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Diether Warneck, the subject and narrator of this "documentary" tells the audience at least 100 times that he is just a 15 year old boy during the "horror" of his MONTH of experiencing WWII Germany. As a German child, it was not until 1944 that he even experienced any effects of Germany's aggression, while the rest of Europe was attacked, bombed, starved, tortured and occupied by German forces. When Berlin was bombed, he and his family were able to move to Dresden, which turned out not to be such a good move, as it was horribly bombed. He joined the army, guarded a bridge, walked through a field of dead Polish soldiers and hid in a tank that managed to escape invading Russian soldiers. He had outstandingly good fortune to join the German army just weeks before Hitler killed himself. Thanks to good luck, he was able to make his way home and simply resume his life once again, minus his "girlfriend," his bike and his father. Most victims of that war were not so lucky. My father, an American who spent his early years in German boarding schools, became a soldier many years before America came into the conflict. He had spent most of his life in Europe, spoke flawless German, Spanish, Italian and French, and agreed to dress up as a German officer and risk his life for years to defend the rest of Europe against the hideous aggression of his beloved Germany. My father and the fathers of most of my friends were never the same when they came home. Most of them became alcoholics, worked themselves to death and lost their wives and families as a result of the trauma they suffered defending the world from Hitler, his fierce soldiers and, according to this documentary, his innocent, half-asleep citizens...who never questioned where their Jewish neighbors went as they moved into their homes and took possession of their things. Who were all those people in the newsreels of Hitler giving speeches of crowds of worshiping Germans who voted him into power? This documentary made me aware of just how little the German people suffered as Europe burned and bled. I was and am offended by this film. However, my ire was tempered by my sheer boredom due to the tedious nature of the film, the poor story-telling skills of Diether Warneck and the total lack of editing skills of his son.

I have tried to sit with my best friend and watch "The Voice," but I have never made it through more than one episode. I used to adore "Dancing with the Stars," but found it eternally frustrating to watch outstanding dancers voted off while lousy performers with a bigger fan base, remained. On top of that, I have never liked "boy bands," which made me the most unlikely viewer of this show. So, I paid no attention to this production until I realized that Graham Norton was hosting it. I consider his show to be the only English-speaking, celebrity "chat" show in the world worth watching. All others pale in comparison. Since I do not watch other music talent shows, I can only speak about what I love about this one. The mix of judges in really refreshing and spans decades of music, but it is the editing of all the footage that really shines. Half of the time is spent on stage, watching the talent unveiled. Graham Norton comes out on stage with each performer as they begin and as they exit. Each time he is hysterically funny while being gentle and kind. The other half is spent either ease-dropping on the judges or following Mel Giedroyc, a comedian and presenter as she hangs out, backstage with the upcoming contestants. She is goofy and jolly. The end-game of the show is to find 5 males to make up the "boy band" cast of a musical created around the songs of "Take That," another boy band from the early '90s. Robbie Williams came out of that band and went on to become one of the greatest performers of my lifetime. Sadly and incredibly, his music has never invaded the shores of North America and few citizens of the USA have ever even heard of him. Gary Barlow, one of the three remaining members of "Take That", is a judge and his heart and soul is in this project. The rest of the panel is made up of the forever dashing Martin Kemp of the fantastic UK rock group of the '80's, "Spandau Ballet," which was not a boy band, "Glee"'s powerhouse, Amber Riley who is on the London stage performing "Dream Girls," and Dannii Minogue, the younger sister of Australian pop singer, Kylie Minogue. The combination of judges and presenters is a perfect recipe for viewing pleasure. I am inspired by the level of talent, moved to tears by the performances and constantly laughing out loud. If you like pop music and Graham Norton, this is for you. If you think pop music is trash and don't "get" British humor or have difficulty with the amazing range of accents spanning the United Kingdom, don't bother.

Even during the first episode, I kept asking myself if there was actually a plot structure to follow. If so, why could I not find it, follow it or care about it. I am aware of the stated story line, but I can only find it now and again. When it does pop up, I don't really care because the British leaders seem set on wasting valuable rations like butter, trying to seduce a German scientist who is clearly devoted to Hitler and his vision. If you want him to relinquish his secrets, take his brat of a daughter to another location and he will quickly cooperate. Give him a little of the medicine doled out by his beloved master to his own fellow citizens. We are forced to follow the purposeless wanderings of the hero as he introduces one worthlessly unimpressive character after another. The characters keep going on about how easily Britain was caught off guard by WWII. The story line implies that the British have learned little, and we know that this is not true. I have only watched one episode, and have found this to be endlessly boring, filled with terrible actors who portray Brits as a bunch of idiots. Shame on those who produced this series. I agree with those who call this absolute drivel.

