It was a masterstroke to release m b v late at night with no fanfare so everyone could download/order at the same time(the less said about the technical problems the better). Given the fact that no one expected another album to ever be released, the fact that we have it at all is to be celebrated. I'm not sure that the 22 year wait has any bearing on the music itself, but no one listening is unlikely to be unaware of the fact. But how good is it? Is Kevin Shields as some have alleged, a one hit wonder who got lucky with Loveless? I'd point to Isn't Anything and the various Eps as evidence to the contrary. Remember that a lot of the EP tracks did not appear on any album until recently. m b v is different to its predecessors but its still the work of the same band and I doubt it would convince newcomers. What strikes me on listening to the album nearly 2 months on from its release is that is a quite varied set-starting out with "classic" MBV before going in different directions with If I Am, New You and In Another Way. Perhaps I'm biased, perhaps this is the emperor's new clothes but I love this album.

Loveless can be impenetrable at first: it seems tuneless and lacking in conventional pop songs. But give it time and listen to the entire album and it begins to make sense. I like music or TV that requires you to make an effort, whilst this is not for everyone, it can be hugely rewarding. Loveless is an astonishing album and for me it can sound different each time. Even 22 years later, no one has surpassed what Kevin Shields achieves with the guitar here. Simply put he reinvents what the guitar is capable of. That they could return with something as great as m b v is cause for celebration.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit I originally bought Season 1 based on the high praise from others whose opinions I respected. We watched one episode and whilst we could recognise that the show was well made, it was simply too complex and frankly too slow. It sat unwatched until I read Alan Sepinwall's excellent book, The Revolution Will Be Televised. He suggested that you watch the first four episodes and adapt to the slow rhythms that the show used. The Wire is often categorised as a visual novel where each chapter or episode builds on the last and this seems crucial to me in understanding and appreciating the show.

The Wire is uncompromising: its slow, talky and makes few concessions to the audience. It is also the most consistently brilliant TV show ever. Most shows have peaks and troughs in each season. This is understandable as not every episode of Lost can be The Constant; not every episode of Battlestar Galactica can be 33. TV shows are created with the idea that it has to be accessible to the general audience. The Wire demands that you start with Episode 1 of Season 1 and watch every episode. There are no weak episodes with The Wire. The upside is the most rewarding TV ever created; the down side is that this can be off-putting and impenetrable if you're not willing to put the effort in.

Once you finish Season 1, you'll want Season 2 and then Season 3 and so on. Believe the hype but don't be discouraged by it. The only other flaw is that The Wire tends to ruin other TV shows for you.

It is surprising that it took so long for a book to tackle this subject. It is not surprising that it turned out so well. Alan Sepinwall is one of the best critics around and his wonderful overview of the sea change in American TV drama during the past decade makes for fascinating reading. The book prompts you to re-examine shows you'd tried to watch before but had given up on after a few episodes or shows you'd always meant to watch but had never been able to. It also brings a critical perspective to each show: pointing out flawed episodes or praising particular high points. From The Sopranos to Mad Men, each show is dissected with some wonderful insights( The creators of Lost wanted it to fail!!) On a personal note, it finally got me to watch and enjoy The Wire.

What can i say that hasn't already been said by other reviewers? It reminds me very much of the teen romances I used to devour when I was a gal, but then I grew up. Both characters are very childish and unconvincing and the writing is absolutely terrible. it is a an act of sadism against the english language. And the sex, oh the sex, it was so very boring. Did anyone read this book before publishing it? Did the editor at any time pull the author aside and say "we need to lose some of the repetition, add a bit more plot and make the characters act a bit more like adults," Apparently not.

This is for people who are looking for a challenge, its not the sort of a workout you can just pick up and do. It's taken me a month to learn and will probably take me another month to master.
Anderson helpfully breaks down the routines and she can be watched doing the exercises from the front and the back(it sounds confusing but isn't) The only minor irritation is that they are not identical-the back routine has extra steps.
Anderson's enthusiasm I find charming and once you get the routines they are a lot of fun. Moreover, you can't argue with the results. A great workout DVD.

I've just spent the best part of a day playing a very small section of Dark Souls in that time I've dead nearly 10 times, lost 1000's of souls(the in-game currency) and nearly given up the desire to keep playing. So why do I love this game so much?
The answer lies in the feeling of euphoria after defeating a boss or in making a little bit more progress. Make no mistake this is one unforgiving game: make a mistake, the game punishes you; get too complacent around any enemy, the game punishes you. But you learn and you (very) gradually get better.
If you've played Demons Souls, you'll encounter some of the same gameplay mechanics. But there is much that has changed. In Demons Souls, you could make the game slightly easier by playing as a magic user. In Dark Souls, magic is restricted to a number of uses and then you have to engage in combat. In the previous game, there was a central hub with access to all the levels; in the new game, it is more of an open world.
There are some niggles such as an occasional frame rate drop and the game explains very little (though some may see this as a positive!).
Would I recommend this game?
Absolutely. Just be prepared. Don't be afraid to use a wiki-the game cover actually mentions one. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid to stop playing if it gets too tough. This is not a game to be played whilst you're angry about your previous death. Don't be afraid to take it slowly. This is an epic game.
It's certainly not for everyone but this is a game that makes me happy to be a gamer.

There's little to be said about The Twilight Zone that hasn't already been said before, but here goes:
This is where modern TV began. A groundbreaking TV show that encompassed horror, sci-fi and fantasy. A show that used genre to comment on the issues of the day and which paved the way for shows such as The X-Files and Lost.
The quality of the Blu-ray transfers is simply perfect. You wouldn't necessarily think that a 50 year old TV show could look and sound so good. But they do.
Added to this are many hours of bonus features, some of which are unique to the Blu-ray. You get isolated scores, commentaries, interviews and radio plays. You also get the very rare pilot The Time Element with optional commentary(though it should be noted that there are no subtitles for this episode). I cannot recommend this enough and look forward to subsequent Seasons.

If you are waiting for a blu ray release of this ballet, I would advise that this is unlikely to happen. According to a well-placed contact, Decca's blu-ray version of Romeo and Juliet did not sell well enough to justify releasing Manon on high def. This seems surprising as Opus Arte are consistently releasing on blu-ray. So go figure!
If you want this wonderful performance, buy it now. This is the best version available and a must for any serious ballet fan. Its worth noting that this release includes a lengthy behind the scenes piece with interviews and rehearsal footage. I have deducted one star from the overall release due to it only being on DVD. The Ballet itself is also split over 2 discs . This disc is Region 0 and in NTSC format.

The Royal Ballet is my favourite ballet company and Mayerling one of my favourite ballets so here it is in all its high-def glory. I was lucky enough to see this production last year with Acosta & Rojo who were both wonderful-even my husband admitted to enjoying it-but the critics were raving about Edward Watson. Based on his wonderful performance as the tortured Crown Prince, you can see why.

Blu ray really is the only way to watch ballet as 1080p enhances the wonderful costumes and set designs. The direction by Ross McGibbon is a vast improvement on that found on the Irek Mukhamedov DVD which featured strange close-ups at some very inappropriate moments. Picture and sound quality are excellent. The extras are of Galeazzi and Watson rehearsing with Jonathan Cope and a fascinating featurette about the costumes with Lady McMillan. In short a great addition to any ballet fan's collection.