Probably don't need another rave review, but...
587075
...I can't help it This is a terrific story, not only the saga of poor Lava and getting him out, but also a true story of the horror of that war. I am pretty conversant with what had been going on there, and the futility of it all, but this first-hand account brings authenticity.

Sure, as some wrote, the story may not be polished prose of a professional writer, but for the kind of story it was, it brings it more to life than had it been severely edited. I see nothing wrong with this.

Man, in places it made me laugh, and in others weep, but thank God it had a happy ending.

I must say, however, I wonder whether that would have been possible had an enlisted man tried the same thing.

In any case, my thanks and compliments to Col. Kopelman for his efforts, and for a story well-told.
2358716
Unfortunately, it seems even the best of critics begin to doubt themselves when they are asked to review a phenomenally successful product (it is perhaps uncommon to refer to a literary work as a product, but when you look at the global economic impact of the Harry Potter franchise, then it does seem appropriate). One begins to doubt one's own self in the face of the mind-boggling statistics of so many miilions of units sold in matter of hours etc. So, I would say that there hasn't been an unbiased review of the HP books since the release of book 5, the first "ordinary" book of an otherwise extraordinary series.
Our household has HP readers from the age of 6 to 43. And all I have to do to support my view is to look at the appearences of all of our books. The first three books are badly worn out, the third book being in the worst condition, because of the hundreds of re-reads they have undergone. The books 4 to 6 are in much better condition, and we can probably re-sell the 5th book. I am afraid the final book will join the latter group and not the former.
Am I the only one who thinks that J K Rowling's literary magic has diminished in quality significantly in the latter books? I ask you - think about the Troll attack in the first book, or the night bus episode in the third book or the description of the Quidditch games. Didn't it seem like you can see the whole thing right before your eyes? And tell me, do you feel the same about the battle in the ministry of magic in the 5th book, or Dumbledore's last adventure with Harry in the 6th book?
Coming back to the 7th book, the first myth to be broken about the 7th book is, no, it didn't answer all the hanging questions. If it did, then it would have to answer a hanging question in every page. It also contains many incidents spanning several pages that have very little relevance - a major character's departure from the "team" and coming back is an example. And, it was painful to read about characters that had such big roles to play in the previous volumes curtly disposed off - Harry merely notices their bodies lying around - and it makes you rethink the real importance of those characters. And no, I wasn't impressed about the finale; it seemed more of a whimper than a bang.
The series still stands out as a great literary work, but mainly because of the first few outstanding volumes.
1422435
Enough said.  Apologies for the one star rating, evidently you must at least rate for one star regardless...
3024859
I'm not a fan of having to write reviews for products that can be rated with stars. Some items are used by my children and others are bought as gifts and the people receiving them are enjoying them. So please refer to the number of stars to see if we have liked or disliked something. 8-)
3645962
... I am not one of them.  Why people who do dislike Jethro Tull should insist on giving their more obsure albums one star ratings is beyond me.  Suffice to say, that if anyone goes to the trouble to rip a 30 year old album, then it must be pretty good.  The world is filled, after all, with things to give a five star review to.  Now I think I'll hustle off and rip the Ramones a new one.  Toodles

Baker Street Muse is the Greatest rock song of all time, BTW.
4297056
... considering what happened to my review of the film Avatar! A hundred thirty comments, and still coming! But I truly wonder why NOBODY has remarked on the similarity of the two films, Avatar and District 9. Not quite the same script, but mighty close: an alien species is unable to defend itself, for the time being, from Blackwater-style mercenary gunners until one Homo sapiens comes to their aid. In both films, the rescuer is a cross-breed, in Avatar by intent, in District 9 by accident. Both films end up with the half-human and the aliens blasting the baddies (us) to kingdom come. And both films have a profoundly subversive anti-capitalist message. And both films depict humans as unredeemably bloodthirsty racists. Avatar has the edge in pretty scenery and 3-D, but District 9 includes ACTING! A scruffy-looking unknown, Sharlto Copley, plays the role of the DNA-infected 'traitor' to human national and corporate greed; if Copley doesn't win some kind of Oscar for this performance, there's no justice on Earth.

