Category: reviews with a 5 of 5 rating

Crocs Specialist work shoes

Crocs Specialist work shoes

Crocs promotes these as “work” shoes because they’re designed to meet typical job dress codes; the toe area is completely hidden; but that marketing decision is limiting. Not only are they appropriate for medical Specialists and the like, they’re appropriate for anyone who wants to wear comfortable shoes that hide their toes. “Comfortable” is the key word. I wear mine not only when I’m out but also at home. In theory, fashion aside, I could go the rest of my life not wearing any other type of shoes and get by just fine. The back strap even makes them practical to run in.

The bottom soles eventually begin to deteriorate as the grips smoothen away, which can cause you to slip on wet surfaces; much more so than normal shoes; and too much sockless traveling can cause painful skin irritation where the cuboid bone rubs against the inside rim. But those are relatively minor flaws. I usually wear mine with socks… on dry surfaces. I prefer laceless slip-ons and these shoes are among the best. They’re made with a simple two-piece design; a shoe and a strap; which makes them easy to wipe clean. The rubbery Croslite material is also odor-resistant.

my rating : 5 of 5

the Lumix GH4

the Lumix GH4

My only gripe with the GH4 is that the stereo mics are located on the top as opposed to the front. It’s not a problem that is by any means exclusive to this particular camera; a lot are made this way; but it’s an illogical design. The direction of the mics should coincide with the lens. As is, the subject of the video isn’t necessarily reflected as such in the audio. That means if someone holding the camera is interviewing someone it’s pointed at, for example, the voice of the person holding it is more dominant. A simple solution is to add an external mic that points forward; which, depending on the mic, will probably improve the sound quality anyway; but that, of course, adds to the overall cost, bulk and weight.

The GH4 is excellent nonetheless, especially for those of us who use it more for video than photography. I, for one, use it for video exclusively. It comes with a host of advanced features and settings normally reserved for (expensive) pro-level cameras, but the main draw is that its resolution goes all the way up to 4K; “4096×2160” Cinema 4K; which makes the details clearer and crisper than most of what you’re used to seeing on TV and Youtube, even when its 4K images are downsized in post to be viewed in standard “1080p”. With the right lenses and audio equipment; let’s hope the mic thing is fixed in the GH5; a talented videographer could literally make a Hollywood movie with this one camera alone.

my rating : 5 of 5

2014

Real Medleys : Cherry Almond Pecan

Real Medleys : Cherry Almond Pecan

Cherry is one of my least favorite artificial fruit flavors. When it comes to candy and such, I’d pick almost any other over it. The cherries in this cereal; real pieces not dehydrated but seemingly sun-dried, thus chewy like raisins; don’t taste like that.

Dare I say they’re the best song in the mix. They’re certainly the sweetest. There are almonds, pecans, granola clusters and flakes also; the kind of flakes that don’t get soggy fast; which, with milk, makes for a hearty, relatively healthy, breakfast.

my rating : 5 of 5

Hanes Cool Dri Performance Men’s Long-Sleeve T-Shirt

Hanes Cool Dri Performance Men's Long-Sleeve T-Shirt

I prefer to wear long sleeves when I go out, even in the summer, so a shirt like this is just right for me. It’s made of polyester, not cotton, in an interlocked jersey knit that wicks away moisture, so it makes your torso and arms less warm than most shirts. That means you probably shouldn’t wear it in cold winter weather unless perhaps you’re wearing it as an undershirt.

It doesn’t hold much odor, so it doesn’t necessarily need to be washed between every “Performance” and it doesn’t get too wrinkly, so it never really needs to be ironed; major pluses for busy (lazy) people like myself. I also love the fact that there are no visible tags or logos on the outside. The one drawback is that the fabric is thin enough to show the imprint of man nipples.

my rating : 5 of 5

audio review : Does Life Exist On This Planet ( song ) … Bass 305

You wouldn’t know it’s about Venus unless you knew about the movie the vocal samples come from. “No observation from orbit can let us know the answer to the most important question we’ve come to ask,” says Faith Domergue as Marsha Evans. It’s Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet, a science fiction flick old enough to imagine man landing on Venus by the year 2020, and it’s somehow landed onto a Bass 305 song.

