Epinions Recent Reviews for toby_baldwin

I accidentally won this at a movie theatre, and was astounded by it.

Sat, 27 Oct 2001 16:30:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - I gave up comic books when I was 15 or so, but have always retained a semi-interest in them (particularly in seeing which ones of my old favorites would translate well into new movie versions, etc.). A few months back my Mom, who lives in the Puget...

Love song to a Stratocaster.

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 03:11:44 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - It was March 1999, and my wife was days away from having our first baby. She had all but quit her job in preparation, and money was extremely tight. So I knew she would freak when I came home and told her I'd put a new guitar on layaway. But I also...

Enchanting ruins less than two hours south of ABQ ("National" write-off)

Thu, 30 Aug 2001 20:31:33 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - During the three years I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I found the same phenomenon as when I was stationed in Germany for four years: people are often too complacent to get out and see the beauty around them. My wife and I tried to get out and see...

The old boy still has it: Robert B. Parker's story of Wyatt Earp.

Sat, 25 Aug 2001 01:56:59 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - Having been disappointed with Potshot, Robert B. Parker's latest Spenser novel, I had little hope that his foray into the old West would be much better. Potshot was set in modern Arizona, but tried to recapture the feeling of a classic...

L.A. Confidential tetralogy, part two: masterful but nauseating...think I'll read the Narnia books instead.

Thu, 23 Aug 2001 18:01:44 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - The Big Nowhere, published in 1991, follows The Black Dahlia and is followed by L.A. Confidential and White Jazz in James Ellroy's tetralogy of Los Angeles cops and criminals in the late 1940s to 1950s. It this is told in...

L.A. Confidential tetralogy, part one: eases you in and cold-cocks you in the face.

Wed, 22 Aug 2001 17:15:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - Before 1997, James Ellroy was best known within the literary community, particularly among writers and fans of crime and detective fiction. Then his 1990 novel L.A. Confidential was made into a critically-embraced film, and it suddenly became a...

I finally have this CD after 14 years of looking!

Fri, 17 Aug 2001 15:31:43 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - Backstory

"After six years of trying, mostly by sending out demonstration tapes from a Point Loma garage, singer-songwriter-guitarist Vaughn and his rock band the Shadows, finally have the chance to share their message with more than...

Impressive music of "Moulin Rouge" makes me want to see the movie!

Tue, 14 Aug 2001 12:07:13 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - With (director) Baz Luhrmann's films, visuals are foremost. I haven't seen Moulin Rouge yet, but his Romeo + Juliet was one of the most visually striking and exciting films in a long time (if the story was a downer, that's Bill...

Exquisite alt-country from Christian music's mad genius.

Tue, 7 Aug 2001 16:49:56 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - Too edgy for Christian radio, and too Christian for the mainstream--many of my favorite artists (the 77s/Mike Roe, The Call, Sam Phillips, T-Bone Burnett, Tonio K) reside in or have spent time in that limbo. Terry Taylor has been there for years. He...

"Dead and Gone"--The death and resurrection of Burke.

Mon, 6 Aug 2001 17:10:45 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - NOTE: For those not familiar With Andrew Vachss novels, they are dark and violent, often dwelling on themes of child abuse, which has been the major focus the author's career as a lawyer (see www.vachss.com for more information). This is a few steps...

Potshot: the first entirely disappointing Spenser novel.

Wed, 25 Jul 2001 16:30:23 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author toby_baldwin - I have read every virtually every novel by Robert B. Parker (I haven't found the love story Three Weeks in Spring, co-written with his wife), including all of the Spenser books. This is the first one that left me shaking my head and wondering if we'll...