Reviews

It took a bit of patience to wait through the occasional creepy bits of this film, but it was worth it. Even though the main focus of the film is the evolving romance between a man and his computer, ultimately it is more about the nature of consciousness.

I'm not a fan of either Joaquin Phoenix or Scarlett Johansson, but I though they gave impressive performances in their roles. Amy Adams was also very good in a supporting part.

I loved the film which shows the power of this music to inspire others. Patrick Stewart plays Henry Cole, an aging concert pianist, possibly modeled on Alfred Brendel, dealing with psychological problems interfering with his performances. Katie Holmes plays a young writer for the New Yorker who wants to write a profile about Henry.

In addition to great performances by Stewart and Holmes, the minor characters are superbly done, especially one of the staff of a hotel in Switzerland where Cole is staying.

If you don't love classical music, particularly the music for solo piano by Beethoven, Bach (and many others) don't bother with this film. Even if you do love this kind of music, you might find it rather slow.

This film has such a great cast that I expected it would be wonderful. Far from it. The film was afflicted by a pedestrian script, implausible plot and overuse of the F word. What a waste of time for so many outstanding actors. Why did they bother?

My wife and I have been watching this show with the PBS app. The acting and story lines are compelling. I do have a major quibble with the program regarding police procedures. The lead character Valeria, an inspector in the Turin police, frequently behaves in an extremely unprofessional manner. She often heads out to investigate a lead or a hunch without telling any of her colleagues what she is doing or where she is going. She often ignores basic forensic protocols.

Another gripe is that the vast majority of the people portrayed are miserably unhappy. Only Valeria's brother seems to have a good marriage. Every one else is cheating on their spouse or significant other, or abusing them in some way.

Nonetheless, the positives outweigh the negatives, as far as my wife and I are concerned. We also get to see a lot of the city of Turin which we hope to visit in person once the pandemic permits.

My wife and I both enjoy this series about an Australian patrol boat whose crew are called upon to investigate illegal fishing, Mayday calls from civilian boats and a variety of other tasks. The depiction of the crews' duties seems very realistic, but only a real sailor would know for sure.

The characters are interesting and mostly appealing as individuals. The acting is good although the scripts sometime seem repetitive. My only other quibble is that it gives the impression that the Australian Navy has only one or two ships and no helicopters to assist in critical situations. I hope this is not the case.

If you love Beethoven's music this film is worth seeing. The story is fictional there being no evidence a woman worked as a copyist for Beethoven. However, using the woman copyist as a device the film tries to portray Beethoven as a real, tormented and difficult man. Ed Harris is outstanding as Beethoven, but I cannot be sure the portrait is a true one. Even so, I'm glad to have seen the film.

Being a certified Japanophile I did enjoy this film, but realize it is not for everyone. There were many fascinating shots of different locales throughout Tokyo and nearby Hakone, including a breathtaking view of Fuji San.

The actress in the lead part did remind me somewhat of Audrey Tautou in "Amelie," but was not entirely convincing as a romantic partner. Although nominally a full-grown woman, age 20, she looked much younger.

The bulk of the film centers around the developing relationship between Amelie and her Japanese student Rinri. She starts helping him improve his French language skills, and they grow closer. It is never quite clear to me, at least, whether their attraction is personal or cultural, which may be one of the messages of the film.

For a much more interesting view of a relationship between a Japanese man and a non-Japanese woman, take a look at the YouTube channel "Rachel and Jun" which is about a charming young married couple. Rachel is from the U.S. and Jun is native Japanese, but whose command of English is extraordinary.

I can't add much to the other reviews already posted here. As someone who loves Bulgakov's novel (in English translation), I was impressed and moved by this very faithful adaption to the screen. I am not sure if someone who had not read the book first would fully appreciate the work and would strongly recommend doing so before seeing the film.

There are a few minor changes from the book, some omissions and a few additions, but nothing that really changes it. The portrait of Jesus (Yeshua Ha-Notzri) and his execution are deeply moving. The major characters of Satan (Woland), the Master, Margarita and Pontius Pilate are wonderfully acted. So also are the minor characters, too numerous to list here.

One thing did puzzle me, the poor quality of the English sub-titles. Again, knowing the book minimizes the problem, but still in 2005, couldn't they have found a better translator, or used the dialog from one of the fine translations of the book?

I must give my thanks to all the people involved in this production who have given new life to Bulgakov's masterpiece.

Tom Conti and Samantha Bond lead a great cast in this drama about a retired forensic pathologist pulled back into investigating a murder similar to the one that caused him to retire.

The forensic science is in the background of the character driven plot. The primary characters are the pathologist's immediate family, his wife and son. Although there are times when the forensic procedures seem a bit iffy, the quality of the acting and suspense make one suspend disbelief and binge-watch all three episodes.

I'm not a big Gilbert & Sullivan fan, but I greatly enjoyed this production of The Mikado. I saw it last week and have been unable to get many of the songs out of my head. Gidon Saks who plays the Emperor was outstanding. All the cast were excellent, although the woman who plays the love interest might have been her suitor's mother.

