Reviews by cclim

cclim says "Hugely disappointing. It had such potential and just flopped." about Shrek the Third

cclim — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:46:05 GMT

OK, I had heard kind of bad reviews about this one but went to see it anyway, hoping they were wrong. Well, they weren't. The critics were right on target. This movie could have been great -- Shrek 2 was hilarious and absolutely clever -- but it just fell flat. I kept thinking it was going to "start" sometime, and it ended before it felt like it got going. The plot was OK but the writing was terrible. It just was missing oomph. No real heart in it. It's like the B-team of writers was assigned to get it done and on the market. Such a big disappointment. Definitely not worth buying....

cclim says "Enchanting, clever, original -- a great film for almost anyone" about Enchanted

cclim — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:42:28 GMT

Enchanted was one of the best movies I've seen this year, the other being Stardust. Both had me entertained and just over the moon with happiness -- it's wonderful to laugh, smile, sing and feel romantic all at the same time. This movie is best enjoyed by someone older who can get the depth of the jokes. But my 5-year-old still enjoyed it for the most part, enjoying the singing and "la-la-la"s of the heroine, while I laughed hard at all the spoof work. It's fairly clean, good fun for all.

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cclim says "Fascinating alternate viewpoint to a legend" about Marion Zimmer Bradley - The Mists of Avalon

cclim — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:34:15 GMT

As a girl who grew up reading Mary Stewart's series on Merlin, and a huge fan of Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising series, which features Arthurian characters, I was primed to read this book. I wasn't disappointed in terms of the richness of the tale. The basic concept of a legendary wicked character as being a more complex heroine was irresistible. It was well written and rich in detail. I was a bit put off by some of the sexual content, so it could put off some readers. But if you are a big fan of epic Arthurian tales, this one is a good choice....

cclim says "Beautiful story of women's lives and relationships in old China" about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

cclim — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:26:38 GMT

As a fan of Amy Tan, and of the larger realm of Chinese fiction/memoirs, I found it easy to like this book. It was beautifully written, with gorgeous and descriptive language. It was about women's difficult, limited roles in old China, and about the barbarous practice of foot-binding in particular. I had never known much about how foot-binding worked, and this was a revelation. It was far worse than I had expected or known. The author did research to find out about it and was able to pass along her knowledge to me as the reader.
Far more than about women in that place and time, however, the book is about family and friends and the particular relationships between women. Lisa See uses her family background, her research, and her canny understanding of how women interact to create a believable, poignant story. It will touch a chord with women. It doesn't yank at the heartstrings for maximum effect, however; it gently strums. Snow Flower's characters won't be forgotten soon.

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cclim says "poignant and heartbreaking -- like a print "Somewhere in Time"" about The Time Traveler's Wife

cclim — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:18:06 GMT

If you or your gift recipient love great love stories, this is one, for sure. It is a soaring, larger-than-life love story. It's unusual, interesting and different. It's impossible to put down. I couldn't help but cry at the end, and I am not the type to completely dissolve in tears at any tear-jerker. I don't like any kind of media that just jerk at the heart for cheap thrills, and this one doesn't do that. It doesn't use the standard ol' devices for poignancy. But it does lay it on thick in terms of the sexual scenes. This couple has way more sex than any normal married couple does. And it's fairly graphic. Al-RIGHT, already, they love having sex! I get it! Perhaps it's meant to be that way since the couple's situation is so unusual; but it does off-put a little because it just seems so different than regular people's lives.
I recommend this one if you can put up with the extra sex.

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