Epinions Recent Reviews for econnell

Take it to the Turf

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:26:32 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - We stayed in Albany to break the trip from Eastern Long Island back to Rochester and the Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Road was a good pick for the overnight. It's centrally located and took us only a couple of minutes from the Thruway. We were...

The Price(line) is Right!

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:42:26 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - We arrived at 1:30 for a 3:00 check-in. The clerk kindly found us a room that was already clean which ended up being a handicapped-accessible room. It was fine but there were multiple bars on every surface in the bathroom and the toilet was...

Ho-hum Hockey Hotel

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:02:41 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - We stayed at the Amherst Comfort Inn this past weekend while our son played in the USA Disabled Hockey Tournament. The room was standard Comfort Inn. The beds were relatively comfortable but the one I shared with my daughter sank toward the...

NYC for VLC (very little cash)

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:57:08 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - < p> The price was what initially attracted me to City View Best Western and, overall, I think it was an excellent value.< p> < p> When we arrived about an hour before stated check-in time, our room was ready and the...

Howling Good Time, Eh?

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:23:48 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - When you open the entrance doors to Great Wolf Lodge, there is a canned wolf howl that gets a little old by the end of the stay, but reveals a genuine theme to the resort which is a comfortable, casual, cabin motif. The overall experience there is...

The Tiger and the Snow: It's GREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:05:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Tigre e la neve (Tiger and the Snow) is Benigni’s most recent film which I saw at a local art cinema. The film has subtitles which may be distracting for some viewers. The story is basically a love story with the backdrop of contemporary Italy and...

I'm Gelling...

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 22:52:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - For $20 at a discount cosmetics store at my local outlet mall, I discovered the perfect moisturizer for my almost 50-year-old face. I am at that ridiculous stage where I am just starting to get over breakouts and heading into a death spiral of...

One nation under American Gods

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 22:32:39 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - This tome of a novel is dense with ideas and provides a challenging read. The basic plot follows ex-con Shadow and his new boss Wednesday as they travel toward a confrontation of epic proportions. Shadow is a sympathetic character who has used his...

Akeelah Puts You Under a Spell

Fri, 26 May 2006 11:12:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - After having seen the film plastered all over our local Starbucks, I took my daughter to see Akeelah and the Bee on a girls-only night last week. Even though I agree with my fellow reviewers that the plot is predictable, standard hero’s journey, I...

Simon Says Sexy Shoes Sell

Wed, 17 May 2006 00:22:02 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - We arrived at the theatre and had a choice between Flight 93 and Kinky Boots which was the less painful of the “based on a true story” films playing at that specific time. The story is pretty basic and there’s not a ton of action...

It's an ill wind that blows no good...

Tue, 9 May 2006 22:56:34 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - This recent installment (there’s been once since, but I’m still catching up) in the Richard Jury series finds Jury still recovering, at least emotionally, from the gunshot wound received at the end of The Blue Last . At the start, his cousin...

Boleyn for Dollars

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 22:35:37 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Phillipa Gregory's tome (661 pages) is, let's face it, rather like Titanic. There's no big surprise at the end. If you don't know what happened to the most famous Boleyn girl, you probably wouldn't pick up the book in the first place. The novel is...

BE Infotastic

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 10:52:03 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Like most of the reviewers, I first heard about Bare Escentuals through its legendary infomercial. Of course, it looks too good to be true, but those before and after shots just sucked me in. It is embarrassing to admit I actually watched the whole...

Pana-poo-poo

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:23:38 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Like the other sad reviewer, I purchased this microwave for about $100. Mine lasted only slightly longer than hers with the same dismal results and non-existent customer service. I went with the Panasonic because, frankly, I was in a hurry. My Sharp...

ABC: Autistic Boone Chrisopher

Sat, 8 Apr 2006 21:04:53 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - On his way to investigating the death of neighbor's dog, 15 year old Christopher Boone reveals a great deal about life, the universe, and everything. Christopher is clearly autistic which provides for a most unusual point-of-view. Wisely, Haddon...

Quipster Queenan Scores!

Sun, 5 Mar 2006 21:55:51 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Joe Queenan's account of his "pursuit of goodness" is one of the most amusing non-fiction pieces I've read in many years. Queenan, an oft-published satirist who reviews films, books, and cultural oddities, here tackles his own mean-streak. Early in the...

The Joke's on You

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 02:11:04 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - In brief, this is a documentary about a relatively famous joke (I felt pretty stupid that I'd never heard of it before seeing the film). In case you are wondering, "Is it possible to have an ENTIRE film about a SINGLE joke?" the answer is a decided yes...

Raisin Rocks!

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 21:21:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - This is the first in a continuing series about former Public Relations executive turned amateur sleuth Agatha Raisin. Agatha is a 50 something woman with good legs, bear-like eyes, a stocky figure, a penchant for good clothes and microwave meals. As...

Half.com: Cheap books; many nearly new.

Tue, 31 May 2005 12:13:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Half.com is a fabulous place to get inexpensive books. The books I receive live up to their seller's descriptions; often the books are brand new at substantial discounts. I order a number of books for my book club reading and often am able to get...

The Price of a Dream

Tue, 31 May 2005 12:03:16 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Lorraine Hansberry's play from the 1950's still rings true fifty years later. Restaged on Broadway last year with such lumiaries as Sean Combs (P. Diddy) and Phylicia Rashad, this play which might initially seem to be the story of a family's struggle...

Inconsistency: Thy Name is Denny's!

Thu, 26 May 2005 12:17:21 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Last week we picked up my daughter's friend for a sleepover and asked where she would like to go out to dinner. She replied, "Denny's! They have the Madagascar masks!" Alas, the mask were about the only things worth the trip. First we waited for a...

Park It Here!

Wed, 25 May 2005 20:46:56 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - T. Coraghessen Boyle's Water Music is a tightly structured, challenging read reminiscent of Fielding, Dafoe, and even Dickens. Set during the years bridging the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of two main...

Both Sides Now

Fri, 20 Aug 2004 00:34:48 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Jeffrey Eugenides richly deserves the Pulitzer Prize the novel received. The novel traces the main character Callie's origins from before her birth to the present and explores every kind of middle ground, most notably that of gender identity. Hence...

Enger Management

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 02:06:09 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - Leif Enger's novel is a tour de force that our book club particularly loved for its characters and thematic depth. The journey theme is central to this powerfully spiritual story of the Land family which walks the proverbial road not taken. From...

Super Way to Spend a Saturday Evening

Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:06:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author econnell - My 8-year-old reminded me that while I had promised her mini-golf and a trip to Freaky Friday this summer, neither materialized so I drove her over to the local cinema for the treat of a mom and daughter movie which, frankly, I did not expect to enjoy. E...