How, or why, that happened probably has a lot to do with its obscurity. Having no idea where the samples come from, let alone what movie, gives the song a curious mystique. It’s the music though, led by a Heavenly chorus section featuring what sounds like a male angel singing, that is profound. The breakdowns preceding it are sort of annoying, so the song isn’t perfect, but it’s the best Bass 305 song so far.

my rating : 5 of 5

1994

audio review : Virtual Bass ( album ) ... Bass 305 audio review : a DM Records compilation : Bass Explosion [ Volume Three ]

audio review : You Rock My World ( song ) … Michael Jackson

The prelude; Michael Jackson and Chris Tucker having a conversation about a girl they’re supposedly looking at, though there isn’t any background noise to help set the scene; is like the skit at the beginning of Black Or White. It may be funny initially, but it’s replay value is nowhere near that of the song it introduces. Listeners of the full versions of these songs may, in other words, find themselves skipping past, or at least zoning-out on, the first several seconds. That means the songs would be better without their preludes. In the case of You Rock My World, the title of which doesn’t come across nearly as corny as it should, the song would also make more sense without it. The dialogue implies that the girl is a total stranger to both Chris and Mike, but the lyrics have Jackson already romantically entwined with her.

“It feels like I’ve finally found a perfect love this time,” he insists before going into one of his best choruses yet. “You rocked my world; you know you did,” it goes, utilizing a harmonic vocal stack similar to Ghosts, “Who’d think I’d find someone like you to call mine?” The words are trite; they read like a high school crush poem; but the vocal melodies, even on the verses and bridge, are quite awesome. The music, highlighted by dramatic strings where applicable, is a slinky soul groove that goes back to the relative timelessness of the Thriller album. Despite an unnecessary break near the end; the ad-lib peak section should take the song out; it’s producer Rodney Jerkins at his best. It’s not Michael Jackson at his best, but it’s damn close. And if the quality of this love theme is any indication, I’d guess he got the girl.

my rating : 5 of 5

2001

audio review : Invincible ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

Skittles [ Original ]

Skittles [ Original ]

If not for the little “s” on each piece, you might mistake a handful of Skittles for “M&Ms”. They might even be the same candy if it weren’t for the fact that one is filled with milk chocolate and the other fruit. At least that’s the concept here as each of the five colors represent a different kind.

Strawberry and grape are the best, orange dangles in the middle, while lemon and lime serve only to balance-out the other colors of the rainbow. What’s amazing is how well the five flavors blend together into a sweet fruit punch of sorts, which I’d take over a mouthful of chocolate any day.

Aside from the taste, the best thing about these bite-sized candies is that, even with a shell, they’re chewy, they’re not sticky and they dissolve into sugary grits rather than a taffy mass when you chew them. For what it’s worth, they’re also made with apple juice as one of the key ingredients.

If the makers get rid of lemon and lime for better fruits; or just leave it as a trio of orange, grape and strawberry; they could be on to something truly special. But even as is, because you can’t really taste the lemon and lime when you eat them all together, Skittles are my favorite candy.

my rating : 5 of 5
 

S. Fitze :

Absolutely no apple juice is used in manufacturing Skittles. No juice of any sort. Primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil.

I’m also a Skittles fan, but making them out to be even semi-healthy is ludicrous.

video review : Night Of The Living Dead

video review : Night Of The Living Dead

What’s missing from the title is that The Living Dead are also murderous predators who want nothing more than to eat the flesh of their prey; undead people. It’s the gloomy doomy plot that makes it thrilling.

