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Some people consider "Bug's Life" as not being on the same level of quality as other Pixar productions, but I really can not agree with them. My daughter clearly wouldn't agree either. This is a very funny movie, with a lot of interesting innovations (we will never look at bugs in the same way, me and my family) and a kind of surprising kindness - even the bad guys are shown with some understanding (having chosen the life of parasite racketeers, they are now trapped by it - as much as their ant victims). The principal hero is possibly one of the most likeable characters I ever saw. A little warning - there is one scene at the end, of the final demise of the leader of grasshoppers, that can impress the littlest children (under 6) - otherwise this movie is just perfect. The missed outtakes chapter at the end of the movie is probably the best I ever saw in a kids movie. Really perfect for a rainy sunday afternoon.

Whenever you think of Jim Henson's Muppets, the fuzzy kooky variety shows and entertaining adventures of Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Kermit the Frog come to mind.

But these versatile puppets have been used for far more dramatic effects in "The Dark Crystal," an exquisite little fantasy story that happens to be entirely populated by puppets. Not a live person in sight, from start to finish. Henson and Brian Froud conjured up a gloriously detailed world -- full of fantastical flora and fauna, crystalline castles and strange creatures -- and wrapped it around a solid coming-of-age story.

On another world, there are two strange races that appeared one thouysand years ago -- the enormous, gentle, peaceful Mystics, and the nasty, vulture-like, vicious Skekses who ruin the surrounding lands. Both races are somehow connected to a massive crystal that was broken a thousand years ago, and now a shard is missing from it. What's more, three suns are about to come into conjunction, and the shard has to be back in place when that happens.

The Mystics have cared for one of the last Gelflings, an orphan named Jen whom they rescued from the insectile Garthim. As the conjunction approaches, they send him out to find the lost shard. Along the way, Jen gains the crystal shard for himself, and meets the only other living Gelfling, Kira. Now they must both evade the Skekses' Garthim henchmen and bat-winged spies, and somehow infiltrate their castle. But what will happen when the suns line up, and the crystal is completed?

Many fantasy movies slap together a story that has been told many times before, but increasingly without interest -- throw in swords, some monsters, a brave prince or farm boy, and some evil witch/queen/wizard/Dark Lord. But fortunately nothing is so simple in "The Dark Crystal" -- although the origins of the Skekses and Mystics are pretty obvious from the very start of the movie, the journey along with Jen is what really makes this interesting.

Instead of some pan-medieval land, "The Dark Crystal" aims at portraying a truly alien world, and Brian Froud's slightly weird designs make it seem so -- strange swamp reptiles, colorful anemones, vast crystalline castles, desiccated vulture-like creature, shrieking fuzzballs, and gorgeous forests full of strange plants and animals that tend to move and act in unique ways. "The Dark Crystal" leaves you feeling like you've been transported to some other planet.

Additionally, this film also has the honor of being the first major movie to entirely star puppets, with nary a human being in sight -- some of those puppets still walk in a herky-jerky Muppet manner, but their design is utterly detailed and believable, from Jen's sort-of-human, fawnlike features to the vast four-armed Mystics, and the rattling armored Garthim soldiers. And the special effects end up being pretty spectacular, especially during the chaotic literally earthshattering climax -- while the finale is rather predictable, it is no less awe-inspiring for that.

At times it feels like the characterization gets a backseat to the movie's visuals, but Jen and fellow Gelfling orphan Kira are fairly likable, naive young heroes who develop a cute little romance throughout the story. The various Skekses are given individual quirks and personalities (such as the annoying Chamberlain who won't stop humming). Not to mention the abrasive, lumpy witch Aughra, who's an absolute riot ("Whole world might burn up... hmph... end of Augra!") and Kira's toothy fuzzball Fizzgig.

"The Dark Crystal" has some predictable plot twists, but it is also a glorious visual feast and a coming-of-age journey with the Gelflings, leading to a finale both awe-inspiring and bittersweet. Definitely a must-see.

"With England conquered, nothing can stand in our way. Northern Africa... Europe as far east as the Urals... then the New World: to the north, to the south, west to the Pacific..." No, that's not Hitler speaking to his generals. The year is 1585 and that's Phillip II speaking to his admirals. Phillip is busy building his armada so he can conquer England, while Elizabeth dithers indecisively. She doesn't want to start a war with Spain, but she doesn't mind capturing a bit of Spanish treasure if the action can't be traced back to her. She relies on the Sea Hawks, English privateers who go after Spanish ships to capture Spanish riches for Elizabeth...and for themselves. It's also 1940 and Warner Brothers wanted this film to demonstrate to American audiences how brave the British are as they faced the Nazis. After giving us this message, Warner Brothers proceeds to the real point, selling movie tickets to a great rouser of an adventure story. Errol Flynn plays Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, the most adventurous and patriotic of the Sea Hawks. In the course of little over two hours, we'll be with him as fights Spanish warships, struggles through Panamanian swamps, is chained to the oars of a galley, leads his men in a revolt, thrusts and slashes his way through numerous sword fights, uncovers an English traitor (Henry Daniell), falls in love with Dona Anna (Brenda Marshall), niece of Don Jose Alvarez de Cordoba (Claude Raines), the slippery Spanish ambassador to Elizabeth (Flora Robson), delivers vital evidence to the Queen of Phillip's true intentions...and at last, overcoming all obstacles, becomes Sir Geoffrey, ready to lead the fight against the Armada as he listens to Elizabeth's inspiring words..."And now, my loyal subjects, a grave duty confronts us all: To prepare our nation for a war that none of us wants, least of all your queen. We have tried by all means in our power to avert this war. We have no quarrel with the people of Spain or of any other country; but when the ruthless ambition of a man threatens to engulf the world, it becomes the solemn obligation of all free men to affirm that the earth belongs not to any one man, but to all men, and that freedom is the deed and title to the soil on which we exist." At the last moment, Warner Brothers remembered it was 1940.

