Well-told entertainment
935511
My wife and I are in our 60's, and have read the first 4 Flavia de Luce novels.  They are well written with higher vocabulary, and not at all condescending or dumbed down for teenagers; this is quite an adult mystery.  Told from the precocious viewpoint of an adolescent girl living in a delapidated mansion in a English village in the 1950's, Flavia rides her bicycle all over the countryside, finding adventure and quite often, a dead body.  This discovery launches her into a Sherlock Holmesian investigation which rivals the local police lead detective.  Midnight outings and villanous treachery ensue, with real chemistry thrown in for good measure.  Naturally Flavia beats the police to the criminal,  which results in a chilling climax, with her life at stake.  Great entertainment for 10 years old to 90.
2495839
This is an enjoyable, quick read. It is a well-constructed story on two levels... one in the past, one in the present.  It intimates, rather than describes India... which, I imagine, is the way it should be.
I would not call this great literature, but it is certainly interesting, entertaining,  and well put together.
3034821
Separating entertainment from history will be the toughest thing to do during this little film review, but we're going to do it because entertainment is what films are all about, right? Whether it's entertaining in a teaching manner or on a more visceral level is up to the director/screenwriter. But as the audience, our only need is to feel as though our time sitting in front of the big screen has been worthwhile.

Some are going to lambaste me for saying things here but I'm going to risk ridicule and say them anyway. But first, the positives...

The cinematography is excellent. The muted sepia tones on Iwo Jima and the flashbacks that all the characters have are all pulled off exceptionally well. Also, the story is significant in that the "true" heroes of Iwo Jima are never recognized, and Mr. Eastwood deserves thanks for pointing out this historical flaw. The sweeping views of the American Navy as it approaches Iwo are just flat-out stunning, too, reminiscent of the scenes from SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (although that landing took place in France, not the Pacific Theater).

Historically the story is very interesting, too, showing how Americans went bonkers over one image that they viewed as the U.S.'s ultimate success in the war. The media and politicians appropriately locked onto this and used it to help promote the sale of war bonds. And this is where our characters come in ...and where we start to run into problems.

With the exception of Ira Hayes (played well by Adam Beach) and maybe John "Doc" Bradley (played by Ryan Phillippe), the characters in the film are distantly portrayed, never really getting the audience on the inside of the rest of the main characters. Barry Pepper (who I absolutely love as an actor) was one of the many die-offs that I just couldn't connect with. As were Jesse Bradford (although not a die-off), John Benjamin Hickey, and even Paul Walker (who played Hank Hansen, a fairly pivotal person in the story). I realize that these were real men, not fictional creations, but the audience still needs a significant connection in order to empathize with them. It just wasn't there. Again, the exception to this was Adam Beach who's well-played role of the unfortunate Ira Hayes comes off quite well. His unfortunate death proves that Native Americans were seen as second class citizens even though they were fighting in the war and killed alongside every other color of men.

Perhaps LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA is a better Eastwood film. Maybe not. Regardless, I'm now just a bit hesitant to see it for fear of not connecting with any of those characters either.
3894348
True to life experiences that keep the story going
2469731
A good story, well told, picking up a few months after The Thousand Dollar Tan Line. The authors seem to be a lot more comfortable with the story and style.

