If I could I'd give this 8 1/2 stars.
920266
An excellent discourse on Fellini's development as a director and his creative process. Bondanella knew Fellini personally and saved many items revealing the interworkings of Fellini's creativity that would have otherwise been destroyed by Fellini himself. Recommended to any and all film students or film buffs.
3128573
Ah, this album is a treat. Despite everyones thoughts about the few political references, (Some hate the album just because of their political thoughts. Sad.) this is a good album.
Here's the breakdown of every song:
(HOW I RATE: *-Bad **-Poor ***-Good ****-Great *****-Excellent)
1. CH-CHECK IT OUT - ***** (BEST TRACK)
An awesome song that energizes you and makes you want more. Clever lyrics and awesome beats makes this my favorite one on the album.
2. RIGHT RIGHT NOW NOW - *****
Another great song on the album. It lacks some of the intensity that you hear in the first song, but adds some harpsicord slabs right under the lyrics.
3. 3 THE HARD WAY - **
This is one of the small holes found in "To The 5 Boroughs." It's an OK song, with analog oldskool beats, but there was just something about it that made me want to go to the next track.
4. TIME TO BUILD - ***
A pretty good track. It's pretty good lyrically. It's got a pretty good hook. It's, well, pretty good. Slightly Above Average is a good way to put it.
5. RHYME THE RHYME WELL - **
While lyrically one of the better tracks on "5 Boroughs," Rhyme the Rhyme Well is another track that could have been filled with more energy.  Just OK.
6. TRIPLE TROUBLE - ****
This track is one that supports the album. It's classic Beastie Boys! Great.
7. HEY F--- YOU - ****
Another support for the album. With a hillarious hook and niiice lyrics, this will be one of your most played songs.
8. OH WORD - ***
Oldskool that sounds a lot like an old NES mario level.
9. THAT'S IT THAT'S ALL - *
Uh. A Huge hole in the album.
10. ALL LIFESTYLES - **
A slightly better track than That's It That's All, but it's average.
11. SHAZAM! - ***
A pretty cool layout, some lyrics that blow ya' mind, but it's missing a good hook.
12. AN OPEN LETTER TO NYC - *****
As a new different sound on "5 Boroughs," this track, talking about both a pre and a post 9/11 New York, has a great sound. Everything about this track is good: Lyrics, Hook, Beat, ect.
13. CRAWLSPACE - * (WORST TRACK)
Obviously a filler track, Crawlspace is a track you may or may not like. I'm more on the disliking side.
14. THE BROUHAHA - *****
This track is great! It has the energy I was searching for in this album, while still keeping it's analog glory.
15. WE GOT THE - ***
A decent ending to "5 Boroughs," We Got The has some energy, but lacks a decent hook that it needed.
THE BOTTOM LINE -
To The 5 Boroughs lacks the energy that I was looking for, lacks many a good hook, and gets a tad sloppy on the lyrics. While half of the tracks are gold, the other half just sounds like filler. Some tracks are pure genius, while the others are... eh. They had the time to make an awesome album, but they only delivered on half of the tracks. Not the Beastie's best by far, but not their worst.
TO THE 5 BOROUGHS Wrap-up:
* - 2 Tracks
** - 3 Tracks
*** - 4 Tracks
**** - 2 Tracks
***** - 4 Tracks
THE BEASTIE BOYS: TO THE 5 BOROUGHS - ****
2175999
Just finished blitzing through this and I wish there was a second book I could start on, of course if there were I would likely be reading that rather than writing this.

I admit I didn't actually read the synopsis beforehand and the main character (MC) surprised me. Their decisions simultaneously made sense and caught me off-guard, making me laugh on repeated occasions. They weren't some supposedly hyper intelligent person that in truth were just lucky/benefiting from poor writing. Rather he's an idiot, but people are too and he's just good at seizing opportunities they create for him. And while their decisions are indeed convenient for the MC at times the shifting to their perspectives serves to both provide context for their poor decisions and a pallet cleanser from the MC's perspective until the true supporting cast gets introduced. And their relationship with the MC is interesting.

