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Knee-Jerk Contrarians, This is for You

 
  

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wembley can change in 28 days
10:05 / 30.07.04
Thanks to people like waxy.org, there is the Amazon Knee-Jerk Contrarian game. Pick your book, CD, movie or what-have-you and go directly to the 10 worst reviews.

Here's the post

and here's the utility that lets you search faster.

e.g.
"edward norton is in it. and so is brad pit. and little shots of penises here and there. i mean COME ON! soap made of fat? a secret "fight club?"

Casablanca: "I'm pretty sure I will enjoy it a lot more when Warner Bros finally gets around to releasing the colorized version, the way this movie needs to be seen - the world is not black and white, why should our movies be?"

And of course: "Ulysses is a hardcover bounded knife in the face."

have fun.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
10:53 / 30.07.04
Thank you. This is superb. "Semantic eunuch"?

That knife-face line sounds like a recommendation to me. I actually kinda like that whole review: "Ulysses is to bad book as Gary Busey is to ugly man... Joyce is blind in one eye because he read Ulysses and then the eye hung itself. I'm contemplating traveling back in time and murdering James Joyce, in the face."
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
11:00 / 30.07.04
You can play "match the writing style to the Barbelith poster"!

"speaking as an actual grown up, I can definitively say that this movie sucked. It was torture to sit through for people over the age of, say, 13 probably. Ugh. It's right there with a trip to chuckeecheeze, an episode of power rangers, or mario brothers."
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
11:47 / 30.07.04
Hello Shakespeare, is anyone home? Most people will say that I didn't understand this, but I totally did and it still stinks. It cannot equal the feeling I got from reading abou Frodo and Sam climbing mount doom. And the fight scenes were totally unrealistic.
 
 
Loomis
12:12 / 30.07.04
As an English Lit grad and a keen reader of contemporary literary fiction, I approached this with great expectations. Sad to say, I found it a major disappointment. Turgid, overblown, over-written and pretentious, it is, as we down to earth Scots would say - pure mince.
 
 
Ethan Hawke
12:40 / 30.07.04
for "Andrei Rublev"

Rating: 4 - Python and Rublev, January 25, 2001
Reviewer: "didelphidae" - See all my reviews
Saw this once this evening and have to say I am shocked that no one mentions the obvious, even startling debt that Python's "Holy Grail" owes to this movie. An astonishing number of visual moments from that film are borrowed or parodied directly, not to mention the "look and feel". I was once you start looking, the debt becomes glaring.
 
 
Benny the Ball
12:44 / 30.07.04
"Vonnegut is no better or worse than Daniele Steele!"

genius.

and;

Apart from the leather, this book isn't really any good

That one's about the bible.
 
 
Ex
12:44 / 30.07.04
She's obviously a good writer, but truly, her subject matter leaves A LOT to be desired, in this book. Its raunchy beyond belief. People do things with farm animals that they shouldn't. I couldn't get through the first two chapters without vomiting. Some things you just shouldn't put in your head.

(Beloved - Spoiler warning, some reviews contain racist bollocks...)
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
12:46 / 30.07.04
A lovely put down. Sadly the author will be hunted down and killed in the street for directing it at William Gibson (Pattern Recognition).

I don't know what's going on with this book. I'm at about page 100 and I'm putting it down for good. I feel like I'm reading one of those old Levi's commercials where you scratch your head at the end and say "what the heck was that about?" For this book, not only can I not figure out what's going on or why I should care about it, I also can't even figure out why it's classified as Science Fiction. As far as I can see, the closest it comes to that genre is when the protagonist uses a computer. Golly! Perhaps Gibson's trying to establish a new genre: Marketing Fiction or Pop Culture Fiction or something. But, it's sure not Science Fiction. Unless you're into reading books that take about 100 pages until you can build enough of a mental framework to hang even the characterizations on, stay away from this. Sad.
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
12:50 / 30.07.04
Sorry, too much fun. I'll try not to post this one three times...

HP and the Order of the Phoenix

I just cannot enjoy this book at all. It is poorly written and the charactures are boring. This book also seems to see rebellion as a good thing. Pathetic. If your looking for a good book, read Lord of the Rings. Do not waste your time reading this book,or any of the Harry Potter books. Like I said, these books are just plain pathetic. Why are they so popular? I know! Because people do not know what good literature is.
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
12:59 / 30.07.04
I can't stop

MSP, 'Forever Delayed' greatest hits CD:

OK, so I'd never heard the Manics before seeing this set advertised on TV in Dublin and picking it up. I figured, "Hey, a Greatest Hits CD, how can I go wrong?" Honestly, it's been a while since I've been in touch with Christian rock but if this is where it's going these days, maybe I should be glad about that. I mean, I'm all for progressivism, but fellas, rock is not the place to experiment with free verse. It has to rhyme and it has to have meter, or else we won't remember it. Or care about whatever deep thoughts it might contain. This is psychology, not musical elitism. How can you call something a "chorus" when it's the same line hollered four times with no discernable tune? ... Feel free to disagree, but I feel that the best Christian music succeeds because it adds the emotion of beautiful music to the otherwise dry set of words that so many prayers turn out to be. It's an apotheosis of the internal spirit; it makes you feel more sure of your faith than you ever are without it--whether it's rock, hymn, or even rap. _Forever Delayed_, which ineplicably follows countless other releases evidently popular in the UK, forces itself in God's and the listener's faces with neither rhyme nor reason to guide it. I concede that the feeling is definitely there, but the talent sure isn't. I'm almost as embarrassed for the band as emissaries to the Lord as I am of myself for having paid sixteen euros for it.


This must be a joke, surely...
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
13:03 / 30.07.04
Finally someone who gets Jay Z

ever notice how a pop star varies their soundscape and style drastically from one song to the next? this cd has no coherence b/w tracks, its all just a collection of well produced radio-ready singles. if his goal was to make a cd where every single track was to become a single, then wtf

blueprint 1 was much better, this is a sad pop culture stunt
 
 
ocko
13:08 / 30.07.04
Can't say fairer than this, really:

"This is a piece of fiction which characterizes the Marqui de Sade as a hero and advocates disobedience to authority (with all authority figures in the series given corrupt personalities by Morrison)as the pathway to "salvation" for mankind. The book earns 5 stars for offensiveness and 1 star for the artwork, which is lackluster. The writing, from the provenly talented Grant Morrison, rates a surprizing -5. It's that bad. Avoid this series like the plague.
"
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
13:29 / 30.07.04
this movie is loaded with occult practices and beliefs. if your child reads these books and watches these movies they will likely succumb to the evil world of the occult. parents if you think this is harmless you obviously aren't paying attention. the parents of the two columbine shooters didn't know their sons were making bombs in the basement...what are your kids doing in the basement after they watch these movies?

Harry Potter & the PS DVD
 
 
mkt
14:06 / 30.07.04
Holy shit. This is an actual review of Watership Down. In full.

I think it is vry huhlareus, and it mad me lol hardcore yo, that nearly all these 1 star ratings are chock full of misspelled or improperly used words, trite and forced writing, and references to the almight King, Grisham, or Crichton. All three are meant to be bathroom reading, when are you people going to understand that? To the girl who asked, "why don't you people respect other's opinions", it is because there is more to a book review than just your meager opinion. There are certain rules to great writing, and when an author uses these methods in new and interesting ways, that makes for a "good" book. Not every book has to have a point. Don't you ever get tired of reading cop-and-robber stories? Or murder mysteries? This book is a breath of fresh air every time I pick it up. Sure Grisham and co. can string together a fine tale, but do you know what the word "formulaic" means? I'll explain it for you: allways look for who will benefit the most from whatever crime is going on, and you've got your villain. Turn to the last page, pat yourself on the back for your smarts, and trade that book in for something that will teach you about life, morals, or humanity. Your probably tired of hearing me preach by now, so I'll let you get back to your busy suburban mad-at-daddy hip-hop life. Oh, by the way, I heard they were having a sale at Abercrombie. Don't hurt yourself getting there!
 
 
Ethan Hawke
14:52 / 30.07.04

Rating: 1 - A great film censored, February 10, 2004

My rating for the DVD of "Mulholland Drive," is no reflection of how I feel about the film itself, for it is certainly one of the best works in the Lynchian canon. I gave this DVD a poor rating, because a rather disturbing, not so subtle alteration has been made for the DVD transfer. I was shocked to discover when I watched the copy that I purchased at Best Buy that a scene had been digitally censored, and what appeared on my screen was markedly different from what I saw in the cinema. When the character we come to know as Rita disrobes before climbing into bed with Betty, a distracting flesh-colored scramble of pixels has been substituted for an area where one would normally expect to see pubic hair. Since this scrambling was not evident in the version of "Mulholland Drive" that I saw in theatres (twice), I can only expect that this is another example of squeamish puritanical tampering for an American audience that can consume any amount of violence, but should be protected from the fright of a sexual organ (see "Eyes Wide Shut"). I was informed that a copy of this DVD purchased at JandR in Manhattan was similarly "blurred" for the protection of the viewer. I know we live in the era of wardrobe malfunction hysteria, but the marring of a magnificent film like this for its DVD release is unacceptable.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
15:42 / 30.07.04
The annotated Alice by Martin Gardner:

This is my fifth tarot deck and I have to say that I just love it. It's quite clever to design a deck based on the classic "Alice in Wonderland." Would have rated this deck higher except that it does NOT comes with an instruction book, but rather a quick-and-to-the-point pamphlet that truly simplifies the meanings of the cards. If, however, you are versed in the traditional Ryder-Waite deck then you should have no trouble skipping the pamphlet and using your own intuition. The suits have been reconfigured into flamingoes, oysters, hats, and peppermills, which can be quite confusing. Due to the whimsical nature of the card, you might want to use it for more whimsical readings. But, like I said, if you ARE a fan of tarot decks with unusual design you should DEFINITELY get this deck and use it for those "special" occasions.

A bad review in the sense of one that is shit.
 
 
misterpc
16:09 / 30.07.04
A great one from an Indian reviewer in the US of A:

"I was totally disappointed with the DVD. "Gandhi" is one of my favorite movies. But I was so much disappointed with the DVD that I almost disowned it. It does not have audio or subtitles in Hindi or any other Indian language. Gandhi was a Gujarati (mother tongue: Gujarati) and an Indian (Language: Hindi). The DVD has all sorts of subtitles and languages but does not have any language for Indians. "

Dude. You might want to try a different region?
 
 
Papess
16:17 / 30.07.04
Review for The Golden Dawn: A Complete Course in Practical Ceremonial Magic...

Rating: 2 - I still don't see how David Blaine does it ..., March 24, 2003 Reviewer: "tommy_tads" (London, UK)

"I bought this book recently, having had my interest piqued by dipping into the Harry Potter series that my youngest son Derek so admires. I can certainly understand the appeal of playing Quidditch (though the rules remain as impenetrable to me as American Football - sorry US friends!) and of flying and so on. However, Israel Regardie et al seem to be so into the arcane "Ceremonial Magick" esoterica that they miss the things that the common man like me would welcome - to wit, most of the tricks in the film "Matilda" and showing off at dinner parties. Being honest, this didn't even help me improve my sleight of hand. A real disappointment."
 
 
pomegranate
16:38 / 30.07.04
This is music for 50 years olds plus and aging gay interior designers. Madonna stuff is so unhip it isn't funny. Lawrence Welk is hipper then Madonna and he even looks younger then her and he is dead.

This book was boring; it needs werewolves and lesbians or something. (about the bible)

To sum it up in one word, this movie reeks just plain French, Drench, Trench, Wrench, you name it, and that from manipulative acts, vindictive social scapegoating, down to shameless interference in the private sphere and life of individuals...
It just reminds one of how Frank Zappa once put it: "There's No Hell, There's Only France." This statement never rang truer as when watching "Le Merveilleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain." Be warned.


this is so addictive.
 
 
Ethan Hawke
17:00 / 30.07.04
Confederacy of Dunces

This book was one of the worst books I have read reciently. The book could have been two sentences...There is a fat guy who suffers from dillustions of grandure. Go read Don Quito if you want a funny version of this story... An all around bad book with only one plot device, and a main character that I could neithor love nor hate because he was a completely flat character. It is a good thing that this author only wrote one book because this way less people will waste money on his flat characters in his boring stories.
 
 
Haus of Mystery
17:08 / 30.07.04
Watchmen:

"This is an attempt to imagine what superheroes would be like in the 'real world' instead of in the comic-book world that Superman and Batman live in.
It does not succeed. The author has not thought it all through enough. For example, there's a scientist that is bombarded with radiation in an accident. He turns blue and has the power to destroy things with his mind. Does that sound at all plausible? I think most people had figured out by 1986 that having your body chemistry changed by massive doses of radiation will cause you to shrivel up and die. It doesn't give you magic powers.

