Full Chronological List
books in roman type, films in italic | 397. So, You Wanna Be a Comic Book Artist?: How to Break into Comics! The Ultimate Gide for Kids by Philip Amara (reviewed on 16 May 2008)
"In reading So, You Wanna Be a Comic Book Artist?, I got that same feeling that I had heard all this advice before, and I realized that the advice you give to a writer or an illustrator probably applies to just about any creative endeavor." |
 | 396. Loverboy directed by Kevin Bacon (13 May 2008)
"I'm not sure what message director Kevin Bacon wanted me to take away from his film. As a moral tale, Loverboy shows that both neglect and over-protectiveness create dysfunctional relationships. We don't really see any contrasting non-dysfunctional relationships, so we don't have a counter-example to know what Bacon thinks a good relationship looks like." |
| 395. Juno directed by Jason Reitman (9 May 2008)
"Juno does a good job at portraying a particular girl's experience with teen pregnancy, although I don't think you can extend this portrait much beyond Juno's character since she has more self-confidence and personal determination than most adults." | |
 | 394. The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull (24 April 2008)
"Mull has created a fun, compelling story that in spite of some characterization problems provides an adventure that both kids and adults can enjoy." |
| 393. 21 directed by Robert Luketic (13 April 2008)
"The camera and the film editor do more work than the actors. We see hundreds of close up shots of casino chips, winning blackjack hands, and brief shots of the actors' faces smiling in flushed glee. The film relies on the rush of emotions viewers will feel in response to the large sums of money and not the acting." | |
 | 392. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull (3 April 2008)
"Kendra and Seth expect to spend their next summer vacation helping out at Fablehaven, a mystical preserve for magical creatures tended by the kids' grandparents. But problems for Kendra and Seth start even before their summer vacation begins." |
| 391. 1408 directed by Mikael Håfström (2 April 2008)
"You can easily overlook the few minor problems and enjoy the creative torments the room inflicts on Cusack's character and loose count of the number of times the film makes you jump in your chair." | |
| 390. There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (1 April 2008)
"I think Upton Sinclair would approve of this adaptation of his novel. We watch the self-destruction of the main characters as they focus on their greed and lust for power, and we see these empty lives -- like black holes -- draw the goodness and life unwillingly out of the people who happen to cross their path." | |
| 389. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day directed by Bharat Nalluri (31 March 2008)
"Really you can't say much more than Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day presents charming characters in a well crafted love polygon. The humor comes easily, the plot never gets too heavy, and you get a double warm-fuzzy feeling as the two leads find true love emerging out of the chaos that swirls around them." | |
| 388. V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue (27 March 2008)
"The twisting and engaging story line more than makes up for the 'comic book' characters, and director JamesMcTeigue displays an excellent balance of mystery, suspense, and violence." | |
 | 387. Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish (24 March 2008)
"I think kids and even younger teens will enjoy Prince Ombra, but any examination of the story beyond the surface leaves the reader to deal with a set of unsatisfactory philosophical conclusions necessary for the plot to function." |
| 386. Beowulf (20 March 2008)
"The low quality animation made me feel like I was watching a cut scene from a video game. For the entire film, I kept getting the feeling that at any moment the cut scene would end, and I would have to take up the game controller to battle the monsters." | |
 | 385. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (20 March 2008)
"In this final volume of the triolgy, Pullman seems to have lost some control over his story. When you get to the end of The Amber Spyglass, you can sort of see where he was trying to take you, but he certainly didn't take a direct route. The story also becomes less about the characters we have followed for three books and more about the metaphysical events surrounding them." |
 | 384. The Zodiac directed by Alexander Bulkley (11 March 2008)
"The Zodiac tries to capture the zeitgeist of the San Francisco Bay area while the Zodiac serial killer actively killed victims and corresponded with the local press." |
| 383. American Gangster directed by Ridley Scott (11 March 2008)
"From the trailers, I expected to see scene after scene of gore and violence, but I was pleasantly surprised at the intellectual comparison of these 'real life' characters from our recent past." | |
 | 382. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (11 March 2008)
"For the middle book in a trilogy, Pullman manages to keep the plot and pacing in The Subtle Knife quite engaging, and he ends the book just about as suddenly and tragically as in The Golden Compass." |
 | 381. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (6 March 2008)
"While Interview with the Vampire has expertly crafted depictions of scene and emotion, this volume doesn't have some of the polish and flare you find in some of the later volumes in the series." |
| 380. The Spiderwick Chronicles directed by Mark Waters (26 February 2008)
"Ignoring the very clear warning about death and destruction to those who open the book, Jared breaks the seal and begins to read about a world of magical creatures. By breaking the seal, Jared breaks the barrier between the fairy and human worlds and exposes his family to a pantheon of aggressive creatures." | |
| 379. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium directed by Zach Helm (22 November 2007)
"The film tries to do to much in the short running time. Just resolving any one of the four major plot problems could have occupied the entire space of the film, and the resolutions we do get leave too many unanswered questions." | |
 | 378. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (5 November 2007)
"Rowling has created an interesting universe and a story that surely will never go out of print. I certainly will probably read the entire series several more times in my lifetime, in spite of the numerous problems that a more careful writer would have addressed." |
 | 377. A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice (2 November 2007)
"Even though I had some problems with the construction of A Density of Souls, I found the plot reasonably well formed for a first novel. The story keeps you reading because you find the characters interesting although ultimately underdeveloped." |
| 376. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising directed by David L. Cunningham (16 October 2007)
"The Seeker has it fun and scary moments, but the threat of evil -- in spite of its well demonstrated power -- feels hollow, and the teenage protagonist too easily defeats in five days a force that has had thousands of years to prepare." | |
 | 375. Practical Demon-Keeping: A Comedy of Horrors by Christopher Moore (15 October 2007)
"Christopher Moore's Practical Demon Keeping reads like a movie treatment. You get just enough detail about the characters to understand what they would wear and give them sufficient motivation to make their actions believable, but you never get enough depth about any single character to really make an attachment -- or even really care much about what happens." |
 | 374. The Snow Garden by Christopher Rice (15 October 2007)
"As Rice's second novel released when he was only twenty-two years old, The Snow Garden gives us the pleasant hope of enjoying his works over a long and prolific writing career." |
 | 373. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (4 October 2007)
"Of the three books in the Twilight series so far, I found Eclipse the least interesting. All the physical action takes place off stage, and we spend all our time inside Bella's mixed up head." |
 | 372. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (3 October 2007)
"At the end, you feel like you have just ridden a roller coaster -- a long, slow, boring ride up the hill and a brief thrill as you run the course. The excitement happens so fast, that you really want more and wish that Meyer hadn't spent so much time letting Bella mope about." |
| 371. High School Musical directed by Kenny Ortega (21 February 2007)
"It can happen -- a made for TV movie from Disney that doesn't suck. In fact High School Musical does a pretty good job at providing snappy songs, occasionally interesting choreography, and a less than lame plot." | |
 | 370. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers by Dav Pilkey (14 February 2007)
"I hope Mr. Pilkey will stick to single volume-adventures when writing future installments of the Captain Underpants series. The repeated elements and the downplay of other trademark elements makes The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers one of the least interesting of the entire series." |
| 369. Snakes on a Plane directed by David R. Ellis (7 February 2007)
"Sure, Snakes on a Plane just duplicates the clichés of most air-disaster movies, but with Samuel L. Jackson, you just have more fun watching the mayhem." | |
| 368. United 93 directed by Paul Greengrass (6 February 2007)
"United 93 walks us through the transition from before 9/11 to after 9/11. Our lives take place with a much more hectic set of background noises playing than before, and with United 93, we watch the exact moment when the background noise increased." | |
| 367. All the King's Men directed by Steven Zaillian (2 February 2007)
"Terrible editing, overblown acting by Penn, and underdeveloped characterization make All the King's Men not worth seeing. The depth of character that earned Robert Penn Warren a Pulitzer prize never appears in Zaillian's emaciated screenplay and leaves us with a shallow, uninteresting film." | |
| 366. The Night Listener directed by Patrick Stettner (27 January 2007)
"The Night Listener doesn't necessarily keep you glued to the edge of your seat, but it does have enough mystery and intrigue to carry the story at a reasonably pace comfortably to the end." | |
| 365. The Painted Veil directed by John Curran (23 January 2007)
"The Painted Veil makes a methodical study of a couple that starts out with a marriage of convenience, deal with adultery, and come to love each other more deeply than they every expected." | |
| 364. Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon (22 January 2007)
"Dreamgirls provides a fun, musical and visual experience without a whole lot of character depth. Tap your toe, enjoy the fun, but don't look too deeply into the storyline." | |
| 363. Eragon directed by Stefen Fangmeier (19 January 2007)
"If you have never read the book Eragon, then the movie provides a simple yet satisfying teen adventure story." | |
 | 362. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets by Dav Pilkey (17 January 2007)
"This sixth installment in the Captain Underpants series appeals to young and old. For the young, it has page after page of snot dripping from just about every surface. For the old, it has postmodern characters that break the fourth-wall and talk directly to the author." |
| 361. Time Bandits directed by Terry Gilliam (15 January 2007)
"A blow-by-blow description of Time Bandits doesn't do it justice. Director Gilliam has infused every scene with subtle humor, blatant slapstick, and cosmic justice." | |
 | 360. Zathura: A Space Adventure by Chris Van Allsburg (15 January 2007)
"If you have read Jumanji, Zathura offers no real surprises. You already know that the game will alter reality, so we don't experience any shock when a meteor really does crash through the roof. But I find Van Allsburg's illustrations in Zathura inferior to his work in Jumanji." |
 | 359. Hannibal Rising (12 January 2007)
"Hannibal Rising describes the events that can turn a privileged little boy from Lithuania into the genius serial killer described in Thomas Harris's other books Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal." |
| 358. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle directed by McG (9 January 2007)
"It doesn't really matter to what assignment Charlie sends the angles since the film follows the path of greatest skin exposure, highest number of explosions, and maximum stern looks from Lucy Liu." | |
| 357. The Queen directed by Stephen Frears (8 January 2007)
"The Queen does something unusual -- it makes a fairly severe critique of monarchy in general while giving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's years of service to her country." | |
 | 356. Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (5 January 2007)
"The movie adaptation of Jumanji creates a sloppy reflection of the artistic precision in Van Allsburg's illustrated story about two children who find a reality-altering game in the park." |
| 355. Coffee and Cigarettes directed by Jim Jarmusch (4 January 2007)
"Jarmusch has collected some weird and quirky stories that emphasize the variability of human nature, even over something as simple as coffee and cigarettes." | |
| 354. Jumanji directed by Joe Johnston (3 January 2007)
"A movie with a promising premise, but the frame stories created to present the premise lack adequate character development to make all the special effects worth watching, especially since half the characters have their development revoked at the end of the film." | |
| 353. Shi mian mai fu [House of Flying Daggers] directed by Yimou Zhang (2 January 2007)
"Even if I weren't tired of watching martial artists dancing in the treetops, Yimou Zhang's House of Flying Daggers lacks the depth of story found in many of the recent Hong Kong martial arts epics such as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even his own Hero." | |
| 352. Night at the Museum directed by Shawn Levy (2 January 2007)
"You don't want to think too hard about the premise or the motivations behind the characters, but you can have a few good laughs watching Stiller in a typical slapstick role." | |
| 351. The Pursuit of Happyness directed by Gabriele Muccino (27 December 2006)
