Ray DVD - It's a shame about Ray

Advantages: Well acted, great music
Disadvantages: Too long

..."If you want to do something to make your mama proud, promise me. Promise me you won't let nobody turn you into no cripple, you won't become no charity case, and you'll stand on your own two feet." Confession: Before watching "Ray", my total knowledge of the life of Ray Charles amounted to sub-"back off a fag packet" levels. He was a blind, American performer who apparently had Georgia on his mind. As a lover of a wide variety of music, this was a situation I set about resolving by renting "Ray", a biopic directed by Taylor Hackford and released in 2005. And do I know much about him after the movie? Well, to be honest, given the length of the film, I feel like I've lived my life with him. It is, it must be said, a painfully long film. That said, it does give you a real insight into his life, his career, his pain and suffering...

stevek181 24.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)

Ray Charles on my mind

Advantages: Superb performance by Jamie Foxx
Disadvantages: Long and dull at times

...Born Ray Charles Robinson in 1930 in a poor part of Georgia, the singer and pianist we know simply as Ray Charles did not have the easiest of starts in life. Cared for by his single mother, he witnessed the drowning of his brother at a young age, and by seven, was blind in both eyes. Despite this, his mother entreated him to keep working and to never let his disability get the better of him. His drive and enthusiasm for life was soon to pay dividends in the form of a successful music career, with hits in the charts and a lucrative record contract. Yet his life was not all roses - addicted to heroin, Ray was nearly imprisoned more than once and had extra-marital affairs. Would heroin be the end of his family life? And how would it affect his musical career? I am not a big fan of biopics; the problem with the story of someone's life...

sunmeilan 21.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)

Virtua Tennis 2009

Advantages: Mini-games, Trophy Collecting Opportunity
Disadvantages: Online, Graphics, Career Mode, Stumbling

...I've always preferred the more Arcade-ish Virtua Tennis to the more tennis sim game Top Spin, so when Virtua Tennis 2009 was released I bought it on the release date. - Gameplay - The gameplay is virtually identical to the original Virtua Tennis, with the main change being instead if diving for a shot just out of reach - you now stumble at it. There is no flat shot, which leaves with only slice, top spin or lob - which is a bit disappointing. It's very easy to get the hang of the game, as all you have to do is either use the directional buttons or the analogue stick to get you to the ball then press one of the action buttons to hit it. You don't have to get your timing perfect or anywhere near it, but if you do you will play a better show. - Graphics - The graphics in this game are shocking...

Wils0408n 02.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Virtua Tennis 2009 (PS3)

UFC 2009 Undisputed

Advantages: Easy to Play
Disadvantages: Online cheats, Repetitive Menu, Basic Arenas

...' UFC 2009 Undisputed ' is the newest game based on the fastest growing sport in the world MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). After downloading the demo from the Playstation store, disliking the game and branding it as an all out button basher, I deleted it. However, this was only my experience of playing the compuer. I tried the demo again at a friends house and thought it was brilliant when you play someone else. So I decided to download the demo again. This time round fighting the computer was more fun for some reason, so I bought the real game. Gameplay The gameplay is excellent. One of the most frustrating things about these types of game is when you can't move or face the way you want, but this isn't a problem in UFC 2009 Undisputed. The buttons are easy to get the hang of, with TRIANGLE, SQUARE, CIRCLE and X all...

Wils0408n 15.06.2009 (18.06.2009) · Read review
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Review of UFC 2009 Undisputed (PS3)

Ray is on my mind

Advantages: Brilliant music
Disadvantages: None

...The Storyline ----------------- This is the story of legendary soul singer Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx), famed for songs such as "Georgia". Born into poor circumstances, Ray lost his sight at the age of 7 after the death of his brother. With the help of his mother, Ray learnt how to survive in the world, and instilled into him the determination that would guide him through his life. As time moves on, Ray uses all his skills and determination to over come both racism and prejudices against the blind. He finally achieves all of this by becoming a famous musician and singer. But as he grew more and more famous, so did his vices, which nearly stripped him of everything he worked to achieve. I'm not going to go into anymore detail than this, as if like me you didn't know the details of Rays life, you will be in for a few surprises and I...

christianfilmcritic 26.01.2006 (28.01.2006) · Read review
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Review of Ray (DVD)

Madonna's Ray of Change

Advantages: Couple of good tracks
Disadvantages: Too much of a change. Not easy to listen to.

