books_neg_2
books	2
neg	The book is disproportionally focused on single and multilayer feedforward networks.
neg	And though the book puts great emphasis on mathematics and even includes a big section on important mathematical background knowledge, it contains to many errors in the mathematical formulas, so they are of little use.
neg	The author hasn't even taken the trouble to put up an errata list.
neg	Finally, for the beginner there are not enough conceptual clues on what is actually going on and it is hard to form any mental model of the underlying processes.
neg	There are better books.
neu	For an introduction read Neural Networks by Kevin Gurney. He puts great emphasis on conceptual understanding.
neu	For further studies there is Neural Networks by Simon Haykin, which has the mathematics.

books_neg_14
books	1
neg	I began this novel with the greatest of hopes, and finished it in an effort to fully understand what a really bad novel consists of.
nr	It is the story of a man in a mid-western town and a full description of every person he has ever met in the town.
neg	It held the promise of leading off into a sci-fi novel but didn't quite reach anything beyond the mundane until the last couple of chapters of the book.
neg	Reading the introductions to numerous sub-characters that had no relation to the plot (if there was one)was painfully boring and took up a good part of the book.
neg	The relationship between Michael (the main character) and Angela (a complete stranger he hops into bed with in the first chapter) is not only unplausable and mesogenistic it reads like the fantastic pipe-dream of a teenage boy.
neg	When the the main character finally reaches something vaguely interesting, the discovery of an alien corridor, he takes a break from uncovering it to go have a day at the art museum and shopping with his girlfriend.
mix	When he gets back to the corridor he is ready to dive in, and when he does so begins the only salvageable part of the book.
neg	Note to author: Reading doesn't have to be as painful as a dentist appointment.
nr	They say to write what you know, but keep in mind that plot is EVERYTHING, without one you are just meandering about frustrating your reader.

books_neg_21
books	1
nr	Readers of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein have been anticipating the final volume in the series for years.
neg	It wasn't worth the wait.
nr	Released late last month, Dead and Alive wraps up the author's modernization of the Frankenstein story four years later than originally planned.
nr	Reasons for the delay include Koontz's dislike of working with co-authors (both of whose names have been dropped from new printings of books one and two) to the effect of the real-life Hurricane Katrina on the story's New Orleans setting.
neg	Somewhere between 2005 and now, Koontz decided not to take the whole thing too seriously: What began as a pulpish horror/adventure story with humorous overtones has morphed into a full-blown farce, complete with a naked, dancing troll with a taste for bath soap and interminable scenes filled with wacky patter that would be more at home in a romantic comedy.
pos	Only Deucalion, Victor's first creation from the Mary Shelly novel that served as inspiration for this updating, is still played straight.
neg	Detectives Carson O'Connor and Michael Madison are reduced to supporting roles, nattering on about raising babies (they're now in love), eating and shooting guns.
neg	A Three Stooges moment as they pursue a naked husband and wife -- one of whom has a "perky butt" -- who are in turn pursuing a dog gives them their sole opportunity to use the guns they have been ogling since book two.
neg	The long build-up given to their anticipated shoot out with Victor Frankenstein is a dead end.
nr	They would have been just as appropriately armed with rubber-band guns and paper clips.
pos	Koontz finds his footing in the final chapters, a Lovecraftian showdown between Frankenstein and his artificial creations inside a series of tunnels beneath a dump.
nr	He even sets up a possible sequel and makes a connection to his popular Odd Thomas series.
neg	But it's too little, too late.
neg	After 352 relentlessly padded pages (I gave up counting how many times Koontz tells us that Victor's creatures gain their memories through data-downloads), the Frankenstein series that began with so much promise limps across the finish line, a pale shadow of what it could have been.

books_neg_23
books	1
nr	I used to wait in anticipation for the next Scarpetta novel to come out.
neg	After reading Blow fly I doubt that I will ever buy another.
neg	Its a shame to be forced to give this novel a one star rating.
neg	I think Patricia is simply milking the system on her way to retirement.
neg	What a letdown.
neg	Are her publishers totally ignoring the ever increasing deploring reviews?
neg	I truly believe that the end is near for Patricia.
neg	Please don't buy this novel because soon all the used book stores will have dozens of copies with hardly a page turned.
neg	Patricia, please retire with some dignity!

books_neg_29
books	2
nr	Mortimer's "How to read a book" is a 400 page saga on rules of reading literature, science, maths, history and poetry.
nr	I am sure that when it was first published in 1940s, it was the ground breaking first book ever that taught people how to read.
nr	Its analysis on different levels of reading and types of books must have sounded very revealing to readers.
neg	However, today, 60 years after it was first published , "How to read a Book" doesn't impress as much.
nr	Since you are interested in this book, I will assume that you read a lot of text and are primarily looking for something that will : 1) Increase your Speed 2) Increase your comprehension.
neg	This is not the book for your goal.
nr	The book starts with the Goals of Reading and quickly moves on to different levels of reading (Elementary, Inspectional, Analytical and Syntopical).
nr	In a nutshell all that Mortimer wants to communicate is that there are 2 types of reading, one that you do for entertainment and one for aquiring information or understanding.
nr	In both cases, it pays to be an active reader (more in 2nd than in first).
nr	To become an active reader, you have to follow these simple rules: 1) Look for the theme, crux of the book 2) Look for outline, structure or organization of the book 3) Understand what author is trying to say 4) Understand why author is saying that 5) What arguments he gives to support himself 6) Arguments against what he wants to disprove 7) Terms and language he uses That's it!
nr	This is pretty much the summary of the book.
neg	He takes examples of Homer and Hamlet but all that Mortimer does is to add lots and lots of padding and useless words to drive his point across.
nr	It took me an hour to go through first 50 pages as I was really trying to give this book enough time.
neg	However, once I realized that there is little meaningful text hidden between tons of useless babble, I started speed reading and found that it was enough to read just the title of each paragraph and a line or 2 in caps.
neg	I raced through rest of the 300 pages in another hour and I haven't missed anything!
pos	CONCLUSION: This book may be a good gift for your child (10 to 13 years old) if she has any interest in reading.
pos	It could teach him some basic rules and tricks.
neg	But if you are looking for speed reading book, this is not the one.

books_neg_47
books	1
nr	Having just finished a long journey through "The Cloister Walk" I do not consider myself at all qualified to provide an objective review of "The Psalms".
neg	But the in-depth commentary on the Psalms, the saints, the Church, on liturgy and theology..and especially the people of the monastic world..
neg	which was so very prominent in her "Walk" is missing.
nr	To compare is, of course, patently unfair.
neg	However, in my opinion a book's value is not in merely restating what has already been written, but in the creative contributions to and interpretations of what already is.
neg	This does not happen.
neg	Shame on the publishers!

books_neg_51
books	1
neg	First of all, this book put me to sleep several times.
neg	Barbara Hambly is no doubt a good writer, but I think she would be better served writing romance novels.
nr	Every writer has his or her own writing style, but some styles are simply inappropriate for certain genres.
neg	Babara Hambly spends much time giving overly eloquent/poetic descriptions of the surroundings, moods, and thoughts of characters but hey, Star Wars was not meant to be Shakespere.
neg	It's obvious that she gave very little thought to who the target audience is.
nr	Don't get me wrong I love Shakespere, but I read it when I'm in the mood for it.
nr	When I'm in the mood for Star Wars, I want Star Wars. What's wrong with the plot?
neg	Well first of all she came up with the very original idea of an Imperial Super Weapon. Second, you know how many authors describe the difficulty of creating adversaries to give a worthwhile challenge for a very powerful hero?
nr	Not to worry, BH has a better idea.
nr	Very early on in the book Luke gets injured.
nr	Over the next 150 or so pages Luke encounters some very trivial obstacles (for a Jedi that is).
nr	About every 4 or 5 pages we are told, "Normally Luke would just use the force to...raise the box/lift the door/open the lock/fool the guard/take the blaster from the Gamorrean/insert your own obstacle...but his pain keeps him from focusing the force.
neg	Around the fourth time I saw this pattern I got disgusted.
neg	What's the matter Barbara?
neg	Couldn't think of a challenging bad guy?
neg	This was a very cheap substitute.
neg	And what of the good old Jedi healing or pain blocking techniques?
neg	Oh but this hurt Luke too bad for Jedi techniques to work.
neg	Riiight.
neg	;-) Final analysis: This is beyond a doubt the most boring book I have EVER READ!
nr	Of any kind!
nr	If you *must* read it because it's "star wars" try to get a used one or borrow one.
neg	I would hate to see such a sad effort get enough unintentional support that they allow, let alone recruit BH to write a third book.
neg	Yuck!

books_neg_55
books	2
neg	I thought at first maybe I had a defective version of the book but after reading other reviews, I see that our problem is normal.
neg	We had to replace the batteries after a weekend of play with the newly purchased book.
mix	The batteries were easily found at Wal-Mart, but they were very expensive.
neg	The second set of batteries only lasted a week.
nr	It looks like it's cheaper to order batteries from the company.
mix	My 18 month old LOVES the book and will sit and play with it for extended periods of time, however, the batteries just don't hold out long enough for the toy to be worth the money.

books_neg_58
books	2
mix	Not often does a story touch me in a way that makes me fell conflicted in the way I feel about it.
mix	I wanted to love this book so much more than I did because the story told was a fascinating one, where real world facts blend into fiction.
neg	However, I found it very hard to enjoy the book because I really disliked the main character Amir. He was to cowardly, so childish throughout his whole life, whining and complaining through much of the 371 pages it took to tell the story.
nr	While the villian of the book was truly a villian, at least he understood who he was.
nr	Amir never figures out who he is until much later in his life.
neg	I never felt bad once for Amir, but I loathed him even to the end.
neg	And that's why I could not enjoy this novel more.
neg	I couldn't connect with the character the author wanted his readers to connect with.
pos	I do not fault his writing style because it was quite an easy read and very accessible.
neg	Perhaps that's where the crux of the problem actually is.
neg	By having too simple a writing style, the author took some of the weight off a story that needed something heavier.
nr	Overall, this is a book that can be read while riding the train to and from work in a matter of a day or two.
neg	However, I do not recommend this, because the softy in me found myself tearing up on a few occasions and trying to fight back the tears as other people trying to get to work pretended not to notice.

books_neg_59
books	2
nr	Why did I pick up this book?
nr	- because the cover caught my eye and I'm always interested in urban-fantasy novels where the main protagonist is male (since that's very rare), especially one from a female author.
nr	So that really peaked my interest.
neg	The Dark Storm is the first book in a new urban-fantasy series from author Kris Greene and while it does have some decent writing, it is amazingly generic.
neg	It's almost like what if you took a bunch of stuff from other books- a world of demons, agents of light, vampires, goblins, knights, werewolves and mystical weapons of power, blended them all together and weaved the story around the template on "how-to" write an urban-fantasy novel.
neg	If this was any more by-the-numbers I would have sworn I'd read it already.
neg	The main problem I had with this book is it's characterization, or lack there of.
neg	There's just way to many characters crammed into this slim work (the story constantly shifts through multiple POV's), that I felt like I was missing half the novel, like it was incomplete.
neg	There's a sequel to The Dark Storm as there generally is with this sub-genre, but that's no excuse to have such a flimsy table setter.
nr	I mean you want readers to come back for the rest of the series right?
neg	Also, the two "main" characters of the book, Gabriel Redfeather and De Mona Sanchez (and yes that's her real name!!)
neg	are so poorly formed as characters that they feel like they're cursory characters in the background, rather then the one's the whole series is based around.
neg	And they both whined and whined so much, especially Gabriel, that I had to re-read the earlier pages and remind myself that he wasn't a freshman in highschool, but already in college!!!
pos	However, I did like the magic system with the witches, warlocks and mages all having different functions in the world, and how there are numerous classes and castes within each magical house.
pos	I also liked the back story of how there was a holy war centuries ago between the forces of light and the denizens of hell, and how the ancestors of both sides are fighting over the souls again years later.
neg	But man, the most important aspect of the story, the very foundation the world is based around, the magical weapons, felt the weakest in the entire story.
neg	Their characteristics and attributes are never fully thought out and explained, their powers appearing more as poor imagination rather than weapons that can control the very fabric of the world.
neg	It's all just so generic that in 2 weeks I probably won't remember the story anymore and sadly I won't be coming back for the upcoming sequel Demon Hunt.

books_neu_3
books	3
pos	This is a really cool story.
pos	I loved the strong, independent main character.
pos	I also thought the fallen angel story was really neat, and I wanted more of it.
pos	The cover was also very interesting.
pos	I'd love to read a book written by the author in the format of the preface.
pos	I was really enjoying that style of writing.
pos	It reminded me of Poe in a Young Adult format.
pos	I liked the strong vocabulary in this book, as well.
neg	Things I wasn't a fan of--the ending was to cutesy for my taste.
neg	Also, all of the side characters (particularly the mom, Vee, and the teacher) were incredibly flat and stereotypical to me.
pos	I look forward to recommending this to my students who enjoy Twilight.

books_neu_20
books	3
nr	Santiago of Spain vs.
nr	Anne of Avonlea It is an odd coincidence that I was three books into the Anne of Avonlea series when I picked up “The Alchemist” to read.
nr	I know that they are completely different genres but I couldn't help but compare the two stories.
nr	There were so many similarities in the characters and message, but the writings were worlds apart.
nr	I know that The Alchemist was not written as a novel and you can't compare the writing styles of the authors, but I'm just stating a preference here.
nr	Let's compare: Santiago and Anne were both educated locally until about the age of 16. They both love to read and have dreams.
nr	Santiago wants to travel and see the world, he becomes a shepherd with an inheritance from his father.
nr	Anne wants to further her education and become a teacher and is able to attend Queens Academy with the help of her adopted family, the Cuthberts.
nr	While a shepherd, Santiago has a recurring dream about finding a treasure near the Pyramids in Egypt. As a student Anne dreams of going to Redmond College.
nr	With the help of “good omens” both are allowed to follow their dreams.
nr	Santiago's good omens appear in the form of a gypsy and a king who help him interpret his dream and encourage him to follow it to Egypt. He makes it to Tangiers where he is robbed of his money and is forced to find employment with a crystal merchant.
nr	Hence he is delayed a year in continuing his “Personal Legend”. Anne is blessed by fate (and hard work) to have won a scholarship to college, but due to death and illness, she is prevented from going to college for a couple of years while she takes care of Marilla, her adopted “mother”. Here we come to a difference in attitudes between Santiago and Anne. Santiago feels cheated out of his dream and counts down the days when he will have saved up enough money to go back home to shepherding, thereby giving up his quest.
nr	Anne on the other hand, feels sorrow over the lost opportunity, but makes the best of her changed circumstances, and keeps her dream alive by continuing to study and believe that someday she will be able to attend college.
nr	After saving up enough money to return to Spain, Santiago finds the desire to again follow his dream and joins a caravan going to Egypt. Anne is persuaded to follow her dream of college by Marilla, who has found a solution to her healthcare dilemma with the help of a neighbor.
nr	While traveling to Egypt by caravan, Santiago befriends an Englishman who teaches him about alchemy, Santiago also learns much about listening to his heart and leaning the “universal language” of all things.
nr	While at college Anne makes the most of the opportunites available there.
nr	She makes friends, and is in tune with her own inner self and with nature around her.
nr	Good things seem to happen to both characters.
nr	This is the universe conspiring to help them fulfill their “Personal Legend”. Santiago finds love when he meets Fatima at the oasis where he is delayed in his journey.
nr	He also meets the alchemist who teaches him about the ways of the world and leads him to the Pyramids where he ultimately finds where his treasure really is.
nr	Anne also finds the love of her life also not where she was expecting it.
nr	They both find that their treasure was much closer to home than either of them ever “dreamed” it.
nr	Now for the differences.
nr	In Anne's story, the beauty was in the journey.
nr	She found so much to be grateful for every day, in every little thing.
nr	The writing of LM Montgomery was exceptional.
nr	While reading these three books (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of the Island) I didn't get the sense that Anne was teaching me about pursuing my own dreams, it was just a natural consequence of the book.
neg	Whereas in “The Alchemist” I felt I was being lectured by a monotonous professor about how to achieve my “Personal Legend”, by nailing the point into my head over and over.
neg	Actually the phrase “Personal Legend” was used 55 times in this book of 208 pages.
neg	About once every four pages.
pos	All of this being said, I appreciate the message of following your dreams in both writings.
neg	But personally I much prefer the writing of LM Montgomery over Paulo Coelho. I didn't come to love the characters in “The Alchemist” as I did the characters from Avonlea.
nr	So, if you go for lyrical and poetic, choose Anne, if you lean more toward simple and overstated, choose Santiago.

books_neu_22
books	3
nr	Hmmm. Warning, this book is violent.
neg	Yes there is a war against evil going on, but decapitations?
neg	Blood spurting?
neg	Brain matter on spears?
nr	I don't think this is going in the school library.
mix	I did like the book, just not as much as Eragon and Eldest. Paolini seemed to not have an ending in mind and the closer I got to the end of the book, the more obvious it was that there was going to have to be a fourth one.
pos	I like the character Eragon and he seemed to be maturing in this book.
neg	I wish Paolini spent more time on developing his characters as he did with the endless battle (read blood and guts) scenes.

books_neu_23
books	3
nr	This book was different.
pos	I liked the first part.
neu	I could relate with Pi on his views about God and religion.
pos	He put into words my feelings when he said, "I just want to love God" to the three religious leaders (Catholic, Muslim, Hindu) when they asked him why he practiced all three religions.
neg	I puzzled over the middle while he was lost at sea with the tiger.
neg	I didn't get the island at all.
pos	But in the end it all came together.

books_neu_24
books	3
pos	By A Customer I checked this out at the library and thought it had good information about how to cut your expenses and the author convinced me to pay off my mortgage early rather than putting my extra money into the stock market.
pos	The first few CD's are very entertaining.
neg	The last two CD's don't contain any useful information and are somewhat out of scope.
nr	For instance, in the last CD he spends a significant amount of time talking about why only one parent should work because it's better on the kids.
nr	He also goes on and on about how to be an asset to your company so you will get raises and not get laid off.
nr	This is the type of CD that you will only listen to once so I highly recommend checking it out at your local library and saving the cash.
nr	After all, you do want to cut down on debt, right?

books_neu_26
books	3
nr	"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" is a story of an autistic teenager who is excellent with numbers and has a photographic memory but lacks communication skills.
nr	His view of the world is simple: if it is not true, it is a lie.
nr	If he doesn't know a person, he shouldn't talk to him or her.
nr	If it is yellow or brown, it can't be touched.
nr	And nobody, not his father, not even his mother can touch him.
pos	Mark Haddon's first book puts him in the league with great authors of our time.
pos	The book is so well written and the story has been narrated in such convincing tone, that at times I had to make sure that Mark was not writing his autobiography!
nr	When Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone finds a murdered dog in his neighbors's frontyard, he picks him up instinctively.
nr	That is because he likes dogs.
nr	The neighbor assumes he killed the dog and from there start's Christopher's long and arduous journey to find the killer and unravel the mystery.
nr	However, in doing so, Christopher finds more than he had bargained for.
nr	His simple autistic mind cannot comprehend why anybody would kill a dog.
nr	While the answer, which he uncovers by the middle of the book, makes no sense, it does bring him face to face with the surprising truth about his dead mother and that ultimately convinces him to travel to London. Now begins the story of a boy, a child, who hasn't stepped beyond his street alone but travels boldly all the way to a metropolis where even adults with all their sense and knowledge of the world can get lost.
nr	Does he make it?
nr	What happens to the killer of the dog?
nr	What was the secret about his mother?
mix	The book links all questions rather beautifully but still fails to impress.
neg	This is a very one dimensional book.
neg	The story didn't seem to be very original.
neg	We have all read books, watched plays or movies of handicapped children who undertake huge tasks and complete them.
neg	The book also fails to explore the relationship between Christopher and his mother even though his bond with his father has been explained well enough.
mix	The only charcters that are well developed are Christoper and his father.
neg	Readers get no insight into rest of the characters who could have very well defined the nature of relationship between Christopher and his parents.
mix	CONCLUSION: Well written and moving but not entertaining.
neg	Very one dimensional.
nr	Read a few pages before you buy it.

books_neu_27
books	3
neu	The reason why this book can't be rated a 5 star is because people expect a little more from an author of Time to Kill, The firm and The Rainmaker.
neg	Set amidst US presidential race, terrorist attacks in the middle east and 3 insignificant judges in a federal prison, the book spins a tale of political showdowns and prison scams that get intertwined in the most improbable but highly predictable way.
mix	The narrative is very realistic, and just when it seems that the story is reaching its climax, it ends!
mix	That is the weak point, the waterloo, the pearl harbour for this otherwise great plot.
neg	The end just happens, as if the author is in a hurry to make it happen or lacks better imagination.
neu	CONCLUSION: READABLE if you have nothing else to read.

books_neu_28
books	3
pos	In this short but insightful novel, Daniel Quinn has created a brand new view of history of mankind.
pos	Told through interactions of a master and his student, Ishmael presents a view of history in a very different, and for some the real, light.
nr	When narrator sees an advertisement in a newspaper that claims that a master is seeking students who would like to save the world, he is angry and suspicious because his past has brought him in touch with many so called saviors interested only in their own glory.
nr	However, for some reason, he still goes to see the so called master.
nr	What he finds there terrifies and surprises him.
nr	But as he begins interacting with the master, Ishmael, he begins to realize that this is what he had been looking for all his life.
pos	Ishmael presents a remarkably different view of the history of mankind.
nr	While we, the humans, homo sapien sapien, the most corrupt of all species, have regarded earth as land to be conquered and ruled, Ishmael tells the narrator that other animals, inclding the older species of humans like neanderthals didn't die out, they chose to step aside in order to let nature take its course.
pos	According to Ishmael life is not about winning or ruling the earth, it is to live and let live and this simple message is delivered in the book through some very logical anecdotes and analogies.
neu	So why the 3 stars?
nr	I have read Richard Bach, Dalai Lama and numberous other religous and philosophical texts.
nr	I have found that every author presents his or her view on life and evolution and future of mankind.
nr	But this is the world according to him.
nr	What is true for one man is not always true for rest of us.
neg	Though Ishmael does present some good examples, I didn't find the text powerfull enough to convince me.
neg	Some explanations seem to be too simplistic.
pos	CONCLUSION: Good book for readers interested in philosophical and intellectual explanation of history of humans.

books_neu_29
books	3
pos	This cd was pretty relaxing.
neg	I feel like a different voice should have been used though.
neg	The mans voice on the cd isn't very soothing.
neg	There are parts where it's quiet for a few minutes and then when he starts talking again, it's more startling due to the tone of his voice.
neg	Maybe a woman's voice would have been better.
pos	It made me fall asleep the first night after using it.
pos	I would probably recommend it to a friend.

books_neu_34
books	3
mix	Umm...it was interesting, but I couldn't get into it.
nr	Did you know the Pilgrim's wouldn't have been starving if they knew how to fish?!
nr	I think he thinks we shouldn't over-fish for the sake of the fish- I think we need to not over-fish for our own sake.
nr	I think it is wrong to kill an animal unless you need it.
nr	What about killing animals that are getting in the way of your 'crops'?
nr	Such as wolves after chickens?
nr	I don't know.

books_pos_0
books	5
nr	Hi! Right now I am reading books about the craft of acting.
nr	I am learning on my spare time at home about acting in general.
pos	This book it's a great tool for beginner or mature actors.
pos	I find this little book practical, honest and helpful.
pos	So pick up and read this book.
pos	You will be glad you did!

books_pos_10
books	4
pos	Mr. Lieven does an excellent job in his analysis of the Chechen conflict, but readers should use caution against potential bias.
nr	During his time in Chechnya, the author seems to have grown quite affectionate toward the Chechens.
nr	This leads to the Russians being painted as the villain (not that they are angels, but neither are the Chechens).
pos	However, Mr. Lieven does provide a fascinating insight into the war.
pos	I love his miniature analyses of the evolution of modern war.
nr	This book is not for beginners, but few Yale publishings are.
nr	Beginnners should look for a Chechnya book from a mass-market publisher.

books_pos_14
books	4
nr	SHANGHAIED HEART relates the story of a 15 year old, Black, rape victim who makes the best of the horrible situation she finds herself thrust into.
nr	Poor and living in1960s rural Central Washington State, she has nowhere to turn for the husband she must marry, except to conscript a fellow high school student, an innocent White boy.
pos	On the surface an unlikely romance, the story draws strong parallels to the coexisting US Civil Rights Movement: The Heroine: To all those Blacks who suffered abuse at the hands of others and developed strength to live through it.
nr	The Hero: To those Whites far removed so as to know little about Blacks and their situation, but who understand that justice sees no skin color.
nr	The Rapist: All those, no matter what their own race, who perpetrated injustice, violent or otherwise, against Blacks The Hero's parents: Those Whites who always treated people fairly, regardless of their race, and taught their children to do likewise.
nr	The Heroine's father: Those hardworking Blacks who wanted nothing more than to make the best life they could by the productivity of their own hands.
nr	The Hero's boss, the boss's wife, the College President, College Board Members, a Bank teller, Bank manager, Scottsburg Police Department, County Sheriff's Office, and the more minor characters are a mix ranging from virtuous to bigoted and vindictive.
pos	Particularly touching is the scene in which the Hero explains race to his six-year-old, bi-racial daughter.
pos	After a violent start, the story develops at a more livable pace, building the characters and events to climax in the Hero's gut-wrenching search for the Heroine and their daughter, both kidnaped by the sadistic, murdering Rapist. SHANGHAIED HEART's setting and plot give the reader an intimate glimpse of that era in rural life, as well as bringing home what it's like to endure racial discrimination.

books_pos_15
books	4
pos	Anita Diamant's superb book takes the well known story of Jacob and his 12 sons and gives voice to the women long silent.
nr	This work of historical fiction explores the experiences of the women in relation to their men as well as the relationships between the women.
nr	The first half of the book is the story of Jacob's four wives: their love for the same man, their conflicts, and the bond between sisters and women.
nr	Each month the women join together in the red tent for several days.
pos	Rather than a source of disgrace, the book gives a reaffirming message of what it means to be a women and worships the ability to give life, which the mothers pass on to their daughter Dinah . As interesting as the relationships between the characters, the book presents a myriad of the religious practices of the time.
nr	Througout the book we see that the women continue to practice their own religious beliefs, until a dramatic conflict with Jacob. In the second half of the book, the reader is able to catch a glimpse of Egyptian gods and godesses.
neg	However, these mentions are often brief and may leave one wanting to hear more and explore the level of monotheism that was really practiced.
mix	The second half of the book follows Dinah into Egypt after she flees tragedy in Canaan. The second half is less interesting than the first, but the reading is fast and moves quickly.
nr	The portrayal of Joseph is a far cry from his broadway persona and there is little in the way of explanation for why he has become the greedy selfish man that he is.
nr	Dinah's sotry ends with a bitterswee tone.
nr	After seeing her family from afar at her father's death, she receives some sense of reconciliation from the family that remains.
nr	After returning to Egypt, Dinah dies surrounded by loved ones and returns to her waiting mothers.
pos	The ending offers some conclusion to the divides within her family and we see that life continues on.

books_pos_19
books	5
pos	This is one amazingbook about a man (Gary Paulsen) and his experiances with running the Iditarod dog race in Alaska. It goes through his nothing but humorous traing process, and then onto the grueling, tiring, painful race.
nr	This book shows how one man connects with nature and his dogs and how these dogs arent being changed by him, but he is being changed by the dogs.
pos	He gives a great account of his loving (and obviously favorite) dog Cookie, the lead of his team.
pos	He goes through the relationships with everyone he meets and his thoughts while reviewing for the race before it's start in Anchorage, Alaska. Paulsen is one of my all time favorite authors and when i read this I was impressed with the emotion, and hysterical hallucinations and I was glad that this book went way over my expectations.
pos	I reccomend this book to everyone and anyone, especially those who enjoy the great outdoors and animals.
pos	Nothing but the best!!

books_pos_31
books	4
nr	Vicente himself observed that before him there only existed sophisticated guidelines on different aspects of human-machine interaction but no holistic approach that is fit for the engineer.
pos	So he undertook the work and succeeded.
pos	Building on known technics he refined and combined them to form a coherent framework that guides you from the first assessment to the final delivery, putting emphasis on the 'get it right the first time' principle.
pos	In contrast with other books on human machine interaction the ideas of the book are coherent, logical and refreshing to read.
nr	The work is intended for big industrial projects, so our positive experince with a small-scale project is not representative.
pos	Still, Vincentes book is not a cookery-book but on the abstract and generic level and capable of being used in very different enviroments.
neg	The only drawback is the use of the example microworld.
neg	I believe that most readers would have rather read about Vincentes experience in nuclear power plants with all its technical complexity than being bored by his fabricated and dull pump system.

books_pos_32
books	4
pos	The book carries you from the first steps to far into the language.
pos	It is easy to read and has all the essentials.
pos	With a proper dictionary like Payne Smith's Compendious Syriac Dictionary there is little else you need for classical Syriac. Beginning with the script and pronunciation it advances through pronouns, nouns and verbs in a very orderly fashion.
pos	A lot of information is presented in tables which is handy for reference.
neg	The exercises are very basic.
neg	I recommend reading the Gospel in Syriac for further excercise.
nr	The grammar does not assume knowledge of other semitic languages, but given its compactness such knowledge is recommended.
nr	You should at least be familiar with the semitic verb system.

books_pos_36
books	4
mix	I loved this book from the start, and then it got a bit slow for me when the narrator switched.
pos	Luckily, it picked up in the end.
pos	I definitely liked Kite Runner more, but I did like this one a lot.
nr	I think I'd recommend it more to my female students.
nr	It felt like a female author to me, based on the storyline and plot details.
nr	It helps to go into this one not expecting it to be anything like Kite Runner. So many people told me they hated it compared to Kite Runner, while others loved this a lot more than Kite Runner. Other than the setting and historical background, I think the stories are incredibly different, interest-wise.

dvds_neg_1
dvds	2
neg	EVAN ALMIGHTY (2007) ** Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, Johnny Simmons, Graham Phillips, Jimmy Bennett, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jonah Hill, Molly Shannon, Ed Helms, (Cameo: Jon Stewart as himself) Strained 'sequel' to "BRUCE ALMIGHTY" with Carell's jerk anchorman Evan Baxter leaving TV to begin his stint as a freshman Congressional rep has his hands full when God (Freeman reprising his holy role; Jim Carrey wisely avoided the 'calling') demands he build an ark like Noah and the hilarity ensues (or should have).
neg	The Godforsaken sitcom-y script by Steve Oedekerk, Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow is absolutely lame and only Carell's amiable persona transcends his vain Evan into something resembling a human being.
neg	The end result is a lot of bird poop gags and overall bloat (reportedly costing $175 M for the CGI F/X).
pos	Sykes steals the show as Evan's sarcastic assistant.
neg	Sacrilegiously unfunny.
nr	(Dir: Tom Shadyac)

dvds_neg_3
dvds	1
neg	BOOGEYMAN (2005) 0* Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Lucy Lawless, Tory Mussett, Robyn Malcolm, Charles Mesure. Vapid, convoluted non-sensical mess of alleged 'horror' film about a young man (vanilla Watson) making a reluctant homecoming to face his fears in the form of the urban legend of the closet monster that may (or may not; frankly who cares??!!!)
nr	have killed his father years ago.
neg	Not one sequence to the next has a cohesive thought or relation to the other is just the beginning of this inept genre flick with some laughable 'creature' f/x to say the least.
neg	Just plain sucks.
neg	Producer Sam Raimi should be ashamed of himself for torturing us with this crap.
nr	(Dir: Stephen T. Kay)

dvds_neg_6
dvds	1
neg	UNDEAD (2005) 0 * Arguably one of the worst films I've ever seen – nonsensical hodgepodge about a meteorite shower causing an Australian fishing village to become zombies with it's so-sure-of-itself-smugness incorporating (ok --- Stealing!
neg	Robert Rodriguez camera angles, "Matrix" type pacings and Peter Jackson's seminal "DeadAlive" to name three counts of plagiarism) far too many hybrids and quite frankly a real mess overall.
neg	I realize low-budget independent movies should be given some slack but the bargain basement bloodiness (while plentiful) is the least of this film's problems.
neg	There is no rhyme or reason to the film as it progresses and by the end it doesn't explain anything that has just transpired (or even attempts too!)
neg	I'm not even going to include the lame cast and simply say the directors : Michael & Peter Spierig should just give it all up and stop while they're behind.
neg	Atrocious!

dvds_neg_7
dvds	1
neg	SLOW BURN (2007) * Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer, Jolene Blalock, Guy Torry, Taye Diggs, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bruce McGill. More like a simmering potboiler: 1995's crackling neo-noir sleeper "The Usual Suspects" was in a class by itself but lately there have been some numerous copycats in attempting to glean some magic from its infamous twisted ending revealing who its arch-criminal Keyser Soze really was.
neg	The latest pretender to the throne is a horse of another color (and yes the pun is meant to be offensive).
nr	Set in the twilight hours in a no-names urbane city an ambitious DA named Ford Cole (Liotta, who is also a producer on this dreadful film) who is summoned to the police station when one of his younger protégées (and current lover), Nora Timmer (mannequin Blalock) has been involved in a lethal shooting after her claims of being raped by her assailant, Isaac Duperde.
neg	Adding fuel to the fire is many turns in this serpentine crime drama that offers about as much suspense as a re-run of any form of "Law & Order": Timmer may or may not have been having an affair with the deceased assailant, may or may not know the true identity of the mysterious local kingpin and may or may not be involved in a convoluted scheme involving high-level real estate conspiracies with the aforementioned gangsta.
nr	Enter Luther Pinks (Cool J), who has some info on Timmer confirming she is not on the level and his identity is also in question (as is his purple prose involving his olfactory senses with laughable line readings).
neg	The whole lousy mess is indecipherable until it's cribbing of the final act of "Suspects" for its own conclusion that not only cheats a smart, knowing audience but feels like a cheat from the minute one character is onto another with a fateful 'wait=a-second' glance and pause in his tracks.
neg	Although Blalock is a real hottie, the shameful way her character is depicted as either a 'sista pretending to be white' or vice versea as some sort of living-in-the-shadows- chameleon is only further drummed over the head by the ham-fisted direction by Wayne Beach in his debut as a helmsman and also the film's scribe.
neg	The fact he actually shows a real-life chameleon during several sequences involving Nora is truly eye rolling.
neg	It doesn't help that the film has been on the shelf for several year.
neg	That's never a good sign and another is shamefully stealing from a real classic.

dvds_neg_8
dvds	1
nr	ZOMBIE STRIPPERS!
nr	(2008) 1/2 Robert Englund, Jenna Jameson, Jeannette Sousa, Shamron Moore, Brad Milne, Shannon Malone, Catero Colbert, Zak Kilberg, Jennifer Holland, Roxy Saint, Laura Bach, Joey Medina, Penny Drake, Whitney Anderson, Carmit Levite, John Hawkes, Jen Alex Gonzalez, Laura Bach, Jessica Custodio.
neg	Tongue-thru-cheek T&A and dumb-as-a- stump zombie homage mashup of sub-Cormanian sleaze that frankly hasn't a clever thought in its ripped out skull: a futuristic US government run amok has an experiment gone awry resulting in a horde of zombies with ap*ss and vinegar Marine troop set in for the kill, only to unknowingly transmit the virus at a nearby strip-joint resulting in the titular monster- mish-mash.
neg	The gore effects are a mixed lot with buckets of viscera for the masses and a hammy – cry for help from Englund as the germ-phobic flamboyant joint owner (!) and porn- star supreme Jameson as the first of the afflicted strippers (!!) You've been warned – although I did like Bach's 'assets' as the busty gung-ho jarhead (and sadly the only one who isn't nude!
neg	So a demerit there!)
neg	Written and directed by Jay Lee, heir apparent to Ed Wood for the 21st Century anyone?

dvds_neg_10
dvds	1
neg	ROCKET SCIENCE (2007) * Reece Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Nicholas D'Agostino, Vincent Piazza, Margo Martidale, Aaron Yoo, Josh Kay, Steve Park, Lisbeth Bartlett, Denis O'Hare, Jonah Hill. (Dir: Jeffrey Blitz) Lame mix of "ELECTION" and "RUSHMORE" Why is it some of the indies heralded at such prestigious film fests like Sundance often come across as crass, self-involved, hateful pieces of turgid junk?
neg	I realize they can't all be gems but the latest offering had me grinding my teeth in deep hatred.
nr	Hal Hefner (newcomer Thompson) is a NJ teen who has a difficult life: namely his father has just left his family to fend for themselves as if he was going onto a better job position instead of total abandonment for no good reason (well maybe the mother is a bit of a clinger), and more notably a persistent, heart-breaking stutter that has made him a complete social misfit at his high school (and life in general).
nr	Add to the mix debate team extraordinairre Ginny Ryerson (newbie Kendrick), whose hyperkinetic speech is an obnoxious, grating device that inspires her to force hapless Hal to join the club in spite of his woeful absence of speech in general.
nr	Ginny has her reasons: namely she was robbed the previous year of the state championship when her partner Ben Wekselbaum (D'Agostino) suddenly froze in the midst of his patter ruining their chances altogether and sending him into self-exiled seclusion.
neg	While documentary filmmaker Blitz is said to have based this alleged comedy on his own childhood battle with stuttering, you could have fooled me in this highly mean-spirited, ugly and too-proud-of-itself attitude that I immediately disliked it from the get go and the cutesy touches (Hal's creepy friend's parents use musical therapy with a cello and piano recital of the Violent Femmes' "Blister in The Sun"), the fact NJ (my home state) is once again a one-note joke (and um, shot in BALTIMORE!!!), and namely no likable characters (nope even Hal becomes a real jerk in the long run).
neg	I truly loathed this lame film and hope it doesn't get an audience at all for its attempt to be 'clever' by mixing elements of "Election" and "Rushmore" (in fact rent those instead!)

dvds_neg_14
dvds	1
neg	Words cannot describe how bad this movie is.
neg	They try to make Humbert too sympathetic instead of a monster, when really he is a sympathetic monster, and that is the beauty of the novel Lolita, one moment you hate him the next you feel bad for him.
neu	I believe Irons could have been a good Humbert if the screenplay had been batter.
neg	Yes, Swain was too old to play Lolita but why, why on earth do they have her acting like a 5-year-old.
neg	Running and skipping and jumping and playing with dolls, by age 12 most girls are throwing out their dolls because they want to be more mature and are becoming interested in sex, which is exactly what Lolita was doing in the novel, she was smack-dab in-between the child world and adult world.
neg	I wish Swain would have remembered what it was like at that age instead of trying to over compensate for being too old by acting childish but maybe that is what the script required her to do.
neu	Griffith did an okay job but when I read the book I picture more of the Haze in the 1962 movie, meaning I see her as a bigger woman and more over the top.
neg	With all that said neither film lives up to the book but the Kubrick version gets away with more because he doesn't try to stay true to the novel, which is a masterpiece.
neg	No one will ever be able to capture the beauty of Lolita on film and I hope this is the last time they try.

dvds_neg_16
dvds	1
neg	When you are sitting watching an action film and the only thing you can think of is, 'Well, at least a lot of stuntmen got work', there is something wrong with the film.
neg	In this film, there are too many problems to list.
nr	However, here are a few.
neg	Where was the writer?
neg	Obviously, the script was bought and the writer was not brought aboard to work on it as the film went on.
neg	The story was weak and beaten to death.
nr	Disgruntled foreigner gets mad and wants to kill everybody and cause worldwide panic.
neg	Wow. What a concept.
nr	Actually, if done properly, it can be a good concept.
nr	There were only a few things running against it being truly good.
nr	They are Vin Diesel, the Director, the production crew and the continuity supervisor.
neg	Unfortunately, all of these were involved in this film.
neg	The continuity alone is enough to drive the average viewer insane.
nr	From a GTO that can drive through Prague at 80 MPH (in the city), but can't go that fast in straight-aways to a deadly toxin that is rendered impotent by water.
neg	Water? Yes. Water. I guess no one wanted to do any research and look for compounds that don't dilute quickly and become ineffective in water.
neg	Am I asking too much in asking to SOME thought process while developing this film?
neg	Then there is Vin Diesel. I can guarantee you, he was a much better bouncer than he ever will be an actor.
neg	Does he have only one tone to his voice?
neg	It's okay for a short film or small part in a film, but a whole feature?
neg	It's like listening to Schwarzenegger, but he can do some acting.
neg	A body and a voice do not an actor make.
neg	Do you know who Jeff Chandler is?
neg	Exactly!
neg	Stay away from this film like the plague.
neg	It's just bad.
pos	The only good thing is the lead female who is a Russian spy.
pos	If all spies looked like her and moved like her, there would be chaos in the world.
neg	Unfortunately, it is not worth the $9.00 to go see her only.
neg	It would be best to get it on cheap rental day at the video store.
neg	Then, get a group of people together to pull money to 'share the pain'.
nr	Hey, $0.50 out of your pocket is better than $9.00. I'd rather watch Howard the Duck again.
nr	I'm going to go get a mint.
neg	Just thinking of this film makes my stomach sour.

dvds_neg_17
dvds	1
neg	Spoiler Alert One would think a movie featuring Robert Deniro and Edward Norton would be good.
neg	I rented this film with high expectations, and I was completely disappointed.
neg	The film slowly led into some elaborate heist of some sword which was worth a lot of money.
neg	I endured the boring pre-heist moments, expecting a good final scene.
neg	It never came.
pos	The only entertainment I found was Norton's portrayal of a mental handicap.
pos	I laughed a bit.
neg	But besides that, the movie was terrible.
neg	The most "exciting" scene of the movie dragged out for what seemed to be hours.
neg	The ending was disappointing.
nr	Deniro wins because Norton screwed up and told the old man he stole the sword, yet he did not kill him, thus leaving a witness!!!
neg	What?!? Come on, that was ridiculous.
neg	I can't believe Norton and Deniro wasted their time making this film, and I can't believe I wasted my time watching it.
neg	I give it 3 out of 10 (and that only because Deniro and Norton are two of my personal favorites)

dvds_neg_18
dvds	2
neg	Why did I buy this one?
nr	I keep asking myself that.
mix	Kathy Smith is a good exercise instructor-she is knowledgeable and motivational in that aspect-but she needs to stick with that-and stop doing the dance videos.
neg	I tried her Latin dance video a few years ago and it was awful...and now this.
nr	I have been bellydancing and performing with it for a few years,and I knew better-but I had to buy it.
neg	Save your money and don't.
neg	First of all-you can't teach a belly dance video if you can't belly dance yourself.
neg	The first thing I noticed was that Kathy can't keep a rhythm and you cannot properly execute most of the moves-so it was a bad idea to have her lead this video.
mix	The sets and costumes were gorgeous-but the background dancers should have been leading this one.
nr	I think since Ansuya (Of Bellydance Superstars) was in the background, and was the one who taught Kathy the dance moves-that Ansuya should have been the main instructor here, maybe with Kathy Smith "assisting her", rather than Kathy leading the video.
neg	Just to throw out a few examples of this-when Kathy was leading clockwise chest circles in the slow segment (lifting the chest up, to one side, down, then to the other side) she was letting her chest collapse to center between each move rather than holding it there.
neg	So, she was teaching a "chest circle" but she was not doing one.
neg	She was actually doing a "chest lift, chest slide, chest drop, chest slide" because she was collapsing her chest to center and not executing the movement properly.
neg	She also had trouble with basic belly dance moves such as the hip drop pattern where you drop forward, back, back, back...she was too inflexible in the hips so you ended up with forward, back, same, same.
neg	I understand that she is a beginner, and that she is not a belly dancer.
nr	This is my point.
neg	Kathy doesn't need to be a "pro" to teach these basic moves-but these are basic moves that in my area are taught in the first 10 weeks of beginning class.
neg	Kathy should have at least taken belly dance lessons for a few months from Ansuya before putting out this video-or at least long enough to master the moves she was teaching in this video.
neg	Her snake arms were stiff and lifeless and she let her arm form collapse on the downward motion of the arms every time.
neg	Belly dance is harder than it looks-and sometimes it takes a while to fully grasp these moves and to do them well-you can't take lessons for one month, and then put out a video.
neg	This was not even the worst part of the video, in my opinion.
neg	You cannot belly dance in your "perky step aerobics instructor" persona.
neg	I have NEVER seen a belly dancer perform and all of sudden squeal out "OOOOOooooowwww!"
neg	This is something that has annoyed me in Kathy Smiths fitness videos for years, but at least it is okay for an exercise instructor to be obnoxiously perky.
neg	(although I avoid exercise videos by instructors like this) This is ESPECIALLY out of place in belly dance, however.
neg	You wouldn't see a ballerina or a tap dancer shout out like that in the middle of a number, and I feel that Middle Eastern dance deserves the same respect.
neg	I found Kathy's overall attitude about belly dance appalling.
neg	Her "woo-hoo!"
neg	-ing and shouting...and yelling "Yeah!"
neg	"OOOOoow!"
nr	during the dance moves.
neg	It really felt to me like Kathy was in "aerobics class" persona, just wearing a fancy costume.
neg	During the fast portion of the workout, it is almost as if Kathy can't hear the music.
neg	She has no natural rhythm, and frequently gets off beat with the music.
neg	What I found funny about this, is that Ansuya and the other dancers refused to follow her and this point, and continued to dance WITH the rhythm and Kathy is left doing her own thing.
mix	The costumes and sets were gorgeous...but a her whooping wolf calls, bad dancing, and total lack of knowledge of belly dance in general can't be covered up with "pretties".
neg	There should also have been a brief rundown of proper posture in the beginning before starting and there was not.
nr	It only takes a minute to do this...and it is important to properly execute some of the moves.
neg	Other than the moves she learned from Ansuya, I would venture to say that Kathy doesn't know a doumbek from a zil...or a beledi from a karshlima.
neg	Trust me...you want someone who DOES. To sum it up...Kathy saw the popularity in the Veena/Neena and Rania bellydance videos-and decided to jump on the bandwagon to make a few bucks.
nr	The only problem is that belly dance is an actual art form and takes a lot of training to execute.
neg	She took a couple belly dance classes and then put out a video.
neg	Sheesh. Ansuya should have known better than to sign on with this...because I actually think less of her now for putting her name on this one.
nr	I understand completely that this is marketed as an "exercise" video, and is not a professional dance instructional.
neg	However, most belly dance exercise videos (such as those from Suhaila, Rania, Veena & Neena, etc.) are by women who have a lot of Middle Eastern dance experience-not by someone who just decided to "make a video" on it, but has no experience at all.
nr	To teach Middle Eastern dance in any form-a real dance video, or an exercise video-you should know how to do it yourself.

dvds_neu_1
dvds	3
nr	PALINDROMES (2005) ** Ellen Barkin, Richard Masur, Valerie Shusterov, Hannah Freiman, Will Denton, Rachel Corr, Sharon Wilkins, Shayna Levine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Debra Monk, Walter Bobbie, Richard Riehle, Stephen Adly-Guirgis, Matthew Faber, Angela Pietropinto, Bill Buell. (DIR: Todd Solondz) RIP Dawn Weiner; Todd Solondz returns to the Dollhouse and then some Say this about Todd Solondz, he won't be making any Disney films anytime soon.
nr	The off-beat indie filmmaker, who came onto the scene 10 years ago in his landmark scathing comedy "Welcome to The Dollhouse" returns to the scene with this sequel (kind of) to his first film masterpiece in angst and anomie.
neg	However something is decidedly lost in the translation of dysfunctional families in suburbia.
nr	The film begins with the closed-casket funeral of "Dollhouse"'s 'WienerDog', Dawn Wiener, who has committed suicide apparently so awfully that we cannot even get a glimpse of her as her sullen, nerd brother Mark (Faber reprising his role) offers a solemn eulogy, where their cousin is introduced.
nr	Solondz employs a gimmick of using an octet of actresses of different races, ages and shapes in his bizarre story about a pre-adolescent girl named Aviva (note the titular affectation) whose only dream to come true – to have lots and lots of babies – is explored at arm's length much to the dismay of her manic/depressive mother Joyce (Barkin in one of her finer moments) who is shocked when Aviva in fact gets impregnated on her first seriously awkward encounter with a neighbor's heinous son that leads her and her spouse Steve (vet character actor Masur) to force Aviva to abort.
nr	What happens next is Aviva running away from home to be discovered by a family of adopted children of different backgrounds and with some handicaps all under the roof of the Christian Mama Sunshine (Monk) and her evangelical husband Bo (Bobbie) – who both seem too good to be true with their altruistic intentions.
mix	Here their brood of misfits take on a creepy underscore reminiscent of the cult classic "Freaks" but Solondz does manage to give his real-life challengers moments of humanity that all are but evident in the decidedly ugliness of what transpires.
pos	Of the eight actresses who portray the clueless Aviva, Wilkins stands out as the most memorable if not largely for her zaftig woman-child interpretation with her borderline gargantuan stature (the impression is of a giantess growing in mid-transformation with the sundresses nearly bursting from her ample body) but displays some real emotion in her confusion and dismay at just wanting to be loved and to love someone that makes her few moments on screen so memorable.
neu	A haggard looking Leigh also shocks in her seemingly drugged turn before the film's end.
neu	Solondz' puree of pornographic elements, pedophilia, right-wing Born Again Christianity, pre-marital sex and the handicap feel uneasy – and arguably exploitive - and that may be the point that he excessively puts on display with a freakshow mentality that gets lost in the translation that we are all one and vice versea.
neu	In this second cousin to "Dollhouse" the film doesn't cohese easily as its far superior black comic/tragic predecessor but its meanness is all too-apparent as well as the political agenda of what is wrong with America (read: abortion and the Right Wing Christian sects right-to-lifers) yet Aviva does get across one true theme: we are not who we seem to be.

