Friendly to Your Mouth and the Environment!

What:  Tom's of Maine Toothbrush
Type: Soft Bristles 4 count
Price:  $11.99
Rating: 5.0

Tom's of Maine is an awesome company. They make quality products without scary chemicals in them. And they also help the environment with using recycled products. What about the tooth brushes themselves? They work well. Soft bristles are always easier on my gums. I have been pleasantly surprised by just how comfortable they are. Not the cheapest toothbrushes. But 100% worth picking up.

The Return!

So a few years ago I started a blog called The Opinion Company.  I always loved writing reviews so I thought this would be a good place to do it.  And it was fun.  And then I just kind of went on hiatus.  Now on hiatus didn't mean my life wasn't busy.  Life is always busy! 
Seems like stuff has calmed down. Well as much as it ever does.  And so I'm back!

For some clarity too, I want to tighten up all my reviews.  So that requires a scale to rank them on.  I will be using a numeric scale.  1.0 to 5.0.  So basically it means:

5 = Amazing, best of the best.  Hands down recommended.  Don't just try it.  Buy it!
4 = Great, excellent.  Worth checking out.  Just not at the level of 5 stars.
3 = Good.  Nice item or service.  Still worth buying.  But might have some concerning flaws.
2 = Mediocre, not great.  This level shows there are some issues (maybe even a major one or two!) with the product.  Probably not something you want to own.  If you do try it first.
1 = Garbage, horrible.  Not worth it even for free.  Avoid these at all costs!

But anyway, this post is to announce the rebirth of The Opinion Company!  New reviews coming soon.  I will try to cover a wide variety of stuff in the blog.  I am aiming for a once a week review.  We will see though.  So if you enjoyed my blog before, let's dive back in!

Good to be back.....

Ex-Illis. High Hopes. Lots of Woes.

Game:  Miniature/ Wargaming

So what shall we talk about today?  I figure it's about time I start reviewing games to help you decide whether they are cool enough to play.  So first up I was thinking maybe we could discuss a game that used to be dear to my heart.....Ex-illis.  It was an exciting  miniature game.  But lets rate it's features to see how it stacks up.

Cost:
The game isn't very cheap.  A starter set (regular version) will run you about 80 bucks.  The deluxe is even more but you get a really nice board to play on.  One nice advantage is in the game, you buy army packs for what you need so there is no random booster crap.  You get what you pay for.  The miniatures aren't painted, or even glued together though.  So that's your job.  It's not my thing, that's for sure.  But if you aren't an avid mini collector then it does create a lot of start up cost.  You will need glue, paints, tweezers, etc.  Still it is cheaper than games like Warhammer.

Rules:
The rules actually make the game unique.  The fine folks at Ex-illis were trying to take miniature war games to the next level.  Remember Warhammer?  If you play it, you love it.  And if you don't play it, why is that?  It's all the  rules isn't it?!?  A game with 17 big books and a tape measure sounds slow and time consuming.  So what have the Ex-illis creators done?  They have created a game where you log in online to play.  So it keeps track of all the rules for you!  And also records wins and losses. Pretty nice huh?  Except till the servers go down.  Then you just got a bunch of crappy plastic minis.

Theme:
The theme is great.  The setting is medieval Europe and a group of heretics has raised a fog which killed a vast amount of people.  Also evil demons and creatures of darkness have poured into the world.  Now the world has been thrown into chaos.  It's a violent time for the world, and only the strong will survive.  It's super easy to get into the right mindset while playing this game.
To take it to the maximum level of geekiness, at the hobby store I used to play at we even had a map of countries that we will fight over trying to gain control of the whole world.

Overall:
I had such high hopes for this game.  But unfortunately it misses more than it hits.  Now the game is pretty much dead.  And I spent a bunch on minis.  My adivice is to avoid this one!

Staind Zombie Their Way Back

Artist: Staind  Album:  V

Chapter V is not a big steaming pile of dog poo. There. I said it. And believe me after 4 Shades of Grey, it makes me extremely happy to say this. Just a few short years ago, I thought Staind was the greatest rock/heavy band known to man. Then they went pop on us. So when this new discc came out, I was worried. I'll admit it. I borrowed it from a friend before I decided to take the plunge and buy it. And happily it has been a good purchase.
On "14 Shades Of Grey", all the fire that made Staind = Staind, was gone. With the exception of "Price To Play" there was nothing with any zest at all. Now "V" has that in spades! From the hammering "Paper Jesus" to the in your face "Schizophrenic Conversations" this disc is a moving step in the right direction. The fire is partially back. Staind still do explore their new found pop sensibilities. For example "Falling" is enough rock to make you stand up and take notice. But still radio friendly.
So there you have it. Staind might never be the pure power house of rage and angst we so loved on "Tormented" or "Dysfunction". But you have to give kudos to Staind for every album being different. And cheers to them for finding their rock n roll voice again. Good cd. Worth buying.

