Bronson - The most violent convict in the UK

Advantages: Excellent performances and some good fights
Disadvantages: Very violent and strong male nudity may not be to everyone's taste

...Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Bronson is a violent prison drama which takes the viewer through the life and times of Michael Peterson, who later renamed himself Charles (Charlie) Bronson. Violent from a young age, Michael Peterson was imprisoned in 1974 for robbing a Post Office when he was 19 years old. Initially sentenced to 7 years in jail, he saw his prison cell as a hotel room, and prison offered him an opportunity to hone his skills. Getting into numerous fights with the prison staff, he spends most of his time in solitary confinement. To most, solitary on a long term basis would lead to unbearable boredom and many would crack-up. Not Bronson. He spends his time honing himself, training in his cell or cage, (he spends time in both), performing strenuous workouts and shadow boxing. You learn early on that he has no respect...

snt74 21.08.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Bronson (DVD)

DEATH WISH, CHARLES BRONSON, MICHAEL WINNER, 1974.

Advantages: CLASSIC 1970'S THRILLER.
Disadvantages: VIOLENCE MAY OFFEND SOME.

...I thought I'd be the first to review this classic vigilante film "Death Wish" starring Charles Bronson as I noticed it has not been reviewed on Ciao yet. INTRO Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is a successful architect who turns vigilante after his wife and daughter are ferociously attacked by a gang of violent thugs in their New York city apartment. Set in the mean streets of New York city, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) plays a man completely overcome by the horrific assault on his family,with that his comfortable professional life comes to an abrupt end. When the police are slow to respond, Paul Kersey (Bronson) takes the law into his own hands and sets out seeking revenge by himself with a revolver, prowling for muggers on the crime ridden mean city streets at night. It's not long before he becomes a well known vigilante in...

donovan74 05.09.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Death Wish (DVD)

The Charles Bridge

Advantages: Free entrance, beutifully built, historic attraction
Disadvantages: Can get very busy

...Charles Bridge is probably one of Pragues most recognised landmarks. For many years, Charles Bridge was the only way to cross the River Vltava that flows through the middle of the City. Nowadays there are many bridges connecting Old Town Prague and the New Town but there is still something very special about the Charles Bridge that makes it stand out from all the others. Charles Bridge is an old stone gothic bridge which is lined with numerous statues of saints. The bridge was built from sandstone blocks and was commissioned by Charles IV, after whom the bridge was named, in 1357. Today, the Charles Bridge can only be crossed on foot, but with it being a very popular attraction in Prague, it is literally crammed with crowds of people all day long. There is no fee for crossing the bridge but tourists are invited to walk up the tower...

Jamie73 13.02.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Charles Bridge, Prague

FREE DVDs

Advantages: Free trial, large choice, post included,new realeases
Disadvantages: see review

...I like movies and I like freebies, so when you get offered both in one swoop you?re bound to accept! I used my two week free trial with this company and remained with them for a couple of monthsbefore moving on to try many other companies free trials (and winning a new DVD player on Tesco DVD rental site on their free trial offer). I then had an email from DVDs 365 asking me to go back, and offering me a free DVD if I did so. I had just left Tesco (with my new DVD player) so I chose to go back with them. ∆◊◊ THE SERVICE THEY OFFER ∆◊◊ Basically it?s like going to a video shop and hiring films on DVD, except you don?t pay for each film you chose ? rather a monthly fee for which you can watch as many movies as you can fit in, for us this is usually around 8 a month (2 a week usually weekends...

dabmim 15.11.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of dvds365.com

More Prince Charles than King Charles...

Advantages: Grand, atmospheric bedrooms and posh bathrooms
Disadvantages: Disappointing breakfast, lack of facilities, distance from town centre.

...I'd wanted to go to Prague for YEARS and finally got my wish in December 2008 when my boyfriend and I went over for three nights to get into the Christmas spirit with mulled wine and gingerbread. I'd thoroughly recommend the city for a short break, but this review is about our hotel. We booked through lastminute.com, and it came down to a choice between the King Charles and a very modern plate-glass-and-red-Perspex type edifice that was only built in 2007. We decided to go with the King Charles as I thought it looked a little bit grand and Gothic and atmospheric and was more in-keeping with the 'feel' of Prague. I'm not one for all mod-cons. It was listed a four-star hotel but it was on offer so we paid only about £25 each per night. When we received our confirmation email, the hotel reception also offered to come and collect us...

