Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)



Disney's 1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh may be the last word on (animated) Pooh because it so faithfully honors the first word on Pooh, penned in the 1920s by British storyteller A.A. Milne. Gently paced, subtly humorous, and blessedly understated, this adaptation reflects Walt Disney's original vision to develop the beloved British bear for a wider audience. The film is essentially a collection of the original Pooh shorts, "The Honey Tree," "The Blustery Day," and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too." These storybooks are presented in seamless "chapters," narrated by the timeless Sebastian Cabot. The familiar musical score and original voices of Sterling Holloway as Pooh, and Paul Winchell as Tigger, cap this enchanting keepsake. (Ages 2 and up). --Lynn Gibson

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Disney's The Lion King (1994)



Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrats crowd. --Tom Keogh

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Disney's The Aristocats (1970)



Duchess and her three kittens are enjoying the high life with their devoted human mistress until the wicked butler Edgar, with his eyes on a big inheritance, decides to dope them and get them out of the picture. How can these fragile creatures cope in the unfamiliar countryside and the meaner streets of Paris? Only by meeting the irrepressible alley cat O'Malley, a rough diamond with romance in his heart. After they get a taste of the wide dangerous world, he guides them home, and Edgar gets his just desserts at the wrong end of a horse. As always, it's really the voices rather than the animation that are the heart of the Disney magic: Phil Harris is brilliant as O'Malley, Eva Gabor as Duchess is... well... Eva Gabor; but perhaps the most memorable turns are by Pat Buttram and George Lindsay, who turn the old hounds Napoleon and Lafayette into a couple of bumbling Southern-fried rednecks. Their scenes with Edgar, and the musical numbers with Scat Cat and his cool-dude band, are classic. Most striking about seeing The Aristocats now is how deeply Disney's style of animation has changed since this was at the cutting edge in 1970. --Richard Farr

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Website of the week - Clark Gable's Combat America (1945)

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Clark Gable is featured in this dramatized story of the 351st Bomber Group of the US Army Air Force, from its training in Colorado to a mission over Germany, showing crews and gunners at a base in England and including actual combat footage. Reproduced from an original Kodachrome print. Excellent visual quality. USA, 1945, Color, 62 minutes.

You can download this in several different formats here:

Combat America (Part I) (1945):

Combat America (Part II) (1945):

Combat America (Part III) (1945):

Combat America (Part IV) (1945):

or simply watch online.

There are over 2,000 films in this vast archive, as well as texts/reading materials, audio files, software, websites and so much more. If this is your type of interest you've hit the jackpot here!

Prelinger Archives was founded in 1983 by Rick Prelinger in New York City. Over the next twenty years, it grew into a collection of over 60,000 "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films. In 2002, the film collection was acquired by the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Prelinger Archives remains in existence, holding approximately 4,000 titles on videotape and a smaller collection of film materials acquired subsequent to the Library of Congress transaction. Its goal remains to collect, preserve, and facilitate access to films of historic significance that haven't been collected elsewhere. Included are films produced by and for many hundreds of important US corporations, nonprofit organizations, trade associations, community and interest groups, and educational institutions. Getty Images represents the collection for stock footage sale, and over 2,000 key titles (soon to be 2,500) are available here. As a whole, the collection currently contains over 10% of the total production of ephemeral films between 1927 and 1987, and it may be the most complete and varied collection in existence of films from these poorly preserved genres.

Vintage WW2 posters:

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Website of the week - The Hunt For Gollum: The Film (2009)



A cool new fan film for the Ringers:
http://thehuntforgollum.s3.amazonaws.com/updates.htm

The script is adapted from elements of the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. The story follows the Heir of Isildur; the "greatest huntsman and traveller in Middle Earth" as he sets out to find the creature Gollum. The creature must be found to discover the truth about the Ring, and to protect the future Ringbearer.

Disclaimer:
The Hunt For Gollum is an unofficial non-profit film being made for private use, and is not intended for sales of any sort. No money is being made from this film, and no one was paid to make it. It is in no way sponsored or approved by Tolkien Enterprises, the Tolkien Estate, Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema or any affiliates. The content is for the private use of the downloader and should not be sold, rented, or used for any commercial enterprise in any way, shape, or form. We make no claim to any characters, storylines, prop designs, names, logos, situations that are trademarked, copyrighted or otherwise protected by federal, state or other intellectual property law. New Line, Peter Jackson, Weta, Tolkien Enterprises, the Tolkien Estate or any of their respective affiliates or licensees hold rights to some intellectual property herein used by this work. This work is produced solely for the personal, uncompensated enjoyment of ourselves and other Tolkien fans. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


If you enjoyed the film, be sure to check out the downloads section. They have a nice selection of wallpapers, banners, & posters. Also a couple of downloadable tracks in the soundtrack section.