PS:  I wrote this review before the last Staind album came out.  I'll admit I was wrong.  They did have some rage left!  But that review is for another time......

Rating 3.9 of 5

Indie Never Sounded So Good

Artist:  MGMT   Album: Oracular Spectacular


Take a base of alternative quirkiness. Add a slight techno beat. Then some high pitched vocals. Next mix with a dash of funk. And top it off with some power pop, and viola! You have MGMT. I cannot reccomend this album highly enough. This New York based indie rock band is set to hit the big time.
The cd starts off with a bang hiting hard with the great track "Time to Pretend." And this is could be argued for as the highlight of the disc. But if you stop there, you are selling yourself short. "Electric Feel" almost reminds of you of a 70s disco. And "Pieces of What" is a perfect merge of radio hooks and rock n roll. Also not to be overlooked would be "The Handshake" and "Kids."
Some people compare them to Muse, and you can see the influence there. But the more you listen you realize MGMT are striking out into a style all their own. Great, great cd. Do yourself a favor. Pick it up. You'll be glad you did....

Rating 4.3 of 5

The Best of Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen - DVD - UR

Byron Allen. I'll be honest, I had never really heard of him till I got this dvd. And as a comedian I will say he has a couple really funny jokes. And the idea is solid as well, get a bunch of comics together and let them have a round table discussion. Good idea, but unfortunately bad execution.
The comedians are funny, but unleased is a wrong word for it. You can tell the show is carefully (and considering some of the comics they have on there, i.e. Dane Cook for one!) edited. The comics all use very PG language and keep their jokes tame.
Also the discussion never breaks out into anything even remotely non politically correct. They talk about Bush once. But in general every episode talks about plastic surgery and dating.

The show has an excellent premise. But unfortunately it should have been called Comics Leashed.....  Not recommended.

RATING 2 of 5 stars.

PS: Just a quick note.  Starting this Friday, 8/2/13, all my posts will be made on Fridays.  Thanks and happy days all.

Ragu Fresh & Simple Smooth Pasta Sauce, Traditional Tomato Basil, 13.5-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 6)

It's rare when a product comes along in life where we get to have easy mixed with good. Yet here is another example. The sauce is easy to use because you can get it hot and ready even faster than you can cook the noodles. But now comes the problem. This is one of the most bland sauces I have ever tasted in my life.

It's called a tomato basil sauce. I taste the tomato, and thats it.... I'm pretty sure nothing else is in it at all. Literally. You could grab a can of tamato sauce and get the same effect.

It's just as easy to heat up a jar of regular spaghetti sauce. And you don't have to sacrifice taste. Now to me that seems like a better deal.

Save yourself some money and don't purchase this mediocre concoction.  

RATING: 1 of 5.

Lush - Spooky (Music)

Welcome back to the Opinion Company.  Yes I'm well aware no one at all is probably following this anymore.  Oh well, I'm going to start sticking new reviews on here.  And by reviews I mean they can be anything at all.  Hopefully you guys will enjoy it.  So let's start it all up again.

Lush - Spooky (Music)

The debut album of Lush. The cd was weird for it's time. And it still sounds weird and out of place now. But I'm not actually in any way demeaning the cd. That's actually one of the things I love about it. It's in many ways a timeless album. Think about how much music you can easily class which decade it came from. Or figure out what style it is. Lush worked hard to defy that. Oh sure, you know it's pop. But not Britney Spears pop. It's rock, but not Guns N Roses rock. It stuck between genres. And now has come to be called "Shoegazing."

And in case you're wondering, Shoegazing means bands who came from the late eighties, and reached it's height in the mid nineties. They played a brand of alternative pop rock. It was heavily effects laden. Lush were at the forefront of the movement. While the style has mostly died out, it's not done yet with a new crop of "nu-gaze" bands like Autolux. But anyway, what about this album?

Solid cd. Lush were still growing into their sound like wearing a shirt a bit too big. So sometimes the sound gets away from them. A good example would be the song Tiny Smiles in my opinion. But other songs they were able to nail, such as Covert, For Love, Superblast!, and my personal favorite Untogether.
Yes the shoegazing era is gone. But Lush left us with some very memorable records. Such as this moody gem.

