GoSale.com :: Reviews by A5KJVGJ43ZDC9

Reviews Written By: A5KJVGJ43ZDC9

provided by Amazon.com


	My Bloody Valentine 3D [Blu-ray]
	"Competent classic slasher homage"	2009-06-01
...and you really might want to dispose of the glasses and watch the 2D flipside, so you don't have to watch everything in pinkish green. Without the gimmick, this redux is still a lot of fun. How many ways can you wreck a head with a pickaxe? Find out here. Highlights: a shovel bisecting a head horizontally as the rest of the body and head slides to the ground, a dwarf takes a pickaxe through the chin, heck, everyone gets a pickaxe through the head in a different way each time. Creative stuff. And no classic slasher is complete without a little T&A-this flick surprisingly pushes the envelope in that department with a sustained full frontal scene that lasts about five minutes, no kidding-the most exposure I've seen in any cineplex product. I'm not sure how the producers got this rated without having to cut this near-softcore porn. In sum, it passes the geek test for a good tongue-in-cheek gorefest. Joe Bob would approve heartily.
	Doubt [Blu-ray]
	"Weak tea"	2009-05-07
Doubt is probably a good play rendered banal by the movie screen. There's just not enough of the play, which is a series of dialogues, to fit a feature film. Nonetheless, the substance of the work packs something of a wallop, emphasizing how moral certainty does very little to serve a relentlessly relativistic universe. You will probably not be bowled over by Doubt because of its vehicle, but the theme has resonance and the content will not leave you until you have sorted it out. I guess this could be seen as anti-religious in a way, but I think that the characters are just useful platforms for a truth that transcends faith and churchgoing and whatnot. Judge ye not. A hard lesson to learn, but hey, that's the stuff of theatre. See it, and be patient with the movie itself because it's not all that great.
	Pink Floyd - The Final Cut [Bonus Track]
	"Blow it out your wazoo"	2009-02-28
...that is, everyone who wanted to bag on this record based on silly arguments like "Is It Floyd?" or "Is Roger Waters a jerk?", or "Are these outtakes of The Wall?". Anything along these lines when describing this antiwar spasm of emotion and bitterness obviously doesn't understand the content, or is lacking empathy so intensely that I wonder if any of these people are half-human. You will not get this type of depth and richness of lyric in any modern record. I am not interested in arguing about the sparseness of the music; it matches perfectly with the desperation of its protagonists. Pink Floyd has been deftly articulating the facility of our modern social experiences since 1973, and I have absolutely no idea why this album doesn't fit into that mold for some people. Yes, it does not "rock", yes, it is a mile away from what you are accustomed to from Pink Floyd, big deal. A good album is a good album; be it Floyd or be it Waters. The internecine warfare between the musicians is utterly irrelevant, and if you don't like the White Album, Pet Sounds, Big Star's Radio City, The Byrds' Notorious Byrd Brothers, Black Sabbath's Sabotage, or The Velvet Underground's Loaded for this reason, then you are a drone, a rock and roll moron that doesn't grasp the concept that strain, tenseness and destruction are among art's most vibrant drivers.
	What Went Wrong at Enron: Everyone's Guide to the Largest Bankruptcy in U.S. History
	"Looking Backward"	2009-02-23
I have a bad habit of diving into major events years after they occurred. I didn't understand Enron worth spit when it happened, and after reading this book(though the information is useless), I am conversant in the collapse, and picked up some insight about how stupid privately run utilities truly are. Nothing so essential should be left to crafty traders.
	Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
	"The unsolvable puzzle called Afghanistan"	2009-02-18
...is attempted to be pieced together in 300 pages. Its complexity is close to impenetrable, but "Taliban" does the best it can to outline the dynamics of the region. A true tragic story-Afghanistan has been left to the Taliban after forty years of multiple foreign policies from across the globe have attempted to place hands upon it. The destruction of the country that followed, similar to Iraq, has created a dangerous power vacuum wherein even more sinister forces than the original corrupt regimes have arisen to terrorize the population anew. I sincerely hope that the same narrow objectives that mark all the previous meddling in Afghanistan will not come to the mind of the new president of the United States. If he doesn't read something like this and realize that rebuilding and protecting the shebang is the only permanent solution to the Talib problem, and understand that Pakistan and its intelligence agency cannot be trusted to clamp down on the disgusting, ignorant brutality seeping from its ungovernable borders, then it's a total waste of life and cash. I'd rather we not be there at all because our interference there has been marred by pipeline politics, but perhaps if we have no choice but to be there to ostensibly battle militants the least we can do is turn the mission into a humanitarian effort to return dignity to the rich Afghan culture and its enigmatic people.
	Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
	"The unsolvable puzzle called Afghanistan"	2009-02-18
...is attempted to be pieced together in 300 pages. Its complexity is close to impenetrable, but "Taliban" does the best it can to outline the dynamics of the region. A true tragic story-Afghanistan has been left to the Taliban after forty years of multiple foreign policies from across the globe have attempted to place hands upon it. The destruction of the country that followed, similar to Iraq, has created a dangerous power vacuum wherein even more sinister forces than the original corrupt regimes have arisen to terrorize the population anew. I sincerely hope that the same narrow objectives that mark all the previous meddling in Afghanistan will not come to the mind of the new president of the United States. If he doesn't read something like this and realize that rebuilding and protecting the shebang is the only permanent solution to the Talib problem, and understand that Pakistan and its intelligence agency cannot be trusted to clamp down on the disgusting, ignorant brutality seeping from its ungovernable borders, then it's a total waste of life and cash. I'd rather we not be there at all because our interference there has been marred by pipeline politics, but perhaps if we have no choice but to be there to ostensibly battle militants the least we can do is turn the mission into a humanitarian effort to return dignity to the rich Afghan culture and its enigmatic people.
	Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
	"The unsolvable puzzle called Afghanistan"	2009-02-18
...is attempted to be pieced together in 300 pages. Its complexity is close to impenetrable, but "Taliban" does the best it can to outline the dynamics of the region. A true tragic story-Afghanistan has been left to the Taliban after forty years of multiple foreign policies from across the globe have attempted to place hands upon it. The destruction of the country that followed, similar to Iraq, has created a dangerous power vacuum wherein even more sinister forces than the original corrupt regimes have arisen to terrorize the population anew. I sincerely hope that the same narrow objectives that mark all the previous meddling in Afghanistan will not come to the mind of the new president of the United States. If he doesn't read something like this and realize that rebuilding and protecting the shebang is the only permanent solution to the Talib problem, and understand that Pakistan and its intelligence agency cannot be trusted to clamp down on the disgusting, ignorant brutality seeping from its ungovernable borders, then it's a total waste of life and cash. I'd rather we not be there at all because our interference there has been marred by pipeline politics, but perhaps if we have no choice but to be there to ostensibly battle militants the least we can do is turn the mission into a humanitarian effort to return dignity to the rich Afghan culture and its enigmatic people.
	Serpico
	"Don't make em like this one anymore"	2009-01-25
I'm of the mind to think that the 70s in American cinema is its golden age. Serpico is an indispensable product of that period, and if you haven't seen this yet, you won't get a chance to find out why Al Pacino is one of our most interesting actors. When the movie makes you want to read the book immediately after viewing, you know you've come across something special.
	Black Sabbath - Sabotage
	"Two schools of thought on this one"	2009-01-19
...and I will have to go with the people who think this is a necessary Sabbath album. Side one is basically why heavy metal exists at all, for better or worse. So you get it for that. Also contains the worst song from them I have ever heard, "Supertzar". Every record has a clunker, so that notwithstanding, the whole record gets a thumbs up from me.
	Lou Reed - Berlin
	"Lester Bangs was dead on"	2008-07-18
...when he said this was 'the most gargantuan, maggoty slab of rancor that has ever been recorded'. Reed, even with his best moments with the Velvet Underground, doesn't match up to this self-pitying disaster. If you want to see Reed at his most fragmented and self-loathing, look no further. This is the breakdown album.
	Frank Zappa - Them or Us
	"80s Classic"	2008-06-12
Some of the best durn guitar ever played. Some people don't like being hurled from one genre to another; that's unfortunate, because Zappa' eclecticism is on full display. But pay attention to the guitar, beyond the doo wop, 80s parodies, and gutter humor lies true genius and guitar mastery. No one runs a fretboard like Zappa. When Steve Vai plays second guitar in your band, you kinda know who's in charge.
	Ween - Quebec
	"Languid trippiness"	2008-05-28
Think of Quebec as Mollusk II. They go for the goofy ("Happy Colored Marbles", Hey There, Fancypants") and the watery, dappled waves of the ethereal is everywhere. And of course, one song that is bound to have you shaking your head ("The F***ked Jam"). Great pot album, specially if your weed is nice and fluffy. This is a little browner than "White Pepper"(what isn't?) but really, this is a groove more than it is an album, and the perfect one to light up to, barely anything to disturb the euphoria of a better world than the one you left.
	Beat Happening - Jamboree
	"Inspirational for the beginning musician"	2008-05-28
Beat Happening can't play worth a s**t. Neither can I. That said, I feel a certain affinity for what Beat Happening was doing. This is a trio fronted by Calvin Johnson, who owns a low bass voice, piercing at times in its intensity. Most of the songs are laden with feedback, poetic in nature, and never profane, interestingly enough. Playful, bashful, simple. That's Beat Happening, and if that's you, this is for you.
