Don't 'Catch' this one.
590683
I have been a fan of King for years, reading anything and everything he writes.  From the description of Dreamcatcher, I had decided that I was not going to read it; as another reviewer said, it sounded as though it had been done before (in both books and movies).  But I purchased it anyway, and found that my initial instinct had been correct.
I could not get involved with the any of the main characters, especially since only two of the boys are in a majority of the story and the Kurtz character is laughable and easily forgotten.  The event that happened when the men were young is uninteresting and weak.  The storytelling is not the best; I thought it was choppy and sometimes even confusing.  I was just disappointed with the overall effort.  I know King had the accident and wrote this one by hand, but he doesn't need to publish everything!
Why King would choose to write about aliens (too similar to the movie Alien(s)) after writing Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis, and On Writing is beyond me.  I thought a new King was emerging and was excited for his future endeavors, but somewhere along the line King got an idea for aliens, and unfortunately decided to go with it.  This book should have been written early in his career, not at this point in his career.  He is too talented a writer to tell a story about aliens and telepathy.
Overall, low rating is for poor storytelling, poor concept, and for King losing some of that writing maturity I had been waiting for.
2183928
The obvious issue on the album is that it sounds nothing like Catch 22. Some of you Catch 22 fans like me didn't want to believe it. But it's true. The CD has great brass parts and good vocals....but it's just not Catch 22 style...at all.
1349634
Please don't misunderstand. The positive reviews of this movie make it out to be a thrilling, mysterious, symbolic movie with a hidden message that requires an introspective person to understand it. This is not the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It's just a very weird movie that tries to trick it's audience into believing its faux self-importance. The only pay-off is looking at Gyllenhaal's dreamy eyes for an hour and thirty minutes. There are millions of thought-provoking movies. This is not one of them. My advice it to pass.
4514299
Hey Thomas and Mercer: Your editors are not horse people. Mr. Boyd consistently uses the word "stable" when he means "stall." Horse trailers are cleaned thoroughly after every use to help prevent the spread of disease. Racing stables use many kinds of saddles. Readers are going to be upset.

As I have said in my reviews of the first two DI Nick Dixon books, the writing does not rise above  midlevel competence. This one especially relies on coincidence rather than on DI Dixon's detective work. The coincidence that Noel's client happens to board his horse where Noel works beggars belief, as does the coincidence of Nick happening to see Tanner and the bookie on the phones. If he could see these calls, so could the racing board. The idea that the place where the drugs are hidden would not have been detected by the dogs means that Mr. Boyd and his editors know little of drug busts or drug dogs. And was Mrs. G murdered or not? Dangling thread.

Oh yeah, rattlesnakes don't spit venom.

I received a review copy of "Kickback" by Damien Boyd (Thomas and Mercer/Amazon Publishing) through NetGalley.com.
3652408
I know. This is a clever film. And one is supposed to like that. But seriously... It's not enough to offer a clever twist, when the story doesn't really make sense to begin with. No it's not that something is missing and it gets explained. It's more like trying to cook a raw fish by pouring suger on it. Interesting idea, but it still is not eatable.

A middle aged authoress goes to live in her publisher's house in France in order to write her new book. She needs some peace and quiet, since she is rather tensed and uninspired. When the publisher's daughter turns up in the house, the tensed but now inspired authress turns out to be quite asocial and unfriendly. Maybe that's interesting too. The main character is not very likable. Unusual move.

From here on, not much happens. Well, one big thing happens, but writing about that would be giving away the plot.

Lots of uncalled for nudity. Of course, that's belongs to a good thriller. Sex and murder are neighbours. When someone is naked you know that death is around the corner. ...even if nothing happens.

