Reviews Written By: A2F2DC94847JLPprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | Set: The Family Game of Visual Perception | |
 | "Not for everyone, but I love it!" | 2009-05-26 |
| If you're visually-oriented or good at "spacial reasoning," this game will likely be loads of fun for you. If your brain is wired such that you get headaches when thinking through those questions like "if this gear turns clockwise and this gear turns counter-clockwise, which way does this gear over here turn?," then you'll likely not like this game. There's an online version or two you can play to see if you'd like it before buying it. Even if you do buy it and don't like it, chances are that someone in your family or circle of friends will love it. I really do! | ||
 | The Journey of Natty Gann | |
| "Excellent family movie" | 2008-06-06 |
| Great movie that isn't sappy or simplistic. You'll be at the edge of your seat several times, especially at the end. | ||
 | The Journey of Natty Gann | |
| "Excellent family movie" | 2008-06-06 |
| Great movie that isn't sappy or simplistic. You'll be at the edge of your seat several times, especially at the end. | ||
 | The Village | |
| "Not my favorite by director, but still worth 5 stars" | 2007-09-04 |
| After having seen "Unbreakable," "Sixth Sense," and "Lady of the Water," I've become a fan of this film's director. I made efforts to look up all of his works and watch them. Though this is my least favorite of them, his work so exceeds my thoughts on other movies that this is still a "5 star" movie for me. As always, this wasn't predictable, which is why I am such a fan. Indeed, it is slow-paced, but I enjoy the leisurely story-telling atmosphere he usually creates. There is one very minor logic issue that didn't ruin the movie for us, and I won't describe here in detail because it would be a spoiler for those who haven't watched yet and for those who aren't as nit-picky as we are. As is typical for his movies, the violence level is quite low and not graphic. Bryce Howard is an excellent actress. I look forward to seeing more from her! | ||
 | The Village | |
| "Not my favorite by director, but still worth 5 stars" | 2007-09-04 |
| After having seen "Unbreakable," "Sixth Sense," and "Lady of the Water," I've become a fan of this film's director. I made efforts to look up all of his works and watch them. Though this is my least favorite of them, his work so exceeds my thoughts on other movies that this is still a "5 star" movie for me. As always, this wasn't predictable, which is why I am such a fan. Indeed, it is slow-paced, but I enjoy the leisurely story-telling atmosphere he usually creates. There is one very minor logic issue that didn't ruin the movie for us, and I won't describe here in detail because it would be a spoiler for those who haven't watched yet and for those who aren't as nit-picky as we are. As is typical for his movies, the violence level is quite low and not graphic. Bryce Howard is an excellent actress. I look forward to seeing more from her! | ||
 | Yoga Dance:Water | |
| "On par with Fire and Earth" | 2007-08-17 |
| I've done yoga for almost 30 years. I've done tai chi for almost 10. Aerobic dance for just about 20 years, and belly dance for probably 5 years. I have exercise tapes of all kinds, even country line dancing. To keep a variety going, I cycle through them, but have always yearned for one tape that combines my main loves -- yoga, tai chi, aerobics, belly dancing, and exotic dance. These DVDs are it! And, when they talk about global dances, they mean it. On Sarina's DVDs, you learn and practice African, Latino, Brazilian, Indian, Spanish, and even a bit of Irish dance techniques. Sarina blends them beautifully with the yoga, tai chi, aerobics and belly dance while really inspiring you by sharing her childlike joy in the music & body movement. Nicely chosen music that neither drowns out her instructions nor is so quiet in the background that you can barely hear it. It is just right, as is her voice and sweet way of instructing you. There are warm-ups, workouts, and cool downs (3 of each) on the DVD. Really, this is something for those at most levels of fitness and dance ability. Start slow, make your movements not so big....then as you get used to the movements and get practiced, get as enthusiastic as she is.
