Garri Potter i filosofskii kamen'
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Hardcover (01 November, 2000)
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Reviews (4)

A Clunky Translation
Unfortunately, the first Russian-edition Harry Potter leaves a lot to be desired. The translation is awkward and stilted, and best skipped entirely in favor of the later Russian editions, which keep more to the spirit of the orginals.

Very poor translation
I am a Russian-English translator, and a fan of the Harry Potter books. A friend gave me the Russian version of the first book, and I was quite interested to see how it went. To be blunt, it is poorly translated, and appears to be the result of the Russian publisher hoping to get something on the shelves as soon as possible.A great deal of Rowling's humor lies in her turns of phrase, and the translator made only half-hearted attempts to convey these, if he made the attempt at all. I frequently wondered about his grasp of the English language.Most baffling to me was that the translator changed Neville's pet toad into a turtle--but only on some pages. I cannot recommend this book even as a curiosity, since that would only encourage the publisher to continue putting out shoddy work.

Harry Potter makes it to Russia
I have been reading the Harry Potter novels for ages, and they will always be my favorite.I first read them in English two years ago, since of the two languages I know, English would have to be my better one.But last year, while visiting my family in Russia, I found and bought the translated version of books 1-4.

In my oppinion, the translation wasn't perfect, and not as good as it could have been.Nothing much was changed, but I found a strange loss of humor.I was more than surprised to find that my friends were also reading these books in Russia, and I'm happy with the translation since it's better than nothing.I suggest if you know or are learning Russian, and have read Harry Potter in another language, that you definately buy this book to compare.It's the first book in the series. ... Read more

Isbn: 5845105129
Sales Rank: 673603
Subjects:  1. Fantasy - General    2. Fiction - Fantasy   

Amelie
by Audrey Tautou Mathieu Kassovitz
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Average Customer Review:
DVD (December, 2002)
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Editorial Review

Perhaps the most charming movie of all time, Amélie is certainly one of the top 10. The title character (the bashful and impish AudreyTautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won't, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world; with whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her café; she reverses the doorknobs and reprograms the speed dial of a grocer who's mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all. This is a deeply wonderful movie, an illuminating mix of magic and pragmatism. Fans of the director's previous films (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children) will not be disappointed; newcomers will be delighted. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

Reviews (851)

One of the most adorable movies ever made!
From beginning to ending, this is by far one of the finest movies I have seen in a long time.At once humorous and quaint, yet poignant and stirring, it follows the story of a young girl to early womanhood and how she seeks to fill the void in her life.The void is companionship and the method is by making other people's lives more complete and happy.

Amélie has no friends in her childhood, thanks to a series of weird and comical events.She grows up to work as a waitress in a bistro and begins to see opportunities to help others reclaim their own lives and dignity.Her only downside is her lack of happiness in her own life, though her attempts and helping others temporarily fill that need.Then, a stranger finds his way into her pantheon of daily routine and her own shyness and timidness take over.The result is not what you would expect, though.

Towards the end you are waiting for the depressing climax, but instead... well, I won't ruin it for you, suffice to say that once things start falling into place, the picture is complete.

Great acting all around, intelligent and beautiful cinematography and a compelling story make this alone a truly outstanding movie.What I also found most intriguing was the Parisian setting without once really seeing the Eiffel Tower, instead preferring to dwell on the lesser known cityscapes and French countryside scenes.It is smart, cute, witty and a wonderful watch that will have you laughing out loud and feeling very fulfilled at the end.Enjoy heartily!

Roaming Gnome
This movie is about a girl named Amelie. Who in her own strange way tries to help her friends and some strangers find happiness. This movie you have to catch at the beginning or you will be totally confused. This movie is great it shows you that you can take fate into you own hands and not wait around for a miracle that may never come.

"Amelie": avoid it with someone you love
America's relationship with France, never the hardiest, was dealt a decisive blow with France's refusal to give the big "thumbs-up" to our incursion into Iraq. Some feel the enmity thus engendered in U.S. hearts to be more than justified. "Bushwa," I say (mainly because it's fun); if there were indeed a reason to be angry with our snail-eating friends across the sea it would be, rather, the illegal and unjust "Amelie".

It has been noted elsewhere that Audrey Tautou bears a striking physical resemblance to Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, but personally I believe this comment to be "below the belt", and have no intention of dignifying its rancor by repeating it here. More germane: that the relentless symmetry of "Amelie"'s visual design (take note, budding film makers: nothin' screams "MY MOVIE IS A MASTERPIECE!" quite as loudly as having the same things on both halves of the screen) and Tautou's endlessly coy grins, grimaces and pie-eyed glances into the camera (kootchie-kootchie!) turned my face as GREEN as most of the shots in this film, for reasons I have no way of divining, happen to be.

As for the narration, mercilessly cloying in two languages: it is the rare film indeed that would not benefit from the excision of same. Film is a medium consisting of both pictures-

THAT MOVE!

- and sound. There are many possibilities inherent in this combination. It would be good for film makers to exhaust them all before resorting, ever so reluctantly, to the hiring of someone to stand off-screen and tell us about things we are not being shown (or worse) to explain to us things we ARE being shown, or (also bad) to explain what the characters on-screen are thinking or feeling about what is happening, or not happening, to them, or whatever.

C'est la vie (That Gallic charm is infectious).

It is for now a technical impossibility to give a film a zero-star rating; one star will have to do. Some films, however, are indeed wholly without merit.


... Read more

Asin: B0000640VO
Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - French   

Lolita (Vintage International)
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (13 March, 1989)
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Editorial Review

Despite its lascivious reputation, the pleasures ofLolita areas much intellectual as erogenous. It is a love story with the power to raise both chuckles and eyebrows. Humbert Humbert is a European intellectual adrift in America, haunted by memories of a lost adolescent love. When he meets his ideal nymphet in the shape of 12-year-old Dolores Haze, he constructs an elaborate plot to seduce her, but first he must get rid of her mother.In spite of his diabolical wit, reality proves to be more slippery than Humbert's feverish fantasies, and Lolita refuses to conform to his image of the perfect lover.