If you want to see a film about a female detective writer who is under too much pressure and might be about to lose it, maybe this is for you. If you want a good thriller, there are lots of other options.
1249537
It saddens me to be the bearer of bad news, but this film is NOTHING like the previous reviewers claim; most of them must have associations with the film, which is somewhat common on Amazon. It is NOT a mystery, it is NOT a thriller, it is NOT well-directed and it is NOT a good film. I know, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Well, this is one bad review out of five" (and usually I myself disregard the one bad review in the bunch, as there's always someone out there you can't please, no matter how hard you try). But my profile on Amazon clearly indicates most folks find my reviews helpful, so you'll have to judge for yourself after reading (or ignoring) my criticisms. I considered it to be dreadfully disappointing and boring. Thankfully, it clocks in well-under 80 minutes, but it seemed like two hours. Stolen moments about stolen artifacts, no more, no less, IMHO.

One-third of the way through the proceedings, you kind of get the idea what's actually going on, who the perpetrator of the crime is, how the saga evolved and the role of the principal character; even if you didn't, there's not much of a pay-off. The only likable character is the African woman (and if realism was expected, they could've at least gotten a real African actress for the role); all the rest are downright despicable or instantly forgettable.

The art gallery owner, Ivy, inherits a cache of ancient African funerary posts from her father upon his passing, and we see a flashback of her as a child with dear old dad in the bushland with his cronies hovering over the dead bodies of some natives, his men armed with rifles, natives shot dead. Any mystery there? Ivy's now a middle-aged alcoholic who abuses the men in her life, manipulates those she conducts business with, and has a separated husband who secretly watches her every move. She needs to sell the artifacts to save her gallery, and the appraisal is even far more than she imagined, but before she can unload them, she's served injunction papers from a government agency questioning how the goods came into her or her fathers' possession. The issue of legitimacy of said ownership is on the table, and is slowly destroying Ivy's world. Her reputation, career, sanity and salvation depends on her concealing the secret that her father was a war criminal (this isn't a spoiler; it's in the product details, that's why I said there's no mystery or thrills to be had). So she undergoes the scrutiny meant for her father's sins - Finding any thrills there? Me either.

Director Natasa Prosenc's flaws are abundant and unforgivable here. The lighting in a good deal of scenes is dark and grainy, devoid of contrast. There are an unrepentant amount of annoying close-ups that actually distance you from the characters rather than suck you in, and the details roll out like toilet paper sheets as opposed to what a director with skills would achieve to keep the pace moving and affect some vibrancy into the void that's created. The camera angles showed no imagination, only budgetary constraints. The script needed re-formatting to achieve what it set out to do, some development and back story on the additional players was sorely needed (only Ivy's role is fleshed out, and she's too unredeemable to take interest in) to pique and hold our interest, the soundtrack was one of the film's highlights (in stark contrast to another reviewer's comments) and these poor directorial skills paraded around here turned me off entirely. I kept thinking (along with my wife) "Something's gotta give soon" and nothing does. It's a miasma of quicksand. When the end credits rolled, I felt cheated and deceived (sorry, but I take these things personally sometimes).
It's a film about stolen African art that amounts to stolen time in an artless film.
2381637
Thought this was just "ok".  This one seemed way too obvious that someone was looking for something to produce and make money on rather than simply capturing an adventure.  Got that sense right from the start.  It got a little better, but I'd skip if you have others queued up.
690719
Hmmmm, it's surprising to me to read all the other glowing reviews about this book.  I'll admit, it catches your attention at the beginning, and keeps you guessing, but the guessing game becomes the central problem with this book, it just goes on and on, and when you finally arrive at the conclusion, you are not at all shocked.  The way the author flips back and forth between characters and time frames is at best annoying.  Spend your time reading something more fulfilling and exciting and less nerve racking.
1656891
Sly with strings? What? Now that's just plain saccharine, that is. I mean, even when they're subtle, they're not used tastefully, and when they dominate the song ("Mother Beautiful"; the small hit "Time for Livin'"; "Wishful Thinkin'"), they really bog the record down. Now to be fair, strings or no strings this is not one of Sly's better moments at all. "Loose Booty" is clever, all right, and "Say You Will" is catchy as anything else the man ever committed to tape. Still, this is a lacking release: none of the fun found on Fresh; none of the intriguing darkness of There's a Riot Goin' On, nothing half as uplifting as Stand!, and it doesn't have the variety of Life. The funk is listenable but unimaginative ("Holdin' On"; "Can't Strain My Brain", title track; "Better Thee Than Me"), I already discussed the several bad ballads, and what happened to the lyrics? In spite of that, there are little flashes of brilliance everywhere (the sax part on "Better Thee"), and there really isn't much truly pitiful stuff on this album. Proceed with caution, though: It was only recently put back in print, and for a good reason. Don't touch this unless you've heard Sly's better albums first.
1020981
My recommendation is that you do NOT read this book, unless you're a lover of "complicated" and "twisty" plots.  Good books can be just as successful when they're written so that people can understand what's happening and who the author is referring to without scratching your head.  Yes, things do fall into place, but not until I was so frustrated that if it hadn't been for a book club that I had to wade through it, I would have tossed it 10 pages in.
757669
I think it's unfortunate that this book is being marketed as an alternative choice to The Da Vinci Code. As a result, people are reading it, expecting something else, and giving it poor reviews.  Truly, it does not deserve its current Amazon rating.  Stylistically, this book is nothing like the Da Vince Code.  If you're looking for a page turner with insane plot twists that you cannot put down, this isn't it.  Look elsewhere, and stop picking on this book.

