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Reviews by GemLil
You just dont cut yourself to ABBA!
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 18 March 2008 07:17
(A review of Abba Gold)I've finally reached that stage in my life where I'm happy with the way I am and the cards I've been dealt....as a result I recently came out as an ABBA fan, and I have to say I feel great. Yes they're dated, yes they're Swedish, yes they're cheesier than a deli counter..but they know how to make a catchy tune. ABBAs songs aren't particularly moving and they're certainly not in my short list of funeral songs, but like it or not you WILL know every track on this album...they're more catching than typhus (that's the last metaphor I promise). As proof of their timelessness and status as Pop Gods, ABBA are the most covered band of all time. It's not cool to like ABBA, but I ask you? In modern music, with generic bands making forgettable ballads, 2-a-penny rap artists singing about gold and arses, and greasy haired pseudo Goths making millions of children carve the word 'hate' in their arms with compasses....I'm glad we have ABBA! All their best songs are on here and its well worth the buy for anyone out there who has a last remnant of cheekiness about them.  6 comments, Reply to this entry
Rokk out.
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 17 March 2008 10:09
(A review of Rokk I Reykjavik)This is the soundtrack to a documentary into the Icelandic music scene, made in the 1980s. In essentials it is a best of album..for an entire country. This covers music merging on rock, to ambient/electro. I can't list the tracks here, on a english keyboard...but I've pasted a comprehensive track list into the item description. This album is hard to come by and can be specially ordered, if not downloaded. Icelandic music is an aquired taste, but those who like it will love this album. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Wilde put too much of himself in it.
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 16 March 2008 10:01
(A review of The Picture of Dorian Gray)This book is so good on so many levels. Not only is the novel a dark and interesting thriller, but Wilde weaves a moral code throughout which can’t help to change your outlook. A portrait of a young man, 'Dorian Gray', is painted by artist 'Basil' who finds himself utterly obsessed and incaptivated by the beauty and innocence of Gray. All the while he worries he has put too much of his soul/self in to portriat. As Gray begins to become corrupted by society, his own vanity and the sycophantic behaviour of others, the portrait bares the brunt. The portrait grows uglier and older with each of his sins, while Gray retains his beauty and youth. I won’t give away anymore, I can’t put it better that Wilde himself. The obsessive love of Basil for Dorian is believed by many to be a portrayal of Wilde's own obsessive love for a young gentleman at the time. It is easy to draw comparison between this novel and the autobiographical film 'Wilde'. I'd suggest to watch this biographical film first if you can...it gives the novel yet another level. Any fan of Wilde’s will gain more of an understanding of him through this novel than any biography. Those who are not fans shouldn’t start here though, you will require a good understanding of the British language and older literary works to effectively read and understand this book. Haunting yet uplifting, we all have our Dorian Grays, or see some of ourselves in him. Regardless 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is one of the cannon’s greatest yarns. 2 comments, Reply to this entry
Lost in Lost
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 16 March 2008 07:19
(A review of Lost)I really loved this series when it first began, it was clear that the production values were astronomic, and such use of a mixture of parallel, non linear and linear storylines was unprecedented in television. Lost really raised the bar in terms of what was expected from this medium. At this moment in time the plot is still unclear, and the level of character development is beyond deep. Every new episode raises further questions and the relationships between the characters becomes more and more of a complex nexus. But aye, there's the rub. All these questions and very little resolution are making the series a little wearing now. Lost breaks so many conventions, it has become difficult for anyone but a savant to follow. The loss of Charlie in the last series means there are now no longer the moments of comic relief that gave the mind time to stop and process the episode. I've not given up on Lost yet, and still like it..but am becoming more and more aggravated by it and will soon lose interest if some sort of resolution isn't found. 2 comments, Reply to this entry
CSI: Miami review
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 13 March 2008 05:04
