All reviews - Movies (46) - TV Shows (14) - DVDs (11) - Books (21) - Music (32) - Games (17)

Initiation into Jazz

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 3 May 2008 11:25 (A review of Call Me Irresponsible)

I discovered Michael Bublé when I heard one of his songs playing in my co-worker's office a few days ago. That's all it took to get me hooked.

This is Michael Bublé's third album and his best so far. The bulk of his material is covers of classic Jazz and Pop songs. He picks his material extremely well and the album gels very well. His singing is outstanding throughout. Somehow, he manages to impart a healthy dose of emotion into every song, regardless of the mood.

It's hard to pick any highlights from this set of songs but I'll take a stab at it anyway. My picks are 'Lost' and 'Always On My Mind'. Both about lost love but with very different emotional tones, both pulled off beautifully by Bublé.

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Good music too, not just the show

Posted : 3 months, 4 weeks ago on 30 April 2008 11:17 (A review of How To Be A Megastar Live! (CD with DVD))

I caught the Blue Man group on stage earlier this year and loved them. I snapped up this CD/DVD set as soon as it came out because I really liked the music they played. I'm pleased to say that much of the music (the full length songs) holds up even without the visuals to accompany it. This is good alternative pop music for the most part.

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Fun and funny sci-fi adventure

Posted : 4 months ago on 27 April 2008 09:49 (A review of Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy )

I have loved this trilogy of movies since I was 11 or 12. The second movie wasn't that well received, which has always surprised me. I thought it was superbly written. In fact, all three movies had pretty strong scripts which is commendable for movie sequels.

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Complex tale of the human psyche

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 22 April 2008 02:00 (A review of Double Vision: A Novel (Barker, Pat))

Pat Barker is a very gifted writer. She writes about her characters like she has known them all her life and her portraits of them are intimate and complex. All her books have a smattering of damaged and/or twisted characters. She can create these characters without even a hint of a false note. They are not the rabidly violent killers than seem to inhabit most thrillers. Rather, they are people who have a more pronounced dark side than the average person (a point she does not fail to emphasise by exploring the dark sides of the more 'normal' characters in her stories).

This book is another in a series of exceptional books she has produced. A fantastic read from start to finish with more than it's share of surprises, right to the very end.

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The actors get better each time around

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 20 April 2008 09:45 (A review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

The great advantage of keeping your main cast together for (presumably) the whole movie series is that they get more comfortable with their characters as the go on. With the Harry Potter movies, it's paid off handsomely. The acting in the fourth (Goblet of Fire) and fifth (this one) movies has been the best of the series.

The thankfully got rid of Chris Columbus as director after the first two clunkers and started to take a few more liberties with the story. Slavishly following the books led to two pretty dull movies, that I could really have done without. Although, it must be said that the directors that came later had the advantage of experienced actors and less effort required for character development.

Looking forward to the remaining movies.

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Same old wine, new bottle

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 20 April 2008 09:33 (A review of The Forbidden Kingdom)

Jackie Chan and Jet Li finally make a Hollywood movie without embarrassing themselves or the audience. The story isn't original but the acting is pretty good and the production quality is excellent. If you like martial arts movies, this will be satisfying enough.

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Sharp witted Star Wars spoof

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 19 April 2008 02:05 (A review of Robot Chicken: Star Wars)

Star Wars will always have a special place in movie history. That makes it a target for all kinds of spoofs, it's almost a cottage industry. It takes something special to stand out of the crowd. I was surprised to learn that Seth Green co-wrote the material. He's a very talented comic writer.

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Engaging in some parts, mostly just blah

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 18 April 2008 04:42 (A review of The Thomas Crown Affair)

The movie has some clever and engaging parts. For most of it, it's dull, the acting is mediocre and it's just not very interesting. I really wanted to like it but by the time it ended, I was glad it did.

Maybe the original is better, I've certainly heard better things about it.

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Oh, what a voice!

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 17 April 2008 01:36 (A review of Rockferry)

She sounds like the saner younger sister of Amy Winehouse, except Duffy is Welsh, not English. She has a beautiful voice, deep and rich. The debut album is awesome pop music, tinged with a little 60s style soul. The songwriting is varied and the production is immaculate. The album just *sounds* so great. The best new album of the year so far.

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Los Angeles never looked so good

Posted : 4 months, 2 weeks ago on 16 April 2008 12:17 (A review of Blade Runner)

Ridley Scott's imagining of a dark, multicultural and ugly/beautiful Los Angeles in a dystopic 21st century world is brilliant, right from the very first scene.

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