Harrr

I'm a big fan of European films, and especially Spanish ones. There are many gems, some classics, and above all, a freedom of originality that Hollywood often filters away in favour of tried and tested formulae.

This is no such gem. Production-wise it feels like a poorly executed student movie. The acting is forced, awkward and hollow. The pacing is painfully slow. The plot is so thin and vague a synopsis would read like a weekly horoscope.

I watched it on a train on the way to Madrid, so as a bored and truly captive audience, I decided I would persist. The only saving grace is Violeta's performance was reasonably apt. Or maybe she just looked better sorrounded by far worse actors.

One to avoid.

I'm a lifetime LOTR fan, and had high expectations for this series. The acting and the production value cannot be faulted. Excellent work. The orcs are scary, the Harfoots are endearing and true to the nature of Hobbits, but different enough in their ways that you get a sense of them being initially quite unsophisticated and nomadic, until they finally settled in the Shire.

However I found it hard to engage with the stories. They seem more driven by modern concerns and expectations of what people should act like than interpreting the source material in an engaging way. That said, this is based on just 2 episodes, so let's see where it goes and ends up...

Well, that came out of nowhere! Everything I had seen of Kristen Stewart up to now was hollow and uninspiring...and then she does this. Twilight really did a lot of damage to the perception of some actors, because I have have also seen Robert Pattinson pull off some very competent performances since then too. Not to mention Lee Pace, who is masterful in Halt and Catch Fire.

This film tackles a story that I thought had already been milked for everything it had, yet it does so in a way that, to me, makes it the definitive cinematic account of Diana's story. Well done to everyone involved.