Reviews Written By: AK091BFCPVBY9provided by Amazon.com |
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 | Sony MDRED21LP In-Ear Open Dynamic Portable Headphones | |
 | "Solid earbuds for the right ears" | 2009-08-17 |
| For those unwilling or unable to shell out the big bucks for noise-cancelling earbuds, these are a nice compromise for the price.
Pros: For those with medium to large ears, the unique shape of these earbuds work great and don't require earwax-collecting foam pads that always seem to get lost or need regular replacement, which I think is a big plus. I'm a bigger guy and I find them quite comfortable and more secure than most. However, those with smaller ears (e.g., women, kids) might not find these earbuds easy to wear. Sound quality is above average with a good low and midrange (see Cons: below, however). It's nice to have earbuds that actually have some bass. Quality seems very good (Sony, after all) compared to most. I've had other Sony earbuds for 8+ years with no problems. Cons: As mentioned above, if you have smaller ears these buds might not be comfortable for you. Try them out before purchasing if possible. I found the sound quality to be good overall (for earbuds), but some tunes sound a bit muddy given the added low-end qualities for this model. The cord is also a little on the short side (another 6" would be nice)--- barely makes the stretch to my ears if I'm carrying my iPod in a back pocket (I'm over 6' with a long torso however). Finally, the carrying case is just a little faux-leather drawstring bag. Nothing fancy. I'd prefer one of those reel-style cases to help protect and stow these nice buds instead of a cheap little bag. | ||
 | The Pacific Northwest Landscape: A Painted History | |
 | "All but one" | 2009-08-13 |
| This is a very nice compendium of Pacific Northwest artists with a nice range of styles. That said, I was surprised that Canadian artist Tom Thomson didn't merit even one plate or mention in the entire book, however. A glaring omission (hence four stars instead of five). Thomson was a key influence for the Group of Seven and was included a posthumous member. He wasn't only an important figure in Pacific Northwest landscape art, but 20th century art in general. If you are going to feature Emily Carr, you have to include Thomson as well. | ||
 | Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones | |
 | "Seminal" | 2009-07-31 |
| In terms of American music, Swordfishtrombones is probably the most important and original album made in the last 30 years. | ||
 | Classics from the Crypt | |
| "Great collection, but they missed one" | 2006-06-10 |
| An excellent compilation of the darker side of classical music, although I would have preferred a different rendition of Toccata and Fugue in D (New York Philharmonic perhaps), it's still quite good. But how could the series producer leave off Ravel's Pavane For a Dead Princess? It's preferable to Symphonie Fantastique - March to The Scaffold, plus Berlioz already makes an appearance with Dream of a Witches' Sabbath. If there was room, Verdi's Requiem would have been a nice addition too. So I have to go with 4 stars only. | ||
 | Halo: Combat Evolved - Windows | |
| "Overhyped and getting rusty fast" | 2004-12-10 |
| After hearing the constant hype about Halo, I decided to give it a go after finding a new copy for $15. First, playing the superlative Call of Duty over the past few months didn't help my expectations, although I realize Halo was seen as cutting edge way back in 2001. Still, classic games should hold up over time (Civilization, Half-Life, WarCraft, Age of Empires), and Halo, well, simply doesn't. Conceptually, even the backstory and characterizations (typically one of Bungie's strong points according to many) is blatantly derivative of Larry Niven (Ringworld), Gordon R. Dickson (the Dorsai series), Star Wars I, and Aliens the movie, down to the gruff-but-lovable African-American marine sargeant. The visual design is reasonably well executed for its time, but nothing to shout about. It's the well-worn sci-fi metallic set piece style, replete with flashing lights, brushed chrome, and function following form. The first 10 minutes of play on the Halo ring environment is pretty cool, but it gets repetitive and the details are lacking. Generic polygon green flora, plain-looking rocks, and no fauna. And I couldn't wait for the opening sequence on the Pillar of Autumn to be over after backtracking ad nauseum through a featureless and repetitive maze while engaging packs of annoying Covenant forces and hearing marines shout out trite