Playfully perverse in form as well as content, riddled with puns and literary allusions, Nabokov's 1955 novel is a hymn to the Russian-born author's delight in his adopted language. Indeed, readers who want to probe all of its allusive nooks and crannies will need to consult the annotated edition.Lolita is undoubtedly, brazenly erotic, but the eroticism springs less from the "frail honey-hued shoulders ... the silky supple bare back" of little Lo than it does from the wantonly gorgeous prose that Humbert uses to recount his forbidden passion:

She was musical and apple-sweet ... Lola the bobby-soxer, devouring her immemorial fruit, singing through its juice ... and every movement she made, every shuffle and ripple, helped me to conceal and to improve the secret system of tactile correspondence between beast and beauty--between my gagged, bursting beast and the beauty of her dimpled body in its innocent cotton frock.

Much has been made of Lolita as metaphor, perhaps because the love affair at its heart is so troubling. Humbert represents the formal, educated Old World of Europe, while Lolita is America: ripening, beautiful, but not too bright and a little vulgar. Nabokov delights in exploring the intercourse between these cultures, and the passages where Humbert describes the suburbs and strip malls and motels of postwar America are filled with both attraction and repulsion, "those restaurants where the holy spirit of Huncan Dines had descended upon the cute paper napkins and cottage-cheese-crested salads." Yet however tempting the novel's symbolism may be, its chief delight--and power--lies in the character of Humbert Humbert. He, at least as he tells it, is no seedy skulker, no twisted destroyer of innocence. Instead, Nabokov's celebrated mouthpiece is erudite and witty, even at his most depraved. Humbert can't help it--linguistic jouissance is as important to him as the satisfaction of his arrested libido. --Simon Leake ... Read more

Reviews (409)

A masterpiece indeed
With all the current reviews that have discussed about every possible aspect of this novel and its solid place among the greatest books of the 20th century, there is little reason to add my additional 2 pseudo intellectual cents here.

With a clear foundation in his fatherland's classics Nabokov has left the world a masterpiece of a twisted and abusive relationship. On top of that he provides a road trip Odyssey through this country that is still dead on in many aspects.

Thanks to the masterful after word it would be unwise to delve too deeply into the potential symbolism contained in this art. Like all great art a reductionist approach to understanding will only diminish enjoying the big picture.

Thanks to the current bestseller "Reading Lolita in Tehran" the original has received renewed attention. I wonder how long it will take readers in the Middle East to see the similarities between the relationship between Humbert and Dolores and between W and their nations.

Magnificent
The book "Lolita" is often considered pornography and is censored in many schools. However, this is a product of prejudice and "judging a book by its cover". The book only states that Humbert had sex with Lolita but never describes the actual action of sex. Yes, it does describe a twelve-year-old girl's body parts and the sexual desires a 40-year-old feels, but this is just to illustrate the mind of a madly-obsessed man. The idea of a new highly-controversial topic and Nabokov's excellent use of prose surely makes "Lolita" one of this century's best books.

"Lolita" is about passion, obsession and love. It is never pornography that is used to entice one's sexual desires. Nabokov came up with this topic to show the nature of human's minds and their psyche. The book shows how strong a person's obsession might reach and that it might conclude in ruining one's life when obsession is uncontrolled. Humbert, the main character, failed to restrain his overflowing emotions and this resulted in statutory rape and murder. However, his flowery tone and writing seems to induce the feeling of disgust because Humbert or Nabokov expresses the acts so positively and it seems that Humbert didn't do anything wrong. This is an act of humans trying to justify and defend themselves. When people write or talk about themselves, they tend not to write negatively but positively. This book shows a perfect example of this. Nabokov's writing is so convincing and beautiful that people might even feel sympathy for Humbert. Readers who read this book carefully cannot hate Humbert because the tone is so positive towards him and negative towards his enemies and adversaries. It makes us seem that Quilty and Charlotte, examples of the victims of Humbert's madness, are bad and that they are suffering Humbert when Humbert may be the one who has caused all the problems. Nabokov is surely a master in prose-writing.

This book is magnificent, interesting and entertaining. It is difficult and somewhat boring but if it is carefully and slowly read, consuming all the details, the book becomes very easy and extremely enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this book and I feel that it would be a pity to not read such a great book.

Fascinating exploration of power, love, and self-deception
Writing from prison where he is held on trial for murder, Humbert Humbert recounts his obssessive passion for 12-year-old Lolita.Fleeing a bad marriage from France to America, Humbert rents a room from Charlotte Haze where he becomes obssessed with Charlotte's daughter, Dolores (aka, Lolita).While Lolita is away at summer camp, Humbert marries Charlotte.When Charlotte discovers Humbert's diaries and their lacivious fantasies about her daughter, she is enraged and runs out into the street where she is struck by a car and killed.

Humbert fetches Lolita from camp, takes her to a hotel where they begin their sexual relationship before he has even told Lolita her mother is dead.He then takes Lolita on a year-long journey across the US in an effort to avoid the discovery of their relationship and any intervention by the authorities on Lolita's behalf.

At the end of the year, Humbert settles down with Lolita in the town of Beardsley where he sends her to an upscale private school for debutantes.Humbert and Lolita battle fiercely over her allowance and her behavior with boys, culminating in Lolita's insistance that they go back on the road.

Humbert complies and quickly figures out that he and Lolita are being followed.Lolita's suspicious behavior suggests to Humbert that she is complicit in this and her sudden disappearance leads Humbert on a chase to find Lolita and exact revenge on her new lover.

As a novel, Lolita is intriguing on many different levels.The book is so disturbing because Humbert is so decidedly NOT crazy.It's certainly true that age of concent is cultural and that some children (what Humbert calls "nymphets") do radiate a certain
unconscious charm and sexuality.

But don't get stuck in the trap of thinking of this book as about sex or as an apology for child molestation. The real source of Humbert's madness is his narcissism, his obssession with carving Lolita up into body parts in his mind, with the transitory
nature of innocence.

It's a fascinating study of a manipulative abuser who truly believes he loves his victim. Particularly how Nabokov emphasizes Lolita's power in the situation because the abuser needs the abused (possibly for self-definition? Does Humbert even know who he is if he doesn't have a nymphet/victim that he can control
by allowing his obssession with them to, in fact, control him?)