RATING: 3.8 of 5.

Like Water

This is a review for the book, Rainwater by Sandra Brown.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.  http://www.amazon.com/Rainwater-Sandra-Brown/dp/1439172773/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

I have never read a Sandra Brown novel before so I din't know what to expect. I was happy to discover a novel with a lot of rich meaning and a nice story.
The book takes place in the depression era (1934 to be exact) where a hard working woman named Ella Barron struggles to take care of the tenants of her boarding house while dealing with a 9 year-old son with a severe case of autism. The novel begins with a new boarder moving in by the name of David Rainwater.

From there the novel follows an interesting path dealing with issues such as racism, bigotry, poverty, and even finding love when you have given up on it. The novel isn't a deep soul searching revelation by any means. But with fleshed out characters, exciting scenes, and triumph in the face of natural pains and the evil men do, the novel is a very satisfying read. Two thumbs up.

RATING 4 of 5

Loves the Sound of Her Own Voice

This review is for the book for "Palimpest" by Catherynne M. Valente.  Audio Book version.
I gave it 1 star.

I found the premise of this book intriguing. Stripped down to the basic, it's the story of four people who end up having spontaneous sex with a stranger and enter Palimpsest. The experience will change their lives forever.... And that's it. There is no other scrap of plot in the whole story.

The only thumbs up I can give echos the other reviewers, Catherynne Valente has a truly musical quality to her writing. She can definitely turn a phrase. And it is a pleasure to read her construction. But it's not enough....

That being said though, that's all she does. Palimpsest is more like a drug trip hallucination than actual story. I'm not really sure she has a plot in mind at all. The problem is that while you at first enjoy listening to the musical quality of the story, you eventually become frustrated when you realize it's not going anywhere.
When I first started listening to it I tried to compare it to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I figured I would appreciate it for the artistic quality even if I wasn't wowed by the story. But no, it's no Dark Side of the Moon either.

So overall I have to say I am really disappointed in the work. I would love to give it more than a 1 star, but a book has to have a plot that makes it worthy of reading. If not ultimately it ends up being a pretty little piece of garbage. And this is what Palimpsest is.

RATING 1 of 5

Mediocre Spy Game

I realized that I'm really not giving enough product description on these reviews.  People probably have no idea what I'm talking about.  So I'm going to add a bit more to the start of every review.

PRODUCT: Death To Spies.  Video game by Atari.  For the PC only.  Need more info?  http://www.amazon.com/Death-Spies-Pc/dp/B000RPKCTC/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

REVIEW:

Crouched down in the bushes, you watch the guards pass. There are 3 of them, so you have to be careful. You reach into your backpack, and lob a gernade right in the middle of them, they try to scatter but in a suffocating blast all three of them are gone. You're next order of business is to carry the bodies off the road to hide them in the bushes. Next you confiscate the ammo, and disguise yourself with one of the uniforms that doesn't have blood on it. Now all you got to do is make it past the high ranking officer who will recognize you if you get too close....

So there you have it. Another level of Death To Spies. How is the game overall? To be honest it's a little bland. You take the role of a Russian operative. And you perform a number of missions. The game is cool because it does give you a number of real life options. You can sneak past guards, or try to knock them out, or use chloroform on them, or steal a uniform and walk past them, or you could whistle to distract them, or just steal a truck and run them over. The game does carry a lot of limitless possibilities.

That being said, the game is still pretty linear in the long run. You have a set number of goals you must accomplish with every mission. But at least the interface does a good job of keeping you informed so you're not lost as what to do next. There are a number of weapons to choose from, but at the same time stealth is usually your best bet. The game is realistic on the fact that even with your health you can't take too many bullets before you give up the ghost. The controls are a little too sensitive to me. So much that when I closed out the game my mouse felt slow on the desktop. But this doesn't detract from the game.

The story line is based off real events as well. But frankly I found the story really confusing. I do enjoy history, but I know nothing about Russian history during WWII so I was in the dark, and kind of bored watching the cut scenes. Although I do admit that the graphics are pretty good.

PROS: Good graphics. Tense missions make you feel like you're there. Good shooter scenarios mixed with stealth make the game work on more than one level.

CONS: Nothing makes the game stand out. Same old, same old. Hit detection is iffy sometimes. Story line is really obscure, and frankly kind of boring. Game is forgettable in the long run.

