Avalon

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...

No_name 09.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Avalon (Subtitled) (DVD)

'Ave A Lovely Stay At Avalon

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...

belfin 04.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Avalon Guest House, Inverness

A sunset over Avalon

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 to...

mumsymary 01.09.2005 (04.10.2005) · Read review
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Review of Avalon Sunset - Van Morrison

Frankie and Benny - my two bestest pals!

Advantages: Lovely food, relaxed atmosphere, good music, good service, well priced, good deals, cater for kids
Disadvantages: Not a huge selection of vegetarian main courses, not situated in the most desirable of locations

...Frankie and Benny's is a New York Italian themed restuarant. It is a chain which currently has 180 restuarants spread across the UK. Frankie and Benny's originally began when Frankie Giuliani was just a little boy. He moved with his family to an all Italian neighbourhood in New York in 1924. Before long Frankies father managed to get a restuarant up and running in which the whole family pitched in and contributed their own favourite recipes, but the best recipes always came in the form of 'Mammas home-style cooking'. Frankie started high school where he met an American boy named Benny and made a life long friend. When Frankies fathers retired in 1953 Frankie and Benny took over the business where they combined 'the best of popular American food with traditional Italian dishes'. I have been to 3 different Frankie and Benny...

karalouk 28.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Frankie and Bennys

Quality food with Frankie and Benny's

Advantages: Great food, resonable prices, family atmosphere
Disadvantages: Can get noisy, difficult to get table

...My partner is quite a fussy eater, therefore eating out is also a challenge. However with Frankie and Benny's we both win! I get to try different things off the menu, whilst my partner can stick with his burger and chips. ~~The food~~ Frankie and Benny?s is a well know chain restaurant specialising in American and Italian food, great for those who aren?t very adventurous when it comes to food! The starters range from prawn cocktail to barbeque chicken wings, all reasonably priced at under £5. Sharers are available (which are very filling!) for two people, this is definitely our favourite as it gives you chance to sample a bit of everything off the starter menu at under £12. Main meals in my opinion are served in huge portions, and I could quite happily share a main meal - not so sure that my partner would agree though...

Diamonds08 19.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Frankie and Bennys

Frankie and Bennys, Riverside, Norwich

Advantages: The toilets are nice, we got a table without booking
Disadvantages: Everything else!!

...This is the worst place to est in Norwich, and one I would highly recommend avoiding. I ended up in this, so called American Italian Restaurant on a last minute whim. I met my girlfriend after work for a few drinks around xmas time. The beer was flowing, and as always, the munchies crept in. Whilst walking home we strolled along the Wensum down Riverside road. The further we walked the hungrier we got. Niether of us could be bothered to cook and as we neard Frankie and Bennys we saw the luminous lights, the 'happy eaters' and the nice looking atmosphere. Neither of us had ever been to one before, so we thought it would be worth a look. Being a Wednesday night it was easy to get a table, without booking. The first thing that struck us was the cheesy 60 style dinner look. The seats were red leather benches, musical instruments...

yackers1 18.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Frankie and Bennys

Fun, fun, fun at Frankie & Benny's

Advantages: Delicious food and cocktails, fun and lively atmosphere, great for any occasion, good value
Disadvantages: None for me

...Frankie & Benny's is one of my all time favourite restaurants, if not my favourite, and I often go there for meals and evenings out. It first opened in 1953 when Frankie Giuliani, an Italian living in New York, took over his parent's restaurant along with his best friend, Benny. They combined their cultures and turned the restaurant into an American diner with an Italian style serving traditional American food and popular Italian homemade dishes. It is quite an old fashioned diner with black and white photos on the walls and old American music playing while you're eating. It's a great place to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner or even just for a few drinks at the bar where they have a great cocktail menu. The menu is jam packed with tasty choices and there are so many of them that you'll spend ages just deciding what to have...

frankiefromings13 19.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Frankie and Bennys

Frankie My Dear...

Advantages: A sweet tale with endearing performances
Disadvantages: Feels more like a TV drama than a proper film

...Young single mother Lizzie is so afraid of her abusive ex-husband that she continually moves around the country with her nine year-old son. In order to protect him from the truth, she tells Frankie that his dad is away at sea and sends him letters in the guise of his father. But when she learns the ship he?s supposed to be working on is due to dock, she threatens to be exposed. So she hires a handsome stranger to pose as Frankie?s dad, never realising that he will change the dynamic of the family forever. ?Dear Frankie? Shona Auerbach?s feature debut and she shows a firm hand with what could have been a terribly mawkish script. Her direction is spare and underplays the more emotionally manipulative aspects of the film, such as Frankie?s deafness. True, it is a sentimental film but it never over-eggs the pudding, thanks largely to...

afy9mab 22.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Dear Frankie (DVD)

Avalon Sutra

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...

No_name 03.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Avalon Sutra/As Long As I Can - Harold Budd

  Frankie and Benny and me

Advantages: Loads of choice - nice size portions
Disadvantages: Not quite as authentic as it purports

...Nothing in the fridge and a late night at work, meant either a quick dash around Tescos or we would eat out. Who wants to face running the gauntlet of supermarket aisles after a long day at work, so eating out it was. We decided to pay another visit to Frankie & Benny's in Chichester as we wanted something quick, reasonably priced and unfussy. ~ HISTORY OF FRANKIE & BENNY'S DINERS ~ There are two versions of the history behind Frankie & Benny's. According to their website, a Sicilian immigrant called Frankie Giuliani arrived in the States via Ellis Island in the 1920's. His parents started up their diner in Little Italy favouring Italian home style cooking. Frankie went to the nearby high school and became friendly with Benny, a third generation Italian American. When Frankie's father retired in the 1950's, Benny joined Frankie...

Bollinger28 02.04.2005 (16.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of Frankie & Benny's, Chichester, West Sussex