Lolita should never be considered pornography. First because that allows the role of sex to take too much emphasis over other aspects of Humbert's relationship with Lolita and his own wounded psyche. Notice Humbert NEVER describes the sex act in the book. We know a few places where it happens but it's entirely left for us to infer. Porn is never that subtle, not even soft core. This book isn't a masturbation aid; it's the mind of a man so obssessed with the girl he loves that he has made that girl a figment of his own imagination.

Second, the novel doesn't serve the same purpose as pornography. Not just because the book isn't a masturbation aid, but because pornography relies on deceiving its consumer, giving a false impression and false "high" in place of the real experience. Usually with sex -- naughty, dirty scenes that stimulate arousal without any of the real-life messiness of sex (no worries about impotence or being able to orgasm or accidentally being squashed or having your hair pulled by your partner), all the things that make real sex so much fuller and more real than porn images of sex.

Whether Lolita "led him on" depends on how reliable you think Humbert is as a narrator. It struck me that Humbert was scrupulously honest, but deluded by his own narcissism. Which means his facts about Lolita would be meticulously correct, but his interpretation of them would not be.

We have to assume that Lolita was neither innocent nor virginal. Humbert wasn't her first partner and he wasn't even her first adult male partner. Spontaneously and passionately French kissing an adult isn't the usual way teenage girls exhibit their crushes on grown men. Lolita definitely knew how to seduce and how to manipulate (e.g. Humbert denies raping her at first, but by the end of the book believes that he did rape her forcibly as she
claimed; we're never told for sure what the truth is, but Humbert's compulsive personality seems to suggest he isn't hiding any facts, so I concluded from this that Humbert is so obssessed with Lolita that he eventually accepts her accusation as the truth). Knowing to manipulate by accusing a man of rape is not
indicative of a demure and innocent child. This kid not only knows how to play a grown woman's game, she knows how to play a scarlet harlot's game! At age 12!

And this is where it gets sticky and challenges all our ideas about victimhood. Because Lolita is undoubtedly Humbert's victim. The real Lolita (whoever she is) doesn't exist for Humbert. He
sees in her only what he wants to see - the object of his passion and obssession. We assume too easily that victimhood is an either/or proposition -- either one is pure, blameless, and deserving of unqualified sympathy OR one is complicit, guilty, and cannot be considered a victim. Real life is messier than that.And Lolita challenges it. Because she's by no means an innocent little girl, but she is ALSO a victim. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

But I don't see how we can doubt Humbert loves Lolita.This is a guy who can ramble for three pages about the downy hair on his beloved's arm. He's passionately in love with her -- the problem is, he never really SEES her, despite his meticulous recall of every inch of her body. The trouble with a narcissist is that they can't see anything except through the filter of themselves and in relation to themselves.

I suppose it's possible to argue then that a narcissist isn't capable of real love. But I think that would be a dismissive by-product of our therapeutic culture that likes to box every human experience into neat, diagnosable packages. Mostly for our own comfort -- if THEY are crazy, it means *I* am not. And it's not that simple. Granted, we aren't all capable of child molestation nor as extreme as Humbert, but we're all capable of being so enamored with something that we can't see it for what it really is. Humbert's narcisstic blindness is tragic for both him and for Lolita.

Lolita has been criticized as not only too salacious for the masses, but as an anti-American screed -- Humbert symbolizing Europe and Lolita symbolizing America and the overall story symbolizing Europe victimizing and screwing (literally) America.

Nabokov vehemently denied that he had any anti-American intent in writing Lolita. In fact, he said it pained him to be accused of anti-American sentiment and that he purposely set the novel in the US because the beauty of American landscapes made a good backdrop for Humbert and Lolita's affair.Obviously, he pokes fun of some of the commercial, consumerist, and low-brow aspects of American culture.But only Americans who confuse defensiveness for patriotism would really consider this anti-American.

This novel shouldn't be summed up as "a love story" anymore than it should be summed up as "a sex story". It's both, but it's so much more challenging than either.It's a moving and fascinating exploration power, love, and self-deception. ... Read more

Isbn: 0679723161
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Erotic fiction    3. Fiction    4. Girls    5. Literary    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Love stories    9. Middle aged men    10. Fiction / Literary    11. Reading Group Guide   

On How Life Is
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 July, 1999)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

Gray starts from a solid foundation of retro funk and soul and builds on it by adding hip-hop signifiers and modern studio techniques. The result is one of the better debuts of the year, thanks to Gray's blunt proclamations ("I've committed murder... and I don't feel bad about it") and inimitable vocal phrasing. On How Life Is offers the sass of a '20s blueswoman plus the don't-mess-with-me strength of a 21st-century R&B icon-in-the-making. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

Reviews (487)

Fresh and funky
With a voice like Billy Holidays little sister Macy introduces herself with an excellent R&B album that looks back to '70s soul with a funky vengence.About freeking time someone with a distinctive voice that doesn't sound like some cooing 14 year old came on the scene.This album is sexy but perhaps a few too many ballads to warrant a 5, but what the hell, buy it now.

Donald Duck+70s funk=Perfection (alias Macy Gray)
On her debut, Ms. Gray put together her most complete and well-presented mess yet in her career.Gray's over raspy, cartoonish voice sounds more like Donald Duck than anything else, yet she embellishes it with soul and feeling.The strange voice is the icing on Ms. Gray's bizarre cake of a personality.Yet Ms. Gray mixes her unique vocals and personality with familiar riffs and music straight out of 70's soul.On "Why didn't you don't call me" Ms. Gray soulfully groans about a one night stand and on "I try" she puts her own spin on a generic pop rock ballad.The one drawback here is too many mushy ballads where Ms. Gray's vocals lag and her playful persona is missing.The best are the sexual "Caligula" and "Sex-omatic Venus freak" where Ms. Gray giggles and brags about sex like a man.The coy girls of sex and the city, perhaps with the exception of Samantha, could learn a thing or two from Ms.Gray (she sings "I feel like an ex x rated movie star" with childish joy on "Sex-omatic").The best are "I've committed murder" where Ms. Gray sing/raps about murdering her boyfriends boss with infectious playfulness and `Do something" where she strains her voice to plead with herself to escape drugs.On "On how life is", Macy creates a unique, beautiful, funky escapade that proves that with good singing and personality the most unlikely of candidates can become leaders in the world of music.