dvds_neu_5
dvds	3
nr	BLACK Christmas (2006) **1/2 Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke, Andrea Martin, Crystal Lowe, Oliver Hudson, Robert Mann, Karin Konoval, Dean Friss, Jessica Harmon, Leela Savasta, Kathleen Kole, Cainan Wiebe, Christina Crivici, Howard Siegel, Peter Wilds. Ho-Ho-Ho Horror Redux of a Cult Classic Not many recall the original 1974 cult classic horror film "Black Christmas" directed by Bob Clark ("A Christmas Story", "Porky's"), which featured Margot Kidder and Olivia Hussey, but the simple fact is "Halloween" as the first of its genre eclipsed the film as a holiday slasher film a few years later.
neu	The original is actually very scary and disturbing and the remake for the 21st century has its moments and wisely a few homages to its predecessor.
mix	Set in a snow bound Christmas Eve sorority row house with several of its inhabitants remaining and unknowing that the previous resident, a certified homicidal killer named Billy – who killed his family 30 years ago – has just broken out of the asylum and is making tracks for a sort of homecoming, sets the mood for this bloody good but by no means great remake with reservations.
neg	Namely the decision to give Billy a backstory.
nr	In the original the killer is never really figured out in spite of his trademark sick phone calls pranked on the nubile young women who anger him to the point of some truly nasty and twisted murders.
nr	The schizophrenic nature of the character is fleshed out to include incest and a twist that is best left unsaid, but for me I figured it out in the first few minutes of the film.
neu	Director Glen Morgan (who helmed "Final Destination") does a rather decent job with the bloodletting and heebie-jeebies, notably the use of eye imagery (the original had some trademark sequences of close-ups of the fevered maniac's eyeball peeping out of several holes) and the equally grisly come-uppances of the co-eds (who quite frankly are almost difficult to tell whose who since the majority are nubile brunettes; not necessarily a criticisms more than an annoying observation).
mix	While the chills and thrills are uneven at best the shocks come quick and deadly which is the way any genre fan will be pleased to hear.
nr	For trivia buffs Martin – who appeared in the original as a victim – returns this time as the mother hen to the sorority under siege.

dvds_neu_12
dvds	3
nr	HOSTEL (2006) ** Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova, Jan Vlasak, Jennifer Lim, Lubomir Silhavecky, Paula Wild, Lubomir Bukovy, Rick Hoffman.
nr	Eurotrash'd.
neu	Filmmaker Eli Roth is making a noble attempt to rescue the horror genre that he so adores and in his sophomore go he succeeds just-a-bit more than his debut with the overwrought and undercooked "Cabin Fever", its Cravian flesh-eating virus in the boonies misfire.
nr	In "Hostel" a trio of horny college students traveling abroad in Europe are looking for cheap thrills in Amsterdam's state of debauchery by imbibing with as much hash and whores as possible until they get derailed in a stop-over in Slovakia where they are informed the women there are undeniably hot and bothered and the illicit means of getting trashed are theirs for the taking.
nr	The three buddies - two Americans, Pax and Josh (Hernandez and Richardson, respectively) and an Icelandic self-proclaimed 'king of swing' Oli (Gudjonsson) - find the hostel and more than they bargained for: two hotties (Nedeljakova and Kaderabkova) sharing their room (and bodily fluids before the night is over).
nr	The next morning Oli is nowhere to be found and after several cell phone calls get a few messages of their bud high-tailing it with no explanation.
nr	Along the way they encountered an odd Danish businessman (Vlasak) whose clumsy pass at Josh infuriated the young man to no end but the two meet again unlikely at the local watering hole and deciding to make international peace Josh buys the Dane a drink and some words of advice.
nr	The next thing he knows it, Josh is bound in his underwear to a hard chair in a dank dungeon and his drinking buddy with a tray of sharp surgical equipment glittering sinisterly nearby.
neu	What follows is a nauseating display of carnage and torture but frankly not as gore-iffic as I anticipated with the hyperbole that the film was offered in its ads and the fact that none-other-than Quentin Tarantino as an executive producer glad-handling the media declaring this to be the scariest, sickest violent infused fest in a decade or so.
neg	I'm no prude but I think Roth skimped out on the Gran Guignol this could've been and without sounding sadomasochistic I like my gore to be buckets of, not a sponge job.
neg	The scares that fail to come are largely due to Roth's build up (finally) after nearly a half hour of lead up with unlikable characters whose sympathy we're supposed to gather by the time they meet their fates with grisly results when in fact the punches are indeed pulled.
neg	I admit the last fifteen minutes make up for the lack of ghoulish could've beens with gusto and self-righteous "yeah" paybacks but the trip itself is unsavory.
pos	While the sex scenes are plentiful (thanks Eli!)
neu	and the subversive comic relief in the grotty hamlet's gang of pre- pubescent street gang as some ersatz "Village of the Damned" is highly welcomed (finally also that the 'hot' babes are indeed well-endowed and hot) the film feels compromised of what if promises to deliver: shock.
nr	In fact if feels like a glimpse of The Gimp sequence from Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (several scenes feel cribbed from this and could best describe the film as a whole).
mix	Nothing is shocking really when you already know that the results will be nasty "Saw" - like environs, Eurotrash baddies and a few well-shot sequences of tension (the one true gross-out ocular venture's money shot is indeed not for the squeamish), however Roth has a lot more to make up for in his shortcomings, namely one character we can totally relate to and support in his hellish nightmare.
pos	Otherwise it is a somewhat gallant attempt to do what Sam Raimi, John Carpenter and others have pioneered in the late Seventies and early Eighties: horror with heart.

dvds_neu_15
dvds	3
nr	ANNAPOLIS (2006) ** James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Donnie Wahlberg, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Roger Fan, Wilmer Calderon, Brian Goodman, Chi McBride, Charles Napier. (Dir: Justin Lin) "An Officer and A Gentleman Lite" Annaplolis, the renowned US Naval Academy, is the subject of the titular film about a working-class kid from the wrong side of the tracks whose dream to become a Navy officer is fulfilled when he is offered a chance at basic training.
nr	The young man, Jake Huard (Franco) once was praised by his beloved late mother that one day he would attend the institution and become a man in the process.
nr	All the years of his backbreaking work with his contractor father Bill (Goodman) has him burning inside and expressing his frustrations by boxing at amateur bouts in town until one day he catches the eye of Lt.Cmdr. Burton (Wahlberg doing a mean Ed Harris imitation) who offers young Jake a shot at redemption.
nr	Once there Jake learns the hard way that it won't be a cake-walk by any means with an attendee Marine instructor named Cole (Gibson, seemingly miscast) who makes things hell for the recruits as expected and his hear on hold when he is at first shot down in a civilian bar by Ali (silky Brewster looking like a latter- day Ali McGraw), who turns out to be one of his superiors as well on base (and a boxing instructor to boot too).
nr	Along for the ride are the atypical stock characters - the know-it-all loudmouth Estrada (Calderon), the fat black kid Twins (Shannon) and the suck-up jerk Loo (Fan) - and quicker than you can say "An Officer and A Gentleman" - Huard looks like he may wash-out but on his extended leave at Christmas time he decides to tough it out and get his props by shooting for a shot at a heavyweight division bout with - that's right you guessed it - Cole!
neg	If you can gather that this is pure Hollywood hokum formulaic military maverick wanting a chance to redeem himself than don't bother buying a ticket (or wait for the inevitable DVD rental).
mix	The film is on automatic from the get go yet Franco's charm and the easy on the eyes Brewster make the melodrama go down smoother than anticipated and there is some humor sprinkled in for good measure.
neg	It's hard to believe this is director Lin's follow-up from his remarkable debut with the indie fave "Better Luck Tomorrow" but if you're gonna sell out it could be a lot worse.

dvds_neu_22
dvds	3
nr	WHITE NOISE (2004) ** Michael Keaton , Deborah Kara Unger, Chandra West, Ian McNeice, Sara Strange, Nicholas Elia, Keegan Connor Tracy. (Dir: Geoffrey Sax) Can You Hear Me Now?
nr	: The Movie What happens to the dearly departed once they leave this mortal coil is perhaps the most universally pondered query and cinema is no stranger in trying to come up with a significant reply.
neg	However in its latest incarnation the answer seems to be repetitive (ie we've seen it before).
nr	Submitted for your approval : One Jonathan Rivers (the always reliable Keaton), a successful architect whose second marriage to the beautiful and talented writer Anna (the fetching West) seems to be heading for nothing but good news when she announces she's pregnant moments before a photo shoot for her new novel.
nr	Sadly these will be the last fond memories Jonathan will treasure.
nr	Anna is killed in a freak accident while changing a tire she falls into the nearby waters and drowns leaving a distraught, grief-stricken husband who begins to question how can he possibly continue his life.
nr	Enter mysterious Brit Raymond Price (McNeice) who informs the overwhelmed Rivers that Anna has been 'speaking' to him in an ethereal device known as EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) – communication thru the white noise static of audio devices and eventually a ghostly video format.
nr	Naturally Rivers is at first affronted and skeptical but then finds himself at Price's home where he is in the midst of 'session' with another begrieved client, Sarah Tate (the utterly sexy Unger).
nr	It is here where Rivers gets a sample of just what Price has been trying to explain which sets the plot line of the film.
nr	Rivers becomes obsessed and convinced he can make contact with his late wife and will stop at nothing – including his good mental health and further distancing from his first wife and child (Strange and Elia, respectively) in the process – until he stumbles upon some nefarious signals from the great beyond testing his thought process and eventually tapping into something that was perhaps best left alone.
neg	WHITE NOISE taps into many other (and better envisioned) sources of the ghostly genre including a score of old "Twilight Zone"'s, "POLTERGEIST", 'THE CHANGELING", "AUDREY ROSE", "THE SIXTH SENSE" and "THE RING" to name several off the top of my head.
nr	Namely how we the living try to comprehend the world of the dead and the afterlife (if one even does occur) and largely opening a Pandora's box of inexplicable evil while attempting to cope with one's own mortality.
neu	The screenplay by newcomer Niall Johnson makes the most of its "X-Files" approach and for the most part the familiarity falls into place predictably yet Brit TV vet Sax (making his big-screen directorial debut) also elicits a few jolts for good measure in the creaky vehicle for Keaton who arguably is the best thing about the film as a whole, down playing his normal kinetic fueled turns with a vastly introspective and amiably obsessed Rivers (you truly feel his pain and desperation invested by this consuming project he enlists to) and the underused (sadly) Unger makes a fine fellow traveler downplaying her sexy visage.
pos	Kudos also to a viscerally uneasy turn by the lush Connor Tracy (late of "FINAL DESTINATION 2") as a blind medium in a scene that begs for more screen time development.
neg	The film however falls apart in the climactic final moments, which allows the next film in line to continue the quest for What Happens When We Die; only time will tell.

dvds_neu_32
dvds	3
pos	The only good actors in this movie is Willem Dafoe and Jackson.
neg	Without them, i would have left in the middle.
neg	"Lola" is the worse actress in probably...the universe.
mix	The action scenes were cool, the story was alright, but all in all i was not impressed.
neg	I thought it was going to be much better.
neg	You have the new XXX (Ice Cube) who no matter how good is acting is is a pimp!
neg	But then you have the "Lola" who looks like a man and the love between Darius Stone and Lola is sooo unbelievable.
nr	She gives him three cars totalling more than 750,000 dollars.
neg	And the ending scene on the train to me, i was thinking, "that would never ever happen".
neg	A lot of action movies have the unbelievability factor, but for me, i actually found myself thinking how bull***** this movie was.
neg	It has some special effects, but you will not leave the theatre with a good feeling, just a wanting for your money back!

dvds_neu_35
dvds	3
nr	I thought that the original Psycho(1960) was a masterpiece.
nr	Hitchcock is one of the greatest directors of all time.
neg	This is the reason that this movie should not have been re-made.
neg	I think a large majority of the effect was lost in making this movie in color.
neg	I believe that it would have been a lot better in black and white like the original.
neg	But if you are going to copy a movie frame for frame, what is the point of making it?
neg	They should have just re-released the original.

dvds_neu_36
dvds	3
nr	I is a really big Ali G fan, the show was absolutely brilliant.
neg	However, I is a little disappointed about dis movie.
nr	Maybe because I had such high expectations because of da Ali G show.
mix	Sure there is a lot of funny jokes and scenes, but it isn't as original as I'd hoped.
neg	Somehow it seems to be aimed at US audience, there just was too much jokes that was heard and seen before.
mix	Anyhow, Ali G is like a cult character already, and I only wish there will be more Ali G movies, I know Sacha Baron Cohen can do MUCH better than this...
nr	but they has to keep it real.
pos	8/10 big ups for Ali. Respect!

dvds_neu_37
dvds	3
nr	Conquest of Space came out about 5 years after Destination Moon which was another George Pal production.
nr	The story takes place what looks to be about 1965-70. Aboard a space station in orbit around the earth, a Captain and his son are in charge of building a spaceship.
nr	They are later told that the ship is to be sent on a mission to the planet Mars. Along the way the Captain gradually loses his mind and causes the ship to crash.
nr	They spend the better part of a year trying to survive until the orbit of Mars is close enough to return to earth.
mix	While the special effects have improved since Destination Moon (there is some use of blue screen, using full scale sets)and quite impressive, the story lacks quite a bit in terms of plot.
pos	Also, it is very similar to DM. Still it is somewhat enjoyable and features a diverse cast (look fast for the black crewman way in the back!)

dvds_neu_38
dvds	3
nr	I'm going to be the exception to the flow of "thumbs up" fans of this K. Bacon movie.
mix	This film is good in so many ways: Acting, cinematography, and raw realism ...BUT... It loses its' base and frustrates the movie-goer when it lacks reasonable logic and believability in several scenes.
neg	First, Bacon decides to get revenge with little preparation.
neg	Second, he goes from a bundled up neurotic basket-case white collar worker and then becomes "Jason Bourne." Third, if that isn't enough, the bad guy thugs shoot him and obviously everyone in the theater can see he's only winged and "they" leave him while exiting the house with nary a cop in sight while a patrol car sits out front with two murdered officers leaning on a horn blaring away.
neg	Where are the back-up?
neg	Then good 'ol Kevin escapes the hospital with great ease not to mention heading back to his house and several other places to prepare for his assault on the bad boys lair.
neg	This is only a smidgen of several "beyond belief" scenarios that just frustrated the heck out of me.
pos	Notice that I gave the film 6 stars and thats because it was a masterpiece in so many ways.
mix	What must be also said is that, had this film brought together the realism to the high caliber of all the things that did work then this could have been one heck of a film.
neg	Lastly, I felt betrayed by the ending that left questions unanswered.

dvds_pos_6
dvds	5
pos	IFC produced indie gem with great, subtle acting and impressive novella-type narrative with characters as the film's focal point: to wit, former idealized hippie Jack Slavin (a never been better Daniel Day-Lewis) who lives with his tween daughter Rose (bewitched, beguiled and bewildered newcomer Camilla Belle) in their shared abandoned commune he created with her mother (who left them when she was very young) on a small remote e 'island off the East Coast of the United States' (as the beginning title card tells us over the amusing "I Put A Spell On You" by Creedence Clearwater Revival appropriately setting the tone).
nr	Sharing a very close bond the family has kept pretty much to themselves except that Jack has been seeing a woman named Kathleen (the always welcome Catherine Keener) on shore, and - more or less reasoning due to his heart ailment causing serious concerns – spontaneously visits her with a request: for Kathleen to move in with them, including her two sons from previous marriages (each from a different, deserted husband) – Thaddius (Paul Drano) a grungy, skinny 'bad boy' and Rodney (Ryan McDonald, suggesting a more intense with his emotions Jack Black ), a literate introvert 'good boy'.
nr	Naturally this sudden invite causes some alarm for all parties involved shaking up the ecosystem he has preserved and rattling the fragile yet rebellious Rose to no end (on the first night alone when the taken-with-cosmetology Rodney experiments on her hair with a severe crop she pulls a shotgun on the sleeping bodies of her father's new lover with a funny take; no one gets hurt but things get shaken up to more stirrings down the road).
nr	Added to the mix of the Slavin drama is Jack's relentless feud with local developer Marty Rance (a low-key yet pitch-perfect Beau Bridges), a decent well-meaning man whose pre-fab Colonial style dwellings are a major disdain for Jack who feels Marty is simply all about making a cruel dollar and negating the environment in general (which is Jack's true passion).
pos	Written and directed by D-Day's real-life wife Rebecca Miller (daughter of acclaimed playwright Arthur), the film has a leisurely paced, lovely-to-look at feel (kudos to cinematographer Ellen Kuras - who collaborated with Miller on Personal Velocity for her beatifically lensed work including such imagery as sun dappling water, a twinkling of an electric storm in a blue-violet twilight and a dazzling full moon on a clear night) as well as a literate outlook on her characters and their interlocking both subtle (a painful look by Day-Lewis to his daughter's deliberate display of losing her virginity to Thaddius) and not-so (a snake slithering loose under the bed during the deflowering – loss of innocence etc.). But make no bones about it she is a gifted storyteller with some nice quirks (Rose's odd/funny/sweet attempted seduction of a highly reluctant yet respectable Rodney is one of the most amusingly warm-hearted displays in cinema of late that feels real).
pos	I particularly liked a very early sequence with Rose retreating to the cramped confines of a pale yellow tree house , an envisionment of a metaphorical giantess trapped by her environs (Jack even notices and simply declares "you're getting to big for me"), attempting to adapt the her Brobdignagian largesse.
pos	While it is well acted across the board (Keener, again such a treat as a 'real' woman depicted on screen; warts and all) – including a smallish role by the usual gregariously laid-back Jason Lee as a local greens man who keeps the uptake of the Slavin's demands - it is a showcase for the ethereal Belle (suggesting a love child of Chris Noth and Jennifer Connelly) whose dark quasi-exotic/girl-next-door/angelic being walks a thin tightrope of madness and a desire for 'normalcy' (she even deems Keener's Kathleen as just that 'regular'); she is a propagation of sorts.
pos	There is a certain magical charm that works between her and Day-Lewis that is both tragic and inspiring.
pos	Keep an eye on this naturally gifted young actress.

dvds_pos_8
dvds	4
pos	THE ICE HARVEST (2005) *** John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Platt, Randy Quaid, Mike Starr. Black Comedy For Those Not In The Holiday Spirit John Cusack has always been one of the few actors who merit the Gold Standard when it comes to watching a film for pure entertainment and he excels with his good-hearted average guy manner in an unlikely dark comedy with another actor who is also in the same league of criteria, Billy Bob Thrornton (both co-starred in 1999's "Pushing Tin" a sort of satirical comedy about air traffic controllers at each other's throats) and together they make a fine comic duo.
nr	The post noir plot has to do with Kansas City 'mob lawyer' Charlie Arglist (Cusack) and his acquaintance Vic Cavanaugh (Thornton) ripping off one of Charlie's clients, Bill Guerrard (Quaid), by skimming some $2M in change and heading for warmer climes then the titular weather condition that serves as a character in itself in causing things to get slippery in their grand scheme of the high life on a chilly Christmas Eve in Wichita Falls. Charlie doesn't have much luck: his wife has left him for his best friend Pete van Heuten (scene stealer Platt) who keeps turning up like a bad (drunken) penny throughout the festive evening while Charlie's doubts of the perfect crime getting gummed up as he fears his (rightful) paranoia that Bill will catch wind of their theft and finds solid evidence that he is right in the form of Bill's henchman Roy (Starr) who keeps showing up moments after Charlie has arrived at say a strip club bar he frequents.
nr	To add fuel to the conflagration brewing is Renata (Nielsen channeling Veronica Lake replete with that icon's peekabo 'do), the sexily mysterious owner of the nudie bar Charlie keeps seeking refuge in and has the not-so-original idea of running away with the femme fatale in the process.
pos	What makes all this funny is Cusack's deadpan at the absurdities that seem to pop up every ten minutes making their unlikely reality a surreality.
pos	His timing is right on the money and Thornton's prickly, misanthropic (and homicidal) Vic is the perfect off-balance to the dicey proceedings at hand causing the two men to wade hip deep in a mire of dead bodies and other unsavory situations.
pos	Told in an icy comic vein by master veteran funnyman Harold Ramis who deftly directs the sordid and humorous sequences with aplomb and some interesting shots along the way (I particularly liked the off-center POV of a shotgun cartridge during one of the climactic action sequences very much so) as well as letting his cast simply let the smart screenplay by vets Richard Russo and Robert Benton sail along in the adaptation of Scott Phillips' Jim Thompsonian pulp fiction with just the right amount of bite and bile executed.
pos	Cinematographer Alar Kivilo's blue-black schematics make you feel the stinging cold of the Midwest bleakness engulfing the characters' plight.
pos	For anyone who has loathed the holiday season and all its trappings this makes a fine piece of coal in a stocking of cinematic mirth and mayhem.

dvds_pos_9
dvds	4
pos	TALK TO ME (2007) *** Don Cheadle, Chiwtel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson, Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Mike Epps. (Dir: Kasi Lemmons) Cheadle Sparkles in Biopic Don Cheadle is perhaps the most underrated best actor of his generation giving it all in every film performance and not getting the true props and recognition for his craft of versatility.
pos	Perhaps this, one of his best roles to date, will change perspectives overall.
nr	Cheadle plays ex-con Petey Greene, a street-smart smoothie, attempting to go legit by looking up a fellow prisoner's brother, Dewey Hughes (Ejiofor also giving an excellent turn), an uptight Washington, DC radio programming manager on the rise who is at a crossroads himself in the hope for bigger and brighter things in a broadcasting career he aspires to.
nr	When Petey arrives, all hell breaks loose, with genuine concern expressed by Dewey's boss EG Sonderling (Sheen) who has given him the daunting task of making the station a more viable form of entertainment for its dwindling listening in audience.
nr	Dewey reluctantly sees inspiration in the foul-mouthed Greene and recruits him only after a series of arguments, insults and a one-up-manship in a game of pool reducing Greene to his basics: a brother in need of a job.
nr	After a near disastrous opening show, Greene is given one more shot by a scheming Dewey (who locks out all the staff as Greene goes into his fast-talking no bs mode) with the gambit paying off to callers ringing the phones off the hook.
nr	In the interim, Dewey begins booking Greene on stand-up comic networking him into a local TV showcasing the controversial DJ and eventually to the top: a spot on "The Tonight Show" in NYC. Director Lemmons deftly balances the prickly comedy with the genuine drama best depicted in the day Martin Luther King, Jr is assassinated and having Petey shine in his finest hours telling it like it is and uniting the city from the firestorms and rioting in the streets.
pos	She has a good command for her actors allowing each one to shine like the formidably funny and fierce Henson as Petey's vulgar yet golden-hearted hoochie mama.
pos	Overall the acting is solid and on the money, again with Cheadle and Ejiofor showing deft acting chops with versatility of drama and comedy.
mix	The only flaw in the otherwise fine screenplay by Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa is you never get the full story on this larger than life character who has something of a kindred spirit with the late, great Richard Pryor yet the film manages to push on with his sadly limited life (Greene succumbed to cancer in the mid'80s).
pos	The gift of gab has never been so enjoyable.

dvds_pos_12
dvds	4
nr	CATCH AND RELEASE (2007) **1/2 Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, Kevin Smith, Sam Jaeger, Fiona Shaw, Joshua Friesen.
neu	(Dir: Susannah Grant) Jennifer is a great "catch" and the film isn't half bad either.
nr	Jennifer Garner is the ideal girl next door, beautiful in that freshly-scrubbed all- American girl type, but with a twinge of knowing naughtiness and playful fecklessness which she imbued to the nth degree in her serious ass-kicking ABC series "Alias" as a bodacious agent with pouting bee-stung lips and a lethal double-round-house to the nether regions.
pos	Her more feminine wiles on display to the hilt in this surprisingly charming romantic dramedy with her character Gray Wheeler, a young woman facing a sudden tragedy, her fiancée is killed in a horrible sporting event accident crushing her upcoming nuptials in full blossom.
nr	Instead of a wedding she now has a funeral to deal with, and in the opening sequence her pain is immediate as well as the difficulty of making sense of what to do from this point on.
nr	However all is not lost in the sense she is alone.
nr	Quite the contrary; her betrothed's fun-loving childhood friends are there to see her through including Sam (filmmaker Smith who steals the film with his smartly delivered one-liners and the ongoing running gag of the stout fellow in various modes of unkempt solvent shoving something down his endless gullet to high comic effect), who offers pearls of wisdom from the designer tea he works for; Dennis (Jaeger), the more level-headed of the trio, who harbors a not-so-secret crush on the young widow; and more significantly Fritz (Olyphant, late of the stupendous "Deadwood" on HBO), a voracious ladies' man transplanted back to their Boulder, CO environs from La-La- land where his stint as a budding filmmaker is really more of a hobby than his photography taking.
nr	All three men are in love with Grey (and can you blame them!)
nr	but each has their own philosophy in how her grief should ultimately lead to a happier existence.
nr	Along the way sorting through her dearly departed's affairs she learns he has a $1M nest egg in a seemingly secret account and discovers something more personal: his doling out monies to a woman in LA, a masseuse named Maureen (the always good-naturedly daffy Lewis) who has a 4 year old son (!) Let the melodrama commence!
pos	Written and directed by Susannah Grant (who makes her directorial debut here) does an able job overall with the usual formulaic expectations: overheard conversations misleading the truth; real-love triumphing; friendship & relationships put to the tests, etc. etc. But the cast makes it a winning diversion and a lot of fun.
pos	Great interplay between Garner as 'one- of-the-guys' and the three dudes making a fine buffet to her nubile attractiveness.
pos	There is undeniable chemistry between Garner and Olyphant (who I swear to God if you close your eyes sounds like a rakish Robert Wagner!)
pos	who effortlessly provides the sex with aplomb, and tastefully so.
neg	The only problem is how the pieces all fall into place relatively with little effort or dismay considering how her fiancée was killed and all and how they come to accept the flaky 'other woman' with barely a ruffle of feathers.
neu	Maybe that's a bit refreshing or I'ma tad too cynical (or maybe I was just hoping for a cat fight).
pos	Grant does allow some refreshing touches, namely making her characters likable yet flawed and not jerks, which so easily could've been the case in many plot points (ie Garner's mother-in-law-to-be has the inklings of villainy but really deep down shows she is not the heartless wench she appears when things get a little dicey).
pos	There are also equal amounts of chemistry between the trio of male friends who are all looking out for the best interests of Garner's character (as well as their own well-meaning agendas overall without being creepy or downright chauvinistic).
pos	But it truly is Garner's showcase to depict her girl-next-door sexiness not unlike America's sweetheart Julia Roberts: a gal whose femininity and sexuality are not in disposable even if she is one of the guys.
pos	The film is worth a look at to see how one can find their happiness even if it comes with little burden.

dvds_pos_14
dvds	5
nr	JOSHUA (2007) *** Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Jacob Kogan, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean. (Dir: George Ratliff) Sibling Rivalry: A Study in Terror What is it about the need for sibling rivalry in families?
nr	Is it simply that one child cannot justify the others' existence except for a battle to be more loved by their parents or is it something altogether an innate, knee-jerk response to a situation that is inevitably stacking the deck against the other in the give-and-take of familial favoritism jockeying for position of good standing?
pos	Well the answer is not necessarily found in this disturbing, under-the-skin creepy socio-horror film focusing on an NYC Yuppie couple's newborn daughter brought back to their upscale Central Park West environs and their preternaturally bright, but clearly unstable, young son, Joshua (newcomer Kogan, a real find).
nr	The couple, Brad and Abby Cairn (fully fleshed out turns by Rockwell and Farmiga, respectively, both giving career high performances here), are resettling their nest with their new bundle of joy and neglecting to notice how their eldest child is apparently not too pleased with his sudden shift to 'second' favorite child, with all their energies focused on the infant they've welcomed into the world.
nr	Joshua is a smart-beyond his years child but he is taking a dark turn with his studies (he takes to the Egyptian method of embalming mummies after a class study breaks his void of finding a niche in something to peak his interests).
nr	He's also keenly aware of how his mother's post-partum depression is crippling her sensibilities to the point of mania, manipulating his love for her by picking away at her weak spots (ie the baby's constant crying jag that is threatening her sanity) and he can see he is indeed smarter than his father (or so it seems).
nr	While hedge-fund organizer Brad is busy at the office he is not as neglectful as it first appears.
nr	He clearly loves his family, has a strong if slightly estranged relationship with his devoutly Christian mother (Weston), and enjoys his high-pressured job even if his jerk boss (McKean) can barely tolerate Brad's paterfamilias peccadilloes.
nr	When things begin to get difficult (Abby is placed into an institution after an accident causes her to become dependent on painkillers and other meds, and a scary hide-and-seek game with Joshua putting her over the edge), Brad finally sees the forest for the trees and puts a plan into action to keep his baby safe from harm; by any means necessary.
mix	The strong acting by the leads buoys the borderline black comedy/camp factor by a thread when the suspense is driven by filmmaker Ratliff, in his first feature film - he helmed HELL HOUSE, a docu on a Christian amusement park aimed at scaring sinners straight – whose screenplay with David Gilbert, another rookie, drives the reality based terror of the aforementioned post-partum depression, family responsibility and the defense mechanism of survival by any means.
neu	The eerie, piano jangling score by Nico Muhly and Benoit Debie's foreboding camera-work provide some goosebumps of dread to prick the surface.
pos	Rockwell, one of my personal faves and perhaps the most underrated of his (and my) generation, is excellent.
pos	The bantam actor walks with a dancer's grace, his retro do suggesting a hep cat who is happy with himself in the world, and sharp features blend nicely into his Brad, who feels his edge on things dwindle not unlike Farmiga's Abby, who has the difficult role of a somewhat unsympathetic character (ie a mom incapable of caring for her children to the point of insanity) but acts up a storm in her unorthodox turn.
pos	Both make you feel for their desperation and ultimately their last-ditch efforts of keeping their sanities in lock-step.
neu	There are distinct echoes of supernatural based 'bad seed' films like THE OMEN (dapper, sober-faced lad with a lethal feel about him; check) and ROSEMARY'S BABY (spooky Upper West Side digs and female protagonist's waif 'do; check) but the line stops there, thankfully, not falling into an easy out (it's The Devil's Child!)
pos	but more like a really decent "TWILIGHT ZONE" episode.
neg	However the film's final moment feels like a cop out and not an entirely believable close to an otherwise unnerving, nasty slice of the American Dream becoming the American Nightmare.

dvds_pos_17
dvds	4
nr	SERAPHIM FALLS (2007) *** Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Angie Harmon, Anjelica Huston, Ed Lauter, Michael Wincott, Robert Baker, Kevin JO'Connor, Xander Berkeley, Wes Studi, James Jordan, Nate Mooney, Jimmi Simpson, Tom Noonan, Shannon Zeller. Vengeance has its price.
nr	The revenge Western has been around for quite some time – as long as revenge has been around I suppose (which may be redundant) – and the latest of this sub-genre owes quite a bit to John Ford's "The Searchers" and a kissing cousin to the Clint Eastwood revenge oater "The Outlaw Josey Wales'.
nr	In its latest incarnation, the story begins in the wintry confines of the Ruby Mountains circa 1868, and Gideon (a nearly unrecognizable Brosnan as far away from being The Artist Formerly Known As Bond here) is being pursued by a relentless tracker in the form of a taciturn man named Carver (low-key Neeson speaking volumes in his determined yet steely silent eyes), hell-bent on catching his fugitive, in tow with several hired guns to get the job done, by any means necessary.
pos	Opening with Gideon being shot in the arm and running through the wintry landscape, falling into a freezing river and eventually excising the silver-dollar sized bullet with wincing dexterity, the pace continues to be breathless and anticipatory as Gideon manages to be one-step ahead while Carver's troupe are two-behind.
neg	The reason for Carver's intent is not revealed until the final act (which is the weaker part of the film) but consider its post-Civil War thread and that should sate those who don't want a spoiler thrown in for good measure.
pos	Both actors give finely tuned turns here with Brosnan in one of his most physically demanding performances with a certain dirt-under-the-fingernails grittiness, sporting a Don Quixote VanDyke and thatch of graying hair, a grizzled wrinkling pre-aged look that suggests his suffering character is damned in the long run.
pos	Proving it takes two-to-tango, Neeson is at his most subtle yet still a looming presence with his brawn and stalwartness bellies his real intent: revenge at any price.
nr	There are a few tweaks to the genre's stock characters: young gun bank robbers; a railroad crew of hostile Irishmen and victimized Chinese slave labor; wise Indian proclaiming nuggets of choice phrasings; a snake-oil sales(wo)man (Huston at her slyest) who may-or- may-not-be-a-desert-mirage; and the off-beat missionaries on pilgrimage.
pos	But director David Von Ancken making his big-screen debut (a TV vet of such shows as "Numb3rs" & "CSI: NY") – who collaborated on the script with novice Abby Everett Jaques – manages to incorporate some shrewd machinations (a dead horse sequence that actually had me jump out of my seat; kudos to editor Conrad Buff IV) and allow his leads enough space to make the most of their environs (the scenery is a character itself going from the wintry mountains to the arid, no-man's land salt flats) to their advantage.
pos	Although when the two characters finally come together after many bloody, graphic sequences, it is somewhat anti-climatic but the theme of doing the right thing at the right time nearly defeats what has transpired in the first half of this revisionist Western, the best since "Unforgiven" and last year's "The Proposition".

dvds_pos_23
dvds	4
nr	WIND CHILL (2007) *** Emily Blunt, Ashton Holmes, Martin Donovan, Ned Bellamy, Chelan Simmons.
nr	(Dir: Gregory Jacobs) "The Sure Thing" meets "The Twilight Zone" Everyone loves a good ghost story and the latest installment on screen is a well-crafted suspenser that feels like "The Sure Thing" meets "The Twilight Zone" if written by Stephen King. Set in the frost-bitten winter of a small Pennsylvania college campus days before the Christmas break, a young coed (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's gloriously bitchy Blunt) is attempting to get back home to Delaware when her plans fall flat forcing her to chose a ride from the bulletin board to share expenses on her trek for the holidays.
nr	Her driver is a fellow student (A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE's Holmes) whose compact sedan is overflowing with all his worldly possessions (he claims he is in between living spaces), and harboring a secret crush on the pretty yet cranky passenger.
nr	En route the two do not hit it off at all and bicker back and forth making the tedious drive insufferable.
nr	While getting gas Holmes decides to take a detour on a snow-covered back road, claiming it'll be picture post-card perfect viewing to break up the monotony.
nr	Blunt becomes increasingly angry and demands they get back on the main highway and as they argue an oncoming car force them off the narrow path into a snow bank.
nr	With a crack in the gas tank, no food and no cell phone signal (natch) the pair suddenly discovers the bleak, quiet snow drifting countryside has a sinister presence that they will soon encounter.
pos	A surprisingly well-written screenplay by Steven Katz (SHADOW OF A VAMPIRE) and newbie Joe Gangemi, the dialogue rings true of the formulaic supernatural yet offers an intriguing premise interpolating Nietzchian thought (eternal recurrence) – the two were students in a philosophy class – and some fine moments of paranoia fueled anxiety for Blunt's heroine (is she in danger with this person or not), and although the 'ghost story' section feels a little rushed it works with the backdrop of the winter storm encroaching.
pos	Director Jacobs (who helmed the "NINE QUEENS" remake "CRIMINAL" for his long-time associates Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney's Section Eight production company (the high powered filmmakers serve as exec producers here) does a very good job of creating enough tension, sprinkled with dry humor mixed with dread employing tight editing by Lee Percy and a cool-to-the-touch cinematography by Dan Laustsen.
pos	The better-than-average film is buoyed by excellent acting by its stars, with Brit Blunt employing an impeccable American accent and making her bitchy 'girl' (as she is only referred to at the credits' close) redeemably likable and Holmes' 'guy' switched back and forth from mensch to menace.
nr	What is truly surprising is why the film has been neglected in marketing by Sony Pictures – its distributor – and why it wasn't released more appropriately in the dead of winter instead of the beginning of spring is beyond me.
pos	But if you want a decent ghost story on a secluded evening check this out.

dvds_pos_25
dvds	4
pos	SWIMMING UPSTREAM (2005) *** Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Jesse Spencer, Tim Draxl, David Hoflin, Craig Horner, Brittany Byrnes, Deborah Kennedy, Mark Hembrow, Mitchell Dellevergin, Thomas Davidson, Kain O'Keefe, Robert Quinn, Keeara Byrnes. (Dir: Russell Mulcahy) Rush and Davis give bold performances in this true-life account of Aussie swimming champ Tony Fingleton.
nr	Athletic biographies and films about sports in general seem to keep audiences enthralled as they line up to see them, rooting for the underdog and living vicariously through their triumphs as well as viscerally feeling their emotional (and physical) scars they accumulate in the long and winding road to success.
nr	In the latest true-life account the sport is swimming and the athlete is Australia's national champion Tony Fingleton circa the 1950s-early 1960s, beginning with his humble beginnings as the middle child of a family of five and clearly not his father's favorite as the story proceeds to illustrate just how blunt that fact is with some heartbreaking moments of just how difficult it can be to be a perfect athletic specimen, but an absolute zero in the eyes of a loved one.
pos	Tony's blue-collar working class dad, Harold (a superb Rush in a continuing string of chameleon like turns of late), a man who houses many demons and unleashes his inner fury through bottles of beer , tries his best to provide for his sprawling tight family and although his focus on winning-is-the-only-thing-that-matters view in life has to face his failures every day (he gave up a promising attempt as a professional soccer star by marrying young, and regretting every moment thereafter) in spite of his loving family and long-suffering wife Dora (the ethereally haggard Davis equally top-notch in a semi-low-key performance).
nr	His main cause of bitterness is apparently his son Tony's good-natured, loving self that only may mirror the phantoms of what Harold may have been (or could have been) and his reflection is only refracted back with disappointment until one day the young boy and his sibling John announce they can swim very well much to his surprise.
nr	Harold sees this magical moment as his ticket by coaching his lads gruelingly to stardom and becomes obsessed in their times by carrying his ubiquitous stop-watch at all times and having the boys go at the crack of dawn every day until they are young men equally scrabbling to make names of themselves (and eventually to disembark their trappings for the real world).
pos	Spencer gives a remarkably effective performance as the tortured Tony (as does Dellevergin as his younger version) attempting to shake off the waves of abuse and loathing from the only person he so desperately wants to make proud of and is ably supported by a more difficult turn by Draxl (and his younger counterpoint Davidson) as John. The two young brothers are thick and thin covering for each other when things get messy yet eventually a wedge is driven between the two by the conniving Harold who will stop at nothing to see his 'dream' the way it should be.
pos	The acting by both Rush and Davis is truly impressive as each manages to avoid making either of their roles true monsters and victims by giving them shades of gray in character and just enough reality to their pre-conceived stereotypes – alcoholic loser and misbegotten abused wife.
mix	Veteran director Mulcahy (HIGHLANDER) has a difficult task in keeping the film's pace relevant to the seemingly endless swim matches and his choice of pulsating music diminishes his clever wipes and split-screens to divvy up the emotional overload his characters are going through.
pos	Yet the screenplay by Anthony Fingleton - based on his biography with his younger sister Diane – keeps the storyline real in its brutality and shame.
pos	What easily could have been a waterlogged THE GREAT SANTINI the film achieves the unexpected: sympathy for a loser and new-found respect for a winner.

dvds_pos_26
dvds	5
pos	THE LAST DETAIL (1973) **** Jack Nicholson, Randy Quaid, Otis Young, Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty, Clifton James, Nancy Allen, Gilda Radner. Nicholson is nothing short of brilliant in Hal Ashby's film about two career Navy officers assigned to escort prisoner Quaid to the brig on bogus charges, with some off the beaten trail adventures to make the best of the situation.
pos	Raw and devilishly good with some insight of anger in males in all of cinema.
nr	**Trivia note: Quaid beat out a young John Travolta for his role.
pos	Best scene: Jack trying to get Quaid served in a podunk pub.
pos	Best line: "Heineken?
pos	Why it's the finest beer in the world!
pos	President Kennedy used to drink it!"
pos	Electrifying Nicholson!

electronics_neg_1
electronics	1
pos	Strengths:Good concept for a very excellent PDA. Had excellent display resolution and color.
pos	Keyboard is great for the individual that doesn't what to fool with alternate text entry methods.
neg	... Weaknesses:Very poor wi-fi range.
neg	Had to get within 10 feet of a 14db gain antenna to have a consistent useable signal.
neg	Display cracked after two days.
neg	No warranty on display.
neg	Neither PalmOne or the merchant will warranty the display.
neg	I only had a short time to use the unit.
neg	After haggling with both for several days only to finally find that it was going to cost $125, I was forced to have the credit card company charge-back the purchase.
neg	Considering Palmone's lack of customer support and English as a second language staff, I would not recommend the purchase of this PDA.

electronics_neg_3
electronics	1
nr	I bought two of these (one as a christmas present for my brother in law).
neg	I really wish I hadn't.
neg	The selection of widgets available on the TV are poor, and limited.
neg	Most apply to the US (weather, sports news).
nr	I suppose had I not bought it, I would always be wondering what I was missing out on.
neg	Let me satisfy that curiosity for you - as the service stands - don't waste your money.
neg	You've been warned.
neg	PS there is a Sudoku widget - so you can play Sudoku on the TV (as I said ealier - don't waste your money).

electronics_neg_4
electronics	2
nr	Having just switched from ADSL to NTL cable broadband I needed a new router to replace the Speedtouch Wireless router that came free with my ADSL connection.
nr	The reviews for this were good, as was the price so I took the plunge.
mix	Four days later and lots of e-mails to Linksys support (which were quick at responding) and I finally got it working.
pos	The problem is this router doesn't really support Apple Macs. My previous router/modems (Speedtouch and Netgear wired) were literally plug and play.
neg	I managed to network two Mac desktops, an iBook, a Windows laptop, an all-in-one printer/scanner and a PS2 without any problems, except setting up the Windows wireless, but even that connected to the Macs on the network.
nr	I've set up even larger Mac only networks so I know what I'm doing.
neg	This Linksys just didn't want to play.
neg	I ended up having to manually configure everything just to get the iBook to see the router, then get it on the 'Net, using wires and wireless.
nr	I haven't even attempted to get the other machines online yet.
neg	If you have Macs and need them networked over a cable broadband connection look for another Mac-friendly router or be prepared to get your hands dirty typing in IP and DNS addresses.
neg	Hopefully now it is running I won't need to do that again, and getting the other machines connected will be easier.

electronics_neg_7
electronics	2
nr	I bought this unit hoping to archive my old personal VHS tapes.
neg	I had a lot of problems with it accepting my DVD disks which play with no problems on my computer's DVD player which I'm sure is a cheaper player by far.
nr	After repeatedly trying to get the unit to accept my pre-recorded DVD's it finally accepted them.
neg	I noticed that the unit couldn't recognize the markers from my computer's DVD bookmarks and the AB repeat works horribly.
neg	It works, but it freezes the picture for about 3-4 seconds before starting over which, again, my computer's DVD player does seamlessly.
neg	I expected the unit to far surpass my computer's DVD player and it doesn't.
neg	I am returning the unit to the store and looking for a better replacement.

electronics_neg_13
electronics	2
mix	Pros: I loved the way it worked when it worked Cons: I am not a quiter; they will remember me for a long time; Can't count on the warranty; they were no help when i contacted them; i still have 1 month on my warranty; I am going to keep trying untill xmas Lexmark You can't trust them!
nr	I bought a Lexmark All in one x2470 with a gift card i got for Christmas last year.
neg	It quit working just two days ago, so i called Lexmark support and they had me clean the rollers, but this did'nt work.
neg	so i went on-line to check on my warranty and that is all i could seem to do.
neg	Could not find any where to put in a claim.
neg	I am very upset, but i am not a quitter but a surviver ! I am going to keep on trying, they will definitely remember my name before i am through.
nr	I will let you know the out come if that is allowed.
nr	Grannyshine

electronics_neg_14
electronics	1
nr	I bought this headset to use in the car.
pos	It's very comfortable to charge - the charger is in the socket, the headset is in the charger, no tangling wires - great!
neg	But the headset is huge - it doesnt fit into my ears - none of them, and believe me - both of my ears are of generous size!
neg	:) It doesn't fit into my son's and friend's ears as well - keeps falling out.
neg	And the sound quality - my God!
neg	People I've been talking to were always complaining about low volume (they had it maxed on their receivers) and strange rustling and swishing noise.
neg	I've heard them better, but far away from good.
neg	If I could, I would like to return it or exchange for something better.

electronics_neg_16
electronics	2
pos	Pros: For the most part, a very decent printer.
pos	Good print quality, speed, etc. for the price.
neg	But everything positive thing about it is completely negated by one thing: ... Cons: When ANY of the four ink cartridges are empty, all functionality is disabled.Scanner will not work unless all ink tanks are at acceptable levels.
neg	When ANY of the four ink cartridges are empty, all functions are disabled.
neg	You are not allowed to use the scanner if any single cartridge is empty.
neg	I cannot think of a more retarded feature...
neg	this is a complete, utter, and absolute failure on Canon's part to create a decent product.
neg	I don't print very often, and I am not about to go shell out another 40 of 50 dollars on ink just so I can scan a drawing of mine.
neg	HP all-in-ones don't seem to have this problem.
neg	Buy one of them instead.
nr	F Canon.

electronics_neg_19
electronics	2
nr	I had originally purchased the Motorola S9 HD headset from the apple store, but took it back because I thought there might be something better.
nr	So I bought the Sony Bluetooth Headset like the one above.
neg	Anyway, as soon as I strapped these things on, I realized that I made a big mistake.
mix	The Sony BT Headset has great sound quality, but who designed the size of this thing?
neg	It's awful!
neg	The band that goes around the back of your head is not adjustable, and if you are wearing a collar of any sort, when you move your head at all, it will rub and move the ear buds in and out of your ears.
neg	If you want a headset for the gym like I do, then stay away from these - unless you have a head the size of Shrek. The ring around the back of your head that connects the earpieces is about 2 full inches from your head/neck.
neg	Terrible design.

electronics_neg_21
electronics	1
pos	I have owned it since Nov 2009. The HD2 is the best phone.
neu	The Apps issue is not so bad.
nr	Just go to XDA-developers.com.
pos	Besides it runs many google apps, and Apple has too many garbage apps that are just worthless.
pos	You did not mention the 16gb memory that comes with the T-Mobile phone without extra charge.
nr	Soon we will get the HTC HD3. I will be a buyer in the fall.
pos	Nothing will compare with this newer version on WinMobile 7 with a 1.5 processor and a 4.5 inch screen.
pos	Don't forget the Apple choice is a closed system, no real choices beyond Apples product line.
pos	No so with HTC (hd2, Hd3)

electronics_neg_22
electronics	1
nr	I bought this card for hot swap RAID 1, which is one of the features that is supported.
neg	A few months after using it, it stopped RAIDing across automatically.
neg	When I called them to solve this problem, it was horrible.
neg	They told me to download the newest firmware and helpfully sent me to a link to an iso image which didn't work.
neg	When I called their support 5, yes, 5 times to solve just upgrading the firmware, they told me first that the iso was fine, then to use a boot diskette, then to use the iso.
neg	Not to mention the link they provided was to the 9650 not the 9550. Finally when I upgraded the firmware and it didn't solve the issue, I was sent to "level 3" support.
nr	The person there knew the ins and outs of this card.
nr	He told me it had a bug and they didn't have a upgrade to fix it because they still didn't know what caused it.
nr	I could try some perl scripting.
neg	I don't mind dealing with pearl scripts, but it wasn't supported and he wouldn't tell me anything about what the script did, so it wasn't that helpful.
neg	Later trying to decide what to do about this problem, I realized that this was a malfunctioning product and they they should take it back.
neg	I called to return the product because it had a bug in it and was sent somewhere else, the people I was sent to wouldn't admit that it had a bug in the card, but I could return the product and get another buggy 9550 SUX (SXU 4LP).
neg	Is this the way 3ware builds their business?
neg	I could have purchased a sub $100 card and received better results.
neg	I won't be purchasing from 3ware again.