Teteenlair 26.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of King Charles Boutique Hotel Residence, Prague

Boot Polish Slap

Advantages: Great Lead Performance, Interesting
Disadvantages: Bronson's life has nothing of note to make an involving story

...Michael Petersen is Britain's most infamous prisoner, however you probably know him as Charles Bronson, the broad moustached man of muscle who played a large part in the Broadmoor riots of the eighties. Interest in the criminal underbelly of Britain is probably the driving force in the British film industry. But this is not a crime film a'la Lock Stock etc. I would compare this more to the Australian film Chopper, both are abstract profiles of men who's criminal celebrity is only large in their own minds. The blurb on the DVD box compares this to Kubrick's Clockwork Orange, in all honesty it's nowhere near the genius of that film which has a message even more relevant in recent times. Michael Petersen was brought up in a normal family lifestyle, the film portrays that there were no life changing incidents in his youth that set him...

utero 30.07.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Bronson (DVD)

Britain's most violent and expensive inmate!

Advantages: Tom Hardy
Disadvantages: Surreality, and confusion over what's true and what isn't

...Despite it having a rather strange method of presentation, I couldn't help myself being absolutely enthralled by this film. Based on the true story of Britain's (supposedly) most violent and costly inmate, Bronson follows the life of Mickey Peterson, who adopted the name Charles Bronson as a fighting names following a suggestion by a fellow inmate. As we follow Bronson's life, we get narration from the man himself, on a stage as if his life has been a bit of play, with him playing a role within it, as opposed to it being about him in the first place. I found this a bit surreal, in many ways, and in fact, the whole film is quite surreal. Were it not for the outstanding performance from Tom Hardy in the title role, I may have turned off, because it wasn't the story that interested me, it was the person, the character of Bronson. How...

pmcds 18.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Bronson (DVD)

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Advantages: Very pretty, very loyal, dont need as much exercise as other breeds
Disadvantages: Highly strung, expensive

...My dad has always kept dogs. At the moment he has two: Charlie, a Chocolate Labrador and Roger, an Old English Sheepdog, before them there was Jasper, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Magic, Border Collie and Cassie a German Shepherd. If you take all the pets we had growing up throughout our childhood we could easily have run a farm! I loved Jasper. He became one of my favourite pets. I know, I know, I shouldn't have favourites but he was gorgeous! Sure he could be highly strung sometimes but he was so cute and adorable you couldn't help but love him ~*~ History ~*~ Cavalier King Charles Spaniel's originate from King Charles Spaniels, don't get them confused, they are separate breeds. They were bred to have a more pronounced head and a flatter face. Cavaliers were a cross between King Charles and the Cocker Spaniel...

angel530 03.02.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Surprising Picture Quality - Panasonic DVD-S54

Advantages: Incredible picture quality when compared to my old non-upscaling player with a scart lead
Disadvantages: Sometimes disc drive can be really noisy when DVD's initially load.

...At first I wasn't convinced by up-scaling DVD player technology but was persuaded after reading an article in "What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision" magazine. Unable to afford a Blu-Ray player my sister and I bought the Panasonic DVD-S54 to match our parents brand new Panasonic TX-32LZD80 LCD television as their Christmas 2008 present. Admittedly it was a slightly selfish purchase as we both live at home and wanted to watch DVDs on the big new TV ourselves! We bought the player from the electrical retailer Comet for about £100 just before Christmas so there were no discounts applied. On Christmas day when opened we found a relatively small box tightly packed with the player in polystyrene packaging. All the components such as cables, remote and manuals were well presented in their own protective plastic bags, to keep them protected. The player...

bobbacon985 12.02.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Panasonic DVD-S54

Prison Cell or Hotel Room?

Advantages: Fantastic acting, Great character study
Disadvantages: (Arguably) Glamorises violence, Not entirely factual, Lack of characters

..."Bronson" is the controversial biopic of our "most dangerous prisoner" Charles Bronson directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy. I hadn't actually heard about the prisoner, Bronson until a round on Have I Got News where Boris Johnson called him a "greased piglet". Maybe I should just watch more news and less comedy panel shows. The film has the caged Bronson narrating his life which is played through flashbacks in his tough guy demeanor via a sort of prison interview sans interviewer. It is also inter-spliced with surreal scenes of him covered in face paint on a stage in front of a large audience attempting to entertain them with anecdotes of his life. These are never actually explained, although I assume they serve some sort of metaphorical purpose, perhaps suggesting his craving for fame. There is only one character...

SmilingBuddha 18.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Bronson (DVD)