The Rule of Four is an intelligently written mystery.  I kept expecting to be put off by the Ivy League setting and the seemingly simple emotional struggles of the main characters. Strangely, I wasn't, and it took me a while before I realized why.  The book was written from the point of view of of a young man in college, and it was written by two young men just out of college.  The same book, by an older author, with more insight into life, would not have worked in the same way.  Here, love, academia, and friendship are all that matter to the main character.  The character (and the authors) think that he is more complex, mature, and insightful than he really is.  It was a nostalgic experience for me, and I found the POV refreshing and unusual.

If you enjoy fiction with a scholarly twist, give this one a try.  I believe these authors have great promise, and I believe that, as they grow, we'll see increasing character development in their upcoming works.
3687135
It must be admitted that taking cheap shots at celebrities who have latched onto the children's book craze is very tempting.

So, I'm going to only to take well-deserved ones.

I tried, really, to approach this book with an open mind. I believe I did. However, I cannot deny that Madonna made a mistake retelling this particular tale from the Kabbalah to re-tell. Not having the original at hand (Madonna informs us that it's "inspired" by a story by "The Bal Shem Tov--"The Master of the Good Name, " born in the early 18th century in the Ukraine), I can't tell exactly how much she changed it, but as a children's book the "moral of the story" is heavy-handed and harsh.

The story concerns baseball coach Mr. Peabody's apparent apple stealing from an open-air fruit market. Tommy Tittlebottom see it first, and, as tradition has it, gossip spreads fast in the town of "Happville" (which wasn't a very big town). When none of the boys show up for next week's game except Tommy Little ("who wasn't a very big boy"). Although Tittlebottom apologizes to his coach, and offers to make things better, Peabody decides to teach the young boy a lesson, a lesson that is intended to ring with Talmudic wisdom.

Following Mr. Peabody's instructions, Tommy to bring a pillow to the baseball field, and cuts it open as requested. As they watch the feathers scatter all over the baseball field, Peabody likens this to the effect of fast-flying rumors. OK, point taken, game and match to the adult. However, that's not enough; Mr. Peabody actually asks Tommy to pick up every feather on the field. The book suggests that Tommy (who seems like a good boy) actually does this. Perhaps this is all symbolic, but basically we have one boy's small, understandable mistake (and if Tommy made a mistake, so did the whole gossiping small town), met by a figure who's cold, unforgiving, and who imparts the force of his authority, not his wisdom. While the pacing is fine, and the storytelling clear, the revisions are not impressive. In this post-WWII tale, Madonna calls the owner of the fruit market, "Mr. Funkadeli" and one of the town boys, "Tommy Tittlebottom." Anachronistic (Funkadeli) and too easy (both names). The story choice (however, is far worse than these small miscues.

Fortunately, Madonna has the clout to get Mr. Loren Long as illustrator. Long (whom Madonna--or her publisher--left off the book's cover draws gooey-looking hometown heroes who looked like they're stuffed with clay. Their silhouettes reveal long baggy legs, gangly limbs. The backgrounds include post-war small town scenes (the village looks like Disneyland's "Main Street") and vast horizons in blues, purples, and grays. The shaded, rounded, and bucolic scenes give indeed give the Norman Rockwell look noted above. Madonna includes the pious (and if I give in to some perhaps unfounded cynicism--profit-making) sentiments that she hopes she has "done his story justice," and dedicates the book "to teachers everywhere." OK, that last sentence may have been a cheap shot. Recommended for the illustrations only.
1214345
I'm rating this low because of my own error, but don't want anyone else to make the same mistake... THIS IS NOT THE SOUNDTRACK BY JOHN POWELL.  This is a bunch of songs, with only one track from the orchestral score.  That's OK, I guess, if you want the pop songs... I wanted the score.  So read the fine print.  :-)
1360355
===>"A musical Buffy episode?  THAT'll be a disaster," I thought, upon first seeing the TV listing for the episode "Once More With Feeling."  I deliberately avoided watching it during its first run, and didn't encounter it again until I was taping reruns more than a year and a half later.  I went ahead and watched it all the way through, then went about my daily business.  By that afternoon, I was going crazy trying to stop singing half-remembered lines and melodies.  After watching the tape twice more, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to purchase the soundtrack if I ever wanted to regain my sanity.
===>In a nutshell?  If you've never seen the episode, aren't a fan of BtVS, and don't mind shelling out eighteen bucks, give the CD a chance.  (As Anya would say, "Under Your Spell" and "Rest in Peace" could be breakaway pop hits.)  If you're a Buffyphile, purchase and memorize it.  Otherwise, you too might find yourself walking down the street singing, "hm hm hm...under your spell...hm hm sea...hm hm hm hm Willow tree...hm hm hm...."
3531006
Don't get fooled.  This is not the Scorpions.  It's some random cover band.
30579
If you are Christian and easily offended, I strongly suggest you quell your curiosity and skip this book.  It will only disgust you.  Others might find it a fascinating read.

Within the first dozen pages, the bible is referred to as the "Book of Lies."  God is portrayed as a parasite taking human faith for sustinance; an ancient, self-centered and cruel being of energy from a pre-universe that seeded the big bang.  Other biblical or biblical-era charactors are also shown to be less than saintly.  God receives sustinance from some pretty sick, depraved acts yet approves because the taste of fanaticism is so sweet.

If considered a work of historical fiction, it makes for a great story.  The biblical verse style of writing is much easier to read than, say, King James Bible verse, so don't let that disuade you.

It really is quite a page-turner, and for those with a Christian upbringing, makes you feel a little guilty just for reading it.  Is it true, or just an interesting retelling?  It almost doesn't matter, for this can be an entertaining read either way.

It's a hard book to rate, star-wise.  Those who find it offensive will give it one, those who find it interesting will give it more.  I found it captivating and a little disturbing.  Truth or fiction, it's gets a good grade from me for that.

As with the Bible itself, this also raises as many questions as it answers.  I've read from iminent scientists that beings of energy simply aren't possible.  Also, how does one draw sustinance from faith?  Exactly what is being "beamed up" to God from a praying Christian?  Given that the "original author" is the author's grandfather, the manuscript was probably written somewhere around the turn of the 20th century.  Why, then, the cryptic references to the "New World" and "Old World?"  Why not just call them America or Mexico or Brazil or Canada, and Germany or France or Hungary?  It's such things which chip away at any chance for this to be real and smack of forced antiquity.  But you can still decide for yourself.

True, there are some editing errors that should have been caught and the level of writing certainly doesn't rank with the literary greats, but I'm inclined to say "so what?"  It's an easy, compelling read anyway.
1172392
Superficially, "Bandits" is a caper novel, and not a particularly good one. What saves it is Leonard's characters and especially their dialog. Ignore the plot -- Just sit back, relax, observe, and in particular listen to the characters.