Giving excellent stuff the credit it deserves (part 3)

Some people are very hard to please...

Previously on the Charles Fudgemufin blog, I've highlighted a selection of gushingly enthusiastic music reviews with confusingly stingy ratings. It's not just music reviewers who give harsh review ratings, so this week I've decided to look at a few similarly stingy reviews focusing on TV shows, movies, and first of all books...

1) Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Withering Tights: "The most hilarious book ever!"
3 stars.

I'm a big fan of Louise Rennison's 'Angus' books, so I was interested to read this extremely enthusiastic review of her new 'Tallulah Casey' book...

"...this book is insane. It could have easily killed me with its hilarity, and to be entirely honest it might just be the most hilarious, most ridiculous book I've ever read. I wish I read this when I was younger - I'd have loved it! Or well ... it could have easily killed me then. It's just too funny! 3/5"

So just to recap, the 'most hilarious book' you've ever read...
...3 out of 5?

A book so funny it could have killed you...
...3 out of 5?

A book which is so amazingly hilariously funny it has the potential to kill, and yet you give it only 3 out of 5? Seriously!? 3 out of 5!?

!?!?!

Giving excellent stuff the credit it deserves (part 2)

Enthusiastic praise with harsh review ratings.

Sydney Opera House.
"One of the world's greatest landmarks, a UNESCO world heritage site,
and a finalist in the 'New 7 Wonders Of The World Contest'. 4/5"

In the early days of the Charles Fudgemuffin blog I mentioned a review of the brilliant album 'Singing From The Grave' by Anna von Hausswolff which gushed...

‘...one of my favourite records of all time. 4/5’

Giving 4 out of 5 to 'one of your favourite records of all time' just seems a bit stingy to me. I'm baffled by the number of reviewers who leave extremely praiseworthy comments, and yet for some reason they then award a less than generous rating, so in honour of this weird practice here's another round-up where I once again put the spotlight on positive reviews with unduly harsh ratings.

1) Liar by Cypher

First up is the hauntingly beautiful song 'Liar' by the brilliantly talented Australian singer/songwriter Cypher. You can listen to the song on the Triple J Unearthed website, but in the mean time, here are a few review quotes which demonstrate what I'm getting at:

Giving excellent stuff the credit it deserves (part 1)

Some people are very hard to please.

Singing From The Grave
by Anna Von Hausswolff

While I was browsing Amazon one day, I came across a very enthusiastic and positive review of an album which I love, ‘Singing From The Grave’ by Anna Von Hausswolff. The full review can be found here, but it includes such quotes as:

‘I’m so passionate about this artist I’m having trouble describing all the aspects that make this one of my favourite records of all time.’

‘From the first track to the last ‘Singing From The Grave’ will captivate you, entrance you and take you to bliss.’

‘This album is all I can seem to listen to lately, I’m hooked on Anna Von Hausswolff like a drug.’