Reviews by GemLil

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.

Special skill was involved with this game; specific stunts had to be executed to meet the level goals. Similarly, items had to be collected and a certain high score reached.

There is an astounding array of stunts to perform in this skate-boarding game. Air stunts, jumps, grinds can all be given their own variations with a choice of different buttons. The more complex moves involved manipulation of all the control buttons as well as the L&Rs. These had to be negotiated to gain maximum points but insure a safe landing.

This game is so addictive and has many different scenarios and game types to play to unsure you are never bored. I hate skateboarding, I hate skateboarders...but I love this game.

Toejam and Earl; 2 Alien's from the Planet of Funkotron..where funk oozes from the lowliest bug to the highest tree. After crashlanding on Earth, they must find the pieces of their rocket ship to repair it and get back to their planet. Earthlings met along they way, steal TJ and Earl's health and funk and have to be defeated by being caputured inside a jar.

I spent 2/3rd of my gametime as a child, playing Toejam and Earl. It wasn't violence based, so my mum loved it. In special levels they would have to use a trampoline to perform mid-air stunts (not disimilar from the air stunts in the first Tony Hawks game). Funk-based video games have died out, being replaced with cocaine or rifle based ones.

This game is indicative of a time when early hip-hop was everywhere, parachute pants were the rage and Fresh Prince was God. For the time, the graphics were remarkably good, a colourful and fairly challenging platform game, that was just good fun.

Obviously, if you are a true Bjork fan, a best of album is not enough.

Vespertine and Homogenic alone, include many beautiful tracks that are emitted in this album. However, this a a great place to start, the tracks cover a full range of Bjork's work..from the more mainstream tracks (Oh so Quiet), to those electro/ ambient tracks that have come to be more indicative of her work.

If you are a fan of electro and haven’t been introduced to Bjork yet, start here..you'll soon be addicted.

This is the original story of Cinderella, before the adding of mice and swallows. It's a fairytale, but first and foremost, it's a musical.

Gemma Craven plays Cinderella, the daughter of a count, made to become a household servant, when her father dies.

This film reeks of Britishness and has a whole song devoted to Protocol...a whole song. You won't find that in this day and age, that's for certain.

This film was made in the 70s and naturally has a cheesy 70s feel about it..once you've got over it, you'll find a nice, well known story, punctuated with some well made and well performed songs. This is definitely a woman's film and will not appeal to men...I'm almost certain.

I, Claudius is like a modern day soap, spent in Ancient Rome. Murder, adultery, perversion and corruption rule the day. This is a semi-ficticious book, in that it is based on many real sources (Suetonius' 12 Caesars, Plutarch and Tacitus), but it’s given a lot of creative licence by Graves.

The story is written like a hidden autobiography of the Emperor Claudius, describing the scandals and atrocities that surround him, as he survives throughout. Claudius plays upon his stutter and lameness in order to fire rumours of his stupidity, and decrease chances of his assassination. Graves takes a sympathetic view of Claudius, through the rule of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and his own succession.

The character of Caligula is endlessly entertaining, driven mad by a brain disease...he believes he is a God and begins to impose a reign of terror, taking his sister as a wife. In Augustus' Reign, his wife Livia poisons, murders and frames every person of power who stands in the way of her son (Tiberius') succession.

Many historians have criticised Graves for his embellishments, he has also been criticised for borrowing too heavily on one source (Suetonius). But don't take this as a fact book, read it as a genuinely interesting story, full of all the greatest human vices that fascinate us so much.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I, Claudius is like a modern day soap, spent in Ancient Rome. Murder, adultery, perversion and corruption rule the day. This is a semi-ficticious book, in that it is based on many real sources (Suetonius' 12 Caesars, Plutarch and Tacitus), but it’s given a lot of creative licence by Graves.

The story is written like a hidden autobiography of the Emperor Claudius, describing the scandals and atrocities that surround him, as he survives throughout. Claudius plays upon his stutter and lameness in order to fire rumours of his stupidity, and decrease chances of his assassination. Graves takes a sympathetic view of Claudius, through the rule of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and his own succession.

The character of Caligula is endlessly entertaining, driven mad by a brain disease...he believes he is a God and begins to impose a reign of terror, taking his sister as wife. In Augustus' Reign, his wife Livia poisons, murder and frames every person of power who stands in the way of her son (Tiberius') succession.

Many historians have criticised Graves for his embellishments, he has also been criticised for borrowing too heavily on one source (Suetonius). But don't take this as a fact book, read it as a genuinely interesting story, full of all the greatest human vices that fascinate us so much.

'Enduring Love' is an incredible story, one of obsessive and unrequited love. This is a bit slow paced but is a very good adaptation and well acted.

Rhys Ifans plays the role of obsessed, Jed. This has got to be one of the most challenging roles I have seen adopted, and it is executed with style.

The role of Jed requires a sense of madness and utter desperateness that isn't easy to portray. Every one of Ifans movements, from a quickened pace to a wide-eyed glance executes one of the literary world’s most complex and interesting characters. I can’t think of anyone who could have played it better.

Captain planet: A green, Kevin Bacon look alike..out to save the environment, even before Al Gore invented global warming. You couldn't ask for more.

Each member of the Cpt Planet team has a power, 'earth', 'fire', 'wind'. Every episode 'heart' would moan that he didnt have a cool power. Every episode Cpt P would take him to the side and tell him, he was the most important of all. However when we played it at school we always made the kid that always wore a beret be him.

For a while it made us run around the playground shouting at kids who dropped litter..but then my friend hit puberty and it was Baby Sitters Club from then on out.

Everybody hated Rupert. It was on Thursday after school and bored EVERY kid in the land.

I'd run out of school straight to my nan’s house, ready for the hour and a half of television that children were delegated in those days (before Sky and ADHD). Like dogs, half an hour seems like a life time for a child...and Rupert ruined the precious moments of television we were allowed. All he ever seemed to do was fly a bloody kite.

I don't know anyone alive now (who was a child of the Rupert years) who wouldn't readily see him hung by his yellow scarf....Thundercats, He-Man or even The Shoe People could have taken that precious slot..and made my childhood.