The leveling did feel a tad rushed and/or inconsistent at times, but, especially compared to other books I've read, this is hardly done egregiously. The MC also doesn't seem to possess an immediately broken ability that they abuse to become the all powerful main character, I mean their innate abilities are potent but hardly broken. There is a mcguffin ability that looks ripe for eventual abuse, I have played a character with that very same ability once so it certainly has the potential, but the author seems to be careful in it's handling thus far so hopefully that remains in future installments. And the world's mechanics overall seem to be followed and respected rather than abused and left by the wayside, there are a couple points that caused me to raise an eyebrow but it didn't feel abused so much as bent, but proper explanation made it palatable rather than irksome.

Grammar and spelling was good, I can't actually recall any grammatical errors that stood out to me, which is something that scored quite a few points with me. The language used felt good too. There were no points where I was pulled out of the action by weird phrasing nor excessive repetition.

To sum up things I really liked, the characters and their quirks especially, there were no immediately broken abilities, the laws of the world were consistent, the quality of the grammar, and the language used. I might notice some glaring issues on a reread, but for now I have no complaints.
397757
This is one of those discs that I would have gladly written a 5-star, filled-to-the-brim-with-praise review for during its first week in my possession.  Having had it for about a year now, my enchantment with FIM  has faded somewhat. Eric Lawrence Chamberlain(the guy behind Index) has  garnered copious praise from all sectors of the industrial community, and I  can certainly see why: he really IS a cut above the rest and a breath of  fresh air as far as electro/EBM goes. His style is maddeningly complex,  sound upon sound is piled on, making for virtual ocean of blips, crunches  and synth-notes. He keeps his lyrical agenda away from gothy-cheesy cliches  fairly well, rarely even employing vocals and keeping them subdued when he  does choose to open his mouth for a track. His Achilles' Heel?  In my  estimation, one of the most crippling productions I've ever heard. While he  does have a knack for pushing the stagnant genre of electro-industrial in  new structural directions, he has no idea of how to arrange or mix his new  territory.  It all sounds jumbled, disorganized, and in his worst moments  sounds(and perhaps is) piling on complexities to cover up weaknesses in the  songs themselves.  This is not to say there isn't some good, and even  important tracks contained on FIM; there are, mostly occuring in the final  few tracks, where the piled on rhythms and samples actually work, becoming  a miasma of flowing noise. I'm not condemnming him at all, in fact I look  forward to his future releases and understand that he is relatively new to  the scene, and therefore allowed a few mistakes, which, are easily  overlooked in the light of what he's accomplished so far in such little  time.
1500554
Greetings Amazonites.

Alan Wake has the fingerprints of a masterpiece on it, but the game itself falls short of such a title.  There are moments of incredible immersion, story-telling, and action; there are moments where the game is clunky, cliche, and downright silly.  Overall, it's a rewarding experience that could easily have been one of the best games ever.  Read on for a breakdown of some positive (+) and negative (-) points.

(+) ENVIRONMENT: the graphics and sound in the game are good.  I'd say they are great, but you can see some minor graphical funkiness and lip-sync problems; these aren't a big deal, but perfectionists might have a problem.  The game world looks great--downright spooky at night--and really surrounds you in the world.  The music and sound effects are great and play at the perfect moments to keep you in suspense.

(+/-) GAMEPLAY: this is a mixed bag.  The mechanics in combat are pretty good: use a light source to remove shadows from a bad guy and then blast him with a weapon.  It works, it creates tension when there are multiple enemies, and the variety of light sources and weapons seems just about right.  The movement is okay; sometimes the camera gets in the way when navigating areas and jumping.  There isn't a lot of variety, and that's where it gets weary at times.  The light-shoot tactic is the same throughout the game; sometimes it takes longer with different enemies, but the basics remain the same.  Driving isn't too bad, but it's definitely not a driving sim.  There are also some pointless sequences that require you to push a button repeatedly--like pushing a cart out of the way (why not just use the stick to move it rather than button mash?).  Overall, the gameplay is good but not exceptional and does little to separate itself from the pack.