The Arrival of an Amazing Talent
When I first heard Macy Gray, I thought she had a wonderfully unique voice. I first heard her in the 1997 movie Picture Perfect. "I Try" was playing in the background towards the end, and for some reason the song stood out. Two years later, I heard "Do Something" and thought it was good, but it wasn't until "I Try" became such a big hit that I remembered who she was. I bought the CD and let me tell you, it is a fantastic album. She sounds as if she's been doing this for years, yet it is only her first CD!

1)Why Didn't You Call Me- a good album opener. It's refreshing to hear an R&B album that uses real instruments.
2)Do Something- a really good song. It really does make you think about what you should do with your life.
3)Caligula- the first raunchy song. She sounds as if she enjoys sex, rather than just singing about it to get attention.
4)I Try- it's no surprise this was such a big hit. Most artists can only dream of having a song this good on their first album.

5)Sex-o-matic Venus Freak- this song is really dirty. It should have been a single. It's one of the best songs on the album
6)I Can't Wait to Meetchu- a really terrific song. It's a very spiritual song that will make you feel good even if you're not a very spiritual person.
7)Still- another great song. She really nails this song and the emotion behind it.
8)I've Committed Murder- a very strange song. It tells a story that you don't hear in music everyday. Very unique.
9)A Moment to Myself- another really good song. It talks about being happy with who you are, and who can complain about that?
10)The Letter- a song about suicide. She's able to pull it off because she is so good at singing about taboo subjects. On some level, it sounds like she's leaving behind the days when she wasn't happy and wasn't doing what she loved to do.

This is a very good CD. I highly recommend it for those who like artists that aren't afraid to take chances. It's also one of those albums that deserved to sell millions and ended up doing just that. ... Read more

Asin: B00000JQFG
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. R&B   

Harry Potter a l'ecole des sorciers
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 August, 1999)
list price: $15.35 -- our price: $11.87
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Reviews (4)

Great way to improve your French
I took French years ago but like many US citizens, I rarely had the opportunity to actually use even what little I knew.Remembering the old saw that "If you don't use it, you lose it," I tried from time to time to improve my reading skills by taking up a book that I knew I had enjoyed in English.Although still difficult to find, books in French are becoming more common than they used to be and less expensive too.I found this one with little difficulty on Amazon, and have added other books in the language from the site to my wish list.

I was so successful in reading and understanding the simple French of Harry Potter, that I was almost at my normal reading speed.Although there were sentances and phrases that did not always make sense to me, I found that if I pronounced the French words in my mind rather than trying to translate the material into English, I often understood much better.I also found that the next time I ran across a new or difficult word that I had found in one context, I recognized its meaning much more quickly in another.Just as in learning to read English as a young person, I find that reading persistantly is the key to developing a vocabularly.

Though I don't ever expect to be a fluent French speaker and will probably never sit down and write my reviews in any language but English, I really, really, really enjoyed having an opportunity to re-read Harry Potter, this time in French.I recommend the series to parents of children learning to read French and adults who wish to improve their language skills.

For all ages
I would recommend Harry Potter a l'ecole des sorciers foreveryone.I chose to read this book for French class as a summer reading.It isn't hard and I learned more French words as a result.It is very exciting.The cover was nicely done too.

A la rencontre de Harry Potter
(Pardonnez l'orthographe et les accents manquant)

Ce livre est super pour nous faire rencontrer Harry Potter.Comme adulte, je le trouve tres facile a lire, mais comme parent j'apprecie que mes enfants se trouvent resolue a ecoute l'histoire au complet!On en a lu deux chapitre le jour, et ca seulement a cause que ma voix manquait si j'en lisais plus!

Bien ecrit, avec un complot mouvementez, J. K. Rowlings nous apporte facilement de chapitre en chapitre et d'aventure a aventure.Elle nous intrigue avec ses descriptions et nous nous retrouvons a en vouloir savoir de plus en plus.

Personellement, j'ai lu se livre en une journee, et puis les trois livres suivant en moins d'une semaine!Je ne peux attendre a me retrouve avec le tome 5 de Harry Potter.

Je le conseille fortement aux enfants et aux parents. ... Read more

Isbn: 2070518426
Sales Rank: 108400
Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Humorous Stories    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. School & Education    6. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic   

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
Director: Vladimir Menshov
Average Customer Review:
DVD (04 September, 2001)
list price: $29.95
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Features

• Color
• Widescreen

Reviews (26)

Average/below average release by KINO
The film requires no introduction, however, the KINO "regular" edition (the special edition is out of print) is a bitter disappointment, moreso for the price it goes by.The subtitles are not optional (hardcoded into the mpeg) - so VERY poor DVD authoring workmanship there!Try to get the SE if possible (supposedly with extra features, and optional, multi-language subtitles.)

Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears
I have watched this movie 20 times since it came out in 1980.This version is so good because the producers corrected the errors in the original subtitles.They were white letters on white tableclothes and white benches.It made it very difficut to read especially during some very critical scenes.That has been corrected in this DVD version.I highly recommend the subtitled version of this film over the English dubbed.The acting is so well done that the voice intonations are critical to the quality of the film.The dub-overs do not have those intonations that are so unique.

This is the tale of three Russian women who are very close friends and the paths they took in life.It spans over 20 years.The story could happen in almost any large city in the world, but it is an added touch that it takes place in Moscow during the Communist rule.One gets an interesting insight into life there at that time.

I love Moscow!
Moscow is like a lottery: you have the chance to become a diplomat, a circus-artist, a film star. During the year 1958 three girls wonder if such a career is within their reach. They live in a rooming-house, work in a factory and toy with the idea of an academic career. But their main subject is - love. Antonina is the good one, Katerina is the sensitive one and Lyudmila is the man-chaser and gold-digger: the man of her choice should own a car and a datscha, and she tries to entrap an academic by hook or by crook.