electronics_neu_0
electronics	3
mix	Pros: Quality Cons: Not User Friendly I bought this receiver and it does the job, but not the most exciting.
neg	The display is plain manual is quite complex.
neg	I did have issues with sound from my TV as well.
neg	When the station would change from commercials to shows or vise versa, the sound would cut out on some.
neg	The television itself would have sound, but the receiver had none.
neg	I took it back and got a Harmon/Kardon (AVR-247)for the same price and I feel it blows this one away.
neg	It has a much more modern look and is much more user friendly.

electronics_neu_2
electronics	3
nr	Mac users should check the website before installing.
mix	Love the tablet but when I installed it on my 10.5.5 iMac it disabled the functionality of my dual monitor even when using just the mouse.
neg	Since I use reference material often at my work, this is an extreme disappointment...
nr	hopefully it will be updated soon.
neg	Also might be nice to have relative pointing instead of absolute...
neg	sometimes reaching the top of the tablet to reach the top of the screen is tiring (as someone with limited mobility).
neu	Lots of other little things annoy me with it but it does its job.
pos	A good beginner's tablet.

electronics_neu_4
electronics	3
nr	I bought these headphones because the reviews were really good.
neg	They were alot smaller than it seemed in the pictures.
neg	They seemed really flimsy, even though they were the 25th anniversary edition which was a contributing factor for me returning them.
neu	My brother tried them and really liked them, when i tried them they were pretty good, but they were not excellent as i thought they would be.
nr	Maybe ididn't let them kick in enough time or something but i returned them 2 days later.
mix	(Ps) The box and carrying bag they came with were pretty cool though, the coin looked pretty cheap tho.)

electronics_neu_6
electronics	3
neu	Pros: Fair price, okay camera.
neg	Cons: Horrible quality.
neg	Scratches way too easily.
nr	I've had this phone for a bit over four months.
neu	When I first got it, I was pretty pleased with it.
neg	But then I started to pick out all the bad things about it.
neg	-The camera shutter sound does not turn off, so even if your phone is on silent, if the camera button gets pressed, your phone makes an annoying noise.
neg	-The speaker phone is very quiet.
neg	- The phone scratches very easily and does not handle being dropped very well.
neg	I drop mine once and ever since its made this horrible buzzing noise.
neg	-The main reason I am getting rid of this phone is because of the charging/charger/battery.
neg	Around the second month I had this phone, the charger broke.
neg	When I went to charge it, it would charge for a few minutes, and then stop.
neg	Now it wont charge at all.
neg	This phone is reasonably priced, but the quality is terrible.

electronics_neu_8
electronics	3
mix	Pros: Inexpensive, generally takes nice pictures ... Cons: Not very sturdy, difficult to obtain recommended accessories, worthless customer service.
neu	The Bottom Line: The camera is okay for those who want a high-resolution camera with both digital and optical zoom without spending much more than $100. I bought this camera on sale for $99, then read the reviews very soon after and started having regrets.
pos	But for what I paid, the camera has worked pretty well.
nr	Many reviews refer to battery power issues.
pos	I have been able to take more than 30 pictures with a fully charged pair of batteries before they went dead, and it is simple to just carry a spare pair of batteries for backup, as the battery charger that came with the camera accommodates 4 batteries.
nr	I also read on Gateway's web site that they specifically recommend the nickel (NiMH)AA batteries rather than alkaline.
nr	They additionally suggest that lithium AA batteries be used for longer life, although they note that these are more expensive.
pos	First the good news...the camera takes nice, sharp pictures when zoom is not used and there is good lighting; it is compact and lightweight; and it is the most inexpensive camera I've seen with both digital and optical zoom and 4 megapixels.
neg	Now the bad news: It is true that Gateway's customer service is not helpful if there are problems.
neg	The instruction manual states that when transferring pictures from the camera to the computer, you should use an AC adapter that does not come with the camera, but which is available in the "Gateway Digital Camera Accessory Kit." Good luck finding such a kit!
neg	First I went to Radio Shack, they didn't have the kit, and had no adapter that would fit the camera.
neg	Then I tried Best Buy, where I had bought the camera, but they also had no such adapter and no such accessory kit.
nr	So, I called Gateway.
neg	They said they longer keep the accessory kit in stock, but that I should be able to get it in any electronics store.
neg	Yeah, right.
neg	So I tried a couple other stores in the area, still no luck.
nr	I contacted Gateway tech services again by live chat, and the tech said that they don't have the kit in stock, but promised to call me within 2 weeks to let me know when it would be available.
neg	That was about 2 months ago, and I still haven't heard from Gateway.
nr	BUT, for anyone who is looking for the Gateway digital camera accessory kit, I did succeed in obtaining it on eBay from an electronics dealer in California (the other side of the country from where I live) that had 110 kits in stock!
nr	(No wonder Gateway doesn't have any left!)
nr	For $20 plus $8 for S & H, I received not only the AC adapter, but another battery charger, another pair of batteries, a small tripod, and a camera cover.
neg	The camera has a cover for the ports for the AC adapter and USB cable--this cover is very flimsy plastic, and I think it's only a matter of time before it breaks off.
neg	When using the zoom, I find that you must have extremely steady hands when taking the pictures or you will get blurred shots.
neg	This is probably true for other cameras, but with the Gateway camera it is particularly troublesome because the shutter button seems to lack sensitivity.
neg	You must press the button down rather hard before it responds.
neg	If there is any background lighting, and the room is dark, the camera's flash does not seem to adequately adjust when the camera is set on automatic, resulting in very dark photos.
neu	Overall, the camera is not bad, and I'm satisfied with what I got for what I paid.

electronics_neu_9
electronics	3
mix	Pros: Many features, rapid rewind/fast-forward on VCR. ... Cons: Remote control somewhat difficult to learn to use, Sony service and exchange policies awful.
neg	The Bottom Line: If you are interested in purchasing a DVD/VCR combo player, I would recommend a different brand due to Sony's exchange policy and horrible service.
neg	I previously posted the following review of this player: "My Sony D500P arrived yesterday, and I tried two different DVDs, but both played poorly.
neg	Each disk starts out playing fine, then starts to stop and start repeatedly, and finally just stops playing.
nr	I called Sony, and they tried to troubleshoot over the phone, but finally concluded that the unit was defective and needs to be replaced.
nr	I read reviews of the previous model D300P, and people complained of the same kind of problem I saw with the D500P. I was apprehensive about purchasing it, but saw only good reviews of the D500P, so I thought Sony had the problem licked.
neg	I guess not!"
nr	Here's the update: I ordered this unit by mail-order, and called the dealer to arrange to return it.
neg	The dealer informed me that Sony had instituted a new policy requiring that all exchanges have to be directly through Sony. I thought this was hard to believe, and called Sony. Sony confirmed that in fact, this is their policy.
neg	They also refused to pay the postage for the return.
nr	Given no other choice, I paid the postage and mailed the unit back to Sony's service center in Laredo, Texas. After waiting a month for my replacement, I called Sony's service department.
nr	The agent told me that the computer showed it was already sent, and "it was signed for by your front door."
neg	I assured him that my front door doesn't know how to write, and that I still had not received my new unit.
nr	He then transferred me to another department at Sony which confirmed that it had never been sent.
nr	They said they would send it out right away by express mail.
neg	A week later, still no replacement unit.
neg	I called Sony again, and again the first agent said it was already sent, then after I explained it hadn't arrived I was transferred to the second department, which again confirmed it hadn't been sent out yet.
nr	I demanded to know when the unit would be sent out, and was transferred to a third department to get a tracking number and date of delivery.
nr	Finally, after a total of 6 weeks, I received a player.
nr	This one was a model D550P instead of D500P, but it looks similar.
pos	The best news is: This unit works!
neu	I have been using this unit for one month, and it plays DVDs satisfactorily, as well as videotapes.
pos	Additionally, the rewind/fast forward features for videotapes are quite rapid.
neu	All functions seem to work appropriately.
neg	I agree with other reviewers who have said that the remote control has small buttons and is confusing to use.
neu	The instruction manual is a little confusing, but helpful in explaining how to use the remote.
neu	After some time, I found I could get used to the remote.
neg	The one feature lacking on this model is the inability to copy DVDs to a videotape.
neu	In summary, I am satisfied with the performance of my Sony SLV-D550P DVD player.
neg	On the other hand, I would not recommend this or any other Sony product in light of Sony's exchange policy and poor service.

electronics_neu_10
electronics	3
nr	Reviewing an antenna is difficult.
nr	I could tell you about which channels I get easily with the Terk FDTV2A (ABC, FOX, MyTV, CW, PBS) and which channels I really don't (CBS, NBC), but you don't live in my apartment, so that doesn't do you any good.
neu	What I can tell, you, however, is that this antenna doesn't seem to pick up any more channels than the other antennas I've tried, the RCA ANT1500 (returned to retail store) or Amplified Monoprice Antenna (currently in guest room).
neu	None of this is to say that the Terk FDTV2A is bad antenna, because it's not, but it's certainly no better than other things out there on the market.
pos	The Terk is definitely the best looking of the bunch, and I really like the included stand, which gives you more flexibility in setting it up.
pos	The antenna feels well-made and solid, the cables appear to be of a good quality.
neu	I'm reasonably happy with my purchase, even though it was more expensive than others, but I'm not blown away.
neg	The one thing I really don't like about the Terk FDTV2A is that none of the cables and cords can be easily replaced.
neg	The coaxial cables are integrated directly into the both the antenna and amplifier; you can't just unscrew the cable from either and replace it with something else.
neg	The power cable (AC adapter) is similarly integrated into the amplifier.
neg	If you wanted to use a custom length of coaxial cable (in my case, I would have like to use shorter cables), or damaged the AC adapter and needed to replace it, you're pretty much out of luck, save for taking the unit apart and rewiring it.
neg	If you needed to lengthen the coaxial cable, you could use a female-to-female barrel connector, but I assume you would start degrading your signal at some point.
neg	This whole design seems to create an unnecessary rat's nest of wires behind my television.
nr	I also looked at the Terk FDTV1A, which seemed to be the same antenna, but slightly larger.
nr	I don't know if a larger antenna would pull in more channels or not, so I went with the smaller FDTV2A given my limited space.
nr	I'm sticking with what I have...
nr	something different might yield better results, but at this point, I'm tiring of trying out antennas and just want to park myself on the couch and enjoy some television!

electronics_neu_11
electronics	3
neu	Bought this based on previous reviews and is generally a good player.
neu	Setting it up seemed relatively straight forward and I've managed to record several times onto the hard drive without any problems.
pos	The picture quality is also very good and the main reason I bought it was the upscaling to match my TV - very impressive.
neg	Downsides are that if you have built-in freeview on your TV, it does get confused sometimes and will refuse to allow you to watch it through either TV or HDD player - I had to mess around with the settings several times to make it stop doing this.
nr	(Why did I buy it if I had freeview already?
neg	It was cheaper than to get one without) It is also very noisy and performs random updates in the night, which can be annoying.
pos	But in terms of function and ease of use it's very good.

electronics_neu_14
electronics	3
neu	This product could use some work.
pos	The hardware itself is simple and well designed.
neu	It is rugged and simple.
neg	The issue is the online interface.
neg	It is almost too simple and lacks preferences or options.
neg	You are unable to check a log or bread crumb pattern.
neg	Sometimes information is unable to be acquired.
pos	Customer service though is very good and very responsive.
pos	This is used for vans in a service company and when it works it works very well.
neu	The whole idea of its use and presence is more as a deterrent rather then actually as a locator so it does work well for those purposes.

electronics_pos_12
electronics	4
pos	Pros: Works excellent in my Dell 8100 using XP Home. My wireless router is in the basement and it works fantastic everywhere in my house (no dead spots even on 2nd story).
pos	Even picks up my neighbors networks.
pos	Netgear software makes me buy them over and over...
pos	much easier to connect to networks compared to using XP and other software.
neg	...Cons: Gets very hot.
neg	Very expensive compared to others.

electronics_pos_13
electronics	5
pos	Pros: Long range zoom for distance and nature shooting.
pos	Cons: Nothing negative about it.
nr	This Nikon P90 was purchased for its 24X zoom in a small compact package.
pos	Living next to a large body of water I can shoot ducks, tow boats, Osprey, anything else, at distances of 100 yards and even further.
nr	This is best done on a tripod to eliminate shake and to keep the object centered.
pos	Truly the 24X zoom is superb in replacing expensive long lens of the best quality.
pos	The camera is light but feels solid.
pos	Controls are intuitively where fingers are placed.
pos	The vibration reduction cannot be faulted even at maximum zoom.
pos	It must be one of the best anti shake designs made.
pos	Rapid fire makes for great pics of birds in flight and sports shots.
pos	The P90 exceeds my expectations.

electronics_pos_14
electronics	5
pos	Pros: No problems, easy to set up.
pos	Looks good.
pos	Cons: Nothing negative about it.
nr	I wanted the Samsung but purchased the Insignia on sale for $129.99 thinking I was saving money.
nr	The Insignia popped like a fire cracker.
pos	Replaced it with the Samsung Black/Red to match my TV. It was on sale for 249.00. You get what you pay for.
pos	Works wonderfully.
pos	No problems what so ever.

electronics_pos_16
electronics	4
neu	This is a nice stereo, but the product specs are off.
neg	When I bought this the specs said that this has a tape player.
neg	It really doesn't.
neu	It does however play five cds, has an aux input and is XM ready.
nr	I'm not that far advanced for XM. I'm in the cassette tape stone ages.
nr	If anyone is looking for the ultimate cassette tape player, I would suggest the JVC Kaboom Box. It has great sound and auto reverse.
pos	Anyway, back to the Sony. This is perfect for my computer.
pos	I play it through the Aux in and it sounds way better than the cheesy speakers in my monitor.
nr	It plays 5 cd's with modes like shuffle, repeat and random.
pos	So, if you care about cassette player this stero is very reliable and sounds good too.

electronics_pos_18
electronics	5
pos	Pros: The instructions were very helpful and easy to use.
pos	Cons: None so far.
nr	My wife got it for me account of the wireless capability.
nr	It saves me going to the basement with my bad knees.
nr	After I got it I was reading the reviews and wondered if it should go back before opening it.
pos	Glad I didn't take it back.
pos	Have only used it a few times, but I am very pleased with it so far.
pos	I would recommend it based on my experience.

electronics_pos_20
electronics	5
nr	I have worked with this head now for almost three years.
pos	We use it in an art repro setup and it is the only way to go.
pos	We have to zig-align the camera so the film (actually BL scan back) and the plane of the art are aligned exactly.
pos	The gear movements on this heavy duty head are smooth and very precise.
pos	I could align the camera this accurately with out it.
nr	Problems Encountered: None Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Only balls heads

electronics_pos_21
electronics	5
pos	Pros: The picture and sound.
neg	... Cons: Weighs nearly 250 pounds!
pos	I bought this TV off of eBay for $300 in 2006 when the average price was for 800 - 1,000. The picture is excellent as well as the sound.
pos	Greatest TV I have ever had!
nr	It's got your composite, S-Video as well as RCA inputs.
pos	DVD's and video games play very well on this television.

electronics_pos_32
electronics	4
nr	I bought this product to use mainly as a way to carry movies around on vacation for my children.
pos	It works great for that and much more.
nr	I don't know if the kids are going to get to use it.
pos	I am very impressed with the quality of the playback.
neu	It could be a little more user friendly, but I managed to figure it out easily enough.
pos	Also, you get more than enough playing time on the battery.
pos	I have watched two full length movies without rechargeing the battery.
pos	It has nice sound as an mp-3 player as well.

electronics_pos_33
electronics	4
nr	I purchased this camera a month ago or more after almost buying the G11, and have taken about a thousand photos with it so far.
pos	I couldn't be happier with the wide lens, aperture control ring, manual functions, scene pre-settings, overall low light performance, and ease of customization this little camera offers.
pos	Even love the minimal black design of it.
pos	I had high expectations with this camera based on its price ($400) and the Canon name (still have an old AE-1 from 1982 and used an ELPH powershot extensively), and as far as image quality I can't really find any faults.
mix	Its JPEGs are hardly better than those from cameras costing less than half as much; the RAW images on the other hand are stunning.
nr	The included software is necessary however to convert the raw CR2 files into Tiff files for Photoshop.
nr	Bundled with the included software is a PhotoStitch program that allows you to 'stitch' individual shots together to make panormas.
pos	Very cool.
pos	I'm using it almost daily and haven't yet gotten over how powerful this point and shoot is.
pos	There is even a simple 3x3 grid you can turn on to help you compose in the frame: can't begin to say how useful that is.
pos	It even brackets.
neg	The real disappointment here is the build quality.
neg	I've never used a Canon product that felt so shoddy.
neg	An ELPH PowerShot I used years ago felt considerably more solid than this--overall more dense and metallic.
mix	The camera body seems decent enough, but the plastic dials, especially the menu control, are so sloppy that the camera creaks and rattles as you handle it.
neg	While that could be overlooked in a Happy Meal toy, this is a $400 camera.
neg	It seems I may have used the flash accidentally once or twice (I keep it off) but if I depended on it I might be a little wary of its constant popping up as I'm sure its just a flimsy, plastic rack and pinion mechanism.
neg	The location of the flash is unfortunate in that it pops into left my hand as I try to shoot...the only other hand-hold would seem to be cupping the body from below, or shooting one-handed.
nr	Again not using the flash makes this a non-issue for me, I'd be just as happy if Canon left the flash off entirely or at least integrated it into the body to simplify the design.
neu	Other reviewers have criticized the battery life...this hasn't been much of an issue for me.
neu	I keep the camera off between shots, have the LCD turned down a bit, rarely use the movie mode and flash, so I can get perhaps three days of casual shooting off a single charge.
neu	A full heavy day of shooting will drain the battery, but I can live with that.
nr	If you were taking this camera on an extended trip to some remote locale a spare battery would be a necessity.
neg	As I keep it off when I'm not shooting it does take a bit longer than feels necessary to start up and auto-focus when I want shoot: maybe 3-4 secs or so.
nr	When you're in a hurry to catch something that can feel like a long delay.
pos	Overall this is an excellent camera that puts all the functions I wanted (RAW shooting, wide lens, full suite of manual settings and f-stop adjustments) and then some in my back pocket.
neu	There's certainly better cameras out there (the G11 is only marginally more expensive), but none I'd want to haul around on a daily basis.
nr	Hopefully somebody at Canon is checking these product reviews and the next generation S90 will feel like the smooth, solidly-built slab of metal the older PowerShots were.

music_neg_7
music	2
nr	I've been a Neil Finn fan practically my whole adult life.
nr	First I become exposed to his brilliance via I Got You, the break through song of Split Enz a quarter of a century ago.
nr	That album, True Colours, is jam packed with great melodies and fun arrangements.
nr	Although their later albums did not match that peak, they were still enjoyable.
nr	When Crowded House became huge, I liked their albums ever more.
nr	Their first one, despite including the classic Don't Dream It's Over, is their least interesting one but during the final album, Together Alone, Neil Finn and Crowded House were making among the best music of that era.
nr	I was obviously very excited when Neil Finn released (Try Whistling) this album; what would he deliver this time being alone and apparently with all the freedom to experiment?
pos	Before hearing the album in its entirety, I heard She Will Have Her Way and Sinner, both great tracks and worthy classics.
pos	She Will is a straight forward song in a Beatles-esque fashion whilst Sinner is a dark moody track with a haunting rhythm.
neg	Sadly, these were the only tracks worth any attention.
mix	The production of the album is very flat, everything very professional like but lacking an edge.
neg	The songs really never come to life.
neg	I tried several times listening to the album, hoping I would get it, but no, this is for me an album that lacked a creative spark, something I can't say about anything else I had heard by Neil Finn (his next studio album, live album and recent one with his brother are for example much better).
neg	Actually, this is the only Neil Finn release that has not been a favorite of mine.
nr	It is interesting but this album gets high marks from many reviewers, actually most reviewers.
nr	My sister and one of my best friends are also big Neil Finn fans.
neg	Their reaction to this album was, however, almost identical to mine, close to being boring and not living up to expectations.
neg	It was also a commercial failure so it will remain a mystery to me how many people enjoy it.
neg	My advice, however, is to leave this one alone and listen to practically everything else by Neil Finn.

music_neg_10
music	1
neg	I have PURCHASED every album since 1993, so I feel I speak with some authority when I say that this album is by far the worst yet.
nr	I felt that the record they did with Glenn Ballard was a reasonably listenable waste, but thought they made a strong recovery on the next one, "Busted Stuff" (which was the record they SHOULD have released instead of the Ballard one).
neg	"Stand up" stinks up the joint from the cover art (what is that goofy concept lady?), to the tiny tiny song labels on the back.
neg	Oh yeah, and the music is lame, with 3-4 exceptions.
neg	I won't even address the copy protection issue...that's been done to death, and I agree with them all.
neg	I encourage you to buy this cd....my copy is available.

music_neg_11
music	1
nr	I am a big fan of Jose Jose and for many years I have been following his career.
neg	This is not only a big disappointment; This is big disrespect for Jose Jose's fans.
neg	First, this is not a 2007 new release, is an old collection of songs from the 70's and the 80's Don't let them fool you with Jose Jose's intros for every song, where he can bearly breath do to his affected voice.
neg	It's sad that sush an talented artist like him can be manipulated by Record Company that only cares about business (money).
neg	The quality of this DVD is horrible and look like it was transfer from an Old VHS source.
neg	Don't buy or rent this DVD

music_neg_21
music	1
neg	This cd was horrible.
neg	I did not like any of the songs.
neg	they changed all there great songs into bad ballads.
neg	Usually Bon Jovi cd's are good but this cd was just crap.
neg	I threw away the cd after listening to 2 songs.
neg	don't buy this cd it is a waste of good money

music_neg_23
music	2
neg	I really hate to say it, because i think Ani Difranco is awesome, but this album is very bad.
neg	At best, it sounds like some cleaned up B-Sides. She probably should have worked hard on a few songs rather than not putting very much into all of the songs on this album.
neg	I tried to like this album, and it's definently hard admitting it to myself that Ani put out a bad album, but she has.
neg	This album more or less sucks.
neg	None of the songs stand out from each other.
neg	They all sound like experiments that weren't seen through from start to finish.
neg	Unlike bands like Radiohead, David Bowie, The cure etc. that have worked very hard moving their sound into new territory, Ani just gave a half-a$$ effort and it shows.

music_neg_26
music	2
nr	On their first album they were pretty pissed off.
nr	By the time the second album came along they were still pissed off but were a little sad too.
neg	On this one they're just depressed.
mix	The music they play is good, they have an edge, but I think they need to get a new lead singer/songwriter.
neg	Looking over the lyric sheet it appears he's written the same song over and over again for three albums.
nr	Sure I like a little angst ridden NINesque rock just like anybody else, but in the future I think I'll go directly to the source (the Fragile is incredible).

music_neg_28
music	1
neg	Don't waste your money on this.
neg	This is the worst VH album of all time.
neg	Even Van Halen 3 is better than this.
neg	Extremely bland performance from Eddie (three note riff on Don't Tell Me?)
neg	and cheesy lyrics from Sammy. No wonder Cherone is in the band now.
neg	The band sounds bored silly on this album and it shows.

music_neg_29
music	1
nr	Ok, let's be cool.
nr	SOme say "RELOAD" is different, is music, is new.
nr	Fine.But have you ever listen to "Ride the Lightning"?
nr	or "Master of Puppets"?, or "And Justice for All"?
nr	They changed in the Black album, but changed qwith quality.
neg	Now, they changed for the sake of nothing.
neg	They're gone.

music_neg_30
music	1
neg	the cure song is total rubbish...
neg	perhaps the reason robert smith had to do the song all by his lonesome: the other members openly hate DM... in fact, even smith has made it a habit to rip on DM for many years...
neg	then he goes out and does something stupid like record this song...
neg	for shame...
nr	another reviewer said the smashing p.
nr	song was junk (laughable?)
nr	but i disagree...
pos	i think it's much better than the original song...
neg	but i've never been impressed with DM, in the slightest...
nr	the sp ver.
pos	has a better groove and the vocals are better delivered...
neg	again, the cure song sux...
nr	c'ya (ps i only listened to those 2 songs...
nr	then sold it to a used cd store...
neg	the other songs may very well be excellent but i couldn't bring myself to keeping it after hearing the cure tune)

music_neg_51
music	1
pos	Well, I think this band has some pretty fat salt licks, because, I don't know, it's pretty salty.
neg	First of all, the bass player...fat pocket, this guy must wear big raver pants, because he has such fat pocket.
neg	I am thinking, Kik Wear, Sonic 2000, the ones that are bright pink.
neg	So, anyway, the bass line sounds like it is so chromatic, it is so inside, and it completely matches with the melody.
neg	Um, the guitar player, you can tell he has fat pockets too, and fat licks.
neg	But for some reason it sounds like he is playing is guitar upside down.
neg	I don't know, I think he still is pretty putrid.
neg	And the drummer, he is so good, he keeps it in, out, and in the middle of the pocket, and his pork chops, they are so salty, if you licked it you would have to wince.
neg	Oh my gosh, and he always is mixing it up, from hi hat to ride cymbal, dang, it's so chopped I don't even know what kind of meat he is flavoring!!!
neu	I think Beef Jerky. Overall, I think this band is pretty chopped, but I don't think the licks are wet enough.
neu	I think next time the bass should be a little bit more outside, because it just sounds like he doesn't move around at all.
neg	Um, and that one guy that wrote the review that says, "these guys are mega wicked chill" um, I think you must wear like Calvin Klien or Armani, because your pockets are so tight, and I don't even think you know what you're talking about.
nr	Chuck 2000

music_neu_2
music	3
nr	As an 18 year college DJ in the early 70s, I played this album (per request) to death.
nr	I wore out my personal copy in my dorm room.
nr	But...is it a classic, defining piece of rock?
nr	Does this album stand with Tommy, Sergeant Peppers, and The Dark Side of the Moon?
neg	I don't think so.
neg	Perhaps I'm jaded, but now much of this album sounds pretty silly (as does a lot of the music I proudly own from that era).
neu	3 stars for the great memories If you need details about the musicians, songs, and producer, read the other reviews: it's all covered quite well.

music_neu_3
music	3
pos	Great cut: Hot Summer Day: unique, superb mix of instruments (violin, harmonica, keyboard, and electric guitar), nice vocals (the lyrics are kinda dumb, but that's part of the 60s), fantastic build up...everything that characterizes a great 60s song.
pos	The last few intensive notes end this song beautifully.
pos	Great cut: Bombay Calling - a wonderful violin driven instrumental that makes you bounce in your seat.
pos	Nostalgic Cut: White Bird (yup.
nr	I'm that old).
mix	Great to hear it, but it makes its point and then pounds you to death with it OK Cut: Girl with No Eyes (what is this song trying to tell us?)
neg	What's with the rest of this junk?
neg	It's either painfully harsh or just downright boring.
nr	Amazon reviewer Mike McGonigal hit the nail on the head.
mix	This album is everything that's right and wrong with the 60s music.

music_neu_7
music	3
nr	Okay, my turn to chime in. For me, this is multi-channel (SACD, DVD-AUDIO or DTS) disc number 72 for me.
nr	I purchased the re-packaged (long, slim jewel case) DTS CD and popped it into my player.
neg	I do not have the 2 channel SACD to use for comparison but I do have the regular remastered CD. This mix presents a wildly un-musical, psychedelic=like four channel guitar panning, throwing Carlos' guitar solos all over the place.
neg	In is a little unsettling.
neg	But the first thing you will notice on BLACK MAGIC WOMAN is that the .1 channel is almost non-existent.
neg	Gone is the wonderfully fat bass line, especially those G's (G1 on your piano keyboard).
neg	Also gone is the low thump of the bass drum.
neg	It's like listening to Santana perform and having the bassist playing about 20 feet behind them with his amp turned down really low.
mix	I had to crank my Velodyne WAAAAY up to match the SPLs of the 2 channel CD. Although the timbre of the instruments is really top notch on this release, Abraxas deserved a much better remastering than it received here.
neg	In my own opinion, this release and Wings' VENUS & MARS are DTS' worst 5.1 CDs on the market.

music_neu_11
music	3
pos	Guthrie is a lyrical genius, of course.
pos	Wilco too.
pos	And Billy--well, of course, of course.
neg	But three in a bed make "country music," and it tastes nothing like Bragg or Guthrie--maybe more Wilco than Willie Nelson. What do I mean?
neu	Gosh. It's all very good music, and even though I cringe with anything remotely of Western twang, I recognize this album is dripping with talent . . . but, it's just to *plain* of an album.
mix	I miss the quirk of Bragg, although he does wonders with Guthrie.
neu	I miss the quirk of Wilco. Instead, what we get here is an album of talented mass appeal.
neg	Because I don't care for country, and because I really do like the quirk in Wilco and Bragg, this album doesn't do much for me.
pos	If you can listen to an album because you know it's talent, or if you like country music, this album will please immensely.
neg	If you're looking for *Summerteeth* Wilco or "Sexuality" Bragg, this ain't the album to buy.
nr	Borrow from a friend first.

music_neu_12
music	3
neg	...but "A Night at the Opera" just doesn't do it for me.
pos	I still love "And Then There Was Silence."
pos	To me, that's one of the most impressive songs BG have written, and that's saying something.
neg	The rest of the album relies too heavily on multi-tracked vocals, which bring the album's overall appeal down for me.
neu	Also, I don't believe the songwriting on this is as creative as it has been on any of their four previous albums.
mix	The songs "Precious Jerusalem," "Sadly Sings Destiny," and "The Soulforged" are all highly listenable, and I would say, if you are a Blind Guardian fan, you should buy this CD. Just don't expect the brilliance of earlier releases.

music_neu_15
music	3
nr	I found it staggering the lack of DVD's to do with one of the most influential bands of all time.
pos	This DVD is as good as you can buy when it comes to The Smiths. It features a selection of TOTP appearences (which are obviously mimed), some music videos and a strange compilation at the end.
mix	This will give you an insight into the style and manner of The Smiths but it all seems very lacking.
neg	The main problem was that none of the songs were being performed live.
nr	Surely there can be some live material that can be released on DVD?
nr	What about the gig which Rank was taken from?
neu	This DVD was interesting but was a far cry from the complete picture.

music_neu_19
music	3
pos	Pawn the jewelry, if necessary, to buy this disc if only for "Je t'ai dans la peau" ("I've got you under my skin").
pos	I heard it for the first time when I put the disc in the car player and I was knocked for a loop.
pos	It's a classic Edith Piaf song, but this interpretation marries all of Karin Clercq's best qualities in one track: a beautifully alto voice, incredibly clear diction, and a gorgeous Belgian accent.
neu	There's a strident guitar backup and a little subtle synthesizer in the background.
neu	The rest of the songs, original compositions all, are a little less stellar.
neu	The songs range all over the map, from female-power affirmations "Ne Pas" to the lust-at-first-sight of "Désir." It's a good record for those who are learning French, because it comes with a lyric booklet and her diction is so clear.

music_neu_24
music	3
nr	The initial CD version of No Parlez included only longer versions of the hit singles alongside a few other songs.
neg	The album versions from the album were, however, nowhere to be found.
nr	In the liner notes of this re-release Paul Young describes those versions as being wearing; not an understatement.
nr	According to Paul, the album version was always the true version and finally one can listen to it on CD a quarter of a century later.
neg	It took me not a whole lot longer than zero seconds to realize that something was wrong.
neg	The starting crushing interplay of bass & drums on Come Back and Stay is nowhere to be heard, the songs simply "starts".
neg	When I heard that the middle section where Paul sings "Since You've Been Gone...." is truncated did I realize that this is the single version being used, NOT the original album version.
neg	Things get worse: Love Will Tear Us Apart is presented here without the intro on the original album, again it simply "starts".
neg	Similar story with Love of the Common People, the long intro on the album has been shortened, similar as to the single version although I am not sure whether its identical, it is a bit longer than the version on his Time compilation.
neg	I think/hope I have spotted all the faults.
pos	The production at the time was revolutionary; Lauri Latham (later worked with Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and The Stranglers) came with a distinctive glossy and crisp sound.
pos	Although it became soon dated, it sounds today very fresh.
pos	The re-mastering is good, it is as if the tapes were cleaned with the separation much clearer.
pos	The music has also aged well, Paul Young's voice still gives me goose bumps.
mix	A bonus CD is included with the boring 12 inch versions but an interesting version of Tears For Fears' Pale Shelter and 2 great live recordings.
neg	In whole, a major disappointment due to shortened versions, and simply baffling since it is stated that this IS the original album.
neg	I thus give it only three stars, which may be generous.
nr	Any comments, especially from someone responsible for this re-release would be welcomed.

music_neu_26
music	3
nr	I liked the movie...
pos	funny as hell but i also liked the music.
neg	My friend got the soundtrack and i borrowed it and found that there were lots of tracks missing...
nr	one being "Amber" by "311" which is on thier "from chaos" album.
nr	They played this track at least 5 times in the movie and even in the trailer...
nr	so why didn't they include in in the soundtrack.
nr	If anyone has the answer reply.

music_pos_3
music	5
pos	This fantastic cd is a (((must have))) for everyones cd collections weither they are a big fan of NERD or not.
pos	This orriginal album shows alot of talent and includes a number of styles of music, So it suits everyones taste in music from hiphop to rock.
pos	There are 12 brilliant songs that use live instruments througout the album, This gives the album a happy and feel good characteristic.
pos	All the songs show the feelings and oppinions of chad, shae and ofcorse the wonderfull pharell williams.
nr	This cd contrasts to there last album "In Search of....
nr	", this is more hiphop, as "fly or die" seems to be more rock.
pos	however dispite this the album is still fantastic and contains the Original NERD flavor.
pos	i am very hapy with this cd and i think you will be to.
pos	it takes a small while to get used to the new style but now i relly love "fly or die".
pos	basically you eaither like it or you dont, but you will never know until you try it...SO wot ru wating for get your copy now before they all sell out!!!!!!
pos	i would give this album 9/10

music_pos_5
music	4
nr	I, like the first reviewer, first heard Robert Berry on the Yes tribute album and I thought he put a neat spin on on the Yes classic Roundabout.
pos	I really never thought much more about Robert Berry. That was until Greg Stone who does a progressive rock radio show in the bay area, started to play some songs from this album Prime Cuts. Wow, Robert Berry, who is from the bay area has paid homage to some of the best prog acts of the 70's.
pos	It's neat to hear some of these songs with a screaming guitar in them and a different musical twist.
pos	How cool is it to hear ELP with a raging electric guitar and the song not being overpwoered by keyboards?
pos	Very cool, not that ELP's version isn't great too.
pos	He also has some differentt takes on the Genesis classic Watcher of the Skies and he covers Amborsia which he was once a member.
pos	He also does some interesting covers of rush, Pink Floyd and Jethro tull.
pos	I would never say that this is essential prog material, but hey, for a few bucks you could buy this or buy some of todays musical drivel, I'll go for this Thanks.

music_pos_13
music	5
nr	I first heard venus malone when my friend sent me one of her songs "Best Inspiration".
nr	I instantly fell in love will the song and her style that i had to get the ceedee.
pos	1.I Realize - 5/5 stars.
pos	her voice is great in this song 2.Cliche Interlude + Cliche - 5/5 stars.
pos	This song is so great.
pos	The chorus is just so nice to listen to.
pos	4.One on One - 4/5stars I like the beats and the chorus 5. Phatt A55 - 5/5stars haha fun song to sing along to.
pos	The lyrics are fun 6.Best Inspiration - 5/5 stars.
pos	This song is SO GOOD. Possibly my favorite song on the album along with Cliche 7. Ain't Home Tonight - 4/5 stars.
pos	I like this song...but it sounds like another song i know...i kant figure out who....
neu	8. Rainin Tears - 3/5 very slow song.
neg	I don't really feel for this one.
pos	9. Table For two - 5/5stars Nice feel to the music.
pos	nice music, background beats...
pos	10. Eye on the prize - 5/5stars i give this five stars just because i like the chorus part.
pos	11. Evolution - 5/5stars I love this song!
pos	Nice chill-out feel to it.
pos	12. The End - 4/5stars Starts out slow then picks up, sounds nice.
neu	13. Eye on the prize remix - 4/5 I like the original one better.
nr	#10 This is my opinion.
pos	Cliche, Best Inspiration and Evolution are my favorites.
pos	:D Anyways, overall this is a great album and Venus Malone has a great voice.
nr	To me, this album was different from other music i've been hearing.
pos	Also, it fits perfectly in my collection of "chill-out" music.
pos	Nice relaxation album.
nr	:D

music_pos_14
music	5
pos	Man, this album is soo good i cannot believe!
nr	The first time i listened to them was when my friend burned me her ceedee.
pos	After listening to them, i knew i had to get the actual album!
pos	This ceedee is the one ceedee that is actually worth paying for.
pos	Their shows are great too!
pos	they actually sound like themselves wen they play live, not like som other bands who actually cant sing on stage.
pos	anywayz, every one of these songs on the ceedee is gud.
pos	GET IT!

music_pos_18
music	5
pos	If you like the Who and have a CD player capable of playing NON-HYBRID SACDs, then this one is a no-brainer.
pos	You get ALL of the material from the 2 CD special edition release, but it is in the higher fidelity of SACD and is all on one disc.
nr	I have not compared the standard Red Book release to this one.
pos	What I can tell you is that this release beats the pants off of any incarnation of this recording from the past.
pos	Hearing these tunes in REAL STEREO for the first time is a true revelation.
pos	No longer does the music feel constrained by the mono recording.
pos	It is more like the players are performing on a stage in front of you as opposed to mono's non-dimensionality.
pos	The recording is wonderfully clean and complete with crystal clear feedback.
pos	Moon's cymbals are transparent...his drumwork really stands out on this release.
pos	In fact, all the instruments are much better defined.
pos	Shel Talmy did a superb remastering job...he really cares about these recordings regardless of his professional problems with the Who. YOU HAVE TO PICK UP THIS ONE!!

music_pos_21
music	5
nr	If you are reading this review, chancs are that you aleady know who Raymond Scott is.
nr	This is the CD that started the revival of interest in his music.
pos	Raymond and his original group are the real masters of his music although the Beau Hunks are a very close second.
pos	Raymond left no room for error on his recordings and it shows.
pos	The performances are completely polished.
pos	True these all come from 78 RPM sources but they are as good as it gets.
pos	You will NOT be disappointed.
pos	If you only buy one Raymond Scott CD, this MUST be the one to get.

music_pos_23
music	4
nr	Bob Ezrin lives 5.1, there is no question (just watch his interview in this DVD's supplements section).
pos	Alice digs it too, and this DVD-Audio release is a real treat.
neu	Sure, the bass drum has little punch, but it is still there in the LFE channel.
pos	For this presentation of the career-enhancing LP this turned out to be, Warner and Ezrin have done a terrific job with the original elements.
pos	Super quiet soft passages and reasonably rocking loud ones without a hint of tape hiss, it's all here.
nr	So what are you waiting for?

music_pos_25
music	4
mix	Pros: catchiness, replayability, fun, energetic ... Cons: simplicity The Bottom Line: Buy It!
pos	My friends love it, my little brother loves it, my parents love it - you will too!
nr	Paramore just recently broke into the scene and have become very well known in a very short amount of time.
pos	Led by 17 year old vocalist Hayley Williams, the band also features guitarist Josh Farro, drummer Zac Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis, and rhythm guitarist Hunter Lamb, all under the age of 21. The album starts with "All We Know", a catchy (but straightforward, systemaic) power-pop song.
neu	"Pressure" has the surefire sound of a ready for MTV single, and will definitely have a lot of kids heads bobbing at Warped Tour and on their headlining tour this summer.
neu	"Emergency" and "Brighter" both show that the band knows how to craft catchy pop-rock songs.
neu	"Here We Go Again" demonstrates that not all of Paramore is just vocals and catchy choruses.
pos	Farro's guitar in this song is impressive and incredibly catchy, showing that this band will probably be hanging around the scene for awhile.
neu	"Never Let This Go" is a welcome change of pace to the album, and the melody kind of reminds me of "The War" by Melee, though LOOSELY.
pos	The song starts slow and then builds into a great chorus as Williams sings "Please don't get me wrong, because I'll never let this go, but I can't find the words to tell you I don't wanna be alone, but now I feel like I don't know you", and then it's right back to the soft guitars and drums.
pos	Definitely one of the better tracks on the album.
neu	"Whoa" has the most simplistic lyrics of any song on the album, but it'll definitely be fun to dance along to at shows.
neu	"Consipracy" and "Franklin" also have basic lyrics, with the first being about someone losing power in a relationship, and the next being about going back to your hometown after awhile and everything (mostly peoples' reactions to you) being different.
neu	The songs aren't going to win any awards from "lyric-lovers", but they are, as the entire album has been, catchy.
neu	These few songs show the age of the band the most, but I'm sure as they grow their lyrics will grow with them.
nr	The closer, "My Heart", reminds me a lot of "Some Will Seek Forgiveness...
pos	Others Escape" by Underoath, because the song starts slow, seems to be another basic song just like the last two, but at the end Josh adds some screams and it really makes for a pumped up ending to the album.
neu	'All We Know Is Falling' is a sing and dance along album that will get stuck in your head.
pos	This band has such potential to go far: down-to-earth kids who love to hang out with their fans, catchy albums and they put on a fun and impressive live show (I was very surprised).
pos	I think, if you give this band a couple years, they have a chance to be real heavyweights in the emo/pop-rock scene, and will be selling out large venues soon.

music_pos_27
music	5
nr	This album took me by surprise.
nr	I have been left jaded with the recent music offerings and certainly did not expect much from this band.
nr	Moreover people who dance so well, surely can't sing well too, right?
pos	I was so wrong.
pos	What hummable songs and easy listening.
nr	Maybe, just maybe I may think of taking a chance on other new music soon.

music_pos_29
music	5
pos	My music find of the year - mesmerizing!
nr	First and foremost, this is psychedelic rock built on a strong pop framework.
pos	A first-time listener might guess this was an undiscovered gem originating from London, circa 1968. From then on, it becomes a game of "spot-the-reference".
nr	The early Who, Pretty Things, Love, Moody Blues, the Beatles, 13th Floor Elevators, and any number of the 60s British one-hit wonders would probably come to mind.
nr	Combine all of them, get Thurston Moore to play (a real) melody lead on electric guitar, add a bit of distortion, and you begin to get the idea.
neu	Sixties-wise, it has all the right elements: layered guitars, reverb, echo, jangle, phasing and harmonies.
pos	And Brian Leary's voice is the perfect accompaniment to it all, pulling it all together like Rain Parade did in their best moments.
pos	Though Scrapbook resembles 60s psychedelia, it doesn't feel dated in the least; this is no doubt due to the updated post-rock guitar sound that appears throughout.
nr	There are a few straightforward pop songs; I would defy anyone to listen to "Your Kind Turn Me All Around" without catching it flying sorties around your brain a day later.
nr	Other songs, including "Eyes", "Masses of Tiny Dots", "All of the Lovely Sounds" and "Color It" are closer to garage proto- psych/punk.
pos	The albums opus is "Sea Map", which straddles some nether-ground between Led Zeppelin, Bardo Pond and Porcupine Tree. This is balanced by the delicate beauty of "Scrapbook of Madness" and "Satellite Sun".
nr	And there's a hint of Beatles flavour to "When the Ancients Fly".
pos	It's a diverse album, moody, brilliant and completely satisfying.
pos	The album was good enough to make me go and locate all Polyphemus material I could find.
pos	You're going to wish you had this when you find it's no longer available; so do yourself a favor and get it now.
nr	And if you enjoy this, watch for their next incarnation: "Gangster Hippie".
pos	I've heard the first GH album, and it's equally amazing...

videogames_neg_0
videogames	2
mix	Don't get me wrong, the graphics and sound in this game are some of the best on PS2 but neither one of these factors matters when you don't have good gameplay.
mix	Sure you can fine tune your car and buy all kinds of parts for it, but is that really what a racing game is all about?
neg	When it comes to the racing part of the game, the handling of the cars is totally unforgiving leaving you with a hard and frustrating simulation.
neg	The gameplay is pretty much repetitive and the tracks are boring.
neg	This game gets dull very fast since you'll find yourself racing one competition event over and over to earn just enough money to buy that extra engine part that you want.
neg	If you want a fast paced, fun, exciting, and non-repetitive game, then get Burnout 2 or Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. These two games have a lot more different game modes that will keep you busy for hours while your Gran Turismo 3 sits on the shelf.

videogames_neg_1
videogames	1
nr	Purchased this with expectations that the mini-games would be easy to get into and fun.
neg	After trying them out, I can only describe them as tedious.
neg	Every game seems to have 10 or so "intro" screens that you have to go through.
neg	To make matters worse, there are different ways to get through the intro screens.
neg	Some require pushing A, others you have to select options with the cursor then click A, others require jumping to get a random dice roll.
neg	Then getting into the game itself this type of tediousness continues all over again.
mix	This may be fun for some occasions, but I would recommend highly you try out the game before you buy.

videogames_neg_3
videogames	2
nr	Here's the deal.
neu	This game has a few things going for it.
pos	It is cool to blow big holes in the side of buildings.
pos	I am also a big fan of shooting the trees down.
pos	The single player has some moments that are kind of funny.
neu	The graphics are not on par with the great shooters, but they are still pretty good.
nr	My complaints with the game are as follows.
neg	Ok first off it seems like my guys top speed is a breath taking 2 mph, 3 mph if I am sprinting.
neg	The graphics are not all that great.
neg	The controls are sloppy and it is hard to be very accurate.
neg	Some of the things they put in the game to be clever are just stupid.
neg	Like the injector that heals you, which means you have to put away your gun to heal yourself.
neg	This wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't using the damn thing every 10 seconds.
neg	Also the vehicle repair tool that you just grind against the side of a car to make it run again.
neg	What's the point of that?
neg	If you want to stab someone the knife stays in your hand so you have to pull out your gun again.
neg	Also the multiplayer sucks, blow up gold crates....
nr	Whatever.
neg	I hear they are releasing new modes, but who cares when the game play is this bad.
neg	Anyways, maybe I am just spoiled from Halo and COD4. But it feels like they rushed this game out.
neg	I recommend that you keep your money and wait for the really good games this fall.

videogames_neg_4
videogames	2
neg	This was a ripoff.
mix	Fire Fight is cool if you like horde in Gears of War. Other than that though this game sucks.
neg	The missions are dark and pretty dull.
neg	There is hardly any new competitive multiplayer content.
neg	3 maps...
neg	Wow, could have been a expansion pack.
neg	I don't understand why they would make a new game with no improvements.
neg	If anything this is a crappy version of Halo 3 that comes with a Halo 3 multiplayer disk...
neg	way to go Bungie. Thats a shame, I had high hopes for this game.
nr	Oh well, the wait continues for Modern Warfare 2.

videogames_neg_7
videogames	1
neg	This is the worst game I have ever played.
neg	The story makes Stargate Atlatis look like Oscar material.
neg	The rest is going forward mindlessly shooting at braindead monsters that dance forward and backwards.
neg	( Like in any House of the Dead game ) nothing else.
neg	How this is considered the best game of all times is beyond me.
nr	I've been am avid gamer for nearly two decades now.
neg	Of all my purchases, ( that include text-only games ) this is the one that I most regret.

videogames_neg_8
videogames	1
neg	The only reason I give it a 1 is because of the graphics, just as another review stated: terrible game with nice coat of paint to hide it's rust.
neg	That's about all it amounts too, and again on that same review it's more then likely due to buying out any possibility of competition.
nr	2K Sports was kicking EA Sports a$$ in the football category.
neg	It was becoming too much for EA Sports to take with the annual humiliation from the up-start 2K Sports so they just bought the NFL rights to creating football video games.
neg	That was nothing but a pu$$y move on their part...
neg	can't beat 'em so buy out the rights to make it at all???
neg	Yeah, you really showed them...
neg	EA Sports aren't Gods of anything...
neg	they're ruthless dictators with no ba11s.

