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There were a few small decisions I would have made differently than Ben Affleck, but the film is extremely well-done, and I was very impressed.

This adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel is almost as good as Mystic River, an excellent film, properly recognized at Oscar time.

Casey Affleck looks quite young, but the point of his age is brought up in the script, so at least it was addressed. Not having read the novel, I don't know if this followed Lehane's work.

The plot is complex, dealing with law and order and differing approaches to same. It seems to come to an early conclusion, only to go on to further complexities. A friend with whom I saw and discussed the film differed from me in her opinion on whether the proper decision was made in the end.

Gone, Baby, Gone is highly recommended for its performances, particularly that of Amy Madigan, and for its overall quality. I sincerely hope the Academy recognizes the outstanding work of Ms Madigan.

The one I requested was the BBC production starring Anthony Hopkins in the title role and Bob Hoskins as Iago. Instead this was delivered. At least this Othello is played by a man of color and I appreciate his work. The sound was terrible, at least on the disk I was sent, so the overall effect was considerably diminished. I would prefer to not make uncomplimentary remarks regarding the rest of the cast, but Ron Moody did better work in the film Oliver. To anyone who wants to see a superior production I would suggest the Hopkins/Hoskins version. Anthony Hopkins is certainly not the first white man to play the jealous Moor, but he is the best one I have seen by far.

Ron Howard did a very good job. Seems it would have been hard not to, given the source material. Since it wasn't that long since I read the book, there really wasn't much in the way of suspense for me, but I did appreciate the way the film was put together, particularly the method Howard used for illustrating scenes of the past. The actors all do well. It was interesting to see Jean Reno's statement that the author had him in mind for the role of the French policeman, because when I was reading the book, Reno seemed the obvious choice. Now to the religious nonsense. The book is a work of fiction, the film is a work of fiction. If the idea that Jesus had a family bothers you -- try not to think about it. Don't read the book. Don't see the film. If you still feel bad, lie down quietly with a cool cloth over your eyes. For people free of that hang-up, though, I recommend The DaVinci Code as a good film well worth watching.