On The Couch II - Jill and TheDuke On Ratings

Advantages: It's not fluffy.
Disadvantages: It's about that old chestnut, ratings. Yawn.

...●●● WHAT'S ALL THIS THEN? ●●● This version of On The Couch is for Angus (creativemind to you lot). He suggested the category and he was hoping for some really meaty conversations between people of very different views. He didn't want fluffy. So TheDuke and I decided we'd give him meaty. Grin! Angus, Angus, my wee pal, this one's for you! (It's ridiculously, stupidly long, and we really don't mind if you all bow out now. We had fun and that's all that really matters. Oh, and I've already used the category, so Everything Beginning With? it is. Sorry). ●●● JILL ●●● I wanted to ask you about your [rather aggressive] profile page message. It says, "Why is it the people on here that complain about so-called abusive harsh ratings are those who are...

jillmurphy 04.06.2003 · Read review
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Review of Everything that starts with R ...

Never Mess with "The Duke's" Family

Advantages: Maureen O'Hara, Classic John Wayne Western, Exciting, Well Acted for the most part
Disadvantages: A bit more gory than most John Wayne Films, pretty typical John Wayne

...holding for a million dollar ransom. Of course there?s only one man who can save the kid and that?s where Big Jake comes in! While he and his wife Martha haven?t seen each other for 18 years (apparently they?re not on speaking terms) she knows he?s the man for the job, and the only one that can save their 8 year old grandson. Accompanying him are his other two sons James, who doesn?t much care for Big Jake, and Michael, as well as his old friend Sam Sharpnose and his ever faithful Dog. Everyone that Big Jake meets keeps saying ?I thought you were dead.? Obviously he proves them wrong? ************************** Big Jake Review ************************** Like all other John Wayne Westerns ever made, The Duke plays the rough and tumble, take no nonsense from anyone cowboy, in this one his name is Jacob ?Big Jake? McCandles. He...

Rahielli 01.04.2005 · Read review
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Review of Big Jake (DVD)

TheDuke's 128th opinion spectacular!

Advantages: There are none!
Disadvantages: Abuse, abuse, abuse, abuse. For nothing.

..., but I do hold CPs responsible. So, what purpose do Community Points serve? (Quoted from the Ciao community page: http://www.ciao.co.uk/faq.php/Id/2/Idx/4/Idy/12) "The number of Community Points you have earned allows you, and your readers, to gauge how helpful your contributions to the Ciao community have been for other members: the higher the number of points you have earned, the more helpful your input. And the more Community Points you have, the more weight will be lent to your review ratings." Does that make sense? Really? Are you sure? OK, think about this for a second then: if I join the site and rate 15,000 opinions as VH and leaves lots of nice comments, but write really crap, half-assed reviews giving me a (made up) score of 70,000 CPs, how does that make me more valuable than someone who contributes well written reviews...

TheDuke 04.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of Member feedback on Ciao Community Points

From T to D, the A to Z of TheDuke.

Advantages: All about me!
Disadvantages: All about me.

.... » T is for Tattoo. I've been thinking about getting a tattoo done for ages - years, in fact. Last year while I was in New Zealand, I got one done as a birthday present to myself. It's a Maori design, and I got it done at the top of my left arm. I love it, and it's true what they say, tattoos are addictive! The Duke. A nickname given to me by old work colleagues, but I have no idea where they got that from or why I'm called it. I use it on opinion sites though. As far as I can tell it's not given because of Duke Nukem and it's definitely not due to that orange antiques fella. » U is for unique. I've been told my friends that I have a unique point of view on many things. While part of me quite likes that idea, it's also a pain in the arse because people refuse to accept that you may think differently to them. On the whole, I?d much...

TheDuke 10.03.2003 · Read review
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Review of Everything that starts with A ...

Could even be true.

Advantages: Real good laugh.
Disadvantages: None.