videogames_neg_11
videogames	1
neg	"Disastrous" WOW, after months of waiting and anticipation I can only say that one word when playing one of the biggest dissapointments in gaming history.
neg	Two Worlds is crap and any person that thinks differently needs serious mental help.
neg	The game is jerky, the blood effects are straight outta mortal kombat, combat is so ridiculous that boars and wolves make you their **** But by far the worst part has to be horse riding.
neg	Basically the horses control like they have ice skates on.
neg	I don't think the creators could have done a worse job and honestly I hope SouthPeak doesn't get the option to make any more games.
neg	Anyway I would advise you to never purchase this game unless you like making bad investments.
neg	STAY AWAY FROM TWO WORLDS...DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID!!!

videogames_neg_12
videogames	2
neg	I'm going to voice my biggest complaint about this game first, so that anyone thinking of buying BIA because it looks "realistic" or because it looks like a "simulation" might be deterred.
neg	The major drawback to the game is actually one of the simpler things: You are forced to use bulletproof wooden fences (huh?), haybails, and tin barrels as legitimate cover for yourself and your squad.
neg	This is all in a game which claims to let you use "Real Military Tactics."
neg	Ridiculous stuff.
neg	The tutorial part of the game actually instructs you to use things like fences as defendable positions.
neg	Exactly what soldier did they consult for those great hints?
neg	Basically, you cannot crawl on the ground or go prone, so using dips in the terrain is not too common.
neg	The rare gully and stone wall or rock is really your only option for "real" cover, but the game more or less expects you to use the haybails to hide behind when a German with an MP40 is shooting at you.
neg	I would LOVE to know what was going through the minds of the designers for Brothers In Arms when it comes to that portion of the game.
neg	Come on - you don't have to be a genius to note that an MG42 is going to tear a wooden fence to bits and pieces, so why would the majority of the cover provided be thin wood or tin?
neg	No soldier in his right mind would scramble to a fence when being fired on, unless it was his last and only place to try and hide.
neu	The game was built on the Unreal Engine like America's Army, so it's at least up to par in that area.
pos	The sound effects are great and accurate, making it seem like you're in a movie (the rip rip rip of the MG42 is what it should be -- alarming).
pos	The visuals and firefights seem great as well, grenade explosions look like they should and the flak being fired into the sky by Germans in fields around you makes it very immersive.
mix	As for commanding the squad, it is easy and is a great idea, but the tactics are always the same: pin down the enemy and then find the ONLY route on the map to flank the enemy, as there is usually only one route to do so.
neu	The game doesn't offer large, open terrain, but levels consisting more or less of corridor-like fields for you to navigate, much like Call Of Duty. That normally isn't a problem when it is disguised well, but regardless, it gets old.
neu	This is probably not the definitive WW2 grunt game you were lookin' for.

videogames_neg_13
videogames	2
neg	I played this on my friend's 360 and then on my own Playstation 3. (I confess that I'm a Playstation fan -- bought the PS1, PS2, and now the PS3.) The frame rate and color depth on the PS3 version are pretty depressing in comparison to the 360 version.
neu	Sure, it's a simple little game; jump around and hack and slash or use your specials.
neu	It's a mindless sort of fun.
neg	Simple. But you'd think they could do more with a $600 system and such a "simple" game.
neg	It's not like it's using photo-realistic graphics or anything, and yet...
neg	I feel like I'm using a really slow computer to play a really graphically enhanced game.
neg	Needless to say, I feel very let down.
mix	The game itself is good, the game on this system is not.
nr	At least I still have Fight Night...

videogames_neg_17
videogames	2
neg	I must by saying Universal Studios is a fantastic theme park but the game just offends it.
neg	I doubt the producers have ever been to it.
neg	And since when did Universal Studios have a quiz game?
neg	It also puzzles me about the character selection because nobody has high speed or anything so there is really no need.
neg	Read on to see what else makes this game unplayable.
neg	GRAPHICS 4/10 All Gamecube games have exceptionally good graphics, but this sadly will remind you of the chunky, low polygon rate graphics of Nintendo 64. As this was the first Gamecube game I played I thought of selling my Gamecube (but then I played Star Fox Adventures).
neg	Like when you try cuddle Frankenstien, you don't cuddle him, you get impaled on his arm and you get 200 points or so (you would expect it to subtract points wouldn't you?)
neg	and then the controller unexpectedly rumbles.
neg	I also went right through a bench once.
neg	And I also find myself running through a lot of people.
neg	MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS 0/10 The starting music is mute pressing material and when you get into the actual game, it does not change.
neg	It is impossible to survive the music, even though there is very little of it, when it happens you will be sorry that you did not mute.
neg	It would be good if there was actual music for the regular gameplay.
neg	GAMEPLAY 0/10 I would give this a something if I knew how to enter the games!
neg	The gameplay is not worthy of anything.
neg	There is no clear entry to a game (except when the person says: '' Here it is, have fun!
neg	''). And you earn points for things that you don't even see.
neg	They tried to make a good item system, but they unfortunately failed, and quite miserably may I add?
neg	The games are too quest based and if the rides were just rides then, it may have received a six or even a seven, but the gameplay stopped it from getting a 4. OVERALL 3/10 This game is amazingly unique, but the gameplay, graphics, music and sound effects ruin it.
neg	It seems that the uniqueness and potential were, unfortunately, not enought to save the game.
neg	It would also help if there were clear instructions on how to enter games and I can imagine a lot of people getting horribly frustrated or aggravated, angry or upset about not being able to enter the games.
nr	RENT OR BUY?
neg	Neither, I got this with my Game Cube so I did not fall for any traps.
neg	If you want good rides, go to Universal Studios, do not buy this, it just does not cut it.
neg	If you are looking for a game buy Star Fox Adventures or Mario Party 6, not this.
mix	So on a final note don't buy this, it had a lot of potential and is quite unique but still couldn't convince me that it was a good game.
neg	Clear instructions, realistic rides and better graphics would of made this 7 to 10 out of 10 material, but because this is everything the game is missing it unfortunately won't impress.
nr	Sincerely signed, gummybearz2000

videogames_neu_0
videogames	3
nr	"Check your bargain bin" Being a huge fan of UfC, I recently ordered this from out of country.
nr	I knew beforehand that the game got average reviews, if that.
nr	I liked it on the dream cast though and wanted to add a different type of fighting game to my collection.
pos	There are many characters to choose from and almost as many fighting styles.
neu	Although I only have experience with choosing pit fighter I am not sure how much the different styles effect your customizable move list but you will definitely see a difference between submission VS wrestling.
nr	I purchased this game for the purpose of having this as a quick pick me up with friends and beer.
pos	The 8 man tournament possible warrants this purchase.
neg	Unfortunately the game lacks substance.
neg	The music is horrible and I am not one to even mention the music.
neu	Sounds effects are present but somewhat lacking.
neg	The crowd sound effect is almost, if not worse then the music (Apes chanting???).
neu	The blood doesn't stay on the mat and no damage to your opponent is my major gripe.
neu	Don't get me started on why they would speed up the in game clock???
nr	The fighting mechanics consist of Left and right punch buttons and left and right kick buttons.
mix	I always feel satisfied after ground and pounding an opponent to victory but the fighting is still rather simple and not much else goes on.
neg	So with all this negativity, it looks like I foolishly wasted $30 dollars to get this mediocre game shipped to me, especially already knowing that it lacked.
pos	The only way you will get enjoyment out of this is by doing the tournament with friends.
neg	I haven't completed legend mode(defend the belt 7 times) but after that I think it will collect dust.
neg	I can't recommend this game even if you are a big UFC fan like myself.
neu	We will have to wait for a new version of UFC to come out.

videogames_neu_4
videogames	3
neg	"Total letdown" Let me just clear some things up first.
neg	This game is NOT the real Ninja Council 3, it's actually the 4th version in Japan. Since this game has no story at all, D3 decided to take Naruto: Saikyou Ninja Daikesshu 4 and modify it to be in line with the American dub of Naruto. If you're fimiliar with the previous versions of Ninja Council, prepare to be disappointed big time.
nr	The previous 3 (or 2 in this case) were based on platforming with some 1 on 1 battles for bosses.
nr	This game is entirely mission based, you start from doing D ranked missions all the to S rank.
neu	While this game is easy for the most part, some missions will cause frustration due to hazards in a level or little time to complete a mission.
nr	I'm sure most have heard of a game called Jump Super Stars (or Ultimate Stars) before.
neg	This game is a very dumbed down version of that game (which also features Naruto as a playable character) you only attack with ONE button making it a easy game to play.
neg	This is a bad idea because matches involve no strategy at all.
neg	To make things worse, Tomy added alot of playable characters from the anime in this game, it's too bad all of them play EXACTLY the same.
neg	Another thing that might piss you off is how broken this game is.
nr	Certain characters like Naruto have jutsu's that are highlighted in blue, these jutsu's cover the entire screen meaning there's nowhere to hide and are unblockable at the same time.
nr	Sakura also has a healing ability that might prolong multiplayer matches.
neg	You can also mix and match jutsu's from other characters, but that gets old fast.
neg	I forgot to mention that weapons in this game are USELESS, don't even bother picking them up.
neu	The music in this game isn't that bad, but most of it is forgettable, it'll also get repetitive at some point due to redoing a mission many times or trying to beat all 60+ missions.
pos	One good thing about this game is it feature voices from the anime while performing a jutsu.
nr	RENT or BUY?
neg	I recommend neither.
neg	Not only is this game an embarrassment and rip-off, it was created for the sole purpose of making a quick buck off Naruto fans.
neg	Another thing is the US version of this game is missing 8 characters, a few jutsu's and 1 stage.

videogames_neu_7
videogames	3
nr	March 9, 2008: One of the most anticipated days in video game history, the day Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out in the US I was so excited.
nr	I pre-ordered a copy and all that.
nr	I went to pick it up, and decided to get the strategy guide with it.
pos	I get home and put the game in my Wii. The first few minutes I was thinking, "Okay, this is pretty cool."
nr	But I had yet to explore any real meat, as I only played for 30 minutes.
nr	The next day would be SSBB's judgment day.
pos	I played the next day and had fun.
neg	For the first 20 minutes.
neg	When playing alone, SSBB loses it's value quickly.
neg	At that point it only holds up as one of those games that's only fun with other people(*cough*Mario Party*cough*). Sadly SSBB eventually loses it's fun factor when it comes to multiplayer, too.
nr	Why is this?
nr	Well there are many reasons, spread out among the different aspects of the game.
mix	~Graphics: 9/10~ It's too bad the fact the graphics were good didn't contribute to longevity...
pos	In brief, the graphics are jaw-dropping good for a Wii game and will have you begging for more.
pos	The coloring of the elements are also beautiful.
pos	The movements of all the characters are smooth and defined.
pos	All those combined make SSBB some great eye candy.
nr	But that's really all SSBB is to me.
neu	Eye Candy. ~Sound: 7/10~ While the sound is nothing special, it doesn't hurt my ears.
mix	I'm a musical guy, so I tend to pay close attention to BGM. Whoever wrote wrote the music for this game was successful, and nicely recreated old favorites like the O2 song from Kirby 64. But there are other songs that don't fit to well with the whole "Brawling" thing.
neu	The sound effects are OK, but a lot are the same as they were for SSBM. The unrealistic sounds make the fights sound strange, but it's not like that matters.
neg	~Gameplay: 3/10~ SSBB gameplay is good for the first day and a half, after that it drops dead faster than you can say "let down."
neg	Playing through adventure to unlock stuff gets really tedious, as it's LONG. So does event mode.
nr	I played all 51 and what do I get?
nr	A stage or two?
neg	That's it for 51 whole events!?
neg	What a waste of time.
neu	At this point it's just frustrating and not worth playing anymore ~Longevity: 0.1/10~ Time for the real reason I gave SSBB a 4. After SSBB loses its value in single player, it still holds up as a decent party game for a little longer.
neg	Barely. Soon this game becomes another case with a disc inside collecting dust on your shelf.
neg	So sad......
neg	Smash Bros. games are expected to have a perfect replay value, but this one's longevity is INCREDIBLY low.
neg	Thus bringing the score down.
neg	Way down.
pos	Final thoughts: If your a die hard Smash Bros. fan, then you'll like this game.
neg	If your not, then you won't.
neg	This game is barely worth a rent, because you'll lose interest quick.
nr	But rent it anyway just to see if you agree with my viewpoint.

videogames_neu_8
videogames	3
neg	"Disappointing" This game ain't as good as the other 2D Sonic games This game is originally for the Sega CD then I found out this game was ported to PC. Even though I rarely play games on my PC I went to order this on EBay then I got it a days later then got around to playing it and I was dissapoint!
nr	In this game instead of saving animals you actually save flowers.
pos	And it's cool how can travel from the past into the future.
mix	Other than that this game ain't that good.
neg	It's just lacking something.
neg	Maybe it's the level designs' cheapness.
neg	It is really annoying how cheap this and some places take pure luck to beat.
neg	For the music part the music is pretty weird too.
nr	Oh and why can't you use Tails or Amy is this game?
nr	I mean Amy is right their shown in this game and you could use Tail in the one before this (Sonic 2) but why not here?
neg	Their certainly is better Sonic games out their.
neu	If you want great 2D Sonic expirience I recommend Sonic and Knuckles or Sonic Rush. But if you want a 2D Sonic game your PC I guess this would have to do.

videogames_neu_9
videogames	3
pos	I really wanted to "love" Chaos Legion. It had a lot of the right ingredients for a killer action game - creepy monsters, stylish combos, and lots of frenetic hack-'n'-slash melee fighting.
nr	How could this possibly have gone wrong?
neg	Well, let's see...For starters, the pacing of the game is very uneven.
neg	You'll often find yourself trapped in a closed arena withhordes of monsters, just needing to find the right combination of Legions (your demonic partners in this game) to kill 'em all and move on.
neg	Rinse, repeat, add water if necessary.
neg	This sort of stop-and-go fighting takes away from the sense of danger that a game like this is supposed to have.
neg	The graphics don't do this game justice, either.
mix	Well, the character and monster models look pretty good, but the surrounding scenery is in serious need of a makeover.
neu	Throughout most of the game, you'll be surrounded by drab castle walls (which is forgivable, given the game's setting), and many shades of gray (or black, should you stick around long enough to venture into the later levels).
nr	There's also an RPG element to the game, which allows you to increase the levels of your Legions to give them more powerful and varied attacks.
neg	But since you can only upgrade your Legions between levels, and it takes such a ridiculous amount of EXP to earn even the most basic of upgrades, it hardly seems worth it in the end.
neu	Okay, so Chaos Legion isn't an incredibly BAD game...it's just not very exciting, either.
pos	Fans of the mindless hack-'n'-slash might just like this one as a rental.
neg	Everyone else should steer clear.

videogames_neu_10
videogames	3
pos	"Check your bargain bin" The Game play of this game was done very well.
pos	With very nice execution style moves with the knife i got into it very quick.
neg	The Aiming feature has yet to be desired however.
neg	I found the cross hairs a little too sensitive and the amount of time between checkpoints too long.
neg	Nothing like spending 10minutes blasting through soldiers then all of a sudden when your about to hit the end you get jumped by 3 soldiers out of nowhere and you have to start 10 minutes back and do everything all over again.
nr	i didn't even clear at least 75% of the game however.
pos	This game did have one feature i thought was awesome and it was the Lethality of the "Knife" quickly hitting the right trigger button at the right time would do an instant execute on any soldier and almost any dinosaur(up to the raptor).
mix	Great game to rent, but most definitely not a keeper

videogames_neu_11
videogames	3
pos	Halo has a creative plot, some interesting sets, cool weapons and aliens.
neg	But this game is way too long and repetitious.
neg	It's one of the few shooters I've ever played where I was hoping the game would end sooner.
nr	I made the mistake of playing the game at the "difficult" level rather than "normal".
neg	Some of the chapters are extremely difficult where you have to kill hundreds of aliens before you get to save the game at a checkpoint.
neg	If you get killed, you have to do it all over again, and again, and again, ... I recommend playing this game at the "normal" setting the first time - perhaps then it would have been more fun.

videogames_neu_14
videogames	3
pos	"Been there, done that" Diddy's back and better than ever!
nr	The N64 version of Diddy Kong Racing was highly overlooked because it was launched along side the notorious Mario Kart 64. Diddy Kong Racing was easily overshadowed because of Mario, however, many gamers enjoyed the N64 version of the game because it gave spice to the regular racing tradition, allowing you to race in the traditional kart, airplane or hovercraft.
neu	The story is nothing to die for, but is alright.
neu	It generally follows the same feel of the N64 version, but it adds something different.
nr	Also, during races this time, instead of collecting banana's you collect coins.
nr	Some levels have many, while others don't.
nr	In the story once you complete all the races in one world, you must go back and collect a set number of balloons to pass that portion of the level.
neu	There are three levels bronze, silver, and gold adding some minimal replay value in that section.
nr	If you compared Mario Kart DS and Diddy Kong Racing DS you could clearly see the difference in graphics.
neg	The game has very blocky graphics bringing down its overall appeal.
neg	The character models and karts are especially blocky, while the worlds are alright, but have only been slightly touched up from the N64 version.
neg	In truth, I was expecting a lot more than what I got in terms of graphics.
nr	Replay value often makes and breaks the game.
neu	In this game's case it has moderate replay value.
neu	Unlock able characters and medals add some replay value.
neu	The online and multiplayer aspect help in the replay value as well giving it a moderate replay value.
pos	Multiplayer in both the N64 and DS versions of the game are extremely alike, and are good natured fun with friends.
neg	Sadly, some aspects of the multiplayer require you to unlock battle modes and things of that nature.
neg	The game seems as if it merely copied of Mario Kart DS at parts.
mix	The game is a lot of fun to play, especially since it is not grounded as Mario Kart DS is, but the game is extremely short.
neu	The game is simply a port from the N64, with not a lot added in, but it is a breath of something from the N64 age.

videogames_neu_15
videogames	3
neu	"Ambitious" OK the game is basically the same as Star-force 1. What happened to a variety of bosses instead of a theme, Seriously cryptids.
neg	Ghosts, abdominal snow men, Lochness, the story is almost identical to to the first.
neu	At least the main character is less whiny.
neg	The story is old, you gain all of your Brothers then you lose them, then you gain them back.
mix	Boring, give us something new, the Mu part was interesting, and the fact you can play two games, Zerker and Saurian, nice touch.
neu	Playability: 2.5 / 5 it is pretty much the same as the first game.
neg	Re-playability 1/5 After the credits the only thing to do is a few side-quests that only help with bragging rights.
mix	Music 4/5 pretty good music i would say Graphics 3/5 really update, say the big word with me UP-DATE. this should look cleaner but it doesn't Story 1/5 New story please and varied bosses not just the same 4 with varying difficulty Total 5/10 Not the worst game I have played but not the best.
nr	If you play for a hour and a half everyday then buy it but if you play for much longer pick up a different game.
neg	If you have the choice between this and Pokemon then buy Pokemon.

videogames_neu_16
videogames	3
neu	I suppose this game is just the icing on the cake after Squares last two Final Fantasy games.
neg	Final Fantasy VII had no plot, and Final Fantasy VIII played like a Jane Austin Novel. Final Fantasy IX regurgitates every possible cliche in history, and draws out these cliches for hours.
neg	Overall, the effort put into this games plot must have been minimal, making the game highly unmemorable.
mix	Graphics -- 8 If Square was trying to go for the ''old school'' cartoon look, so why only make the characters cartoons.
neg	The towns, castles, and dungeons look just as real as the ones from FF 7 and FF 8. This makes the characters look out of place--especially in FMV sequences--because the characters are deformed looking.
mix	The graphics are pretty, but uninspiring.
mix	Music -- 6 The music isn't bad, but it isn't good.
neu	The battle music is better the the previous two Final Fantasies, but other than that, it's all pretty unmemorable.
neg	Character themes are mellow and boring.
neg	Story -- 4 This is easily the weakest element in the game.
neg	It is about a boy named Vivi who doesn't know anything about his past and spends the whole game discovering the exact same things that Terra and Cloud discovered in Final Fantasy 6 and 7. Oh, and Garnet also discovers her past through a series of flashbacks that establish her as something that we the player already knew from the first few hours of playing the game.
neg	Zidane is a girl crazy teen who's idealistic immaturity is as boring as his one line pickups.
neg	He has no depth.
neu	At least pretty boys Locke and Squall had depth and plot backing them.
neg	Zidane seems thrown into the game as a marketing tool to entertain the 13 year old boys who will be purchasing this game.
neg	Other side characters are completely recycled and poorly developed compared to there older counterparts.
neg	Eiko is a Relm (FF6) character who takes up too much plot fawning over the sexy Zidane (oooh, monkey tails...), and Amarant is like a dummied down Shadow (FF6).
neg	Quin is of course the Gogo character, only stupider.
neg	The main characters fail to hold the players interest as well.
neg	Princess Garnet (aka Dagger), in Square tradition, is the magic using chick that was born from some special summoner race, yatta yatta.
neg	You've seen her many many times before, only the last few times you saw her, she was interesting.
nr	Rydia from FF4 held our interest because we got to see her develop from childhood to adulthood in an epic.
nr	Terra's character pulled at our heart strings as we saw the oppression of her people, and the effects of being a slave to the scientific horrors of the empire.
nr	Even Aeris from FF7 touched us when she was killed by Sephiroth.
neg	Dagger just simply exists in this title, and is so predictable, that her story could have been summed up in about 20 minutes of the game.
neg	Square gave us the ever annoying ''Active Time Event'' (ATE) in this game to give us, the player, and opportunity to see the character interact outside of the party.
neg	Weee. The ATE adds so little to the plot, and takes up so much time, that it seems that Square added them to take up time and disc space.
nr	I know what Square was attempting.
nr	They were trying to develop the characters through a series of normal events.
neg	Unfortunately, the ATEs add so little to the game that they almost interrupt the game when they occur so frequently.
nr	Now for the actual plot of the game.
nr	Disc one is spent going between the different characters, introducing them, and creating highly staged situations in which the different characters end up coming together.
nr	Zidane is the main character, however we don't really spend much time getting to know him.
nr	This may be due to the fact that his character consists of ''Don't be mad, we are all friends,'' or ''Hey baby, you look lovely today.''
neg	There really isn't anything to the main character, which is unfortunate since we spend so much time with him.
neg	Since he is a thief, why not make him more devious.
nr	There are points in the game where he admits to abuse he suffered in childhood, and that is why he became a thief.
neg	Why not expand more on that story to give his character more of an edge: making him distrustful, perhaps bitter, or even insecure.
neg	None of these factor into his character however, and we are left with a thief so lifeless and boring that we wonder what all these love sick girls see in him.
neg	The Villian is a total rehash of FF6 and FF7. His character is pointless and arbitrary to the game as a whole.
neg	He is thrown in to give us a villian.
neg	There is no real motive behind his evil, and he starts out as a powerful almost indestructible god.
neg	This is unfortunate since it alerts the player of who the last boss shall be.
neg	Why not just alert the player by saying ''Hi, I'm going to be the last boss in this game, or at least one of the last bosses.''
neg	Square's ''old school'' attempts went to waste since there really wasn't anything ''old school'' about this game--not plot wise anyway.
nr	Final Fantasy 4 and 6 were noted for their originality and ability to draw players into the game for hours at a time.
neg	As I played this game, I just wanted to hurry up and beat it.
neu	Gameplay -- 7 Well, Square fixed some things...
neu	a few. At least the characters are somewhat different from one another.
pos	Only some characters can use white magic, some black, some summon, and the rest have their own special attacks.
pos	I like this system much better than junctioning and materia and even espers.
mix	The only downside is that Square kept the system where characters learn abilities through their equipt weapons.
nr	You still get AP points and learn powerful abilities through weapons, which makes the gameplay a little easy.
nr	By the middle of the game, all of the characters have so many abilities that they are practically immune to every statis effect.
nr	Magic is learned very very slowly in this game.
nr	Instead of limit breakers, characters have trance which gives them a powerful ability that they can use.
nr	Also, you can use four characters in this game again, although it is still a step down from the five characters you could use in Final Fantasy 4. Weapons are primarily bought in stores, or forged together to make new weapons.
neg	Dungeons in this game are EXTREMELY short and only take long because of the random encounter every step and a half.
neg	And speaking of battles, this game is one of the easiest Final Fantasies ever.
nr	I never died playing this game.
neg	Bosses are simple, regular battles are simple, yet annoying since they take so long to load.
neg	Level gaining is quick, and irrelevant since it seems to not matter what level the party is at.
neu	As long as you save all your most powerful spells for the bosses, the game is a breeze.
neg	What is with Square and having the characters do 9999 damage regularly?
neg	This makes the game way too easy.
neu	The battle system is a step in the right direction after the last two FFs, but it is still rather uninspiring.
neg	Perhaps Square should attempt to create a new type of battle system that offers more intriguing strategies.
neu	At least the draw system (although it was weird and a little dumb) was an original idea.
neg	Replay -- 2 Long, Boring, and pointless.
neg	When the game is over, you feel numb, as if you have watched 3 Disney movies in a row.
neg	The game could essentially pass as a Disney movie.
neg	This Final Fantasy was extremely dissappointing, especially since I had such high hopes for it.
neg	The whole ''the crystals are back thing'' sounded nice...except that you don't bother with crystals until disc 3! The characters were beyond cliche, beyond trite, they were flat, like cardboard cut outs, or movie extras.
neg	The story was poorly developed and executed.
neg	At least Final Fantasy VIII gave us characters that we could focus on.
neg	At least Squall had an angle to him.
neg	Hell, even Cloud, the soldier who barely talked and had no recollection of the past seemed more real than any of the characters in FF9. I guess the only thing ''old school'' about this game was the lack of plot.
neg	Why not just redo Final Fantasy 1? None of the characters talked at all in the original Final Fantasy.
neg	Without all of the pointless chitter chatter, we would be allowed to beat the game quicker.
neg	All in all, I hope Square tries a little harder next time.
neg	This game could have been prevented.
neg	I wish I hadn't bought this game, and so will you.

videogames_pos_2
videogames	5
pos	"Amazing" I have an N64 as you already know, and at first the only good game i had was Super Mario 64 and LOZ:OOT. I knew there had to be more games than that.
nr	Then one of my friends showed me banjo kazooie, and it was excellent.
nr	Then i saw this game, and i saw that Rare made it so i bought it.
pos	It is an adventurous game that provides lots of gameplay and excellent graphics Gamplay- Amazing!
pos	Unbelievably great!!!
pos	Graphics- For N64 is was really good!
pos	Sound- Amazing!!!
pos	They definitely improved the sound on the this game compared to banjo kazooie Value- worth every cent!!!

videogames_pos_3
videogames	5
pos	It surprises me how this game is underrated!
pos	I was really surprised the first time I played it.
mix	Sadly, this game is not totally new if you already played the original Castlevania game on N64. They took the original C64 game they added more bosses, characters better graphics and new places to explore in the dark castle of count Dracula.
nr	But does it really matter...?
neg	No, since it's almost a brand-new game, they put so much new features that if you didn't like the old one, you're almost sure to put it in your top ten games after trying it.
pos	Even if this game is so underrated, even if so many people think this game is not really good, I'm going to tell you how this game can be great to play!
pos	Gameplay- You'll get the hand of the control really fast and you will finally begin your training as a vampire hunter!
neu	You can easily master your character after a while, so don't worry about the controls.
pos	The camera is also easy to master: you press the button it's assigned to and it will come right behind you.
neu	As for the game difficulty, it's not a really hard game, but it's no piece of cake!
nr	Like in most adventure games, there are enigmas, action and fighting.
nr	Some enigmas are quite hard to figure out, but the game is more based on action and fighting.
mix	You can get really frustrated, when it's the Xth time you fail killing X boss, or the Xth time you're trying to jump at the very same place, but if you are very patient you can always make it and have fun with the game.
nr	If you are a person who get scared really easily, you might find it a little scary...I did!
pos	Score: 10/10 Story - Count Dracula has again arisen: Cornell, a strong man-beast, ventures into Castlevania to find his kidnapped sister and to destroy Dracula.
pos	Pretty good story, and if it seems simple, don't worry; you will soon get into it.
pos	But it doesn't end here!
nr	Seven years after Cornell's quest, three warriors are also following his path, as the darkness arises again.
nr	Henry, a boy whom Cornell had saved, Reinhardt, a descendant of the Belmont bloodline, and Carrie, a girl with magical powers, also venture into Castlevania and each have their own story.
pos	In addition to Count Dracula, Cornell, Reinhardt and Carrie all have a second enemy who will taunt you during the game, so this is no boring story!
pos	Score: 10/10 Graphics - The graphics aren't the best I've ever seen, but they're still quite good looking, and they are by far better than average graphics.
mix	Some animations are quite bad, like people standing up or rolling out of the way, but the overall looks very good.
pos	Castlevania really looks like an old castle, and your characters are really well-designed.
pos	The places never look the same, which is a good point.
pos	The lightning effects are particularly good, and so does the fog.
pos	During night time, you can see the red moon up there in the sky, which looks almost real.
pos	The enemies look so real, you really think you have a three-headed dog in front of you:) Score: 9/10 Music/Sound - Though the music might get annoying (sometimes), it's still really great and it fits with the atmosphere of the place you are in. It really makes you ''get into the game''.
pos	There is all kind of music, and depending in which kind of place you are, you can get calm music or rock-like music.
pos	You will have all your time to enjoy it, as there is usually one different music for each different stage in the game.
pos	This makes the game even scarier.
pos	As for the sounds, they are almost perfect.
pos	The lightning sounds really good, and you can hear your character walking, attacking, getting hurt or dying and the enemies moaning, fighting, growling or yelling in pain after they take a hit or die (especially the vampires' death, it sounds so cool!).
pos	Score: 9.5/10 Play Time/Replayability - The good point about this is that you have four characters to complete the game with: each has to take a different path to complete their tasks, so the game will last quite a long time for even a good player.
neg	However, once you've done a stage with one of the character, you will most likely have to go through it again with another sooner or later: there are only two stages that are unique to one player: the others are going to have to be completed two, three or even four times, which makes the replay value not really good.
neu	Unless you're a huge Castlevania fan, you will surely get bored to do the same thing over and over again, so you might not want to play it again.
pos	It depends on how you like the game, but it took me a long time before I even got a little bored.
pos	Score: 8.5/10 Overall score: 9/10 Final Recommendation - Look for it, find it, buy it!!
nr	This game is hard to find, so you will have a hard time finding it.
pos	You're really going to love it, don't think his game is bad, 'cause it's good and you're going to enjoy it.
pos	So if you manage to get your hands on it: you just got one of the greatest game ever!

videogames_pos_4
videogames	4
neg	I'ma really huge Harvest Moon fan, but this one really disappointed me.
neg	Don't think this is a true port of the really good SNES game Harvest Moon, because Natsume, the company who created all the HM games, took of the major part of the game: interacting with others.
nr	So this game is a complete failure?
pos	No, of course not!
pos	It's still a great game, but not the best HM game ever made: they could have made it better.
nr	Why? Read this.
mix	Gameplay – Not a very good gameplay, unlike other Harvest Moon, but still some good points.
nr	The original Harvest Moon for SNES was great, I played it at my friend's house and I really loved it!
nr	You could wander around in the village, climb up the mountain, make friends and get one of the five village girl to marry you.
neg	In this game, they took off all that fun stuff that made the game somehow special.
nr	Harvest Moon games, basically, are farming games.
nr	I say basically, because they're much, much more than that.
nr	You can interact with all the villagers (sometimes even marry girls) and run around to explore your little village and its surroundings while participating in some really fun festivals!
neg	This is what gives Harvest Moon games a little something special, and they took it all off!
neg	The only ones you can interact with are the little harvest sprites, located right under your shed.
neg	However, they almost always say the same phrase everyday, and they're not very talkative (…). As for the mountain, there is simply none!
neg	The village still exists, of course, but you can only go shopping there: the shopkeepers are only “pictures”, not persons, and you can't move around in the shop.
neg	All you see is the counter with the produces on display and the shopkeeper in front of you.
neg	There are still 5-6 festivals, but all you can do to participate is to talk to the shopkeepers (only way you can interact with them, but they always say the same things).
neg	At your farm, the only place (beside festivals) you can move around, all you do is care about your farm.
neu	You can have a little fun riding your horse, if you like that…
neg	You can have up to four cows and four chickens at a time, which is not much.
pos	But, the games still have it good points!
pos	After befriending the Harvest Sprites, they will actually work for you while you sleep!
pos	This new function is really cool, the game continues while you are not even playing!
pos	Also, if you like growing crops and having huge fields of carrots, cabbages, turnips, eggplants, grass, whatever of the many vegetables available, you have plenty of space to work on, 'cause your field is really large!
pos	Another cool thing is that you can choose I you want to be a girl farmer, a boy farmer, a pet cat or a pet dog!
pos	Control: I can't say they're bad; in fact they're pretty easy to use, if only you could carry more things, but they're really good!
neg	This is about it for the gameplay part, but I won't give it a high score, it's not really good.
pos	Score: 5.5/10 Graphics- Not bad, in fact, I'd say they're pretty good.
pos	Especially the shopkeepers, they're very well designed when you see them in the shops.
pos	Even though they're like “pictures” they still look great like this!
pos	Everything is well colored.
pos	People do look like people!
neg	Still, as good they may be, the cows really look bad in this game.
pos	But that's the only detail I can think of, because, for a Gameboy game, they did pretty well for the graphics!
pos	Not perfect graphics, but extremely good graphics!
neg	Score: 9/10 Music– In one word: repetitive!!
neg	The spring and winter musics will get on your nerves when you hear them; they're slow!
neg	If they are going to give us the same music that you keep hearing, day after day, hour after hour, why didn't they take their time and compose some good music, like the Summer and Fall ones?
pos	Those are good, and they won't bother you before a long time.
neg	But, it's like that with all of the Harvest Moons…
neg	I don't know, give us something nice to hear, that makes you want to move around!
neg	With 5-6 different tunes in the game, that you keep hearing over…and over…and…………over!!
neg	Whatever the season, the music, you will get sick to hear it, so take off the sound on your Gameboy, choose one of your favourite songs, find a CD player and enjoy good music while playing the game!
nr	Score- 3.5/10 Story- Your dead grandfather's spirit comes one day to tell you to take over his neglected farm…
nr	All HM have a story like that, but this time it's actually your grandpa's ghost who asks you himself to take over his farm, so it's a bit different.
neu	It's not a bad story, but it's really not a super exciting story.
nr	Score: 5/10 Play Time / Replayability – Like long games?
nr	This game is really, really long!
nr	How long?
nr	Well, it's infinite!
nr	You will surely want to play 1 year, at least.
nr	Two years, until you are Ranch Master. Another year to gain another time the title of Ranch Master. The fourth year, to fully accomplish your job, and get the umbrella.
nr	But after that…
neg	Surely you will look for more challenge, if you have played until the fourth year (I didn't) you should be bored by now.
nr	The play time is infinite, but nothing really different will happen after the first year, so it's up to you.
nr	Score: 8/10 Final Score: 7/10 So…
neg	it's not a good game.
neu	It's not a really bad game.
neg	But if you have money for one more HM, don't buy this one, it's the worst of them all.
neg	Compared to the other HM, it's no good.
pos	Compared to some other games I played, it can rocks.
nr	But… Rent before buying…
nr	If you like it, buy it and be prepared to become a hard-working farmer, or even a Ranch Master:P

videogames_pos_7
videogames	4
pos	I have played this game up to level 13 so far and I am very impressed with the later level designs.
nr	Got to run around a wartorn planet, a Tau spaceship, an Imperial spaceship...
nr	Wonder what's next?
pos	There is no doubt that great fun can be had in this game, so you can take what the critics say with a pinch of salt...
neu	However, I must agree that you have to get used to the AI - it's kind of irritating to kill some of your enemies; they practically run around trying to dodge you.
neg	The sound is also a let down because you can hear the enemies uttering similar remarks throughout the game - sometimes giving away their position.
pos	If you can live with that, you WILL enjoy this game!

videogames_pos_9
videogames	4
mix	"Best in series" Gameplay Very fun, but it can get a bit tedious starting all over again, but thats what RTS's are all about isn't it?
neu	The controls you have to get used to, but you will eventually.
pos	Graphics Abseloutly amazing.
pos	the war torn cities are immensely detailed, the effects are pretty damn good aswell.
neg	some units arnet up to scratch however.
mix	Sound Explosions and bullets sound great, but the voice acting and those corney videos, o dear....
neg	Value Seems very long, but the campain can get a bit boring, those videos really get on your nerves aswell.
neu	Overall The best in the series, but its not ground breaking.
pos	definatley buy if you're a C&C fan

videogames_pos_12
videogames	5
pos	Without a doubt the most well designed game I have yet played.
pos	It is NOT a sequel to Starcraft, and it is NOT an AoE rip-off either.
pos	It is the most original RTS game out there, as it adds in a role playing flavor with the advent of Heroes, special characters each of the races have.
pos	Many people claim that the heroes are unbalanced because they are so much better than normal characters, but that is a stupid statement.
pos	They are very powerful, but everyone has 3 of them, and they balance each other, being the same costs/availability.
pos	They each have their roles, and the ways they interact with their allies and opponents is a large part of the game.
pos	All in all I think the game is a sophisticated chess match, and like chess takes many hours to master, so don't buy this game if you are short on time.
pos	The game play is incredible for two reasons.
pos	The first is the Artificial Intelligence, which is amazing.
neg	Not so much as your computer opponents AI when you play the single player games, that AI is weak.
pos	But the AI that controls your troops in battle, responds to your commands, etc. is probably the best I have ever seen.
pos	The ability to put spells on auto-cast (and the effectiveness of the AI at deploying them) is amazing.
pos	The way troops react is so realistic it is unparalleled.
neu	You really spend most of your micro-management on the heroes (you usually have 2 at a time, which makes the game just micro-intensive enough to be hard, but not so much as too make it frustrating.
neu	It seems like other games have either little micro needed or too much, but this game finds a happy median.
pos	The second thing that sets this game apart is the 4 races.
nr	Some people complain that other games have more.
nr	But in those other games, they are usually all too similar, they are just the same groups and have mostly the same stuff, but some of their stuff is stronger than other factions and some weaker (maybe their air attack is strong but their troops weak).
nr	This usually makes only one or two factions dominant, as one aspect tends to be overpowering.
pos	No such thing in WarCraft 3. Granted, each faction has similarities.
pos	But the differences are much greater, and so well balanced that you see each faction represented among top players almost equally.
pos	Any race can truly beat any race.
pos	The graphics are sweet.
pos	Even on medium, which I have them on, they look excellent.
nr	The simple fact of RTS games is that graphics aren't that important anyway.
nr	True, you like to be able to distinguish your units, but for the most part it's kind of like chess, who cares what they look like; you only care what they do.
pos	But don't get me wrong, the graphics on this game are incredible, I've ran them with a GeForce4 TI 4200 128 mb on high everything it was very impressive.
nr	It just isn't a big deal to me in an RTS.

videogames_pos_13
videogames	4
pos	"Almost, but not quite" So here's my review of Mercenaries 2 World in Flames review for the Xbox 360. I enjoyed this game.
neg	I'll admit the plotline sucked, the guns feel weak, and the worlds kind of boring.
pos	Pros: Fun game play.
pos	You go running around soaking up hundreds of bullets, and killing or destroying anything near you.
pos	Big selection of military vehicles.
pos	Good graphics.
neg	However, towards the end of the game the graphics start to suck.
neg	The cities are all dark; I suppose from smog and smoke from guns, and cannons, ect.
neg	However, at this point in the game, the draw distances become smaller, and the game looks just about as good as it did on the ps2.
pos	However, in sunny VZ, the game looks nice.
pos	Also, the explosions look great.
pos	Airstrikes are great, fun, and you'll always have them.
pos	It's fun to get a sports car, or monster truck delivered to you in the middle of a battle.
neg	Cons: Guns are weak and inaccurate.
neg	You can barely hit guys across the streets with a M4. Racing missions are just annoying.
neg	I hated them and they stopped me form playing the game over again.
neg	Sometimes there are cheap deaths.
neg	For example, 30 guys with RPG's will shoot at you all at once.
neg	Maps to big.
neg	There's just nothing to do at a lot of the places.
pos	However, Mercs 2 was fun, and I did enjoy it.
neu	If you can get it for less than 30 bucks, I'll say it's worth it.

videogames_pos_14
videogames	5
pos	The greatest spectacle in sports-entertainment is back!
nr	No other event in the history of wrestling has seen more legendary match-ups and classic championship battles that have forever changed the face of wrestling.
nr	No other event has revolutionized the world of wrestling with gripping drama and brutal intensity.
nr	No other event has epitomized Vince McMahon's vision of sports-entertainment.
nr	It can only mean one event: the infamous WrestleMania.
pos	WWF WrestleMania X8's original gameplay engine recreates all the action, excitement and tradition WWF fans have come to love.
pos	Experience the intensity and exhilaration of professional wrestling as you step onto the mat to fight the most brutal band of brawlers around.
pos	Master each Superstar's unique wrestling style and turn the tide of the match through a combination of counters, reversals and bone-shattering finishing moves.
pos	Play as top WWF Superstars including newcomers Rob Van Dam, Booker T, DDP,Hurricane, and now thq has said that Kevin Nash and Scott Hall and Hollywood Hulk Hogan that's right the NWO will be in the game now.
pos	Compete in six different venues including SmackDown!, Raw and the ultimate extravaganza, WrestleMania.
pos	Finally, relive the rich history surrounding WrestleMania and compete for championship glory through a host of match types including death-defying TLC matches or legendary Hell in a Cell match-ups.
nr	...

videogames_pos_16
videogames	5
pos	"Immersive" The games still great after months of playing.
pos	Even those who don't like star wars will love the great story.
pos	The controls are spot on.
neu	Wile combat only slows a bit.
pos	As with all star wars games the sound is great but, the voice acting especially shines.
pos	The ability to chose the dark side or light side through random killing or giving a way money is beautiful.
pos	Plenty of force powers and items to use.
pos	Plus full customization of your character.
neg	The graphics are the only flaw.
neg	The background are bland.
neg	And the frame chugs every so often.
pos	Bottom line love Star wars get it.
pos	Love RPG's get it.

videogames_pos_17
videogames	4
pos	The Good: it's a fun co-op game & SP game (never tried PvP).
pos	Huge world with beautiful graphics.
pos	Fun and distinctive classes.
pos	A lot of humor and interesting quests if you take time to read them.
pos	Huge cities within the world.
pos	If you liked Diablo and Titan Quest, I have no doubt you'll like this game.
neg	The Bad: As of May 2009, there are still critical bugs left in the game.
neg	Be aware that the game will likely crash for you at some point.
neg	Not enough bugs that I wouldn't recommend to buy it, based on the fact that it works fairly well for me.
neu	Bugs are the primary reason I believe this game isn't a solid 9.

books_neg_79
books	2
neg	I was a first year AP US teacher when I purchased this book and another by the Princeton Review. Both books are intended to be complete resources for reviewing for the AP Exam, but the Princeton Review is substantially better in all areas.
neg	The selling point (I thought) in the REA book was the "Six full length practice exams" it advertises.
neg	Though these tests are long, the questions are simplistic and are little like real AP questions.
neg	Most only require the student to know a definition.
neg	The essay questions are acceptable, but instead of explaining different approaches to writing the essay and evaluating the sources (like the Princeton Review) this book simply gives example essays.
neg	The biggest failing is the lack of depth about the AP test or proper strategy.
neu	The first chapter of the Princeton Review goes into great detail about how to prepare and what strategies to use on the AP Test. This book does have lots of questions on US History, but I would recommend using free resources (like old AP tests) over purchasing this book.
neg	Better yet, get yourself the Princeton Review book!

books_neg_96
books	1
nr	The only reason that I read this book was because someone very close to me asked me to.
neg	It was terrible.
neg	I was outraged at the reviews and acclaim it has recieved, so much so that I decided to write my first review.
neg	Let me substantiate my claim: 1. It is historically inaccurate.
neg	It is not historical fiction, it is fiction.
nr	Check up on the information, rather than absorbing it unthinkingly!
neg	2. The shallowness of the characters made me cringe.
neg	As I read the other reviews on this site, I could not believe that the shallow characters and relationships in the book actually satisfied people's literary tastes and excited their emotions.
neg	The 100+ positive reviews of this book mortified me.
neg	3. The level of manipulation on the emotional and historical level that the author attempts is flat out insulting to the reader.
neg	Again, I was outraged.
neg	4. (NB: I am neither a Jew nor an Arab) It sickens me to see the gross racial prejudice of the author.
neg	This is a hand guide to obvious intellectual/emotional underpinnings of 'reverse-Nazism', in Exodus, all non-Jews are gutless traitors lacking in all attributes desirable to a human being, while the heroic, courageous, morally upright, (superior race!)
neg	Jews lead an epic battle for the land that is rightfully theirs: just like the Germans did in 1939 against the 'evil' and 'inferior' Polish who were occupying 'their' land.
nr	5. This is a direct quote from the book: "Jew hating is an incurable disease".
nr	Well, I guess I am very sick along with millions of others, somehow repressing my pathological need to hate Jews, and its only a matter of time until my 'incurable' subconscious hatred manifests itself.
nr	Or maybe we are dealing in pathetic and gross generalizations and being emotionally manipulative, with an obvious disregard for reality.
nr	You don't have to like my review or agree with me, but I challenge you to really read the book, not just swallow it.
neg	It won't taste nice, and its a bore.

books_neg_102
books	1
nr	Impeaching Mere Creationism is an attempt to debunk the intelligent design and creation movements.
nr	The effectiveness of the book is accurately revealed when Frymire admitted that he had never read a creationist book until he read Johnson's Defeating Darwinism.
nr	Then he read two other of Johnson's books, and wrote the book being reviewed here.
nr	I have read several hundred books on creationism, both pro and con, and am not yet ready to write a book on creationism (although I have written 20 books so far, and have published several hundred articles, mostly on biology, my field).
neg	Frymire is appallingly ignorant of the creationism movement and this fact shows on almost every page.
nr	This will be obvious to an informed creationists.
nr	And evolutionists wonder why they are ineffective in converting creationists!
neg	Many of Frymire's conclusions are naive, and a large number are just plain wrong as will be obvious to any creationists.
nr	As they say, a man who has read one book is dangerous.
nr	One could add, one who has read 3 paperbacks by one creationists (and ignored the thousands of others by thousands of other creationists) is dangerous.
neg	The tragedy is uninformed persons will read and repeat Frymire's errors, and as a result will confuse the whole subject area.
nr	To find out what is true will then be even more difficult.
nr	This reminds me of the false rumor spread for so long that the Procter and Gamble symbol has something to do with demonism.
nr	They finally gave up trying to squash the rumor and dumped the symbol.
neg	In short this book will do more harm than good.

books_neg_104
books	2
nr	I was very curious to read this book because of all the hype.
mix	While I support the author's message, I found two mayor flaws in her writing.
neg	The first being that her ego pervades the whole book, dominates and deludes the message.
nr	The whole point of the power of the sacred feminine and the path of truth, is that you surrender your ego, look outside yourself by going deeply within, and realize the universal power of the Goddess that lies within all women, and is half of the force which drives men, and provides the connective glue of the universe.
neg	By flagrantly violating narrative intrusion, making it obvious to the reader and by claiming that she believes herself to be an actual blood descendant of Mary Magdalene and that this is all some fictionalized recounting of events that she alleges have happened to her, she shows that she just doesn't get it.
neg	It's not all about ME!
neg	Secondly, I found myself distracted by the ham-handed writing quality.
nr	I could forgive it if like Dan Brown or some similar lesser talented Romance novelists; she had made up for it by mastering pacing and suspense.
neg	But the Oh, my gosh!
neg	factor was crippled by giving away too much too soon.
neg	I'd easily figured out what the puzzle was before turning the page.
nr	As in the scene where they puzzle over the meaning of the Scorpion in the painting.
nr	I wanted to scream, It's a zodiac sign for Scorpio you dolts!
nr	If you want to read a novel that truly empowers women and clearly states the path that celebrates the power of the Goddess, I suggest R. Douglas Weber's Solomon's Key: The CODIS Project.
nr	It pulls no punches regarding the demonizing of the sacred feminine, and tells a tale of how even the true rituals of Goddess empowerment have been corrupted by men, who like Ms. McGowan, have fallen into the ego trap.
nr	From Solomon's Key: They believed that sex, the sacred chemical wedding is the key or bridge to God or the cosmos.
nr	The Old Testament's Song of Solomon is a path working guide to the hidden corridor.
nr	Mary Magdalene, like all women, was the opener of the way, the sexual initiatrix.
nr	To female readers I say that Within each of us is the power of the Divine Mother. Goddess Power is about coming into that power, owning that power and learning how to use that power by an unselfish surrender of oneself, not by ego.
nr	SOLOMON'S KEY THE CODIS PROJECT: A CONSPIRACY THRILLER

books_neg_110
books	1
nr	Michael Behe has stated (in interviews) that he does not agree with a 'materialist' explanation of nature.
nr	Materialism means that we take the view that only forces and matter are what determine physical phenomena.
nr	Behe takes the view that something else is involved - something best described as Supernatural.
nr	Yet there has been no repeatable experiment (eg prayer freezes water) to demonstrate a non-materialist position.
nr	But get this...
neg	Behe has said that if scientists were to discover some non-materialist phenomena, they would keep that discovery a secret!
neg	First of all, it is open to anybody, not just scientists, to show that materialism it not a complete explanation.
neg	And to hint that scientists are keeping (or would keep) supernatural explanations secret completely misreads what science is all about.
nr	Science is about empiricism.
nr	It's just that so far, nothing at a basic, repeatable level, has demonstrated anything other than matter and forces are at work.
neg	Arguments for design always start at the top (complex systems), which misses the point completely.
neg	Any sensible understanding should begin at the bottom (simple repeated experiments), and Behe does not demonstrate that a non-materialist explanation is necessary.
neg	Until he, or anyone else, can do so, it is a waste of time to argue about intelligent design.