(+/-) DESIGN: there are several elements to game design that need comment.  The levels are linear and there is little in the way of finding secrets or exploring; there are little areas where an obvious side path is present to follow but even those side paths are one-way.  There is only one way to finish a level or find a way through a region.
The story is exceptional but gets too choppy and unfocused.  The tantalizing mystery really keeps you playing and wanting to see what happens.  The cut scenes, voice acting, and so forth are really, really good.  I'm not a huge fan, normally, of story driven linear games, but the pacing and narrative here was excellent.  Then you come to the last chapter... while it was good and gripping, the ending made little sense to me.  Maybe it was intended as a cliffhanger, but the scene fell apart as the story wrapped up.  This is a great weakness; a good story needs to be more cohesive and wrap up loose ends.  I understand mystery and cliffhangers, and the need to keep it open for the future, but I also want the story to make sense and I want to feel fulfilled when I play through and finish.
The game is fairly short: there are 6 chapters and each chapter should take no more than 2 hours to finish.  The upside is the game seems paced well and this time seems about right for this style of game.  The downside is the game time really doesn't measure up to a full price tag.

OVERALL (3 stars): Alan Wake is worth a play.  It has a good story that ultimately falls flat at the end due to loose ends, plot holes, and unexplained events.  The action and narrative pace keep the game going solid throughout.  The environments are fantastic and the characters are interesting.  The length of the game warrants a lower price tag.  I'd recommend picking it up for a discounted price, but I don't see it as a game of the year or other legacy.
53693
This is great, why are you even reading a review... buy this now!
2415557
For the $6.89 I paid for this, the quality is impeccable.
1382832
The prose is skillfully crafted, but one a few occasions it slips a bit. I would call it better than average.

The storyline itself is of higher caliber, as are the themes that it explores.  While it also falls short of OMGMINDBLOWN, it is pretty darn exceptional.  The day-to-day life of a hitman has been done several times, of course, but this is interesting to me in that it's the first time I've seen it approach the day-to-day *inner* life of a hitman. Perhaps that's not so novel, but it's at least it's not another "omg hitman goes to get milk and hilarious violence ensues!"
2214817
I would've given this 5 stars if it didn't cost as much as a full-length album for about half an hour of music. However, it is WELL worth the extra cash. "The trickster" and "Lewis" rock like The  Bends/Pablo Honey, and "Lozenge of Love" is hauntingly  beautiful... makes you wish it were longer. The acoustic "creep"  is, in my view, better than the original, except for that little  "very" which appears to be a bleep-out, which is unfortunate. Not  a bad song on the album, though.
887971
I had read so many raving reviews that I feared it wouldn't measure up to my expectations. Well, it does. The first half, above all, and mostly while Justice of toren is actually Justice of Toren. In that timeline the story is terribly original, the rythm is good, and the characters are given time to grow and some space to show motivations. As many reviewers have said, the "she" thing is pretty easy to get to used to, and you barely notice it beyond the first pages. Except when you deliberately try to guess the gender of one character only to find out how cleverly the author has hidden any possible clue. But for the one single case, at the very beginning when she openly designates the gender of one single character. So, gender-assigned roles really don't exist in this world, so physical and physiological dfferences are barely recognizable and have no "meaningful meaning". These are simply people -and something-other-than-people- acting, reacting, loving, warring and dying in a convincingly alien world that still is recognizable in the problems and struggles that plague it.

