Man on a Wire

Advantages: Grity US drama
Disadvantages: The bc are showing them to close together

...80% of the recent so-called US sub prime debt was run up by black Americans, the last group in America to be cynically offered credit to keep those erroneous bonuses coming in for those greedy bankers, the city of Baltimore (65% black) and the setting for 'The Wire' a classic case study of who's bearing the brunt of the consequences, that contrast between poverty and wealth in Baltimore one of the reasons why the show is so authentic, that financial, criminal and political aphartied of the city dissected here through David Simons brilliant script. The banks knew the black families didn't have a cent but offered them 110% mortgages at high interest rates they could never pay back. City authorities are suing the Wells Fargo Bank for the so called 'ghetto loans' because they now have to pick up the pieces now the bubble has burst all over...

thedevilinme 06.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Wire - Series 3 - Complete (DVD)

Man on wire - 1360 feet up over downtown Manhattan

Advantages: A compelling tale told with warmth and humour by those who lived it
Disadvantages: Unnecessary "reconstruction" scenes used over voiceovers

...of this man, who I considered to be a clown, walking on a wire 1,368 feet off the ground. Of course in childhood that number means nothing ? in fact despite the TV coverage Frenchman Phillipe Petit?s feat received in 1974, it wasn?t until I saw the twin towers for myself on my first visit to New York 25 years later that I realised just how high up he had been, and perhaps he wasn?t just a clown after all. ?Man on Wire? is a documentary that explains how Petit came to perform this highwire walk on the 7th of August 1974. And while the star of the show is always Petit, it explains how he was able to pull off the stunt with the help of a motley crew of helpers. Phillipe Petit had been training for the walk for years. Right at the start of ?Man on Wire? he retells reading about these new towers that were being built in Manhattan in a newspaper...

rosebud2001 03.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Man On Wire

Wire in the Blood

Advantages: Great TV
Disadvantages: The worst of the five series

...The BBC`s rather bold policy of showing five series of The Wire back-to-back during the spring and summer evenings is very welcome as it annoying, and certainly all rather frantic if you want to keep up, video tapes piling up by our TVs as the excellent American cop series goes out at that post Newsnight, BBC2, 11:15pm weekday slot. It's a complete mystery why they didn't put it on the 9 pm weekday slot to build its popularity and so drag it out for two years it's that good and intelligent viewing for that anti-ITV prime-time slot. Series one reflected the Black American drug culture of the City of Baltimore, through the eyes of the police, the legislature, the local politicians and the black criminal underclass themselves, their methods not that different from the good guys in getting the job done, whoever the good guys are...

thedevilinme 11.09.2009 (12.09.2009) · Read review
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Review of The Wire - Series 2 - Complete (DVD)

Bird on a Wire

Advantages: read review
Disadvantages: read review

...BIRD ON A WIRE (1990) Starring- Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, David Carradine Directed by- John Badham Produced by- Rob Cohen Release date- 18 May 1990 Running time- 110 minutes My Rating- 9/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Story Rick Jarmin (Mel Gibson) gave his identity to a FBI to help convict a drug dealing. 15 years later he is working in a gas station. One day Rick's former fiance Marianne Graves (Goldie Hawn) came to the gas station, and of course Marianne recongised Rick, he was really mad, because everyone, included Marianne thought , that Rick is dead. Rick told, that he helped to convict Eugene Sorenson (David Carradine), but now he is released from...

ihate22 30.11.2008 (01.12.2008) · Read review
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Review of Bird On A Wire (DVD)

Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires

Advantages: Great music
Disadvantages: Disadvantages?!

...Here's a debut helping from one of Radio One's favourite bands in the world right now; Friendly Fires. Resonating from St. Albans, Radio One would have you believe they're set for world domination. Far be it from me to be the critic here, but here we go... Released originally in September last year, it's due for re-release at the end of August, with the addition of some new material including the brand new track "Kiss of Life". This original outing however consists of ten dance-punk/synth-pop/whatever the new term is kind of tracks that are, even on first listen, pleasant listening pleasure. Having recently been nominated for this year's Mercury Music Prize, opening track "Jump in the Pool" showcases just why they have been. It's sound is somewhat unique and unheard of. Combining big drums from the streets of the Rio carnival...

carl.mcqueen 31.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Friendly Fires [Digipak] - Friendly Fires

Playing with Fire

Advantages: still a big fan of this series after reading this, I love the characters
Disadvantages: It takes forever to get into and was too drawn out at the beginning. Not as good as the first!

