Epinions Recent Reviews for dtayama

Where's My Beef? Not With Chicken Run, That's For Sure!

Thu, 29 Jun 2000 16:54:01 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - For the birds? Hardly, unless you count those not fitting in the 0-125 age group, male or female, or any other demographic or taxonomic classification, "the birds." Chicken Run is for everyone.

My expectations were lofty, but...

2000 Nissan Sentra: How Sexy Can a Compact Be?

Tue, 27 Jun 2000 04:52:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - I'll be the first to admit that Nissan isn't my first choice for a car to swoon over. Not like I have anything against the fine motor corporation, nor do I own any sort of window dressing with Calvin besmirching the Nissan logo. I've just never had any...

Sweet, Sweet Music to My Ears!

Sat, 10 Jun 2000 00:18:29 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - I think Grados break every single rule of modern electronics design and that's why I love them so much. Fashionably chic? Forget about it. You want GQ, go get those Sony headphones that look like they are about to fall off the back of your head, sorta...

Fight Club on DVD: I Am Jack's Ultimate DVD

Wed, 7 Jun 2000 03:58:07 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - This isn't so much a review of the film Fight Club as it is a review of the Fight Club DVD. If you want an in-depth review of the movie itself, there are nearly 400 other editorials (of varying quality and breadth, of course) that deal with why Fight...

Day or Night, All 4 Seasons, visit Autumn Moon!

Mon, 5 Jun 2000 14:54:24 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - Admittedly, the most compelling incentive to have dinner at the Autumn Moon Cafe was that it's on Grand Ave. I've lived near Lake Merritt for nearly one year, yet haven't gone out to eat in the area. I mean, really gone out to eat, save for the...

Suprisingly musical, suprisingly cheap

Fri, 2 Jun 2000 18:51:13 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - So, who says you only have to listen to phasers, chainsaws, or Lara Croft's boots beating on the rocks through your computer speakers? Sometimes, if you're hell-bent over your computer for hours on end, or your receiver remote is no where to be found,...

Beauty is more than just ballpark deep...

Wed, 24 May 2000 22:06:48 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - "It's no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an airport' appear."

Douglas N. Adams

Well put. And I'd go so far as to claim a similar truth exists for sporting arenas, especially the...

Yet ANOTHER great SF tapas bar

Mon, 22 May 2000 05:03:45 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - So, it looks like I lucked out this year. Through a ton of sheer luck, not to mention a small side of attempted chicanery, I got two birthday dinners in the span of one week (Thanks, guys!). My first meal was at the excellent East Bay Asian fusion...

Solid speaker that needs to be driven well

Fri, 19 May 2000 04:40:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - At the time of purchase (3 years ago), this little speaker was a great deal. I snagged them for 250.00 a pair brand new from an NHT dealer and went home happy. I admit, I was quite a novice in the audio market at the time; I actually didn't audition...

Rotel RB-976 Power Amplifier: Wonderfully versatile amp

Fri, 19 May 2000 00:42:42 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - I am very pleased that Epinions actually lists this amp, as it's a far more esoteric product than its two channel cousin, the RB-971, or its monstrous big brother, the RB-991. I was scouring the net for information about this amp a few weeks ago, as I...

THE basketball venue...

Thu, 18 May 2000 03:59:00 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - To be perfectly honest, my praise for Arco Arena largely stems from purely auxiliary factors. Aesthetically, it's not terribly kind on the eyes, an off-sand colored monolith, very appropriately stationed in the not-yet-fully-developed Natomas wasteland...

Usually does the trick; cleaning, on the other hand...

Wed, 17 May 2000 21:16:28 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - I bought this grill at Costco for 39.00, which seemed to be a good price (I think I saw it on sale at Macy's for 45.00). I was replacing an anodized, square pan with the grill grooves that sits on the stove, which originally cost me about the same. The...

Xanadu: An East Bay surprise

Wed, 17 May 2000 20:14:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - I was treated to Xanadu for my birthday earlier this week; it was my suggestion, actually, obtained from a good friend who swore by this new Asian Fusion (RestorAsian, the restaurant likes to call it) place on 4th St., nestled next to the train tracks,...

Pearl Jam: Binaural: early thoughts

Wed, 17 May 2000 04:35:16 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - Deliberately, this is going to be an incomplete review. I bought Binaural barely 12 hours and about two complete listen-throughs ago, and I just wanted to share my initial thoughts on Pearl Jam's sixth studio album. When they establish a...

A bit boomy but respectable for the price

Fri, 17 Mar 2000 21:28:41 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - When I bought these headphones about 5 years ago, I had very different perceptions of audio products than I do now. I was actually primarily concerned with drowning out neighboring sounds (I had a college roommate who went to bed very early and snored...

So far it has delivered...

Fri, 17 Mar 2000 06:00:34 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - It seems like getting ANYTHING installed runs the full spectrum of experiences, and DSL appears no different. I read kdsudac's horror story with a slight grin, as we had the COMPLETE opposite scenario happen to us...it took us three months to get our DSL...

A classic

Thu, 16 Mar 2000 07:04:36 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - Perhaps one of the most visually remarkable films I have seen (along with The City of Lost Children, Blade Runner, Alien Resurrection, 2001, anything by Kurosawa, etc.), possessing an astounding blend of color, detail, and imagination. Much like the...

What other war-obsessed directors strive for

Mon, 13 Mar 2000 21:04:07 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - "I guess they'd rather be alive than free. Poor dumb bastards."

We often hear about how senseless war is, how it can be outrageous and numbing and Ginsu-out-your-guts-painful-in-a-way-no-nonparticipant-would-ever-know all at the very...

Bravo once again

Fri, 10 Mar 2000 21:16:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dtayama - Maybe I'm permanently deluded, but I'm not nearly close to full-brimming from the delight I get from the brilliant mind of John Lasseter and the can-you-top-this crew at Pixar. I went into seeing Toy Story 2 with reserved anticipation, a little uncertain...