Advantages: diversity, progression of Joel's vocals
Disadvantages: slightly more pop orientated

...Following the success of their first two albums ‘Good Charlotte’ and ‘The Young & The Hopeless’, Good Charlotte have a go at being ‘dark’ on us, supposedly going darker within their lyrics and heightening their overall sound. Now, being someone who loved their first two albums, I will honestly say that I would have loved this regardless, but it doesn’t mean that my opinion should be heard any less than a neutral. In fairness, Joel Madden’s quotes of this being a much darker record are not proven correct, with the same relative beat as was so evident on ‘The Young & The Hopeless’, yet with the success of that album what need is their to change things. In the case of ‘The Chronicles Of Life and Death’ there are to be two separate releases, one incorporating life art, whilst the other features death art. Apart from that one minimal... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: believable
Disadvantages: looks a little dated now

...If you do and you are fed up with your job , disillusioned , stuck in a rut and going nowhere ,then you will know how the main character in the Good Life -Tom Good feels. Tom is or rather was a draughtsman designing the freebies that go in cereal boxes - plastic rhino's and the like ! Oh yes I can understand why Tom is fed up! The man has reached forty and needs a change , who can blame him. Tom Good is played by Richard Briers and his wife Barbara is played by the delighful Felicity Kendall. Their rather middle class neighbours are Jerry and Margo played by Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith . The series was first made in 1975 and is currently enjoying a re-run on BBC2 on Fridays . Please note the time and day does change almost weekly but this week 9.3.01 it was Friday at 8pm on BBC2. It is a classic comedy in my view... Read review

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Advantages: Great comedy - what more can I say?
Disadvantages: None!

...I have recently written a review about the complete boxed set of every episode of the seventies comedy The Good Life in which I promised to do reviews on each of the individual DVD's in the set. I won't go into the set up too much here as I would be repeating what I said in the previous review and that wouldn't be fair on you as the reader or on Ciao who would be paying me twice for the same information, so I will just give a very brief synopsis. Tom and Barbara Good live in a posh part of Surbiton and have decided to become self sufficient. This entails plating both their front and back gardens with vegetables and keeping pigs, chickens and a goat! The next door neighbours are Margot and Jerry Leadbetter who are good friends with Tom and Barbara. However Margot is a snob and is horrified at the new set up next door. The sit... Read review

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Advantages: easy to follow recipes, well laid out, informative
Disadvantages: none

...the year and how happy he is that he now has lots of his own produce. Jamie grew up watching 'The Good Life' with Barbara and Tom who grew lots of their own stuff, living next door to Margo and Jerry who had everything but were very unhappy. Jamie is therefore trying to encourage us all to try our hand at growing something ourselves, whether it be in a large garden or just a pot or window box, we can all try the basics, like potatoes, tomatoes, salad or herbs. > Main sections - spring, summer, autumn, winter. The main part of the book is divided into four main sections, which covers foods which are at their best at that time. He concentrates on a few different types of food. Jamie spends time talking about each food: how they grow, how to cook them, what they go best with, his opinion on taste etc, before he then gives us some recipes... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Recently repeated on the BBC, the good life is a true British classic, originating like most of the good ones from the 1970's. It's about a middle aged couple (Tom and Barbara Goode) who decide to leave the rat race behind and lead a self sufficient lifestyle. Richard Bryers (see my review of everdecreasing circles) and Felicity Kendle are perfect as the said couple, and wonderfully supported by next door neighbours Margot and Jerry played by Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington. The show is very funny right the way through, and occasionally fits in a sad moment, like the Time Tom and Barbara were burgled. It's well balanced out with Tom and Barbara living off the land, and Margot and Jerry living in luxury. The best thing about it is Tom's sarcasm towards straight laced Margot. This is one of the funniest comedies to come out... Read review

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Advantages: humerous
Disadvantages: a little dated

...The Good Life is a classic 70's comedy.It's about Tom and Barbara Goode,(Richard Bryes and Felicity Kendal) who decide to leave the rat race. They become self sufficent by growing their own organic fruit and veg. In the back garden they have a goat called Gertrude, plus some Hens and Pigs. There posh next door neighbours Margo and Jerry (Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington) try to act like snobs. Once they helped Barbara get the potatoes dug up as Tom's back had gone. It was really funny watching Margo scoop potatoes up one by one with an old sieve. Another time, Tom was trying to sell fruit and veg door to door.He used an old pram to carry the produce. At the moment the repeats are being shown.I can remember bits from when The programme was first shown!! I can throughly recomend this great 70's series to anyone... Read review

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Advantages: A show to make you smile, good story line, excellent actors, wonderful scripts
Disadvantages: None

...There must be more people out there now like Tom and Barbara Goode, trying to become self-sufficient in a world of rising prices and shortages. I know when I've lived in a house, my garden has always been well dug and planted with all manner of veggies ... but somehow I don't see me living in a built up area and trying to have a pig fattening up or chickens clucking around. Fine in the country but not in the suburbs. One can only imagine the full extent of Margot's horror, if she were indeed a real person. So prissy, wanting nothing more than her perfect little life and poor hen-pecked husband , Jerry, and to suddenly end up with Old Macdonald's farm next door. The interactions were amusing the first time around, and the second - was it memories rekindled or a genuine sense that this show was as valid now as it was when... Read review

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Advantages: Great Classic Comedy
Disadvantages: None

...over his failure to save the pigs in time, enforces his own self denial over the consistently flawed nature of his world and lifestyle. The producer of The Good Life, John Howard Davies, was quick to acknowledge the influence of playwright Alan Ayckbourn on the production. Davies had attended school with Ayckbourn and, being an admirer of his style, saw similarities in Esmond and Larbey's script which led him to cast in kind. All four leads were appearing in Alan Ayckbourn stage productions at the time: Kendal and Keith in The Norman Conquests, and Eddington in Absurd Person Singular, a production that Briers had only just left. (Briers and Keith later starred in Thames TV's version of The Norman Conquests, screened from 5 October to 19 October 1977.) The producer's hunch paid off and the cast's theatrical background stood them... Read review</