(A review of CSI: Miami)I came on here to let the world know how bad CSI: Miami is...but the two reviews below said everything I wanted to and more. Ham acting, bad casting, outrageous accents, unlikable characters. I love the original CSI series, and really can't fault it; I however saw a CSI / CSI: Miami cross over the other day. Catherine and the crew follow a murderer to Miami. The Miami crew managed to bring down the entire episode..not even Grissom, the pillar of respectability could hold the episode together. I was also surprised at how less orange the episode was, for once it didn’t burn my retinas. The original CSI crew must have demanded that; first and foremost, they're going to wipe all the marmalade off of the camera lenses. This cross over ep. gave a perfect opportunity to compare the original to Miami. Complex, subtle and interesting, CSI out acted and generally out-did the shallow, plastic Miami. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
The Flux Capacitor
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 13 March 2008 01:27
(A review of Back to the Future)Marty McFly and The Doc are two of the worlds greatest characters...I'm talking film, TV and books here. Marty McFly was the archetypal teen, being kept down by the man, and that crusty old Dean! The whole film is feel good to the core. I cannot think of anyone cooler than Marty McFly, travelling everywhere on his skateboard, not qualifying for the talent competition because he was too loud! Coupled with the ultimate mad scientist, Emmit Brown...the duo cannot be competed with. This film is the first of one of cinemas greatest trilogies/films...the Doc invents a time machine and Marty travels back to 1955, where some mad cap adventures ensue; although I doubt a Dolorian has ever made it up to 60 let alone 88mph. If you haven’t seen BTTF in a while; take the time to watch it again; it never loses its cool 1980s sheen. 1 comments, Reply to this entry
The Benchwarmers Review
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 12 March 2008 03:38
(A review of The Benchwarmers)Don't do it...don't even see it as a sick perversion. I heard of Benchwarmer's..with its casting of Rob Shneider and its reliance on fart jokes in lew of a plot..like Bond, meeting Dr No, I smelt the stench of my nemesis Happy Madison Productions. I only watched it recently, if anything to confirm what I already knew. I was surprised though, it arose a whole new level of distain that I didn’t know I had. Shneider, along with 2 adult geeks (Jon Heder and David Spade) are employed by a geeky millionaire (not Bill Gates) to form their own baseball team for nerds...'The Benchwarmers'. It was just Heder doing his usual 'I can’t run or play sports' routine, flanked by fart gags. Oh and the introduction of some midgets to laugh at. Avoid this film and ANYONE who likes it. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
An insult to animals everywhere.
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 12 March 2008 03:17
(A review of The Animal)The plot of this film is so insignificant and shallow, it's hardly even there. This film is just an excuse for Rob Shneider to do some animal impressions and eye up a goat. This movie, doesn’t even deserve one star...in fact it had a detrimental effect on my health and wellbeing. 'The Animal' and for the matter, Rob Shneider, is an insult to anyone who comes into contact. It's so unintelligent; it's anti intelligent, undoing hundreds of years of progression in 80 minutes. After an accident Shnieder is given the organs of various animals...and with no scientific basis at all, begins to act like them. The whole thing is an affront to all the senses, and is wacky comedy at its worst....show me a man who loves wacky comedy and I'll show you an idiot. 3 comments, Reply to this entry
Vincent
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 11 March 2008 06:08
(A review of Vincent)This animated short is well worth the watch, despite its length it is much better than some of Burton's feature length films...such as 'The Corpse Bride'. I'd advise anyone who remotely likes Tim Burton to watch 'Vincent'. Its about a young boy who longs to be Vincent Price, narrated by the legend himself and in verse. The whole thing is deliciously dark and animated in a typical Burton manner. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Walk the Line Review
Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 11 March 2008 04:59
(A review of Walk the Line)Johnny Cash was a genius and the story of his life is definitely worth telling. 'Walk the Line' does the job and then some. Joaquin Phoenix not only acts and looks like a young Johnny Cash, but mimics his singing voice so accurately, it’s hard to tell the difference. If that's not enough, Reese Witherspoon's imitation of June Carter is even better. Witherspoon won the Oscar for the best actress in a lead role while Phoenix was nominated for best actor. There is no doubt that both out do themselves in this film and the sincerity of the Cash/Carter relationship is never called into question. This film has a very wide appeal, it is dark and moving in some places and light-hearted and comical in others. What’s more, some superb performances of Cash and Carter’s songs, act as the cherry on the cake. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
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