Rings Around the World

Advantages: Compelling plot, interesting style
Disadvantages: Occasional lame dialogue

...Singularity's Ring is a science-fiction novel exploring concepts of identity and group minds. In the future, or so the story goes, humanity will be bound together in groups or pods of two, three, four and sometimes five. Although pod members retain their individual names, skills and personalities, these are expressed primarily within the pod and they are capable of only limited independent activity. Author Paul Melko has drawn a convincing world where these group minds have taken over humanity democratically (because each member of each pod has a vote) and the remaining 'singletons' live somewhat resentfully in enclaves. We gradually learn that the pod culture has followed something called the Gene Wars, and the Community, an attempt at creating a gestalt entity from six billion humans that went disastrously wrong. The Community...

Olly_Plimsoll 27.12.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Singularity's Ring - Paul Melko

Ring of Brodgar

Advantages: Impressive, Neolithic site
Disadvantages: That concrete filling, which to be fair is not noticeable

...The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle thought to have been erected between 2500BC and 200BC on the mainland island of Orkney and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Apparently henges (that is the circular flat area and surrounding bank/ditch) do not usually have stone circles in them and therefore this site along with Stonehenge are anomalies. Unfortunately because of the prominence of Stonehenge and the fact that a flat circular bit of land from Neolithic times doesn't really look like much, the unusualness of the site is rather overlooked as people flock to see yet another stone circle. Of the probable original 60 stones, 27 remain in a huge circle in an otherwise unremarkable field. The circle is 104 metres in diametre which is a massive distance when you are standing in the centre of it. Whilst I have...

flyingllamas 16.11.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Ring of Brodgar, Mainland

Manon Des Sources - Part 2

Advantages: Even more emotional and an excellent continuation of the story
Disadvantages: Darker than the first film

...So here's the concluding part of my Jean De Florette / Manon Des Sources review. I'm hoping you've read that one first; if not, go back and read it! This won't make sense unless you've read that one first, just as watching Manon Des Sources won't make much sense unless you've first watched Jean De Florette. They're two parts of the same story, and really, this is just the second part of the same review. Also, I have to warn you, it's virtually impossible to give any analysis of this film without revealing the major plot details of the first film, but I'll try my best not to ruin it. So, Manon Des Sources. Again, it's directed by Claude Berri, adapted from the novel by Marcel Pagnol, and stars Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil. This was released in the same year as the other, 1986, and this was also nominated for Best Foreign...

l-m-n-o-p 23.09.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Manon Des Sources (DVD)

Krak des Chevaliers-ultimate castle experience

Advantages: Beautiful, imposing and impressive medieval castle
Disadvantages: Slightly difficult to get to independently

...Krak des Chevaliers (Castle of the Knights) is the ultimate medieval castle and the dream of any child who ever played at knights and dragons or other games on the theme of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It is one of few places I have been that has exceeded the childhood fantasy and taken on an imagination of its own. Given its largely European appearance Krak des Chevaliers stands out somewhat in its location in south Syria near the town of Homs. The principal reason for this apparent anomaly is of course that the castle was primarily built by Order of the Knights of St John between 1142 and 1271 and is a classic crusader castle. There was a pre-existing structure on the site when the crusaders came through the region but this was hugely expanded upon due to the areas important position between Turkish towns and Beirut...

flyingllamas 08.09.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Krak Des Chevaliers, Hims Gap

Mirador Des Concrete Works!

Advantages: Excellent Location
Disadvantages: No major ones

...Mirador Des Concrete Works! We decided to spend a long weekend in Minorca?s Capital, Mahon and found this hotel through Octopus Travel; we paid £454.00 for 4 night?s bed and breakfast for three adults in a triple room over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. Location: 8½/10 The Hotel is situated in a nice quiet residential area about ten minutes walk from the centre of Mahon and only 5kms from the airport. It is set on a cliff above the port which can be reached down a long and steep road at the back of the hotel or by a large set of steps from the centre of the city. Appearance: 8½/10 Quite modern and well kept, with a large terrace area at the side. Parking: 0/10 None! Be warned if you hire a car as you will have to park some way from the hotel and the local police just love to ticket hire cars! Lobby: 8/10 Reception...

bean372042 24.04.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Catalonia Mirador Des Port, Minorca

The Ring in today's world

Advantages: The ultimate operatic experience
Disadvantages: It's complicated, but so was Wagner

...To the uninitiated, listening to the Ring Cycle first is not the best way to try and understand the world of Richard Wagner and his romantic notion of life on earth as we know it today. Something like reading Herman Hesse's Glass Bead Game first, then exploring his earlier works. That's a back-to-front approach. Likewise with Wagner. You need to start at the beginning and work your way through the elements of his creativity and composition. When you finally reach the Ring cycle, your love of the music will be enhanced and your understanding about a musical genius fully appreciated. So, let's take a tour of Wagner's operas and try to build a foundation of understanding of his operas from our listening point of view. Some commentators believe the Ring Cycle was clear in Wagner's mind before he started writing any operas...

falstaff88 30.12.2004 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Met

A Famous Irishman Called Des (Not O?Connor!)

Advantages: Great golfer and lovely guy
Disadvantages: Not a thing!

...~ ~ Des Smyth is an Irish golfer from Drogheda in Co. Louth who retired as a full time player on the European Tour last year when he hit his 50th birthday. (2003) He now plays nearly all his golf on the US Senior Tour, (jokingly called the ?two bellies? tour) with brief forays back to his native Europe and Ireland throughout the course of the season. ~ ~ I have been a big fan of this genial Irishman ever since I first watched him playing in the pre-qualifying rounds for the 1992 Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland, at my home club of Dunbar in East Lothian. I was over for the week from Dublin to watch the Championship, and the final pre-qualifying round at Dunbar was played in some of the most dreadful summer weather I have ever experienced. (Even for Scotland!) The wind was about Force 9, and so bad that another Irishman...

the_mad_cabbie 12.03.2004 (13.03.2004) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Des Smyth

Bored of the Rings

Advantages: Just a truly great realisation of a truly great novel - most of the effects, acting and setting is spot on and I couldn't have asked for more
Disadvantages: May not suit non-fans, is rather long, the troll, I have to wait a year for the sequel

...My Story I must begin by confessing, I'm a bit of a Lord of the Rings nut. Now, I know many people going won't have read the book, or may have done so (or started doing so) years ago and forgotten it. Well, I was read The Hobbit as a child, after enjoying a spoof computer game 'Bored of the Rings' at the age of 10-11 I read Lord of the Rings for the first time. Since then, I've read it two more times, plus other Tolkien books (including The Silmarilion and Book of Lost Tales), played the games, seen an animated version of LOTR (as it shall henceforth be know) and to be honest, I was rather apprehensive about whether the film could live up to expectations. Well, I went to see it with three friends tonight (Genny, George and James) and I needn't have feared - we all really enjoyed it. Despite a variety of backgrounds (me being...

a-true-ben 23.12.2001 (03.09.2005) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

• ..Manon des Sources: Deuxième partie

Advantages: Another stunning film from Claude Berri
Disadvantages: Subtitles - other than that none.

......I'm hoping you're picking this up from where my Jean de Florette review left off. If not then shame on you, you're doing exactly the same thing I did, which was to watch Manon des Sources before having seen Jean de Florette. Hehe :P In my defence though this was because I was studying Manon des Sources for my French coursework and we simply didn't have time to watch Jean de Florette first. If you do do this, it's preferable to have a rough idea of what happened in the first film, though it won't hinder your understanding of the film terribly if you don't know what happened in the first one. You'll pick up the rough gist of what happened as you go along. So going on the assumption that you haven't read my Jean de Florette review (and just to make sure you were paying attention if you have :P) - a brief history of how this film...

lora44 05.04.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Manon Des Sources (DVD)

BOARD (not bored) OF THE RINGS

Advantages: Great family board game
Disadvantages: Not for the very young, a little complicated to set up

...With the massive interest generated by the brilliant film adaptations of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (LOTR) it was inevitable that there would be a huge market for LOTR products especially games that could reproduce the feel of the original books. A very successful set of PS2 games was released but for the more traditional gamers an intelligently designed and very playable board game is also available. The Lord Of the Rings board game is made by Fantasy Flight games probably the leading manufacturers of Strategy board games. The game was created by the innovative designer Renier Knizia. THE IDEA As in any adaptation of a book the idea is to appeal to the current fans but also make it accessible for people who might be new to the genre. The gameplay must follow the original story but it must also be at a level that non-fans can...

Mauri 01.12.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of The Lord Of The Rings