Advantages: Pullman's creative style / Detailed World / Reliving some of the HDM Magic
Disadvantages: Short and Insignificant Story / Lack of real interraction between the two main characters

...Philip Pullman is a man of great talent. A man so focused on giving his readers something that little bit extra than your average author. His worlds are rich in detail and his characters, greatly developed and life like. Often compared to CS Lewis, he is a man with countless works to his name, which sadly are underrated. His latest book, Once Upon a Time in the North, revisits the world best known from His Dark Materials Trilogy. It is in fact a sort of prequel to Northern Lights (The Golden Compass), but with only 104 pages, does it have enough substance to capture the attention of his loyal fan base? This short fantasy story tells the tale of how the widely popular and arguably important characters of Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison meet. Texan Aeronaut Lee Scoresby and his Hare Daemon Hester are running out of provisions and so... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Amazing music, brilliant songs and good vocals.
Disadvantages: Some of the songs could be a bit longer, but other than that the whole things amazing.

...Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...a teenage boy sat down with his family to watch Once Upon A Time In Mexico on DVD. The dashing, young chappy had never seen or heard of this film before, although his parents said they enjoyed it very much. He sat down with some pringles and a glass of orange squash and enjoyed the whole film. The next following days he couldn't help but talk about it to all his friends, many who hadn't seen it were persuaded to do so by the boy. One of the main things he liked about the film, besides the story and acting, was the music that accompanied the film. So, he set out to buy the soundtrack for just £6.99 from HMV. As soon as he got home he played the CD and was amazed by how brilliant each song was. From that day on he constantly listened to the album at least once a day, playing it as background... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Johnny Depp
Disadvantages: everything else

...Once upon a time is a phrase that conjures up images of magic and mayhem. There's certainly plenty of mayhem in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, but not much of anything else. Drugs lord Barillo (Willem Dafoe) is masterminding a plot to assassinate the Mexican president, mostly as a distraction from his planned clean getaway. He is aided in this by the corrupt and lunatic CIA agent Sands (played superbly by Johnny Depp). The idea is that he will use General Marquez (Gerardo Vigil) to kill the President, but then he's afraid that Marquez will assume power, the last thing anyone wants. Sands hires the Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) to take Marquez out after the assassination, knowing that the Mariachi and Marquez have old scores to settle. The scene is set for a succession of shoot-outs and double-crossings which result in a few surprises... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Memorable poem!
Disadvantages: N/A

...suspect, have been an unwelcome visitor to Blake as a person who held strong anti-establishment views, and Wordsworth as he was not a proponent of the industrial revolution but a Romantic. The titles in themselves state vague opinions of the respective poets about the city, Wordsworth's title: "composed upon Westminster Bridge" is in a way romantic and euphoric when compared with Blake's "London" - he is dismissing it as London and giving it no other credit for the huge industrialised machine that it has become. One should note that Blake's poem was written at the end of a centaury where as Wordsworth's was written at the beginning of the next, suggesting that the latter would be more imaginative and appreciative, as with the turn of any centuary comes new beginnings, modernisation and general new-found appreciation for the new. Wordsworth... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Lots to see and do. Good restaurants,History. Culture
Disadvantages: Touristy, Gets crowded, Can be pricey

...Everyone knows that Stratford-upon-Avon is a much visitied tourist town on account of the fact that it was the birthplace of the great bard William Shakespeare.It is also replete with fine buildings and is home to the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The place is also bleessed with a very wide range of eateries including English,French,Italian,Indian,Chinese, Greek and Thai restaurants among others. With such a wide choice you can dine and wine well in Stratford. For classy Indian food the Baltiwallah in Greenhill Street has a good reptation whilst good Italian food is on the menu at Marco Trattoria in Warwick Road. Should you fancy some fiery but tasty Thai foood then the place to head for is Thai Kingdom restaurant also in the warwick road. Other good eateries in town include Fatty Arbuckles in Chapel Street, No 6 in Union Street... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fantastic finale to a revitalising western trilogy
Disadvantages: Some areas a bit patchy and slow paced

...Once upon a time in Mexico 2003 Directed by Robert Rodriguez The finale to a trilogy of the El Mariachi films. Antonio Bandera plays a western style bad but good guy who had fallen in love with Carolina (Salma Hayek), battling with Johnny Depp (Sands) who once again plays a bit of an odd ball character with three arms and crazy battles that take out his eyes along with an obsession for a pork meal served. El Mariachi is offered a chance to seek vengeance for the death of his wife and daughter but after giving up his gun wielding trade he chooses to accept the opportunity which leads him on the trail of Agent Sands (Johnny Depp). Drug lord Barillo (Willem Dafoe) complicates matters and bullets soon start to shower the show. El Mariachi's vengeance is fed and the legend comes to a close after lots of bullet, guitar playing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Amazing story carrying on His Dark Materials
Disadvantages: Might not be too great for those who dont know the HDM books

...... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: good facilities and not too busy
Disadvantages: quite expensive compared to other sports clubs

...... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Epic in scale; fantastic attention to detail; engaging and powerful; sensitive
Disadvantages: Not long enough -- uneven and lacking in places; misses out on crucial character development

...Sergio Leone was made famous with the Spaghetti Westerns, his gritty, raw, violent trilogy. But unlike any other director, Leone would stop at nothing, and continued to try and outdo himself with bigger, more ambitious films. Indeed, Once Upon A Time In America was a project ten years in the making, and the results wouldn't be fully appreciated until the four hour version of what had been cut down to a two hour film, would be released. While the late Sergio Leone had made a ten hour film, of which half the footage he considered essential, the four hour version is far more superior to its 1984 two-hour predecessor, and allows the film's issues to develop sufficiently. This film is arguably Leone working at the peak of his powers, creating a gangster film on a huge scale, his own pet project that takes its place among the Godfather Trilogy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: An endless classic
Disadvantages: Buy sub-titled, the dubbing is awful

...Once Upon A Time In China is simply a film of epic proportions. Set in the late nineteenth century shortly before the occupation of China by foreign forces. The film surrounds the life of Wong Fei Hung (Played superbly by Jet Lee), a legendary figure from China who lived from 1850 to 1910 (Approximately), and is similar the British Robin Hood. The theme of Once Upon A Time In China is not one of race or colour (This is dealt with in the sequel). But concerns the concepts of honour and duty (The banners declaring "Bravery Soaring" and "Magnamity Overflowing", are an indication of the theme’s at work here). To simply state a singular theme for this film would be an understatement, for it is too multi-layered. Corruption by money, personal responsibility, cultural identity, justice versus law, and heritage versus progression... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful