Off the Wall-E!

Advantages: Clever animation
Disadvantages: None

...Most of the mums and dads out there will have enjoyed the recent serge of cartoons that make kids feel like adults or the ones that make adults feel like kids, stuffed full of in-jokes for the grown ups like the family are with popcorn (the worlds biggest mark-up on a food snack!) in the cinemas, a great way to get the whole family into those multiplexes as they gulp their bumper Cokes and the money roles in. But with WALL- E we have the first real carton aimed at adults that the kids can watch too, if they are well-behaved, politically aware pixel animation definitely the future. It really is a smart commercial more by Pixel and a really clever little flick to-boot that they have come up with here, comfortably one of the best films of the year, one you can watch over and over again. I don't normally fall for the hype that the likes...

thedevilinme 25.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Wall-E (DVD)

Lift not the painted veil

Advantages: Stirring emotional historical drama. Breathtaking scenery.
Disadvantages: A little predictable.

...Somerset Maugham led an enviable life of travel and story-telling with many of his novels notorious for their foundation on real people and events. He wrote The Painted Veil in 1925, a novel which had to be revised at least twice to eliminate references to people that were still living. Such was the popularity of this book that it inspired three films; The Painted Veil (1934), The Seventh Veil (1957) and The Painted Veil (2006). I have seen the first two films many times and loved them both. So whilst browsing the DVDs in Tesco for something interesting to watch, I couldn't resist this the third adaptation. I was not disappointed. Set in the 1920s London, Shanghai and China with filming taking place on location in China itself, the scenery is breathtaking; the costumes wonderful and what struck me in particular was the historical...

MAFARRIMOND 16.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Painted Veil

Peeling Back the Paint

Advantages: Good supporting performances, great costume design and cinematography.
Disadvantages: Simplistic characterisation.

...is accompanied by tolling tubular bells. It is an effective score that suits the mood and tone of the film. "The Painted Veil" is a solid example of the heritage picture that features strong performances, confident direction and capable writing. It is a trifle overlong and is sometimes weighed down by its sense of self-importance. It plays as though everyone knows that what they are making is art and not entertainment. But there are moments when it combines the intimate and the epic to great effect. If you like the work of W Somerset Maugham and/or you like a good period movie, this could be right up your street. But bear in mind that to get the most out of the cinematography, you should watch it on a wide-screen TV....

afy9mab 14.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil - Beautifully Crafted

Advantages: Beautiful scenes, excellent acting.
Disadvantages: None.

...Directed by: John Curran Screenplay by: Ron Nyswaner Novel by: W. Somerset Maugham Genre: Drama - Romance Country: USA/China Certification: 12+ Language: English Released: 20th August, 2007 (DVD) MAIN CAST: Naomi Watts (Kitty Fane) Edward Norton (Walter Fane) Liev Schreiber (Charlie Townsend) Toby Jones (Waddington) Diana Rigg (Mother Superior) In 1925, in an attempt to escape her overbearing mother, spoiled and superficial Kitty accepts Dr. Walter Fane's marriage proposal, and follows him to China where he is working as a bacteriologist. When Walter discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he punishes her by accepting a position in a remote area of China where a cholera epidemic is raging. Forcing Kitty to accompany him, their difficult journey will be one of self-discovery and respect. 'The Painted...

GoFigure 22.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Painted Veil

Painting Revolution..?

Advantages: It is quick.
Disadvantages: It is messy. Limited paint colours available.

...worried about breaking these too. With my roller attached, I set to work on the walls. The instructions mention that the trigger should only be pressed intermittently, however there was no guideline as to what this actually means. One person's intermittent is surely different to another's. Clearly mine is very different to the person who wrote these instructions, I held the trigger for about ten or at most fifteen seconds and at first this did not seem to be doing any harm, but before I knew it, there was paint everywhere! It wasn't just that there was too much paint on the roller, it was leaking from where the tube attached to the handle, it was leaking through the trigger button and it even seemed to be leaking between the join in the plastic of the handle. The palm of my hand was covered in paint and I had to stop everything to clean...

