Epinions Recent Reviews for dwynne

impossible to put down, despite its length

Fri, 11 Mar 2005 02:09:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Lin is a wanted man, the most wanted criminal in Australia when he steps off the plane in Bombay, in search of a new life...During the next few years, with no cash or real ID, he remakes himself as Shantaram ("man of peace"), learns Indian dialects,...

top of the line, but maybe more than you need

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 22:20:13 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Despite working in the technology industry, I put off buying an MP3 player for an awfully long time. And when I decided to finally get an iPod, it was actually because I'd fallen in love with the audio quality on my new fantastic iMac with the 19" screen...

dish-y. He'll never eat lunch in this town again

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 06:42:14 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I howled (and drooled) while reading Jeremiah Tower's memoir of how he single handedly revolutionized cuisine as we know it in America. The book is a bit long and rambling, but it's a very entertaining tale and made me look at the restaurant business...

Ofoto Online Store: great prints, unless you have a Mac

Thu, 18 Dec 2003 06:45:54 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I've been using Ofoto for four years, since Zing.com went under and sold their customer base to Ofoto, which seamlessly transferred my account. In that time, I've completely converted to digital photography and referred hundreds of customers to Ofoto...

The man who knew everyone: a literary Zelig

Thu, 18 Dec 2003 05:27:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I kept trying to put Any Human Heart down, but as hard as I tried, I kept picking it up again. I found Logan, the hero, often insufferable, especially when the book dissolves into random journal entries, as if Boyd had forgotten to write parts of it...

lovely travel memoir

Thu, 18 Dec 2003 05:16:50 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Somebody's Heart is Burning is a marvelous collection, sunny and adventurous but never shying away from the hunger, malaria, and difficulties of life in west Africa. From the very first chapter, in which Tanya and a friend arrive in an unfamiliar...

LetsTalk.com: saved me hundreds of dollars; pleasant customer service, great prices

Wed, 17 Dec 2003 04:55:23 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I recently switched cell phone services, not because I was unhappy with SprintPCS, but because I wanted a new phone without signing a 2-year contract. I checked out both LetsTalk.com and getConnected.com and was easily able to compare and choose the...

the real real life

Wed, 17 Dec 2003 00:49:48 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I've been a fan of this series since I discovered 28 Up in the 80s, and I'd recommend starting with one of the earlier versions first, and working your way up from 28 Up to 35 Up to 42 Up to get the maximum effect. The subjects are 7 years older than...

not a documentary, but enchanting look inside Gould's world

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 21:50:30 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (which takes its name from Bach's 32 Goldberg Variations, which Gould famously played) is a charming series of anecdotes about the reclusive Canadian pianist who retired at the peak of his fame. The music is...

Be cool, for an hour

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 21:40:27 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I've never surfed or skateboarded, so call this a vicarious adventure. The film had played locally as a midnight movie, which made me really curious to see it. A documentary about inarticulate skateboarders? Loop de loop de loop, or so I imagined, about...

Like a vacation

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:49:46 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I loved this film. I think it's useful to put aside traditional notions of documentary--this isn't a film with facts about birds. For 90 minutes, you get to fly with the birds. That's it. If that's not enough for you, go see an action movie. I don't...

entertaining but disappointing

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:35:58 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I saw this in a movie theater and had bigger expectations that the movie did not fulfill. For me the problem is that everything goes wrong so clearly, so early. You don't even have a chance to imagine how it would have turned out with a happier ending...

when there's a problem, you're out of luck

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 17:07:36 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I've flown ATA only twice, and I probably won't be flying them again soon. Recently booked travel from San Jose to Boston/Logan through Midway for a business trip because we had less than 14-days advance and no Saturday stay, so we couldn't get a...

Nokia 3650: well, it looks cool

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 16:47:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I have to admit, cool was a big factor in buying this phone. I'd just switched providers and was thrilled by all the rebates offered at Letstalk.com, which got me almost any phone for free with only a 1-year contract. (Check out letstalk.com if you're...

best computer I've ever owned

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 15:27:56 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - I've coveted an iMac ever since a friend's retired mom first got a flat panel 15" iMac 18 months ago. But I could never justify it. I'm self-employed, client work is scarcer than a few years ago, and I had two perfectly adequate PCs. If I wanted a speedy...

top notch results at an amazing price

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 15:08:05 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - This is definitely one of those cases where they're giving away the printer to sell the ink. I've owned many computers and printers, but the image quality of this one is extraordinary. I plugged it into my iMac out of the box without installing...

The Roof of the World

Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:38:48 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Eric Valli's Himalaya is a visit to a world without cars, TVs, or McDonalds. It follows the competing journeys of two Tibetans to lead their yaks over a mountain pass, in order to trade their salt for food before the winter sets in. Tinle is the...

Recipe for family, times four

Tue, 14 Nov 2000 15:30:56 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - What's Cooking is a warm, funny film that often (but not always) rises above ethnic stereotypes to depict Thanksgiving with four LA families. This is not the LA of "Baywatch." The distinctly unglamorous families are Vietnamese,...

Chabon Michael: Kavalier & Clay is Amazing

Sat, 30 Sep 2000 22:16:12 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Michael Chabon's breathtaking new novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is one of the best reads in recent memory. Chabon manages to satisfy all angles at once--the book is a classic American coming of age story of two ambitious young men,...

Not up to snuff

Tue, 26 Sep 2000 15:13:18 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Andre's looks like a dream cafe--not like the "diner" of its name. They've just moved to a new space with beautiful booths, French/Italian cafe artwork, and a full bar. But the experience was less than stellar, and I left sad to have spent $35...

Raspberries in Heaven

Tue, 26 Sep 2000 14:53:52 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Bonny Doon Framboise is a little bottle of heaven. Highly powerful, like a potion, it's worth buying just to open and inhale. But don't forget to drink it too.

Like Bonny Doon's other dessert wines (the glacier wine and the muscat), this is...

tiny dancer

Mon, 25 Sep 2000 00:43:46 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - Billy Elliott is a lovely British film from first-time film director Stephen Daldry. Set during the coal miners' strike in England in 1984, Billy Elliott follows an awkward 11-year-old's quest to be a ballet dancer, despite the working class world he...

Elka Gilmore, SF's #1 chef skips town

Sun, 9 Jul 2000 05:56:53 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - [As of late August, Elka's is closed for good and apparently Elka has left the city without paying her rent.]

Elka's is the latest incarnation of Oodles, Elka Gilmore latest palace to fine dining. I can't recommend it highly enough. Every...

Family style Vietnamese (closed)

Sun, 25 Jun 2000 05:54:56 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - 12/03 Hung Yen closed about a year ago. This review is archival only. Hung Yen is Vietnamese food the way it was meant to be. None of this Slanted Door trio of sorbets and $7 valet parking b.s. If you want crunchy mint-adorned chicken salad or...

SF's best sushi--now across the street

Wed, 21 Jun 2000 02:15:09 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author dwynne - 12/03 update. Sachio recently moved Kabuto across Geary Boulevard, to a smaller spot. The food and chefs are the same. Some bargains including at lunch time. San Francisco has plenty of sushi bars but none better or more authentic than Kabuto...