Reviews by tartan_skirt

**May contain spoilers**

I found Lord of the Flies rather a good read. It was generally easy to get through quickly, was entertaining, and not too predictable.

I get the feeling that this would be a perfect book to introduce some teenage boys to reading. With the story of boys stranded without adults on an island, it carries a message and a lesson about life. Starting as a paradise, a lack of order soon causes civilised life to break down into relative chaos. The boys soon split into two groups and the balance is skewed as violence triumphs over law. As for the ending, I wasn't sure that it would work, but I think it was probably the best as it provided a return to reality away from the "game" of the boys.

I would say that as a drawback, the descriptive passages about scenery and movements of characters were sometimes a little hard to decipher. That might just be me though. ;)

This is definitely well defined as a modern classic. I consider this a must-read because even though it is not a fantastic book, it is good and may leave you thinking.

Overall this is an alright film to watch, but I think that it has some drawbacks which hinder it.

For starters, I don't think Tom Cruise really works well in the part of Lestat, or as a vampire in general. The only time I felt that he actually fit well was at the very end in the car.

Second, the effects just look a bit naff most of the time. I'm all for toning down on the special effects, but at least make it look like you aren't floating on a wire for the sake of elegance!

On a positive side, I think that Kirsten Dunst was fantastic in her role. (Brad Pitt was generally alright too.) As a book-to-film transition I think it was alright, partly because Anne Rice herself worked on the screenplay, nevertheless it does miss out on parts.

I have to stay away from talking about how this film links up with it's sequel, because it really doesn't very well at all. Even though they link through a common series of books (missing one in between), it is probably better to look at them separately. If you're not a reader of Anne Rice then your opinion will probably be different. ;)

Who better to teach you about the actions you should take if an atomic bomb were to drop? That's right, a cartoon turtle! Nowadays this is just laughable because we know better than to hide under your desk. Telling children to copy a cartoon turtle does seem a little odd, but oh well!

This is a great introduction into the world of crazy educational shorts.

Why do people make fun of you? Thats right, you have bad posture! It's not because your name is Adreline or anything, heavens no! Because you have conversations with your reflections? Wrong again! It's because you have bad posture! D'oh! Why didn't I think of that?!

Aren't classic American educational shorts great? :P The kids can't act and the adults sound like idiots. The perfect thing for a quick giggle!

I'm not quite sure about this book really. I found the setting quite interesting, but as the book progressed I felt less and less towards the characters. Infact, by the end of the book I felt no sympathy towards them and found Lin especially annoying. He was just never satisfied with what he had, always Waiting for something better.. Not only that, but I wasn't sure about the writer's style either. Also, some of the events just felt too predictable.

As for the edition, I don't think I would buy another Vintage "East" collection version of a book again. Nearer the end there were random pages on which the type was crammed up to the middle of the book, and on others it as right out at the other extreme edge. This was quite annoying as in the former it obscured the first letters of the lines. They may be slightly cheaper than the original versions, but if Im going to buy books new I expect at least some degree of neatness.

On the surface this seems to be an ordinary cheesy documentary series from the 80's/90's, but really it is a gem of British comedy in disguise. This is a science mockumentary series taking a prod at the so-called "scientific advances" of the aforementioned decades. When I first saw it I didn't have a clue what I was watching, then I realised what it actually was. It definately is convincing in its potrayal of a typical science show from the past, and is hilarious in poking fun at them.

This is definately something for fans of British comedy to watch out for.

This was one of the best British stand up shows that I have in the last few years, and I have it to thank for introducing me to quite a few comedians and comedy musicians (such as Corky and the Juice Pigs). Even the presenter (Rick Wakeman) was entertaining since you got to try and guess which of his weird and wonderful jackets he would be wearing each show! :P

I still love the reruns, and will continue to watch this every now and then because it is great. :P

I recently started watching this again after such a long time (6 years maybe), and although it seems such bad quality now, I have to say I still love it. My mum always gave me odd looks when she saw me watching it, but as far as I was concerned this show was great! I suppose we never really forget our first proper introductions into things we love, and this was mine for anime.

Rewatching it, I'm only a couple of episodes in, but it is hilariously silly and a wee bit over the top. Tuxedo Mask is great... his powers seem to be the ability to throw distracting roses at people! :P And I love these old style superheros who don't bother wearing a mask even though it is obvious who they are, but still nobody notices!

Ahh.. I will probably continue to love this for a long time. Although, I have to say I actually prefer the voice work of English dubbed version to the original Japanese, since the voice of Usagi is a little too high-pitched compared to what I remember her as. But, of course, it is heavily censored and altered, so the original ([Link removed - login to see]) it is for me!

This is no ordinary book of sheet music. This is The Dresden Dolls Companion, which not only shows the reader how to play the songs from their debut album, but contains notes on each song, artwork galore, and the band history and the process of putting the album together. Amanda Palmer's introduction and story enfuse the whole thing with a personal charm and humour that continue all the way through. Her explianations on the reasoning behind the madness of her creations brings the songs into a new light, making them so much more relatable.

I had been waiting for the release of this for some time, and the official release date was pushed back many a time. Then of course it took forever for it to become available on Amazon UK and THEN my delivery date was delayed a month further. Now that I have it I have to say that it was worth the wait. Although it is not ringbound as the original description said on their merchandise page, it opens fine and is likely to stay open on a music stand.

As an introduction into the actual sheet music, Amanda Palmer invites the reader to experiment with the music and make it their own, something I've never seen, or thought of seeing, in a piano book before.

I'm very glad I bought this, I'll definately be dragging out my keyboard between exams and taking a whack at the songs I love so much.

I love this show. I only discovered it a few days ago, but it is amazingly great.

The main segment of the show comprises of some wonderfully, almost kitschy, puppetry. An encyclopedia and a television/dog explain a certain topic to two penguin children. The topics explored are often very interesting and different from the basic rubbish most kids shows teach them. These have included static electricity, how you can tell it's going to snow when a swallow is flying low, and looking at what man-made objects take inspiration from nature.

In between this and all the other segments of the show are filled with very creative [Link removed - login to see] and people are encouraged to make and send in videos of their own too.

Before the final machine there is usually an Algorithm Exercises or Algorithm March featuring different people. My favourites are the marches, especially the one that had ninjas! :D

This is a really great kids show, and I wish that it had been around (and in English) when I was growing up. The songs are catchy too! If you like fun kids shows and don't mind reading subtitles, I recommend watching this show! ^-^