"Fire" is my favorite of her 3 exercise videos. When I haven't done cardio work for a while, I ease back into it with these DVDs. Then, as my endurance builds, I get as enthusiastic with it as Sarina is. Then, I move on to one of my exercise videos where the workout is longer. I do agree with one Amazon reviewer that it is bothersome that each of the three segments contains a short warm-up, some work-out, and a brief cool down. I usually hit the "Play All" and just go through the whole DVD. But, each segment can stand alone as a quick work-out or you can dance enthusiastically while setting the DVD to the next work-out on the menu. Or, when I'm not feeling the greatest, this makes for a low-impact, invigorating energy-booster to send me toward a better day than I would have had. | ||
 | Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance | |
 | "Not horrible, but Baraka is considerably better." | 2007-08-17 |
| I would probably give this 2 and a half stars, if that were possible. I didn't hate it, but it isn't one I'd watch again. It was tempting to stop watching two thirds of the way through, actually. The music got downright annoying in its repetitiveness -- to the point we muted it. Then, the imagery got to be so plain and lacking artistic angles that we decided it was a film to be watched when we wanted to get sleepy. We had been planning on watching this whole group of DVDs. This was the first one we watched, and it made us hesitant about all the others. However, since we saw The Monkey Chant on YouTube and discovered it was a segment from "Baraka," we decided to go ahead and watch "Baraka." It is a much, much better selection of both music and imagery than this film delivers. | ||
 | Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers & Tides | |
| "Inspirational for artists" | 2007-05-28 |
| I am an artist who sometimes gets too bound up with striving toward perfect realism and detail. When I first came across books of Goldsworthy's work, I was intrigued and liked the work. But, it wasn't particularly inspiring to me for my own work. Then, I saw this DVD and something happened in my head. It reminded me of how my art started when I was a kid...playing with the materials that were available in nature and just goofing around. The sheer joy of that was recaptured in my artist's heart by watching this film. For this touch to the past, I'm grateful to Mr. Goldsworthy and give him my public thank you here. | ||
 | Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence | |
| "Should be read by every person going out into the world" | 2007-05-28 |
| This book should be read by every person going out into the world on their own for the first time. Yeah, there are some who don't want to be "pigeon-holed" and, therefore, resist such testing and analysis of themselves and others. However, that itself will tell you quite a bit about what personality type they might be. (grin) If you don't read this to understand those around you better and learn how to interact with them more smoothly, you can read it for yourself and finally understand aspects about yourself you may never have quite grasped before. It is a self-help book in that respect without coming across that way. And it isn't just a book filled with psychobabble either. This is down-to-earth, practical information about people and how each type views the world as well as how the world tends to view them. | ||
 | Hollie Smith - Light from a Distant Shore | |
| "Steve McDonald and McKennitt fans, take note." | 2007-05-28 |
| If you love Steve McDonald's music and enjoy the clarity of Loreena McKennitt's voice, you need this in your collection while you still can obtain it. I'm trying to remember how old Hollie was when she sang on this album...17, I believe. Anyway, I got the impression that McDonald came across this talented young lady, took her under his wing, and helped get her name out there via this album. This talented fellow recognizes talent in other artists and collaborates, and I think this is a good combination. I hope they work together again sometime on a different album. | ||
 | Parable of the Sower | |
| "One of the world's top authors" | 2007-05-28 |
| Because of "Lilith's Brood" and "Kindred," I became an ardent fan of Butler's writing. I consider her one of the world's all-time best authors. If you've never picked up a Butler book and you're into fantasy or sci fi, you're shorting yourself of a great experience. She was such a fantastic writer that the reader swears her created worlds and characters are real...somewhere, sometime. In that light, reading this book ripped me to pieces. I am tempted to say I didn't like the book because it is quite believable that this could be our future. Yet, it is superbly written. If you're prone to depression or emotional reactions to books, you might steer clear of this one and go for "Lilith's Brood" instead. | ||
 | Cusco - Apurimac III: Nature-Spirit-Pride | |
| "Been searching for another favorite besides 500 Nations..." | 2007-05-28 |
| Since hearing "500 Nations" and the songs on a Native American radio station, I'd been looking for another album that appeals to me. A brother introduced Cusco to me, and I liked them. So, when I saw this album, I had to try it. Now, it is my favorite Cusco album. It is more polished than hearing live music at pow-wows, but the rhythm and "feel" of the music is still the same. | ||
 | How to Write & Illustrate Childrens Books and Get Them Published | |
| "Nice book" | 2006-07-18 |