...The late Stieg Larsson's second book in the Millennium series, "The Girl Who played with Fire" is more focussed on it's Introverted and mysterious computer hacker heroine, Lisbeth Salander. Salander and Millenniums magazine's publisher Mikael Blomkvist are once again reunited (or rather linked) by a chain of events caused by the intended publication of facts regarding the sex trade in Sweden which would expose many important men from journalists to police officers. Before the publication can go ahead and before Salander can exert her own brand of justice, three people are murdered and forensic evidence puts Salander right in the frame. Before long, there is a nationwide manhunt for Lisbeth and only a handful of people including Blomkvist believe in her innocence. But Lisbeth cannot be traced and when she does make contact...

burtybookworm 20.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

The Wire -ESSENTIAL Viewing

Advantages: Fantastic story, uniques atmosphere, iconic characters
Disadvantages: Initially challenging

...HBO's 'THe Wire' is easily one of the most engrossing, intelligent and amusing shows on television. It has become cult-viewing of the highest standard, and you've likely heard about it from either the media or any one of the growing number of Wire enthusiasts. But if you haven't heard about it, heres my attempt to convince you that 'The Wire' is essential TV viewing not just for lovers of crime shows, but all lovers of quality television. SYNOPSIS The Wire is set in Baltimore, a city split between the poisonous influence of drug dealers and the corrupt bereaucrats of the police department and local government. In theory the show follows a unit of special investigators who attempt to take down one of the city's major drug lords, running their operation from a basement and attempting to gather enough evidence to finally pin the guy...

DanB17 13.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Wire - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)

Wired up !

Advantages: Its fantastically made
Disadvantages: It will steal your life

...I was a little apprehensive about The Wire, all of the reviews I have read in the press seem to rate it very highly, as did my friends in the USA who have had 3 seasons to enjoy. = The Plot = The Wire is set in Baltimore, Maryland on the East Coast of the USA and is basically a cop show, with a difference. The best way i have heard it summed up would be NYPD Blue crossed with 24. The main storyline is one of murders and drugs. What initially looks to be yet another hood murder turns into a mammoth case against an underworld kingpin by the name of Avon Barksdale. Our main character is homicide cop, alcholic, divorcee Jimmy McNulty who appears at the trial of " D " otherwise known as D'Angelo Barksdale, the nephew of our...

Matt.Blundell 23.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Wire - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)

Fiction on fire

Advantages: another book from a fantastic auhor
Disadvantages: none

...Daughters of fire is written by Barbara Erskine, bestselling author of Lady of Hay. This book is remarkably written combining both present day Britain with Britain in the Roman times. This book cleverly shifts from past to present. Cartimandua (one of the two main ladies in the book also known as Carta) is introduced to the reader as a young girl who's destiny is to rule her own tribe, the Brigantes. She has to conquer invaders, deal with death, survive miscarriages and most poignantly fight against a deadly curse set in revenge from a dangerous woman. In present day Edinburgh, we are introduced to Viv Lloyd Rees (the other main lady in this book); a historian who has written a book about Carta. Following her study of the Celtic queen she begins to have visions of Carta and her life: growing up from an innocent young girl - to...

123me 17.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Daughters of Fire - Barbara Erskine

"Live Fire", a good entertainer

Advantages: Thrill and entertaining story line, not boring
Disadvantages: Nothing that is loud

...Stephen Leather?s books have become quite relevant to the present situation the world is in. With the recent terrorist attack at Mumbai last year (November, 26. 2008) preceded by the quite well published terrorist mayhem at the London tube, his plots has become real life. ?Live Fire? has its background mostly in Thailand, a country notorious for its ever increasing crime relating to sex and bar fracas. The writer of ?Live Fire? Stephen Leather was born in Manchester and basically grew up in the cities of Sale and Charlton-cum-Hardy. He is a student of Manchester Grammar School. Biochemistry was his subject at University of Bath till he decided not take up ?scientist? as a career. He has the unique distinction of working as a journalist with (1) Glasgow Herald, (2) The Daily Mirror, (3) The Daily Mail, (4) South China Morning Post...

roktimdutta 03.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Live Fire - Stephen Leather