books_neg_113
books	1
neg	This book alleges scandalous, hideous misdeeds on the part of distinguished scientists such as Napoleon Chagnon and James Neel. But all of the book's main accusations have been thoroughly refuted, and the only genuine scandal here is the way the author, Patrick Tierney, has fabricated and distorted reality in order to sell some books.
neg	The anthropological reputation of Chagnon remains intact, unlike those of anthropologists who have endorsed this dishonest, tabloid-calibre book.
neg	The book's egregious distortions and errors were first discovered in the manuscript, and I was expecting them to be corrected in the final version, but nope, they all appear to be there.
neg	How deeply disturbing that a book such as this could be published by a respectable publisher, endorsed by anthropologists, and even be nominated for a National Book Award. If Tierney was just honestly presenting evidence of wrongdoing, that would be fine.
nr	Never mind that it would trash the reputations of the developers of the measles vaccine (Enders, Katz), the world's most important pioneering geneticist (Neel), and the world's greatest scientific anthropologist (Chagnon), and cause their friends and families to suffer.
nr	Such evidence would deserve an audience nonetheless.
nr	But this is not what Tierney does.
neg	He distorts his printed sources, omits evidence in these sources that refutes his accusations, and invents material that isn't actually there (there are currently many web sites which document this dishonesty in a point-by-point manner, although Amazon asks that reviewers not include URLs in their reviews).
neg	And that's just the sources that CAN be fact-checked - who knows the extent to which he misrepresents his uncheckable sources on which his accusations depend (mission records, interviews, audio tapes, etc.). In fact, several of Tierney's interviewees have already come forward and said that Tierney does not quote them faithfully.
pos	On the positive side, Tierney's got a smooth narrative style, and the book might make a nice novel.
neu	So read it if you want - just consider it fiction.

books_neg_115
books	1
neg	What a hoot!
neg	Quaint, presumptuous, full of fluff, and non-stop kookery.
mix	If you enjoy the outrageous and the odd, as I do, you'll be delighted with this long-winded, pompous exposition of complete nonsense.
neg	Magnetism is personal power and the author's treatise on how to attain it is total bunk peppered with pseudo-science.
neg	There's even a chapter about developing a "magnetic eye!"
nr	The author whose real name was Albert Edgerly and who on occasion called himself Dr. Ralston, developed quite a loyal following during his day (1852-1926) among whom was William Danforth, the president of Purina, who even added Ralston to his company's name!

books_neg_138
books	2
neg	I believe that Lily Burana had good intentions in writing this book but I as the reader sure didn't get it.
mix	I find her life to be fascinating yet so many details were missing.
mix	I think she had a good story idea and then along the way it seemed that she lost her focus.
nr	Her life in the dancing industry began at Peeplands in NYC which she reverts back to many times in the story about being ashamed of the types of things she did but never reveals the full story.
neg	Her true intention of her mission is to achieve closure before starting her new life, marrying her love Randy. Her story is too long and drawn out.
neg	Many details and explanations are left out.
mix	While I appreciate her efforts and the insights into this kind of life, I was unsatsified with her tale.

books_neg_142
books	2
neg	Mostly shallow ideas about meaning of life.
neu	Best for teenagers and those with no introversion.
nr	Love is offered as meaning of life, so is creating.
neg	But fall short and aren't justified by argument or stories.
nr	The dying professor is drawn as quirky and wise yet down to earth.
nr	He is not wise, despite the fact that he is facing death.
neg	He says things everyone else says who is dying, and what we all know to be true about death and living well.
neg	He also says plenty of wrong stuff.
neg	He is is no quirkier or more matter-of-fact than half the people I know.
neg	No story.
neg	Narrator is impossible to sympathize with; he chased money and worldly success and is now reconsidering.
neg	Well, duh, that summarizes just about every bad story ever told.
nr	We all know not to do that.
nr	Or to do it and accept it.
mix	Please. But it was short and easy to skim the worst parts, and there were a couple of chuckles.

books_neg_146
books	2
neu	I read it and quite frankly I'm less than impressed.
neu	The author's ability to write is somewhat limited.
neg	He has aparently been in Vietnam which is great, but being a soldier doesn't make you a poet.
nr	I only hope that the recent programs to help the auto industry can help him keep his day job at Chrysler.
nr	Maybe his next book will improve.
nr	Best wishes

books_neu_40
books	3
pos	As an avid Koontz fan (that sounds nasty, doesn't it) I enjoyed "Demon Seed." I haven't read all his stuff and almost passed this one up because, um, "Demon Seed"?!?
nr	But I was out of books and the library was closed, the book store was closed and the grocery store was open.
nr	What would you do?
neu	This is a quick read and, okay, not very deep.
pos	It has all of the Koontz humor and quirky dialog.
neu	The main character is a computer who has all the characteristics of a sociopathic, spousal abusing monster with child-like innocence.
neu	Spooky! There's also a "meat marionette" named Shenk who puts Igor to shame.
mix	The heroine, Susan, doesn't have a large role in the book but you gotta love her stoic attitude.
nr	I'm passing this one on to my daughter and looking for the movie version tomorrow.
nr	Favorite line: Discipline can be highly arousing to the one who administers it and to the one who receives.
nr	I read this truth in a book by a famous authority on male-female relationships.
nr	The Marquis de Sade.

books_neu_59
books	3
nr	So what is this book about?
nr	It can all be summed up from a scene occurring in one of my favorite South Park episodes: Mexican 1: Si, we read it.
nr	Kyle: What was it about, in case our teacher asks us?
nr	Mexican 1: He starts, there's this old man and his job is to catch the fish.
nr	So he get in the boat to try and catch the fish.
nr	Mexican 2: So he catch the fish but the fish is very strong, so the old man can not reel in the fish.
nr	Mexican 3: So then he fight the fish some more and he finally catch the fish.
nr	Kyle: He catches the fish so he can make money.
nr	Mexican 1: No, because on the way home the sharks come and eat the fish and so...
nr	[pause, the Mexicans all take off their hats in honor of the sad, brave struggle] he no make money . Stan: So thats the story?
nr	Mexican 1: Si. And basically thats it.
nr	Sure it was Hemingway's last major work.
neu	And sure there's a lot of biblical allusions, questioning of goals and life, and Hemingway's prostilization of his whole "philosophy of man" dogma.
neg	But really...
neg	I mean really...
neg	it's exactly as South Park so poignantly described it.
neg	I mean the title alone is so apropos.
pos	Recommended, if only because its a very short read.

books_neu_61
books	3
nr	So I have only ever read the first Harry Potter book but never continued with the rest of the series since I didn't find the first book all that well written.
nr	However after really enjoying myself with the latest Harry Potter film and going to see the movie with two female fans in their 30's who swear by the books I thought I'd give Rowling another shot and read the 6th book in the series.
pos	I must admit, my initial hesitation was unwarranted.
pos	Rowling's come a long way, her writing is quite eloquent now.
pos	Rowling weaves a fascinating story that I can see why countless children and teens live by and love the Harry Potter series, making it their generational mantra.
neg	However as an adult, I don't get why so many adults like this series.
mix	It's a fun read, but nothing more, nothing different than what I've read countless times in other fantasy works, just now with children protagonists.
neg	The main problem I have with Potter in the books is that he doesn't really have much say over his life, re-active rather than pro-active.
nr	The key to a great hero in my opinion is that right or wrong, they make their own decisions and must live with the outcome of their own choosing.
neg	Potter in the movies is that type of hero, choosing to stand by, honoring the words of his teacher, however Potter in the books is trapped and can't move so instead of choosing he just accepts, he's left with all the choices taken away from him.
mix	That's the key difference on why while a fun read, I don't think this book is all that successful, especially compared to the movie.
nr	Young Adult fiction has really changed.
nr	It's amazing to think that Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and The Golden Compass are young adult books especially when compared to the modern crop.
nr	They dealt with religion, the concepts of reincarnation, soul identifying, and rebirth.
nr	Tastes have changed and that's understandable, we live in a different generation now that doesn't necessarily want something underneath the surface of the words on the page.
mix	And that's fine, it's just that as I mentioned before while I can understand why children love these books, I can't understand why adults are feverish for them as well because at least with this book, there are a lot of faults within the fantastic storytelling.

books_neu_63
books	3
nr	I grew up as a huge Steve Englehart fan, reading many of the comics he wrote from Captain America to Detective Comics. So when I heard that his 1981 novel Point Man was finally seeing print again, I jumped at the chance to buy it.
pos	While many of his comic work feels dated at times, this early Urban Fantasy (because what else can I call it?)
pos	still feels fresh, amazingly so when I think what an early take on the Urban Fantasy genre this is.
neu	However, while not feeling dated, I don't think this is a particularly successful work.
mix	It has a nice premise, of ancient battles with wizards fought using a basis in astrology and ancient "scientific" arts, but I never found myself totally engrossed in the story.
neu	Perhaps it's because I've now spent years reading work similar to Point Man, which may have felt fresh 20 years ago but now feels a bit stale.
neg	I never really felt connected to the main character, and I found myself 150 pages in on the verge of that ever prescient feeling for a reader (do I keep going or drop it), but since it's only about 300 pages long I figured why not keep going.
neg	It got better, but not enough to warrant wanting to read the sequel Long Man which just came out.
nr	Let me say this though, a sequel to a book which came out almost 20 years ago?
neu	Kudos to Mr. Englehart for continuing the story.
mix	So yeah, a book with interesting concepts that I don't think was executed all that well.
neu	If you're new to the Urban Fantasy genre then you may like this one, otherwise it's a pass.
neu	2.5/5 stars.

books_neu_73
books	3
nr	"The elders, with whom I was brought up, were of a character not likely to let slip the sacred observance of any old institution; and the ring out of the Old Year was kept by them with circumstances of peculiar ceremony.
nr	-In those days the sound of those midnight chimes, though it seemed to raise hilarity in all around me, never failed to bring a train of pensive imagery into my fancy.
nr	Yet I then scarce conceived what it meant, or thought of it as a reckoning that concerned me.
nr	Not childhood alone, but the young man till thirty, never feels practically that he is mortal.
nr	He knows it indeed, and, if need were, he could preach a homily on the fragility of life; but he brings it not home to himself, any more than in a hot June we can appropriate to our imagination the freezing days of December.
nr	but now, shall I confess a truth?
nr	-I feel these audits but too powerfully.
nr	I begin to count the probabilities of my duration, and to grudge at the expenditure of moments and shortest periods, like misers' farthings.
nr	In proportion as the years both lessen and shorten, I set more count upong their periods, and would fain lay my ineffectual finger upon the spoke of the great wheel.
nr	I am not content to pass away "like a weaver's shuttle."
nr	Those metaphors solace me not, nor sweeten the unpalatable draught of mortality.
nr	I care not to be carried with the tide, that smoothly bears human life to eternity; and reluct at the inevitable course of destiny.
nr	I am in love with this green earth; the face of town and country; the unspeakable rural solitudes, and the sweet security of streets.
nr	I would set up my tabernacle here.
nr	I am content to stand still at the age to which I am arrived; I, and my friends: to be no younger, no richer, no handsomer.
nr	I do not want to be weaned by age; or drop, like mellow fruit, as as they say, in to the grave.
nr	-Any alteration, on this earth of mine, in diet or in lodging, puzzles and discomposes me.
nr	My household gods plant a terrible fixed foot, and are not rooted up without blood.
nr	They do not willingly seek Lavinian shores.
nr	A new state of being staggers me."

books_neu_79
books	3
nr	I give five stars to books I cannot put down.
neu	This I could stop reading easily but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.
neu	It was interesting, nice to read a different perspective than we are used to.
mix	It did not capture my interest as I thought it would, nevertheless I really liked the psychological aspects of how to cope with the death of a beloved one.
nr	I tend to accept the characters as they are, I don't want to question their faults and vices because that's how the author made them.
neu	I only gave three starts because it is not so likely that I will read this book again in the near future.

books_neu_94
books	3
mix	While I was reading this book, I went back and forth from between being inspired to being annoyed.
mix	The message is good, but the condescending tone just gets to be too much.
pos	I wish everyone could read what they say about the feedlot fattening operations - I think many would be inspired to seek out free range meat.
pos	Likewise with the heirloom vegetables.
neg	The superior attitude and preachy tone works against their message, though.
neg	Why be so snarky towards such easy targets as the vegan starlet?
neg	Also, it seems more than a little condescending to say that certain Hindus weren't really vegetarian because of the insect parts contaminating their flour.
neg	I don't understand why they seem so determined to diminish the value of vegetarianism - it would have been better to emphasize that this is another good way to reduce the negative impact on the earth.
nr	Trying to persuade people to change their habits is difficult, and it requires a sense of humor, and respect for the people you are trying to reach.
neg	It's too bad, but I think most of the people that are going to be persuaded by this book were probably almost there already.

books_neu_97
books	3
mix	This book gives a comprehensive and readable, if somewhat formally written overview of classical economics, reflecting the state of the field in 1848. As may be expected of a book 150+ years old, much of its content is outdated today.
pos	But it's remarkable how well Mill's thoughts about the mechanics of the economy, and how they affect the fabric of society, have aged.
nr	It is most instructive to read the book in parallel with a competing, much more enthusiastically hyped text, also published in 1848: Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto".
pos	Mill's "Principles" are required reading for everyone seriously interested in the history of economic thought.
neg	But I have to agree with the earlier reviewer: don't read it in this edition!
neg	It's not just the footnotes, some of which were reprinted, some of which weren't.
neg	The trouble is that "Book 1: Production", is missing completely.
neg	That's a fifth of the whole text!
mix	That's the reason I'm giving the book three stars: five for the content, one for the edition.
neu	My advice would be this: Check out the book in electronic form, which is available at the www.econlib.org website.
neg	If you like it, by all means buy a paper edition -- but not this one!

books_neu_106
books	3
pos	Hop and Pop by Dr. Seuss is an interesting book.
pos	It has a lot of rhyming words and some good humor in the story.
pos	I think that he has more rhyming words than the rhyming dictionary.He also draw great pictures that really describe the scene in the book.
pos	It also very exciting to kids 3-6 years old.
pos	I read the book and like it very much.
pos	I wonder how he thought of all that rhymes.

books_neu_111
books	3
nr	I bought the book mainly because I wanted to know which one of the wannabe hardcore rappers were gay.
neg	I was EXTREMELY disappointed when he didn't name any of them.
nr	I heard that he gave descriptions of them so it will be easy for you to guess, but some of them were a little hard to me.
nr	I figured out Shemar Moore, LL Cool J, and other New York rappers.
nr	Did anybody figure out who is gay?
nr	If you did then who?

books_pos_52
books	5
pos	First let me tell you I try to read a chapter every day.
pos	It has found a home in my purse.
pos	My husband also loved this book.
nr	He is a network engineer and helps out my business every day.
nr	He didn't know anything about retail until we married six years ago.
nr	One Saturday I tossed the book on the bed when rushing to work and he started to read it.
pos	I got it back a couple days later with post-it note hanging out on all sides!
pos	Notes he had written included, "You do this now but I suggest . . . I think we do this but the employees need a refresher course . . . Great idea, can you do this . . . etc. We have discussed when our children are out of school, perhaps there is spot in the business for my husband--gotta keep the regular pay check.
pos	After reading The Profitable Retailer, and listening to his ideas, he might just be ready to tackle retail world.

books_pos_70
books	5
pos	We know why this book was honored with the 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Award for science/technical writing.
pos	Wohlforth cheerfully tackles the deep fog of climate science (even some of the career scientists he interviews seem hopelessly befuddled by the complexity of it).
pos	But he approaches it both as a journalist who makes his living by storytelling, and as a father used to gently encouraging his four bright, curious children to understand their world.
pos	He can distill a century of mind-numbing bench science into a metaphor that his 10-year old can understand and that readers of all ages will appreciate.
pos	To get the story he drops into whaling expeditions and arctic research explorations with equal aplomb by chipping in and becoming one of the team.
pos	(The comparison is not unlike the cinematographers who capture on film the drama of a Mt. Everest ascent: the only way to get the picture is to strap on the gear and make the climb themselves, right alongside the adventurers they're filming.)
pos	Getting and telling the story is what Wohlforth knows how to do.
pos	In his book, he captivates us by telling us what his "characters" know how to do.
nr	From the fox who knows how to skitter across a thin sheet of newly-forming ice without falling through, to the native who knows how to take compass readings by studying the shadows on snow drifts, to our generation's academic elites who know how to wrap their minds around the infinitely complex equations that underlie the mysteries of climate change.
nr	In the end, it's really not so mysterious: the signs of climate change are obvious and all around us.
pos	Read this book and prepare to be moved and enlightened, just as you will be charmed by the people whose lives, livelihoods, and ways of knowing are as diverse as the environment itself.

books_pos_74
books	4
pos	Economic Revolution - A Spiritual Solution by J. Kendall Anderson, M.Ed. [...] With the economy in the tank and President Obama working harder than a Jamaican cook, this book is just what the recession ordered.
pos	The book tells one how to "get paid" in a spiritual way.
nr	The book proclaims that the Economic Revolution is the third phase of freedom after the Civil Rights Revolution.
nr	Economic Revolution is the methodology in which we go from where we are now (economic turmoil) to where we are financially independent in God's world.
pos	It's amazing that a book written a little more than two decades ago can still be relevant and current.
pos	Perhaps even more current given the current economic crisis.
nr	Some may see it as flip flopping while others may see it as a testament to the author's growth that he begins the book with an attitude that some may perceive to be that of an angry black man.
nr	He ends the book in what some might perceive as a kinder gentler African-American Republican, who believes that the American dream is possible for anyone who is willing to pick themselves up by their boot straps.
neg	Some may find that concept hard to buy, especially if they don't even own a pair of boots.
pos	Still it's clear that the author loves his "people," and all races of people, as he gives solid advice to young, black men as to selling drugs--he tells them that the job of a low rate drug dealer pays nothing more than minimum wage.
nr	He tells them why it's important for all people to learn a trade and become engaged in politics.
pos	This slim book is an interesting quick read.
nr	Hopefully in the future the author will considering updating and fattening up the book--to expand on his ideas.

books_pos_81
books	4
nr	Kevin Vanhoozer is the editor of this book which is a compilation of essays about each book of the Old Testament (OT).
nr	Each essay is written by a different person who sticks somewhat to a similar pattern.
nr	Every author tries to give you a historical look at the interpretation of the book and why it belongs in the canon of Scripture.
pos	While I read the book from cover-to-cover, it would work best as a resource for anyone studying the OT. Kevin Vanhoozer sets the tone of the book early by writing a masterful introduction.
nr	His goal in compiling the book is not so one can simply become an intellectual giant, but so that one can learn more about God. In his view, which I strongly agree with, one must invest time learning about God (the practice of theology) in order to have a good relationship with Him. However, one must not think knowledge is where our relationship with God ends.
pos	Strong points * Each chapter follows a similar format which helps the reader know what to expect.
pos	While each author may adapt his style a little differently, the content layout remains the same.
pos	* Each chapter looks to see how we can relate the OT books to the New Testament, specifically to Jesus. * The book is highly readable.
nr	Each author writes in a manner I could describe as pastoral.
pos	The goal was to teach the reader, not impress them or bore them.
pos	* The book is well researched.
pos	Most authors examine all angles of interpretation through the ages and give a decent bibliography at the end of each chapter.
neg	Weak points * The book assumed you knew either a) other authors and references, or b) what different theories (such as JPED) were.
neg	* The book could stand another 100 pages or so.
neg	I felt some chapters could have been expanded to include more information.
mix	While a great overview, I think it could have gone a little deeper.
neg	* I wish there would have been more talk of the archaeological records.
nr	I know, this point is a nitpick.
neg	* I wanted to see a chapter written by Kevin Vanhoozer.
mix	After his remarkable work on the introduction, I was hoping he would contribute in other places.
pos	My conclusion is, this is a great book and would benefit any library.
pos	This is not one of those books you would simply read once and pass on.
pos	You could return to it for information over and over again.
pos	I think it should be read by any serious Bible student as well as any casual Bible reader.
pos	I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
pos	Good work.
nr	-Don-

books_pos_83
books	4
nr	The X and Y of Buy is a book about gender marketing.
nr	Author Elizabeth Pace uses the scientific differences between men and women to help sales associates and entrepreneurs learn the best practices for dealing with different genders.
nr	the premise is; if you can market properly to men and women, you will be able to increase sales and expand your business.
pos	I really enjoyed this book.
pos	Pace gives us many tips and access to research to help us deal cross-gender.
nr	She tells us things like men are more driven and strait forward when it comes to sales.
nr	They do not want interruptions and need to get right to the point.
nr	Women, on the other hand, want more connection and community when it comes to business relationships.
nr	Women will deal with (or add to) the conversations and interruptions if it means a group can come to a consensus.
neg	The only place I found this book lacking was in the "spiritual content" department.
nr	Thomas Nelson is a Christian publisher and prides itself on having a spiritual message.
nr	If they did not, I would not be picking at this point.
neu	It would have been nice to see a link between gender-specific sales practices and proper Christian ethics.
neu	Maybe a chapter on how men could treat women with respect during a sales meeting (trust me, I witnessed the degradation of women in many a sales meeting) or some way women can deal with the constant sexual marketing happening today.
pos	Overall, it was a good book.
pos	I enjoyed reading sections aloud to my wife and more than once getting that "ah-ha!"
pos	moment as I found something that related both to business practices, and my personal relationships.
pos	I give this book 4 out of five stars.
nr	-Don-

books_pos_98
books	4
pos	The book is short in duration, easy to read, direct in nature, often with an aggitated voice and written as if a sermon or speech.
neu	It is an easy read, but may reguire some additional but basic review of the historical context.
pos	Regardless the era, the subject matter is relevant (Corporate crime).
nr	Other subjects may be more evident in our day than when first written, such as the manipulation of government officials by corporations for profits as with the US coalition and NATO armed forces current day practice of hiring private soldiers and service contractors as an integral part of their main fighting forces.
nr	This book is not anti-war, but anti-corruption and anti-interventionalist (anti-imperialism) and bemoans the abuse, destruction of so many good men/women (soldiers) both physically and mentally and the burden on society as a whole for the grossly disproportionate financial profits of a very few (olygarcy) whom by their very same actions should be considered quite unpatriotic.
nr	The book details the oppinion of a career military officer, a politically appointed general.
pos	The soldier is a Marine which ads credibility from a leadership tradition know for its 'fighting spirit'.
pos	Although oppinion, the basis of his oppinions are based in factual information and with anticipated counter aurguements addressed in advanced.
nr	True dialog is missing.
neg	The weakness of some aurguments, such as limited resources may have contributed to corporate financial gains are eliminated by comparing profits on historical trends prior to the conflicts.
mix	Other critisisms such as corporations selling products never used in the war might easily be rationalized by asserting anticipated needs, but considering the authors rank, status, 'need to know' position which would involve him in planning such anticipated needs gives sway to the generals conclusions.
nr	The author often argues using emoutional language and metaphor.
nr	The naming of corporate sponsor of war as murderers is avoided but could be a concievable conclusion.
nr	Although critical of the illegal gains and abuses in which the author was paticipatory, this work is in no way an apology, nor a repentance for a full military career served.
pos	Credibility of the author is based in the duration of his career and notariaty.
pos	The marine Brigadier General is the US militaries most honor soldier, having recieved 2 Medals of Honor and 1 Brevet Medal (No longer issued, akin to the Medal of Honor).
neu	Some criticism may be generated by the idea that his dissident cries were for politcal gain, having run for political office and political activism.
neu	The answer to this claim is for the reader to determine, but seems apart from the ideas presented by the author.
pos	Regardless, the author proposes several solid ideas to remove the economic incentives out of war and create policies which deny officials the coercive practices and threatening posturing of military forces against other foriegn governments for other than national defense (which said practices are used for economic coercion).
nr	The author insists bulling, coercion and imposition of other soveriegn nations (Imperialism) for corporate interests is immoral, conter-productive to national progress and contradictory to American values, especially when the uncoerced outcomes would result in the same benefits without the high costs of war (men, material, prestige).
nr	These high costs are the profits which feed the corporate war profiteering (aka racketeering).
pos	This book is useful for younger audiences.
neu	There is nothing too shocking nor distasteful in the language or presentation of the text and the subject matter is argued fairly if not unemoutionally.
pos	This book is a good example of how courageous personal action (whistle blowing) can overcome a broader trend towards pervasive and powerful corruption and may inspire what is popularly called "civil disobedience" for righteous causes.
nr	This book may be used to compare examples of civil rights abuses faced during 'McCarthism', the Civil Rights movement and the 'Patriot Act'.
pos	I recomend this book among others such as "Collateral Damage" by Chris Hodges to all those who are inspired by patriotic propaganda to join the armed uniformed services.
neg	The graphic images from "The Horror of It" seem tame by today's standards.
neu	They may be treated with muted respect considering the lack of accessable current day examples and improved battle field medicine.
neu	At least this book should reveal that there is much hidden behind the politcal propaganda machines which at last motivates a nations people to give up its young to the physical, moral and phsycological horrors of war in additional to the suffering and sacrifice of those left at home to worry and bear the costs in even the shortest of military conflicts.
pos	The authors observations will give credence to the gutt reaction of many towards war: that their is much lacking in it's purpose, morality and worthiness with hopes that its text will motivate us as a people to raise the bar of restraint and accountability of our elected officals as it relates to war and war profiteering.
pos	For many it will confirm that "War is a Racket" (The author explains exactly what he means by this statment) and I percieve that a vast majority would agree with the author on his definition.
nr	For those who are locked in patriotic vigor for a military action based on a percieved 'just cause', this testimony may add insight to a larger view of the possible reasons for why a nation would consider lingering in an unwanted, economically depleating and physically exhausting war considered long overdue to end.
mix	Although frequently expressing his fervent compassion for the 'soldier in the trenches', some soldiers may find this book both revealing of the truth and/or offensive to their honor: both revealing the varied manipulation of their's and their families sacrifices while offending the personal integrity of others (most likely those in leadership positions).
neg	The titles subtext of "Anti-war classic" is a bit misleading.
nr	The author was a career soldier who was politically appointed to general and excecuted his work so throughly well that he was decorated with high honors on multiple occasions and was an advocated for an impenetrable national defense.
nr	A better subtext for this work may be 'Taking the Profit Out of War' or 'Raising the Standard for Going to War' for the basic principles of the general was to reveal the manipulation of foreign governments by means of force, utilizing the full and combined powers of the United States armed forces and economic base in support of the gross avarice, greed and collusion of private corporate designs; both sides being aided and assisted by the economically and sensationalistically competative media propaganda machines.
nr	After reading this short book, I am reminded that it is often flattery and not fact that decieves us from the truth for which oppinion is truth enough for faith to act.
nr	I am remined of those with whom I live, from my own generation, who would cover their lies without accounting and how many of these sorts have risen to political power.
nr	I am reminded that the power of an individuals vote STILL provides the ultimate means of power ... that we are provide the means to our own ends and that our progress still remains within our hands, the means by which to thwart abuses of power and coruption and for setting higher standards living and accountability.
nr	This book supports my belief that it is vital to have a strong national defense in such a dangerous world, but that power does not need to equate to coercion, manipulation or abuse of others.
nr	I was inspired by the idea of the practical application of taking the incentives out of what should be called murder for profit or at least racketeering.
nr	Unless one can remember a bullies punch to the stomach in exchange for lunch money, Americans are fortunate to be free from feelings such imposed injustices.
nr	I am impressed even more that justice, liberty, freedom and democracy cannot function without a free, independant and vibrant media and that without such journalism to report the relevant and current facts to the people 'en mass', democracy cannot endure, let alone thrive.
nr	I am reminded that corporations are not patriotic and that profits do not express the true progress of a people and nation.
nr	I am impressed and amazed at how many of the most sinister of terms found in our vocabulary (racketeering, facism, coercion, murder) have lost our fear and concern.
mix	I'll admit that my first reaction upon completion of this tome was less impressed that I am now at writting this review.
pos	I am upon writting this rewiew, impressed by how much such simple and short text has inspired me to think and how effective so few words can be at presenting such profound and compelling ideas for peace and prosperity.
nr	It reminds me that if someone needs to try so hard to convince you about somethin', that there must be somethin' wrong with it in the first place: the truth just seems to ring true.
nr	Propoganda is for sugar coatin' what is unadvisable.
nr	Encouragement is the only thing needed to motivate a good person to a just cause ... to do something difficult.
pos	I would say this book encourages.
pos	This book is recommendable to all if not quit a 'must read' and worthy of referencing current political, business and military discussions.
nr	For Peace, For Democracy From a Fellow Soldier

books_pos_113
books	5
nr	It's been four years since I read the book...
nr	and four years since I've had serious chronic back pain.
nr	My worst days now are like my best days used to be.
nr	I'm the biggest cynic on the planet, and had been shown xrays and MRIs showing why my back caused me pain.
nr	Chiropractors, Orthopedists, and others tried to help and never did.
pos	Then I read this book, gave its simple plan a try and realized less than two weeks later that my back pain was gone.
nr	Weird but true.
pos	Try it, give it a shot, and for a few bucks you may find that you've got your back back!

books_pos_120
books	5
pos	Prospective novelists and fiction writers, the King of Pop Fiction has spoken!
pos	This book should be right on your shelf next to Strunk and White, another writing manual that King references often in the pages of On Writing.
pos	King speaks authoritatively on his subject - as well he should, with volume after volume of best-selling fiction to his credit.
nr	And his advice is simplicity itself: Read a lot.
nr	Write a lot.
nr	Avoid superfluous adverbs.
nr	Avoid passive construction.
mix	For those familiar with the territory, nothing here is radically new, but King states it clearly and with vigor.
pos	The beginning of the book is a fascinating, funny look at how King's own career took flight.
pos	He speaks candidly about his youth, his addictions, and his career, giving much credit to wife Tabitha for her contributions to both his writing and his sanity.
pos	King saves the most harrowing prose for the book's closing chapter, where he describes in detail the accident that almost took his life, and the role his writing has played in his recovery.
pos	Like, love or loathe his fiction, you'll find a wealth of solid advice in this little book.
pos	Would-be writers: avoid at your peril.
pos	A gem. Buy it.
pos	Read it.
pos	Then read it again.
pos	What are you waiting for?

books_pos_125
books	5
nr	While writing a screenplay for his memoir, Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller realized that his "story" wasn't all that he wanted it to be.
nr	Even more, his life wasn't everything that God intended.
nr	So, Miller set out to live a life that mattered--to write a meaningful narrative.
pos	With the perfect blend of honesty, humor, and humble wisdom, A Million Miles inspires readers to create a new story--a better story.
nr	To be a character who makes a difference and glorifies the Author. Last night, Andy and I heard Donald Miller speak about this book, when his A Million Miles tour came to Hollywood.
pos	He and Susan Isaacs did a great job.
pos	If the tour visits your city, don't miss it.

books_pos_127
books	4
nr	Communication in marriage is a challenge.
pos	I am grateful, then, for Dr. Emerson Eggerichs' book, The Language of Love and Respect: Cracking the Communication Code with Your Mate (Thomas Nelson).
nr	In it, Dr. Eggerichs expands the principles in his best-seller Love and Respect, and offers practical steps for couples.
pos	My husband and I have read several marriage books over the years...some good, some bad, and one so terrible that Andy actually threw it across the bedroom into the trashcan...but Love and Respect is our favorite, by far.
pos	It just makes sense.
pos	Biblical sense.
nr	Dr. Eggerichs bases his communication solution on Ephesians 5:33: "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
nr	A woman's greatest need is unconditional love, while a man's is unconditional respect.
nr	"Yes, the two of you are very different," Eggerichs writes, from God's perspective, "and I am telling you to love and respect unconditionally anyway."
nr	Good communication in marriage isn't easy.
nr	It takes work, and grace, and power from beyond ourselves.
pos	But the biblical, practical advice in The Language of Love and Respect helps us speak one another's language, and grow a God-honoring marriage.

books_pos_135
books	4
pos	Another great book from a great author.
pos	"Leviathan" weaves fact and fiction together to make a great story.
nr	The plot takes place in Europe during the beginnings of World War I. Alec (the son of the murdered Archduke of Austria) is on the run from his father's assassins.
nr	Daryn is a young girl posing as a boy in Britains armed forces.
nr	Together they bring opposing sides together to escape from a common enemy.
nr	Alec is a "clanker"; someone who uses metal machinery.
nr	Daryn is a "Darwinist"; a group that creates amazing animals to use as machines and transportation.
pos	I was sorry to have the story come to an end and can't wait until the sequel comes out.

dvds_neg_20
dvds	1
neg	This one is actually the worst and the most sensless movie I have ever gone to a theater for.
nr	I checked the ratings and it seemed decent.
nr	But I was in a for a bog surprise...
neg	I was extremely disappointed.
pos	The idea of a 'comic book' movie is implemented well I must say.
neg	But the story line is incredibly hollow..You keep wondering when will things start making sense...
neg	or will they ever ?? I really don't know what to say...
neg	This mpvie is the pits..

dvds_neg_22
dvds	1
neg	If you thought PULSE was bad, OOOH just you wait!
neg	They made a sequel!
neg	If you did happen to see these both, you may at least recognize some of the actors in the first one, however this movie only was supplied with some of the worst.
neg	If acting was a draw- back, then understanding what they where talking about was another story.
neg	It also used the pleasantly Awful blue screen, where the backdrop...
neg	well looked as fake as it was....
neg	While it was vivid and layered with parts atop of another, the actors looked washed-out and out of proportion.
neg	Even though I didn't LIKE the first movie, this one just sets another bar!
neg	To add, the plot is TERRIBLE, and questionable.
neg	And what's up with the father calling his daughter 'squirt'?
neg	It was obnoxious and corny, and given the circumstances I wouldn't appreciate it...
neg	And the naked girl....
neg	obviously just wanted that thrown in there to widen their target market, and make us laugh even harder they added a fat man jumping off a bridge.
neg	Seriously, don't waste your money or your time on this movie like I unfortunately did.

dvds_neg_26
dvds	1
neg	The idea to use the Tooth Fairy as a slasher sounded like a good idea at first.
neg	Until I saw the movie!
pos	There are only two scenes that I enjoyed in this entire film.
nr	The first fifteen minutes, and the final ten minutes.
neg	Everything in between is a bunch of garbage.
nr	The saying goes (in this movie), whenever a child looses his last baby-tooth, the evil Tooth-Fairy will come for you (or something to that effect).
neg	But there are only two individuals that this Tooth Fairy is after.
neg	I mean, are they the only two people in the world who has lost their last baby-tooth?
neg	People lose their last Baby-Tooth every day, but it is never explained in this movie why this Tooth-Fairy hasn't paid deadly visits to others throughout the world.
nr	For some reason she is obsessed with only these two.
neg	The little kid, who this Tooth-Fairy is after at the beginning, is just as boring as the little kid whom he tries to help after becoming an adult.
neg	Personally, I don't think they should make horror films that are rated either PG or PG-13. What sort of audience are they trying to appeal to when they green-light a slasher with zero gore?
nr	I've seen more blood from a paper-cut than in PG horrors.
nr	PG only works for horror films that have high-profile stars and Oscar dreams.
neg	Clearly the only goal of this PG horror was to attract children and depart them from their lunch-money by turning a childhood memory into a monster.
neg	It only sounded like a good idea, but the finished product gave me a tooth-ache.
mix	Darkness Falls should have been a Made-For-TV movie and rated TV-14 Considering how cheap the budget is for made-for-TV movies, Darkness Falls would have fit right in. I probably would've accepted it, or had more respect for it, and given it a much higher rating.
mix	It probably would have been considered groundbreaking for a television horror movie.
mix	People might have been praising this film and comparing it alongside other made-for-TV horrors such as 'Salem's Lot, Satan's School For Girls and Trilogy Of Terror. But because it was a theatrical release costing as much as 8 bucks to see, most have trashed it.
nr	You don't expect the same from Television as you would from a major theatrical release.
nr	You just don't rate them on the same level.
nr	You don't rate a childs finger-painting alongside great masterpieces....you rate it alongside the finger-paintings of other children.
nr	I rate television movies (which I rarely watch) differently than I would a major motion picture.
mix	I would have loved Darkness Falls if it had been a TV-movie.
neg	But I hate it since I had to pay 8 bucks for something that should have been a SCI-FI, USA or an ABC movie of the week.
neg	As a theatrical movie, I rated this film a 2/10 because it was lacking in everything except acting and atmosphere.
neg	A good idea done completely wrong and not worth the cash I had to pay to see it.
mix	Had it been a made-for-TV movie, I would have given it at least a 7/10 because it was (again) lacking in everything except acting and atmosphere.
pos	A good idea done right by television standards, and well worth watching for free.
pos	Darkness Falls felt like a Tales From The Crypt or an RL Stein's: Goosebumps episode.
pos	And if you rate it along those lines, then it would have been good, and very much talked about.
neg	I gave this film a 2/10. A point for the only two good scenes in this film.
nr	The beginning and the end.
neg	But those two scenes are not worth the quarter that the Tooth Fairy leaves beneath your child's pillow.

dvds_neg_28
dvds	1
neg	This movie was the worst movie I have ever seen, and anyone that has read the books will agree with me!
nr	If you have seen the movie I suggest you don't read the book because you will be so confused on what is happening.
neg	This movie skipped 3 whole city's and many, many main characters that were important to the story line.
neg	They also skipped many important events like Eragon's back getting slashed open by Durza and him hearing the cripple that is whole in his head.
neg	He was also then supposed to go to Elesmera to finish his training with the elves.
neg	Also, did you hear of anyone called Orik or Hothgar in the movie?
neg	No? Didn't think so!
nr	Hothgar was the dwarf king and Orik was Eragons best friend in the book.
neg	Oh, and remember the cool ugly smoke monster that Durza was riding (and let me point out that Durza never used magic when fighting Eragon in the book or he would have died for sure) Oh yeah, back to the smoke monster, it was never in the book!
nr	Durza was fighting Eragon under the star sapphire (that they also didn't mention) and then Ayra broke it with magic because she was helping Saphira with her broken armor and THAT'S when Saphira first used fire.
nr	Eragon then used Zar'roc (who's gem should have been a ruby not a sapphire because Morzans dragon was red) to kill Durza. Then there is the Razac!
nr	There were only two in the book!
nr	The reason Brom should have died is because they were chasing the Razac because Eragon wanted revenge on them killing Garrow (his uncle).
nr	He also never learned sword fighting from Ro'ran and the movie never showed him fighting with Brom. Also, would it have killed them to put in Katrina, Ro'rans girlfriend that gets kidnapped in Eldest by the (((2))) Razac!!!
nr	Then they never went to Tierm were he really met Angela (the fortune teller) and The Werecat Solumbun who tells him important information that they need to use in the third book.
nr	They also never met Jeod in Tierm who they need to help them find the Razac that they were chasing not running away from them.

dvds_neg_32
dvds	1
neg	What a waste of celluloid but wait!!
nr	Hollywood, when are we, the movie goers, going to quench our thirsts from these many, many lousy movies that we have to endure.
nr	Crap comes to mind when I think of this years list of disappointments.
neg	Eddie Murphy's latest and now this..."Hannibal meets Homer Simpson".
neg	Actually I hate to demean Homer. Well, lets hope there's someone out there that can bring Hollywood out of this quagmire of dull, over killed, underachieved and discombobulated pile of, what did I call it?
nr	Oh! Yes, Crap. In our area several new theaters have been built to the tune of thousands of dollars.
nr	No make that millions.
nr	The academy awards are going to be hurting if things don't change soon.
nr	Homer will get best actor, Miss Piggy ..best actress, and best picture will be ......are you ready?
neg	Friday The 13th Part 29! Ditto to johnny 1504 by the way.
nr	Let's hope this is a better year.

dvds_neg_34
dvds	2
neg	Ruining a classic should be against the law.
neg	Fox...shame on you.
nr	I've waited anxiously for years for the right studio, director, and cast to creatively set out and make a better "TDTESS." What with the immense ability to do FX's and CGI it could have been a great undertaking that, thru talented artists, a masterpiece could have developed.
neg	Not even close.
neg	Fox...you dropped the ball I'm sad to say.
nr	Perhaps it is true what many Sci-Fi fans insist.
neg	Great remakes are few and rare.
neg	After today's waste of time & money I have to agree.
neg	Now let's talk about the flaws.
neg	Keanu was so one dimensional that it became boring.
neg	What ever you were paid it was undeserved.
neg	The fact that the viewer is dragged thru a lame and less interesting plot from the original sets this movie on a train wreck collision.
neg	Why the alien has arrived and why the earth is in peril is a slap in the face compared to the classic motive set forth in the original.
neg	Most painful is the cartoonish way the military is portrayed in this film.
neg	It is very much like the way the 51' movie portrayed them.
neg	Gort (the ominous almost limitless of powers guardian of the world) fell far short of taking this film to heights that it could have achieved.
neg	Finally, the ending smacks of confusion and disappointment never accomplishing anything of merit.
pos	There was some degree of praise to Jennifer Connelly.
mix	She gave a stellar performance considering the poor script and direction of her character.
neg	Wil Smith's son just gets a C+ and only because he finally delivered on the closing scenes.
neg	What I've learned now is...Don't get your hopes up.
neg	It just ain't worth it.
nr	By the way.
nr	Ron Howard would have delivered on the goods had he been given the chance to remake this classic.
nr	Even Speilburg would have shown the way.

dvds_neg_36
dvds	2
neg	After the heated opening and things settle down from all the hoop-la even sane Star Wars addicts will admit that the acting & dialog were painful to endure.
pos	Too bad, 'cause the visual fireworks were great.
neg	Lucas? If your listening....Go back and watch your own original #4. There the characters were fun and their interaction was great.
nr	We bonded with each and every one.
nr	Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hammel, and most of all Sir Alec Guiness made the magic happen.
nr	I guess it's the IL' story of seeing the forest for the trees.
nr	All in all it still was a wild ride with all the FX and computer wizardry.
nr	Gee if only we saw what could have been.

dvds_neg_38
dvds	1
neg	Nichole was the only saving grace to this (simply put) FLOP!!
nr	Is Hollywood going to the dogs or has it already happened?
nr	I'm a regular movie goer and the river's running dry.
nr	Seems that those running the show @ that land of movie making just don't see the forest for the trees.
neg	I doubt if they see just how bad an actor Will Ferrell and how over the top his shenanigans become "overkill".
neg	I feel bad that there seems to be any comparison to the classic Jerry Lewis but some tread in that territory.
nr	Don't get me wrong.
mix	Will has merit but in this flimsy script with walk ons by Cain & Maclaine that added literally nadda, what can be said.
mix	This flick was a waste of time to watch and the only virtue was the abled work of Kidman. Railroadjames

dvds_neg_40
dvds	1
nr	Don't misunderstand me.
mix	I truly think this to be an excellent movie if only I COULD see it without having to go on a distant trek (over 30 miles) because Dreamworks/Warner Bros. chooses to release this to limited theaters (400 or so) nationally.
nr	How sad..because there are three theaters within 13 miles that could be playing it but are not.
nr	Warner Bros. keep doing this and good & faithful patrons will quit giving you their business.
nr	We deserve better than this.
nr	Theater operators say its the distributors fault and if that is true then I say boycott and just simply wait till these few good movies are out in video.
nr	We in the outlying areas seem to be treated as of lesser importance and are burdened with excessive trips just to see a select movie.
nr	Recently some stars even raised their ire over distributors failings as to getting a few select films out to the public.
nr	Come on Hollywood!
nr	Get your heads out of your film canisters and fulfill the moviegoers wants and needs.
nr	Why not?

dvds_neg_42
dvds	2
mix	You would like to think a vast array of stars brought together in a romantic film such as this would work but....whaddaya know, great cast given a tragically bad (and I mean very bad) script.
neg	Story is everything with the help of clever dialog but none was to be found in this tragedy for lovers.
nr	It is hard not to compare this with it's more than worthy opponent, "Love Actually".
neg	Where you relate and bond with Love Actually you tend to scratch your head wondering what the heck is going on.
neg	Twists that just don't click.
neg	I was in the midst of wondering why I was watching this 3rd rate film when I could have been watching "Dear John" instead.
neg	Not every film is a "10" but Lord please spare me the 1 thru 3's.
neg	I'm to old to waste time.
nr	Clock's a tickin.

dvds_neu_42
dvds	3
pos	I liked this film.
neu	But, with Ridley Scott, it should have been much, much better.
neu	I could not follow the story with some of the characters.
nr	Can people explain the Balian & Sibylla story.
neg	DVD should have been much better as well.
neg	No deleted scenes & I had trouble accessing some items.
neg	I enjoy extras on DVD, this is so lacking.
nr	BUT, OF COURSE, setting up for a directer's cut DVD in the future.
nr	But, after the box office the film did, who would pay out more money for ANOTHER DVD OF THE SAME TITLE?
mix	Orlando was good, reason I bought the DVD. I would never have bought the DVD if not for him.

dvds_neu_45
dvds	3
nr	As a fan of the game in all of it's forms and sizes I had great expectations for "Dungeons and Dragons".
mix	There is a great storyline that could have been used the the fullest, yet I was really disappointed with the film itself.
neg	I personally would like to blame it on the editing, at the beginning in particular I found myself unable to blink without missing a scene.
neg	They were extremely short and some were even useless...
neg	The director sets the entire plot of the movie on about 10 minutes, the rest is just there to fill in the other 97 minutes.
nr	For example, there's a scene where Marina and Ridley get trapped into a map...
neg	I left the movie theatre wodering what the hell happened when they were in there?
nr	But that's left for Courtney Solomon to know and for the audience to wonder...
nr	So to make it short...
neg	there are a LOT of plot holes.
neu	As for the actors, Zoe McLlelan and Justin Whalin give very little passion to their performances, I know them to be very good actors...
nr	What went wrong, you two?
mix	I had no great expectations for Marlon Wayans, but it was his character the one I enjoyed the most (though it was the silliest sidekick Topper Lilien could have come up with) he gave a not very good but desperatley needed comic relief.
neg	As for Jeremy Irons... I don't really want to go there.
neg	I'm very fond of his previous work and I really think that he couldn't have played a worse Profion even if he had tried.
neg	Then there's Thora Birch... who I would like to nominate as this years Jar Jar Blinks... it's difficult to think this is the same person from "American Beauty" The character development is another big mess!
neg	Take for example Marina and Ridley. They exchange two or three lines and a few significant looks and then BANG!
neg	they are sharing the most passionate love story you can ever imagine.
neg	Plus Ridley (who's name is all the information we get from him) is suddenly very unaware of how "gifted" he is, and is choosen out of the blue to save the universe.
nr	Okay, I have been terrible to D&D so far...
pos	but the moive has it's high points, the CGI is great and the Dragon fights were amazing.
pos	The entire Mage counsel building is majestic, and the cotumes and make up are great as well.
pos	The maze scene will take you back in time to your old days of playing "Dungeons and Dragons"...
pos	it's really great.
neu	I give this movie a 5 out of 10.