After a while the good scenes start to drop in: Katerina is chosen to give a tv-interview while operating her machine. The very professional tv-reporter gives her a scrap of paper with prefabricated answers: Of course, she does not deliver. She has an affair with Gurin, the cameraman, and becomes pregnant. When she informs him he reacts like the "hero" in a french nouvell-vague-film: sulky because he is forced to play the baddie, anxious not to miss an appointment...He is such a coward that he even sends his mother to settle this affair for him. Suddenly Mom turns up in Katerina's rooming-house and treats her with disdain: She is not willing to relinquish even one square meter of her new two-room-apartment. Katerina refuses her settlement...

Twenty years later: Antonina is happily married to Nikolai and a mother of three. The other girls are unmarried. Lyudmila works in a department store, is harassed by an alcoholic ex-lover, but is still playing her old game: Wouldn't it be wonderful to be the wife of a general? Katerina lives together with her daughter Alexandra. She owns a large apartment (For Moscow standards), a car, and is now director of the factory. She has an affair with a married man, but she is not happy. But love comes when she meets the sly and charming Gosha, a locksmith, who announces very soon to Alexandra that he has the intention to marry her mother. He is even willing to beat the daylights out of the Moscow maffia who threatens Alexandra's boyfriend. Suddenly Gurin reappears: after two failed marriages he wants to see his daughter. (Katerina can't resist to ask why he did not bring his mom). But he manages to scare Gosha away. Katerina is desperate: how will she ever be able to find the man she loves, if all she knows of him is his profession and his nickname? Nikolai volunteers. Mission: find Katerina's runaway lover, if necessary by secret-agent-means...

Moscow Guys & Moscow Dolls. Moscow dogs & Moscow maffia. Moscow apartments & Moscow factories. Moscow marriage-brokers (The shortage of men is so serious that they refuse femals clients!). Moscow barbecues under Moscow birch-trees. This film is the soviet answer to Woody Allen's MANHATTAN - the director's declaration of love for his city. There have been some disappointed comments when this film won the best-foreign-film-oscar in 1980, but some critics always nag. It's pretty long, but don't forget that russians have big hearts and much to say. Besides, if you watch this film on video, you can interrupt them as often as you want... ... Read more

Asin: B00005NI9B
Sales Rank: 35911
Subjects:  1. Foreign Film - Russian   

Starman
Average Customer Review:
Digital
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Reviews (10)

This is a David Bowie cover. Check out Dar's albums for Dar.
A few years ago, Dar let her website fans vote in an online song poll, and Dar did a cover of the winning song -- which happened to be Bowie's "Starman". It's probably easier to give this song away than to secure the legal rights from Bowie's label to put it on a commercial album.

Both David Bowie and Dar Williams are fantastic songwriters, but "Starman" really isn't an indication of Dar's style, abilities or talents. Admittedly, I enjoy Dar's "Starman" more than David's, but if you're looking for snippets of genuine Dar Williams music, check out the album samples themselves.

this is dar??
Ok, I'm a longtime Dar fan, but this sample is ridiculous.Just to agree with several other posters, please don't just this artist on the basis of the download!Honesty Room, Mortal City, and Green World are all fantastic albums; check those out before writing her off.

Don't judge by this sample
Dar Williams is one of the most intelligent and creative of the singer-songwriters out there, which is saying a lot given the great crop that is currently performing.This particular cut is not a great one to represent her work, as has been pointed out by another reviewer.I consider all of her CDs to be "must haves" in my collection and I have had the great pleasure of hearing her in live performances 3 times, both solo and with Cry Cry Cry.Start with The Honesty Room and Mortal City to get a real taste of her talent.Out There Live gives a good feel for what it's like to see her in concert. ... Read more

Asin: B00008GQET

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete First Season
by Sarah Michelle Gellar
Average Customer Review:
DVD (15 January, 2002)
list price: $39.98 -- our price: $29.99
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Editorial Review

Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) looks like your typical perky high-schooler, and like most, she has her secret fears and anxieties. However, while most teens are worrying about their next date, their next zit, or their next term paper, Buffy's angsting over the next vampire she has to slay. See, Buffy, a young woman with superhuman strength, is the "chosen one," and she must help rid the world of evil, namely by staking demons. The exceptional first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer introduces us to the treacherous world of Sunnydale High School (where Buffy moved after torching her previous high school's gym). The characters there include "watcher" Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and the original "Scooby Gang" members--friendly geek Xander (Nicholas Brendon), computer whiz Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and snobbish popular girl Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter)--who aid Buffy in her quest. Those used to the darker tone that Buffy took in its later seasons will be surprised by the lighter feeling these first 12 episodes have--it's kind of like Buffy 90210 as the cast grapples with regular teen problems in addition to saving the world from demonic darkness. Fans of the show will enjoy the crisp writing, the phenomenal chemistry of the cast (already well-established within the first few episodes), and the introduction to characters that would stay for many seasons, including moody vampire Angel (David Boreanaz). Through it all, Gellar carries the series with amazing confidence, whether conveying the despair of high school or dispatching various demons--she's one of TV's most distinctive and strongest heroines. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Dolby
• Box set

Reviews (484)

Great start to the best tv series of all time
The first season of Buffy was such a great beginning to a show that would set the tone for other girl butt kicking shows such as Alias and Dark Angel. Here is my rating of the episodes.

1. Welcome to the Hellmouth - 10/10
2. The Harvest - 10/10
3. The Witch - 12/10
4. Teacher's Pet - 8/10
5. Never Kill A Boy On The First Date - 7/10
6. The Pack - 9/10
7. Angel - 15/10
8. I, Robot -- You Jane - 6/10
9. The Puppet Show - 8/10
10. Nightmares - 13/10
11. Out of Mind, Out of Sight - 11/10
12. Prophecy Girl - 20/10

This really was a great first season not the best season but a great start to this amazing series. I highly recommend it.

From Daughters to Mother
My girls (ages 21 and 17) have been watching "Buffy" for quite some time -- after repeated invitations to watch it with them, I found out that I really like this show!For my birthday, they gave me the first season on DVD.