By this time, I think it's safe to presume that everybody has seen both films, so I won't offer a synopsis, nor a teaser nor a spoiler. Instead, I want to outrage the usual outragees by speculating on the current mood of apocalyptic fantasy among us H-saps. There are several channels, obviously, one of extraterrestrial encounter, one of global catastrophe (that total snoozer about instant climate change comes to mind), and the third about a Day of Judgement scenario. 2012? I haven't seen it, but it must fit one of these categories. The "Left Behind" novels. What's up, humanity? Are we so desperately fearful of our finite and fleeting existence that we need to bolster our self-image with fantasies of Armageddon? Relax, you silly primates! If there's anyone -- or Anyone -- out there, He, She or They are not preoccupied with us.

Is this really a five-star film? Beyond the acting of Copley and the special effects, no way! It's 'kinda dopey' as we say in Minnesota. There are more logical inconsistencies in the script than in a speech by Sarah Palin. And there is a grievous problem with the depiction of the Nigerians in the film; they are stereotyped in the most racist, neo-colonial manner. Somebody ought to be ashamed.

But you have to see it, believe me, before the sequel comes out, when the aliens come back. Unless, of course, you think you can take their side ...
3136229
Just OK.  Generally, I don't regard light-hearted and predictable as totally pejorative.  But I think this needed a bit more surprise.
3997186
** See update below the review.

Based on all the "genius" and "masterpiece" reviews around here, I can only imagine the sort of flack I'm going to get, but I can't hold it in anymore.  I have NO idea what kind of Kool Aid you're all drinking to call this any good at all, let alone "genius."  I've listened to tons of this band over the years, simply because I enjoy how outside the box they are, how unpredictable they *were*... But I can't take it anymore.  I need SONGS.  And believe me, I'm using the term loosely.  I'm obviously not looking for verse-verse-chorus, etc. from these two, I go other directions for my pop.  But I'm tired of these guys simply being sound engineers with NO regard for melody at ALL (or even for listenable rhythms for that matter).  For the life of me, I can't imagine how this doesn't bother you others.

Obviously, I "got it" a while ago that they weren't interested in making Amber or Tri Repetae anymore, and for a while I signed on, finding elements within the songs I found interesting, and just enjoying the sounds they're able to draw from their software and algorithms and whatnot.  But for crying out loud, it's just one record after another with NOTHING to hold on to, nothing to ENGAGE a listener... just strange chord choices or note sequences that make neither a pleasant tunefulness nor a pleasant dissonance, but rather simply sound like randomly struck chords and unpleasantly chaotic rhythms.  Awful.  Honestly I feel like a sucker for having stayed on board THIS long.  I'd thought that given the two-hour length of Exai, maybe they'd use the extra time to explore tunefulness again, as they once did years ago with Amber, TR, LP5, etc., or at least SOMETHING aside from the usual.  But nope, it's just an extra hour of this bombastic nonsense.  No thanks, I'm done.  And good riddance.

** 8/5/16 .. I wanted to update my review above, because I must admit that even with the above complaints, I *still* have gone back and put Exai on a number of times.  Despite its challenges, some of it has gotten through to me to the point that I actually do like it.  Other parts of it I still don't enjoy, but I no longer have the vitriol for it I had when I wrote the review above.  Now I'd classify it as another late-Autechre release that offers some good and some not-so-good but at least always remains interesting enough to listen to again.

Having said this, I still hate Oversteps and am done playing that one. :-)  Conversely, I really like Move of Ten.  You just never know with these guys what you're going to get -- but therein lies why we keep coming back... for something that sounds interesting and will be hard to predict.