dvds_neu_47
dvds	3
nr	I went into this film with extremely low expectations giving that the original My Bloody Valentine is pretty much a mediocre film at best.
nr	Why do you think there weren't ever any sequels?
nr	So now, nearly 30 years later, we are given a remake/sequel.
nr	It just makes me wary.
nr	I have, however, been impressed with a few ("few" being the operative term) horror films of late, and decided to give it a go.
nr	Now, the "WTF is going on here" summary line isn't about the movie specifically, but the admission price.
nr	I live in Houston, Texas where the average evening-time ticket price is about $8 (and I can usually catch matinées for less than $4), but was sucker-punched with an $11.50 price for the ticket.
nr	Mind you, this was at a 4:30pm matinée!
nr	I understand the cost being higher to compensate for the 3D glasses, but they ask you to turn the glasses back in when you leave (under the guise of "thinking green", no less).
nr	Did I turn my glasses in?
nr	Hell no. For the most expensive matinée I've ever been to, I'm keeping a souvenir.
nr	If people in New York or Los Angeles or wherever else are stupid enough or resigned-to-the-fact-that's-what-prices-are enough to pay that much for a movie ticket, more power to them, but down here, that's pretty much highway robbery.
nr	Add to that, the general rudeness of people in the theater: (an example) two obnoxious girls sitting next to my friends and me (yes, that's correct, it's not "my friends and I") spent the entire movie text-messaging their friends.
nr	No kidding.
nr	Every minute and a half, there was a bright glare on the inside of my 3D glasses.
nr	Not the fault of the filmmakers or the theater, it just diminishes the experience.
nr	A note to rude people: TURN OFF YOUR F'N PHONES OR STAY THE HELL OUT OF THE THEATER.
nr	THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD BESIDES YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS.
nr	YOU ARE NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVERYONE ELSE, NOR IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WITH PEOPLE SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RUIN THE Movie-going EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE ELSE. A note to the two girls sitting in the back row at the 4:30 matinée of My Bloody Valentine 3D at the AMC 30 on I-45 and Beltway 8 in Houston on Saturday, January 17th 2009: YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LUCKY YOU WERE THAT I WAS THERE. MY FRIEND IS A RECOVERING SKIN-HEAD WHO STILL HAS SOME OF HIS MORE OFF-THE-WALL TRAITS. YOU ALMOST LOST YOUR PHONE. NO KIDDING.
nr	IT'S JUST RUDE. Not that you care or anything.
nr	If you did, you wouldn't have been using them anyway.
nr	On to the movie...
neu	Considering a cast of relative unknowns and B- or C-list actors, the acting was decent.
neu	The writing was okay although there wasn't much of a story going on.
neu	Let's face it; the "who's the killer?
nr	is is guy-a or guy-b?"
neu	routine has been done 1000 times before and it's been done better.
neu	Way better.
mix	The gore/violence/schlock factor was high, but not the highest I've ever seen by any means, although most of it was done well.
neu	But, I still pine for the days of Tom Savini, Stan Winston and Dick Smith. Where's Greg Nicotero when you need him?
neu	Overall, I would say that My Bloody Valentine 3D is better than the original My Bloody Valentine, but still falls flat on its face when compared to the great horror films.
nr	It's just difficult to rate a movie with high stars if you have to pay three times as much to see it as you did for a better movie the week before.
neu	I hope the Friday the 13th remake is better.

dvds_neu_49
dvds	3
neu	With copious amounts of material swirling around in this over busy production, it is hard at times to concentrate on the performances.
neu	With cloaks flourished and hats put on and taken off ad-nauseum the two main performers Allen and Desdiri occasionally suffer from shortage of breath and at times you feel like screaming "please just stand still".
neg	Thomas Allen is a singer I greatly admire - however on this night he just doesn't seem vocally up to the challenge, his aria `Fin ch'han dal vino' Is taken so fast by Muti that he is breathless and seems unable to cope, by the end of the opera he is evidently flagging.
neu	I don't want to be too unkind as all singers have off nights and the audience at La Scala obviously loved him and who am I to argue with them.
mix	A quick mention for Francisco Ariza - a wonderful singer whose voice here sounds tired but still melodious with hints of the beauty of his vocal youth.
pos	Of the women Edita Gruberova, as you would expect, gives the overall polished performance, her pure voice ringing out like a bell with never a hint of a screech.
mix	Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Ann Murray whose top notes are squally and jarr the ear, however her lower register is still lovely and she is a very good actress, able to communicate her anguish, her aria `Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata `is very touching.
pos	The set itself is of highly polished architectural splendour and so in keeping with the period of the opera as indeed are the costumes, not exaggerated or over sumptuous and all the better for that.
mix	This is a fairly enjoyable evenings viewing but I was left feeling slightly cheated and wanting to strangle the stage director.

dvds_neu_51
dvds	3
mix	This could have been a great thriller had the director not used that shaky camera technique that is so popular right now.
neg	When the actors are speaking I would like to see their faces, so I can understand the dialogue.
neg	The camera was so often in the background I felt like I was eavesdropping on the conversations instead of in on the conversations.
nr	I feel thrillers draw me in more when I feel as if I am part of the plot.
mix	The great acting was wasted by a camera that made me feel sick, and not drawing me into the action.
neg	Much of Rachel Wiess' scenes were shot from so far away it was hard to get into her character.
neg	Then, on the other hand, the longest close-ups, of Ralph Fiennes' face, lingered so long and so pointlessly.
nr	OK, enough of the bad direction.
neu	It's worth seeing on DVD just to get an idea of what's going on in Africa.

dvds_neu_55
dvds	3
nr	This is required watching for most of us.
nr	Like other series we are bound to see the conclusion before we get it "spoiled" by reviews and idiot-friends and so on.
nr	So I went one not-so-sunny noon and watched it with a friend.
neg	I knew right from the start that this was going to be over the top and not that interesting really.
neg	Since I'm studying philosophy at the university I've found it quite interesting to laugh out load at the symbolism in The Matrix series.
neg	The names are the worst part of these films, "The Logos", "The Hammer", "Smith", "Morpheus", "Trinity" and so on.
neg	These are just icons symbolising that Andy and Larry has opened the Great Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Religion and just cramed it all together.
neg	Complete disaster, no intelligens anywhere.
neg	Lines like "It's Latin, it means 'Know thy self'", screams of un-intelligens, it was of course not Latin but ancient greek since the temple that said it was located in Delphi which is in Greece and not Italy. And no onward to the films.
nr	The first Matrix was an "OKAY" flick re-defining what most of us considered action-films.
nr	What do these wacky brothers thing of next is a trilogy, "Hey, why don't do like everybody else?
nr	We can make BIG BIG money!"
nr	So they go ahead and re-thing and re-load.
nr	We end up with 'Reloaded' and 'Revolutions'.
nr	These films has from the beginning been about pushing toward a limit.
nr	The first one did so very well, and then we discovered that THAT wasn't really the limit so along came Reloaded and pushed us full till the point of throwing it back up with fights, gunplay, swords, computer-animated clones, a CGI-masterpiece.
nr	But we tired, and that was what the directors knew we were going to, so along come Revolutions and stripes it down to include only action-scenes as a nod to the first film, we go back to the source.
neg	And that's what this film is about, nodding to the first film since it now seems a life-time away that these brothers can do something even resembling interesting.
neg	We have the black cat, lousy score, the Trinity kick, the oracles home (with her in it), cookies, and so on.
nr	It is all about the first film.
pos	However the only smart thing was the BDSM-club, a sense of self-awareness, with all the leather and plastic and black, and oh so fetishly dressed actors.
nr	This was irony.
neu	A think that unfortunally didn't translate too-well into the world of The Matrix. Another good thing about this film was the CGI that was actually out-dated but that fit perfectly into the premise of the film and didn't make things worse like they did in Star Wars II: Attack of the CGI-Clones. And of course, a spoiler ending.
nr	But not really, since we can expect a sequel in 3 years.
nr	And we still ask ourselves, when will people stop seeing these films?
neg	They are of course crap, is this what we pay for?
neg	Crap! We will of course see the next film in the series.
neg	When will this stop, when can they put more out of that production-value into the films, it says here in the Trivia-section they spent 2 months working on a raindrop, why couldn't they spend that time re-working the script I ask?
neg	This is just a complete disaster from top to bottom.
mix	But well worth a watch since it marks a new low in the art of commercial-cinema, but this point of what seems to be of no return will be cast a-side when the third episode of Star Wars will hit the ultimate bottom.

dvds_neu_58
dvds	3
nr	I've always been a fan of the Final Fantasy series.
nr	Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) and VII have been two of the greatest video games I have ever beaten, and the first PSone incarnation still holds the benchmark to how all console RPGs are judged even today.
nr	Fans have been clamoring for a sequel ever since it's release, and just last year their prayers were answered in film form, but does Advent Children capture the epic nature of the game?
neg	Unfortunately, the answer is a definitive no. A bland script coupled with a less than engaging plot overshadows its CG and musical flare.
nr	Since my opinion of the film mirrors what many users have already mentioned I will keep this review shorter and to the point, listing the pros first followed by the cons.
pos	First off the CG (as I expected) is gorgeous to say the least.
pos	If you're a fan of the game you'll be happy to know that the movie recreates it's futuristic world to a tee.
pos	The beautiful church with the flower pile will give you some nostalgia if you're a fan of the series, as with the infamous although brief "bathing of Aeris" scene (Aerith if you live in Japan).
pos	The characters themselves are immaculately detailed and are representative of their in game counterparts, and the free flowing clothing and hair on each of them will make you say "wow" at least once.
pos	The effects in the action segments are noteworthy as well, featuring vibrant colors and creative lighting.
neu	Musically, Nobuo Uematsu's talent translates into movie form fairly well, and feature some of the more noteworthy tracks from the game with some original content thrown into the mix.
nr	Classical music is what is played throughout most of the movie, but some hard rock tracks are featured as well.
pos	Being a big fan of Nobuo Uematsu, I was overall pleased with his work in this movie.
neg	Sadly though, the negative aspects of AV are too glaring to ignore.
mix	While the action segments do feature cool effects, the camera's rapid and erratic nature makes it hard for you to appreciate them.
neg	The choreography in these scenes doesn't lend itself well to physics either, where barriers such as gravity and an individual's physical strength are breakable at the character's convenience.
neg	While I know this is the nature of any magical world, it's overdone to the point of distracting the viewer.
neg	But these aren't the worst complaints I have with AV. Plot wise, AV struggles to develop anything that could resemble an engaging masterpiece.
neg	To sum it up without revealing any details, there is no real character development.
neg	The story centers around Cloud, Tifa, Rude, Reno, and Kadaj for the majority of the film, but they only act to leverage each other to push a one dimensional story along.
neg	Adding insult to injury, staple characters of the game such as Barret and antagonist Sephiroth are given little screen time.
neg	What really makes me hard pressed to call this a great movie though is the uninspired dialogue that spans across each character.
neg	Actors struggle to find the right emotions scene after scene and confused me more than once, while the script is filled with a lot of nonsensical "going no where" hubbub.
neu	All in all AV doesn't reach anywhere near the bar that FFVII left for itself.
neu	It's not a bad movie, but it doesn't even come close to the epic saga the game presented to the player.
neu	While it may be appealing to niche crowds such as hardcore fans (minus me), anime junkies, and artists alike, it fails to encompass many key elements that make a solid flick.
mix	Artistically, it does hold it's own, but venture out of this realm and the flaws are apparent.
neu	My exact rating for this movie is a 5.8

dvds_neu_69
dvds	3
neu	**** REVIEW INCLUDES "GREAT DIALOG" SPOILERS **** Wow was I surprised to see all the positive reviews of this movie here on Amazon. I thought I was alone in being entertained by this.
nr	External reviews often completely trash this movie without finding anything positive.
pos	Well get this chemical makeup: Stunning and popular star Lara Flynn Boyle overtly titillating us and wearing skimpy outfits even including a bikini(!), Timothy Hutton, habitual scene stealer Oliver Platt during younger and thinner days, superstar Faye Dunaway, and Steven Webber from the TV show "Wings." How's that for voltage?
pos	Add in a proven plotline with a long pedigree (Hand that rocks the cradle, Single White Female, many more), some great whacky dialog, and top it off with the inspired idea of a corporate thriller set in a cookie company with the climax in an industrial kitchen, and yeah...I'll bank that.
pos	How could you possibly lose?
pos	Actually I really like this movie, even just watching it straight.
mix	The only problem I have is Faye Dunaway's really bad, hammy, mugging acting, and toward the end Boyle picks up some of the same style, but other than that I like it.
mix	However, if you make me analyze it, ok, it's riddled with plot holes, dropped threads, unanswered questions, implausabilities, etc, but that really doesn't matter if the movie succeeds in entertaining me.
nr	And it does.
pos	So with that in mind, you could look at it as one of the "so bad it's good" genre, and it does succeed on that level.
neg	I agree with others that the ending seems as tho it was written on the spot when someone lost the rest of the script.
pos	It actually has a lot of good stuff in it.
pos	For example: One of my favorite literary devices is the "buddy thing," which is an entertainment staple: Laurel and Hardy, Skipper and Gilligan, Kip and friend in Bosom Buddies, Balky and Larry in "Perfect Strangers," etc. This movie features that, but in four directions: Hutton and his boss, Hutton and his buddy (Webber), Hutton and his rival (Platt), Hutton and Boyle. Lots of fun there.
pos	The highlight for me is some of the whacky dialog, which I'm still quoting years later.
nr	For example: "You're BLOWIN' it man."
nr	"YOU'VE GOT THIS PROBLEM."
pos	And one of the greatest lines ever: "Good gosh how hard can it be?
nr	I'm not asking you to splice DNA you just DO IT!"
pos	Wonderful stuff.
pos	Finally, it's no surprise that Hutton and Platt both turn in performances that are well worth watching.

dvds_neu_71
dvds	3
pos	This is one of the best superhero film ever beside spider man 2. I actually found this better than spider man because it was more realistic and didn't look as animated.
neu	I thought that Cris Evans did a pretty good job of the human torch (Johnny Storm).
pos	But I thought the acting of Ioan Gruffudd was the best for his portrayal of Mr.Fantastic (Reed Richards).
neg	Jessica alba wasn't all that great though.
pos	She still looked hot though.
neg	The stupidest quote in this movie was by Sue storm when Von doom says: Let's not fight.
nr	Sue Storm: No!
neu	Let's! Acting from Michael Chiklis (not anymore) was OK. I just didn't get into his character the thing.
pos	Oh well I still loved this movie!
pos	9/10. Ps Go see this great movie!

dvds_neu_75
dvds	3
neu	This film covers in a limited sense what THE CELLULOID CLOSET covers more professionally and comprehensively.
nr	The title refers to the reel of gay and homoerotic scenes from Hudson's studio films that he compiled for showing to his friends at parties.
nr	There are no candid home movie clips (no shots of Rock by the pool, Rock and Tab Hunter playing croquet, or of anyone dressed in women's clothes).
neg	If you can surmount that disappointment, it should be noted that the studio clips are mostly of extremely poor quality (as if photographed from a tv screen).
neg	On top of that, the film has an amateurish quality (a not-very-similar-looking actor plays Rock speaking from the world beyond, sometimes with his image inserted into the frame with the real Rock Hudson).
nr	I'm sure for some viewers these qualities will give the film a sort of underground cult classic feeling and add to its appeal.
neg	I found such effects distracting and annoying.
neg	On top of this, there are no interesting new revelations about Hudson (or about a Hollywood lavender underworld).
neg	All stones were left unturned.
neu	Even so, ROCK HUDSON'S HOME MOVIES did make me appreciate the sheer number and variety of films Hudson made (westerns, war, Douglas Sirk melodramas, as well as the familiar, fluffy technicolor sex comedies with Doris Day).
neu	Not the best actor America ever produced, but certainly one the camera loved.

dvds_pos_33
dvds	5
pos	BLADE RUNNER (DIRECTOR'S CUT) (1982) **** Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Brion James, William Sanderson, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy, M. Emmett Walsh, Joe Turkel. Visually atmospheric histrionics set the bleak setting of futuristic hell in Los Angeles of the dour "blade runner" Deckard bounty hunting renegade replicants led by psychopathic android Roy Batty (appropriately named and Hauer's best performance of his career) out to terminate his maker.
pos	Iconoclastic blend of sci-fi and film noir with dazzling set design.
nr	Based on Philip K. Dick's cult genre novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'.
nr	This edition dismisses the droning narration (incidentally Ford did this on purpose when the studio forced director Ridley Scott to include it for clarity in protest but ironically appropriate for his Philip Marlowesque character) and restore its original ending.
pos	Visionary film-making at its best.
pos	My favorite lines: James as Leon to Ford's Deckard in a compromising position: 'Wake up.
nr	Time to die.'
nr	And Hauer's bemused Batty to a fleeing Deckard 'Where're you going?'
pos	during the climactic climb atop The Bradbury Building, as well as his improvised "like tears in rain" speech which always gets me.

dvds_pos_40
dvds	4
pos	THE LOST CITY (2006) *** Andy Garcia, Ines Sastre, Tomas Milian, Enrique Murciano, Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Millie Perkins, Nestor Carbonell, Steven Bauer, Richard Bradford, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Julio Oscar Mechosa, Juan Fernandez, Elizabeth Pena, William Marquez, Tony Plana, (Dir: Garcia) Andy Garcia's Bittersweet Valentine To Cuba Andy Garcia has always been a favorite of mine to watch on screen, with his fiery, impassionate no-holds-barred, cool-as-a-cucumber performances with both excessive and implosive turns and his passion is now on full display in his directorial debut, a valentine to his beloved homeland Cuba. Garcia stars as Fico Fellove, a nightclub owner and musician in Havana, circa 1958, on the cusp of the Cuban revolution and a drastic turn of historical events that will forever change his heart and soul.
nr	The ones that possess and fight for both of these are namely his loving family led by the patriarchal Federico (Milian), a good man of professorial status at the university and his caring wife Dona Cecilia (Perkins), who still insist their family meet for Sunday dinners promptly at six o'clock with no excuses.
nr	Those providing the turmoil are his brothers Luis and Ricardo (Carbonell and Murciano respectively) who consistently are chomping at the bit with their disputes about the impending revolution and the desire to remain a patriot despite the odds of Communism infiltrating the masses.
nr	Fico remains the peacekeeper and will not tolerate any disrespect towards his decent-hearted father but the dam will only hold for so long as the siblings go their separate ways.
nr	When Luis is killed in an attempted coup-de-tat assassination on loathed Presidente Batista (Fernandez) Fico can only see the writing on the wall when he allows his heart to open to Luis' widow, the beautiful Aurora (Sastre); the two fall in love and marry.
nr	Shortly thereafter things get worse when Ricardo has fled to the deep jungles of the covert military ops of Fidel Castro after he was arrested and beaten by the corrupt chief of police, the vile hand crop bearing Colonel Candela (Mechosa) who has slain Luis. Fico knows this but is powerless to do anything, which makes the tragedy unfolding even more devastating for him to burden himself with.
pos	Garcia does an admirable job in capturing the flavor of the late 1950s look of the imbroglio-to-be with an elegant production design created by Waldemar Kalinowski and gorgeous cinematography by Emmanuel Kadosh that does justice to his ideal yet struggling nation under fire.
mix	The surprisingly literate screenplay by G. Cabrera Infante is an informative although fictitious timeline of events potboiling but the simmering, languid pacing deserves a heavy edit with its lethargic run time of nearly two and a half hours.
mix	It is obvious Garcia is focused on how things are to be depicted and it is remarkable in this seven year labor of love finally has emerged but there is a somewhat uneven tone throughout in deciding to be a "Casablanca" tinged melodrama or a "Godfather" wannabe with its sprawling plot lines and economy with words.
mix	Although I love Bill Murray, his unnamed "Writer", is a court jester ham bone comic sidekick that is at times a tad distracting; oh who am I kidding - I loved him!
pos	His entrance alone is worth the price of admission in a seersucker suit (trousers altered to shorts for the humid climes) and a panama hat.
mix	Although the aspirations of Garcia is a mixed crazy quilt of political intonations and soul-searching empathy he should be proud of delivering something that means something if not to the audience than to himself.

dvds_pos_45
dvds	5
pos	BATMAN BEGINS (2005) **** Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, Mark Boone Junior, Linus Roache. Excellent prequel 'origin' of The Dark Knight that adds fresh blood to a weakened franchise thanks largely to the unlikely POW!
pos	BAM! combo of indie filmmaker Christopher Nolan and Bale (with an intense, brooding yet vulnerable turn and a fine jaw for the infamous cowl to boot!)
pos	as billionaire heir Bruce Wayne hellbent for vengeance for the murder of his parents which leads him on a journey of redemption from the brutal Asian prison camp after taking a nowhere-to-go downward spiral attempt at crime where he encounters the mysterious Henri Ducard (a suitable Neeson) and the ninja-training from guru of vigilantism Ra's Al Ghul (an imposing Watanabe) laying the foundation to his inner turmoil exploited into an iconic hero to thwart the evil in Gotham. Watching all the jigsaw puzzle pieces interlock from the beginnings of Wayne's brainy conceit of the Batsuit to the Humvian Batmobile are giddy joys for the inner fanboy of every squandered youth.
pos	A sound cast of international bravado (Caine as Alfred, the butler, Wayne's manservant/father figure, adds a dash of subtle observations and common sense; Freeman as Wayne Enterprises' best kept secret displaying the varying degrees of know-how and Bat-phenalia; Oldman as a young (soon-to-be Commissioner) Jim Gordon – apparently the only honest cop on the force has a few nice subtle moments of awe and cunning; silky Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA The Scarecrow; Wilkinson as ganglord Carmine Falcone affecting a New Yorkese dialect tuff guy demeanor; Hauer as a reptilian board chairman of Wayne's empire with oily ease); sterling production design by Nathan Crowley envisioning Gotham City as "New York on steroids", the dank cinematography by Wally Pfister, and reimagining of the stealthy costumed Caped Crusader by designer Lindy Hemming combine for a robust display of ingenuity.
pos	The wraithlike incarnation of the man into batsuit avenger is a thing of Gothic beauty (echoing the Tim Burton and Frank Miller conceit) expertly designed by screenwriter David S. Goyer (the "Blade" trilogy to name just three successful comic book to screen adaptations) with Nolan flexes the mind, muscle and sardonic humor quintessential to a truly American original hero.
pos	Arguably the best of the Batman films and highly entertaining; what more can you ask for when you see a flying Batman soar over the glassy plains of Gotham!
pos	** see this on the IMAX and all I can say is : wow!
pos	Five words: a 90 foot Katie Holmes; how can you go wrong!!

dvds_pos_54
dvds	4
nr	GAME 6 (2006) *** Michael Keaton, Robert Downey, Jr., Bebe Neuwirth, Griffin Dunne, Catherine O'Hara, Harris Yulin, Tom Aldredge, Ari Graynor, Roger Rees, Shalom Harlow, Lillias White. (Dir: Michael Hoffman) "There's no crying in baseball!
pos	: Keaton shines in his love of the game turn Michael Keaton is one of my favorite (and largely underrated) actors.
pos	He hasn't been making a lot of films in the past few years but whenever he pops up you immediately are focused on his kinetic energy, the arched eyebrows not unlike Nicholson's (side note: I always thought it was divine intervention when they were cast in BATMAN since they had so many mirror image physical ties!)
pos	and glib, self-deprecating wit that acts as a shield from his inner demons his characters often try to keep at bay.
pos	His latest is no exception.
nr	Based on a story by acclaimed author Don DeLillo (who adapted the screenplay), Keaton stars as a New York bred playwright who's latest work is to dawn on the fated October 1986 evening of the World Series where his beloved Boston Red Sox' lifetime curse gets re-enforced by the infamous ball-between first baseman Bill Buckner's legs.
nr	But I'm getting ahead of myself.
pos	Nicky Rogan (Keaton) is facing many cross-roads: his new play is about to premiere on Broadway but Rogan's dilemma is whether to avoid the possible public crucifixion by the notorious critic Steven Schwimmer (Downey in a wonderfully daffy turn) whose perchance for theatricality (he attends his works in masquerade since he has been virtually vilified by all who know him) sharpening his fangs to sink into his baby or watch the drama unfolding of his aforementioned team in the defining moment of baseball.
pos	Along the way he is avoiding his family, namely his wife Lillian (the equally gifted O'Hara) who is requesting a divorce and their teenage daughter Laurel (a great Graynor) whose dabbling into the punk era underscores her dad's rebellious nature in namely a heated affair with Joanna Bourne (a nubile Neuwirth) who is also giving Nicky an ultimatum.
pos	To make matters worse he runs into an old colleague, Elliot Litvak (an unkempt and funny Dunne) who is downward spiraling fast after a devastating debacle in the form of his last attempt at a play that was skewered by the hated Schwimmer to the point Litvak can quote chapter and verse of the bilious critique that has him fixated to the extent of dementia.
neu	Nicky grows increasingly wearier as the day becomes night and after a short visit with his father ("The Sopranos" ' Aldredge) figures to ditch the premiere after all (especially when his leading man - the always welcome vet Yulin - whose addled brain can't get its grasp on a key line reading) and ducks into a local bar to add insult to injury and watch with melodramatic hubris his beloved Sox get theirs.
pos	Filmmaker Hoffman does a yeoman-like job in getting fine quality performances from his gifted ensemble and in his star, Keaton gets a few juicy yet low-key turns as well balancing the tension that is leading to a possible fall-out.
pos	Smartly shot on location in Manhattan the city acts as a character as it normally does providing just enough backdrop to its proceedings at hand.
pos	DeLillo has a fine gift for his literations and the parallel of Nicky's play - a quasi-autobiography about his relationship with his working class dad - with Nicky's family life shows a man, flawed, yet genuinely wanting to make things work.
pos	The same can be said of this little gem of a film.

dvds_pos_62
dvds	4
pos	THE TV SET (2007) *** David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, Judy Greer, Fran Kranz, Lindsay Sloane, Justine Bateman, Lucy Davis, Willie Garson, MC Gainey, Philip Baker Hall, Andrea Martin. Tart Satire of TV; Duchovny Gives Great Deadpan Jake Kasdan's latest satire, "THE TV SET", is a pitch perfect , dead-on depiction of the myopic vision of American television which has become a vast wasteland of so-called 'reality' shows and mean-spirited game shows when in essence, the true pillars of its foundation, the scripted format is on the wane.
nr	Never before has a sharp-edged black comedy been needed to poke at the underbelly of the medium than now.
neu	The filmmaker cut his teeth on TV including the much critically lauded, hastily dispatched "Freaks & Geeks, that his insider voice is on full display for biting the hand that fed him and for rubbing its ilk in the mess its created.
pos	To wit: veteran scribe Mike Klein (Duchovny giving deadly dead-pan, is a study in noble rot) is desperately trying to get his current project "The Wexler Chronicles", a dramedy based in part of his real-life brother's suicide's affect on him, past the pilot stage for the fictitious Panda Network (think CW lite) and the biggest hurdle is vacuous, yet tenaciously 'my way or the highway' Lenny (Weaver, a dry riot), a harpy in a suit, who is not Mike's biggest fan but has her current junior exec Richard McAllister (Gruffudd in a modulated turn of a decent guy in a deceptive business), a Brit late of the BBC, whose come to LA for the network to give a fresh perspective on the new crop of shows for the seasonal line-up.
nr	He too is hedging his bets but mostly due to his domestic dilemma of not being there for his family while juggling the powers that be with the promising sitcom-to-be.
neu	Mike is plagued not only with the cluelessness of the execs but is shortchanged when he is forced to go with his second choice for the show's lead character, Zach Harper (newcomer Kranz, suggesting a lame-brained Jake Gyllenhaal); an inept director (Garson); his airhead manager Alice (Greer) who backpedals everything thrown her way; his pregnant wife (Bateman making a nice return to film here) his only support system but a constant reminder of the price of failure; and one lulu of a recurring, crippling back ailment.
pos	Kasdan layers everything with a touch of stinging wit, caustic dialogue, and unbelievable accuracy of how some people truly are so incredibly dense to the matters of the creative process it's a true wonder how the hell they got so far (let alone dressed themselves in the morning and made the effort at a daily life!)
nr	Duchovny's Mike Klein, behind a thatch of itchy/scratchy beard as a mask of indifference to what is thrown at him knowing ultimately he will have to acquiesce at basically every power play and sign his soul away to get his baby on the air; truly soul-crushing to watch one's lifetime dream become a living nightmare.
neu	While not a classic like "The Player" or even "Network" the film works on its own merits by not caving in to be likable either; Lenny wouldn't have it any other way.

dvds_pos_67
dvds	4
nr	CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010) **1/2 Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Daalos, Tine Stapelfeldt, Mads Mikklesen, Izabella Miko, Polly Walker, Pete Postlethwaite, Elizabeth McGovern, Danny Huston, Natalia Vodianova.
nr	Remake of the '80s cheesefest sword & sorcery sci-fi fantasy extravaganza this time with Worthington(callow and all furrowed brow a la Crowe; including a buzz-cut!)
nr	as Perseus the half-human/half-god offspring of mighty Zeus (Neeson looking like a roadie for AC/DC) whose sibling rivalry with bro Hades (Fiennes resembling the contents of your sink's hair-trap) whose had it with the mortals and decides they need to pay more heed.
nr	Three words: "Release The Krakken!"
nr	– indeed!
neg	While director Louis Leterrier attempts to give the old-school flick a 21st century CGI kick in the pants (and odes to Ray Harryhausen's original creatures featured particularly the gi-normous scorpion battle royale) the script by Travis Beacham, Phil Hay & Matt Manredi is stilted to the wooden proceedings at hand.
neg	Also: don't be fooled; even though this was re-processed for a 3-D release there is practically no 3-D effects at all!

dvds_pos_74
dvds	5
pos	FACTOTUM (2006) ***1/2 Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Fisher Stevens, Didier Flamand, Karen Young, Adrienne Shelly. (Dir: Brent Hamer) Dynamite Dillon excels in Bukowski adaptation Matt Dillon, believe it or not, is one of the more versatile American actors around since his hey-day cocksure anti-heroes of the '80s ("Rumble Fish", "The Outsiders") who can do it all, comedy ("There's Something About Mary") and drama ("Crash" which earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination last year) and he continues his journeyman vocation with a humdinger performance running the gamut of human emotions.
nr	In this big-screen adaptation of the acclaimed writer Charles Bukowski's rough-and- tumble works of self-emulation Dillon stars as Henry Chinaski, the loosely based on the author's persona, a drifting writer on the skids who takes the occasional odd-job (the title refers to a man who does many tasks) to compensate his lifestyle of heavy drinking, chain- smoking and general carousing.
nr	He can barely sustain a moment's interest at the menial labor he is offered often resulting in his immediate firing usually while imbibing at a local watering hole, indifferent to the dismay and anger of his employer.
nr	Chinaski is a free-spirit whose laconic demeanor is only sublimated by his desire to be a well-respected writer who continuously sends his unsolicited works to literary periodicals with the usual rejection notice (or worse, no reply what-so-ever) as he aimlessly pursues his next haunt.
pos	Along for the ride in one jaunt is Jan (Taylor nicely balancing the destitute of Chinaski with her own unique blend of shabbiness), a loose woman Henry falls for and wind up sharing space and libations until the money runs out.
nr	The two make for a winning pair of losers, each oblivious to their falling apart and frequent dismissals of the other when in fact they are one and the same: soul mates.
pos	Newcomer Hamer allows his actors plenty of room in the seemingly improvisatory sequences of dry humor sprinkled out (he co-adapted with Jim Stark, one of the film's producers) and absurd twists to a scene (Dillon's laid-back narration sparks many of the underscored moments of hilarity at hand – ie explaining Jan's shoddy car's lack of functioning headlights only to work when the equally malfunctioning springs to the car in affect bounce them on!)
pos	A good combination of a skilled director with some interesting compositions and his actors having fun in the process (Tomei is a loopy lush in a glorified cameo and Stevens as a degenerate gambler befriended by Dillon).
pos	Kudos to the grimy yet clear-eyed cinematography by John Christian Rosenlund, Eve Cauley's earth tone sepias production design and the right-on-the-money period costume design by Tere Duncan giving it a timeless late '50s – early '60s vibe.
pos	But again it is Dillon who gives an Oscar worthy turn as the charming, irritable and barely awake Chinaski that deserves recognition proving there is more to meet the eye in the once –thought-of-one-trick-pony that Dillon was initially perceived for his heavy Brooklyn accent and blank brooding good looks; he does his best work since changing that tune with "Drugstore Cowboy" and hope he continues his trek of good fortune unlike Henry Chinaski.

dvds_pos_80
dvds	5
nr	PSYCHO (1960) **** Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland.
neu	The granddaddy of all slasher films and serial killers, this Alfred Hitchcock classic defined the post-Cold War horror film for generations to come in this rather simple storyline: bank employee Marion Crane (Leigh) absconds with a client's bankroll and winds up the proverbial fly in the spider's parlor when she winds up in the middle-of- nowhere's Bates Motel, and mama's boy Norman Bates (Perkins in his iconic role) proving to be more than meets the eye.
pos	The perfectly edited shower scene (the blade never pierces the flesh!)
pos	by Geroge Tomasini, Bernard Herrmann's screeching violins score and the all-together ookie finale are American classics in every sense of the word.
nr	Best line: "Mother isn't , what's the term?
nr	Herself today".

dvds_pos_90
dvds	5
nr	KEANE (2005) **** Damian Lewis, Amy Ryan, Abigail Breslin.
nr	(Dir: Lodge Kerrigan) William Keane (played with heartbreaking brilliance by Lewis an Academy Award worthy turn) is a man wrestling with ultimate grief: he is searching for his lost little girl months after the incident that has sent him into a downward spiral into mental illness.
nr	Keane patrols the hustling bustling Port Authority Bus Terminal of New York City where he was with his daughter when he took his eyes off her for a brief moment only to lose her possibly forever.
pos	Months have passed and apparently Keane has been plagued by his absolute guilt in allowing her to be taken from him that it has affected (or possibly triggered) a panicky, inner voice that speaks to him (or more accurately has him speaking aloud to himself either calming his fear or invoking more paranoia) as he wanders seemingly aimless in the unforgiving way station (a perfect metaphor for his situation), replete with a tattered news clipping about his missing daughter that he waves to unsuspecting passersby and pedestrians alike milling about their daily chores of going back and forth to work or another destination.
nr	He is met with disdain, indifference or plainly ignored.
nr	Keane is in hell.
nr	Living on a disability check and residing in a New Jersey flophouse Keane manages to daily sojourn back and forth hoping for a glimmer of recognition (is that her purple coat in the distance?)
nr	that he lathers himself into a feverish foam of hope (or worse fearful pessimism) and finds himself getting a cheap drunk on in a bar trying in vein to listen to "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch (Can't Help Myself)" on the tinny jukebox to either assure him or drown out his inner rage (unnervingly maddening); having anonymous sex with a stranger in a throbbing club's restroom; scoring cocaine to amp up his courage to go on; staggering the street howling his daughter's name and sadly returning to his empty room to sleep a dreamless, troubled sleep soothing himself between wracks of sobs of pity and horror.
pos	One day Keane sees a single mother and child (Ryan and Breslin, both excellent) arguing with the desk clerk over money and he ingratiates himself by offering her a hundred dollars to get her by (earlier he is shown in a near similar sequence) and Lynn and Kira invite him over the next night for a takeout dinner.
nr	Lynn informs Keane that she and her adorable daughter are en route to Albany but are awaiting her husband's word that he has located a new suitable home for the family.
nr	Keane recognizes in himself what he used to be – a father to a young girl – and becomes a defacto member of this temporary family when Lynn asks him to watch over Kira and the results are heartbreaking.
pos	Filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan has created a truly amazing, deeply felt emotional roller coaster exploring the inner corridors of mental health, family values and the human condition that he touched base on a similar theme in his stunning debut in 1994 with "CLEAN, SHAVEN" featuring a schizophrenic (character actor Peter Greene, best known as the racist/rapist doomed Zed in "PULP FICTION") attempting to keep his demons at bay in his search for a daughter he never met.
pos	Kerrigan films his troubled protagonist at a too-close-for comfort distance in which the hand-held camera gives the theme and film a scary immediacy ; you want to root for Keane but not get that close to the turmoil broiling inside.
pos	The real miracle is Lewis who in a perfect world would be a natural bet for a Best Actor nod (and win) but this independent film is small in scale (and distribution so far despite it being executive produced by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh).
pos	Lewis, who shined in HBO's mini-series "BAND OF BROTHERS" and was the best thing in "DREAMCATCHER", a British actor who uncannily channels an American accent every time, is an underrated thespian who truly gives a stunning, shocking and ultimately sympathetic performance.
pos	Sure he has all the staples of a 'crazy' role: talking to himself, sudden outbursts of near-violent rage, crying himself to sleep etc. but he never allows this to overtake the fact that William was a human being and that this tragic turn of events has him in a stranglehold only fueled by his desire to be free of this ongoing (and possibly self-afflicted) curse.
pos	We are never 100% certain if in fact he had a daughter but I'd hedge my bets that Kerrigan is too sharp to fool his audience into false beliefs (I recognized one gut-wrenching clue when William mentions to a ticket clerk he lost his daughter on September 11th) particularly Lewis' gentle interplay with the natural born Breslin, a very excellent young actress who also shines in her sad, shy Kira, a child who is suffering as well inside and eventually blossoms into happiness and can see that there is more than meets the eye with William (who's final act has all the suspense of a melodramatic thriller in what the audience fears his truth to become).
pos	The words "I love you" have never resonated so much overwhelming emotion that if you are not in tears then you my friend are not human.
pos	Never before in my 22 years of film reviewing have I had the experience of having a fellow audience member turn to me as the first end credits began to ask me "What do you think happens to him?"
pos	proves to be the mark of a first-rate filmmaker.
neu	Keep the audience guessing as one would after instilling one's interest, concern and want to protect William Keane in his quest: forgiveness.
pos	Emphatically one of the year's best films and one that you need to seek out for the performance of the year.

dvds_pos_95
dvds	5
nr	KISS KISS, BANG BANG (2005) ***1/2 Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen, Dash Mihok, Larry Miller, Rockmond Dunbar, Shannyn Sossamon, Angela Lindvall.
nr	Back in Black!
pos	Shane Black is back in a big way.
nr	If you don't know who Shane Black is let his credits as a hot-shot screenwriter speak for themselves : "Lethal Weapon", "The Last Boy Scout", "The Long Kiss Goodnight", "Last Action Hero" (ok the last one may be the reason we haven't really heard much from him in over 7 years!)
nr	A gifted scribe of tough, snarky dialogued action flix usually produced with hyperbolic overkill by Joel Silver with huge box office boffo.
pos	Well Black took a self-imposed sabbatical (ie he was considered a pariah and he had a near mental breakdown due to depression) and managed to get his s*%% together to make a fine comeback in this his directorial debut that delivers just what the smart-ass title suggests not so subtly.
neu	If you want subtle watch an Ivory Merchant production.
neu	This sure as hell ain't.
pos	Based loosely on a novel by Brett Halliday, "Bodies Are Where You Find Them", the story focuses on small-time petty New York City criminal Harold "Harry" Lockhart (Downey also making a fine comeback to comedy in a well-suited performance tailor made for his fast-talking, sharp minded spite) who winds up an unlikely actor wanna be when a Christmas-time burglary attempt has the pursued by cops Harry bolting unannounced into a late-night film audition where he finds himself overwrought with guilt of his partner's demise which adds hilarity to his 'motive' when he reads the script shoved into his hands which just happens to be a policier (!) and the casting agent Dabney Shaw(funnyman scene-stealer Miller) hires him on the spot.
pos	Harry is next whisked to sunny LA by Shaw for meet-and-greets to create serious buzz and enlists the unexpected thief a lesson to be a detective with Shaw's for hire gumshoe "Gay" Perry (Kilmer equally having a ball and a natural flair for tongue-in-cheek humor), a tougher than he appears homosexual who is reluctant to have the flaky Harry tag-along to get notes for his 'character'.
nr	But since he's on Shaw's permanent payroll he has no choice.
pos	Enter equally unlikely meet-cute Harmony Faith Lane (the luscious Monahan, who makes a sexy funny performance cook to perfection) a childhood friend from Harry's past who shows up at a party that both Harry and Perry are attending for Shaw. Seems Lane has always pursued her dream to be an actress and ever since they were kids playing magician and assistant (guess who and guess who) she came to La-La-Land with little fanfare and a broken heart.
nr	Harry's unrequited love for Harmony is re-ignited and soon finds himself (and Perry) embroiled in a murder case when one of Perry's employer's daughters winds up killed.
nr	The odd couple begrudgingly decides to follow through on some seedy leads and soon wind up to their necks in dead bodies and hot water.
pos	Black's sharp, skewered and outrageous humor percolates like a heady witches' brew of goofy insouciance effortlessly in the hardboiled tradition of Raymond Chandler which he spoofs with the wry narration Downey does throughout and upending the apple cart of the pulpy fiction noir genre with gleeful gusto.
pos	The two leads are funny, fast-witted – like a modern day Hope & Crosby with cool to spare and do the best work they've both done in recent memory.
pos	Downey makes an affective coward/jerk/good-hearted schnook while Kilmer coasts on his pretty boy charms with a nod to straight men like Bud Abbott and Dean Martin – street smarts and flair to spare.
pos	Monaghan proves also to hold her own and has a deft comic timing too and being easy on the eyes sure as hell doesn't hurt.
pos	Her obsession over a fictional pulp fiction private eye man of action "Johnny Gossamer" is a running joke and shows just how much Black loves the thrill of the hunt in this go-for-broke popcorn flick with excessive pyrotechniques and obvious lifting from Tony Scott (kudos to cinematographer Michael Barrett and editor Jim Page for their splendid over-the-top skills).
pos	Fast, fleet –footed and funny as hell the film runs on all cylinders damn the hard-to-follow loony plottings; who cares - check it out just for the hell of it!

electronics_neg_24
electronics	2
nr	I live in an old house and with thick walls etc have had problems with the original Netgear router I bought.
nr	To overcome the intermittent bad signal except for the home unit that was hard wired in, I bought this item.
neg	1. Dreadful to set up - the claim about wizard guide was of limited use after setting up the base unit, and I had to get a good friend to spend several hours doing for me.
neg	2. The claims about "up to 500% more wireless coverage" did not translate into a much improved signal for my remote computers - I only saw very marginal improvement on the prior Netgear router I was using!
neg	3. The much publicised flashing lights in the top for six smart "internal" antennas are if you are not going to place the router in a secluded area likely to become an irritant - walking into my darkened study it was at times like seeing a cheap sci-fi effect.
nr	In resolving my poor signal I in fact have had to finally invest in a set of Devolo HomePlug 200 AV Adapters - they thankfully have at last done the trick in my old house in delivering a strong signal home network!

electronics_neg_26
electronics	2
pos	On the first look, the bag is great.
pos	Small, but roomy inside.
pos	Very good deviders and great to set up the way you need for your specific camera and equipment.
pos	The material is durable and the bag looks good.
neg	Now the bad part: The closures (plastic snappers) are of very cheap plastic.
neg	They broke after only a few times using it, just by normal open and closing.
neg	(Careful handled and not over loaded).The bag is unusable and worthless without them....
nr	A chain is as good as the weakest link...
neg	Another bad part is that this bag has no additional zipper to close the main compartment like most other bags do.
neg	This means that your equipment will get dusty even if the bag is closed.
neg	This bag would be great if they would just spend two dollars more for a better closure.
neg	As it is, I consider this bag as no good even for the beginning amateur.
mix	I am so sorry because is a very nice and extremely practical bag otherwise.
neg	Pay a few dollars more and get a better bag.

electronics_neg_30
electronics	1
neg	It's now April 2010 and for over 6 months now, [...] has yet to get this ish together.
neg	The site totally sucks.
neg	If you're looking to upload your runs and share with friends and all that greatness that Nike makes is seem to be, then don't waste your time.
neg	You're not able to search for your friends, sync your email contacts, you get errors when syncing in with facebook and twitter.
neg	It syncs fine from your ipod/iphone to itunes but once it gets sent to [...] is when you get screwed.
neg	I've been searching through all the threads and forums and they say they're working on it but over 6 months?
neg	For now, I would just skip buying this sensor and just download an app.
neg	Don't believe the hype, there is no friendly nike online running community.
neg	Seems like everyone is getting these issues.

electronics_neg_35
electronics	2
mix	Pros: Good features, stylish looks ... Cons: This phone is very unreliable.
neg	It is not the carrier's service, it is the phone.
neg	My T720 has broke down several times.
neg	It will just turn itself off and will not turn back on.
neg	I don't know from day to day if it will work or not.
neg	I'll never buy another moto

electronics_neg_41
electronics	1
mix	Strengths:looks cool ... Weaknesses:does not work and help menu has no solution.
neg	purchased 12-17-04 for $32.46 at Comp USA in San Bruno Ca. and still cant get it to work properly.
nr	I have the cd installed, the icon on the desk top & my cell phone is recognized.
neg	The steps to reach the file transfer are too complex and non exhistent(sp?).I found no company ph number on any of the product literature, the web site or yellow pages.com.
neg	The web site says their goal is 100% customer satisfaction and thier tech support page actually suggests that you call them but does not list a phone number.
nr	Their web site even informs you that their office has moved to San Jose-from the santa clara office on their registration card?
neg	Their web site has a section for trouble shooting but this product is not on the list.
neg	I spent 3 days on and off trying to down load phone numbers from my motorola v600 cell phone to my laptop with the ambicom inc usb bluetooth adapter.
neg	No luck & no support.
nr	Anyone that knows a bluetooth usb adapter with a tech support phone number and a descent web page plaese let me know asap.
neg	I will return this one and gladly pay more to get rid of this crap.
nr	carl in san francisco sfnutboy@yahoo.com

electronics_neg_47
electronics	2
mix	Pros: seems to work okay so far Cons: ENCRYPTION KEY IN PLAIN TEXT If you get this product, do NOT install the client.
nr	It allows whatever wireless encryption key you're using to be seen in plain text.
nr	Even a limited user account can see the key - anyone sitting at your computer can see it.
nr	Instead, install only the driver by browsing the CD to the driver folder.
nr	The instructions say to install the Belkin client, but you don't have to.
nr	Only the driver is necessary if used with the Windows client - and the key is masked, like it should be.
neu	Other than that, it seems to work okay, so far.

electronics_neg_53
electronics	1
neg	grainy photos, slow jerky movement.
neg	But worse than that is the program NEVER completely uninstalled.
neg	Support has head up rectum - after informing them I uninstalled the program but the program never fully uninstalled, I was informed that I must have done something wrong.
neg	Suddenly its my fault that parts of the program remain.
neg	Also NOTE: Software that comes with camera includes BACKWEB - if you are unfamiliar with backweb - it is SPYWARE.
neg	Would NOT recommend this or any other logitech product now.
neg	My real rating is -5 stars.

electronics_neg_57
electronics	2
pos	Pros: this is a very attractive sportband.
pos	It has slot of neat features such as the snap clip for the armband that will male it easy to loosen and tighten the armband on demand.
pos	It also has the cable wrap for your headphone so it won't get into the way while exercising.
neg	Cons: the iPhone 3GS simply won't fit into the pouch.
neg	It is way too tight and appears to have not been designed correctly.
neg	For instance, there is a small whole where the earpiece of the phone is suppose to line up.
neg	But regardless of how hard I pushed the iPhone down it won't go any further leaving the top of the phone exposed and earpiece unalligned.
nr	Also, around hole where the iPhone goes in, there's a thin strip of what appears to be paper that's glued around the mouth is located.
neg	The paper broke the moment you stretch the hole slightly to insert the iPhone.
neg	Very poor quality and design.
neg	No wonder it is getting cheaper by the day.
neg	Highly not recommend it.

electronics_neg_59
electronics	1
neg	This drive is embedded with Western Digital's SmartWare virtual CD that will ALWAYS and FOREVER boot to your Mac computer.
neg	This Virtual CD cannot be disabled, unmounted, removed, eradicated, or partitioned away - EVERY!!!!!
nr	It says so right on WD's website buried in the tech support area, not on the box where this kind of "don't-buy-our-product" warning belongs.
neg	Western Digital has decided to embed their Virtual CD Smartware into this drive so that you cannot, under any circumstances, disable or remove the VCD. It will forever mount this unwanted intrusion to your Mac (Windows is no better apparently) and their website essentially tells you that you can do nothing about it.
neg	Can you tell that I am upset?!?
neg	I own seven other Western Digital hard drives and I will not own this one.
neg	Nor will I buy another in the future out of fear of getting the same results.
neu	Like many people, I have no need for their backup or security software as I just want external drivers for pure storage.
neg	If I were to buy more of these like I had planned, My desktop would be cluttered with a bunch of meaningless virtual CDs. This intrusion may not annoy Windows users as the Virtual CDs will just clutter up your "My Computer" window; but, on a Mac this type of unalterable intrusion is beyond unacceptable.
nr	I cannot believe that Western Digital could not see the alienation of every Mac user on the planet from ten miles away on this one.
nr	Western Digital and other drive makers have, for a while now, put their software install packages onto the external hard drives that they sell; but, it has always been just stored on the drive where it can be deleted or is removed when the drive is reformatted - at worst it was on a separate partition that could be removed.
neg	But, not with this new version (version 3?) of the My Book Essential Drives where it is embedded into the drive's hardware and cannot be deactivated.
neg	Until Western Digital rethinks their strategy and changes this practice, their hard drives should be avoided and boycotted.
nr	(For more information, see all of the review on the 1TB version of this drive.)
nr	UPDATE: After returning the Essentials drive, I purchased two of Western Digital's Elements External 1TB Hard Drives; Exactly what I needed in the first place...
nr	an external hard drive that is built like a tank and is only what it is supposed to be: a hard drive.
nr	No "fancy" value-added software embedded in the hardware to muck up the works on this drive.
nr	I highly recommend the Western Digital Elements external hard drives for all of your storage needs!

electronics_neu_22
electronics	3
nr	This is my third Bluetooth device in as many years.
nr	I wanted this one because of the portable charger/case.
pos	THAT feature is great!
pos	Makes the headset easy to carry along with cellphone, without throwing it in my purse and accidentally having it turn on and call back the last number dialed.
pos	Also it sits nicely on a countertop, making the set less easy to lose.
pos	The headset itself easily turns on and off (which sounds like a simple function, but wasn't all that easy on my previous two Bluetooths).
neg	Two things I don't like....1)the headset isn't very comfortable for longer calls--my ear starts to hurt if it's in for more than a few minutes.
neg	2)this could be a deal-breaker: In the middle of a conversation, even with the cellphone within a few feet of the headset, this Bluetooth sometimes disconnects itself, and the call has reverted back to the cellphone.
neu	Actually, this does make problem 1 less of a nuisance--since the headset time is shorteded by the BT's refusal to stay in the conversation.
neu	Would I buy it again?
neu	No.

electronics_neu_24
electronics	3
mix	Pros: Fits in shirt pocket - Great Battery Life - Lots of Megapixels ... Cons: No lighting control - terrible auto settings - jitter light always on I bought this camera last week wanting a camera that is small yet does everything; I clearly made a mistake.
neu	I tested this camera in all types of lighting, yet it rarely took outstanding pictures.
neg	It doesn't let you adjust the apperture settings, and it always tends to make terrible automatic lighting choices.
neu	In a situations where it should widen the apperture, it never does.
neu	It tends to favor longer exposure times.
nr	Being a person who likes natural light better than a flash, I always turned it off.
neg	And, thus, I wound up with blurry or dark pictures.
neg	After hundreds of pictures and a week of giving it every chance to prove itself, I gave up.
nr	Back to Ritz it went.
neg	Even in relatively good lighting conditions, it chose horrifying exposure times like 1/6 of a second.
neg	??? In room lighting it even chose 1 second exposures!
neg	It lets you adjust exposure + or -2, but the pics look terrible!
neg	I'm sorry, but somebody with a pocket camera is NOT going to be carrying around a tripod to make sure their pics aren't blurry.
neg	I can't use a camera that not only doesn't let me control something as simple as the apperture, but it makes bad choices about the lighting.
neg	Even in bright daylight, in the shadow of a pine tree, the jitter light was on because it was choosing horrible exposure times!
neg	BTW- the jitter light is on about 90% of the time with this camera.
nr	I guess you just have to live with it.
pos	Now, even so, this is a good camera.
pos	1. The colors are natural and accurate.
pos	2. The pictures are amazingly clear.
pos	3. The auto-focus is next-to-perfect.
pos	4. The battery life is impressive.
pos	I would take in excess of 100 (more even) shots without a recharge fully using the lcd screen.
pos	5. The screen size is a pleasure.
pos	6. It's fast!
pos	Okay, my conclusion is this: this camera is a beautifully engineered piece of camera.
pos	It's amazing.
neg	Unfortunately, it takes terrible pictures because of something that would have been so easy for Canon to fix.
neg	My pictures did NOT live up to ANY of my expectations.
mix	A good analogy for this camera is this: This camera is like an expensive new Mercades that automatically chooses the brake and acceleration settings for you and doesn't do a good job of it.
nr	Thus, you're always cursing about how you'd prefer to apply your own pressure to the brake.
neu	Sorry Canon. Maybe the next Elph will be better and I'll buy that one.

electronics_neu_28
electronics	3
nr	I think most people decide to go with a DSLR because they've got a friend with one that takes fantastic pictures and they want to get that themselves.
nr	I knew going in that I would have to learn how to use it.
neg	I bought this camera on sale for $399 and hard a really hard time getting good pics out of the camera.
neg	I think out of hundreds of pics I took while I had it, I thought 3 were really good.
neg	I bought a telephoto lens to see if that would help but it didn't.
neg	The pictures had no color, were not sharp, and terrible DOF. I probably could have been able to eventually use it to its fullest potential but I want good photos now.
neu	I finally took this one back and decided on a Nikon D90. I am going to get in in a week (come on Amazon!)
neu	It's a lot more but I think if you really want a dslr it's because you want GREAT pics, not just pics that are better than a point and shoot.

electronics_neu_36
electronics	3
pos	I've been using the Treo 700W for three months and I absolutely love the set of features it offers.
pos	The wireless sync for email/calendar/contacts/notes with the desktop works perfectly.
pos	The media player, wireless internet connection and camera are nice too.
pos	I can create play lists in Windows Media Player on my desktop and when I connect the Treo using the USB cable my play lists are automatically synced to the storage card.
neg	I have two major complaints about this phone.
neg	First of all, it's like Windows 95 -- I have to "reboot" it every day -- and I don't have any extra software installed other than what comes with the phone.
neg	People will frequently tell me they called and got voice mail but my phone did not ring -- when I try to turn on the phone it won't turn on.
neg	I have to remove the battery cover and use the stylus to push the reset button.
neg	If it's going to lock up that much, at least they should make the reset button more easily accessible.
neg	Second, my favorite feature, the voice commands, frequently just doesn't work.
pos	When it does work it's incredible -- you push the button on the wired headset and say the right command and you can play music, call any one of your contacts, and I believe you can do other things I haven't tried yet.
neg	But 80% of the time you push the button and nothing happens.
neg	Very disappointing.

electronics_neu_40
electronics	3
pos	Bento is a smart, convenient database for the non-power user.
pos	Within its limitations it's excellent, interacting automatically with other apps (like iCal and Address Book) on the Mac. It also simplifies database use in general for those of us intimidated by full FileMaker.
neg	Unfortunately, it lacks some capabilities a lot of ordinary Mac users will want - primarily the ability to sync data among multiple Macs. If you keep Bento on your desktop you can't readily sync its data to the same app on your laptop, or vice versa.
neg	Makes it tough for use in a mixed environment.
nr	Online discussions have highlighted this shortcoming, and we can hope the first revision will overcome this limitation.
neu	Meanwhile, if you do all your computing/database use on a single machine, Bento's fine.

electronics_neu_45
electronics	3
neg	This product works ok, but potential buyers should be aware of these issues: 1. The auto-orientation feature does not seem to work at all, despite me checking that it is enabled and resaving the settings several times.
neg	All of my portrait photos were displayed on their side.
neu	Maybe I've not set it up correctly.
neu	2. There should be more photo alignment choices.
neg	The auto-fit option flattens standard photos quite a lot, while the other options leave space on either side of the photo.
neu	I think it could do with auto-fit vertical and auto-fit horizontal features to remedy this.
neu	Apart from this it seems to work fine.

electronics_neu_49
electronics	3
nr	I would like to state that I returned the item.
mix	However, I would like to share my thoughts, It's a very powerful laptop, 2.8GHz,4GB RAM, 320 HD, 13" There is no problem whatsoever on the spec's BUT the fan always go on when I use the express gate, with no reason!
nr	I'm not consuming much CPU nor VGA or RAM, so I have no idea why!
neg	it was loud and incomparable.
neg	Also, this accrued during normal usage (browsing, music) second, which was mostly the issue, the battery barely last 2 hours!
nr	which was under battery saving mood, and very low brightness display, bluetooth off,and wireless on.
mix	other than that, it was good!
nr	I hope this helps

electronics_neu_58
electronics	3
nr	I purchased this clock radio because I thought it was atomic.
neg	I could not get it to set the time automatically.
neu	After a power outage it does restart with the correct time - if the time was right when the power went out.
mix	I has a nice feature in that there are 2 alarms and you can set each one to go off on certain days of the week but once again I was unable to set the days of the week.
neg	What bothered me most about all of this was that there was no customer service number that I could call.
pos	On the plus side, there are buttons to program for radio stations and this is done like in the car.
pos	and I think it is pretty.

electronics_neu_63
electronics	3
pos	The webcam works as advertised - with really crappy lighting, it still managed to show my face comfortably, and worked well with various messaging software.
neg	The bad - on my Windows XP machine, with not much software installed and generally well-maintained, the software failed to install the drivers properly.
neg	Twice. I called the tech support (paying long distance charges), and after 20 minutes of waiting, got through.
neg	It took twenty more minutes for the support rep to get all my information - 20, I kid you not.
neg	And after that, she did not even bother to try out anything on my computer.
nr	Her advice straightaway - try to install it in another machine, if it does not work, call us back so that we can authorize a replacement.
neg	How could you not even try do get it to work on my current machine after spending so much time to get all the information out of me, I asked?
nr	Sorry, that's the policy.
neg	And I have to call you back on long-distance, and then wait forever to the muzak and then hope that you might authorize a replacement, I asked.
neg	Yes, she replied curtly and hung up.
nr	I had wasted too much time to try to just give up right then, so I tried a manual install of the drivers.
neu	Luck decided to favor me, and after indicating XP to look for the drivers in C:\Program Files\Logitech\QuickCam10WebInstall, I was at last home.
mix	After the installation, it has worked like a charm, but you just have to pray that you never ever have to contact Logitech for their "support".

electronics_neu_66
electronics	3
nr	I bought this printer to serve a small work group of 4 employees, 3 of whom use Macintosh notebooks.
neu	I specifically chose this model because it was marketed by Canon as fully supporting Macs. My experience with the printer is that 'support' is an exaggeration.
neu	It can be made to work with Macs, but not all the time, and certainly not if they are running Snow Leopard.
neu	Leopard works fine, with the exception of faxing from the computer which I found impossible to get working, even after several hours on the phone with Canon tech support.
neu	Snow Leopard is currently unsupported as of the time of this review.
pos	To be fair, the MF6595 works flawlessly with all Windows operating systems, including Windows 7 Release Candidate.
pos	Windows support includes a wonderful installer that automatically locates all networked printers and installs the correct drivers for them (which is nice since we have 2 other canon printers in our office: IR1023 and a 4080 with H1 attachment).
nr	I don't know why Apple doesn't program a similarly useful installer for Mac hardware.
neu	My experience has been that getting a Canon printer up and running with Windows takes 5-10 minutes.
neg	Getting it up for a Mac can take numerous hours and several phone calls to tech support.
neg	It's pretty frustrating.
pos	The printer itself works great.
pos	It's fast, printer high quality black and whites, and the scan function is fine if you're not doing too many sheets at once.
neu	Since the printer is missing a auto-loading document feeder scanning multiple pages can get tiresome, so if that is important to you, go for a different model.
mix	A great printer for Windows, much less so for Macs. Since I specifically bought it to work with Macs, the fact that it doesn't support them well is very frustrating and may lead me to return this printer for a different brand--I hear Brother printers work a lot better with Mac hardware so I might give them a try.

electronics_pos_38
electronics	4
mix	Pros: Durable, Quiet ... Cons: Slow Connection I picked this up as a backup device for home machines as well as a home office computer.
pos	Hookup was easy and after dealing with a few issues caused by norton blocking the connection to the drive we are all good to go.
pos	It's cool looking, super quiet, and a very small form factor.
pos	The software they provide is pretty...
neg	but clunky and slow as hell.
nr	I am using it as a network drive and via a standard 100mbs network.
neg	Now - i used the included software to run a backup of a roughly 300 gig drive that is relatively full and it took almost 2 days for the 1st image to complete...
neg	not that its done it should be very quick, but 2 days???
neg	I also noticed a marked slowdown on the machine with the active backup software monitoring in the background.
pos	Love the drive...
neu	will continue to search for other backup software

electronics_pos_41
electronics	5
pos	This computer is amazing!!
pos	The 4gb of RAM makes it fly when using any program and the hard drive is huge.
pos	There is enough room to store my whole music collection plus many photos.
pos	Also the media keys are very conveinent when listening to music or watching a movie.
pos	The design is pretty cool and it is available in a variety of colors.
pos	The widescreen makes the screen seem so much bigger than my old laptop which was also 15.4" but not widescreen.
pos	The WiFi connected to the internet instantly and the bluetooth helped me trannsfer my pictures and videos from my phone onto my computer.
pos	The battery also lasts 4 hours on power saver mode!
neg	My one complaint is that the slot load cd/dvd drive is very noisy.
pos	But that is very minor and the computer is all around a great computer and I would recommend it to everyone who's looking to buy a new computer!!

electronics_pos_44
electronics	5
pos	Pros: You already know the great features.
pos	12X zoom, 8MP, etc.. no need to repeat.
neu	... Cons: EVF a little slow, but okay after getting used to it.
pos	The Bottom Line: Buy this camera, and if you haven't taken a decent picture before, this will make you look like a pro!
pos	After researching and comparing this camera (fz30) with others in this price range and higher, I decided to buy the Panasonic DMC FZ30. After two weeks of picture takin' and putting the camera through some of it's many features, (it has features galore!).
pos	I must say this camera is AWESOME.
pos	Truly fantastic pictures.
pos	Even a little child will take beautiful pictures with this camera if he/she is able to set it to AUTO. But like all electronic equipment, (LCD, HDTV, TV monitors, and digcams), you have to adjust the controls (PICT.ADJ) to get the best picture, or a picture set to your personal preference; you know-contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc... well, the FZ30 has controls that when adjusted properly, practically eliminates the so called 'noise' problem.
nr	Remember 'noise' is part of digital technology and all digital cameras have 'noise'- yes DSLR do too, it's inherent in the technology (pixels).
nr	Just like all film cameras will show grain, noticeable under low lighting conditions with film.
nr	So, reducing grain in the best of cameras has to do with the film, lighting and the photographer.
nr	It's the same with reducing 'noise' in digital cameras.
nr	If you are getting 'noise' simply set the Pict.Adj to [high noise reduction], use a flash, tripod, or play with some of the controls and learn how to use the camera and lighting to eliminate noise.
nr	If the picture on a TV is grainy you adjust the sharpness, contrast etc. the FZ30 is of the same technology (digital/electronic) and has similar menu's.
nr	And just as a pro photographer takes great pains by using high power lights and accessories like flash, tripods etc. in low lighting situations even with his high priced camera, high priced lens and thousands of dollars worth of equipment to get a fantastic shot (He doesn't blame the camera, just as an artist doesn't blame his brushes for how his pictures turn out)!?
pos	Well, simply learning how to adjust a few menu options in the FZ30 and learning when and how to use the appropriate accessories will get you almost the same results with the FZ30 a $500.00 camera as with a $5000. camera.
pos	Yes, for the money and features this is the best of the bunch.
pos	It does all you ask of it and more.
nr	So if 'noise' is your only complaint, learn how to use the camera controls, and remember it won't perform like a $10,000 camera with stage lighting, camera crew and a professional photographer, even if you think it should.
pos	But it does comes close if you know what you're doing!

electronics_pos_47
electronics	5
nr	I run the A/V department in a large hospital.
nr	We have 8 of these units and with the exception of one of them just quit working.
pos	The others have been going strong and they don't use much battery power.
pos	Also, the unit is about the size of a TV remote and I believe the large size keeps it from walking away.
neg	Problems Encountered: Had one bad one that I had replaced.
nr	One unit is over three years old.

electronics_pos_50
electronics	5
nr	I have a netgear ethernet network (using the home electrical system).
pos	Set-up took 10 minutes and I didn't need support from Slingbox.
neu	I can access and control my television inside or outside my home.
pos	I am shocked how good the picture is even when the broadband is slow.
neu	Quality of the picture ultimately depends on speed of your connection.
pos	I have connected on PC's and Mac's and even connected on my Treo (which was amazingly good quality).
nr	When I travel, I like to be able to watch my local sports teams.
pos	I would highly recommend this to all.

electronics_pos_55
electronics	5
nr	Got these speakers for X-mas.
neu	They sounded a little flat at first; plenty of midrange and bass but weak in the highs (compared to the Harman Champaigne Glass model which came with my PC).
neg	There's no treble control on the unit.
nr	I also own JBL Creatures which look and sound awesome plus have bass and treble control knobs on the sub.
nr	Of course the sound of either system can be adjusted via the equalizer in your Real or Windows Media Players.
pos	Back to the I-trigues; the more I listened to them, the better they started to sound.
neu	As I read in another post, there seems to be a break-in period.
pos	The soundstage has gotten wider and the sound, more detailed; quite unbelievable considering the narrow profile of the speakers.
pos	I like the wired remote w/ volume and bass controls & headphone and line-in jacks.
neg	Again a treble control would have been nice though.
pos	Overall, very impressive speakers.
pos	They also look great next to my 20" monitor w/ their tall slender appearance.

electronics_pos_59
electronics	5
mix	Pros: picture is great, quick setup, lots of inputs Cons: directions can be tricky to figure out This is an amazing TV for the price.
mix	Xbox 360 looks awesome but must have DCM off for any gaming or there is a crazy amount of response lag.
pos	HD tv channels look great, kinda upset that I didn't switch to LCD earlier but also glad because the price is SOOO reasonable.
pos	Definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get a great LCD for a low price.
pos	This even drew compliments from my brother who has a panasonic plasma.
pos	Really enjoy that each input has its own settings (example: input 1 (xbox) I have DCM turned off.
nr	Input 2(tv) dcm is turned on to maximize the HD channels) Sound is not rated because I use a surround system to TV speakers have been on 0 volume since it came out of the box.

electronics_pos_64
electronics	5
pos	Pros: Everything - seriously - stop looking and buy this.
mix	Great loud full sound - great colors - and scrren, black blacks, HD. Cons: The only downer would be lack of bluray, but regular dvds look HD because the LED delievers, far superior to my LCD Short story I went in to buy the IPAD and came out with this – that's saying something.
pos	Pros- This I3 is actually a limited I7, and it's the processor apple was going to use in its 13inch Macbook, but it was too expensive to upgrade the rest of the components to match.
pos	Its 50 percent more powerful than a similar turon or core 2 duo of the same specs., and it outperforms both the Macbook air 13inch, $1700,, and Macbook pro $1499, in fact the I5 simply allows for more end use ram, and virtual processors, a feature yet to be taken advantage of for most users, but one necessary for future proofing, and currently, for high end, graphic intensive software.
pos	I'm saying that except for those last two things I mentioned, and the fact that its running windows – this baby matches the power of a 2200 dollar Mac book.
pos	Its got 1696 video memory compared to my Macs 512, a 7200 rpm drive compared to the Macs 5200, both have led screens, but the Macs got 1280 by 800 compared to this which has only 1366 by 768 – though it doesn't seem to matter.
pos	Both have great displays.
neu	Still it is running windows, not that 7 isn'ta great improvement.
neu	This I3 is an I7 limited to I3 capabilities, its easier to just handicap these, than make 3 different models.
pos	This lets you know that your actually running this thing easy, and that it can handle even the toughest jobs.
pos	Its screen, a 720p led, actually outperforms my 1080p Sony LCD laptop visually.
neu	Its colors are natural, not so over bright, yet its not faint or washed out.
mix	The blacks are blacker giving the colors a pop, along with the sheen of the screen - which unfortunately does pick up glare as its not matte - the only downside, besides not having a Bluray. However, by turning up the brightness, I was able to compensate.
neu	That usually makes my eyes tired, but I guess the led is different because as of yet there have been no problems.
pos	Lastly its case is fingerprint free, its speakers are movie experience loud, hard to find on a laptop and its HDMI de ...

electronics_pos_70
electronics	4
nr	This is my third set.
nr	(Before I had Motorola, that I returned and Plantronics Voyager 510 that I lost).
neg	I do have an issue with noise (especially when it is windy).
neg	I also have excessive noise when I talk and have phone in my pocket while walking.
nr	But other models are no better.
nr	Is it the nature of the beast?

electronics_pos_84
electronics	4
pos	Simple to set up and use.
neu	Works reasonably well in a noisy car.
neu	Ocassionaly disconnects and then reconnects.
neu	Not sure its worth as much as it costs, so only 4 stars.
pos	FM function allows you to play music on your phone through your car stereo.
pos	Nice touch.
pos	Connected to radio first time with no problems.
nr	Same as using an Ipod with fm transmitter.

music_neg_57
music	1
nr	"discerning social gathering wants & expects to hear..."
nr	"the sophisticated private domain for the well-heeled, uber cool society..."
neg	Please don't buy it...
neg	The music contains full of pretentious French lyrics and the beat is flat.
neg	It runs on and on again ...It is really boring music.
neg	I think the dj tried so hard to be in the scene and he impresses no one at the end.

music_neg_67
music	2
nr	Let me preface this review by saying that I don't hate Paul Oakenfold.
nr	I don't have a personal vendetta to pursue against him, and in fact I absolutely love Bunkka and Tranceport.
neg	That said, this album is very poor.
nr	Oakenfold is one of the main reasons I began to love trance, electronica, and even dance.
nr	When I first heard Tranceport, I was amazed with what I was hearing, and began to dig into a whole new world of music I had never known about before.
nr	I owe Mr. Oakenfold a debt for turning me on to music I now love and listen to on a daily basis.
neg	Unfortunately, Oakenfold has stumbled quite a bit in this collection.
nr	This is not a trance album.
neg	It is a collection of pop-happy fluff, filler, and unremarkable songs that simply don't appeal to me at all.
neg	I realize that opinions vary, and I'm sure I'll get lit up for writing a negative review, but I really felt obligated to let people know to save their money.
neu	Most of the songs in this collection sound like club anthems that would be more at home on a Ministry of Sound collection of euro pop. Paul used to know how to mix soaring vocals with a killer beat so that both complimented one another perfectly (Southern Sun from Bunkka is a great example of this).
neg	Now it seems that many of the vocals are too heavy for the music, and the beat gets lost in the background.
neg	Even the remix of Southern Sun found in this collection is inferior to the original.
neg	Also, many of these tracks are just filler or fluff, such as the James Bond Theme remix which is listed on the Amazon track list as: "9. James Bone Theme - Paul Oakenfold, Norman, Monty" James Bone Theme is about right.
neg	I honestly can't think of a time when I want to listen to trance and I think to myself "You know what would be great?
neg	Listening to some movie soundtrack remixes!"
nr	If this is a collection of Oakenfold's 'greatest' hits, then were are tracks like 'Gamemaster,' from Tranceport or 'Ready Steady Go,' from Bunkka?
nr	Where is 'Zoo York,' and 'Get em up' also from Bunkka?
neu	This is not a collection of his greatest work.
neg	It is a collection of meaningless, passionless remixes or pop dance tunes.
neg	If you loved Tranceport, don't spend your money on this CD. If you loved Bunkka, don't spend your money either.
pos	If you love movie sound tracks, pop remixes, or soft edged dance music, you might enjoy this CD.

music_neg_69
music	2
nr	For a remix collection to be worth anything it has to add to, or do better than, the original tracks.
neg	In this case, Last Night was a pretty poor effort by Moby standards, and this remix collection is miles away from the brilliance of Play or the solidly constructed Hotel. Relatively bad songs remixed are still relatively bad songs.
neg	Moby's ill advised exploration of disco gets even worse here.
neg	This a forgettable collection that only the most dedicated of Moby fans will want to purchase.
neg	1.5/5 stars.
neg	An uncommon misstep for Moby.

music_neg_80
music	1
neg	While I am a huge fan of Beyonce, when I bought this record, I listened to it...and the very same day sold is for 5 dollars at a discount used CD store.
neg	Maybe this was a bit harsh, but after the grueling hour I spent trying to find quality music in this hip-hop/pop trash, maybe it wasn't punishment enough.
nr	Beyonce Knowles is a very talented woman: She is a good actress (which we are to see more of this summer), she has a great voice if put to good use, she writes catchy radio-ready songs and can produce like no one else.
nr	Maybe this is why the last Destiny's Child album, "Survivor", was such a success, Beyonce fully controlled the writing and producing of each track.
neg	On "Dangerously In Love", she hands some of the control over into apparently very unable hands.
mix	The best track on this record is clearly "Crazy in Love", an urban love tale that gets you movin' and singing along...but every track after it is a total dissapointment.
neg	"Signs", co-written with Aaliyah's muse Missy Elliot, is a mess of nothing...driveling on about Astrology in a way that is neithor catchy nor creative.
neg	But the absolutely worst song on this album would have to be "Gift From Virgo"; Six minutes of Beyonce throwing her voice all up and down the octave chart with words so incredibly vapid you would think a valley girl with a 2.0 grade point average had written it.
neg	The most annoying thing about this song is she keeps changing pitch, about every 5 words or so we're hearing a new tune.
neg	It sounds almost like when you put a tape in a player and it eats the tape, and is just as enjoyable.
neg	The one song Beyonce seems to want to make a big deal about is "Dangerously In Love", a remake of the enchanting love Ballad first performed by Beyonce's girl group, Destiny's Child. This, I wouldn't have a problem with if it were a remake at all, instead of an exact replica.
neu	The only songs that are worth bearing at all are "Crazy In Love" and "Yes", an abstinance song I see making the top 40 in the future.
neg	But believe me, this is still not a reccomendation.
neg	If you want to hear Beyonce Knowles at her best, buy any of the three Destiny's Child album, and don't bother with an album that sounds like 40 songs had a car accident.
neg	It's saddening to see talent put to waste, both from Beyonce, her song writers and producers who usually make such great music on their own.
nr	Let's just hope they lose each other's numbers.

music_neg_86
music	2
neg	Chingy's followup to 2003's "The Jackpot" falls disasterously lower than his debut.
neg	Not many of the songs grabbed my attention, his voice gets real annoying after a while too.
mix	Don't get me wrong, there are a couple dope songs to bump in your ride but its not worth purchasing the whole cd for them.
mix	Hot Tracks: Balla Baby Make That Ass Talk Don't You Worry All the Way to St. Lou 26's Don't Really Care The rest of the tracks are way below what my expectations were.
neg	Chingy is just another one of those rappers that put out wack music just because he's guarnteed to at least go platnium or even more.
neg	It's just rediculous that people would buy this crappy album.
neg	Don't even waste your money.

music_neg_95
music	1
neg	Well i hate to be the only dissenter in an ocean of metal wannabe 12-16yr olds, but this album is an absolute joke.
neg	a complete rip-off and about as generic as it gets, it combines the most commercially viable aspect of Nirvana (loud guitars and screaming) with the down-tuned sound of Korn. Truely this band would do better to become a tribute band, which in many respects they are.
neu	Their image is also one of the most amusing things to emerge from the 'metal' scene in years.
neg	So obviously designed for kids, to allow them to shock mummy and daddy, i find it quite sad that 9 blokes decided to adopt this image to sell records.
neg	It is as manufactured as Britney, Steps 5ive etc, and on the same level musically.
neg	The whole mask and boiler siut thing also causes me no end of amusement, especially when they claim that it makes it more about the music, and not about their identities.
neu	Please! the image in many respects relegates the music to a secondary fuction.
nr	Just scroll down the reviews and see how many kidies have referred to their "disturbing" and "satanic" image.
neg	The songs are actually really bad as well, with the possible exception of Wait and bleed.
neg	As a whole, i would recomend bands such as Tool, AIC and other authentic metal rather than this sorry lot.
neg	manufactured anger, for a manufactured audience.
neg	And no kiddies, this is not being rebellious.

music_neg_97
music	2
neg	If this CD is "remastered", it certainly was not from the 1st generation, multi-track session tapes.
neg	From listening to this CD, I can hear distortion and an audible amount of tape hiss, especially through the quiet passages of "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face".
neg	And after all these years, we STILL get "Mexican Shuffle" in MONO!
neg	Which leads me to believe that this, and other TJB CD's in Herb Alpert's Signature Series, were mastered to CD directly from the original mixdown album masters that were used to press the original A&M vinyl LP's back in the 1960s (a common practice that was routinly done by the record industry with past album masters during the dawn of the CD era 25 years ago, which magnified the imperfections of analog album masters on CD).
neg	In this day and age of today's advanced digital technology, a golden opportunity to digitally remix and remaster some of the greatest music of the '60s, was missed.
neu	I liked the idea made by a previous reviewer when he stated that remastering these CD's in both STEREO and MONO, just as Capitol did with The Beatles box set of the first four Beatles' Capitol albums, would have been nice.
nr	Maybe Universal, given time, would have done a much better job at remastering these early A&M classic albums.
nr	I say this because, in my opinion, I think the people at Universal are doing an outstanding job at remastering some of the Motown material (ie "The Motown Box").
neg	Sorry Herb, but I think you missed the boat with this series.

music_neg_107
music	2
nr	It pains me to give a King's X album such a low score.
nr	I mean, I own the entire catalog, I've seen the band live at least ten times, and have even had beers with the guys after a show.
nr	I remember hearing them for the first time as a kid watching late-night TV when their video for Over My Head made a splash for a while on MTV. I've been a fan ever since.
nr	But, alas, I have to be truthful and honest about this collection, as nothing less will benefit the band or fans.
neg	This is a sub-par album for any band, let alone one as stellar as King's X. As many have already mentioned, it's a modern recording of a bunch of rehashed throw-away tunes that didn't make it onto their first album, Out of the Silent Planet. They were put in the circular file then, and that's honestly where they should have stayed.
neg	The sound is dated, the structures are boring, the lyrics are juvenile and banal...need I go on?
neg	It's cheesy, 1980s pop-rock that is barely saved by the fact that it being played by a band with incredible execution.
mix	Screamer is novel enough, but that's the problem: it's merely a novelty song to show off Doug's screaming ability.
mix	Rock Pile has a decent enough verse, but the chorus is sickeningly goofy.
neg	Johnny is the epic tune that doesn't justify its epic length...Ty's long solo is the most pointless, meandering bunch of swoops and ambient sounds he's ever put together into a single chain.
neu	The title track is passable.
neg	Honestly, this album should be avoided by anyone except collectors.
neg	It is definitely not the place to start if you're just trying to get into King's X. If you really want to support this band, buy their latest CD, Ogre Tones, which is an excellent, excellent album.
nr	It has a great variety of sound, and should satisfy both their later fans that are used to the "heavy" version of King's X as well as their earlier fans that long to hear the soaring guitar and Beatlesesque harmonies.
nr	I'm a fan of both eras, truly, and I think it's their best CD since Please Come Home Mr. Bulbous, and possibly since Dogman (another awesome disc that everyone should own).
mix	Avoid this one, but don't avoid King's X. I'm one of those music nerds who owns like 1500 CDs, and if I had to give up all but, say, 100 of them, I would take up slots in that batch for all of my King's X CDs. This is one of the best overall rock bands still recording that hasn't ever sold out and keeps pumping out great tunes.
mix	They deserve many a listen...just don't start with Black Like Sunday.

music_neg_113
music	1
neg	Not sure why they would release this album in this shape.
neg	Sounds like a mix between Urban and Black, with alot of old tired riffs.
nr	Where is the Brad Paisley with the rockin' guitar sound?
neg	The producers never even feature 1 song where his playing takes control.
pos	The jazz into on the instrumental song is the best part of this whole album.
neg	I saw Brad at the Oprey way back when, and I must say I knew he would be a star, but this album is sooo lack-luster, very disappointing.
nr	Regards.

music_neg_117
music	1
nr	Before I start, I'm just gonna say I'm not an amazing reviewer, but I am going to give an honest review.
nr	I am definately not the biggest Beyonce fan by far, as I usually like to stray away from mainstream music as often as I can, being such over processed crap as most of it is.
nr	But this is Beyonce we're talking about, she has amazing talent, and an amazing vocal range.
neg	Which is why I'm so appalled that she had the audacity to release such an album.
neg	It's almost like she's saying, "I'm Beyonce, I'm amazing, and people will jump on anything I create, so why even make an attempt."
neg	I'm one of the idiots who purchased the deluxe album, and after unwrapping it at home and actually checking out the track listing and such, all of these songs could have DEFINATELY fit onto one album.
neg	There was nothing deluxe about it.
neg	After listening to the first disc, I almost felt I had to check my stereo to make sure I didn't have the same song on repeat over and over.
neg	The entire first disc is nothing but power ballads, that lack just that, power.
neg	There was no emotion, they all sounded exactly the same: bland, dull, and over-polished.
neg	It made me feel like she went into the studio and just recorded each track to the same intrumental, back to back, and called it a night.
nr	The second disc I'm assuming was supposed to be the disc with club anthems, party songs and such.
nr	It had the typical "independent" ladies song, and the typical "boast like a man" song.
neu	I forced myself through the whole thing just to say I gave it a shot.
mix	Basically the only song worth anything on this entire collection is the song "Single Ladies", which I'm still not bananas about.
neg	Beyonce, you're incredible, but this album was a slap in the face to all of your fans and anyone who even mildly liked you.
neg	Giving it two stars is generous, and I wasn't in the mood.
neg	It definately seems like I'm bashing Beyonce in this review, but I'm not bashing her, I'm bashing her feeble effort in this album release.
nr	I'm sure she'll notice the poor feedback from this cd and the next will be incredible.
nr	She should definately take her time and create an album with songs that have some staying power.
neg	Because if there ever was a Beyonce album to forget in the dust it's definately this one.

music_neu_42
music	3
nr	I'm a younger Andrews Sisters fan.
nr	I was first turned onto them when I heard "Rum and Coca Cola" - did I want to hear more after that!
neg	This is NOT the great version I heard!!!
mix	In the 50's they re-recorded their hits for Capitol and 3 of them are here - Rum and Coca Cola, I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (the rest, however are originals, Begin the Beguine is super.)
nr	You've never heard these songs until you've heard the originals.
neg	I'd stay away from Captiol CD's or compilation CD's which include Capitol re-recordings of the Andrews like this one.
neu	I recommend "The Andrews Sisters - Their All-Time Greated Hits" (MCA) - sold here at Amazon too - it is packed with all original versions and has really great liner notes.
nr	The original Rum & Coca Cola and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy are pure magic!

music_neu_46
music	3
neg	Anyone can easily tell these are not the original hits.
nr	It's good that they put "Newly Recorded" on the cover, so at least they don't mislead you.
nr	If you're like me, you want the original hit.
neg	There is no way that "Puppy Love" or "Diana" can sound the same when sung by a 21 year old man as they do when sung by a 14 year old superprodigy whose voice hasn't changed.
neu	Go for the other compilation listed here that features the original recording.
nr	LB

music_neu_56
music	3
nr	Ever since discovering the Dark Side - I have been a PF fanatic.
nr	Roger's themes and words, Nick Mason's powerful rhythms, Rick's eerie atmospheres and backgrounds, and Gilmour's spacey and energetic soloes made for one helluva a 70's supergroup.
neu	Granted, they lost a lot with Roger's departure.
neg	Gilmour's attempts at emulating Roger's unique lyricism have fallen somewhat short.
pos	Some elements still exist - "Poles Apart" and "Coming Back To Life" are strong efforts on this album.
neg	However, it makes one yearn hard for the classic days of PF's heyday.

music_neu_67
music	3
nr	The previous release in the Back To Love series was a closing of the chapter from '89-'91 and it was an amazing finish to that era and so I was excited to see what 92-96 classics featured on the next instalment.
neu	I was neither blown away or horrified by this selection for the simple reason that the album is predictable and safe.
pos	On disc one you have the beautiful vocals of Barbara Tucker with 'Beautiful People'.
pos	From there, there are sure-fire classics from Kim English, De'Lacy, Lovetribe, Bucketheads and Basement Jaxx. Disc two includes some of my personal classics from Njoi, My Friend Sam and after months of trying to find 'Perfect Motion' in it's entirity it ends up on this collection, which I have to take my hat off to HK for.
neg	To my surprise 'Who Keeps Changing Your Mind?'
neg	was FADED OUT after only 4 mins!!!
neu	That raised my eyebrows, especially after it said full 12" mixes on the front cover.
pos	Rounding off the album are some great end of the night belters from X-Press 2, Alcatraz and Grace. I've been ever increasingly worried about the quality of the compilations coming out of HK towers of late.
neu	Both the Mix 2006 and this release have been slightly uninspired and it seems the Fierce Angels crew are giving them a run for their money, both in quality of the packaging and music.
nr	It will be interesting to see who comes out on top!

music_neu_70
music	3
nr	Genres and sub-genres annoy me.
nr	I know they're a necessary evil, and that they help the less industrious music fan dig through mounds of music and hopefully come up with something that jives with their tastes.
nr	However, there comes a point when genre, sub-genre, and sub-sub-genre classifications become more of a distraction than a meaningful way of choosing music.
neu	To say that the New York band Bell Hollow is "post-punk" or "dream-scape 80s refresh" is needlessly hyper classifying otherwise elegantly simple and enjoyable music.
neu	FOXGLOVES, aside from pontification and sub-genre classification, is a listenable album.
mix	Sadly, while I enjoy most of the music, I cannot engage with the vocals.
neg	Lead singer Nike Nile's voice just doesn't do it for me.
neu	I know that is highly subjective, and you may love his voice, but I don't and that makes this album tougher for me to enjoy.
pos	I still give it 3 stars because the music itself is good if not great.
neu	There is little here that is edgy or super original, nothing that grabs the listener and forces them to pay attention.
neu	Successful at being average, this is an album that I won't find myself listening to often.

music_neu_79
music	3
nr	This was my first time hearing Il Divo, and I dove into “The Promise” CD headfirst, and with great expectations.
neg	Perhaps I set the bar too high, because I was sorely disappointed.
mix	The music is beautiful, but alarmingly soporific and tedious.
mix	The singers have wonderfully clear and resonant voices and take great care and precision in delivering every note perfectly, to the effect that the passion is never allowed to seep through.
mix	One of the few bright spots in this album was L'Alba del Mondo, an Italian adaptation of Ennio Morricone's “I Knew I Loved You (Deborah's Theme).” The addition of some more familiar renditions, such as “Hallelujah” and “Amazing Grace” make it more bearable but are not enough to overcome the dreary, one-note atmosphere that plagues the album.
nr	I will check out Il Divo's previous works with optimism, but sadly, this is one promise that is never delivered.

music_neu_88
music	3
nr	Well the title of this review says it all.
nr	Yeah, I'll be that guy.
neu	I wasn't impressed.
mix	Sorry he is a good DJ to see live, but he has put out a lot better work like Project Human, the 6ixth Session, and System Upgrade.
neg	Also, how many times is Dieselboy going to have mixes of "Follow the Leader" and "You Must Follow" on his albums.
neg	Comeon. I think Dieselboy also should have included "Submission" and "Barrier Breaks" from the 12" he did with Kaos. How could he you not include those 2 new, hot tracks on your album??
pos	If you like militaristic dnb and are unfamiliar with all of Dieselboy's other works, you'll love this album.
neu	For everyone else, it will just be okay.

music_neu_101
music	3
nr	Many music listeners today don't realize that back in Robert Johnson's day (1930's), a musician played a lot of parties as his primary gigs, and whatever the partygoers wanted to hear, he was expected to know how to play (that is, if he wanted to be paid well and keep working!)
nr	A tune such as "They're Red Hot", a blistering swing/ragtime/cakewalk number more reminiscent of Louis Armstrongs Hot Fives & Sevens rather than the repetoir of a legendary blues Delta slide player like Johnson, might be featured along side more typical Johnson fare like "Come On In My Kitchen" or "Hellhound".
nr	Surprise, Surprise!
mix	"Red Hot" is far and away the best number on this mostly disappointing disc, as Eric and band quit sounding as reverential as church, and sprint thru the number with gusto.
pos	Billy Preston's tinkling piano and Jerry Portnoy's wonderful harp provide the musical highpoints.
mix	"32-20 Blues," "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day," and "Me and The Devil Blues" are just about the only other good interpretations offered here.
neg	Most of the other songs are saddled with sludgy, over-reverential takes that lack soul and life.
nr	What happened to the great live-in-the-studio feel of From The Cradle, another all-blues masterpiece recorded just ten years ago to much better effect?
neu	Sounds like Mr. Clapton was in his Safe Eric mode, offering exact reproductions without fire, combustion or chemistry.
nr	(He drops into this mode from time to time; he practically lived in this mode the entire decade of the seventies.)
neg	For example, compare Eric's lame take of "When You've Got A Good Friend," with Savoy Brown's excellent version from their 1999 album Blues Keep Me Holding On. No contest: Guitarist Kim Simmonds and his famous Gibson Flying V fly circles around Eric's rendition.
neg	And the remake of "Hellhound on My Trail," Johnson's signature tune??
neg	What a disappointment!!
nr	For this take, Eric should have sent the band home and played the entire song with acoustic and slide.
neg	Sounds more like a rabid poodle on his trail rather than a hellhound!!
nr	In closing, what can I say?
mix	The album does have several good offerings, mostly on the uptempo numbers, but Eric should now go back to square one and get in touch with his inner Johnson.
nr	Please???

music_neu_124
music	3
nr	I have been a big Commissioned fan since I was a kid.
nr	When this album came out I was very excited because I was so upset when the original members of Commissioned broke up.
pos	I must say this album really grew on me when I saw the DVD. In my books the music gets a 5 star rating, for sure it was off the chain.
nr	Hearing all the songs I remember just brought nothing but memories.
neu	There are a few complaints I have, but it won't keep me from listening to the album.
neu	I wish this reunion included just the original members of Commissioned with the exception of Marvin Sapp, I do like Marvin Sapp he has brought flavor to the group.
neu	I didn't care to much for RFC vocals overriding the voices of Commissioned on a couple of tracks.
neg	To me it was just not original.
neu	I'm sorry people no one can beat or sing Commissioned songs better than Commissioned!!
neu	I find myself listing to the studio version (from back in the day) more than I do this live album.
mix	Don't get wrong if I lost for broke this cd I will buy it again, It was a good project I just wish different things could have been done.
nr	"There will never be another Commissioned like the original members" I do wonder why Michael Brooks wasn't a part of the reunion, Michael Brooks is the man everyone!!
nr	Seriously he is so gifted, great on the keys and is one of the best, if not "THE BEST" song writer in the music industry.
nr	He wrote most of the songs for Commissioned, the fact he wasn't there did disappointed me.
neu	I do hope Commissioned can put together another reunion album (original members only) and sing the songs that wasn't recorded on the reunion project like Learn To Pray, If My People, He Set Me Free, I'm Gonna Let My Love Flow, I Will Never Leave You, and sing the full version of Strange Land . . . . I could go on and on.
pos	The lyrics of Commissioned gets a 5 star rating because they didn't compromise their message with the world, their message was design to uplift your spirit so I must say thank you Commissioned for being a part of my childhood life, your music lives on and on!!
nr	Peace!!

music_neu_129
music	3
nr	This is a tough one.
nr	When I heard Marié Digby on NPR's Morning Edition Saturday with Scott Simon last year, I was so taken with her voice and style that I immediately downloaded "Unfold" from iTunes.
nr	The album was enchanting from open to close and most of its tracks remain in heavy rotation on my iPod.
nr	Marié's passion, sincerity, and beauty came through loud and clear in well-produced but organic arrangements.
nr	I could listen to this collection of songs over and over without losing interest.
nr	Marié is clearly a music wonk.
nr	She loves it; she lives it!
nr	She works hard at her craft and the success of "Unfold" garnered her a well-deserved higher profile.
nr	And she never stops!
nr	Look at the wealth of content on her YouTube channel if you think she's not among the hardest working musicians in the business.
nr	She was clearly keen to explore a new path.
nr	"Breathing Underwater" is the expression of this desire.
nr	Marié is completely ga-ga over her new "baby."
nr	And that's as it should be.
neg	But I must confess that the new album falls fairly flat for me.
neg	The acoustic production that made her stand out has been replaced with drum machines, multi-layering, and auto-tuning.
neg	The delicate, vine-laden garden lattice of "Unfold" has been replaced by a hard, brick wall of sound this time out.
neu	Given the current state of mainstream music, she now blends in. I don't know why Marié would want to sound like so many other young women in the pop market.
neu	But that's where "Breathing Underwater" deposits her.
nr	Marié is the beautiful woman who doesn't need makeup; you cringe a little bit when you see her layer it on in an apparent attempt to be more like her peers.
nr	In the end it's Marié's call, alone, as to where she takes her music.
nr	I have no doubt that "Breathing Underwater" will do very well for her.
neg	But it doesn't do much for me.
nr	Did I buy it?
nr	For $2.99, and given my affection for "Unfold," I could not resist.
nr	And I will listen to it several times hoping that something about it grabs me.
nr	"Unfold" grabbed me right away and has yet to let go.
neu	Marié wanted to move away from "Unfold." I'll nourish a hope that she keeps moving; on to something different for her third album.
neu	Perhaps something like Koop or old Zero7...? I'll still see her when she tours.
nr	That will likely be my best chance to hear acoustic versions of the new songs.

music_pos_34
music	5
nr	Formed by a former Throbbing Gristler and a buddy, Coil is difficult to describe as anything but "experimental" and "electronic."
nr	Some of their albums consist of little more than curious drones, while others are swirling with noises the hearer's mind cannot contain.
nr	*Loves Secret Domain*, released on the now post-indie WaxTrax label and currently out of print, collects a number of melodic, pop-based "songs" (they actually are coherent, with beginnings and ends) that are at times profoundly dancey ("Snow"), goth-y (as with the title track), meditative and pleasant or just plain WEIRD (the rest of the album).
nr	This their most accessible album tends to be their best, in my opinion (proof enough that these bois are capable of good, unpredictable, thoroughly enjoyable "pop").
nr	*Stolen and Contaminated Songs* consists, literally, of songs ripped from the WaxTrax album and reworked.
neu	This album is not as good nor accessible, but remains an enjoyable, second best.
nr	Don't expect the sonata form!

music_pos_36
music	5
nr	Only at the repeated insistence of my friend A. did I sit down and *really* listen to this album.
nr	I must admit that I regard much contemporary r&b and hip-hop with skepticism because of the same lack of individuality that is rife in the boy-band repertoire.
nr	Anything with high praise on a big label (eg Columbia)--especially anything that gets high praise in "awards" shows, must be sub par.
neu	Lauryn Hill knows this--and sings about it ("Superstar")--and produces an album that *she* wanted.
pos	The result is anything but ordinary.
pos	Her voice is silky and direct, and her lyric smart and direct.
pos	This is pure soul--its naked bearing, its deep hurt, its highest joys.
pos	The song, "To Zion," merits owning the album alone.
pos	In this tribute to her son Hill brings the listener to tears and expresses in a few short minutes what soul music is really about--its essence; a mother of music, indeed.
pos	Simply amazing.

music_pos_39
music	5
nr	Just when we thought synth-pop was dead and buried, the grizzled top end of Gen X decides it can't let go and nominates this Norwegian guy to rescue everything that was good about syth-eighties-dance (the romantic lyricism and desparing sense of "death tomorrow") and lose everything that was bad (the overly-romantic lyricism and androgynous tweek of casios "on the metro").
pos	Apoptygma Berzerk gets better with each album, artfully programming a solid pop sensibility with cutting edge danceteria and gothadustrial seasonings.
pos	*Welcome to Earth* is a no holes barred pop dance explosion of the romantic strain (more akin to camoflage, depeche mode, and alphaville than moby, prodigy or ministry), but offers up no limp wrists.
pos	Almost every track is amazing and of the sort which one wishes went on for another five minutes.
pos	A good corrective for Covenant fans who won't let go of the casios.
pos	Groth's use of female vocals and KORGs works much, much better.
nr	Need to dance and sing too?
pos	This album is it for 2000!

music_pos_43
music	5
pos	Only 5 Stars!!!
pos	If I could, I'd give Beethoven's Wig 2 ten or more stars!
pos	Richard Perlmutter has done it again - this cd is brilliant and has quickly become a beloved cd for our entire family.
pos	There is nothing better than listening to my children hum classical music and sing the lyrics to these great masterpieces!
pos	Every family should own a copy of this great CD!
pos	We can't wait for Beethoven's Wig 3!