The shows are witty but at the same time give an insight to the "geekier" side of young people which is valuable, since most of us in this world aren't gorgeous, brilliant and popular.It's more than blood-sucking, it's practically a morality model.Bad=Evil, Good=Divine...

I want to see more!

Awsome but the least Buffy series
12: I, Robot...You Jane = 6.2/10
11: Never Kill A Boy At The First Date = 6.6/10
10: Nightmares = 7.0/10
09: Angel = 7.5/10
08: The Pupped Show = 7.6/10
07: Teacher's Pet = 8.0/10
06: The Harvest = 8.2/10
05: Welcome To The Hellmounth = 8.5/10
04: Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight = 8.6/10
03: The Witch = 8.9/10
02: The Pack = 9.0/10
01: Prophecy Girl = 10/10

this is just an awsome season, everything starts with this.
too bad the effects and acting wasn't as strong as the rest of the seasons, but in overall, thanks to this season everythign of the two briljant series started ... Read more

Asin: B00005221I
Subjects:  1. Television   

Tight Connection
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 July, 2002)
list price: $11.98
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Reviews (11)

What happened here?
I was a fan of this band even before getting their first album, Out of the Loop. It was so unique and raw while at the same time catchy and uplifting. With their second album, Tight Connection, I was expecting a little more polish to their sound along with the same trademark toe-tapping song style. Instead I found this album to actually be less polished than their first one. What happened? It's like Dan Geller ignored whatever lessons he learned when making the first album.

In spite of me being harsh about the album sounding more amateurish than I had hoped it's still an album worth having. You will find some really nice tunes here. Though I am not in agreement with others posters on how their cover song from Blondie ("Call Me") sounds. I don't like it. I appreciate the effort and like where they were going, but it needs a lot more work.

I can't recommend this album for the new listener. I think it would be better to get Out of the Loop first. If you absolutely love it then go ahead and get Tight Connection. You will be a lot better off getting yourself used to their sound before getting this one.

Where is The Party?
This band has always suffered from the name that hardly describes the band. Okay, maybe there is two people in it, like two men standing at the end of Manhattan. There once was two big water tanks in Williamsburg too. And those are destroyed and gone too. Dan Geller is smart enough to get a chick singer to front the band who looks like Nina Persson and sings like Debbie Harry. In fact, they name check Blondie with the song "Pretty Baby" but prefer to cover the song "Call Me" which is a song about prostitution as you may remember. Occasionally they draw from "lowlife" era New Order on songs like "The Postcard." But they really outdo themselves with "Believe in Me" that sounds like a big summer Ibiza anthem.

When you expect some of the easy-going pop that Kindercore is used to, you find that this band has more to do with Layo & Bushwacka and maybe also Moloko (another successful girl/guy duo). Some songs like "California Dreaming Again" sort of make us all want to take Ecstasy and forget all about 9/11. "The Tight Connection" is a great party record. It has surprises. I think that they will be around for a while.

GREAT ALBUM
highly recommend it if you like dance music.great to shake your booty to ... Read more

Asin: B000068QU5
Sales Rank: 122214
Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Indie Electronic    3. Indie Pop    4. Pop    5. Rock   

The House of Yes
by Parker Posey Josh Hamilton
Director: Mark Waters (VIII)
Average Customer Review:
DVD (01 June, 2004)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $13.48
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Editorial Review

Parker Posey was the It Girl of independent film in early 1997, the year this film (along with three or four others in which she starred) all played at the Sundance Film Festival. This film was the toughest of the bunch to embrace, based as it was on a self-consciously quirky off-Broadway play about Thanksgiving at the home of a particularly strange family. Oldest son Josh Hamilton comes home from college for the holidays, with fiancée Tori Spelling in tow. What he hasn't told her is that his twin sister, Jackie-O (played by Posey), thinks she's Jackie Kennedy--or that he and Jackie-O have shared more than, shall we say, filial affection. Posey is wonderfully edgy and she and Hamilton spar with entertaining vigor, but you still have to cope with writer-director Mark Waters's pretentious script. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• DTS Surround Sound
• Widescreen

Reviews (71)

Time to hide the kitchen knives and hope for the best

The credits of "The House of Yes" take us back and forth from black & white film of Jackie Kennedy giving her famous televised tour of the White House and color home movies of a young girl (Rachel Leigh Cook) dressed like Jackie and providing a similar tour of her own home. We quickly learn that the night JFK was shot, the father of the young girl and her unseen twin brother behind the camera, disappeared. In the present the young girl, known as Jackie-O (Parker Posey) has recently returned from a mental institution and is excited that her twin brother Marty (Josh Hamilton) is returning home for Thanksgiving in 1983. Unfortunately Marty has brought home a fianc?, Lesly (Tori Spelling), and this does nothing good for Jackie-O's sanity. All her mother (Genevi?ve Bujold) can do is "baste the turkey and hide the kitchen knives."

The problem is that Jackie and Marty are very close twins. Their mother explains to Lesly that that when they emerged from the womb Jackie was holding on to Marty's penis and as this film develops we learn she still has a rather unhealthy attachment to both it and him. Throw into the mix another brother, Anthony (Freddie Prinze Jr.) who takes a liking to Lesly and there is just no end to how badly this Thanksgiving can go. At one point Anthony explains to Lesly that she is the first guest ever to spend the night in the house, which should be enough to send her fleeing from the Pascual residence, but that comes later.

The Pascuals are one of those unhappy families that is unhappy in a peculiarly sick little way. The opening credits inform us that "The House of Yes" was based on a play by Wendy MacLeod and as soon as the dialogue begins you certainly hear the staginess of the words. But it makes sense to me that this story of twins obsessed with incest and the Kennedy assassination was originally a play, because the black comedy probably worked even better in that context. The humor here is warped, to say the least, but the cast is in fine former and makes it easier for us to laugh.

Posey is the star of the show (her performance received special recognition for acting at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival), gleefully enjoying Jackie-O's insanity, starting with her frantic response to Marty's introduction of Lesly as his fianc?. The only one who can go toe to toe with her is Marty, which probably explains why he is so important to her. It is why he continues to act out the JFK assassination with her and get physical that remains a mystery. Prinze turns in a performance that makes me think of a mellower Anthony Perkins, while Bujold keeps urging everybody to just jump ahead to the obvious ending, where Lesly goes away so that Marty and Jackie-O can apparently live happily ever after. Even the casting of Spelling works in this case, although undoubtedly a big surprise to the many who cast aspirations on her acting career.