| Good book for those wishing to know more about the field or not knowing where to start. When you get serious, you'll want to read some additional books on working with the publishing world. From what I've understood, very few agents will touch children's books. So, you'll likely be going it alone up until you really get established, if you do. That means you will be working directly with the publisher/editor yourself. As a result, you will need more information under your belt about the publishing world than what this book contains, but this is an excellent source to learn about everything else. It does include some starter info about the publishing end of things. | ||
 | Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure | |
| "Was recommended by a well-established sculptor" | 2006-07-18 |
| This book was recommended to me (as a beginning sculptor) by a well-established sculptor, and he was right in recommending it. I am not through reading it all, but it isn't the type of book you would really sit down and read from beginning to end. It is a great resource for figure sculptors. My biggest issue with this book is that it has so many pages in a small format that it is a thick book that requires the reader to prop open a page with something heavy if you want to refer to a drawing or text WHILE sculpting. It is really the type of book that should come in a loose-leaf binder. | ||
 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | |
| "Rare book" | 2006-07-18 |
| This is one of those rare books that actually made me laugh aloud. If you want to have fun reading a book, this is the book to get. | ||
 | Art Marketing 101 | |
| "Took so many notes...." | 2006-07-17 |
| I took so many notes when reading this as a library book that I've decided I'd better just own it. One of the best books on marketing my artwork and making a living as an artist that I've ever come across, and I've read several. | ||
 | The God Chasers: "My Soul Follows Hard After Thee | |
| "Inspirational" | 2006-07-17 |
| I seek to bind closer to God. As a result, I've read a lot of books on the Bible and the journeys of christians of all denominations. This book, more than many of the others, helped me gain better understanding of myself and my relationship with Him. | ||
 | Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist | |
| "Took so many notes...." | 2006-07-17 |
| I took so many notes when reading this as a library book that I've decided I'd better just own it. One of the best books on marketing my artwork and making a living as an artist that I've ever come across, and I've read several. | ||
 | Lilith's Brood | |
| "Great study on human sociology and culture" | 2006-07-02 |
| I'm not normally "into" sci-fi, but I was more intensely drawn into this book the longer I read it. It is intriguing to me how similar this is to how Lilith was drawn into the Ookali way of life. The author did a wonderful job of gradually introducing the reader into new ways of thinking. You find yourself accepting a portion of the alien society you didn't think you would. Then, a few pages later, you accept another part. Toward the end of the book (which is actually 3 novels in one), I found myself liking the alien way of life a bit better than what we humans have produced in earth's general culture. But, this all makes it sound so cerebral. Actually, it is FUN to read, too. | ||
 | A Garden In Paris | |
 | "I am a fan of the author because of her historical fiction." | 2006-07-02 |
| Because of all of Whitson's historical fiction series, I became a fan of her writing. She is one of the better writers of our time for historical fiction that grabs the reader's attention, emotions, and mind. Although I'm not thrilled with romance novels, especially placed in modern times, I decided to read this book and its sequel because she's a good author. Indeed, it is a good read, but I still like her historical fiction better. That's more my individual taste rather than a not-so-gushing review of this book series. Truly, her writing is still excellent, and she packs good research into the creation of the text. These are quite a bit more religious than her other books. | ||
 | Life of Leonardo Da Vinci | |
| "Great learning tool, but entertaining, too." | 2005-11-13 |
| Because of this movie, I launched into a research project to learn everything I could learn about Da Vinci. It was THAT inspirational for me. I didn't learn much more through books and websites than I did through this movie, so that should tell you how educational this DVD set really is. Yet, don't let the word "educational" make you think it was dry & sleep-inducing. It was an entertaining watch, too. We enjoy documentaries and biographies, though. Still, if you want to learn about Da Vinci, this is the best film to get, hands down. | ||
 | The Seventh Scroll | |
| "Archeology & Egyptology Buffs Take Note!" | 2005-10-10 |
| I get into archeology, especially in Egypt, so I enjoyed this book and "River God" immensely. Wilbur Smith is an excellent writer who makes you believe the characters really lived at one point in history. | ||
 | The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children (Paperback)) | |
| "Fantastic series....have read every one" | 2005-10-10 |
| This is one of the better book series out there. You grow to love the characters, and they are quite realistic. Talk about going back in time because of a book! Jean Auel has a wonderful way of doing that for the reader. Excellent series in which I've anxiously read every book. | ||
 | Walks The Fire A Novel book One In The Praire Winds Series | |
| "Awesome christian historical fiction series" | 2005-10-10 |
| Not a typical christian romance. This is "old school" christianity, back when the Bible was a regular part of a family's daily regimen. And, this author has done her research and made the novels historically accurate. Yet, if you aren't a history buff and not into Bible study, you'll still love these novels because they are so well written. You get drawn into loving the characters and caring about what happens to them. One of the few books that have made me laugh, cry, and hope. I devoured this series and went on to the next. Let this review stand for every series this author has written. Great work! | ||