Bruckheimer one-liners. Half-life is vintage compared to Halo, and yet it still holds up much better in all respects in terms of story and environment. Halo's single player (and likely multiplayer) gameplay is little more than running and shooting. I had heard how good the AI was, but enemy factions simply run around in little packs, dancing back-and-forth and running in circles to avoid targeting. There's very little that is tactical about their positioning or engagement. With an FPS like Call of Duty, it's immersive. Enemy soldiers hide behind barriers, cover each other, and move tactically; when you fire a weapon, you almost feel the recoil and smell the cordite. The physics have a strong verisimilitude. With Halo, it's more like an 80s-era video game -- loose, kinetic for the sake of it, and disjointed. The "feel" isn't right. I don't feel ripped-off at $15, but after about 45 minutes of Halo, I found myself reaching for Call of Duty again, even though I'd been through all the campaigns several times. Verdict: I'd rent or borrow Halo: Combat Evolved first before plunking down any more than a discount price. | ||
 | Rollerball | |
| "From Sci-Fiction to Documentary" | 2004-12-03 |
| Dateline Seattle, the Information Technology City: Imagine a banal and soulless world fostered and controlled by neo-fascist multinational corporations in lieu of democracies. Imagine them using bloodsport as a political and social outlet, allegorical to a waning 11th century Roman Empire, to placate the masses already on mood-inhibiting pharmeceuticals. But wait... We don't have to imagine it. Trasmute the cheesy 70s style to today's style (or lack thereof), and look around. Enron. Halliburton. Phizer. WorldCom. Tyco. HealthSouth. Oil companies. Tobacco companies. European and South American futbol violence. American pro sport violence between fans and players. "Xtreme" sports. Kickboxing. Ultimate fighting. Let the Toccata and Fugue begin, and remember to take your Soma before you are forced to. It's the end of the world as we know it. | ||
 | Star Wars Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) | |
 | "Will the Real George Lucas Please Stand Up?" | 2004-09-22 |
| Made obvious by other reviews here, a fragile piece of childhood nostalgia has been utterly disregarded and destroyed by the creator that bestowed it. Frankly, I lost all hope (pun intended) after Return of the Jedi, so there wasn't much to live up to with this DVD release, my youthful excitement and admiration wholly betrayed by the time ROTJ's end credits rolled back in '83. It was clear by then that Lucas had lost his center and had become an pusillanimous, arrogant megalomaniac, which he holds fast to this day. This is the same guy that made THX-1138 and American Graffiti? George, we hardly knew ye. Let's consider a few points: 1. Star Wars (one of the worst movie titles ever, by the way; makes Star Trek sound like a William Faulkner title) was a landmark for its time. It hasn't held up very well over the years (nice 70s haircut there, Luke), but should be left alone and appreciated for its time and place, and for restoring the fun and mythology of old cinematic Republic Pictures-style serial storytelling during such a lost and cynical decade. George's claims that he didn't have the technology back then to "make the films he wanted" makes absolutely zero sense when considering his "new and improved" changes for the money-grabbing theatrical '99 re-release and this so-called official DVD version. For example, if he wanted to emasculate Solo, ruin his character arc, and have Greedo to shoot first (and miss at close range, amazingly) all along, he would have filmed it that way in '77. No special effects required, no CGI needed. Just two guys with prop guns in the middle of a soundstage. Why didn't he? Because Lucas hadn't yet lost his noggin to empty adulation, fame, and fortune, or felt compelled to pander to children as he perceived them (give them more credit than that, please). I'm just glad I secured my DVD copy of American Graffiti before Lucas decides he was too harsh on Terry the Toad and edits out Steve's car getting stolen. 