There's another character who builds a flying owl car - just a pod that levitates with an unknown power source. He keeps it in his garage, while the U.S. government still uses traditional helicopters. This is a kid's fantasy. If you were able to build something like that by yourself (which is unlikely), they wouldn't let you keep the only prototype for your own personal use"

He has a point.
 
 
Papess
17:08 / 30.07.04
Also on the Golden Dawn:

Rating: 4 - Knowledge is....., February 23, 2003
Reviewer: Basil

"If I say anythin too long, you would probably say I was probably paid or am a close friend. I can assure I am not. So, my review is simply this:

EXCELLENT. There are other books that you need to acquaint yourself with, but once you follow the instructions laid down in the book you would understand the rating."


Just a Thank You...Because your good friends at the Golden Dawn really, really needed your endorsement, Basil. Do you do infomercials?
 
 
Papess
17:33 / 30.07.04
Rating: 1 - Are you serious?!, May 7, 2004

This is the most apalling thing I've ever seen! Please don't get me wrong, I adore Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I think the show has some good messages, but it also has some very bad ones. Buffy and the rest of the characters on the show were not created as spiritual paragons, but as realistic characters who make mistakes, sometimes on a grand scale. And even if that were not the case, anyone who bases their spirituality on a TV show needs to get up from their spot in front of the idiot box and figure out what's really important in life."


As someone who is not immersed in the Buffyverse, I would have to agree with this. I am still waiting for word about my Bhagavad Gita sitcom pilot for Fox, however.
 
 
Michelle Gale
19:32 / 30.07.04
Lermonatov, A hero of our time:

"I couldn't understand a word of this. This is as unintelligible as something by Joyce or Dickens. The author needed to take ENGLISH AND GRAMMAR 101 again. It appears he failed the first time. Take my advice: if you are looking for someone with a mastery of an English language that you can understand, read Emile Gaboriau."
 
 
Jack Fear
22:14 / 30.07.04
I Thought My Father Was God: True Tales of American Life, edited by Paul Auster--

I do not even feel comfortable shelving it beside the Paul Auster volumes in my bookcase. The Publishers Weekly review on this page dubbing this a "bathroom book" may have stumbled upon a solution to that quandary.

Heh heh.

...There are love stories as stale as Hallmark cards. And there are the obligatory saccharine Christmas stories as wretch-inducing as "A Very Special..." episode of a bad sitcom. (The movie /Smoke/ features Auster's own "Auggie Wren's Christmas Story," suggesting he may have a soft spot for this genre--but it takes a talent as formidable as Auster's to execute such pure schmaltz competently.)

Ho ho ho ho ho ho oh dear.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
 
 
Rev. Orr
01:03 / 31.07.04
Someone watched Barbelith's "very own film" after using their word a day toilet paper...

I bought this movie at the recommendation of a friend, and was extremely regretful of doing so. This movie, in my opinion, was dreary, depressing, creepy, and downright lousy. I don't know how anyone, unless they are on drugs, could enjoy this film. This film puts nothing on your mind except depression and death. I personally prefer movies that show the true beauty of life, such as the recently released Big Fish. Finally, if you are not depressed, Donnie Darko will still surely cast a shadow of darkness and depression over your day.

Hmm. Depressing. Still not as harsh as:

This script is what would happen if Jessica Simpson took a philosophy class and wrote a script on what she thought the class meant.

Clearly, reviewers of 'Cyrano de Bergerac' have missed the point entirely. Three 1-stars complaining about the pan-and-scan format and then, whoosh, stright to the raves. Must do better.

Devotees of hating 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' have the right idea:

Don't waste your time. Take a mindful walk instead.

This book to me was something if had the choice, I never would have read.


Those roaming pop-pscychology goon squards are a fucker, aren't they?

Leaving the last word to the voice of reason:

Dear Mr. Pisig,

...But, this is America, and there are free speech laws that prohibit me from burning and banning all of your books. But according to the AMERICAN CAPITALIST SYSTEM, I can buy out your publishing rights and make sure copies of your horrible story do not corrupt indelible minds.
It's quite obvious to me your plan, ROBERT. First, you try and emulate Ayn Rand by integrating a philosophy into a novel.
However, you fail to symbolize your philosophy into the characters and so you must rely on a more doggerel approach.