This said, it is far from a perfect, well-rounded book. There are a few characters and situations thrown in so just the plot moves along, a character who tags along, (a kind of neccesary sounding board/sidekick) who is mostly silent or unconscious at convenience for most ot the first half, and whose motivations for growth are really never made clear... a few loose threads here and there....Generally speaking once the two timelines converged the book lost most of its charm to me. And yet the magic of the setting, mostly in Shis'urna, with the Justice's point of view, and the well-developed characters of the two lieutenants and the slow-burn conflict in the planet was worth the lesser flaws that surely are unavoidable in a first book. It really is an original execution of the the idea of the interstellar empire, echoing at times of Le Guin, yes ( "she gestured with one hand, meaning indifference..") or of Banks' "Consider Phlebas" but original enough to stand on its own. I will be coming back for the second part.
4656769
I've been putting off reviewing this album because it seemed like it would be hard to review. And the reason being is because on one hand, it has some really wonderful songs on it, but on the other hand, it has some very mediocre songs on it. Also, all the artifical percussion and programming really doesn't help out this album at all.

But the songs I do like on this album are "Rush"(very melodic, heartfelt and beautiful), "Open Mic"(has a good solid groove to it), "Up"(very energetic and joyful sounding...and probably my favorite song on the album), "Different Kind Of Love"(a really nice and sexy ballad), "Oso's Groove"(this song has got a really good funky groove), and "West Bound"(a fun, enjoyable sounding song).

However, I was bit disappointed with the 'big' funky groove song on the album, "Why Don't You..." And IMO, I don't really think that the song was really 'funky.' Plus, the song seemed to drag at a medicore, midtempo pace. Although actually, I thought that "Up" was more of a 'seriously' funky track than "Why Don't You..."

Also, another song that I didn't care for was "Lost In You" because it sounded like a knock-off of a Brian Culbertson song. And I checked the credits and Brian neither wrote or produced this song. Therefore, please leave Brian Culbertson sounding songs to Brian Culbertson...and please try to come out with something that's more original.

But anyway, this album has some good songs and some songs that I didn't care for. Plus, the artificial drumming and the programming machine made much of the album sound sort of amateurish. Therefore, in summary, in grading this album, I would give it a "C."
2024665
This is implacably written, and edited. I would not have guessed this was a self-published work, which is a good compliment in my book.

There was a sense of adventure and mystery. Fantasy and steam punk felt like a natural part of the plot, and yet it felt anchored enough to be real.

There were two issues that I had with this story, which were no where near negative enough for me to think less of the story.

First, it felt like half a story. I wanted more, much more. I suppose that is a minor thing.

Second is how Asha reacted to events (which I am avoiding saying anything more specific for fear of spoiling it.) This, I feel, should have been handled with more tact and sensitivity. It felt emotionally unrealistic, and it snapped me out of the otherwise consuming story. I was yelling at my Kindle... so it was a major thing for me.

Even with all that, I give this story 5 stars. I encourage the author to write more, and I will be looking into more of his works.
4685894
When a great band makes a so-so album, it can be extremely difficult to understand where things went wrong. Upon first listen to this album, I was underwhelmed - the bones of greatness where there, but the meat was missing. Now, after a month of digesting, it's clear that Snow, an ambitious project to be sure, is a too long and winding road to a ho-hum finish. Much has been said about the derivative storyline, which admittedly seems a lot like the movie "Powder", and I have to agree that this is ground that's been covered before. What bothers me more, however, is that the pacing of the narrative is painfully slow. Someone in the editing room should have suggesting trimming this beast down to single album length. While the music is, as one would expect from Spock's Beard, thoroughly enjoyable, some songs (The 39th Street Blues, Looking for Answers) are pure filler and don't advance the story at all.
In the final analysis, it's the impeccable performance and great vocal melodies that save this album from being a total washout. Neal Morse and company can write music with amazing power and scope, demonstrated primarily on disc 2. It's a shame the whole affair ends with what has to be the worst Spock's Beard song ever written - Made Alive Again/Wind at my Back.
I commend Spock's Beard for their ambitiousness and willingness to spit in the face of modern musical trends, but this is not the finest example of their abilities and not recommend as one of their best.
1506803
There are a gazillion reviews already.  From the few I've sampled, I've agreed with them all.  I have my favorite tracks.  I could say how you can listen to the samples of the tracks, but really the frequency response is truncated -- as are the sample durations too of course.  You'll find plenty of tracks to like.  They are NOT all the same kind of sound -- especially once you get the CD instead of listening to samples.