The ghouls stumble about slowly and are fragile enough to push out of the way, but there’s strength in numbers, so a boarded-up house in Pennsylvania is only the safest place until there are enough of them to break in.

my rating : 5 of 5

1968

video review : Dawn Of The Dead

Dole Mandarin Oranges In Light Syrup

Dole Mandarin Oranges In Light Syrup

This is probably the best-tasting fruit I’ve ever had from a can. I prefer my mandarin oranges canned anyway because there are no annoying seeds, peeling or slicing to get in the way. It’s just juicy tidbits in sugar water or “light syrup”; a sweet delight if there ever were such a thing. Chill it in the freezer, eat each piece one-by-one, then drink the juice to get the full effect.

my rating : 5 of 5

video review : Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

video review : Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

The title is awkward, but it serves as the gist of the plot. It’s a restart of a franchise that began with Franklin Schaffner’s Planet Of The Apes in 1968. Of course, by now, cinematic technology is such that the apes; every one of which is computer-generated using Weta Digital motion capture; look even more alive than they do in real life. The story itself, which revolves around a brain-enhancing retrovirus, isn’t quite as believable, but it is thoroughly entertaining.

This “Planet”, by the way, isn’t in some far-away galaxy. It’s planet Earth. And the story is set during the present time. That means it’s a given that these apes; physically stronger and genetically altered to be even more intelligent than humans; are going to take over as the rulers of the world. The suspense lies in how that happens, which begins with chimpanzees being hunted and captured in the Congo jungle and sold to pharmaceutical labs for testing.

It’s when the lead scientist; a man named Will Rodman; rescues a cute baby from being euthanized by taking it home with him; à la Gremlins; that things start to get interesting. It lives with him and his father, who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s; a disease the scientist proposes the experimental retrovirus might develop into a cure for; growing older and getting smarter, until something goes wrong and it has to be sent away to a sanctuary… with other apes.

From there, it’s an evolution revolution that leads to escape and quite an amazing movie climax. Yes, that final third or fourth is the best part as wild apes unite not necessarily to take over the world at this point but to free themselves from captivity. So they raid public places, causing mass hysteria; the zoos are a primary target; all the while exposing more and more apes to the brain-enhancing retrovirus; a process that itself spreads like a virus.

There’s an ape-versus-human showdown on The Golden Gate Bridge, where police set-up a barricade in an effort to stop the apes, but the police don’t stand a chance. What the humans need, in order to preserve their status as the rulers of the world, is the military. And that, quite literally, means war; an interspecific war of the world. But this is only the prelude. So it’s a war you’re left very-much anticipating by the end of this science-fiction epic.

my rating : 5 of 5

2011

video review : Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
video review : War For The Planet Of The Apes

Ball Park Franks

Ball Park Franks

These hot dogs are named after baseball park Tiger Stadium, but they taste just as delicious at home. They plump when you cook them, which causes the ends to split quicker than you might think, but that’s what gives them their juicy tender texture. Two on buns with ketchup, mayonnaise and Lay’s Classic potato chips on the side, ranks as one of the best-tasting meals I ever had.

my rating : 5 of 5

audio review : Thriller ( album ) … Michael Jackson

audio review : Thriller ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

The title song would be perfect at the end. Instead it lingers near the middle. When the album does end, it does so with a serenade to a girl Michael Jackson promises to love more and “more each day”, even when she’s “old and gray”. Rod Temperton is to blame for those lyrics, but, as far as music and melody goes, The Lady In My Life is gorgeous. It’s one of his best songs like almost every other song on this album.

Not only is Thriller his best album, including the ones he did with his brothers, it’s the best album I ever heard. Almost every song reaches a level of greatness other artists can only hope to obtain once on a single release. Even the worst song, a duet that has Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney playing tug-of-war over a girl who might be playing them in a game of her own, floats along with a charming groove.

The next worst song is Human Nature, which is good. That says a lot about the rest of the album, which consists of just nine songs. Perhaps making a Thriller isn’t as daunting as it seems. The secret is to cut the filler and put out an album of funky beats and magical vocals. “No one wants to be defeated,” Michael Jackson declares on rock song Beat It. It’s harmonized melody is one of the catchiest you’ll ever hear.

Other highlights include Billie Jean and a party jam about people who always Wanna Be Startin Somethin. Both songs are amazing. There’s also a Valentine’s Day theme entitled Baby Be Mine that’s amazing. The album as a whole is amazing. It’s just not perfect. It would’ve come close if Michael Jackson or Quincy Jones, the album’s sole producer, thought enough to put the title song at the end where it belongs.

my rating : 5 of 5

1982