Reviews

I just could not keep my eyes on the screen for this ridiculous camera work! I ended up running the series as background when doing other things, only looking at the TV - Actually, mostly at the closed captioning - when something really important happened. The nearly constant bouncing and shaking and twisting and turning of the camera along with the extreme close-ups was giving me a headache, so I turned on the CC and then focused on only listening to the dialogue. As other reviewers mentioned, a sadly under-used Sean Bean, too, made this a disappointing experience, along with the use of some tired cliches. Still, the story itself was engaging enough to keep me following to the end. Conclusion : something to put on when you need something to listen to while doing other things.

Wow! I love Thor ... have done so since I was a teenager. I appreciate humor : have been a huge fan of :"Faulty Towers" , "Mr Bean", "Cheers" , "Murphy Brown" and others. This was, as so many others noted, Thor Meet Guardians of the Galaxy". The humor is not funny .... sure, some moments had me laugh, but most of the laughs were of the pitying kind...... just lame jabs and really cheesy one-liners that wouldn't have made it to the screen of "Mork & Mindy" or "Family Ties" or even "Home Improvements". It takes REAL skill and talent, like that of Johnny Carson, to make bad jokes work. This film didn't. Even the VERY cliched use of Cate Blanchett .... what a supreme waste of talent! .... she was nothing more than a Sauron-ized version of Galadriel in this. Even the CGI ... so very cheezy! The worst was the iconized Odin and the even worse Gladiator sequence between Thor and The Hulk. It seemed to me that this director - or was it someone else's fault?? - simply stole the best bit from numerous other superbly done classics and hashed them together in this hot mess. Sorry, but A Major Disappointment ..... I will not longer continue with the Star Trek reboot, the latest Star Wars and now Thor. This is what you get from a generation which has no roots in the classics - American, English and World - and who can't even manage cursive writing because it "is a waste of time"! This film, sadly is a waste of time. The only bigger waste of time I can envision is sitting through the 'new' version of "A Star is Born" due out later this year. A Rhodes scholar and the most amazing vocal and creative talent of the 20th Century are cookie-cutted by an excruciatingly 2-D offering. Barbra Streisand had the chops to step into the shoes of Judy Garland and create an enervating NEW and fresh version of a Hollywood classic. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga only manage to pull off what was offered here in "Thor: Ragarok" .... a pale, insipid and very weak imitation of Hollywood ART - I am not even going to hope for sublime. Passable even. Mediocre would be a high bar ..... sorry folks. The actors are only able to do so much when the director is a tool..

I really loved this short-lived series, and have absolutely no idea why it was dropped after only one season. Mark Valley is a good actor, and the chemistry between him and Sienna Miller was great, as was the bromance with his Scotland Yard partner, played so well by Julian Rhind- Tutt. Was it timing that killed it? Who knows; but if you want to watch some terrific comedy that will leave you laughing until your sides split and tears pour from your eyes, this is the one!! Mark Valley has a super-cool, understated energy that makes me believe his characters. Wish this would be one that The Powers That Be would bring back, like is happening with Heroes, Twin Peaks and The X Files.

Well written, acted and just a stunning and moving film. The soundtrack also helps to draw us in and move us along in this very real story of two people who find love through many trials, some wholly unnecessary. Give huge kudos to Elizabeth Reaser for her noteworthy efforts in bringing Inge to life. Tom Guinee as Olaf also does a great job at making us feel his isolation, determination and especially how he falls in love with Inge, as well as his naiveté and shyness. I particularly liked the way the film begins in the near present, moves back into the past and then ends in the real present - well handled and effective storytelling. The locations and cinematography also make this film a must-see movie. Really, it is surprising, and saddening, that such a beautiful film got so little notice.

Who would have thought -- a great action film with a female child lead? But, we kind of had a hint of this in Tarantino's "Kill Bill", when we see the genesis of one of Beatrix, the Bride's nemeses, O-Ren Ishii, and in the excellent French film, La Femme Nikita. Where the latter is a more mature person, and Tarantino goes over the top in graphic novel fashion, we have the- excellent Eric Bana as the father-trainer of young Hanna, a true unstoppable human killing machine. Saorise Ronan was breathtaking in her superbly mature portrayal of Hanna. Additionally, Cate Blanchett (with a bit of an odd American accent) give a great job as Hanna's target. A wicked and exciting film. Would love to see what young Hanna has gotten herself into as an adult.

After being blown away by the beauty, majesty and magic of Jackon's LoTR trilogy, I kept waiting and hoping for a fantastic Hobbit movie. Sadly, not to happen. The best parts of the book, particularly the exceptionally humorous bits with the trolls and Beorn get truncated and even changed! Same with the addition of an Elf-Dwarf love story?! What is up with that, I have to wonder. Still, there are some nice interweaving of threads from The Silmarillion. Also, Tolkien filled The Hobbit with songs ... where are they here? With the exception of the opening at Bilbo's home, the music gets relegated to the closing titles. All in all, most disappointed in this effort, and the final chapter in this Hobbit trilogy of films, too.

A librarian friend of mine at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, PA recommended this historical fiction when I told her I was looking for some interesting and engaging to read. Boy! did she hit a home run with this suggestion. And, after reading the trilogy of novels of the life of Arn, from birth to death, following him to his time as a monastic, young lover-husband, penitential Crusader, to death, I truly felt I had to see the filmed version. It was most definitely a well-realized cinematic effort to bring the complex and engaging tale of Knight-Crusaders to life on the big and small screens. Well acted, photographed, costumed and just all in all a great film. Enjoy.

Watch this with subtitles, not dubbed! This film is so completely engaging and superb! I have read the novels (more than once) and seen the trilogy (more than once) and indeed prefer the original-language version to the one that is dubbed, and even more than the disappointing English version, which was flat, and too focused solely on the sexual aspect of this great story. Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander is amazing!! Also love Michael Bloomqvist. While Daniel Craig is indeed a great actor, and so easy on the eyes to watch, Michael is an everyman actor who give his character as Lisbeth's champion true soul. By all means, also see the Millennium TV series, too.

How and why is it that I am only just seeing this amazing film tonight (on TCM) for the first time?!?! Truly, a gorgeous piece of filmmaking. Though a silent film, each frame of this stunning film exudes volumes of dialog. Lillian Gish is not only radiantly beauteous, but Lars Hanson was powerfully moving. I hope that TCM will offer as many films by both of these actors as are available. As for the film, the cinematography was rich and inspired. And, for anyone who has never experienced being in a place where the wind can blow for days on end, this film does indeed capture the emotional effect such wind can have on a person ... all without any sound at all!! What else can I add except for DEEP and sincere appreciation of the herculean efforts of all in realizing this film!! If you haven't seen this film, by all means do! If you already have, see it again ... or better yet, add it to your home collection.