But what do I have to say in my review that hasn't been said?  I'd hope to be able to add something.  In the case of Fogerty, he makes me feel patriotic -- not because the songs' content speaks to anything about patriotism, but because I'm such an intellectual and I often get down on my fellow Americans for being unsophisticated and overly literal-minded and thus missing aesthetics all over the place.  Here though, the straight-forward joyous aesthetics are something to be proud of as an American creation -- ain't no need to get all intellectual sophisticated philosophical here.  The pure joy just oozes out.  And in different ways in the different tracks.
565277
**Audiobook edition**

*4.5 stars*

WAY better than I was expecting. I sort of fell in love with this one.

When it comes to audiobooks, it is nearly impossible to sort out what is good simply because the writing was good and what was good because the narrator was good. In this case, it was both. This is the second audiobook that I've listened to from Rainbow Rowell, the first being Attachments, and both narrators were amazing. Rebecca Lowman was a total pro, nailing each character. Her male voices were sexy, something that I often struggle with with female narrators, and her voice for Georgie was spot on. I adored every second of listening to this book and did extra chores all day so I would have an excuse to listen for hours.

The writing was also exceptional. I think Rainbow Rowell really gets my demographic. The two books that I've read from her so far have both been adult books and they were both written with my generation in mind. I get all the pop culture references, I get the sources of stress and angst, I get it all.

I honestly didn't read the blurb before starting this book, only adding it to my to-read list based on the strength of "Attachments". I was surprised as hell when this book became magical realism on me. It is very low fantasy, but it's there and I loved the light fantasy of this story.

This book is mostly kind of depressing, to be honest. It is about discovering when and how a relationship can go wrong. It is a journey of reflection, of the ways we can unravel and be forced to reanalyze our lives. It was pretty touching for me, and I gave my husband extra kisses after finishing.

Though this book is dealing with a fairly serious topic, it is also, at the same time, really light. It is often funny and clever, mixing humor and ridiculous situations with the more angsty moments. I found the balance to be really well executed.

My only wish is that we find out if Georgie and Neal ever talked about that time with the magical phone. I also kind of was mad at Neal for not trying to get in touch more, but he is kind of like that (I feel like I know him personally) so I guess I understand. The ending was a touch anticlimactic, but still pretty epic in a romantic holiday movie kind of way.

If you want a really special audio experience, you must give this a shot. It really exceeded my expectations.
3540264
I originally read this book years ago in high school. Now nearly complete with my education, I've read my fair share of books over the years. I can confidently say that this is easily one of, if not the best that I have read. It has had a major influence on my own writing, so that may make me a bit biased, but then again, isn't that the point of a review?

Anyway, I'd like to offer a rebuttal of a few other reviews posted here. The single star review laments over the scene where Rayona and her mother have a spat while packing with garbage bags is rich for interpretation. Also, Christines reasoning is given from her perspective as to why she leaves Rayona at her grandmothers, making sense to her. She is correct in saying that there is no closure, at least in the usual sense. Each section is opened ended, but when read together, each story fills in the voids that the others had. The complaint is ludicrous.

Further, I believe that this novel is fine for a teenage audience, as its no worse from anything on "One Tree Hill" or any other typical teen show on television. In fact, I'd say it portrays 'adult' situations (sex, language, ect ect) in a real perspective, shows the consequences of the actions and how they affect those who come after you in life. There is a scene a uncomfortable scene with Rayona and a priest, but when looked at in context with past events with her mother and grandmother, the reader can see a pattern, and should ask themselves "what is the meaning of this pattern" rather than shrug them off. To print a 'PG' version would be a disservice to the story and to the memory of Michael Dorris.

With that off my chest, let me tell you why this is an amazing book. First off, the structure of the book is fantastic. We learn about Rayona, her life and her relationships with her mother and grandmother, totally from her perspective. Little nuances are left out, and are filled in my her mother, when the reader learns her life story, her relationship with her daughter and mother, Ida, all from her perspective. Finally, all the little holes are filled by Ida, who reveals the most about the family, but has the most concise story to tell.

Second, the characters are engrossing. You scream at them when they do something wrong, you really feel their pain, as clich as that may sound, but its true. Each woman has a very distinct and strong voice.

Lastly, its original. It has a bit of everything to keep everyone entertained. Its a genuine examination of self. Its easy to see someone you know in at least one character in the book in some form or another. Its dramatic, but not overwrought or pulls at your heart. You are not manipulated into your emotions as you feel what the characters go through.

It is a astonishing book, and I hope I have sufficiently helped you the reader in considering to read this book. You will not be let down.
95428
First off, it's extremely self-aware, almost to the point of breaking the fourth wall, of superhero tropes. And yes, TV Tropes exists in this world, and is referenced by the protagonist, although fortunately, the tropes are not explicitly called out as such. The protagonist, Merciless, is charmingly morally bent. He doesn't aim to kill or hurt people, but has no problem taking out people in his path and, in one memorable incident, has a bystander's leg broken for cheering on the antihero who's trying to kill him. He believes that the most villains (including himself) are just out for a score or for thrills, that the worst of the worst should be taken out with extreme prejudice, and that some of the worst villains are that top 1% of the wealthy who don't wield deathrays, but nonetheless create pain and loss in their wake (and there's heavy implications, if not outright statement, those most of these amoral millionaires got where they are via diabolic aid). Secondly, it's very entertaining, being set in a world where all of the ages of the comic books from Silver Age wackiness to Iron Age extreme violence to Post-modern merchandising have happened, and Merciless succeeds, as much as anything, because he's aware of the foibles of the setting and uses them to full advantage.

The writing is journeyman level, not extremely polished, but it gets the work done. Merciless feels a tad derivative of The Hood as a low-level guy who lucks into a powerful magical artifact and decides to become a villain, but only in the sense of fitting an archetype (I think M&M called it the "Jumped-up Dabbler" in Books of Magic). We get a lot of human touches in Merciless's character as we delve into his relationship with his wife and past history. The first half is him diving into the criminal world. Halfway through, he suffers a major setback and the side characters of his henchmen and his wife are largely put aside, in my opinion to the detriment of his development. Still, a complete story is laid out from beginning to end, and the end of this book sets the stage for a sequel with, of course, raised stakes.

There is something that I found mildly dissatisfying in the book, but I'm having trouble articulating it. I think that part of it is that Merciless feels a bit more like a character in a story than a person at times. I mean, he feels like a real person, but one who is having things done to him as part of the story. He just happens to get the cloak (as a mistake). He happens to have connections with several prominent heroes of the universe. He happens upon two hyper-competent henchmen. He gets a convenient power-up when the plot demands it. It reminds me a bit of a friend's short story where the main character escapes the attack on his village through a secret passageway and discovers a convenient set of magic items and gear in a chest at the end. I'm being a bit unfair, I think, because Merciless does have miscues and consequences from bad decisions, but and we do learn that he has reasons (whether they're good ones is another question) for doing what he does, but the general impression I was left with was that Merciless is on a narrative railroad of sorts. Which is actually interesting in a way because he continues to be a three-dimensional character despite having what might be considered a very flat narrative track.