 | Yoga Dance:Earth | |
| "I've been searching for something like this for years!" | 2005-10-09 |
| I've done yoga for almost 30 years. I've done tai chi for almost 10. Aerobic dance for just about 20 years, and belly dance for probably 5 years. I have exercise tapes of all kinds, even country line dancing. To keep a variety going, I cycle through them, but have always yearned for one tape that combines my main loves -- yoga, tai chi, aerobics, belly dancing, and exotic dance. This is it! I've finally found it! And, when they talk about global dances, they mean it. On this tape, you learn and practice African, Latino, Indian, and Spanish dance techniques. Sarina blends them beautifully with the yoga, tai chi, aerobics and belly dance while really inspiring you by sharing her childlike joy in the music & body movement. Nicely chosen music that neither drowns out her instructions nor is so quiet in the background that you can barely hear it. It is just right, as is her voice and sweet way of instructing you. There are warm-ups, workouts, and cool downs (3 of each) on the DVD. Really, this is something for those at most levels of fitness and dance ability. Start slow, make your movements not so big....then as you get used to the movements and get practiced, get as enthusiastic as she is. I'm addicted to this one and the Fire one. I have yet to try the Water one, but it is my next purchase. :) | ||
 | Yoga Dance:Fire | |
| "I've been searching for something like this for years!" | 2005-10-09 |
| I've done yoga for almost 30 years. I've done tai chi for almost 10. Aerobic dance for just about 20 years, and belly dance for probably 5 years. I have exercise tapes of all kinds, even country line dancing. To keep a variety going, I cycle through them, but have always yearned for one tape that combines my main loves -- yoga, tai chi, aerobics, belly dancing, and exotic dance. This is it! I've finally found it! And, when they talk about global dances, they mean it. On this tape, you learn and practice African, Latino, Brazilian, Indian, Spanish, and even a bit of Irish dance techniques. Sarina blends them beautifully with the yoga, tai chi, aerobics and belly dance while really inspiring you by sharing her childlike joy in the music & body movement. Nicely chosen music that neither drowns out her instructions nor is so quiet in the background that you can barely hear it. It is just right, as is her voice and sweet way of instructing you. There are warm-ups, workouts, and cool downs (3 of each) on the DVD. Really, this is something for those at most levels of fitness and dance ability. Start slow, make your movements not so big....then as you get used to the movements and get practiced, get as enthusiastic as she is. I'm addicted to this one and the Earth one. I have yet to try the Water one, but it is my next purchase. :) I do agree that it is bothersome that each of the three segments contains a short warm-up, some work-out, and a brief cool down. I usually hit the "Play All" and just go through the whole DVD. I wish there was a way to slap all the work-outs together right in the middle, but I'm waiting for technology to get there so you can custom-create your own set-up. | ||
 | Life of Pi | |
| "One of our favorite books" | 2005-10-09 |
| It says fiction. It is supposedly not a true story. Yet, it is written so believably that you get sucked into it, even though the concept seems outlandish. "The author had to have experienced this," you say to yourself. "Yes, okay, no one would have been in such a situation and certainly no one would last long, but..." You just cannot write fiction like this without having really been there, right? I'm still not convinced this is fiction, but it's got to be! Right? Oh, and you'll love the end. I won't give it away, but I will say that this author can really write! I'm impressed! | ||
 | Lagaan - Once Upon a Time in India | |
| "Beautiful music, imagery, and story." | 2005-10-09 |
| This is the only movie I've ever purchased for myself. I have a list of 40-50 movies that are my favorites. This ranks at the top! Heart-touching, interesting, and, at times, comical story full of culture, history, dance, music, and sport. The beauty of the film is not spoiled by too much cricket, for those of you like me who really don't get into sports. Don't let the term "Bollywood" cloud your judgement and make you fearful of this one. Absolutely awesome film! Oh, and the music is so good that I got the soundtrack CD, too. You cannot help but dance to it. | ||
 | Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India | |
| "If you like Indian music, you'll adore this!" | 2005-10-09 |
| Trust me...you're going to love this music if you're at all into Indian music. This is of the same caliber as Ravi Shankar and upbeat Narada songs. If you go to a search engine to find the Lagaan website, you'll be able to get a taste of the music. Once you get a taste, you'll likely come back and make the purchase. And, it is well worth it. I love all but one song on this, and I like that one. Hard to say that for most albums on the market. | ||
 | Shania Twain - Shania Twain - Greatest Hits | |
| "Shania Twain fan, and I'm not disappointed" | 2005-10-09 |
| Shania Twain has so many songs I love that I'm waiting for a Greatest Hits II album! This one doesn't disappoint in picking some of her best. I love pop and country both, so I don't have the same problem with this album as some reviewers here. Shania is a talented woman! | ||
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