"The House of Yes" will not be to everyone's taste, but that is what happens when you combine incest and the Kennedy assassination. The situation is surreal enough that you do not take it seriously, but you can still understand why some people are going to give up on this one early on or not even start it once they know what it is about. As a play I would have associated this with some of those I saw during the 1970s, which is why I am probably open to this sort of storyline: I have seen stranger and weirder things. But if you watch "The House of Yes" what you are going to remember in the end are the performances and not the plot.

"Do They Have Paintings In Pennsylvania?"
I thought this movie was great!It's definitely for the more cultured and intillectual movie-goer.It's probably the best dark comedy I've ever seen (only to rival the masterpiece that is "Heathers").The dialog in this movie with leave you with one-liners for years to come.After seeing "Party Girl" I fell in love with Parker Posey, and when I saw this I loved her even more. This instantly became one of my favorite movies of all time, but then again I'm a huge fan of good dark comedies and I have a sick sense of humor. Everyone I know absolutely loved this move (including my MOM!) In any event, this is a definite must-see for any fan of Parker Posey and dark comedy.Excellent.

Dark Comedy at its. . . almost best
The House of Yes is not for the average movie go-er (such as people who prefer, say, summer blockbusters to indie films), but for those who appreciate (and can sit through) a film peppered with quick banter, taboo insinuations (i.e. incest), and comedic satire.I enjoyed Parker Posey's portrayl of a mentally-unbalanced woman who impersonates Jackie O. that cannot escape the feelings of oneness and amorous love for her twin brother.It is a smart, sassy look at dysfunction, but dysfunction from a surrealist point of view.Tori Spelling's acting is terrible, as I wanted Jackie O. to kill her and be done with it all.Yes, there isn't enough underlying "tension" between the characters and what's at stake is marginal at best, but for 85 minutes, the dialog and interesting story line will set you spinning. ... Read more

Asin: 6305428026
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-comedy   

Riedel Vinum Cabernet Decanter Gift Set
Average Customer Review:
Kitchen
list price: $89.00 -- our price: $62.79
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Features

• Made in Austria by world renowned wine-glass maker
• 2 21-1/2-ounce glasses plus matching 37-1/8-ounce decanter
• Ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Bordeaux wines like Cabernet Franc
• Machine-blown of brilliant 24-percent lead crystal
• Both decanter and glasses are 9 inches high

Reviews (1)

Great as a housewarming gift
For a young household, a practical and often-used gift. The glass, Austrian-made, is of brilliant quality - I loved how the wine sparkled when held against the sunlight
I gave the set away twice. ... Read more

Asin: B000069CEN
Sales Rank: 3365
Subjects:  1. Bar Sets    2. Barware    3. (Bar Ware)    4. Bartending    5. Wine Products    6. Wine Decanters    7. Wine Lovers Gift Sets    8. Wine Glasses    9. Red Wine   

Hate to Say I Told You So
Average Customer Review:
Digital
list price: $0.00
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Reviews (14)

A classic garage rock
This is one of those songs which just sound great even though they're designed for lo-fi. The guitar, drums, and bass all mesh perfectly with eachother and the nearly screaming voice of the lead singer. It's one of those few perfect rock songs, going down as a five star online and in iTunes for me.

I Told You So...
The Hives helped the whole retro revival thing going with their hit single "Hate To Say I Told You So". Now you can hear what all the fuss is about without paying a cent.

It's a song that could have come from a 1960s garage rock band. Rebellious but vague lyrics, repetitive power chords and a catchy chorus. Subtle hints of synthesizers and guitar noise freshen up the old sounds, so it doesn't sound like a clone of older bands. The production is raw and powerful for the most part, but still crisp and clear. Quite a good mix, best played loud. Jump around, have fun, that's what it's all about. The energy of it is pretty infectious.

As far as 3 minute, power chord rock songs go, you can't get much better than this. One of the few songs I really, really like from the retro revival movement.

Excellent
A Great song from a great band.Well worth a listen! ... Read more

Asin: B00005739R

Me Talk Pretty One Day
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (05 June, 2001)
list price: $14.95 -- our price: $10.17
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Editorial Review

David Sedaris became a star autobiographer on public radio, onstage in New York, and on bestseller lists, mostly on the strength of "SantaLand Diaries," a scathing, hilarious account of his stint as a Christmas elf at Macy's. (It's in two separate collections, both worth owning, Barrel Fever and the Christmas-themed Holidays on Ice.) Sedaris's caustic gift has not deserted him in his fourth book, which mines poignant comedy from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France. Though his anarchic inclination to digress is his glory, Sedaris does have a theme in these reminiscences: the inability of humans to communicate. The title is his rendition in transliterated English of how he and his fellow students of French in Paris mangle the Gallic language. In the essay "Jesus Shaves," he and his classmates from many nations try to convey the concept of Easter to a Moroccan Muslim. "It is a party for the little boy of God," says one. "Then he be die one day on two... morsels of... lumber," says another. Sedaris muses on the disputes between his Protestant mother and his father, a Greek Orthodox guy whose Easter fell on a different day. Other essays explicate his deep kinship with his eccentric mom and absurd alienation from his IBM-exec dad: "To me, the greatest mystery of science continues to be that a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests."

Every glimpse we get of Sedaris's family and acquaintances delivers laughs and insights. He thwarts his North Carolina speech therapist ("for whom the word pen had two syllables") by cleverly avoiding all words with s sounds, which reveal the lisp she sought to correct. His midget guitar teacher, Mister Mancini, is unaware that Sedaris doesn't share his obsession with breasts, and sings "Light My Fire" all wrong--"as if he were a Webelo scout demanding a match." As a remarkably unqualified teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedaris had his class watch soap operas and assign "guessays" on what would happen in the next day's episode.