"Will Smith does a very good job portraying the desperation and despair, but the script doesn't allow him any room to display any range of emotions -- good depth, but no breadth." | |
| 350. The Brothers Grimm directed by Terry Gilliam (26 December 2006)
"Expect to laugh, but you shouldn't expect comedy on the order of Gilliam's Monty Python days." | |
| 349. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie directed by Bryan Spicer (22 December 2006)
"I doubt that you could enjoy the movie on its own merits; you have to see it as an extension of the Power Rangers story line established in the first couple of television seasons. But for Power Rangers fans, this movie still holds entertainment value, even after repeated viewings." | |
| 348. Zathura directed by Jon Favreau (22 December 2006)
"If you've seen Jumanji, then you pretty much have seen Zathura. In essence, a couple of kids find an old game, start to play, and then realize that the game affects reality in quite serious and perilous ways." | |
 | 347. Eldest by Christopher Paolini (20 December 2006)
"Eldest provides much easier reading than Eragon, but you still encounter some passages so clichéd that you groan out loud. Paolini's skill at storytelling encourages you to move quickly past the problems to find out what happens next." |
 | 346. Ma Vie en Rose [My Life in Pink] directed by Alain Berliner (18 December 2006)
"Seven-year-old Ludovic (Georges Du Fresne) believes he's a girl. Somehow when the stork delivered him, Ludovic's second X chromosome fell in the garbage, leaving him with a male body." |
| 345. Lord of War directed by Andrew Niccol (13 December 2006)
"From the Lord of War trailers, I expected an action movie, but writer/director Andrew Niccol has infused his film with political messages that unfortunately interfere with my enjoyment of the film." | |
| 344. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang directed by Shane Black (12 December 2006)
"Individual scenes did make me laugh, but no synergy takes place between the noir and parody elements to make Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang more than a well-made, well-intentioned curiosity." | |
 | 343. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (8 December 2006)
"From a hardboiled detective story, I expected several shootouts and fist fights, but interestingly, Nick really only interviews numerous suspects and lets the police do most of the dirty work." |
 | 342. Quicksilver (5 December 2006)
"I think much of the story line gets bogged down with the interesting things Stephenson found in his research. These elements might have a bearing in the second or third volumes, but distracted from the immediate enjoyment of the novel." |
 | 341. La Jetée directed by Chris Marker (1 December 2006)
"La Jetée shows the power of the briefest of memories to instill a life with hope. Marker's presentation as a series of stills emphasizes the periodic and fleeting nature of memory." |
 | 340. Eragon by Christopher Paolini (29 November 2006)
"Paolini's plot has good pacing, interesting highs and lows, and most importantly you like Eragon and care about what happens to him -- in spite of his stupid teenage blundering." |
| 339. Good Boy! directed by John Robert Hoffman (24 November 2006)
"You can appreciate Liam Aiken's development as an actor, but often the script gives lame dialogue to everyone, making Good Boy! somewhat painful to watch with not enough comedy to offset the pain." | |
| 338. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause directed by Michael Lembeck (24 November 2006)
"It does seem that Tim Allen has driven his career into a rut, and The Santa Clause 3 merely provides one of the better run-of-the-mill movies Allen has made in quite a while." | |
 | 337. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (20 November 2006)
"Meyer does an excellent job at building the tension to a nerve-splitting peak, and her exposition about her vampires never gets boring or preachy." |
 | 336. The Mudge Boy directed by Michael Burke (14 November 2006)
"Writer and director Michael Burke does an excellent job at creating a portrait of Duncan Mudge, but he doesn't really take the story to a satisfying conclusion." |
 | 335. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (10 November 2006)
"Clearly, the Pulitzer committee thought enough of Harper Lee's book to give it top honors in 1961, but I think some of the social issues from the 1960s that pushed Mockingbird to the top of the list don't have as much relevance today." |
| 334. Metoroporisu [Metropolis] directed by Rintaro (8 November 2006)
"Metropolis keeps your interest and keeps revealing multiple layers of character motivation and intrigue." | |
| 333. 12 Monkeys directed by Terry Gilliam (7 November 2006)
"We come to expect the ending, but I felt somewhat disappointed with the conclusion, which left me with an empty feeling like an unfulfilled promise." | |
 | 332. Holes by Louis Sachar (7 November 2006)
"Sachar says that it took him over a year to write Holes, and you can tell that he spent a lot of time getting all the story-line interconnections just right." |
| 331. Marie Antoinette directed by Sofia Coppola (6 November 2006)
"I find Marie Antoinette an interesting mood piece that doesn't tax the actors involved, except maybe with their period wardrobe. The soundtrack distracts from the tone of the film, and I got bored at many places, probably due to so much attention to detail in the costumes and sets at the expense of true biographical information." | |
 | 330. Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript by Robert C. Meredith (31 October 2006)
"Structuring Your Novel focuses on advice for beginning writers who have never completed a novel and provides excellent advice that helps focus attention on the work of writing and producing a saleable novel from the ground up." |
| 329. Flyboys directed by Tony Bill (27 October 2006)
"Essentially, you should see Flyboys for the excellent dogfights. You need the basic story line so you will care enough about the pilots when they die, but otherwise the plot doesn't do much to enlighten the audience about Americans serving in the French military as some of the first wartime aviators." | |
 | 328. The Matador directed by Richard Shepard (23 October 2006)
"In spite of the excellent acting of the parts, I cannot agree with the moral message of this film -- that one can benefit from the killing of other people." |
 | 327. Brave Buffalo Fighter: Waditaka Tatanka Kisisohitika by John D. Fitzgerald (18 October 2006)
"As you can expect from any Fitzgerald work, you get an excellent picture of the period and setting in which the events take place. You get a detailed portrayal of life in a pioneer wagon train, including the reasons for making the trek in the first place and the risks involved in the journey itself." |
 | 326. The Village directed by M. Night Shyamalan (17 October 2006)
"Shyamalan has assembled a stellar cast, and the actors do their best with the script's questionable motivation and silly dialogue." |
 | 325. Papa Married a Mormon by John D. Fitzgerald (16 October 2006)
"Fitzgerald relates a touching story about how his father and mother met, married, and started a family in a frontier town of rural Utah." |
 | 324. A History of Violence by John Wagner (10 October 2006)
"A History of Violence doesn't ask any really deep questions, but it does neatly resolve the issues that the plot raises. " |
 | 323. Zerkalo (Зеркало) [The Mirror] directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (9 October 2006)
"Tarkovsky wants more of an emotional response than a rational one. He creates scenes of nostalgic memory combined with emotionally charged scenes of modern day family strife combined with a typical Russian fatalism about life. I think other Tarkovsky movies such as My Name Is Ivan and Stalker more successfully create an emotional impact on the viewer, but The Mirror still provides a pleasant experience, especially for fans of other Tarkovsky films." |
 | 322. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (4 October 2006)
"I think that the best fiction opens up our minds to a viewpoint that we otherwise would find foreign or complicated. In The Curious Incident, Haddon provides a view of autism in a engaging way that we want to read for the mystery and enjoy because we like Chris as a person -- something that we might not have understood if we bumped into him on the street and heard him bark like a dog." |
 | 321. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (3 October 2006)
"Mull has written a fairly decent modern-day fantasy story that possibly could have had a fairly good chance at hitting the bestseller lists if Mull had worked with a national publishing house." |
 | 320. Kaze no tani no Naushika [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind] directed by Hayao Miyazaki (2 October 2006)
"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind tells the story of a distant future where warfare and mass pollution have made the earth almost uninhabitable." |
 | 319. Siu Lam Juk Kau [Shaolin Soccer] directed by Stephen Chow (29 September 2006)
"Although not as riotously and continuously funny as Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer does have quite a few good laughs, and you can see how this successful venture led to the even funnier Kung Fu Hustle." |
 | 318. Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story directed by John Gatins (25 September 2006)
"Russell's performance doesn't provide any new insight into fatherhood or raising horses, although he does put up a nice argument for a diverse workplace when he defends his Hispanic staff." |
 | 317. Little Manhattan directed by Mark Levin (25 September 2006)
"Little Manhattan handles the themes of first love and lost love with sensitivity and uncommon depth." |
 | 316. Suchîmubôi [Steamboy] directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (22 September 2006)
"Ray's adventures as Steamboy provide a fun romp through an alternate history where advances in steam power accelerate the development of technologies." |
 | 315. The Wicker Man directed by Robin Hardy (22 September 2006)
"This original production far suprasses the recent remake." |
 | 314. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (20 September 2006)
"I found this the most enjoyable of the Palahniuk novels I have read. The plot keeps taking unexpected turns, and Palahniuk avoids overusing his tendency to repeat key phrases throughout the book." |
 | 313. Eraserhead directed by David Lynch (19 September 2006)
"I think much of the appeal of Eraserhead lies in its ambiguous events and meaning. Because Lynch doesn't make his intentions clear, he leaves the viewer wide open to project personal meaning onto the film." |
 | 312. Everyone's Hero directed by Christopher Reeve (18 September 2006)
"Nothing in the story makes you want to see this movie again, and you feel bad that this movie serves as a final tribute to Christopher Reeve." |
 | 311. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman (18 September 2006)
"Fuhrman does an excellent job at recalling the emotional states and physical feelings of first love. He also uses the racial tensions of the 1970s to good effect to show that racial politics affected even eight graders' relationships with their schoolmates." |
 | 310. A History of Violence directed by David Cronenberg (15 September 2006)
"A History of Violence asks serious questions about the generational effects of violence, but fails to provide any solid answers to these questions." |
 | 309. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone directed by Chris Columbus (13 September 2006)
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone holds up well to repeated viewings, although you do start to see a lot of minor inconsistencies." |
 | 308. Crash directed by Paul Haggis (13 September 2006)
"Crash demonstrates that everyone makes decisions based on preconceived ideas about race. Regardless of our racial background, we make decisions about how we react to and treat other people based on racial profiling." |
 | 307. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada directed by Tommy Lee Jones (12 September 2006)
"Three Burials tries to make big symbolic and political statements but just fails to have the power to follow through with these intentions." |
 | 306. The Girl Next Door directed by Luke Greenfield (11 September 2006)
"Director Luke Greenfield has created a well constructed teen comedy with a bit of a plot twist at the end." |
 | 305. The Great Brain Is Back by John D. Fitzgerald (11 September 2006)
"I can only recommend The Great Brain Is Back to absolute fans of the series or people who want to say they have read every book in the series. This eighth volume certainly doesn't stand on its own, but it does let you spend just a little bit longer with these loveable characters." |
 | 304. L' Argent de Poche [Small Change] directed by François Truffaut (8 September 2006)
"François Truffaut returns to filming a classroom full of children with the theme that children exist in a state of grace -- they pass untouched through dangers that would destroy an adult." |
 | 303. Kung Fu Hustle directed by Stephen Chow (8 September 2006)
"Kung Fu Hustle takes all the stereotypes of the martial arts genre, exaggerates them to an extreme, and provides a hilarious tribute to the genre." |
 | 302. Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse by John D. Fitzgerald (8 September 2006)
"You get a pretty clear picture of life in a frontier mining town, and you care about what happens to Will, even though the successes in his life come way too easily." |
 | 301. Wo Hu Cang Long [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon] directed by Ang Lee (6 September 2006)
"I have tried to watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a critical eye, but the engaging story and the absolutely gorgeous cinematography always distract me from my critical view and by the end, I just sigh like you would after taking a bite of the most succulent cheesecake." |
| 300. Accepted directed by Steve Pink (5 September 2006)
"I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but with a few really funny lines and the stereotypical warm-and-fuzzy comedy ending make a good starting point for freshman director Steve Pink." | |
 | 299. The Wicker Man directed by Neil LaBute (5 September 2006)
"Perhaps another male lead could have given a more plausible performance, but then you would also have to deal with the pathetic script that makes even talented women like Ellen Burstyn sound like a brainwashed robot. Then again, perhaps we should leave well enough alone, just enjoy classic cult films on their own merits, and use big-budget Hollywood money make something altogether new." |
 | 298. Brokeback Mountain directed by Ang Lee (1 September 2006)
"All the elements of Brokeback Mountain come together to create a transcendent experience that lingers in your mind for days after you watch the film." |
 | 297. Corrina, Corrina directed by Jessie Nelson (30 August 2006)
"Corrina, Corrina takes a tender and careful look at death, loss, and healing from the point of view of a seven-year-old girl Molly (Tina Majorino) in the 1950s." |
 | 296. The Great Brain Does It Again by John D. Fitzgerald (30 August 2006)
"If you have read the other six volumes in the series, you'll still find enough fun here to keep reading this seventh volume, but you probably won't make this the book that you reread." |
 | 295. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware (29 August 2006)
"Ware uses all sorts of symbolism through Jimmy Corrigan. For example, the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893 represents the imaginary world that the Corrigans inhabit. A world thrown together, that looked great for the two weeks of the fair and then collapsed into sudden ruin." |
 | 294. The Return of the Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (29 August 2006)
"Although Tom Fitzgerald has supposedly reformed, he continues to use his great brain to wheel and deal -- sometimes to solve a murder, other times to just fatten his pocketbook." |
 | 293. Step Up directed by Anne Fletcher (28 August 2006)
"When you watch a movie like Step Up, you wish the producers had just left out the lame, connect-the-scenes plot and just given us twice as much dancing." |
 | 292. Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut directed by Richard Kelly (24 August 2006)
"Generally I liked Donnie Darko, but I think the ambiguous ending and the cultural commentary distracted from an otherwise well-made film." |
 | 291. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys directed by Peter Care (24 August 2006)
"The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys tells a touching story that really captures the essence of growing up as a teenage boy in a staunch Catholic family, and in spite of all the anachronisms, I found the movie completely engaging." |
 | 290. Coal Miner's Daughter directed by Michael Apted (22 August 2006)
"I would have liked the movie to present more of Loretta's personal philosophy as expressed in her songs and less of her hobnobbing with stars after her rise to fame." |
 | 289. Ghost World directed by Terry Zwigoff (22 August 2006)
"Ghost World defies most of the conventions of both comedy and romance movies. The comedy comes in dark waves of irony and sarcasm. The romance doesn't follow a typical reunification and happily-ever-after ending." |
 | 288. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket (21 August 2006)
"Lemmony Snicket has followed his formula from the previous books exactly, and has not introduced anything new or interesting." |
 | 287. The Great Brain Reforms by John D. Fitzgerald (21 August 2006)
"Fitzgerald . . . captures the essence of growing up as a boy and the complex relationships with parents, peers, and siblings." |
 | 286. Zoom directed by Peter Hewitt (18 August 2006)
"I don't think that I have ever seen a movie that tried harder than Zoom only to fall flat on its face. It wants to make you laugh. It wants you to have fun. It wants you to like the characters. It wants to do a lot of things, but it just can't muster up enough energy to do any of these things." |
 | 285. The Break-Up directed by Peyton Reed (18 August 2006)
"The utter lack of romantic chemistry between Vaughn and Aniston dooms The Break-Up, since the audience really doesn't care if the couple gets back together or not, and the few meager laughs don't really merit spending any time or money at the theater on this film." |
 | 284. Syriana directed by Stephen Gaghan (15 August 2006)
"In spite of good performances by an amazing cast, the preachy message of Syriana turned me off." |
 | 283. Solaris directed by Steven Soderbergh (15 August 2006)
"Tarkovsky's characters often deliver their lines in a flat tone, as if the characters not only believe the glass is half empty, but that it's filled with poison as well. In that sense, Soderbergh has made a 'happy' version of Tarkovsky's Solaris." |
 | 282. Barnyard directed by Steve Oedekerk (14 August 2006)
"Imagine that Gary Larson had made a feature length version of his sentient cows from the 'Far Side' comics, then you might have an idea of what director Steve Oedekerk attempted with Barnyard." |
 | 281. World Trade Center directed by Oliver Stone (14 August 2006)
"Stone does an excellent job of developing his characters, in spite of having his main characters immobolized in a pile of rubble. He also never allows the story to get overly sentimental and avoids overtly manipulating the audience's emotions." |
 | 280. Les Quatre Cents Coups [The 400 Blows] directed by François Truffaut (11 August 2006)
"Every time I watch François Truffaut's Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows), I have scenes of the main character Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) running through my head for days." |
 | 279. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story directed by Michael Winterbottom (11 August 2006)
"Watching Tristram Shandy, you get an idea of the novel's plot, but more importantly, you get a feeling for Sterne's style in the novel. The film's self-referential presentation, the constant shifting from one subject to another, the refusal to resolve just about any issue or story arc produces the same effect in the viewer as the novel does on its readers." |
 | 278. Watchmen by Alan Moore (11 August 2006)
"Visually, Watchmen bored me. Every page gets divided into a three-by-three grid. Although illustrator Dave Gibbons might occasionally merge two or three of the frames for a larger combined image, he never violates the essential lines of this grid." |
 | 277. 28 Days Later directed by Danny Boyle (9 August 2006)
"Essentially we have a character study of a limited number of survivors in a hopeless situation. Yes, they keep plodding on -- as many of us would hope we could do in the same situation -- but we really don't get any great epiphany about human nature in the process." |
 | 276. The Boondock Saints directed by Troy Duffy (9 August 2006)
"The Boondock Saints presents an interesting conundrum. When you look back at the plot, the movie really doesn't have too much substance. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed watching The Boondock Saints." |
 | 275. Day of Reckoning by Myung-Jin Lee (8 August 2006)
"This second volume has much better scene to scene continuity than the first volume, but I still have some problems with the presentation." |
 | 274. The Interpreter directed by Sydney Pollack (7 August 2006)
"I enjoyed watching The Interpreter, but I think with some grooming, it could have provided more thrills and a more satisfactory ending." |
 | 273. Silverado directed by Lawrence Kasdan (7 August 2006)
"Westerns and comedies don't get much better than Silverado. You get good crisp writing, witty remarks, great characters, and fun rough-and-tumble, .45-blasting action." |
 | 272. Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman (7 August 2006)
"The plot moves along quickly and through the interesting metaphors of the animal heads you find yourself drawn into this personal tale of the Holocaust." |
 | 271. Die Hard directed by John McTiernan (4 August 2006)
"You can watch Die Hard over and over and still get a pleasant thrill with each viewing." |
 | 270. My Super Ex-Girlfriend directed by Ivan Reitman (2 August 2006)
"The script does a good job at thinking through a lot of the situations for superhero-human relationships, but spends a bit too much time developing the sexual characteristics of such relationships." |
 | 269. The Great Brain at the Academy by John D. Fitzgerald (2 August 2006)
"The Great Brain at the Academy makes a good contribution to the entire series and sets up the maturation Tom experiences in the later volumes." |
 | 268. Ghost World by Daniel Clowes (2 August 2006)
"Clowes does an excellent job at capturing this feeling of inbetweenness some teens experience, but he has created a character sketch that doesn't do more than create a mood." |
 | 267. Akira: Book 6 by Katsuhiro Otomo (2 August 2006)
"Otomo has created an incredible, compelling story that to me defines great manga and provides the epitome of the art form so far." |
 | 266. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1 August 2006)
"Sara, Plain and Tall has a compact efficiency that creates a deceptive simplicity. As Nathaniel Hawthorne has said, 'Easy reading is damned hard writing,' and clearly MacLachlan worked hard to perfect her text." |
 | 265. Flightplan directed by Robert Schwentke (28 July 2006)
"Flightplan recreates Jodie Foster's character in Panic Room but puts her in a much bigger room (a jumbo jet) and with a bigger cast." |
 | 264. Artificial Intelligence: A.I. directed by Steven Spielberg (28 July 2006)
"I appreciate all the interesting moral and philosophical questions Spielberg introduces in A.I., and the movie does manage to keep your interest -- espically visually -- for the almost three-hour running time." |
 | 263. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider directed by Simon West (26 July 2006)
"You get lots of action, and you get to watch a shapely heroine blast away tons of bad guys and a few animated stone creatures, but you can put your brain on vacation and just let your testosterone enjoy this one." |
 | 262. Over the Hedge directed by Tim Johnson (26 July 2006)
"Over the Hedge gives a visually appealing presentation that easily ranks on the same level with other recent animated features, but the preachy moral messages in conflict with advocating robbery and vandalism lessen the enjoyment of the already thin plot." |
 | 261. The Incredibles directed by Brad Bird (25 July 2006)
"Before seeing The Incredibles in the theater, I was skeptical after hearing all the hype from the media and friends about the film. Without even a grudge, I have to say the movie lived up to most of the hype, and it has taken its place in my mind as Disney's all-time best animated movie." |
 | 260. Grosse Pointe Blank directed by George Armitage (25 July 2006)
"The story combines hit men, romance, fights, explosions, and comedy. And all this accompanied by well chosen music from the 1980s." |
 | 259. Monster House directed by Gil Kenan (24 July 2006)
"Monster House provides a nice, family-friendly movie with a good story and well developed characters." |
 | 258. Lady in the Water directed by M. Night Shyamalan (24 July 2006)
"I think Shyamalan keeps trying to surpass his first big success and keeps failing dismally. At least Lady in the Water kept me guessing up to the very end. I had the entire plot of The Village worked out after seeing the first preview." |
 | 257. Fight Club directed by David Fincher (21 July 2006)
"Rarely, a movie comes along that captures the essence of a book so well, that it outshines the book." |
 | 256. The War of the Worlds directed by Byron Haskin (21 July 2006)
"By today's standards, The War of the Worlds has pretty unbelievable effects, but you can tell that Haskin took enormous care with the effects available to him at the time. The effects do work well to establish the deadly nature of the Martians and the unbelievable firepower they could produce with even just a single craft." |
 | 255. Holes directed by Andrew Davis (19 July 2006)
"I would have to guess that the book provides more satisfactory development of Stanley's character than the film. I liked the film, and as with any good underdog story, we cheer for Stanley and Zero as they work to overcome both the oppression of their immediate situation and their family history." |
 | 254. Three Amigos directed by John Landis (18 July 2006)
"With fondness, I anticipated watching the Three Amigos on DVD. Some of the jokes still made me laugh, but the plot didn't have enough interesting material to really make me want to watch the movie over and over." |
 | 253. Akira: Book 5 by Katsuhiro Otomo (18 July 2006)
"In several places, Ôtomo describes the psychic abilities as a form of human evolution. It seems odd that human beings would evolve into a form that ultimately would eliminate human personality and place no value on human life." |
 | 252. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry (17 July 2006)
"Aside from the medical and ethical questions, Eternal Sunshine explores the nature of attraction and the development of relationships. It asks whether a natural attraction exists between two people. Clearly, the writers believe so, since Joel and Clementine feel drawn to each other repeatedly." |
 | 251. Apt Pupil directed by Bryan Singer (17 July 2006)
"Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro provide the life force in Apt Pupil, but even with such good efforts, the final act leaves us wanting more." |
 | 250. Akira: Book 4 by Katsuhiro Otomo (17 July 2006)
"A lot happens in Book 4 to move the plot forward, but nothing really gets resolved." |
 | 249. Akira directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (14 July 2006)
"Most viewers who like science fiction should find Akira an accessible story, but I highly recommend reading the six volume graphic novel for a richer, more detailed version of the story." |
 | 248. Matilda by Roald Dahl (13 July 2006)
"Unlike many stories that show that anyone can have karmic success, Dahl makes Matilda inordinately smart, thus she succeeds as a result of her natural gifts, not just as a result of persistence or good deeds." |
 | 247. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl directed by Gore Verbinski (12 July 2006)
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl provides a fresh, funny adventure story that you can watch over and over." |
 | 246. Me and My Little Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (12 July 2006)
"I find this the most touching of all the Great Brain books. It tells a story of true brotherly love developing between John and Frankie, and the emotions John feels as he changes from hating Frankie to laying his life on the line to rescue the adopted brother he has come to adore." |
 | 245. Superman Returns directed by Bryan Singer (10 July 2006)
"Bryan Singer has collected an excellent cast and presented a new and interesting addition to the Superman saga that surpasses all the previous Superman efforts." |
 | 244. The Puppet Masters directed by Stuart Orme (9 July 2006)
"Nothing really stands out in The Puppet Masters, but none of the usual B-movie flaws drag it down ether, which leaves you with a mildly pleasant sci-fi feature." |
 | 243. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest directed by Gore Verbinski (8 July 2006)
"If you want action and don't care much about plot or character development, then see Dead Man's Chest. If you like your action movies to have some purpose behind the action, then you will probably find this movie runs a bit long -- like I did." |
 | 242. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (5 July 2006)
"The story in Fight Club drug on too long without continuing to develop the story beyond escalating the severity of the 'mayhem.'" |
 | 241. War of the Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg (4 July 2006)
"When a story remains popular for over a hundred years, clearly the elements strike a chord in the human psyche, and who better than Stephen Spielberg to know how to make a movie that resonates that chord in modern audiences." |
 | 240. The Devil Wears Prada directed by David Frankel (3 July 2006)
"I recommend seeing The Devil Wears Prada to watch Streep's amazing performance, but don't expect much from the emaciated storyline -- thin as a Runway model and with about the same I.Q." |
 | 239. Akira: Book 3 by Katsuhiro Otomo (3 July 2006)
"Otomo continues with the same level of highly detailed artwork." |
 | 238. Les Choristes [The Chorus] directed by Christophe Barratier (1 July 2006)
"I generally don't like warm-fuzzy feel-good movies, but this one handles the plot well, develops the characters in a believable way, and has some pleasant music along the way." |
 | 237. Shaun of the Dead directed by Edgar Wright (1 July 2006)
"If you like British comedy, than you should find Shaun of the Dead riotously funny, and the humor comes from the characters' interactions and not just from bashing zombies with a cricket bat or trying to decapitate zombies with flying vinyl LPs -- and we get some of that too, but not overly much." |
 | 236. The Avengers directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik (1 July 2006)
"The story line limps along and no amount of explosions or fight scenes can save us from the compounding ennui." |
 | 235. Nacho Libre directed by Jared Hess (30 June 2006)
"It has some memorable lines, but the plot meanders without much drive or purpose and may go down as one of Black's low points in his career." |
 | 234. The Omen directed by Richard Donner (30 June 2006)
"Donner has created a horror classic that lives on in popular culture and has done so without resorting to the pools of blood and gore employed much of today's horror genre." |
 | 233. Madagascar directed by Eric Darnell (27 June 2006)
"Darnell and McGrath know that their plot only holds up for so many jokes, and mercifully Madagascar runs a trim eighty-six minutes -- just enough time to enjoy the story and the laughs without getting beat up by the same jokes over and over." |
 | 232. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson (27 June 2006)
"On the whole, Adamson has faithfully captured the essence of Lewis's book and given a movie audience the adventure story it expects." |
 | 231. Eve of Apocalypse by Myung-Jin Lee (27 June 2006)
"This first volume in the Ragnarök series tries to pack a lot of information into a small space and tends to lose the reader along the way." |
 | 230. The Da Vinci Code directed by Ron Howard (26 June 2006)
"The Da Vinci Code has some better than average chase scenes and a few tense moments, but doesn't deliver the major punch at the end one would expect from all the hype." |
 | 229. Monty Python and the Holy Grail directed by Terry Gilliam (25 June 2006)
"The special edition DVD with an extra 30-seconds doesn't add much value to the film, but the interviews with the cast and especially the tour of the locations with Michael Palin and Terry Jones give some interesting insights into the production." |
 | 228. The Lake House directed by Alejandro Agresti (24 June 2006)
"Alas, we have only drab locations for a common love story with a cute, but unimaginative, gimmick." |
 | 227. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events directed by Brad Silberling (24 June 2006)
"In most cases where I have both read the book and seen the movie adaptation, I recommend the book as the better experience. In the case of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I have to recommend the movie over the books." |
 | 226. Capote directed by Bennett Miller (22 June 2006)
"Bennett Miller does an excellent job creating an overall tone and mood in Capote that simultaneously evokes the 1950s but also stays subtle enough to work as a canvas for Capote's character." |
 | 225. A Prairie Home Companion directed by Robert Altman (21 June 2006)
"The performances please and provide adequate reason to see the film, but the plot seems just an excuse on which to hang the performances." |
 | 224. Akira: Book 2 by Katsuhiro Otomo (20 June 2006)
"An excellent progression of the storyline and marvelous artwork." |
 | 223. Rosemary's Baby directed by Roman Polanski (19 June 2006)
"Rosemary's Baby creates a very creepy film that builds to a frenetic pitch toward the end through a clever arrangement of finding evil in everyday events such as dinners with the neighbors, conversations in the laundry room, and doctor's visits." |
 | 222. Akira: Book 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo (19 June 2006)
"I often find the story so compelling that I'm turning pages faster than I can take in the artwork, and have to constantly remind myself to take the time to carefully look at every frame." |
 | 221. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir (15 June 2006)
"Master and Commander excels at presenting a picture of life on a nineteenth century naval vessel: close quarters, dirty living conditions, and a high likelihood of receiving severe wounds or dying." |
 | 220. The Poseidon Adventure directed by Ronald Neame (14 June 2006)
"Classic disaster fare with good character development and some interesting religious philosophy thrown into the mix." |
 | 219. Hamlet directed by Michael Almereyda (12 June 2006)
"I don't think that this version with its modern setting brings too many young people to an appreciation of Shakespeare, but for those of us who have liked Shakespeare all along, it gives us some new ways of looking at a classic." |
 | 218. The Omen directed by John Moore (10 June 2006)
"Even though each of the parts of the remake surpasses the scenes in the original, the sum of the parts doesn't surpass the effect of the original." |
 | 217. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 directed by Adam Shankman (10 June 2006)