2. The Empire Strikes Back, easily the superior film of the entire series--I won't even qualify the two recent stunningly bad efforts--beautifully combined pathos, darkness, high adventure, mystery, mythology, classic battle sequences, and real character development; they even (barely) pulled off disguising Sesame Street's Grover as a gnarled little condescending Leprechaun-mongoloid Jedi master (wax on, wax off). And Leia is Luke's sister? Whoee! Holy make-it-up-as-you-go-along, George! But OK, we'll go with it, incestual implications aside. But you better justify this later (which he never did). Glaring story problems notwithstanding, let's now remind ourselves that ol' Geo didn't actually direct ESB--it was helmed by Irv Kirshner. I wonder how Irv feels about Lucas tinkering with his movie. Hm. 3. Onto Return of the Jedi, where it all went horribly wrong and Madison Avenue took over. I could write ad nauseum (if I haven't already) about the ridiculous plot, character, and stylistic decisions, but I'll only touch on a few unfortunate standouts for those with short attention spans, including myself. Apparently Geo decided to alienate the relatively sophisticated audience of Empire and pander to the lunchpail and paint-by-numbers crowd with Jedi. Let's see... Crack elite stormtroopers with sophisticated miltary weaponry and tactics being thwarted by spear-wielding teddy bears? Nice. (By the way, in the original version, they were supposed to be Wookies. Thanks for your input, Mr. Spielberg.) Vader, arguably the best sci-fi villain ever conceived this side of Ridley's Alien, is reduced a blubbering sap who looks like the bastard brother of Archie Bunker, while David Prowse gets the shaft over an ego rift. How about finally seeing Jabba the Hut? Oy. Pizza-the-Hut in "Spaceballs" was more menacing, not to mention more interesting. Then there is the ludicrous Emperor-fights-Skywalker outro, where the ol' wizard can't even get his lightning fingers to close the deal. This guy is the personification of the dark side of the Force? Get this geezer some Viagra. "Now I'm REALLY going to kill you, Luke! Really, this time, I'm not fooling!. Okay, so I was joking. But this time, I'm not! Take that! No? Ah, this eleventh jolt should work... Darn. Hold a second, don't move..." Yawn. And Vader, whose pure evil up until this point would make Asmodeus blush, suddenly sees the light, has an epiphany in 22 seconds, and turns into Albert Schweitzer? Total character and audience betrayal. The rest is history, and it's not worth mentioning. So give it up fanboys and fangirls, save your money or Xmas gift slot and turn your wistful gaze to Mr. Jackson if you want fantasy filmmaking integrity. He's the real New Hope. Despite it's flaws, Lord of the Rings should make George Lucas eat his heart out, if it hasn't shrunken too small to suffice as at least a dry hors d'oeurve. Go away, George. Far, far away. And take your Star Wars movies with you. | ||
 | Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man | |
| "Don't make me pull this car over" | 2004-08-31 |
| Mommm! Michael Moore called President Bush a name! Make him stop! Waaaah! | ||
 | New Coat of Paint: Songs of Tom Waits | |
| "Paling by Comparison" | 2004-03-31 |
| Only Tom can sing his songs, period. Keep moving -- nothing to listen to here. | ||
 | Various - The Blues Brothers: Original Soundtrack Recording | |
| "Take it for what it is" | 2003-09-25 |
| Some reviewers here (the ersatz blues/jazz/R&B/gospel 'purists') are taking this album waaaay too seriously. The boys in blue -- and remember, they are/were comedians first and foremost -- are celebrating the great musical traditions found on this soundtrack with the utmost respect, not trying to compete with them. The fact that the theme from "Rawhide" should clue in the most pedantic blues critic that this is all in fun. Take it as such, and it's a great repeatable soundtrack. | ||
 | Beat Speak: An Illustrated Beat Glossary Circa : 1956-1959 | |
| "Totally Hip, Man." | 1999-11-19 |
| I bought this book without any knowledge of Ashleigh Talbot, simply because I have some interest in the Beat generation (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, et al). I wasn't expecting much more than a dictionary, and boy was I pleasantly surprised! Ashleigh Talbot's hilarious and poignant illustrations evoke the 'spirit' of Beat slang perfectly -- funky, retro-noir characters and icons with the perfect ink weight and gesture, snaking their tattooish style into your psyche. Who else could show both the pain and the humor of a Beatnik with a needle in his arm? I found myself picking up the book over and over again, sometimes just to flip through it for a few minutes; inevitably I'd see something new in her minimal-yet-complex renderings. The book itself high-quality hardbound, like a good yearbook from the 50's. I hope Ashleigh Talbot keeps it up and shares more of her exquisite talent with those of us tired of the same old thing. | ||
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