music_pos_54
music	5
pos	This set of 6 CDs takes the book of the Cosmic Jesus one step further.
nr	The book explores the Words of Jesus in their original Aramaic.
pos	The CD book takes those concepts and Douglas-Klotz' scholarship into the realm of the auditory.
pos	The author/speaker carefully explains the meanings of the sayings of Jesus in their original Aramaic then teaches the listener the language forms of the various words.
pos	He then takes it to the next step of providing chants for use in meditation.
pos	These chants are accompanied by modern but appropriate guitar music and enable the listener/participator to enter more sensually into the original language.
pos	This is an extremely useful set of CDs for anyone who wishes to develop their spiritual meditative life.
nr	Interestingly I would have expected that it would be suitable only for a Christian participator.
pos	However the understanding of the Aramaic words gives such a clear liberal theological and spiritual basis of the unity of the Creator that it is accessible to anyone of any religious or spiritual tradition.
pos	Having used the CDs and having read the original book, I am also left wondering how "The Passion of Christ" a la Mel Gibson could use the Aramaic in order to present such a traditional conservative and violent view of the life and death of Jesus without leading the viewers into a more universal expression of compassion that is so evident in the CDs. Fully recommended

music_pos_62
music	5
nr	First of all, let me elaborate on the term "melodic death metal".
nr	I do not mean "Gothenburg" bands, but more accurately, Death Metal that contains some melody.
nr	Now that we've got that out of the way...
pos	Anata is one of those rare bands that hasn't yet written a bad song.
pos	While most people are only familiar with their third album, "Under A Stone With No Inscription", I'm here to tell you that this album is every bit as worthy of praise.
neu	"Released When You Are Dead" opens the album in a deceptive manner, as it is easily the most brutal song on the album.
pos	It is still quality though, with a massive slow riff in the middle.
nr	From here the songs become more melodic, with vocalist/guitarist/main man Fredrik Shalin alternating between growled and screamed vocals.
pos	The third song, "Under Azure Skies", deserves a paragraph of its own.
pos	This, my friends, is one of the best metal songs I've ever heard, period.
nr	Battery.
nr	Angel Of Death. Davidian.
nr	Heartwork.
pos	Blinded By Fear. Under Azure Skies. It deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as these classics.
pos	Beginning with slow, chugging riffs, it is after the first verse that it kicks into high gear, harmonies running rampant.
pos	But then the song breaks down into a bass-led melody, with Schalin at first almost speaking the lyrics, then screaming over the soft music.
pos	I'm butchering the description, but it's really a powerful piece.
pos	The song picks up again with more heart-wrenching harmonies, screams and pounding drums.
pos	Simply godly.
pos	I could go on and on about this wonderful album, but I won't.
nr	Instead, I'll just leave you to check out some of the music, and then maybe you'll buy it.
pos	Recommended like a rest after a hard day's work.

music_pos_66
music	5
nr	In an earlier review I had stated that TD's "Melrose" was their most haunting since this one.
pos	Well "Hyperborea" is their absolute most haunting an surreal cd ever in my book.
pos	It really does, as reviewer Morse put it, take you on a visual journey-you really do feal like you are there.
pos	I actually imagined myself amongst the pyramids and the Sphynx on the track 'Sphynx Lightening'.
pos	And on the title track, 'Hyperborea', I could see myself on a barren yet breath-taking frozen landscape.
pos	If you like a surreal sound, this is the one for you.
pos	And yes, as reviewer Morse also stated, you do have to listen closely for the subtle changes in style and tone(just when you think you are hearing a Celtic sort of sound, it moves on to something else and it challenges you to try and figure it out).
pos	You could actually(and this may appall the most devout new age listeners!)consider "Hyperborea" 'nature music', for it does indeed transport you to natural locales and states of mind.
nr	Does that sound like someone on an acid trip?
pos	Just buy it and you'll understand.
pos	And you should also enjoy it immensely.

music_pos_76
music	4
nr	Rock is not always about intensity.
nr	Just because a song has no screaming and yelling does not mean it is not a good song.
pos	A little more intensity would not hurt this album, BUT it is a good one.
nr	Who knows...
nr	maybe Staind will surprise everyone with a new CD eventually with the same intensity as before, or even more.
pos	But this CD is AWSOME!!!

music_pos_90
music	5
pos	They are so great and they give Atlanta a good reputation.
pos	I love their cd and I love them.
pos	They are cute and they can sing and dance.
pos	They do stuff their own way.
pos	So people don t like them cause of that but they are good and their cd is good.
nr	JoJo or Ciara would be good singing with them.

music_pos_101
music	5
pos	This record blows my mind.
pos	It is at once catchy, hummable and avant-garde.
pos	There are two big "wow" points here.
pos	The first is the "string," (le fil), a tone that persists throughout the entire record (and beyond, into secret-track land).
pos	This literally ties the entire record together and makes you listen to it as a suite: not that the songs don't stand by themselves, but this persistent note just keeps pulling you into the next one.
pos	The second big thing is that it is arranged almost all a cappella.
pos	Yes, there are instruments.
pos	But no, the instruments don't take center stage.
pos	It's all about the voice, the human beatbox, and the clap.
pos	This gives the record a real organic feeling: it doesn't sound as if it was spit out of a hit factory.
pos	I am amazed at Camille's self-assurance in making a record like this that relies so wholly on her own voice to carry it.
pos	The lyrics are wry, funny, and thought-provoking, but in my mind are almost completely occluded by the breathtaking arrangements and production.
nr	I am sure many people will browse this CD on Amazon and imagine that it's some kind of folk-song/chanson update, along the lines of Keren Ann, Carla Bruni, or Coralie Clement.
pos	It's not; it's more wonderful and inspiring and adventurous than those ladies' music.
pos	Incomparable is really the best word to describe "Le Fil."

videogames_neg_21
videogames	2
neg	"Disappointing" I love the whole sims 2 series but for me this game was fun at first but got boring after 2 days.
neg	I had an urge to play again and only kept it on for 5 minutes because of how bored I was.
nr	This game's challenge is to make a town into a five star town but to do this you must make items for your sims and houses throughout the whole game and find essences.
neg	This game also doesn't have a lot of building items, after I made a couple places my houses started to look the same.
neg	My friend had said before I bought it to don't get it but I thought it looked so fun I wanted it and didn't know what he was talking about but then after I regretted it.
mix	Oter than that the sims are really cute but you also don't get a lot of clothes to choose from when you make your character.
neg	I was highly disapointed with this game.

videogames_neg_24
videogames	1
neu	At first it was ok.
pos	You got to be the scorpion king and learn to kick bad guy butt while also dishing out insults.
pos	I would enjoy it because you would get weapons such as swords and daggers.
nr	You'd then battle "ancient evils" in the name of good.
nr	These ancient evils would be evil gods and monsters, and their minions would be men, snakes, and dogs (rabid dogs, not puppies).
neg	What I didn't like about this game was that the last level was just like the first.
neg	You always had the same weapons, techniques, and the minions would always act the same!
neg	They all just staggered back when they died and always seemed to come out of nowhere!
neg	Then the bosses weren't even historically accurate, and it didn't take a historian to figure that out!
neg	The fist boss was Anubus and another was medusa, so the creators just threw in some Greek gods with the Egyptian ones!
mix	So to sum it up: OK: The graphics (on a scale of 1 to ten; 4) The music (it was ok, but not awe in spiring) BAD: The weapons (there were only four different kinds, and one type of shield) The bosses (Egyptian and Greek Gods DON'T mix!)
neg	The levels (the same thing over and over) The minions (they always acted the same, like they just had different skins or something) I wouldn't recommend buying this game for someone with experience, but if you just got a gamecube and the price is right ($5 or less) then maybe consider it.

videogames_neg_26
videogames	2
neg	"All flash, no substance" Features -All skill-requiring mini-games have been removed!
neg	Newborns can now enjoy Mario Party!
neg	Yay! -Use of the microphone!
neg	Because everybody loves microphone games!
neg	But it's cool if you don't have one because then you have a space on every board that does nothing!
neg	Awesome eh?
neg	-Amazingly pointless, annoying new game mechanics!
neg	Let's just say I'm glad I rented.
nr	Well, I'm being kind of harsh.
nr	Drop by your local gamestop and play the demo of this game.
nr	There's this one mini-game with go-karts that has you think 'All I have to do is move the joystick and press A!
nr	Hahaha, how easy' but then you run into walls.
neg	That's the only real apeal to this game though, I don't think any more poorly of the Mario Party series for this game....it's just not worth buying...

videogames_neg_29
videogames	2
nr	Just finished playing Batman: Arkham Asylum and it occurs to me that the true single player shooter/RPG is dead, long live the shooter/RPG. I say this because I finished B:AA in a little over a day.
nr	Remember when Zelda or Silent Hill or Final Fantasy or Metal Gear provided weeks of immersive escapist delight?
nr	Now, these kinds of single player experiences have basically been given lip service and effectively jettisoned in exchange for gratuitous (albeit cool) super-graphics, boring and useless cut scenes (I want to play I don't want to watch) and worst of all expanded on-line circle jerkage.
nr	Really, with an environment like Silent Hill to suck you in and scare the crap out of you for three solid, befuddling weeks, do I really care if I can enter an online world where I'm competing against some angst-ridden, suicidal, pimply faced, vapid, goth pre-adolescent pre-teen with mommy/daddy issues?
nr	Oh, and not just like one of them, but, like, dude, like hundreds, like yo?
nr	Please, bring back the day where an old fart like me can fire up the X-Box or the Playstation (not the Wii, give me a break), and look forward to weeks and weeks of kick butt shooter/RPG action and adventure and frights and delights.
nr	You can take your on-line mosh pits and shove them.
nr	Somebody, please, bring back a true single player gaming experience!

videogames_neg_33
videogames	1
neg	Very rarely do you come across a game like this, and I'm extremely glad for this.
neg	The second installment in the Final Fantasy Legends series, is probably the worst, and later on, becomes physically painful to play.
neu	Graphics : 5/10 Probably one of the nicest parts of the entire game, the graphics are nothing amazing, but nothing extremely horrible.
neg	Story : 1/10 Here's where things start to go bad.
nr	You get woken up one night by your father, and he tells you about the 77 pieces of ''Magi'' spread across the world, that when put together form a statue.
nr	You, obviously, go in search of them.
neg	Normally I don't have problems with simple stories, but when combined with the monotony of the quest, you'd think they would have written a better story, to keep you interested.
neu	Controls : 5/10 Nothing really bad, typical GameBoy RPG controls, you'll get used to them very quickly.
neg	Gameplay : 1/10 As you journey around, you have to battle against other monsters, and buy weapons/armour, like any other game.
neg	The only problem with FFL2 is the fact that you never gain a ''level'' you just randomly gain stats, which gets annoying, since you have to spend so much more time ''level'' building, than any other RPG I've played.
neg	And when you get to the later levels, and the monsters are extremely tough, this becomes even more annoying, with the limited weapons use.
neg	You have say ''hit points'' for each weapon, for example: You equip a sword, and it can only be used 15 times before breaking.
neg	Now, of course, as you continue onwards, you find that weapons become even more expensive, and slowly begin having less, and less hit points, so when you do want to ''level'' up, you have to get new weapons every several battles, just to keep leveling up, which takes all your gold, which means to do anything else you need to go fight....
neg	it's an endless cycle that becomes annoying in the later sections when you face up against some extremely hard boss characters.
neg	Luckily, you do run into a few ''super'' weapons that don't have any ''hit points'' but they're very few, and by the time you find them, you've probably already grown sick of this game, and thrown it against a wall.
neg	Sound : 1/10 A problem that seems to infest all the other GB FFL games, is the overly ''sad'' music.
neg	Normally, I don't complain about music, but in most games, the tunes are at least halfway decent, and you can continue playing without having to have the game on mute.
neg	But with FFL2, the music just is so repetitive, and melancholy, even during the ''happy'' parts of this game.
neg	Replay Value : 1/10 If you have enough strength to go through this game once, trust me, you'll never want to go through it again.
nr	Rental/Purchase?
neg	Unless you really adored the original FFL, STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME!
neg	EVEN IF YOU SEE IT FOR ONLY 2 DOLLARS!
neg	DO NOT BUY OR RENT THIS GAME!
neg	Pick up FFA or FFL3 for halfway decent Final Fantasy games on the GB. Final Comments: I was stuck with this game and Mario Golf being my only entertainment on a cross country trip (I lost 4-5 of my GBC/GB games in a hotel room) and every time I tried to stomach through this game, I kept running back to Mario Golf. Please, if you want a good game, get anything but this.

videogames_neg_41
videogames	2
neg	look i bought this game one day and with in 2 days i had beaten it 3 times on the hardest difficulty.
nr	im not even a hard core gamer, more of a casual one.
neg	i wouldnt really suggest buying it unless ur one of those who pick something up and can play 5 min of it and not play it for a long time.
neg	not really any replay value and theres only 1 special unlock at the end of the game, after u get that its boring.
neg	so again, i wouldnt advise any of u to buy it.
mix	its got pretty good graphics and the gameplay is pretty nice untill well, u beat it in the first 2 hours.

videogames_neg_46
videogames	1
neg	This is the worst port I've played in a long time.
neg	And I thought Mass Effect was bad.
neg	By comparison this game makes the transfer of Mass Effect from Xbox to PC look like a carefully designed masterpiece.
neg	The controls are lousy.
neg	You cannot access menus through use of the mouse, which is so counter intuitive that it screams fail.
neg	The controls just always feel awkward no matter how much you tweak your key mapping.
neg	Miserable to play throughout.
neg	The graphics are crummy, and despite having crossfired graphics cards (HD4870s).
neg	I can't get decent frames no matter what.
neg	I easily get 40-50 frames a second on very high in Crysis, and Saints Row pulls an awful 20-27 despite having inferior graphics.
neg	Other problems include common clipping issues, buildings and terrain that pops up out of nowhere, and the worst skins I've seen on character models since 2004. The models are sloppy, robotic looking, and frankly ugly.
neg	Enemies get frozen in space, stuck in doorways, etc... It's so bad it's amateurish.
neg	The graphic problems alone make the game almost unplayable.
neg	Don't waste your money and try to play this game on the PC. It will frustrate you, anger you, and make you want to chuck the game in the trash.
neg	It cannot be played at high graphics even with a very high quality PC. I don't think they can even patch the thing to playability because of the graphic issues that may not be fixable.
neg	Don't buy under any circumstances.

videogames_neg_49
videogames	1
nr	[***SPOILER***] Where do all these positive comments come from?
nr	Does Valve hire or pay people to rate this game with an average of 9?!? Come on!
nr	This can't be serious.
neg	Any (even just a little experienced) gamer who actually played this game must be disappointed.
nr	All the people I have spoken to in my neighbourhood think alike and somehow all the people here are EP1-addicted/fanatics?
nr	Where have you all been in the past few years?
mix	When you rate this EP1 with a 10 what were CoD (2), Battlefield (2), FEAR and HL2 then.....a 25??! Yes the graphics are great, just as they were in HL2 (ok HDR is added and it does look nice, but it's not that much of a difference).
neu	The weapons are ok....and exactly the same as in HL2. The monsters are ok....just as they were in HL2. Well, they did add one whole new monster.
nr	Some 'genious' used almost a year to come up with a....ZOMBIE!
neg	It's just a fatter and faster version of the standard-zombie from HL2. How refreshing.
neg	Did they become smarter?
neg	No...not at all.
neg	They just come rushing towards you.
nr	It feels like my duty to inform potential buyers.
nr	PLEASE go and play the game at a store or at an friends place.
neg	It surely ain't worth the $20,-. Even at 'difficult' you will probably be able to end this game in about 2-3 hours.
neg	Do you pay for an superb new concept with fantastic eyecandy, great gameplay and AI?
neg	No....you pay $20,- for 3 hours 'more of the same'.
neg	Please Valve: Stop just making money....start making great games/expansions again.

videogames_neg_51
videogames	2
pos	My 3 year old son absolutely loved playing this game.....
neg	until he finished it after 3 days.
neg	He cried for about 45 mins after the end credits rolled.
neg	He couldn't understand why there were no more levels to play.
neg	I tried to get him to play through it once more but he kept screaming.
neg	"I already played this story.
neg	I want more Diego!"
neg	My advice is to not buy this game for your children.
neg	Especially not any over 3 years old.
neg	It was a total waste of my money.
neg	If I could return it and get a refund I would.
neg	And I would get a game that's not so easy that a 3 year old can beat it in 3 days.

videogames_neg_55
videogames	2
neg	Pros: It makes a great coaster for a frothy beverage!!!
neg	... Cons: Everything....
nr	explained below.
nr	Ok, here's the bottom line.
nr	An avid Falconeer from the old days knows that this is a quickly repacked and cleaned up version of the SuperPak 4.2 series, created off the original falcon4 code.
neg	simply, THIS WAS RELEASED, NOT TO REJUVINATE THE COMMUNITY, BUT TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK. If ya wanna fly around and blow stuff up like a mongoloid retard, BUY THIS SIM!
neg	If ya want emmersion, and overall the highest levels of reality you can get, buy the original Falcon4.0 disk and then go download either FreeFalcon4 from www.freefalcon.com/forums OR Openfalcon 4.5 from: www.f4forums.com/forum The best thing about those 2 sims are 1 - they're free 2 - They're not junk like Falcon4.0 allied Force is.
neg	Do youself a favor, get your head's out from where ever you all have stuck them and get with the program, either FreeFalcon or Openfalcon for true realisim and performance.
nr	-CrashDown

videogames_neu_26
videogames	3
neu	This game is pretty easy to play but when u play for a few hours....
neu	u will find that the talking time gets longer and longer...
neu	and whats make me stop playing is that after i finish a tournment and cont my mission.
neg	I accidentally die and GAME OVER... Then i release that my previous save point is far far beyong...
neg	I have been playing for abt 4 hrs and all th SAVE POINT i get to use is ONLY 4.... Cos without the save pt, u cant save at all...
neg	even after u finish killing a Boss or tournment, u cant even save...
neg	The distance between save pts is a few town away...
neg	wat the hell !!! So it was a waste of time...
neg	If they want to make save with onl at SAVE POINT, then they should at least have one on every town...
neg	U cant imagine us playing for few hours and don't die at all...
neg	and if die is game over...
neg	Should have some checkpoint at least so that if we kill by boss then we cant rematch again...
neg	Thinking that if u go fight the boss without any saving...
neg	Is not that the boss is a sure win situation rite...
neg	there is a very high chance that we'll be kill by the boss...

videogames_neu_29
videogames	3
pos	Pros: The cover actually has Cornet on it.
pos	Extra features after game play.
neg	... Cons: No original illustrations to find.
neg	No ability to change from English to Japanese in the music/subtitles.
neg	Original character expressions replaced with medicore digital drawings.
neg	Gaming grid system is gone.
neg	Took away game play settings.
nr	Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is one of my most favorite games of all time.
nr	It's not the most dramatic, or the most visually exciting, but it brings charm, hope, and a smile to my face when I need it most.
neg	I was certainly one of the most excited fans out there when I heard this game was going to DS, and the disappointment with all the features they left out of this game was appalling.
nr	One of the BEST features of the game is being able to change from Japanese to English in both the subtitles and music tracks!
nr	Why else would a fan want to play a MUSICAL GAME?
nr	Is that not the most important part, that the characters sing?
neg	Another issue is the loss of the original design illustrations.
nr	Admittedly, I am an illustrator, but those illustrations were yet another golden cookie that added to my gaming experience.
neg	Also with the illustration issue, the icons that represent the characters expressions when they're talking, were JUST FINE the way they were and I do not see how REDRAWING all of them enhanced the experience.
neg	What time they spent redrawing those expressions they could have used to maintain the original grid system format for the DS. A different issue is the gameplay settings: Easy(aka never played a video game in your life), Medium (aka played one rpg), and Hard (aka easy mode on normal rpgs) have disappeared.
neg	Admittedly, I'm sure we didn't NEED the settings, but if anything, making Rhapsody HARDER or adding an experience booster would've better than eliminating the settings all together.
neg	Converting this game to the DS could have been a lot simpler and would have given the fans more of what they wanted.
neg	I wish that NIS America had done more polls to fans to ask what we wanted.
neg	We are still out here and you have ruined the artistic integrity for this game.
pos	I do like finally having Cornet on the cover.
nr	The original game had a spoiler for a cover.
pos	It is also nice to enjoy extra features after gameplay.
nr	I don't want to entirely slam this game for fans.
nr	I would love to have a new generation of girl gamers to be able to enjoy this (sorry guys, don't really see you playing this, no offense).
neu	All the original character sprites are still here, as well as a beastiary and character display, but both of these additions do not qualify for forgetting about all the other subtle features that made the original game so popular for the so few of us that played it.
neg	The next time a company remakes a game for fans, THEY SHOULD ASK FIRST. BRING IT UP ON MORE FORUMS, WE WILL BE INTERESTED.

videogames_neu_32
videogames	3
nr	"Don't believe the hype" I wanted to love this game so bad.
nr	It seems lately all games are missing that old feeling I used to get that caused me to play a game for days and months.
neg	Unfortunately, Assassins Creed failed with me also.
neg	The game play is annoying, repetitive, and stupidly hard.
neg	I have a lot of problems with this game.
neg	First of all, you do the exact same things through the whole game.
nr	Save citizens, pick pocket, climb buildings to get to view points, interrogate, rinse, repeat.
neg	The game never changes up, it is the same all the way through.
neg	One of the most repetitive games I have ever played.
nr	The combat, oh boy the combat.
pos	There are a lot of cool moves and fighting abilities you can use, but you will never need too.
neg	I will now tell you all you need to know to survive any fight you get into, hold RT, hit X as soon as your foe attacks, and you counter, that's all you need to do.
neg	If they grab, you, hit B instead of X to break the hold.
neg	You have now mastered the fighting game.
nr	Now you ask, why did you say this game is so hard if the fighting is easy?
neg	Let me explain the most annoying part, even more annoying than the repetitiveness.
mix	Many missions require you to assassinate and go unnoticed, understandable for this game, and they are cool, except it is all but impossible to go unnoticed.
nr	You can be minding your own business, and boom the guards spot you and you are fighting again.
neg	Then guess what, time to replay the whole segment, but you have to listen and watch the same video and mission start again because there is no skip option.
neg	Brilliant, loving this.
neg	Let's throw in the fact you have time limits on these assassination missions also, and you get a completely annoying game that is cheap and will aggravate you past the point of reason.
neg	Why oh why did that 1 guard see me with 20 seconds left as I slowly walk back to my informant?
neg	Well, time to try again.
neg	This is not fun.
nr	You are too stealth as an assassin right?
neg	And I agree the game should not be easy, but it is almost impossible, which really ruins a game based on stealth.
neg	Very disappointing for a game I looked forward too so much.

videogames_neu_36
videogames	3
mix	"Broken" The Good: Decent story, tons of gore, great graphics and audio, new features are neat The Bad: Abysmal combat, terrible control, extremely slow pace, laughable voice acting I tried so hard to love RE1 and look beyond it's major flaws.
neg	Flaws such as the abysmal combat system.
neg	You can't aim at anything!
neg	The tank controls don't help either so you always end up dying CONSTANTLY, and with a lack of health and ammo you'll toss your PS1/PS2/PS3/PSP out the window.
neg	The other flaw is the level design.
neg	Everything is so confusing and it's so easy to get lost.
neg	The map doesn't help one bit because all it does is highlight the hallway that you are in red and you have to decipher what doors go where.
neg	Another thing that doesn't help is the game's pace...it's sooooooo slow!
neg	When you open a door or walk up stairs the animations talk forever to finish, menu are slow, text is not skippable.
neg	Another flaw is the laughable and hideous voice acting.
neg	They actors sound like they're fresh out of remedial drama, while the live action cut scenes are just as bad.
pos	The only good part about RE is the story, enemies, and the amount of gore there is.
neg	While DC offers vibration, uncensorship, and a few game play tweaks it's not worth it.
neg	RE4 was my first RE and going back to this is just awful.
neg	If you haven't played RE1 you're not missing much at all.

videogames_neu_38
videogames	3
nr	"All flash, no substance" Let me begin by saying that I do not currently nor do I have any plans to actually go out and purchase NBA Live 2006 for the Xbox360.
nr	I do own the Xbox version of Live and this review is off of the NBA Live 06 Demo available off the Live Marketplace and the extensive time I was able to get with the game at the Microsoft Xbox360 Zero Hour event.
nr	The most evident change from the last generation of consoles (PS2, Xbox, GC) to the newest generation is the graphics.
nr	To me it seems as though EA Sports spent a rather large majority of their time developing this game from "scratch" on the graphics.
pos	The arenas, player models, crowds, coaches, lighting, and presentation are all the best I've ever seen in a basketball game.
pos	Yes, I do think they are way better in this game than NBA 2k6 for the 360. The reason I feel this way is because the textures used for the skin look a lot better, have more color, and the sweat graphics look more realistic.
neg	The only problem I have with anything graphical are some of the transitions between animations in the game...
neg	they just don't seem to blend as well as I had hoped.
pos	On the gameplay side, the difficulty settings allow for pretty good challenge between teams.
nr	The default settings are a little too slow for my liking, but of course that can be changed.
neg	I gave this game a 6 for the gameplay because of the lack of features they included in this version of the game versus the Xbox 1 version.
neg	I mean no superstar moves, no dunk contest, where's franchise mode???
neg	The game seems to play more simulation type of bball, but the numbers at the end of a game don't follow.
neg	Maybe next year or the version for the PS3 will be what Live gamers were expecting from a next generation title.
pos	The sound and presentation in the game are fantastic.
pos	The arenas feel alive and watching the game and the start screen is great.
neg	Finally, I have to give this game such a low value rating because all you are getting for a $60 game is a single game mode, basic season mode, online play, and create a player...
neg	I don't think it's right for EA to expect people to pay $10 more for less content compared to the past console versions.
neg	It's like NBA Live without serveral of the features that make Live such a fun bball series.

videogames_neu_40
videogames	3
nr	I've owned every Crash Bandicoot game ever, and am a big fan.
nr	This game is almost exactly like the old Crash Bandicoot platformers, apart from a few noticable differences.
pos	The graphics are better and run very smoothly, without a single hitch or framerate problem.
neg	The only thing is though, is that if you've played Xbox games with great graphics, Halo, for instance, then you will be disgusted by this games' graphics.
neg	Another thing-Crash does not play as well as he used to.
neg	Crash used to run- now he seems to run, but very slowly.
neg	He runs as if he has been running for 400 miles beforehand.
neg	Also, his movements and actions are very slow and he appears to glide when he jumps.
pos	Also, if you are used to the difficulty level of every other Crash Bandicoot game ever made (which is stupidly easy) then you will be surprised by the Wrath of Cortex. It is very difficult, and offers a great challenge, especially the boss levels.
pos	Other than these, The wrath of cortex is a very enjoyable platformer, with some great action moments and puzzles to figure out.
neg	The only problem is, if you enjoyed the previous Crash Bandicoot games, you may be disappointed by his laest outing.
mix	I reccommend this only if you want a challenge or if you've never played a Crash Bandicoot game before.

videogames_neu_43
videogames	3
neg	"Disappointing" The overall storyline of the game is held together by poor one-liners.
neg	The storyline is flat and uninventive.
neg	utterly disappointing.
nr	Asside from the storyline you have missions to complete.
neg	The only thing that holds these missions in context is the thin storyline, so it ends up being a mission-based arena game, with the difference that the arena maps are a bit larger than traditional arena games.
neg	The fighting is pretty uninventive, unless I totally missed the point.
neg	You basically have spells and weapons, then hack and slash your way through the enemies to the bosses.
neg	Finish the boss, move on to the next mission.
neu	The visuals aren't to bad, but then again, they're nothing new.
neg	Considering the relatively small size of the maps, the graphic detail could have been seriously improved.
neg	Even the special effects are lacking.
neu	I guess the sound wasn't too bad, but nothing out of the ordinary.
nr	If you want to play this, I recommend you rent it at the local Blockbuster.
neg	Don't buy it, its a waste of money.

videogames_neu_45
videogames	3
mix	Pros: Simple and functional base gameplay.Amazingly good controls (the touch screen shines in this game)....Cons: The music is pretty annoying.The game will only last so long before getting stale.Default scores on scoreboard are too high.
nr	Zoo Keeper is basically Bejeweled.
nr	Most everyone and their mom have played Bejeweled.
nr	Which means, people have basically played Zoo Keeper. That doesn't mean the game is bad.
pos	It's actually a very good puzzle game.
pos	And man, that stylus control just makes you love the DS.Zoo Keeper's basic premise is to line up 3 or more same animals horizontally or vertically.
nr	This will make them disappear and anything above the animals in the line will fall to fill the space.
nr	There is a timer on the left side that you must keep from running out by capturing more animals.
pos	Simple, but addicting.
pos	The game has a very easy learning curve.
pos	And it's a good game to play on a lazy day.The biggest reason I love this game is the fact that the stylus control just works so well.
nr	It makes it seem like Bejeweled (Zoo Keeper) was initially designed for the DS. Click on the animal and drag and it will rotate in the direction you drag.
pos	It's very quick and very precise.There are 4 modes to keep you entertained.
neg	They're all basically the same.
nr	Quest is extremely hard to place in as the game has you do specific tasks like capturing 20 lions without capturing too many other animals.
pos	Time Attack is great for short 6 minute play sessions.
pos	The other two are marathon game types.The game also has single cart multiplayer aka DS Download Play. It's a fun experience though sometimes luck has a big hand in who wins.
nr	Luck because sometimes animals will just conveniently continue to line up as more animals fall from the top.
neu	The multiplayer, like the rest of the game, is very simple but functional enough.The game is probably not worth it's original price tag of $30. It's currently selling for $20. But you can find it for cheaper if you look around.
pos	It's definitely worth the $10 I got it for.

videogames_neu_49
videogames	3
neg	"Almost, but not quite" The game has a feel to it like CoV (the quest/mission instance's)but with out the quickness and fun.
neg	What I really didnt like about it was that the quests (the large ones) don't end with one dungeon.
neg	Allot of them have continuation's and a peep feels obligated to finish the whole series of quests in one go, with the rest of his group (what i mean by that is not letting your friends down by dropping out befour its done).
neg	Even if it means being up till 6:00 when u halfta work the next morning at 8:00 or 9:00:( The game also takes a real long time to lvl in compareason with other morgs with a really low cap (I could get a char to lvl 15-20 or so in WOW in the time it would take me to get to lvl 2-4 in DDO. But I imagine i could get a couple of chars to lvl 10 in DDO in the time it would get a char in WOW to lvl 60) So it takes a while to get going in DDO where other MMORGS let u get some early lvls fairly easy to get u hooked(interested) Where as DDO u are a wimp for a long time whitch isnt fun.
neg	I think DDO will go the way of all turbine's other MMORG AC2 but allot quicker than AC2 did as AC2 was fun to play at least for a bit.
mix	Looks great, to many bugs and to reliant on grouping (weak chars) only a couple chars can solo.

videogames_neu_51
videogames	3
neg	"All flash, no substance" Only get this game if you really, really, really love the trilogy.
mix	Not to be misconstrued I love the story of the one ring, the hobbit is also very entertaining, however this game is just a cheap and uninspired leech that gets all it's inspiration from the motion picture.
neg	I sat through hours and hours of the epic films (including the extended versions) the fragments they through in with this game are just, how you say LAME!
neg	In summary I dislike it immensly, also downloaded the demo for the second one.
nr	The demo for battle for middle earth two has more to it than this whole game.
nr	I might be considered a bit bias because in my experience I enjoy games in the 1st or 3rd person point of veiw a bit more.
neg	The 40 bucks I spent for this game is sorley missed, refund is desired k thanks.

videogames_pos_20
videogames	4
nr	Well, I am a big fan of Western Shoot em up movies, and...well...pretty much any shoot em up movie will do...One of my favorites was ''Last Man Standing''...Anyways to the game!
pos	Well, I first got into this game in a PC Gamer magazine demo-disk....I thought it was fun, and shelled out the $20 dollars for it...I loved every minute of the game!
pos	Graphics: 8/10 These graphics are just blocks piled ontop of eachother to present a character....But, I guess in the time this came out...which was I believe '97.....these graphics still weren't top noch....Oh well...I don't judge games by graphics....Although...The cut scenes were fantastic!
pos	A nice western-cartoon feel!
nr	They bring the rating up from a six, since the cut scenes don't last long.
pos	Story: 8/10 (same as pretty much any western type anything) You are a former marshal....Bad ass dude...Well, a bunch of people want your land, along with all the land surrounding you...You kept refusing, so while you went to the store to pick up some supplies, and your wife's perfume, they murder your wife, burn down your house, and kidnap your kid!
pos	Well....You do what any badass ex-marshal would do; Go on a rampage and kill every one of those little Mutta Fu...nevermind....You just kill em all.
pos	Better than most FPS (exception; BLOOD!)
neu	Challenge: 6/10 I found some of the puzzles pretty confusing...and challenging....The bosses you just treat in the normal First Person manor...The enemies are pretty simple...Just go out there, move around, and if you are good enough, you can dodge lots of bullets and shoot the bloody hell outta them.....
pos	Controls: 10/10 Your usual for a FPS.....You get your regular fire, then a special fire which can make you shoot faster on some guns...you also got your open doors button...then your move buttons...and map...and jump...and so on.
pos	You really can't complain about the controls, since you can modify them to your liking.
pos	Sounds and Music: 7/10 Well, the sound is fantastic!
pos	The voices are done well!
pos	The gunshots are...near perfect.....there is even some villains that taunt you during the major killage which you inflict on the fiends....Then the music...Your very great western music!
nr	DUH!!! IT'S A FU...FREAKING WESTERN GAME!!!
neg	Though...After spending some time in a level with pretty much the same exact music, it gets boring...and annoying...and after the whole game, the same tracks are used in atleast four different levels...I think....Maybe it's the same track in every level...
neu	Replay Value: 6/10 Depends....You might go on multi player and play with absolutely nobody....I can't remember a time when anybody actually played multiplayer.....Anyways....If you wait a few years and play it again...Or you might just wanna kill some cowboys in western clint eastwood style....
pos	Originality: 9/10 It's been a while since there's been a western-like FPS...actually....I can't remember any other...Well there is probably another Western FPS I've played, just this was the most memorable....
pos	In conclusion, I give this game an 8/10....It's a really good game....seriously....The best western game I've ever played....It's got a nice story (for an fps), and all sorts of other junk...This is the game for any western shoot em up lover or just a regular action/FPS lover....Hell, it's even good for people who aren't fans of the genre

videogames_pos_22
videogames	5
pos	"Revolutionary" Halo was one of those games you cannot live without.
pos	It has such a rich campaign mode and the fact you can do co-op is a great feature.
pos	One of the best shooters of all time it is better on the Xbox than on the PC. Its graphics could have been a little bit better, but it is still one of the best Xbox launch titles.
pos	I love the assault rifle and the magnum and it was disappointing to see no assault rifle in Halo 2. They also replaced the magnum with a crappier version that is too weak.
nr	I am awaiting Halo 3 and they showed Cheif holding the assault rifle which will be a great addition.
neg	I think in multiplayer you should be able to fly a pelican to drop of ammo and vehicles to your allies but if the other team shoots it down, it will not spawn until the next match.

videogames_pos_33
videogames	5
pos	If Final Fantasy VII is considered the pinnacle of console RPGs, then Baldur's Gate is most definetely considered the pinnacle of computer RPGs. This is simply one of the best series of games ever made, and any RPG fan simply cannot afford to not play it (and since the whole series is available for a tenner, you don't exactly have an excuse not to do so!)
pos	Pros: -One of the best RPG series ever of all time for ten pounds.
pos	I haven't seen a bargain like that for a while.
pos	-Make your own unique character from scratch in Baldur's Gate 1, and then after completing the first game, import them into Baldur's Gate 2 for true continuity and continue the saga.
pos	-100+ hours of pure RPG bliss, with an epic storyline to match.
pos	-Although the storyline does follow a set path, there are no restrictions in party members.
nr	Does your childhood friend Imoen annoy the hell out of you?
pos	Then dump her in the inn (or kill her if you are feeling particularly evil) and go off gallivanting with the Halfing pirate and insane necromancer instead!
pos	-A horde of sidequests that can distract you from the main story-path for hours on end.
pos	-Choose your character's allignment (from 'goody-goody two shoes' to 'completely neutral' to 'murderous lunatic'.
pos	-Unlike the original releases, every part of the series is just 1 DVD, which creates a lot less hassle.
neg	Cons: -Despite the fact the game comes on DVDs you still can't avoid disk swapping at certain parts if you install all the expansions.
neg	For this reason I'd put off installing the expansions until you're at a point when you can make use of the expansion content (basically end-game or when you reach the experience-cap).
neg	-Similarly to games like Black and White who let you decide to either be naughty or nice, the good and evil aspect isn't exactly balanced.
neg	Generally the rewards for playing good are superior to taking an evil option (and sometimes there isn't a clear-cut evil option available at all).
neg	-Since Baldur's Gate 2 isn't able to check what characters are dead and alive during your playthrough of the first game, if you play through both games you might find characters who you accidentally got beaten to death by a pack of gnolls being A-okay again (and the story of the second game also assumes you had a certain party-setup which you probably didn't).
neu	This can't really be helped though, since it would have been difficult to drive the story on if all the major characters were absent since you killed them during Baldur's Gate 1! But these aren't REALLY cons, just some of the things I spotted and said 'That could have been slightly better'.
pos	RPG fan or no, you have no excuse not to play this incredible series.

videogames_pos_37
videogames	5
pos	Edios's latest instalment to the Tomb Raider franchise is spectacular, and one of this year's best games.
pos	Graphics - 9.5/10 Beautiful.
pos	From the glistening waterfalls to the detailed backgrounds to Lara herself, everything is awsome.
pos	Attention to detail is astonishing, from equipment appearing on Lara as you gain it, to the smoke from her guns, everything will leave you breathless.
mix	My only complaint is that lower end PCs cannot run next-gen graphics, therefore reducing the beauty of it all Audio - 10/10 The game's background music, although infrequent, appears just at the right time.
pos	The beautiful ambiance will make you feel like you're actually in the game.
pos	And even the voice acting is well done, with the occasional joke now and then.
pos	Good job Edios!
pos	Gameplay - 10/10 If you've played a previous Tomb Raider game, then the outcome is predictable: jumping around, shooting bad guys, and the occasional puzzle and boss fight.
pos	It's the execution that makes this game shine.
pos	No stat-building, no crappy jumps, and NO camera issues.
nr	Jumping will soon become natural, with the probability of barely making the ledge, requiring you to quickly save Lara via the action button.
nr	Shimmying, rolling, and swinging will soon become second nature(or else!).
nr	Gun combat also had a massive overhaul, requiring more strategy when engaging in combat.
nr	Enemies won't dodge attacks, but are still a big threat.
nr	Dodging, rolling, and new slo-mo combat will aid you greatly.
neu	Puzzles are not overly hard to figure out, but execution can be tricky.
pos	Some puzzles can be solved multiple ways, allowing for a varied challenge depending on your gameplay style.
pos	Overall, brilliant execution.
pos	Controls - 9/10 Although keyboard controls are a bit clunky, a 10$ PS2-style gamepad will fix this right up.
pos	Story - 8.5/10 As before, you have to raid tombs (hence the name), gaining the artifact inside.
pos	What sets this game apart from previous installments is the way it ties Lara's past into the mix, allowing for a slowly unraveling plot to appear.
pos	Not spectacular, but a damned fine effort Replay Value - 7/10 The game is quite short, but the hidden artifacts and unlockables (and a time trial mode), allows for many a redo.
pos	Overall - 9/10 The Good-Graphics, gameplay, and audio will blow you away.
neg	The Bad-Low end PCs can't run next-gen graphics; slightly clunky keyboard controls The Hell?!-Early in the game, you can hear the guards talking about a monkey smoking a cigarette.
pos	Weird. Buy or Rent-Buy. You'll want to keep this one for ages!
nr	A shinesprite56 review C 2006

videogames_pos_39
videogames	4
pos	"Innovative" I played GC endlessly when it came out.
pos	Very addictive!
nr	There is a steep learning curve in this game, which can only partly be compensated by starting off with weak enemies.
nr	When you play against weak foes, you will not really be "tested."
nr	You will just get an easier game.
neg	Also, your diplomatic actions and nice foreign relations may or may not pay off, so it is difficult to figure out a winning strategy.
neg	Just when you think you got it figured out, you will get hit upside the head, or start a game with tougher enemies that just kill you.
neg	If you graduate to intelligent enemies, the game is "very challenging," aka "painful."
neg	You may win one out of ten tries.
neg	That can be discouraging; when you seem to be getting off to a good start, only to have some aliens just stomp out your civilization with superior everything; and no help from your supposed allies.
pos	The AI in this game is so strong and deeply complex, that it can actually make you feel stupid, which is probably not good for the gaming masses.
nr	Considering the fragile male ego, I would think that most guys want to feel smarter than the game-in-the-box, and would simply give up on this game.
nr	Girls are welcome to try of course!
nr	True strategy aficionados (and a few sado-masochists) will take this routine humiliation as a challenge and rack their brains to figure out a better way to play, but ultimately a player's choices are limited--and sometimes you are simply doomed.
nr	One thing I can say for sure: If you get a bad starting location, you will never overcome it, no matter how hard you try.
neg	If you get bad position, just START OVER. In fact, let me file that one complaint: starting location in the galaxy (which seems fairly randomized) should not be such a profound determinant to the outcome.
nr	EARLY GAME STRATEGY TIPS Best starting politics is either pacifist or populist.
nr	Speed is a good primary enhancement, plus diplomacy and influence.
nr	Speed is very useful at the beginning, whereas influence and diplomacy have strong effects later on.
nr	You need to start in a location which is relatively unoccupied by potential enemies, and land grab like crazy.
nr	This means 100% or 66% military spending (for colony ships) and zero social spending for 10 or 20 turns.
nr	Try to build a couple more survey ships for a quick boost to your stats and possible early attack capability.
nr	If you have a nearby competitor, use your survey ships (if they procure attack capability, a matter of luck) to wipe out colony ships and other survey ships to secure your sector of the galaxy.
nr	Early wars are soon forgotten and do not affect your alignment.
nr	Usually the entire galaxy gets occupied quickly, but sometimes there will be a "backwater" of stars which is too far from all comers for direct colonization.
nr	The secret is to build a space station (or a chain of them) to bridge the gap and get your colonists over there.
nr	That backwater is likely the safest location in the game.
nr	Once established, you have to adapt your strategy depending on your relative location and alignment.
pos	GC is an amazingly difficult game!
pos	I am looking forward to trying out GC2, but from the reviews, it seems that the major enhancement is the ability to design ships.
nr	I don't think I want to pay $40 for that "privilege."

videogames_pos_42
videogames	5
pos	"Just plain fun" I don't see why this game got a lower score than the other Nintendogs.
nr	I fail to see the new flaws to it that make it worse.
nr	Story: You are a person looking for a dog, so you go to the local kennel and pick out your new best virtual friend!
nr	After that there is no real story to it, so I'm not going to rate it upon story.
nr	Difficulty: That actually depends upon the dog that you pick out and it's personality.
nr	If it says that it is calm or something like that, it would be like to easy difficulty, but if he is naughty and needed lots of training, it would be the hard difficulty.
pos	It's like the teams in Sonic Heroes, only the system works better.
pos	8.5/10 Graphics: The graphics almost look lifelike.
pos	The mouth physics on the dog work perfectly, the dog's body animations feel perfect.
pos	I also haven't encountered any drops in the game's frame rate.
pos	10/10 Controls: You'll find yourself mostly using the stylus for this game, by throwing things, rubbing your stylus on your dog's head to pet them, and showing them how to do tricks.
pos	10/10 Overall, I don't see why this game got a lower score than the others.
pos	It's just as fun.
nr	I don't think people should dock it points because it's the same game.
nr	The second game that was released wasn't docked any points.
nr	Why's that?
pos	9/10. Great Job!

videogames_pos_47
videogames	4
nr	"Mixed reactions" Kingdom Hearts... my second favourite PS2 game...
nr	KH: Chain of Memories...
mix	a good game, but not what i expected...
pos	Story The plot is what really kept me fromlosing hope of this game.
nr	The story continues from Kingdom Hearts. Sora, Donald and Goofy just found Pluto running with a letter.
pos	The intro has PS2 graphics!
nr	They find a man in a black cloak who leads him to Castle Oblivian.
nr	He gets cards that takes him to different worlds.
neg	The story is really the same as KH, but they replace "heart" with memory.
nr	Do you remember in KH, Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland accused her because she thought Alice Attempted to steal her heart?
nr	In this Queen think the tried to steal her memory.
nr	Other than that they introduce new characters.
nr	And when you finish the game you unlock a new mode, which lets you play as Riku, with a different story, about Riku's darkness.
neg	Gameplay The gameplay in battles are weird!!
nr	But to get into a battle you see heartles walk around if they touch you you enter the battle, you can hit them with your Keyblade to stun the enemies when you enter (Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga?).
nr	Well in-battle heartles surround you and you battle, you have cards depending on your attack.
nr	Each card has a number depending you strong it is.
nr	When you opponents attack you see wat card they use, and then you can use your card, if your card's number is higher you can break the opponents card, a 0 breaks anything but could be as easily broken by something higher.
nr	You can 3 cards so you use them at once or use a special attack (so if you stock 3 keyblades, Sora does his 3 hit combo.
pos	If you stock 3 Fire cards you unleash Firaga. Graphics Graphics are pretty good.
pos	In KH do you know, when you start, the opening scene looks AWESOME and realistic, and the same for the end?
pos	IN this game the Opening scene has the normal cutscene graphics as KH, same as the end.
pos	The normal graphics are good too.
pos	Sound Sound... I LOVE THE KH MUSIC!
pos	This is good too!!
pos	They do Simple & Clean at the end!
pos	The sound is terrific.
nr	Playtime This game could last...
nr	after you finish Sora's mode you get Riku's mode.
pos	Score 8.9

videogames_pos_50
videogames	5
pos	"Instant classic" SSX 3 lets you play one of eight characters.
pos	You can customize this character in many outrageous ways.
pos	You can customize hair, snowboard suit, boots, shirts and much more.
pos	Also you can buy new tricks.
pos	The graphs are very, very good for good 'ol Xbox. You really have the feeling that you self are snowboarding on top of that big, fat mountain.
pos	SSX 3 gives you a huge amount of freedom, because you can explore the mountain all by yourself and there are no linear routes that you have to take.
pos	You decide which tournament you want to play, and where you wanna do that.
pos	It's your choice.
pos	The gameplay is very, very good.
pos	You can unlock every tournament there is and still you are not finished.
pos	You also have to beat rivals, explore the mountain, complete every extra bonus missions and collect stickers, drawings and dolls of the characters.
pos	There is so much too do.
pos	It just won;t bore you.
pos	GET SSX 3! That's my only conclusion, if you don't have this game in your collection, get it now while it's still there and go and shame yourself!!!

videogames_pos_52
videogames	5
pos	NG2 doesn't disapoint!
pos	It gets you strait where the first game left you - right into the action!
pos	I'm still on the first level but so far I can yell: THERE IS NO ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CAMERA!
pos	It is just perfect!
pos	Not only you have the old lock behind the Ryo button but now you have total control over camera movement with the right stick (and you can adjust the speed of it at any time).
pos	The frame rate is stable even through the pace of the game is considarably faster and there are more enemies on your ass at the same time.
pos	I didn't experience any slow downs or others issues.
pos	So far, so good, I'm as excited as anyone who has played the previous, Itakagi is my man, too bad he is leaving Tecmo but maybe its a good thing since I doubt he will stop making games...

videogames_pos_54
videogames	4
nr	"Best in series" Anyone who buys a game with the EA logo on it should always expect that game to have a few issues; especially with something that they release every year, like sports.
nr	Sometimes the production deadlines must get in the way of perfecting the game mechanics because time and time again EA is guilty of this developer sin.
nr	I'm talking mostly about online issues here, such as occasional but crippling lag, a camera that gets stuck from time to time...
nr	It really kills the experience when a close game is ripped from your hands because the software failed to live up to its end of the bargain.
pos	That being said, NBA Live 10 is fan-freakin-tastic!
pos	The basketball mechanics are solid, almost perfect.
pos	You really feel like you have total control over the player, and each superstar plays distinctively different.
pos	The DNA option, which updates rosters and player ratings/tendencies to reflect real life NBA performance, is superb, and it really feels like you're playing in the NBA. If you want a great online sports game, grab this, just don't expect EA to get everything right.