"All of the twenty child actors seem to have good acting abilities, but with so many children in the cast the kids get about as much screen time as a cameo role in this movie dominated by Martin and Levy." |
 | 216. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk (6 June 2006)
"As the story starts out, you may experience some surprises, but since every page deals with shocking situations, the stimulus quickly wears down and the horrible quickly becomes mundane." |
 | 215. March of the Penguins directed by Luc Jacquet (15 April 2006)
"I thought the pacing of the film dragged a bit with the Freeman monologue, and I could have used some comic relief through personified voices." |
 | 214. Walk the Line directed by James Mangold (13 April 2006)
"Hats off to the casting director who discovered these hidden depths and talents in Joaquin Phoenix, who so completely takes on the persona of Johnny Cash that you might think Cash's spirit had returned and possessed Phoenix's body." |
 | 213. The Dead Zone directed by David Cronenberg (7 April 2006)
"As a Stephen King adaptation, I'd have to say this one does an excellent job of creating a believable world where you can accept the characters as people and believe in the character's strange abilities." |
 | 212. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (4 April 2006)
"Dan Brown has created a fast-reading mystery story with some interesting speculation about the nature of the Holy Grail and the origins of the Catholic church." |
 | 211. Quills directed by Philip Kaufman (31 March 2006)
"So how do you make a movie that documents the life or works of the Marquis de Sade, the person from whom we get the word sadism? Quills answers this question with, 'You don't,' but you can piggy-back your movie on his reputation." |
 | 210. Elizabethtown directed by Cameron Crowe (28 March 2006)
"I found Elizabethtown an enjoyable, pleasant, interesting, and funny study of Drew's developing character." |
 | 209. Charly directed by Ralph Nelson (27 March 2006)
"Cliff Robertson does an excellent job portraying the various aspects of Charly's personality, for which he earned an Oscar, but overall the heavy-handed anti-science themes and now anachronistic presentation style overburden the story line for a less-than-pleasing effect." |
 | 208. Stand by Me directed by Rob Reiner (25 March 2006)
"Rarely does a collection of child actors have so much talent bundled together, and the list of talent doesn't stop with the main characters. Stand by Me also has excellent performances by young Kiefer Sutherland and John Cusack." |
 | 207. The Nightmare before Christmas directed by Henry Selick (24 March 2006)
"The typical and unsurprising plot doesn't provide much satisfaction, but visually Nightmare provides a fun, creative atmosphere that has so much detail that you can see something new every time you watch." |
 | 206. Down Periscope directed by David S. Ward (20 March 2006)
"A fairly formulaic underdog-overcomes-all-odds movie with some good acting and better-than-average action." |
 | 205. Road to Perdition directed by Sam Mendes (22 July 2002)
"Visually, Road to Perdition delivers almost a duotone effect with its high contrast and low color. In almost every scene, we feel the coldness of the gangster's soul -- often accompanied by rain. The visual appeal almost makes up for the cliched plot, but the heavy-handed salvation of the sweet angel child with a quickly attached anti-gun message takes away from the film's effectiveness." |
 | 204. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (22 July 2002)
"Pullman has created a moral fantasy that will sit well on the shelf next to C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and may even have similar staying power." |
 | 203. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (21 July 2002)
"A nice continuation of a series that could quickly spoil if the narrative style remains so fixedly consistent." |
 | 202. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (18 July 2002)
"The Baudelaire children -- Violet, Klaus, and Sunny -- certainly do get off to a bad beginning. Their home burns down, killing their parents. Fortunately, the children's parents left them an enormous fortune. Unfortunately, their next of kin, Count Olaf, wants to do away with the children to get the money for himself." |
 | 201. L.I.E. directed by Michael Cuesta (5 June 2002)
"Through the excellent performances of Dano and Cox, L.I.E. embues each character with both positive and negative qualities. These people don't live in a black and white world, but in a grey world where we have to accept the good we can find." |
 | 200. More Adventures of the Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (15 February 2002)
"Fitzgerald continues to chronicle his adventures with his older brother Tom, the Great Brain. This volume gets a little repetitive with the opening and closing chapters both involving the boys sneaking out at night to places forbidden by their parents. In each case, Tom shames other boys into going out late at night to prove his point, either that monsters do exist or that ghosts don't." |
 | 199. Ed Parker's Infinite Insights into Kenpo by Ed Parker (24 January 2002)
"Parker sets out to explain the mental aspects behind his form of Kenpo Karate. He goes over this history of his form and makes some interesting points, but fails to create a coherent whole from the concepts he presents." |
 | 198. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (31 December 2001)
"Lamott focuses her advice on getting you in tune with your subconscious and on overcoming a lack of self-confidence." |
 | 197. The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (27 December 2001)
"I loved The Great Brain as a kid, and I still love its charm and wit. Fitzgerald places interesting characters in a fascinating old-West setting and puts them through fun adventures." |
 | 196. Red Water by Judith Freeman (14 December 2001)
"Red Water presents an interesting, well written slice of early rural Utah life that did nothing special for me." |
 | 195. The Wine-dark Sea of Grass by Marilyn Brown (4 December 2001)
"Marilyn Brown examines how the Mountain Meadows Massacre affected the lives of the Mormon settlers in rural southern Utah." |
 | 194. The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort (14 November 2001)
"A humorous take on the popular song 'The Wheels on the Bus.'" |
 | 193. I'll Find You by Clair M. Poulson (11 November 2001)
"In the hands of a skilled storyteller, this plot could have forced you to the edge of your seat wondering if Rusty will find Jeri in time to save her from the evil murderer Chum. In the hands of Clair Poulson, you have to make a determined commitment that you will push forward through all the unnecessary verbiage, hoping that you won't fall asleep again." |
 | 192. The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley (4 November 2001)
"If you have any serious aspirations about tying knots, then you must purchase The Ashley Book of Knots." |
 | 191. Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work by Raoul Graumont (3 November 2001)
"Beginning knot tiers will probably not find enough instruction in the text for tying the knots, and advanced knot tiers will want the more complete Ashley Book of Knots." |
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