...This film is set in the world of American commodity traders and is so far reached that it is almost believable. A pair of unscrupulous business men (the Duke brothers) have a bet with each other that they can turn the Chairman of their company into a penniless wreck, and at the same time take a waster from the local ghetto and turn him into the company chairman. The real reason behind the bet is that the Duke brothers plan to receive insider information and using this information they plan make their fortune from the US Futures market. To do this they need the chairman of the company out of the way, and replace him with somebody else, but they didn’t count on the streetwise Valentine (Eddie Murphy). The film is hilarious from start to finish, as are most Eddie Murphy films. This man has such talent in being able to make...

daseaford 30.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Trading Places (DVD)

Scarecrow-Garth Brooks

Advantages: some nice soft country songs
Disadvantages: one or two poor songs

...I wouldnt say I am that big a fan of Country music, but for some reason, i love this album. If you like soft stylecountry music, then this would be a perfect album. Remember Ronan Keating's cover version of "If Tomorrow Never Comes", yep, one of Garths pieces, lovely smooth lyrics and music to match, well "The Storm" and "Mr Midnight" are in a similar vain, whilst "Beer Run" (duet with George Jones,) reminds me of "The Dukes Of Hazzard" moonshine bootlegging days! There's 12 tracks on this CD, with just a couple that let it down, "Rodeo Or Mexico" being one of them. I cant really compare this to other Country albums, but it does compare pretty well with his older work, ie: Ropin' The Wind, which was another I particularly liked. "When You Come Back to Me," which was recorded for the film Frequency, hits home with its theme...

jonluvsnique 19.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Scarecrow - Garth Brooks

When too much self-analysis spoils the broth

Advantages: Some great food writing and accounts of Tuscan life
Disadvantages: Boring analysis of their marriage

...Barluzzo, whom they affectionately nickname "the Duke", Marlena and Fernando throw themselves into learning the local traditions. They join the wine harvesting gangs, pick olives, build an outdoor oven and find the best and most secret places to forage for mushrooms. While Marlena struggles to fulfill her journalistic commitments amid the new distractions, Fernando finally has a chance to live without the pressures of the bank and its grinding daily routine. Much more than "A Thousand Days in Venice" this chapter of Marlena de Blasi's story plunges the reader into a very specific part of Italy, one with ancient traditions and where the people have entrenched views on how to approach life, in particular when it comes to food. I felt that Marlena's contact with Italian's other than her husband was not really explored in the first book so I was...

fizzytom 04.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of A Thousand Days in Tuscany - Marlena De Blasi

He was a cahnt

Advantages: You get to be jealous of my life
Disadvantages: I'm dead

...If I were to write a humorous eulogy, I would write this: TheDuke: Born: A long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Died: 2004, before his time. Friends, It is with great sadness that we gather here today to mourn the passing of the entity known as ?TheDuke?. I hope that those among us who do not know him intimately will realise that he was very much misunderstood. The early years are uncharted to a certain extent. It is said that Mr. TheDuke was the bastard son of Quasimodo and Brad Pitt while little is known of the mother who turned into a virtual recluse soon after the birth of her one and only child, TheDuke. From the moment he was born, Dukey (to his friend) was instantly a hit with the ladies. He was a stunningly beautiful child and exuded sex appeal by...

TheDuke 30.12.2002 · Read review
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Review of If You Could Write a Humorous Eulogy for Yourself, What Would you Write and Why

Hells Bells, Jim, I almost puked up my livers!

Advantages: great cast
Disadvantages: maybe a bit childish for some older viewers

...away together. Jim accompanies Huck as he wants to find and free his family and also be free himself. Little do they know that Jim is wanted for Huck's murder. I wont tell you anymore or else I'll spoil it but along the way, Huck and Jim meet 'The Duke' and 'The King'(Coltrane and Robards), two mischievous conmen, who blackmail Huck and Jim with the threat of calling the authorities and make them do some bad things. FILM INFO The actual film was released in 1993 while the DVD was released 10 years later in 2003. *Writer/director: Stephen Sommers *Brilliant cast including: *Elijah Wood as Huck Finn - excellent acting from Elijah and at just 11 years old. This was his fourth film and one of his biggest parts playing the main character of the film. I think he shines, carries the film extremely well and plays the part of a cheeky...

welshgal17 18.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Adventures Of Huck Finn (DVD)

OFF FASTER THAN A BRIDE'S NIGHTY

Advantages: Never a dull moment
Disadvantages: none

.... He needs to track down the bosses friends missing daughter and sell drugs that cockney gangster 'The Duke' has picked up in Holland. Later we find it was a botched job and things are not going to be plain sailing for xxxx. Later betrayals of trust make for a story which keeps your attention throughout (this would ruin it if I said by who). The film is brilliant in the way that it intertwines a whole host of different groups and makes for a complex list of who is after who, but in the end the dust settles and everything comes to a big conclusion. There are several funny moments throughout the movie which lighten up the movie, there is a fair bit of violence but that's to be expected though. I left the cinema feeling it was money well spent and i would tell people to watch this film if they have the chance....

fatsam21 08.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Layer Cake (DVD)