Epinions Recent Reviews for Given2FlyMike

A Summer Action Film in the Wrong Season

Thu, 28 Oct 2004 22:46:46 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Ever wonder what would happen if a legion of giant Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots invaded the United States? Me neither, but it is downright entertaining, and so is Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Somehow, this summer action blockbuster got bumped to...

Zip! Zoom! Pow! The Chinese Album

Wed, 19 May 2004 00:53:57 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - This review is part of MattA75’s ‘You Show Me Your’s I’ll Show You Mine’ Write Off. Bands have influences. It’s how it is. Birds have feathers, the sun rises in the east, and bands have influences. Some band’s...

What a Waste

Wed, 5 May 2004 17:42:42 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - According to posters, previews, and press, Envy stars Ben Stiller and Jack Black with Christopher Walken playing a small role. In truth, Walken stars and shines while Stiller mopes through most of the movie, and Black’s appearances are brief and...

The Ladykillers: The Ladykillers provides many laughs

Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:10:40 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - As the saying goes, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” In the case of The Ladykillers, the latest film by the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Big Lebowski), the poorly developed schemes of goons and thieves will most...

Nearly Spotless

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 18:32:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the latest mind bender from writer Charlie Kaufman, follows the quirky relationship between Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet), two very different individuals. The film opens with a monologue from...

A Slight Detour From Normal Teen Trash

Fri, 27 Feb 2004 18:23:07 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Europtrip, with its fresh faces and different places, offers a slight detour from the standard teen road trip comedy. Though not as side-splittingly funny or endearing as 2002’s Van Wilder, Eurotrip is nowhere near as bad as some adolescent...

Barbershop 2: Just Another Day at the Barbershop

Fri, 27 Feb 2004 18:07:28 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Sequels, at least the bad ones and most of them are bad, suck the magic and wit out their endearing predecessors. Barbershop 2 is a fine example, just another moneymaking sequel that drains the original of its charm and life. Barbershop 2 follows...

Do you Believe in Miracles? -YES!

Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:01:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Miracle chronicles the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team’s journey from the hiring of the head coach and the team’s rocky inception to the implausible upset of the Soviet Union and the team’s triumphant gold medal victory in Lake Placid...

Black and White Make Colorful Rock Combination

Wed, 12 Nov 2003 03:05:37 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Nothing captures pure, unadulterated joy quite like good ol' Rock n' Roll. Few movies have captured the liberating bliss of rock music quite like School of Rock. Writer Mike White (Orange County) and director Richard Linklater craft a char...

Pearl Jam Unleash Rarities

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 20:40:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - For years, Pearl Jam fans have heard rumors of the band having a ridiculously extensive library of unused songs. The thought of all those unheard gems has made fans foam at the mouth like rabid dogs. As the saying goes: every dog has its day. Lost...

The Pearl Jam Singles Collection: Animal

Sat, 11 Aug 2001 01:10:27 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Pearl Jam are one of the few bands around that can play heavy riff rock. I'm not talking about boring, 4-power-chords-and-out songs. Pearl Jam had mastered groove-oriented hard riff-rock songs by their second album, Vs. The first single, "Go",...

The Pearl Jam Singles Collection: Go

Tue, 7 Aug 2001 01:34:17 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - It ends up taking away the careers of many bands. It's almost predictable. Yet, a great deal of promising new bands are destroyed by the 'Sophomore Jinx'. And to think, Pearl Jam didn't really even release a single to radio to promote their follow-up...

The Pearl Jam Singles Collection: Oceans

Sat, 4 Aug 2001 02:14:08 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - From the beginning of their career, it seems Pearl Jam have wanted to distance themselves from fame. More specifically, the negatives that come with popularity. Before their battle with Ticketmaster, before they stopped doing videos, Pearl Jam made the...

The Pearl Jam Singles Collection: Jeremy

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 02:03:22 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Pearl Jam were starting to gather quite a following by the time they released their third single, "Jeremy". I'm sure the band didn't realize, at the time, that it would be the song that broke them into the mainstream pop world. After all, the...

The Pearl Jam Singles Collection: Even Flow

Wed, 18 Jul 2001 00:31:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - If longevity determined the quality of a song, "Even Flow" would definitely be considered a classic. It's still on solid rotation on many rock radio stations around the country, nearly 9 years after it's release. Lately, however, DJs have been playing...

The Pearl Jam Singles Collection: Alive

Tue, 17 Jul 2001 03:53:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - The early 90s was a glorious time for music, at least for me personally. I was quite young and just starting to get into music. Looking back on it now though, 1991 must have been an incredible year. Artists like Soundgarden, Nirvana, and of course...

Grow And Decay - Soundgarden's Farewell

Thu, 12 Jul 2001 00:53:35 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - April 7th, 1997. A date every Soundgarden fan knows by heavy heart. After touring with Metallica and the Ramones on the '96 Lollapalooza tour, the Seattle quartet called it a career; at least as a collective band. Since the break-up, Chris Cornell has...

...If It's Better Than Bored

Sun, 8 Jul 2001 01:38:25 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - Working at a record store has it's benefits. One of those benefits is getting to score free promo copies of CDs that you normally wouldn't buy. I'm not a big Eve 6 fan. I never claimed to be. Yes, their debut, for the most part, was a strongly catchy...

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours Write-Off

Tue, 3 Jul 2001 03:39:05 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - I guess the reason I could never get into rap/hip-hop is the lack of drama. There’s something in rock music, jazz, and even blues that appeals to me. I think it’s the drama; the crashing cymbals, the snaking guitar leads, the driving bass that keep me...

Nice Little Obscure Soundtrack

Fri, 1 Jun 2001 03:13:22 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - I suppose it isn't uncommon for a not-so-popular movie to have a solid soundtrack, but to my (limited) memory, Music From Chicago Cab is a surprising little gem of eclectic rock ranging from the Latin flavored "Cha Cha #69" by Joey Altruda to the...

One Amp, Thousands of Sounds

Sat, 26 May 2001 01:18:26 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - About a year ago I decided that my 15 watt practice amp just wasn't enough anymore. Neither was my cheap lefty Strat copy. My choices: Buy a rather nice guitar to play through my puny amp, or upgrade to a much better amp, and stick with my Strat...

What Rock Was Never Intended To Be

Thu, 29 Mar 2001 03:53:21 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - With seemingly nowhere to go but down, critically, Radiohead released their fourth studio album, Kid A. But of course, critics and fans alike ate it up. Kid A charted at the top of Billboard in it's first week and garnered...

...That's the Way We Spell Success

Wed, 14 Mar 2001 01:50:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - On the heels of a successful, twice platinum album in their home country of Canada, Vancouver-based Matthew Good Band invade the states with Beautiful Midnight. A boisterous, confident album that ranges from early 90’s melodic hard...

Blink and You Miss a Beat

Sat, 27 Jan 2001 04:10:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - My biggest complaint about today's "pop music" is that it's all similar. Blatantly so. It's just 'play what people like', not necessarily anything with substance. Thus, against that backdrop, solid bands, different sounding bands, they stand out...

Why You Should Support Local Music

Sun, 21 Jan 2001 03:10:50 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author Given2FlyMike - There is always a sure-fire way to recognize talent: it smacks you square in the face when you're looking the other way. While I was waiting to see local South Florida punk heros A New Found Glory, I was overwhelmed by another local artist. Dashboard...