Reviews

The acting is superb as is the choreography. A very da Vinci-like use of like and dark in comparing the young and innocent Elizabeth with the corrupt and conspiracy ridden "royal court". Very compelling and interesting as the new queen, who is thrust, almost against her wish, into power, learns the nature of the beast she must tame and then rule. It may not be a blockbuster of an event, but you just don't find this level of acting in Hollywood. Yet, taken as a whole, the story reminded me of the Godfather, yet it takes place some 450 years in the past.

What can be said about this film which hasn't already been said. The acting, the setting, the cinematography simply captures your mind, heart, and soul and brings you (sometimes dragging you unwillingly) on this journey into one of the darkest yet most vital and necessary moments in our history as a nation. I think this movie provided many with an insight into the reality of war on a level which has not been previously captured. There are scenes in this movie which once seen cannot be "unseen". Images which will last in your mind for a very long time and make you appreciate the sacrifice of so many not so long ago. We praise Firemen for their courage to stand ready to enter a burning building to save a life. How should we praise the men and women in uniform who likewise stand ready to enter combat, at a moments notice, to preserve our way of life. Yet the latter group tends to be praised or spurned with the changing of the political tides. Every now and then a movie comes along which can do something to correct such an injustice in our mindsets. This was one such movie. It should become part of high school or college history curriculums for either the study of the history of war (though this was not based on a true story) or as a study in human character and psychology, much as Moby Dick is a study of human obsession with a task which must be accomplished. I give this the highest rating of 10 for the superb acting, the script, and the courage to show us the realistic effects of war on people.

I saw "Enemy of the State" over the Thanksgiving weekend. Overall the movie is well thought out, realistic enough in how the technology is used (and abused), and how the characters are developed. The one questionable exception to this is the role played by Gene Hachman. He's apparently an ex-NSA operative who, some 15-20 years ago got a raw deal but has accepted that it was nobody's fault and bears no grudges towards the agency. Yet he's gone underground, cutting himself off from society, yet staying up on the latest hi-tech developments in surveillance. Do people like this really exist? Still Hackman is so good an actor that he breathes believability into any role he plays. What made the biggest impression on me was the portrayal of the power an individual who you will never meet or see can know so much about you and do so much to you with very little effort or concern. As in "Mercury Rising" the big bad man is some over achieving, remorseless NSA division chief with his own agenda. Somehow he manages to instill so much loyalty into his small group of techies and bag men that they will steal, violate, and even kill at his command. The movie is definitely worth the price of the ticket if you like hi-tech action flicks. If not, then renting the video will not diminish the content very much. I gave it an 8 because of the superb acting, the believability, the timing of the action, and the script. It should be doing better than it is for this time of year, but the audience nitch is just a little too focused.