...Next, you realize that the slag you slap together just will not hold sales and make a fat enough check to pay all your bills. So in order to continue your lazy bum attitude of doing nothing but riding motorcycles in the country side, you decide to join the Welfare Capital of the World? Sweden.
Heck, you are not even creative enough to come up with our own philosophy like Rand has. You piece together some incoherent rant about philosophies that you read in college, and you think it's the greatest thing since Ayn Rand.

...Perhaps you are ashamed of the way that Soichiro Honda conquered the automotive world with nothing but introspection of his mistakes. Wait, thats something you advocate in your book. But wait, you're a socialist, I forget. I'm sorry.
Let me tell you something sonny, you are not Ayn Rand and will never amount to her greatness.


Who said Dubya couldn't read?
 
 
bio k9
01:04 / 31.07.04
Sexus
Rating: 1 - Abuse labeled art
Reviewer:"suzer_domenica" (Chicago, IL United States)
It is quite obvious to any woman reader that Henry Miller is a bad lover...
 
 
Charlie's Horse
03:45 / 31.07.04
OhmygodsIlovethisthread.

Here we go -

I found absolutely no enjoyment or insight from this novel! Take my advice: If you plan to read this anytime soon, please burn it as soon as possible!

For Animal Farm. Is it safe to say that Orwell's spinning around in his grave right now?

the book is so boring i almost fell asleep reading it. george orwell must be old.

Yeah. Really old. Older than old. As in dead. How'd you guess?

And now, your moment of Zen:

I advise you not to read this book you will certainly waste your time unless if you're into the silly plots that would never exist in the 21st century

Laugh? Cry?
 
 
Charlie's Horse
03:50 / 31.07.04
For "The Big Lebowski"

How can people like a movie in which every other word is the "F" word? If simple minded people get a kick out of watching a guy named the Dude smoke a "J", I'm worried about this country. Spend your time elsewhere, because this is not a thinking man's flick.

Obviously, you are not a golfer.
 
 
D Terminator XXXIII
04:13 / 31.07.04
Oh c'mon Jack, not everyone at Barbelith have made it inside.

However, I do not have any children, and won't be able to any time soon. And I donate so much, you know? Do you see?
 
 
Smoothly
12:47 / 31.07.04
Genius...

Abbey Road.

I bought this album because I totally thought the guy on the right was Kate Hudson's husband. So I mean, I THOUGHT I was scoring some QUALITY stoner grooves or like, something kinda White Stripey.
Dude, was I wrong.

Like, are there ANY phat beats on this thing? Um, NO--I heard they don't tour at all--I bet they can't dance, 'cause not one of their boy band harmonies has a kickin' beat behind it, so what's the point?

And what's with the look? I mean, dude, hit a gymn already, and like, catch Queer Eye like even once, and get some product in your hair.

And those lyrics...they don't take it from the streets to the suburbs (props to Eminem) or the suburbs to the suburbs (shout out to tha Kid)--in fact THEY DON'T RAP AT ALL. I Want You (She's So Heavy)--I mean, sure we all want the hot girl, but do you have to make the other girl who's fat feel bad by telling her that? Too cold. And what's with Carry That Weight--is the guy going with the fat girl after all, or has he gotten fat himself? Confusing. Give Me "your body is a wonderland" any day.

Speaking of heavy, forget slammin' tracks--these guys are ENGLISH, so they don't hit it like like Korn or Limp Bizkit or Phantom Planet. And okay, yeah, Sun King was kind of cool to chill to, but it would be better if it lasted like, twenty minutes with the same downbeats going all the way through--you can't get halfway through your doobie before the song is like, over. And Polythene Pam right after? Freaked me out, man.

So, in summary, check out a real band like Incubus.
 
 
Seth
12:56 / 31.07.04
hello my name is matthew smith.and i thought that this was a major smellfest by director Sketer Snackson.

The best review of The Fellowship of the Ring EVER.
 
 
ephemerat
13:32 / 31.07.04
The Crying of Lot 49 was all work and no play. Gads, it was dreadful.
 
 
ephemerat
13:41 / 31.07.04
More harsh words in reference to the Illuminatus trilogy:

Ever read God-Emperor of Dune? This is worse!
 
  

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