For years I was convinced that G&S were not worth the time of a "serious" music lover. Thanks to my wife I saw a wonderful production of The Mikado by the Lyric Stage in Boston and was enchanted by it. Subsequently, seeing this marvelous film convinced me that G&S were genuine artists, not to be sniffed at.

This film is one I've enjoyed several times, each time learning more about G&S and their Victorian society, not always a pretty picture. But these insights have not impaired my appreciation of The Mikado.

I won't attempt to repeat the many other positive reviews of Topsy-Turvy here. It's a wonderful film, well worth the time of any "serious" music lover.

This series centers on a small community hospital in northern England during the so-called "swinging" 60's. There are a number of fascinating characters especially Matron, head of nursing, Mr. Rose, consulting surgeon and the two main physicians, Doctors Ormerud and Wetherill. Unlike Gray's Anatomy the plots have as much to do with the practice of medicine as the personal lives of the characters. For the most part the drama is not sensational, but thoughtful and gentle. If you want some respite from the barrage of violence, gore and bedroom antics of most other television fare, you should enjoy The Royal.

I say "attempt" because it doesn't really work for me, but noble and beautiful because of the fearless creativity of Kenneth Branagh and Steven Fry in re-creating Mozart's opera with most of the original music. Without any prior knowledge of the Masonic rites of Mozart's time it would be hard to comprehend any performance of the opera. Fortunately the music is so wonderful it usually doesn't matter. In this version the performance of the music is not at the level normally achieved by the best opera houses. The music is wonderful but at times the tempi seem rushed, as if to ensure the film doesn't exceed most viewers' attention spans.

The acting often struck me as somewhat amateurish, particular that of the two young lovers, Tamino and Pamina who were almost too strenuous in their declaration of love for each other, despite having first met minutes before. The portrayal of Sarastro however, was magnificent. Rene Pape, the operatic bass who played the part gave Sarastro a depth of humanity and dignity that one rarely sees nowadays. Branagh provides some intriguing hints as to the enmity between Sarastro and Pamina's mother, the Queen of the Night.

If you love Mozart's music, do see this film. If you don't enjoy classical music, give it a pass.

I'm not a true horse person but do love riding them and being around them. I think Winston Churchill said something like "There is something about the outside of a horse which is good for the inside of a man" (sexist, yes). This film, whatever its faults may be in the nitty gritty of horse training and dressage, conveys some of the wonder that one can experience with a horse.

Marina Hands who plays the main character is a bit wooden in the role and at times strikes me as perhaps on the autism spectrum. Bruno Ganz gives another remarkable performance on fairly slender material. If you are not familiar with his work you may enjoy "Bread and Tulips" and "Wings of Desire."

Enjoyed this movie but was frankly puzzled by Hugh Grant's character preferring Andie MacDowell to Kristen Scott-Thomas. Still, it was charming and very funny.

The just released Ken Burns documentary on Vietnam has brought back a lot of painful memories which triggered my interest in seeing China Beach. The series focuses a great deal on a number of women, nurses, Red Cross volunteers and others who work at a medical facility which treats wounded soldiers brought in from the field.

It is not MASH updated for Vietnam. It is a very powerful drama which gives perspectives on the different people caught up in the war, not only U.S. personnel but also North and South Vietnamese, fighters and civilians. It doesn't adhere to any "party line" left or right. There were moments which brought me close to tears, but others which provoked laughter.

I was particularly impressed by Jeff Kober's powerful performance of the difficulties a soldier faces in returning to "normal" life. If this had been a film he would have been nominated for an Oscar for sure.

Another standout is Nancy Giles who plays Frankie Bunsen, an African-American woman who somehow copes with the disgraceful racism and sexism she encounters.

I can't recommend this series enough for anyone who wants to know more about this part of our history.

I would really like to know how actual Vietnam veterans view this series. Is it an accurate portrait of their war?

This is without question one of the best historical dramas I've ever seen. It depicts the majesty, cruelty and squalor (moral and physical) of Rome in a totally convincing manner. While it does make heavy use of creative license, it sticks to the generally accepted history of the period from the rise of Julius Caesar to the triumph of his heir Octavius.

The drama focuses primarily on the leading protagonists contending for power, the Caesars, Pompey, Brutus, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Cicero, et. al. However there are rich and complex characters of whom much less is known historically, including Octavian's mother Atia, Julius' mistress Servilia. A continuing theme throughout this lengthy series is the friendship between two soldiers, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, played by Kevin McKidd (of Grays Anatomy) and Ray Stevenson.

Julius Caesar is played by Ciaran Hinds. He gets Caesar in a way I've never seen before, demonstrating all of the facets of his complex character.

I have only one quibble with the series which is the amount of explicit sex. On some occasions this does contribute to the story, but mostly not, in my opinion. There is also a great deal of graphic violence which may be hard for some viewers to stomach, but seems appropriate, given what we know about Roman cruelty.

This is a magnificent production. Do yourself a favor and get the Blu-Ray edition and watch it on a good HD screen.