michaelgrantham

After a string of not so good series and films we had watched, my wife and I spotted this. It tells the story of a young girl who is terminally ill and doesn't have long to live. She meets a young man and he sets out to make her last months better for her, while discovering more about himself in the process. I won't go into the plot - you'll have to watch it! What was an absolute delight was the performances of the two young actors (and the supporting cast too). Very sad but very beautifully done. The music too was calm and beautiful and supported the film well. Well done to Japan for a fine film!

We went to see this at our local cinema. We chose a special morning showing, which suited the film well. It is a deep, absorbing story about the election of a new Pope following the death of the previous one. It gives you an inside view of the laborious process that the Vatican goes through to choose a successor. The visuals are rich and detailed and the opportunity to see inside the hallowed walls of the Vatican is amazing. The story explores the rivalries, ambitions and jealousies of the contenders where everyone is expected to be lilywhite and of course no one actually is! Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rosselini give fantastic performances and the supporting cast have just the right gravitas. The plot has its twists and turns and a few surprises. Well worth a watch. Top marks from me!

I don't know how this film can be rated so low on IMDB? Yes it is low key, maybe a little slow, but it strives to portray the real Maria Callas, her struggles with herself and with the men who loved her.

Many of us are too old to remember Maria in her heyday, but the film makes it clear that she struggled with believing in herself throughout her career despite having a voice so clear and with such a range it couldn't fail to move you! The film portrays that struggle well, with Angelina actually becoming Maria and showing something of her aloofness and her struggle with the men who wanted to possess her and her own struggle with herself and her sanity. In my opinion she deserves an Oscar for her performance.

You have to admire the training Angelina went through to be able to convincingly sing the famous pieces (her voice was mixed with that of Callas and she had to learn the breathing, enunciation and facial expression to get this right)!

The supporting cast were excellent too, her two servants (more companions than servants) were superb and Hakim Bilginer was instantly recognizable as Onassis. We really enjoyed it and the clips of Callas' performances.