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Monthly Archives: December 2011
A quick top ten of 2011
Everyone else is doing one of these Top Ten “best of” things, so why shouldn’t I? In fact the blog feels positively underdressed without one. So here goes, the best of 2011 as seen in the pages of Taking The … Continue reading
The Polar Express (2004) [Blu-ray]
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View This is a late-running postscript to the festive-themed series of reviews – the sort of tardy arrival that the very punctual train guard of The Polar Express … Continue reading
Mamma Mia! (2008)
After admitting at a recent family gathering that I had never seen the film or stage production of Mamma Mia!, the DVD was being whipped out of its cellophane wrapper and into the player in double quick time – and … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged ABBA, colin firth, Julie Walters, Mamma Mia!, Meryl Streep, musical, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård
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Super 8 (2011) [Blu-ray]
Okay, that’s quite enough Christmas fare for one year I reckon. Although perhaps we haven’t moved too far away from the general feel of the time of year by going on to review Super 8, a film about families and … Continue reading
Posted in Film
Tagged Blu-ray, elle fanning, jj abrams, joel courtney, steven spielberg, super 8
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Doctor Who: “The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe”/”A Christmas Carol”
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View Also: does contain spoiler details of the 2010 and 2011 Christmas episodes. It seems that the Doctor Who special is a peculiarly difficult beast to produce successfully, … Continue reading
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View This series of Christmas-themed reviews has ended up being a little more critical than originally intended. I’d expected to be thoroughly delighted with first visits to a … Continue reading
Posted in Film
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The Box of Delights (1984)
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View A Christmas children’s classic right from its opening theme – a spooky and hugely effective reworking of “The First Noël” – right through to the climax at … Continue reading
Posted in Television
Tagged doctor who, John Masefield, Patrick Troughton, Robert Stephens
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is another film that’s not, strictly speaking, a Christmas film; but given that half of it is set in a … Continue reading
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) [Blu-ray]
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View From one Christmassy classic musical (Meet Me In St Louis) to another – but this one couldn’t be a darker, more different or more modern face on … Continue reading
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
Part of a festive series of Christmas-themed reviews at Taking The Short View While an American classic, it might not be quite accurate to call Meet Me In St Louis a “Christmas film”; but since the film’s final scenes are … Continue reading
