As an affiliate of Warner Bros. Entertainment, my family and I periodically receive movies to review. We recently recieved the following 4 movies and below I’d like to share our thouths on each of them.
TCM Spotlight” Esther Williams Volume 2:
Synopsis: THRILL OF A ROMANCE Man overboard! War hero Van Johnson takes one look at Esther Williams and decides he needs swimming lessons. With Tommy Dorsey, Xavier Cugat and more. Dive in. FIESTA Mexico’s greatest bullfighter is…Esther? She plays a devoted sister who secretly fills in for her twin matador brother (Ricardo Montalban) after he abandons the ring. -or- A non-aquatic change of pace: Esther disguises herself in matador gear and secretly fills in for her twin brother (Ricardo Montalban) after he abandons the ring. THIS TIME FOR KEEPS An ex-GI falls for a bathing beauty (guess who!). Lauritz Melchior, Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Durante and Mackinac Island locations add to the good times and romance. PAGAN LOVE SONG Island girl Esther plans to leave Tahiti, but maybe she’ll have a reason to stay when Howard Keel arrives. Gorgeous, frothy fun with pristine Hawaiian locations filling in for Tahiti.MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID Tonight in the Hippodrome Tank: Annette Kellerman, Goddess of the Sea! Esther portrays Kellerman in a splashy biopic that includes a must-see Busby Berkeley extravaganza. EASY TO LOVE Esther wins fans at the Cypress Gardens’ aquashow, but will she ever win the heart of her all-business boss Van Johnson? Busby Berkeley guides the legendary water-ski number.
OWN IT ON DVD October 6.
Our Verdict: Esther’s aquatic moves are amazing to watch and Million Dollar Mermaid was our favorite of the collection. Watching older movies, we sometimes find the storylines and acting in that era amusing, simply because it’s different from the movies we grew up with or watch today. While definitely not a set of movies we’d normally buy, we still enjoyed watching them.
Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Edition
Synopisis: Now, the colorful characters and unforgettable songs of Oz come alive as never before when Warner Home Video brings this cinematic treasure into the digital age with the September 29 Blu-ray release of The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector?s Edition. The commemorative edition contains nearly 4 hours of all-new and never-before-available bonus features and is housed in numbered collectible packaging, and will be available for a limited time only.
OWN IT ON DVD August 11. Please visit the official site: http://wbshop.com/Wixard-of-Oz/wiz,default,sc.html.
Our Verdict: Love this! Definitely a classic that everyone must own in their DVD library. We were so excited that our son was finally old enough to appreciate this. The extra bonus footage was also very neat to watch to see what went on behind the scenes back then. And has it really been 70 years? Amazing!
Yellowstone: Battle for Life
OWN IT ON DVD September 29
Synopsis: In a land of beauty and peril, the dramatic lives and fortunes of these animals are inexorably bound together. Intimate and emotional, epic and engaging, Yellowstone – Tales from the Wild reveals the grandeur of this unique place as its animals struggle to survive over the course of three vividly changing seasons.
Our Verdict: I have a special place in my heart for Yellowstone because I spent a summer there, so of course this documentary appealed to me. The seasons in Yellowstone play such a vital part in all of it’s living things, from plants to animals and it’s interesting to see how it all plays out. I really enjoyed this documentary.
Available for purchase at www.bbcamerica.com
She rocked a pool… and a bathing suit for that matter.
Work From Home
I love Esther Williams, too, and was tickled to see a review for one of her movies!
I am a sucker for Ester Williams. She rocked a pool… and a bathing suit for that matter.
Blessings!
Amanda