Reviews by heffrey

heffrey says "The best trilogy ever!" about Lord of the Rings : Fellowship of the Ring

heffrey — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:46:56 GMT

There is not a movie I would more highly recommend than Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Whatever you do, however, be sure and buy the EXTENDED RELEASE version of each film. There are added scenes not shown in the theater and not on the original DVD release. These scenes are wonderful, especially if you are as big a nut for these films as I am.

My only complaint is the director's (Peter Jackson) lack of following Tolkien's story line in its classically true form. There are several scenes that stick out like a sore thumb: Aragorn not getting his famous sword at Rivendale; the King of the Dead and his army go into Gondor; Saruman is killed in Orthanc by Wormtongue; the scouring of the Shire never happens and several others I can't recall.

Nevertheless, this is an epic trilogy you don't want to miss!

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heffrey says "Don't leave home without it!" about Garmin - Nuvi 660

heffrey — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:38:11 GMT

In my many journeys from central California to the Bay Area (San Francisco) I don't know how I made previous trips without this device!!! Other than my Venti raspberry mocha from Starbucks, my Garmin is my favorite traveling companion!

While these devices may not give you the very BEST route to a previously unexplored destination it will certainly get you there eventually. I love how it will talk to you and tell you a turn is coming in x feet and to move to the right or the left. Navigating through congested highways and busy city streets without having to actually look at anything is a blessing beyond belief!!

Pick one up and give it a go -- even if you know where you are going!

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heffrey says "Awesome hardware with a few flaws" about Hewlett Packard HP IQ504 TouchSmart (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB HDD, DVD-ROM, Windows Vista Pr... PC Notebook

heffrey — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:30:00 GMT

I could not wait to get my hands on HP's wonderful Touch-Smart PC. I happily went to Sam's Club and plopped down my money. Am I glad I did! The pros much outweigh the cons but here are the important points:

The touch screen is awesome but watch out if you actually use it. I gave up because it is so sensitive. My fingers are pretty big and I found it very hard to use the small icons.
Setting it up is a breeze! I had it up and going in no time!
The OS, Vista...is HORRIBLE. There isn't much you can do about it other than deal with its many problems.
The DVD/CD drive failed in a big way! It ended up "eating" a Netflix DVD to the point where I had to disassemble the entire device to install a new drive. HP was great getting this fixed but it was a mess: I had to give them my credit card number as payment until I shipped back the old drive -- kind of weird seeing how much I paid for this thing!!!
Having said this, HP has been great working with me on several other minor...

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heffrey says "Very strong action!" about Playstation 3 - The Godfather: The Don's Edition

heffrey — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:19:58 GMT

I'll make him an offer he can't refuse! I only wish that line was used in the game! Personally, I LOVE The Godfather for PS3! The action is incredible to say the least! While it is a bit discouraging the character "Michael" looks nothing like Al Pacino the other characters are very realistic.

This game has kept me going for hours on end. I don't even want to give up the controls to my son it is so much fun. Grab it and start blasting!!

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heffrey says "Do I hear PS4???" about PS3

heffrey — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:15:08 GMT

I joined the PS3 craze a little late in the game and to some extent wish I hadn't! The first investment I made ended up back at Best Buy one week later: the hard drive crashed! I ended up getting another one that has not failed...lucky me!

Perhaps the most discouraging learning opportunity was finding out the newer generation PS3 will not support my PS2 games!!! Earlier models do but they are hard to find. I ended up buying PS3 games and not looking back. It has cost me a lot more than expected with the PS2 games just sitting there.

Where is the PS4???

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heffrey says "Try this journey - it is worth every minute!!" about David Eddings - Belgarath the Sorcerer Books

heffrey — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:05:14 GMT

David and Leigh Eddings have woven us a wonderful story that seems to go on forever: I only wish it did. This book in particular was a favorite of mine. Well over 700 pages of pure fun. It was a nice wrap-up to the journeys of Belgarath (Garath in his former life before becoming a sorcerer), his daughter Polgara and their endless line of sandy-haired heirs. If you should take the journey, please start with book one of The Belgariad. Don't start with this book, but be certain to keep it handy once you have read upwards of NINE (or is it twelve) books that take Garion (soon to be Belgarion as he becomes a man, err, sorcerer) and a group of WONDERFUL characters through the full gamut of adventures that spring from David Eddings' fertile mind...

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heffrey says "I never want to put it down!" about Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

heffrey — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:53:56 GMT

My comments are not just for the book shown here but for this Jim Butcher's complete body of work, especially in the Dresden series (I sure wish the Sci-Fi TV show had matched the books). I cannot say enough about the Dresden books. I was made aware of this series while I recovering from arm surgery that kept me away from my beloved (and hated) keyboard. I was able to handle softcover books with just one hand and I ended up devouring the entire series, at least up to his latest book. I cannot say enough about Butcher and his amazing writing skills. His humor and his attention to detail is amazing... I would give my right arm (newly restored to good health) to have talent like this!!...

heffrey says "Amazingly graphic - be warned!" about Rambo

heffrey — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:41:10 GMT

If you are a Rambo fanatic this is your kind of movie. If you love war, blood and guts this is your movie. If you are into lofty, humanitarian ideals regardless of the price to be paid this movie is for you.