...Madonna Ciccone has been nicknamed the 'Queen of Pop', and is wll known for groundbreaking music releasing themes of music and religion onto the stage with controversy attached. Following the release of her 1994 album 'Bedtime Stories', Madonna took a break from recording music and concentrated on the film production of the musical 'Evita', in which she takes the lead. Following the birth of her first child Lourdes, Madonna wrote the bulk of the tracks on 'Ray of Light', her 1998 album. Its release heralded another 'new' Madonna. As a solo performer, she is constantly reinventing herself for fear of repeating herself within her music. This is evident in this album with the 'modern' sounds created by the majority of the tracks. There are 13 tracks in all, including the hit tracks 'Ray of Light', 'Frozen' and 'Nothing Really Matters...

pmcds 13.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Ray Of Light - Madonna

JUST RAY

Advantages: A little knowledge about musical history.
Disadvantages: Overacted to some extent.

...I have mixed feelings about this film, because although I have known and loved the music of Ray Charles for most of my life, I was unsure as to how he could accurately be portrayed by an actor. This film is about the story of a man who has left a mark in the music industry that is hard to follow, with his wonderfully original voice and style, though until watching the movie, I had no idea about the sadness that haunted Ray for most of his life. It is strange how childhood events can shape a human being's future, and the events that shaped the life of Ray Charles are sad ones, though from the film, it seemed that many were exaggerated by the mis-use of drugs. This strange character made his way into a feirce career competing against sighted people, whilst having become blind in his youth. In an effort to make her son independent...

thingywhatsit 30.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of Ray DVD

And The Winner Of American Idol 2009 Is...

Advantages: Fantastic talent, Usually the Top 12 are all fantastic
Disadvantages: None really, some of the auditionees are pure awful.

...?s will be missing our daily year of American Idol if they get rid of it. Not only is the show highly successful in America, the winners are highly successful, I know this is one big difference between the American show and X Factor which has produced ONE good singer, Leona. American Idol has produced lots of artists which have in their own right done good. Here is a low down of the seasons and the people that have made a career out of American Idol. Season 1 Winner = Kelly Clarkson Probably the MOST famous idol in her own right, Kelly won the series back in 2002 and has since released 3 albums all of which have done brilliantly around the world. She is a pop singer mainly but has a great side of rock to her voice and the songs she sings are brilliant. In March 2009 she released her most recent album called All I Ever Wanted. It...

DixieChick10 24.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of ITV2: American Idol 2009

Ray of Light

Advantages: Pedestrian direction, plodding pacing
Disadvantages: Strong performances

...Ray Charles was true pioneer of twentieth century music. Born in poverty, he overcame personal tragedy, physical disability, racial and musical prejudice to become a music icon. He was the first musician to successfully combine rhythm and blues and gospel, the first to own his own masters and the first to cross over from R and B to the popular music charts. But he was also a flawed human being whose temptations included drugs and women. Director Taylor Hackford (with the emphasis on ?hack?) is best known for directing big name stars in mediocre films. His output includes ?Proof of Life? with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino in ?Devil?s Advocate?. In fact he?s probably more famous for being Helen Mirren?s other half. It seems strange then that he is in the running for several Oscars for this uninspired take on the life of a legend. There...

afy9mab 31.01.2005 · Read review
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Review of Ray DVD

Ray Of Light

Advantages: See op
Disadvantages: None

...Ray Of Light was released in 1998 and on the album are 6 tracks that reached the charts which are as follows: Substitute For Love, Ray Of Light, Nothing Really Matters, Frozen, The Power Of Good-Bye and Little Star. There are three tracks which I’m not to keen on which are Candy Perfume Girl and Shanti/Ashtangt and Mer Girl. The tracks Swim and Skin I found to be ok but I prefer the tracks Sky Fits Heaven and To Have And Not To Hold. Of course I love Nothing Really Matters, Ray Of Light, The Power Of Good-Bye and Frozen. Now I’ll move on to what each track means and what I thought of each track here goes hope you enjoy reading. Track1: Substitute For Love The song itself is about realising the mistake you have made by choosing fame over love. It’s also about changing your mind and wanting that...

Toady 24.08.2001 (01.04.2002) · Read review
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Review of Ray Of Light - Madonna