BOTTOM LINE: Game is very mediocre at best. It intrigued me for a while, but not for long. It's a nice little piece of fluff. But if you buy it, don't rush to the store, or pay full price. Try to get this one for cheap. Don't go looking for much here, and you won't be disappointed.

RATING: 2 of 5

STP's Self Titled Album

Stone Temple pilots have never been able to please everyone. From their first album "Core" in 1992 when the critics bashed them (but the fans got it!) to their groundbreaking "Tiny Music.." and the style change, STP have been naturally progressing as a band.
I submit that this new record is an awesome next phase in their development as a band. Do I long for the harder edge sound from Core, Purple, and No. 4? Sure, I love the tunes from those cds. But at the same time it's not like I disliked Tiny Music... or Shangri-La Dee Da. Still there is something brave about the guys doing a 70s rock inspired record. It's bold. It's loud, and it's fresh.
Let's break it down:

Between the Lines (5/5) Excellent lead single from the record. Lyrics are meaningful if you know what kind of past Scott has had. Video is cool too.

Take a Load Off (5/5) Another fun 70s rock tune amd the second single. The chorus is jangly and poppy. By this time in the record you realize they are going to have a theme going...

Huckleberry Crumble (4/5) I can see Aerosmith writing this song. Has a dirty southern rock vibe. Excellent song.

Hickory Dichotomy (5/5) Another great bluesy rock tune. I agree with the other reviewer, could have easily been a single.

Dare If You Dare (3/5) A bit forgettable in my opinion. Not that it's bad or anything. Just a bit of a letdown after the first four tracks. Still a great chorus though.

Cinnamon (4/5) The third single off the record. People are split on this song, and rightfully so. On one hand it is a masterfully crafted sugary, poppy sounding song. Some people hate it, and would say this is why STP isn't very good anymore. I don't agree with that camp. While I don't normally like songs like this, it completely works. Sounds like a tune STP would have written if they had been a band in the 60s. And it's so darn catchy too! I give it two thumbs up myself.

Hazy Daze (5/5) Another dirty rock song in the vein of Huckleberry and Hickory. Love the sound of the guitar in this one. One of my favorite tracks on the album.

Bagman (4/5) It would surprise me if this song doesn't become a concert staple. I love the swagger in this song.

Peacoat (5/5) This song could easily have been a hard rocking song. The guitar riff that opens the song sounds so menacing. The chorus is a bit poppy, but I think it is a solid rock tune. Worth listening to 50 or more times.

Fast As I Can (3/5) One of the weakest tunes on the cd in my opinion. It's just a rock tune. Slightly boring even.

First Kiss On Mars (5/5) Love Weiland's vocals on this one. Another heavily inspired classic rock sounding song.

Maver (4/5) Solid song. Slower.

BONUS TRACKS from the deluxe edition:

Samba Nova (1/5) Ugh. I know why this song didn't make the regular edition of the album. In my opinion it might be the weakest song STP have ever made. Trippy sounding, and yet boring.

Vasoline - Live (5/5) I'm normally not a huge fan of live tracks. But it's such a good song, and the band sounds spot on. Good addition.

Hickory Dichotomy - Live (5/5) Being live only adds to how awesome this tune is!

Between the Lines - Live (5/5) They hit this song hard! Sounds great.

OVER ALL SCORE: 68/80. Pretty good. Definitely a 5 star cd. Don't listen to all the haters. They are the people who hate when a band evolves. And if you hate a band's sound evolving, it makes me wonder why you would be a Stone Temple Pilot fan anyway. Worth picking up.
For the next record I do hope they add a little more punch to it. But even if they made another just like this one, I would still love it. Good job guys. Thanks for the new album.

Welcome To The Company

We all have them, and they all stink.  No I'm not talking about butt holes.  I'm talking about opinions.  We love to read, discuss, and argue with people about what they think about things.  Frankly, it's a lot of fun.

I personally do a lot of writing of reviews on different sites.  Amazon.com, swapacd.com, ebay.com, Netflix, etc.  Since I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd move it to a blog.  All my reviews, every site, collected here.  Feel free to read as much or as little as you want.  Comment if you feel like it.  If not, that's cool too.  The only thing I ask is not to be vulgar or imbecilic.  If you disagree with me, by all means post it.  But the comment section is for intelligent conversation.  Not foolish, vulgar hate jobs.  But I have faith in you guys, and know I don't have to worry about it.

Also please note that the blog is under construction right now, so you will see it change as the months go on. Hopefully changing for the better.  So anyway, let's get started with the reviews.  Welcome to the Opinion Company....