Cat199 21.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Dulux PaintPod Roller System

Hate painting ceilings and walls? Try this

Advantages: Easy and clean way to emulsion, great for reaching heights
Disadvantages: It can be tricky to get the roller off for cleaning

...tube and you are ready to start painting. Applying pressure on the base of the Paintstick will push paint into the roller and as you start to roll it over the wall the paint will come through. Once full you can paint a considerable area before you need to go back for a refill but again it is easy to do and what I love most about this system is that you have no need for paint trays which can get spilled. It is a really easy and clean system in use and although I do put a dust sheet down on the floor they rarely get any noticeable marks on them. The manufacturers claim the following: • A complete painting system which is easy to use. • Paint in 1/3 the time. • Paint an 8x8 foot wall in 1 minute! • Do-it-yourself and achieve professional results. • Reach high areas without a ladder. • Smooth, even...

laramax 18.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Paintstick

The Walls of Time

Advantages: Stunning views, good exercise
Disadvantages: A long, long way up

...Kotor is a beautiful little town on the Montenegro coast. It's a natural harbour and is a real jewel of the Adriatic. I'm going to write another review about the town - this one is about one the main attractions of Kotor - its City Walls. When we arrived in the town we looked up from the hustle and bustle of the medieval cobbled streets lined with busy bars and gazed at the walls which creep up the mountainside, apparently disappearing into oblivion. Montenegro means "Black Mountain", and wherever you stand on the coast, the skyline is dominated by the gloom of the mountains just beyond the town. We contemplated the climb - the heat was intense in the middle of the day - pushing 35 or 36 degreed Celsius, and it looked a long, long way up. The walls snake along as far as the eye can see, and you can just make out the colourful little...

Tricksty 25.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of City Walls, Kotor

Aluminium paint is chic .

Advantages: Cheap, easy to use, no need to thin
Disadvantages: Can rub off onto clothes etc.

...Made by good old ICI. Dulux was founded in 1931. The paint was originally developed to give the impression of polished stainless steel. 1 litre will cover up to 18 square meters, depending on the surface. This paint is thin, so will soak in easily. It does not dry to a hard wearing finish, so allow for it to be touched up - ooooh err Missus! Solvent based, so brush cleaning has to be done with turpentine substitute. This paint actually does contain slivers of aluminium. The only colour is of course aluminium. Apply by brush, although small areas can be done with a rag. Either way, I would recommend surgical gloves, Tins are metal, none of those useless plastic ones. Sizes of tins are 5 litre, 2.5 litre. and one litre. Other manufacturers make smaller tins. Will go over bitumen paint, not a lot else will. Apparently this...

smudgeybabes 02.03.2007 (06.03.2009) · Read review
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Review of Dulux Aluminium Paint

Wall-E Review

Advantages: Everything!
Disadvantages: I can't think of anything

...Wall-E is a story about a little refuse collecting robot who has been left to clean up the mess we humans have left behind after we fled the earth. Wall-E is all alone on earth except for a pet cockroach. It's when EVE comes to earth that story picks up. EVE is a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot, sent to earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALL-E falls in love with Eve and so when she leaves on a massive ship he hitches along and learns more than he could ever imagine. I'm gonna say straight off that I love this film, it seems that Pixar can do no wrong and with Wall-E they have created one the cutest, most loveable characters ever seen on screen. As Wall-E doesn't talk there are long periods with no dialogue but this is never boring and you're so thoroughly entertained you'll wonder where the time went...

Walter_Kovacs 14.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Wall-E (DVD)

I can paint a Rainbow..

Advantages: An amazing selection of colours, one for every Girl (or boy!)
Disadvantages: You'll find yourself wanting every single shade.

...There's just something completely lovely about seeing a row of chunky little pots standing in a row on your dresser. Each holding a different, amazing colour. I'll review a few different shades I have, even though I love Barry M I find each pot is completely different in one way or another. Red Glitter - This is my favourite out of my little collection. Two coats and you've got fingernails to the likes of Dorothy's ruby slippers. When I bought it I thought it would be a basic red paint with some glitter thrown in, but this is full on glitter magic. Not really for the understated - I wouldn't reccomend it to a French Manicure queen - it's nice on a friday night after work to strip back my basic colours and put this one on. Downside to the red glitter nail varnish is that's it's a pain to get off. It takes a good half minute to do...

Cinny91 21.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Barry M Nail Paint