Veronica his hired to find out if someone from one of the big hotels in Neptune is responsible for a young woman nearly being beaten to death.  The story has a lot of twists and turns, and without spoiling the story I'll say that  Veronica HAS to follow the clues because that's the way she is.  Entertaining all the way.
4198237
A good story well told. Solid craftsmanship, little artistry. A thousand diverting allusions-- all explained (necessary for Western audiences). Some of the plotlines are silly (divorces and monasteries just when a character must disappear--but not his money-- for the plot to work), but the main characters' tales are riveting.
88959
An interesting and well told story. It has a good pace, with little time wasted on extraneous scenes or events. Perhaps slightly more establishment of mood would have lead me to pin the extra star on there.
4812899
This portrait of Star Wars fans awaiting the opening of Episode One is entertaining, often hilarious, strangely endearing, and just generally a very well done documentary.  The slice of life quality is only enhanced by the sometimes rough shooting conditions.  While I like Star Wars, I'm not quite a "Starwoid," yet I still found the film emminently watchable and a great deal of fun.
For DVD viewers, the extras section is far better than I have seen in many high-budget releases.  Although subtitles might have been a useful feature that is missing, make sure you catch the Kevin Smith interview, the out-takes from the Star Wars musical, not to mention the delightful and often side-splitting bantering during the director's commentary.
Overall, this documentary is more than worth its price.
671433
The Funny Man is well-written, with many engaging elements, e.g. the dialogue between the narrator and his attorney Barry was always witty and entertaining. The story shifts between the past and the present, and I found the story of his trial (the present) more engaging. The details of the funny man's rise to fame (the past) were less engaging, and occasionally unbelievable (e.g., the reality show where people get punched in the face). The story takes a turn in the second half that (without spoiling anything) was interesting, but not especially compelling. On the other hand, there were many passages that had me completely absorbed. Warner is especially adept at creating great tension at key moments in the funny man's story. A worthwhile read.
2004668
I was surprised by these vignettes. At first I thought they were sheer entertainment, a light tongue-in-cheek romp told from point of view of a cigarette lighter. And certainly, the entertainment value is high - you will get a chuckle from the opening line and raise your eyebrows and snicker the whole way through. But the stories are more affecting than at first meets the eye. Each story shows you something important about the humanity of its characters, people from all walks of life - a sex pot party girl, a chivalrous drunk, a kindhearted hooker  - and I found myself thinking about all of them long after I had finished reading.
4844002
This well-received graphic novel began life in serialized form, published in a British newspaper (and still online here). The soapy story is laden with rich characterization and relatable situations. A decidedly PG-13 (at the very least) tale, which may make some parents uncomfortable with its depictions of teen angst and antics, frank sexuality, and drug use (and clear consequences), Tamara Drewe is certainly no worse than sundry stories depicted within popular daytime television dramas--or Judy Blume novels.

Though "inspired" by Thomas Hardy's novel Far from the Madding Crowd, Posy Simmonds' sublimely written and drawn story is a horse of a different color. The tragicomedy of manners and misunderstandings is set at a rural English writers' retreat, an ideal backdrop for mischief and melodrama. Owned by a couple whose marriage is problematic (to say the least), the country getaway, a farm, hosts a cast of colorful guests who interact with the pair, each other, and the local townspeople.

The title character is a once-ugly young woman whose nose job has transformed her into a seductive and flirtatious figure. The pacing is perfect for this type of tale. Affairs ensue, writerly conflicts flare, relationships are tested, and the usual melodramatic flourishes ebb and flow throughout the story. Though there are few sympathetic characters and no protagonists to speak of, the cast is generally harmless. Their self-absorption and shallowness--despite ample pretense to the contrary--mostly comes off as comic rather than venal. But Simmonds doesn't sell them (or us) short when true tragedy occurs and admirably allows it to happen rather than pull punches or portray it as more--or less--than what it really is. Overall, though, Tamara Drewe is a comedy and those elements are predominant.

Simmonds is a wonderful artist. Her fluid storytelling skills are strong and her clean, illustrative style is a delight. Great faces, landscapes, still lives, and emotions are portrayed with precision and panache. The coloring is subtle yet effective, and her language is simple yet rich and evocative.

With all the talk of web comics, Posey Simmonds took full advantage of the format and created a substantial though thoroughly entertaining and satisfying work that's fine online yet works equally well in the old-fashioned dead-trees medium too. One would hope that other newspapers and creators would similarly seize the opportunity.

-- Richard Pachter
2279592
The entertaining thing about this book is that we get a complex situation, and a lot of action to get us caught up in the story. It also isn't too drawn out of a story, so everything feels pretty well paced.  We keep reading to find out what finds out to happening to all the main characters though because the author has caught us from the beginning.
  One of the confusing things about this book is the fact that it seems to be from the children's perspective, but yet we are getting a lot of scenes that the kids could not have seen unless they were actually there. I'm sure they are reflecting back on what someone told them, but it is way too detailed from someone hearing it second hand.  I felt she shouldn't have been trying to guide it from a child's perspective, and just stayed as a perspective that guide it all without bias.
  I'm not sure how realistic the cases are in this book, but I don't really care. I think the enjoyable thing about fiction is that the rare things can happen, and we can be as outlandish as we want as long as there is still some entertainment going on.
  Anyways, this is an entertaining book. I think the genre it best fits in is drama, though you can get a little bit of the romance vibe from it also. It doesn't get too cheesy, or let the cheesiness overwhelm it.

This book was provided by Booksneeze in exchange for a review.
4395296
Experimental Notebook is a collection of stories that have been written to entertain and not to leave the reader up in the air wondering what was the point of the story. So many times short story writers think they need to do a story that has an obscure ending to qualify as a literary piece. C.S. Boyack has taken a number of different circumstances and crafted stories that have entertainment value. He sometimes takes a bizarre look at a particular situation but in each case when the story ends the reader has the whole package. There is also an element of humor that the author continues to interject in most of the stories. The humor is not laugh out loud funny but carries a more wry intelligent, subtle tone. The reader more than once will chuckle at the onset and then find a smile as the humorous piece finishes much as one would experience with a sip of fine wine.
The creativeness of C.S. Boyack is apparent His stories have that familiarity that the reader would swear came out of the author living an experience. Of course, some of the plots and subject material make this assumption entirely impossible and thus the real talent of the artist is discovered. Boyack writes a story as if he lived it. The characters and plotlines are so simply yet so carefully designed that the author makes this kind of storytelling look easy. The reader finishes the Notebook knowing what looks easy and what turns out to be the types of stories written are at opposite poles of one another. The Creative Notebook is excellent writing, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a wonderful reading experience.
1636354
This set does something very unusual for documentaries, particularly Hitler Channel productions, these days:  It goes out and shows you the constructions that it's talking about (and a striking number of these ancient engineering feats remain in show-and-tell-able condition).  Oh, there are computer-graphic explanations of details -- for example, the Aztec aqueduct system or the process by which boats were moved along Darius's canal.  And some fairly restrained re-enactments provide a bit of action, as well as historical context.  Otherwise, though, lovely images of the actual objects at issue form the centerpiece(s) of each segment.

Peter Weller's purposefully conversational narration lapses only occasionally into dude-speak, and anyway, he can be forgiven a snarky comment or two while he gamely climbs up, down, in, over, under and through the assembled relics of the human past (in their varied states of disrepair).  He certainly generates an infectious enthusiasm for his subject, and he communicates quite a bit of information in an accessible manner.

I might have liked to see more technological nitty-gritty on some of the innovations, but in general, this series has rather more heft than one might expect from the mainstream infotainment production houses.  I, too, am slightly irritated that the Rome volume will be a separate purchase -- but I'll be picking it up, just the same.
4809558
Found the factual presented in a digestive and tastefully entertaining manner.
4193251
The most outstanding thing about this CD is the language in which these stories are told. This is serious literature for children, and it is told in a traditional, rather archaic fashion. I think young listeners might find it difficult to follow and will need a grown up help to guide them along some of the outdated  phrases and vocabulary. That, in my opinion, is NOT a bad thing. Who says children can't be entertained and learn something at the same time? They can and they enjoy it.

My children are 6 and 8 and upon 1st hearing the stories I myself thought perhaps I was aiming too high for them, but they liked it and insisted upon listening over and over again. Some stories are more quick paced and there is not much need for explaining such as "7 in a blow" which was an instant hit with my children, and some are more complex and takes a few listening and some explaining before they could fully understand and enjoy it.

I particularly enjoyed Bernard Cribbin Narration - pleasant voice and perfect diction.  very well done.
4207899
excellent stories with some things left to the imagination; not filled with profanity or explicit sex to disguise a lack of writing skill;
stories move along well with interesting facts added about the location; characters are likeable with their own frailties; great entertainment