Don't get me wrong, I also recently listened to LP5, EP7, Tri Repetae, Amber, and I prefer what they did then.  But I still look forward to hearing what they'll do now.  I'll probably check out the recent Elseq 1-5.  Curious for thoughts from those who've heard those.
4717128
Does anyone else find it strange that out of 19 5-star reviews, 10 purchasers reviewed nothing else except this one book?  This certainly leads me to believe that these people are "planted" to submit a 5-star review in order to get the book sold. When I look at the 5-star reviews on items I want to buy, I always check to see if they've reviewed other items.  I do this to make certain random people don't just write positive reviews in order to jack up the ratings for sales purposes.
1514811
I have not read this particular book, but I do find the reviews entertaining, especially the comments attached to the higher scores.  My own built-in neural network smells a good deal of similarity in the high scoring entries.  If you are cynical, take these out and use the remaining scores to average.  I think you would be rather close to a single star.
1388237
Maybe I'm just annoyed at the missing serial comma in the title "Provisions, Fiction and Gear" by Moth, but I'm clearly in the minority of reviewers. The drone and slam approach to music has never done much to excite me, and the notion that one has to adhere to a signature sound instead of trying out something new and different proves stifling. It's as though the band is drawn to produce this one sound much like a moth is drawn to the light.
I like some of the tracks here---Cocaine Star, Burning Down My Sanity, and I See Sound---but it's the session as a whole that falters, leaving one in a stupor much like a moth stunned by cedar.
One quick question: If this CD really merits all those 4 or 5 star ratings, why is it that used copies are going for less than a nickel?
3675483
I am familiar with the spectacular rave reviews this book has garnered, but I felt the characterizations were cold and univiting...I guess I missed the rave review boat on this one.
3477230
...and I love it. I don't know why, either, so I'm not really going to bother justifying it (I'm usually not the one to go for the seminal "experiemntal" albums bands put out). With the exception of Treefingers, the entire album *interests* me...and while some of the tracks might run a bit long (Kid A, for example), they still hold my attention. Sample it before buying, though; as the reviews seem to show, you might not have quite the same reaction.
3532513
...either you like it already or you don't. If you don't, get off my internet.

I felt silly buying this on blu-ray. Does this film need to be available in a high rez? No. This is a film about jokes, not visuals.

The director's commentary by Mel Brooks is a nice added bonus.
3987169
...but the other reviewer clearly didn't understand that one star is *bad* and five stars are *good*. Poor Dinah Shore doesn't deserve an accidental pan.
412542
It'll do. Nothing sticks out saying it's great....just so-so
964972
Compared to the usual extremely positive review this album gets, my review is quite negative. In reality, though, I see my view of this album is being pretty fair. I don't say it's a "bad" album simply because I'm annoyed at the praise it receives. That wouldn't wouldn't be the truth, because it's certainly not bad. But is it good? At times, but it doesn't approach greatness and it certainly doesn't approach being the greatest record of all-time.

If I wasn't aware of the tremendous praise this album receives, I'd literally never be able to guess it. For something so universally-acclaimed, the listening experience is thoroughly ordinary. Forget the complaints that Thom Yorke sounds "whiny", or that it's "too depressing". My criticisms are not as superficial as that, and such complaints really should be ignored. My main problem is that there is a lack of substance to this record. Basically, this is slightly more intelligent pop music for people who have a bit more interest in music than your average listener. Comparisons to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" are fairly well-justified in that both records are not particularly interesting from a creative standpoint, but have the kind of blend of musical competence and style that makes them extremely popular with the mainstream music press (and therefore with their readers).

After all, both are exceedingly accessible records. Unless you're seriously unaccustomed to any type of music that isn't played on the blandest of radio stations, it can't be said that OK Computer ever delves into any sort of challenging territory. While that's not a requirement for a record, I do think it's a requirement if the record is to be taken seriously as a true work of art, a masterpiece, and one of the "greatest ever". There are records from the 60s (hell, even the 50s, if we count jazz) that are likely to surprise you more than this album ever could. And if your mind is open, those are the type of surprises that win you over and reward you the most in the end, I think. Listen to Pere Ubu's "The Modern Dance" from 1978 and ask yourself, which album surprised you more often? It may surprise you so much that you hate it, or you may only hate it at first. But the beauty is that you may come around to appreciate its willingness to shock you for the sake of a purer form of expression.

So, in conclusion, OK Computer is by no means a bad record. It's a totally competent, easily-accessible pop album that is sort of a victim of its own incredible success. I don't "hate" it, and I don't complain that the singer sounds whiny, or that the lyrics are "depressing", or anything like that. I just don't think it's done anything to deserve its status, and at least at the time, it doesn't sound like Thom Yorke did either: "We write pop songs ... there was no intention of it being 'art'."