	Requiem for a Dream
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream (Edited Edition)
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream - Director's Cut
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream - Director's Cut
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Requiem for a Dream
	"This review is not helpful"	2008-05-27
Fell asleep on it. I'm sure it was good, but I took some medication and it wasn't interesting enough to keep me awake. I'll tell you one thing, the change of seasons woke me up. The wife liked it, if that's helpful. I'm sure Aronofsky did a great job, as he did with his lo-budget Pi.
	Lord of War [Blu-ray]
	"Superb Cautionary Tale"	2008-05-10
This is what happens when you create a fight, but won't accept responsibility for your actions. Nicolas Cage plays a gunrunner who will sell any weapon to anyone-all under the table so that the major arms selling countries like the US have plausible denial when wars begin. This movie works on many levels, as a tale of misbegotten fortune, a political thriller, and action, action, action. Some humor too. Well rounded, reality-based and attracive, this is a super buy.
	Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
	"Easily One Of The Best Albums Of The Seventies"	2008-04-21
If you like The Eagles, singer-songwriters or FM radio greatness then you cannot go wrong with this record. Available super cheap anywhere, so don't pay full price unless you must.
	Eels - Beautiful Freak
	"As the old saying goes"	2008-04-20
I'm getting too old for this...record. Would have loved it as an attention starved teen. Download "Novocaine For The Soul" and move on.
	The Apples (in stereo) - Her Wallpaper Reverie
	"Pretty Pop Gems"	2008-04-20
Interspersed with some toy piano tinkling that will probably get on your nerves. Three very, very good songs, less than a half hour long, not worth the full purchase price. I'd grab something by Neutral Milk Hotel, or the Olivia Tremor Control if you can afford it before you get this.
	The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
	"The Loud Report"	2008-04-05
Y'all can blow the Soft Bulletin out yer butts, this is all the orchestral grandeur from the Lips that you need. Real men prefer metallic. Stop smoking dope in your room, take your meds, and rip the Soft Bulletin off the changer posthaste: "Waiting For A Superman" is not worthy of your tears. This, however is worth blowing a speaker out to. Drozd is a genius, Wayne Coyne, not so much. You get "Christmas On Mars" when Coyne is in charge. You get hit to death in the future head when Drozd is unleashed, and this here album I'm reviewing is the perfect marriage between the two.
	Breakfast of Champions
	"Vonnegut Takes Out The Trash"	2007-08-15
Breakfast Of Champions seems to stand alone in the Vonnegut canon. It is a bizarre piece of product that never really settles into, or onto anything. It's a depressed, cynical, psychedelic mishmash that offers KV's pithy comments on the state of the globe-flinging sarcastic barbs at issues like heredity, free will, racism, schizophrenia, corporatism, nationalism, alcoholism, war, the penal system, suicide, homosexuality, modern art, and the nature of writing itself. And so on. It's entirely possible that this kitchen-sink fiction was Kurt's attempt to say everything he wanted to say in an epigrammatic fashion without having to tie it too tightly to a meaningful story. It's also entirely plausible that he was suffering from depression and near-madness when he produced this; it is not a friendly or happy book, though it is quite funny. I'd not be foolish enough to compare this to greatness. But it's a perfect entryway into a different perspective on what is happening on this bizarre ball of green and blue. All half-bright teenagers should read this book; all still-bright adults should return to it and find that things haven't changed since 1973 and we could use a good snicker about the way the world is ordered. Everyone who knows Vonnegut knows he can write a good novel. If you want to see that writer take a curette to his brain and basically explode from all the hatred and inhumanity and senselessness he sees, then Breakfast Of Champions is where it's at.
	Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician [Digipak]
	"The absolute poop from the 'holes"	2007-07-31
You! Yes, you, contemplating your Butthole buy! Stop looking at "Electric Larryland" immediately and buy this, the creme de la creme of the dirty, drug-drenched catalogue of one of the sickest bands to press noise into vinyl. This is gua-ran-teed to frighten all the right people.
	Neil Young - Tonight's the Night
	"The hype is justified"	2006-11-24
This is the best Neil I've heard. It's hasty, it's sloppy, it's depressing, it's drunk and stoned, it's borne of tragedy and despair. In other words, it's great rock and roll. If you can't feel Neil and Crazy Horse kicking your a** with "Come On Baby, Let's Go Downtown", you really don't like rock and roll, do you?
	Ween - White Pepper
	"Everyone here gets it"	2005-12-18
...with a few exceptions, I see. That there is near unanimity in understanding what Gene and Dean are up to here speaks well of Ween. There's plenty of opportunities for rock fans of all decades to get in on the satire. What is best about Ween, of course, is that their ripoffs and parodies are compositions on par with its targets. Ween is getting older, and so are we. And I guess that's why the music on White Pepper is nowhere near as erratic and upsetting as their old music-and I'd say this will be the one I keep returning to if Im in a mood for Ween. That's not to say it's got a geriatric feel to it, merely that it has structure. Proceed to checkout with White Pepper.