It all adds up to the most distinctively skewed autobiography since Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia. The only possible reason not to read this book is if you'd rather hear the author's intrinsically funny speaking voice narrating his story. In that case, get Me Talk Pretty One Day on audio. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (596)

Just Hilarious
Like Richard Perez -- author of The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition -- David Sedaris doesn't know the meaning of normal. With essay topics ranging from his experience as a methamphetamine addicted performance artist, to his food-hording, Great Dane enamored father, and his false efforts at learning French, Sedaris never fails to hit the hilarious mark. Sure, some of the stories are offensive, but, hey, life can be offensive sometimes.

In any given situation, the reader can expect Sedaris to always say or do the unexpected. In one essay, titled "Picka Pocketoni" a pair of fashion challenged American tourists on the Paris Metro wrongly assume that Sedaris is a local pickpocket, and a stinky, non-English speaking one at that. As they discuss their opinions in increasingly shrill English, Sedaris savors the moment, wondering how best to take advantage. In similar situation I could see myself dying of embarrassment, but not Sedaris. He revels in the opportunity to be seen as quick and dangerous. In fact, he seems encouraged that someone might mistake him for a well coordinated foreign rogue capable of who knows what kind of mischief.

Amongst Sedaris' various ramblings on insomnia induced fantasies some inevitable political humor creeps in. One fantasy, titled "I've Got a Secret" begins: "I'm a pretty, slightly chubby White House intern whose had a brief affair with the President." But then Sedaris makes a 180 shift and "our heroine" becomes known as a brave stoic unwilling to capitalize on her unfortunate circumstances. Then after the press coverage dies down, she writes a best-selling novel under an assumed name and gets down to her life's work: sleeping with professional football players.

Sedaris takes unprecedented pride his refusal to learn any useful French - despite six summer visits and a two-year stay. The book includes several essays devoted this topic. During his second summer in Normandy, Sedaris devotes himself to learning 10 new words per day, in a faux effort to expand his two-word vocabulary of "ashtray" and "bottleneck".

The list includes: "exorcism, facial swelling, death penalty, slaughterhouse, sea monster and witch doctor." In a later story, Sedaris has taken to amusing himself while walking around Paris listening to a pocket medical guide with French-English translations for visiting doctors. His fondest hope is that he'll have to opportunity to try out his new conversational French at some cocktail party in the future:

"That's me at the glittering party, refilling my champagne glass and turning to my host to ask if he's noticed any unusual discharge."

And that pretty much says it all, n'est pas? Don't miss this great book! Two other wonderful books I'd like to recommend include The Losers' Club (Complete Restored Edition) by Richard Perez, and Naked by David Sedaris -- both funny and entertaining.

Off kilter humor for nearly anyone
I was in a college course for Education majors about Sociocultural studies in education.A classmate read the short story entitled "Jesus Shaves" from Sedaris' book.The whole class was in stitches.This particular piece is about Sedaris' struggles in an American school in Paris where the students (all from differing cultures) are struggling with the concept of Christianity.I thought this story was absolutely hilarious and was on a mission to purchase the book for myself and read the rest of Sedaris' anecdotes.

Upon actually procuring the book, I learned that the theme of the book is sort of an autobiographical sketch of Sedaris' own trials and tribulations in life, starting with his problems in primary school (talking about his lisp) and extending into his adulthood (with situations dealing with his sexuality).

The book is wrought with humor, some more off color than others... for instance "Big Boy" is an entire story about a piece of excrement.Don't let this scare you away, though.Weaved into each of Sedaris' tales is a lesson to be learned, though presented in a comical manner.

After having my mom read "Jesus Shaves" she confronted me with the usual, "What did you take from this?," and gave me insight to a more morally based meaning of Sedaris' retoric.Thinking back, all of his tales in this book have a deeper, more serious message that we all can learn from, and appreciate.

Fun, Fun, Fun
Sedaris makes me laugh out loud with stories you have to share with anyone who will listen.I've read all of his books (except Hercules) and this one and Naked are hilarious! ... Read more

Isbn: 0316776963
Subjects:  1. Americans    2. Essays    3. Form - Essays    4. France    5. Humor    6. Paris    7. Paris (France)    8. Humor / Essays    9. American Satire And Humor   

Crooked Fingers
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 November, 2001)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $14.98
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (10)

Crooked Fingers Must GO!!!!
Saw Mr. Crooked Fingers over the weekend in San Diego.Had picked up this album prior to the show, but it was too late, the damage was done.The ticket had been purchased and unfortunately, I had dragged a loved down with me.This guy rots, and so do all his albums.I can't even begin to understand how another human being could enjoy this.The music eventually drove us to the far reaches of the club, like mice being repelled to edges of the cage by high frequency.i had to gut it out though, for he was the opening act.eventually, it became torture.needless to say, my date and I aren't together anymore, and I can only blame it on Crooked Fingers.

Back to the album, its folky, stripped down, occasionally rockin, and very repetitive with miserable harmonies.there is hundreds of thousands of better albums out there. DON't DO IT!

Great Neo-Singer/Songwriter Stuff!
Came across this album the other night and realized I never said a thing about it here. Ambitious multi-instrumental music that it is only rock by default. I guess it could be party music depending on the people you party with. Not happy goodtime music, though a song or two does have a jaunty feel. A friend who heard this stuff said it sounded like someone just punched Neil Diamond in the face. I would add the caveat that only if Neil was possessed alternatively by a coherent Malkmus and a less quirky Tom Waits. Or perhaps Leonard Cohen jamming with a folky Death Cab for Cutie, though this may be stretching it. Not something in the daily rotation but, very fine.It is good to hear sharp lyrics over expansive arrangements. Not an easy trick. Just listen to a majority of music that calls itself adult contemporary alternative. This stuff kills that crap dead.

just when you thought they were dead
ex-Archer's of Loaf strike gold with this their second release.The brilliant lyrics mixed with the banjo/guitar harmony is enough to melt you in your chair.This record will make you reflect upon your life that you once have, are living, and want to live.When I saw these guys live in 2001, and they played most of this record, I found myself dripping a tear and embracing a friend.Quite an amazing record! ... Read more

Asin: B00003XAUS
Sales Rank: 98095
Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock