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Harvey [1950]

starring: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Victoria Horne, Peggy Dow, Cecil Kellaway
directed by: Henry Koster

Release Date June 04, 2007
Don't be put off by the crackly black and white format and the dated set. Yes, it's a daft story about a drunk who thinks he has an invisible rabbit for a friend, but it is also allegorical and deep. It's really funny! - farcical comings and goings and mix ups, so be ready to laugh along to those bits. There's gentle humour too, like when the doctor becomes the patient and the chief psychiatrist tells James Stewart his deepest longings. A gem of a scene.

It's a theme that keeps coming up in films today - Nicholas Cage does the same kind of thing - asks us whether our logical, rational view of life is actually the best way to live. Only in this one, James Stewart, handsome and cute though he is, is never the love interest and never ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Classic Sci-Fi Collection : Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers / Thing From Another World / Incredible Shrinking Man / This Island Earth / Creature From The Black Lagoon / It Came From Outer Space

starring: Kevin McCarthy, Ken Tobey, Grant Williams, Jeff Morrow, Richard Carlson
directed by: Don Siegel, Christian I. Nyby, Jack Arnold, Joseph Newman

Release Date October 01, 2007
What with their impressive roster of 1930s GOTHIC-HORROR chillers and this batch of essential 1950s sci-fi, UNIVERSAL have served, extremely well, the requirements of those interested in fantasy cinema that stretches further back than just the latest multiplex blockbuster.

In their day, these were amongst the all-time highlights on offer in this field, and though they are obviously the result of significantly lesser budgets than today's glossy-but-mostly-braindead cinematic outings, these movies retain the personal stamp of the creators who filmed them, and as a result are more personal--and engaging-----than much of today's sprawling epics, which tend to bludgeon the viewer senseless with non-stop spectacle.


Anyone ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Directed By Douglas Sirk - Has Anyone Seen My Gal?/All I Desire/Magnificent Obsession/All That Heaven Allows/Written On The Wind/The Tarnished Angels/Imitation Of Life

starring: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel, Virginia Grey
directed by: Douglas Sirk

Release Date January 15, 2007
It seemed like a few reviewers had experienced Doomsday when watching Magnificent Obsession in this collection. Well, for those who have been fortunate enough to have watched this in its original aspect ratio it may be so. However, being a movie fan who has quite recently discovered Sirk, it was far more important to watch the film for the first time. I even had a good time doing so, and didn't find anything wrong with it. I can recommend the collection.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Winchester '73 [1950]

starring: James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Jay C. Flippen, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea
directed by: Anthony Mann

Release Date June 04, 2007
Winchester `73 was the film that moved director Anthony Mann from the b-movies to the big league, rescuing James Stewart's floundering post-war career in the process by casting him as a conflicted hero (although since he inherited the project from Fritz Lang, maybe Lang deserves the credit for that). Both men would go to much darker places - Mann already had with the remarkably bleak Devil's Doorway, which remained shelved by MGM until the success of Broken Arrow convinced them to release it - but a movie about a man hunting down his own brother as the rifle of the title is handed from person to person along the trail before it ends up in one of the director's beloved mountainside shootouts is still stronger meat than you'd expect from the studio system. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Winter Wonderland

starring: Lynne Roberts, Charles Drake, Roman Bohnen, Eric Blore, Elinor Donahue
directed by: Bernard Vorhaus

Release Date September 29, 2008
This DVD is basically 47 minutes worth of nothing new. It simply contains footage of winter scenes from 3 or 4 other disney films with commentry in between. It's not worth the money in my opinion.

CD-Charts Position 6
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Out Of Towners [1970]

starring: Jack Lemmon, Sandy Dennis, Glenn Ford, Geraldine Page, Angela Lansbury
directed by: Delbert Mann

Release Date December 01, 2003
IF you are fed up of the endless comedies that hollywood churn out nowadays, then this movie is highly recommended. I was born after this movie was made and it says a lot that i have to go back to find the quality of comedy that is sorely lacking at present. Jack lemmon must get to a job interview in NewYork, but on the way is held up by an endless list of events which are hilarious and brilliantly thought out.

Very few actors aside from Lemmon could have played this role so well, and every scene he portrays every emotion known. He is amusing, hysterical and embarrassing all at the same time. Any fans of hold the front page, the odd couple etc will really enjoy this. Their is a remake, but this original version is far superior.

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CD-Charts Position 7
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It Came From Outer Space [1953]

starring: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake
directed by: Jack Arnold

Release Date February 06, 2006
This 1950's Sci-fi classic is well worth getting. It influenced a number of films that followed it and stands up well, even now, over 50 years later.

Really its only obvious weakness is the alien spacecraft in flight, which special effect wise is very poor. However, in most other areas this is a great film. The acting is pretty good, the other special effects are well done and best of all is the sense of paranoia that runs throughout the film. Seeing this film at the Cinema in the 1950's must have been some experience for the audience as there is a sense of foreboding which must have been very unusual in its day.

In the end of course this being 'Hollywood' we know everything will be alright in the end, but this film keeps you guessing ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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The Lady Eve [1941]

starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest
directed by: Preston Sturges

Release Date October 02, 2006
sturges indeed did god proud for creating adam with his intelligently witty script which discovered the comic genius of both sturges and fonda ,but the limelight is stolen as always by stanwyck as eve,without her it is impossible to contemplate a movie so perfect in timing and in emotional harmony with it's simple plot ,yet so profoundly rich in affect with love and comedy,

if this was the archetype of the romcom ,then i regret to say that hollywood is in stone age today compared to the forties as this works at every dimension and all the human senses are satiated besides the sense of style and intelligence .

that it does so by an impossible plot twist which does not bother you the least is due to the delicious presentation where frothy ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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The Swimmer [1968]

starring: Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Tony Bickley, Marge Champion
directed by: Frank Perry, Sydney Pollack

Release Date May 26, 2003
Almost any film Burt Lancaster is in usually gets my attention & The Swimmer is no exception, in fact I think it was one of his more complicated roles, one which was tailor made for Burt. Hard to believe Burt was 55, My God he had the body of an athletic 33 old, great shape almost as good as his acting ability. From what I read he actually could not swim prior to doing this film & never liked getting into the water!
I have watched tis film many times now & each time I see another glimpse of the brilliance that was & is Burt Lancaster. A tormented & lost soul is seen in this most unique of films , where Ned Merrill suffers the illusion of "normality & a secure Family Life" only those around him know better, what attracts me to Lancaster as an ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Valley Of The Dolls / Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls [1967]

starring: Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom
directed by: Mark Robson, Russ Meyer

Release Date January 05, 2004
I bought this set as I'd seen Beyond the Valley of the Dolls late one night some years back on Channel 4, and quite liked it.

Valley of the Dolls however, I do not like. I bought the set as the 2 films together (on 2 DVDs) cost about £1 more than buying Beyond the Valley of the Dolls on its own. I just didn't enjoy Valley of the Dolls, it's dated (not in a cool way), and far too serious.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls however is a mad, highly entertaining film. It's a Russ Meyer classic with insane storylines, curvy women, and chisel-jawed men.
This film is also dated, but in a "cool" way.
No subject is taboo here, there's drugs, lesbians, gays, a nazi, a transexual, etc...
Overall Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a highly enteraining ... Read More: