The story will be familiar to many youngsters. St. Valentine's Day has come round again and there is nothing in the post box for poor old Charlie Brown. No matter how many times he jumps up to that box, reaches inside, checks and re-checks, there is nothing in there for him. But the story does have a happy ending, and there is fun a-plenty along the way. Part of the charm of these stories is the way they're animated simply and with a laid back, complementary musical score. The children who provide the voices are all well cast and the action never flags.

The DVD presentation is minimal. The film is not remastered, and needs some dirt and scratches cleaned as well as the (mono) soundtrack. There are NO special features, but the Studio has given us two supporting cartoons, neither of which are quite as good as Be My Valentine. Neither the voices nor animation quite hit the mark, but they're reasonably pleasant and justify the cost of a DVD more than if just one thirty minute animation had been included

Mel Gibson plays a World War II test pilot who is accidentally frozen for over fifty years and rediscovered in 1992. His story is about the love he lost in the 1930s, his friendship with two boys and the mother of one of them, and finally how he regains the love he lost.

The sets for the cryogenic chamber are some of the best I have seen, with gleaming copper and brass making a believable 1930s hi-technology. The film does let itself down with the ageing make-up in its latter stages, despite the fact that two men receive an on-screen credit for 'special' make-up. The main characters are likeable, even the kid played by Elijah Wood in one of his early screen roles. Jamie Lee Curtis puts in a good performance, although it's amazing how she has time to look so good when she is a nurse and a mother and trying to find the man of her dreams!

All in all an enjoyable film with an unexpected but romantic ending.

I must mention the illustrations, which are a mixture of photographs, drawings, and diagrams. These have obviously been sought out with the utmost care by the author, another sign that he knows his subject. They would benefit from better reproduction as some seem smudged and details are blotchy on some. Another requirement (in the next edition please!) would be for five pages of the book to be used for maps of the great lakes showing the positions of all the lighthouses.

Ivan tries to make money in the city...

The soundtrack is populated with reggae classics from the likes of The Melodians, Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff himself, and it's just as well the title song is a classic as it's played about four or five times!

This film is essential for anyone wanting to see the real Jamaica, away from the tourist spots and the dance-halls. You can almost smell the shanty towns, illustrated best by the sign saying 'please don't pass urine, people live here'. Even if you don't pay attention to the action, enjoy it for the songs.

This wartime story centres round two boys whose father sends them to live with their grandmother so he can repay a debt. There's an air of tragedy throughout this comic film. The debt is the hospital expenses of the boys' dead mother, and much of the film is spent dwelling on this and other deaths in the family. But Neil Simon does it so well, and the comedic moments do not in any way lessen the impact of the more melancholy scenes. The screenplay was adapted by Simon from his own play and it shows, with almost all scenes set in Grandma's house. But this does not detract from what is a very well made, enjoyable movie.

The first three Harry Palmer films were very much products of their times in that they were made during the 'cold war' and had much of their action set in Swinging London. They also benefitted from a young Michael Caine establishing himself as a screen star. The new films had to change approach. London now seems to be full of nothing but traffic, the cold war is supposedly over, and Caine's age meant that it became incongruous to have him in exactly the same role he played thirty years earlier.

This situation has been tackled before. Callan, James Bond, and Smiley have all come out of retirement, Glasnost has been tackled well in the later James Bonds, and the emphasis on London is seldom seen these days in British films.
So to some extent Harry Palmer's comeback is a cross between Never Say Never Again and GoldenEye and it all seems a bit familiar. Nevertheless Caine's watchability and charm keep the film moving and the rather slow opening soon gives way to classy chases, set pieces, and so on, all laced with the cynicism and intelligence that characterised the first three movies. The score by Rick Wakeman is good, being based on traditional Russian music, but in places it's inappropriate and undermines the action.

It's a bit of a shame these films weren't made in the 1970s or 1980s as the transition would have been easier, but all in all, it's good to see him back.

The first three Harry Palmer films were very much products of their times in that they were made during the 'cold war' and had much of their action set in Swinging London. They also benefitted from a young Michael Caine establishing himself as a screen star. The new films had to change approach. London now seems to be full of nothing but traffic, the cold war is supposedly over, and Caine's age meant that it became incongruous to have him in exactly the same role he played thirty years earlier.

This situation has been tackled before. Callan, James Bond, and Smiley have all come out of retirement, Glasnost has been tackled well in the later James Bonds, and the emphasis on London is seldom seen these days in British films.
So to some extent Harry Palmer's comeback is a cross between Never Say Never Again and GoldenEye and it all seems a bit familiar. Nevertheless Caine's watchability and charm keep the film moving and the rather slow opening soon gives way to classy chases, set pieces, and so on, all laced with the cynicism and intelligence that characterised the first three movies. The score by Rick Wakeman is good, being based on traditional Russian music, but in places it's inappropriate and undermines the action.

It's a bit of a shame these films weren't made in the 1970s or 1980s as the transition would have been easier, but all in all, it's good to see him back.

I have read the book and Van Sant's adaptation is very faithful. The sexuality is only hinted at and this is carried forward in the film in the brief scenes of touching between Rain Phoenix and Uma Thurman. Despite being twenty years old, Rain still manages to look like a young teenager, and this perhaps undermines the intention of the scenes with her. If there is such a thing as perfect casting it is that of k.d. lang as the soundtrack composer and performer, which fits as perfectly as you would expect. John Hurt almost reprises his Quentin Crisp in his role as The Duchess, a much louder performance than I imagined from the book, but nevertheless funny and well-observed. All in all, there are some enjoyable and interesting bits and pieces in this film, even if it doesn't quite hit the high tide mark of Van Sant's other achievements.

To some extent this is a typical vehicle for a pop star, but Cliff acquits himself well and fares better than Elvis did in some of his movies. There is a pretty good soundtrack featuring several great songs written by Cliff Richard's backing group, The Shadows, plus one or two old-fashioned musical numbers.

The quality control is high as director John Badham and writer Jim Kouf from the original movie return to the fray with their original stars.

This movie has a simple plot, but the charming characters, witty script, and well-directed action sequences make it an enjoyable way to spend one and three-quarter hours.

The dancing is a delight. The accompanying 'making-of' documentary shows how Michael Kidd cleverly made is so that the macho brothers didn't actually dance much unless it was appropriate, instead he had them jumping and moving to time. Interviews with most of the main cast members and director Stanley Donen make this an interesting extra, even if short at 35 minutes. There's also a trailer and subtitles (ideal if you plan to sing-along!).

The techniocolor works very well in this restored version, particularly with the brightly coloured shirts the brothers wear and the pastel shade dresses worn by the brides. There is stereo sound too, not bad for 1954. All in all, you have such a good time watching this you forget the back-projection and rather obvious backdrop paintings which might otherwise detract from this movie.

The dancing is a delight. The accompanying 'making-of' documentary shows how Michael Kidd cleverly made is so that the macho brothers didn't actually dance much unless it was appropriate, instead he had them jumping and moving to time. Interviews with most of the main cast members and director Stanley Donen make this an interesting extra, even if short at 35 minutes. There's also a trailer and subtitles (ideal if you plan to sing-along!).

The techniocolor works very well in this restored version, particularly with the brightly coloured shirts the brothers wear and the pastel shade dresses worn by the brides. There is stereo sound too, not bad for 1954. All in all, you have such a good time watching this you forget the back-projection and rather obvious backdrop paintings which might otherwise detract from this movie.

The dancing is a delight. The accompanying 'making-of' documentary shows how Michael Kidd cleverly made is so that the macho brothers didn't actually dance much unless it was appropriate, instead he had them jumping and moving to time. Interviews with most of the main cast members and director Stanley Donen make this an interesting extra, even if short at 35 minutes. There's also a trailer and subtitles (ideal if you plan to sing-along!).

