Reviews

I love the books, although it was the films that I first discovered. The films are still great stories, but I think there are too many discrepancies compared to the books.

Sean Bean is excellent as Richard Sharpe, but some of the other characters don't match the description in the books.

Teresa did not even appear in this book and she was not the leader of Spanish resistance when Sharpe first met her. She was 11 years younger than him, not 2 years older as between the actors.

The Spanish Major was the same age as Sharpe, not his Father's age. They have mixed at least two of the books together here, which is a shame as each book is great and has a story to tell.

Otherwise it is a fun and entertaining war/adventure story.

The film was fairly good, the music great, Antonio Banderas brilliant as always. However, it was a huge mistake to cast Madonna as Eva Peron, even though she did her level best.

Elaine Paige would have been a hundred times better as she has a much better voice and is a much better actor.

Watched it in the cinema with my family and clearly Madonna was misplaced, out of her depth and just didn't have the acting skills needed in such an otherwise great production.

Elaine Paige had already performed the musical on stage many times, and would have been the natural choice, but unfortunately she wasn't allowed to shine in the movie adaptation.

Shadow of the Sword is a good film with an interesting and different story that paints a picture of the Catholic Church and its cruel inquisition.

However, it doesn't give much of an understanding of those who were being persecuted, the Anabaptists (or other groups that are mentioned without being explained). It would have been a clear improvement if we were given a deeper portrayal of especially the Anabaptists as well as the other main characters.

The film should have been a little longer to give these better descriptions. It has a lot of good parts, but it is missing some depth in its character descriptions. The story is quite gripping and strong and it is a great period piece, but it lacks some depth and should give the viewer a better understanding of the background and develop the characters more.

This is a really entertaining comedy with Rowan Athkinson as a Mr. Bean/James Bond type character by the name of Johnny English. As the last 00 in England it is up to him to save the country from a coup by an evil Frenchman who seeks to become the new King of England. Johnny English manages to make an excellent fool of himself in various more or less (mostly more) embarrassing ways and still manages to become the hero who saves beloved England in the end.

If you enjoy James Bond and Mr. Bean, try to imagine Mr. Bean as James Bond and you will have a good idea of where this film is going. I heartily recommend this comedy and it is one of few films I have watched several times.