Disney Toybox Darth Vader Reissue

It looks like they’ve reissued Darth Vader. He popped up on the online store today. A quick comparison of the older version shows very little differences. The only thing I noticed was the lights on his chest have a different light pattern. I find it amusing that in their promotional picture it looks like his lightsaber is bent.

With this reissue I’m really hoping that they’ll do the same with Jango and The Mandalorian. It’s probably much more likely to happen with Mando than Jango, but we’ll see. Stranger things have happened with these toys.

Since my last post a few of the other figures have gone on sale. It’s worth a look if you’re missing some that you want.

Bells are Ringing (1960)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Bells are Ringing (1960)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Betty Comden

Adolph Green

Starring:

Judy Holliday

Dean Martin

Fred Clark

Eddie Foy Jr.

Jean Stapleton

Blurb:

A Brooklyn answering service operator becomes involved in the lives of her clients, including a struggling playwright with whom she begins to fall in love.

Thoughts:

This is the first movie on my list that is a comfort watch. Bells are Ringing isn’t as good as any of my previous films. Most people probably haven’t heard of it, and I completely understand if people don’t like it. The songs are good, with Dean Martin singing most songs would sound good. There’s nothing remarkable about the dancing. Judy Holliday is pretty funny. The story is dated but entertaining as long as you turn your brain off.

It’s a nostalgia watch for me. I used to rent a VHS copy of Bells are Ringing from my local video store. They had some random musicals, and this happened to be one of them. I was surprised when it was released on DVD and downright shocked to see that it’s on Blu-ray.

It was nominated for a couple of awards. It won one. It did not come even close to making back its money and took a pretty significant loss. It was a movie adaption of a stage production. Really, the biggest thing of note that I’m aware of is that it was Judy Holliday’s final film before she died of breast cancer a few years later.

I like Bells are Ringing and if you’re looking for a musical recommendation and trust my judgment, by all means, try it out. It’s available to rent on Amazon Prime, or if you feel like paying $2 more, you could even own it.

New Disney Toybox Figures on the Disney Store Website

Just yesterday I posted that Simba and General Grievous had been spotted in stores. Now it looks like them as well as a new Stormtrooper are available. Simba didn’t end up being more expensive than the others. However, General Grievous is $14.99

If you’re looking to pick up any other characters Darth Maul appears to be the only one on sale right now. If you spend $75 or more you’ll get free shipping. So keep that in mind.

Lists will be updated shortly.

DisneyStore.com

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Directors:

Stanley Donen

Gene Kelly

Writers:

Betty Comden

Adolph Green

Starring:

Gene Kelly

Donald O’Connor

Debbie Reynolds

Jean Hagen

Millard Mitchell

Blurb:

A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

Thoughts:

I watched this movie last night and didn’t give it the attention it deserves. It’s a great musical with fantastic dance routines and good music. Gene Kelly isn’t as good a singer as some of the others I’ve been watching, but he’s possibly the best dancer. There was a lot of talent in this film.

While Gene Kelly is incredibly talented, he sounds like he was an asshole while working on this movie. He was so mean to Debbie Reynolds that she cried. He later said he was surprised she worked with him afterward, which says a lot. Fred Astaire ended up helping Debbie Reynolds with her dancing, which is so cool.

Easily my favorite part of the movie is the Make Em Laugh number performed by Donald O’Connor. It’s hilarious, and even as a child, I could see the skill it took to execute the moves he did.

Singin’ in The Rain is one of those movies that I can see scene by scene in my mind I’ve watched it so many times. It is easily the best musical I own, even if it isn’t my favorite. Some of the musical numbers last too long for me and don’t have much to do with the parts of the movie I enjoy the most.

It wasn’t a huge hit when it was first released, though it did make a profit. Reviewers seemed to like it, but it wasn’t until later that it reached its current popularity. It is yet another of my movies that has been selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation.

After getting rid of a lot of my older Disney movies, this ended up being the only movie from the 50s that I own.

Next up is Bells are Ringing from 1960.

New Disney Toybox Figures

Sorry for the horrible photos. I haven’t seen these in person and had to screen shot what SuperSorrel has posted.

Anyway…holy cow I was not expecting a General Grievous figure!! That is so cool! I need some better pics to look at the details, but just the fact that he exists is exciting. I missed out on the Jango Fett and Mandalorian figures so as soon as I see Grievous online I’ll be placing an order.

It’s nice to see a new addition to the Disney line as well. Simba is an obvious choice. With the inclusion of Zazu I wonder if that means he’ll be on the higher price range.

As usual I’ll be updating my lists and I’ll post as soon as I see them online.