The techniocolor works very well in this restored version, particularly with the brightly coloured shirts the brothers wear and the pastel shade dresses worn by the brides. There is stereo sound too, not bad for 1954. All in all, you have such a good time watching this you forget the back-projection and rather obvious backdrop paintings which might otherwise detract from this movie.

There are some amusing supporting performances, notably from later Wizard Of Oz Frank Morgan as the Mayor, and silent star Harry Langdon nearly stealing the show as Egghead, an intellectual, left wing tramp, who has some pretty progressive dialogue for 1933. This film is dated in some ways, but stands up well to the ravages of time, with Jolson in particular seeming fresh and enjoyable throughout.

Originally formed as the Drifters to back emerging rocker Cliff Richard, they came into their own with their influential instrumental Apache, which shot to number one in the singles charts in 1960. They followed this with four number one singles and four number one albums, they had a career that stretched through numerous comebacks until their eventual inexplicable split in the 1990s. They inspired Townshend, Clapton, and Harrison to pick up the electric guitars, as well as many who never made it but still enjoy a good strum.

Though they have made several outstanding albums since their debut, it is the simplicity and quality of The Shadows which makes it my favourite. Shadoogie is a basic piano boogie re-worked for electric guitars and sped up a little. The crunchy sound from the Vox amplifiers emphasises the precision of the lead and rhythm playing. Blue Star takes a beautiful melody to higher planes, principally through Hank's lead, and some nice percussion. Although Nivram was only an album track, it remained a live favourite throughout the Shadows' career.

Baby My Heart is a cool vocal number with Jet taking the lead and Hank and Bruce providing backing. This is perhaps the only element of the album which has dated, seeming a bit bubble-gum nowadays. See You In My Drums is a worthwhile drum `solo' from Tony Meehan. His drumming has always sounded crisp, with a lot of tight snare work, and this is an appropriate showcase for his talent. All My Sorrows is a folk standard brought up-to-date by the boys with their distinctive vocal harmonies. Who says that folk rock started with Dylan? This was 1961 after all.

Stand Up And Say That is a rocking piano instrumental showing that Hank Marvin is great on the keyboard, this being reminiscent of the Floyd Cramer number `On The Rebound', with a touch of Winifred Atwell thrown in. Find Me A Golden Street has a slow beautiful sound, this buzzed round my head for weeks after I first heard it. In Theme From A Filleted Place, the boys show their sense of humour, (after all, instrumentals can be called anything). This is a terrifically fast tune with staccato falsetto lead guitar picking from Hank contributing to its distinctive sound. That's My Desire is another vocal - perhaps a little slow, the harmonies are based on the Everly Brothers but with a third voice added, again showing them to be ahead of their time.

In summary, this is not only a technically masterful album, but an addictive one to listen to. If you want to know how things were done in 1961, this is the record for you!

The film benefits from a decent if unremarkable score by William Walton. Stock film from real Battle Of Britain Spitfire flights lends verisimilitude, but the footage is unnecessarily scratched and dirty, bearing in mind the film was near contemporary.

"Mitch" was apparently suffering from cancer at the time he developed the Spitfire, yet this is skirted around and the word 'cancer' is never used, he is just told coyly that he might not have long to live unless he stops working. The script is typical of its time, mixing some gung-ho patriotism with some sentiment, but it has not aged badly compared to some films made
during the war.

The film benefits from a decent if unremarkable score by William Walton. Stock film from real Battle Of Britain Spitfire flights lends verisimilitude, but the footage is unnecessarily scratched and dirty, bearing in mind the film was near contemporary.

"Mitch" was apparently suffering from cancer at the time he developed the Spitfire, yet this is skirted around and the word 'cancer' is never used, he is just told coyly that he might not have long to live unless he stops working. The script is typical of its time, mixing some gung-ho patriotism with some sentiment, but it has not aged badly compared to some films made
during the war.