The Sea Hawk is a swashbuckler of the old school, a first-rate if predictable tale of swords and derring-do. Jack Warner lavished resources on the production. Every dollar shows up on the screen. The miniatures of the ships are exquisitely detailed and the full-scale ship sets look substantial. The rigging may or may not be accurate, I wouldn't know, but all those ropes and spars are impressive. Great attention is placed on lighting and mood. Scenes are carefully composed, with every palm frond and tree branch arranged for maximum framing. Sure, no Panamanian swamp or English garden ever looked as well groomed, but it all adds to the impression of a wonderfully detailed adventure story.

Flynn does a typically impressive job leaping about, skewering his enemies and leading his men. Surprisingly, he does a better job charming Elizabeth than he does striking sparks with Brenda Marshall. She was not an especially captivating actress to begin with. In Sea Hawk, she also spent most of her time separated from Flynn and needing to look either sad or distressed. The part didn't give her much to work with, and the lack of rapport between her and Flynn makes for a clock-work romance. On the other hand, Flynn has to deal with two first-rate villains in Claude Raines and Henry Daniell. Raines, with that smooth voice and frequently cocked eyebrow, almost steals the film. Daniell, with his cool condescension, matches the cool contempt Basil Rathbone brought to Robin Hood. As Elizabeth, Flora Robson does a fine, ripe job. Robson was a first-rate stage and screen actress. She became Dame Flora Robson in 1960. Also satisfying is the large number of character actors populating the movie with names you may not recall but with faces as familiar as old friends...among them Gilbert Roland, Alan Hale, Montague Love, Donald Crisp, Edgar Buchanan, Una O'Connor, Whit Bissell and, one of my favorites, J. M. Kerrigan. Kerrigan was a short, round man who could play twinkling elves, nervous down-and-outers or unreliable second-raters. As a sleazy opportunist, he's the main reason to enjoy Gary Cooper's The General Died at Dawn.

The Sea Hawk looks first rate on the DVD transfer. The disc contains a few light-weight extras I only sampled.

The Life of Mammals is a thorough and entertaining overview of one of evolution's greatest success stories: the rise of mammals. In a clear and concise way, presenter David Attenborough and his team of wildlife cameramen introduce the viewer to many of the myriad species of mammals alive today. Episode 1 begins with the basics in "A Winning Design", clarifying what makes a mammal different from reptiles and birds--no, it isn't egg-laying: both the platypus and the echidna are egg-laying mammals; it's their ability to adapt. And it's this adaptability that becomes the crux of the remainder of the series. "Insect Hunters" focuses on mammals who have specifically adapted to eating insects, from the giant anteater and the armoured armadillo to bats, which have evolved into complex and effective hunters. "Plant Predators" demonstrates the particular (and often peculiar) adaptations of herbivores; "Chisellers" is about those mammals who feed primarily on roots and seeds, ranging from tree-dwelling squirrels to opportunistic mice and rats; and "Meat Eaters" talks about the evolutionary arms race that exists between predators and prey, and the unique adaptations of both individual and pack hunters. The series continues in Part 2 --Robert Burrow

This was the first Ricky Gervais solo stand-up DVD I saw, and it did not disappoint. I found the video clips interesting and the commentaries hilarious. It's a genius but slightly twisted mind behind the show. I enjoyed the picking apart of facts and just the general ease with which Gervais delivered line after line of side splitting humour. Brilliant comedy DVD with some pockets of sentiment.

This is a fabulous film. The production is rather sterile in the sense that the special effects are mostly computer morphing and hence it lacks the gothic surreal toy box feel of Alice by Jan or the BBC sixties version of the Wonderland book with Gielgud, et al. Kate Beckinsale is however a feast for the eyes, and Ian Holm as the White Knight is superb. There are some fine performances here from very fine actors such as Sian Phillips and I might add Steve Coogan. However, as I bought this recently for only 6.00 I find the overpriced collector wolves who are charging exhorbitant fees on here should be reprimanded. This really is far too much for a fine film. Get real and buyers be careful.

Isn't it funny how the stories which seemed over complicated and inferior all those years ago now seem to be the most entertaining, largely because of the humour content and the fact they they were something different to the norm. Also, time has levelled all Dr.Who stories in terms of SFX, even the flashy ones seem scarcely more impressive than the cheap ones, nowadays. This story holds up better than most because the plot is highly unusual and similar to "The Langoliers", with the Concord time travelling to a fake air port which evaoporates to reveal Earth during the ice age, and because the dialog is witty and quirky and endearingly old fashioned by today's standards.
And what about the Master? A lot of people complained it made no sense for him to dress up and put on a false persona for no reason, in this story, but I think it just goes to show the Master has gone completely round the bend! He was a gentlemanly super villain in the Pertwee days, but that skull faced version Tom baker met was psychotic, and that's what Anthony Ainley portrays, the Master is completely loony and demented! I love it. Even the cheesy CSO FX of the characters superimposed onto a still photograph of the air port seems eerie, because it is SUPPOSED to be UNREALITY, and when it vanishes it all makes sense. This is a well-paced, witty and intriguingly different story which really does hold the attention and could do with a special edition with upgraded SFX for DVD. Overall, a much underrated and neglected little gem!