Epinions Recent Reviews for allanstein2

15 Minutes A Two-Hour Thriller

Tue, 3 Apr 2001 02:13:17 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - "15 Minutes" delivers 120 minutes of edge-of-your seat entertainment that combines well-engineered action sequences with an interesting, though improbable, story line.

When two eastern European thugs arrive in New York City to kill a fellow...

The Ultimate PDA

Fri, 30 Mar 2001 01:33:23 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - Even though the Hewlett Packard Jornada 680 has been surpassed by later H/PC Professional models - the beefier 690 and the more robust 720 - it's better than most handhelds in the emerging market. With a 75-percent laptop size keyboard and excellent...

"Soylent Green Is People!

Wed, 28 Mar 2001 11:58:00 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - Global nuclear war and the violent end of everything is the stuff that apocalyptic science fiction is made of. But in "Soylent Green" (1973) civilization is dying with a proverbial whimper, of hunger, thirst, pollution, and overpopulation. The only...

"Eraserhead": A Jungian Nightmare

Fri, 7 Jul 2000 02:29:44 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - The more abstract a work of art is, the more meaningfully obscure and open to interpretation it becomes. David Lynch's 1977 debut film "Eraserhead" is not an easy movie to dissect, let alone watch.

Set against a twilight urban...

"The Perfect Storm" Capsizes

Mon, 3 Jul 2000 02:14:30 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - While George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg were absolutely explosive in "Three Kings," the dynamic duo fizzle like a pair of wet Fourth of July firecrackers in "The Perfect Storm".

The film's characters are shallow sailing at...

American Ugly

Sun, 18 Jun 2000 03:45:27 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - "American Beauty" defies simple classification as pure "comedy". Its mood is disturbingly dismal, its tone, wistfully bleak, its outcome - tragic and deadly. Toss into the mix a score of hilarious one liners and humorous dialog to ease the tension.
...

BigClock: The Big Hand Is On The....

Sun, 18 Jun 2000 02:09:00 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - As freeware goes, there go I. Why pay top dollar when you can go to your favorite online Palm store and download very efficient, user-friendly software programs that cost nothing?

One such freeware program is BigClock, which lives up to its...

FanMate: I'm Still Burning Up

Sat, 10 Jun 2000 18:42:10 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - If you have RAM to waste on your precious Palm, FanMate is the perfect way to stay cool in your mind all summer long.

That's because this little 8K application does nothing more than display a graphical image of a rotating fan complete with...

There's No Place Like Rome

Sat, 3 Jun 2000 02:40:29 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - Nearly 1,600 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, "Gladiator" recaptures the power and glory that was Rome in spite of numerous historical inaccuracies and creative license.

For example, Commodus in fact did not murder his father, the...

Tyranny: Make Them Stop!

Tue, 30 May 2000 21:47:28 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - It would take a total and irreparable systems crash of my Palm IIIxe to get me to stop playing "Tyranny" version 2 by Mobile Generation Software. A month after I downloaded it as freeware from Palmgear.com, I've managed to shoot my way up to...

The Vanishing America

Sun, 28 May 2000 22:10:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - The early 1970s was a dramatic turning point for America. The Vietnam conflict laid to waste to the fortress belief in "my country, right or wrong." Traditional values gave way to a new ethos of extreme individualism and self-indulgence. Going or gone we...

HandWrite: Handy Little Writing Tool

Fri, 26 May 2000 21:57:47 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - HandWrite by Hiroki Urushibata is one of the best freeware handwriting software programs I've seen since I purchased my first Palm computer a year ago. It's greatest strength lies in its user-friendly simplicity.

The program is basically a...

A Regular World Shaker

Thu, 25 May 2000 03:22:29 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - Though "Cool Hand Luke" drew its subtext and inspiration from 1960s anti-establishment feeling, its title character Lucas Jackson was no Flower Child.

At best, he's a lonely drifter without a cause or social conscience. At worst,...

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Saved My Precious Bodily Fluids

Sat, 20 May 2000 02:55:49 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb", is a superbly twisted parody of what could happen if a U.S. Air Force Commander went, well, "funny", and launched a nuclear strike against the Soviet Union.
...

Winning Isn't The Only Thing

Fri, 19 May 2000 02:58:52 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - What makes someone a winner? Is it money? Talent? Power? Is there such a thing as a born loser?

In "The Hustler" (1961), Paul Newman gives one of the best performances of his early career cast as "Fast Eddie Felson," a pool shark obsessed...

Peace Is What Happens When You're Preparing For War

Wed, 10 May 2000 23:43:55 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - It is often said that each person is born a burning optimist and dies a burned-out cynic. The late great director Stanley Kubrik explores that notion in "Full Metal Jacket", a dark and penetrating look at the process of creating human "killing machines",...

Just My "Type"

Tue, 9 May 2000 02:49:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - Palm computers have come a long way since their earlier stylus-only driven days. Today, the market is glutted with software products and hardware peripherals that add functionality and greatly expand the scope and usefulness of the Palm OS.

...

Palm Power!

Wed, 3 May 2000 22:21:55 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - There's a fine line between being a Palm computer owner and being a Palm computer junkie. If you can't resist buying the next version, you risk becoming an incurable Palm addict.

In 1999, I purchased a Palm III as it was being phased out. A...

"U" Won't Be Disappointed

Tue, 2 May 2000 19:35:42 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - "U-571" is a worthy contender for the title of best World War II flick in the past five years. We've seen the ultrarealistic drama of ground combat in "Saving Private Ryan," we've delved into the existential philosophy of jungle...

"Silent" Is Golden

Sun, 16 Apr 2000 02:02:00 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - "Silent Running" was to the science fiction film genre what Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was to 1960's American literature - a sensitive and heartfelt warning that life on earth is a fragile thing. When it is gone, it is gone forever.

Bruce...

The Glass Completely Empty

Sat, 1 Apr 2000 04:12:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - The title "Leaving Las Vegas" conjures up an image of a victorious departure from the 24-hour city of sin. The late author John O'Brien wanted no such transcendency in this tragic story of a young professional bent on drinking himself to death and of a...

"Deliverance" Delivers

Sun, 26 Mar 2000 18:55:43 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - Master storyteller James Dickey creates the ultimate moral dilemma in his best-selling novel, "Deliverance" (Dell, 1970). When four businessmen forsake golf for a canoe trip along a dying southern river, they sail headlong into the unexpected...

Lord, What A Novel

Sat, 25 Mar 2000 01:53:42 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - British author William Golding's intellectual obsession with the dark side of human nature formed the basis of his numerous contemporary works such as "Free Fall", "The Spire", and "Darkness Visible". Yet none stands out as...

"1984" A Haunting Tale of Totalitarianism

Sat, 18 Mar 2000 00:18:00 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - George Orwell, like many social idealists of the mid-20th century, was horrified by the political excesses of Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union. "1984" was Orwell's macabre fictional interpretation of the "perfect society" turned nightmare.

...

Sacramento Bee: "Bee" Abuzz With News

Wed, 15 Mar 2000 13:25:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author allanstein2 - The Sacramento Bee is required reading for anyone living within 150 miles of California's state capital. As a former resident of the Sierra Foothills, I enjoyed scanning the Bee every day for local as well as state, national and international news. The...