Advantages: Visually unique mix of art film and sci-fi movie - half Matrix half Eastern European masterpiece and yet better than most of either
Disadvantages: The dodgy aria that is sung throughout the film

...Something of an oddity by anime director Mamoru Oshii, Avalon is a live action film, written, produced and directed by the Japanese but filmed in Poland, in Polish with Poles in all roles. Hardly what you would expect from the director of the influential Ghost in the Shell and its sequel, but then again maybe it is. On the surface Avalon looks to be one of those movies influenced, like so many alongside it, by the matrix - but, frankly, it's nothing of the sort. Without going into details of plot (as of yet, anyway), one important point to make of the film is that it treats the unusual and the mundane everydayness of life with equal skill and respect. Both are rendered visually stunning; thus though, as will be somewhat revealed, though there is considerable story to be told there are also moments which are remarkably everyday... Read review

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Advantages: Beautifully performed warm floating piano and perhaps the best packaging I have ever seen
Disadvantages: He's retired!

...Avalon Sutra is perhaps pianist and composer Harold Budd's masterwork. It is made up of two CDs, the first being Avalon Sutra itself, the second is a one-hour remix of As Long As I Can Hold My Breath, the final track on Avalon Sutra could sleep. It also boasts what is perhaps the most beautiful packaging of any CD that I've ever come across, being covered in the most glorious and luscious pictures of flowers that I've ever seen - and I'm not on an individual particularly enamoured of flowers. When I first unfolded the digipak, revealing the two CDs, emblazoned with elegant simplicity, I had high expectations for both disks though I had previously heard excerpts from Avalon Sutra. Were my expectations fulfilled? Without a doubt. As with all of Budd's work the music has a wonderful simplicity and yet is almost impossibly warm... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful and tragic story, poignant characters
Disadvantages: Hard on tissues if you cry while reading books

...Originally published as The Forest House, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon novels can be read as stand alones, but they do provide background, history, depth and insight into the setting the books are all based on. Writing An eloquent writer, her prose and descriptions would reduce you to tears one moment and outrage the next. Those who have read her books before will definitely agree that her novels jump out of the pages and envelope you in its world like a dream. Story Without giving away the story more than necessary, here's a very short summary : it is a tragic story set against a backdrop of Roman invasion. The union that came from the pains and suffering of Eilan and Gaius, who are on opposing sides, shall produce the ultimate defender of the land, and they will both be condemned by their world for that. The story is poignant... Read review

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Advantages: Beautifully clean rooms and a fantastic breakfast
Disadvantages: None

...***Background*** My hubby and I had decided it was time we got away for a little break together without the kids and as we have some good friends in Inverness, we thought it was also an ideal place to visit. The area up that way is beautiful and although I've visited before, it was somewhere that my hubby hadn't been so all that was needed was to find somewhere to stay, to make for a comfortable but reasonably priced base. Usually when I'm looking for a hotel or guesthouse, my first stop is lateroom.com because they have a good selection on their books and this is where I first found Avalon. To get a better idea of this guesthouse I visited their own website and found out that it was situated on the main road into Inverness from Fort William. As we were actually arriving via this road, we thought it was ideal especially being... Read review

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Advantages: great listening
Disadvantages: none

...Van Morrison was born in 1945 George Ivan Morrison. In the early 60s he began his singing career. In 1966 he was the lead singer in a band called Them, He left them after a couple of years and began his solo career as a singer songwriter. His music is a rock rhythm and blues some jazz, with Celtic influence. Avalon sunset was produced in 1989 and the words of the songs show his religious beliefs.This music is restful and peaceful with its spiritual overtones a little melancholy. I am an atheist, do not believe in god, however find this music good and listen to it occasionally. In the first track Whenever god shines his light Van Morrison sings and is backed by sir Cliff Richards. Van has a growley, gravely voice and it contrasts with cliffs sweeter voice. This is an upbeat song with a gospel feel to it. I sit here listening... Read review

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Advantages: pure fantasy with a historic touch
Disadvantages: look into the opinion

...Mists of Avalon What is life doing with us? What do we do with our life? You can read a book, you can understand a book but it is also possible to live a book. In the human fantasy is enough space for a fairytale that we would like to belief in. Didn't we trust in the fairytales that grandma told us? Are you still fascinated from fairytales, which can be in your mind live and seems to be true? Books aren't for me Pages, who wanted to be reed in the meaning of consume. There is always a new space in my mind that wanted to be filled with Marion Zimmer Bradley words. The reading will be unconscious and the thoughts find their own way into this fairytale. The Author ~~~~~~~~~ There is not so much known. In the book cover you can find information, but in the most cases there is only a picture of her. The most outstanding... Read review

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Advantages: GREAT GAME ENGINE, FLAWLESS GRAPHICS
Disadvantages: NONE

...... Read review

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Advantages: Different
Disadvantages: Maybe to feminist

...I am a historic romance lover and this is my favourite type of literature. Long time that I have heard about this peace of Marion Zimmer Bradley “Mists of Avalon”, composed by 4 volumes with around 300 pages each. A real masterpiece for thousands of people, but it never gave me any special interest due to (and I have to admit it) be a piece that is born thru a utopian legend and it is writhen in a fictional and fantasised perspective. Magic is used like a normal thing in an Era from which there were almost no registrations, where the superstition ruled. In deed, everything was seen as an act or a will of the Gods and it was then that christens started to gain more and more followers. This way, you can see that there is a lot of material for the writhers, especially in the legend and mythology “field”... Read review

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Advantages: Large rooms, on the beach, great staff, excellent pool area
Disadvantages: none

...Once we had decided that we would be returning to Thailand, we decided NOT to go with a package holiday. I find package holidays fine for a first trip to a foreign country. However, once you learn the lay of the land, why bother paying someone else to book something you can do for cheaper and, probably, better! Now, we had a few needs. My in-laws would be going out a week before us and coming back a week after us and our son would be with them. We wanted a nice, clean place that we knew we could relax. It needed to have large rooms and it needed to have a nice pool. I was taking my 1 ½ year old to a foreign country and I wanted to relax. We found out about Avalon from my in-laws. A few of my husband's family live in that area and we had been told that a gorgeous new hotel had been built. It had been open less than two years... Read review

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Advantages: A really thought provoking interpretation of a familiar tale.
Disadvantages: Loses momentum towards the end.

...The Arthurian myths have been told an retold countless times, and I generally tend to avoid works on this subject as on thee whole, most of them are stale as soon as written and have nothing new to say. "The Mists of Avalon" is however, quite unlike the body of the Arthurian reworkings. The book is narrated by Morgan le Fay - known to most of us as Arthur's evil half sister who seduces him and gives birth to Mordred, who eventually kills Arthur. In this telling, Morgan becomes a far more real and sympathetic figure, both an active element in the plot and a victim of politics. She comes from a long mahical line, priests and prietesses of Avalon. Her mother is Igraine (also Arthur's mother) Her grandmother is Vivianne, Lady of the Lake (a title which eventually becomes Morgan's.) Her grandfather is Taliesin, Merlin (another title... Read review

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