If you are wanting to head out to a feel-good movie with a significant other and/or the rug rats, this movie is NOT for you. If you get sick seeing a hang-nail this movie is NOT for you. If you want to laugh and have a great time for about 90 minutes this movie is NOT for you.

I fall more into the first paragraph but even I was shocked by the amount and method of tossing blood, body parts and other graphic things onto the screen. I guess Sly wanted to go out with a bang - he got it. I know war is hell and what the troops went and continue to go through is horrific, but I don't want another "Saving Private Ryan" to tell me how bad it is. I guess I don't have to worry about this because "Saving..." is a Disney movie compared to Rambo's final venture... Be warned!!

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heffrey says "I waited a YEAR for this????" about Palm - Treo 755P Cell Phone

heffrey — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:54:56 GMT

My first Treo was the 650, which I enjoyed. Nevertheless, I waited for an entire year or more for Verizon to pick up the 755. I even drempt of this -- pretty twisted, but I did. The day it came out I "upgraded" my 650 only to be left totally defeated and discouraged.

For me, it is the little things that have me a little angry. First, when you want to end a call you have to tap the screen and 40% of the time it doesn't hang up...you are left there wondering if the call is over or if you have to tap it again. If it really has hung up the extra tap will start A NEW CALL, which I didn't want to do. If it did not end the call you sit there wondering if you should tap the stupid thing again.

Next, we move to the stylus: it isn't solid metal any longer!! It is now the flexible rubber that does not hold its shape. I LOVED my solid metal stylus...but no longer.

Next, we have to talk about how text messages start: the old way was to go into the text message area: simple, right? ...

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heffrey says "I take it for what it is worth..." about The Da Vinci Code

heffrey — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:44:19 GMT

I found this book to be wonderful, given the fact I am reading it for the pure entertainment value - that's it! I have many friends who are very strong in the Catholic faith (and a few distant family members) who are enraged I have dare read this book. I simply tell them I love the story for what it is - I can see what I want to see and think what I want to think. Period. If the author would hate me for treating his work this way, so be it. My world has a lot of black and white and little gray, so I sit back and love every page...!...

heffrey says "My Volcano is the BEST OF ALL TIME!!" about Maui Jim Sunglasses

heffrey — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:43:29 GMT

I bought my Volcano glasses primarily due to my sensitivity to sun light. I wanted the darkest glasses possible. The Maui Jim Volcano was my solution. These glasses have lasted me for at least 3 years without any problems despite several drops. One of my drops would have shattered most other glasses -- the Maui Jim didn't even blink (sorry, no pun intended).

While I had to pay a little more than previous glasses, I would have paid twice what I did just to own them. As a matter of fact, I am looking to buy a backup pair...why? In case I lose them. I don't worry about breaking them!!

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heffrey says "Can it get much better?" about PSP - WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

heffrey — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:26:30 GMT

This version of Smackdown versus Raw is very nice in terms of its graphics and attention to detailed moves. I love trying all of the superstar's moves and letting me live their lives. My son really likes the game for all of these reasons and more.

My primary negative is an apparent inability to change a wrestler's "focus" from another wrestler to the referee. My son kicks my back side so badly we only play previous versions that allow us to kick the crap out of the referee. Why they changed it in this version is beyond me. I am now unable to play this game with my son. Oh well...

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heffrey says "Great camera but be aware of red eye issues!" about Canon - PowerShot A710 IS Digital Camera

heffrey — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:18:16 GMT

This is a great little camera with a big plus for the image stabilization. I love the camera's awesome images with one minor exception: nasty red eye! Yes, I have it set to adjust for red eye with the preflash, but often times that really doesn't have much of an impact. I was told by a professional photographer the problem is in the camera's design. From what he said, the flash is too close to the lens so that it cannot adjust fast enough to account for the red eye. I am CONSTANTLY editing pictures to take out the red eye. Needless to say, I hate that part. If you really worry about red eye, look elsewhere......

heffrey says "Highest quality NFL t-shirt" about Liquid Blue Banner

heffrey — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 06:20:04 GMT

Perhaps few have heard of Liquid Blue shirts. If you have not and you are a lover of fine shirts I suggest you check out the Liquid Blue web site (and other retail web sites). There are many designs available for all NFL teams. There are also retired shirts that are impossible to find but are awesome finds if you have time to search high and low.

I am now a collector of Liquid Blue shirts. I can promise if you like the NFL, fine shirts and wonderful art work you will love these shirts.

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heffrey says "A sound purchase" about Toyota Camry - 2007

heffrey — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:58:41 GMT

My wife and I have purchased nothing but American cars for the 21 years we have enjoyed wedded bliss. The primary driving force was always the lower initial cost versus a higher cost for foreign vehicles.

Well, no more! We bought a 2007 Camry for my beloved wife a few months ago. So far, so good. We are happy with the drive, with the safety record, its gas mileage and its overall design.

If I have to name the reasons I did not give it 5 stars they would be:

1. The "service engine soon" light comes on when you need to change the oil. While that may sound all well and good, it also means you have to take it in to a shop to have the indicator reset!! I HATE THAT!!! What if a person wants to change his/her own oil?

2. It would be very, very nice if the vehicle had air conditioning piped into the back seat area. When you live in a super-hot climate as we do, the people in the back seat tend to bake pretty good. Our previous vehicle had air conditioning in the back and the kids...

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