After watching this National Geographic series, I cannot understand why they produced such a damaging program about the Osa peninsula in Costa Rica. They leave out crucial details of the investigation in the film. This leaves the viewer scratching his/her head and tail chasing. Rather than giving up important information, they spend plenty of time wandering around in the jungle, driving on dirt roads, re-showing the same clips of Cody as a teen, and cornering people. I decided to watch the show because I know the area very well and have owned property not far from Puerto Jimenez. I hated the way they portrayed the locals and their way of life. I wish they had spent some time showing how lovely the people are, and how magnificent the area is. Frankly, I think this was a revenge project against the Osa, orchestrated by Roman, Sr. If not, when "the truth" was discovered, the project should have been scrapped because only innocent people were wrongly implicated. I was disgusted!

Here is a series, presented by Showtime, named "Submission." If you watched "Billions" this season, you know that they already have toyed with B&D/S&M. Then I saw that the name of one of the creators was Jacky St. James and I suspected the direction we were going. Still, I did not expect to encounter the terrible acting and silly, flat dialog that always accompanies porn, but there it was, in every scene. Yikes! However, following the wild success of the "Shades of Grey" series, and the release of the first movie installment, more than a year ago, someone was going to attempt to fill the void that nature abhors. At this point, 41% of the 29 people who rated this episode gave it a 10. A 10??? There you go! This is softer than hard-core porn, and harder than soft-core porn. What I do appreciate, as a woman, is that the first episode focused on female pleasure rather than the typical, endless pounding of most male-oriented porn that I have seen. There are plenty of exposed female parts, but no male parts, so far. I always find this interesting. It is supposed to be a tale of sexual awakening. Are they trying to awaken men to the fact that women are not enjoying having their heads slammed into the headboard? If so, awesome! Still, I just think that with their budget and access to actors and directors,they could have produced something really great. Instead, they decided to make the series appear low budget and vapid. I love that they tried but still, I know they can do better. Fingers crossed.

As a parent, I find this series to be a horror show. I began watching it because I absolutely adore Keeley Hawes, and I have always delighted in her countless, fabulous performances. I had hoped to enjoy a faithful rendition of the books, but was horrified by the way the children were portrayed as entitled wasters who refused, in the most impolite fashion, to help their widowed mother who was willing to uproot her entire life and move to Corfu in order to save them from a life of poverty in England. Considering how disgustingly the children behave, I can only assume that she has overindulged these monsters since day one. I detest them all, and they manifest the most hated stereotypical behavior of English speaking people, expecting all cultures to adapt to the English language and customs, even when those people are in their own countries. That being said, due to the location, the cinematic quality and the outstanding performances of the supporting cast - who doesn't still love Leslie Caron (the enchanting "Gigi" of my youth) as the darling Countess Mavrodak? Anna Savaa (Lugaretzia), Alexis Georgoulis (Spiros Halikiopoulos), Yorgos Karamhios (Theo Stephanides)are outstanding actors and create adorable characters. I have now finished episode 4, and my disgust with the members of the entire Durrell family is beginning to subside. For some unknown reason, the brats have suddenly become aware that their mother would do anything in the world to bring them happiness. So, if you can make it to episode 4, the series may improve enough to be a worthwhile expenditure of your viewing time.

"Thirteen" is a completely new spin on the British crime drama. Jodie Comer is entirely believable as Ivy Moxam, the 26 year old, newly escaped kidnapping victim, who vanished 13 years ago, at the age of 13. One can only imagine how difficult it would be to reenter the world after 13 years of absence, due to the fact that you had been held captive in a cellar for all those years. She is ghostly pale, completely disoriented, frightened by everyone except the deeply compassionate DI Elliott Carne, gently played by Richard Rankin, and her first love, Tim. The overall surprising tone is set by the behavior of the police. Ivy calls Emergency from a phone box, declaring that she is Ivy Moxam and that she has escaped her captor. Shockingly, she is picked up by a single police man, and then delivered to the steps of the local constabulary, where she is met by a lone social worker. The police response is underwhelming and confusing. None of the police think to immediately learn the location of the kidnapper's den and search it. Instead, they seem much more concerned about her identity, rather than arresting the monster who has abducted this young woman, no matter who she is. Her clothes, hair and general condition leave little doubt that something untoward has happened to this girl. Comer does an outstanding job portraying a traumatized women in distress. The police state that there has never been a case in which a kidnapping victim has ever escaped alive. Ivy begins to grasp the direction things are about to go when DS Lisa Merchant uses the word "alleges" when referring to her claiming to be Ivy, making it clear that she is in for one long, bumpy landing rather than returning to the safety of the loving arms of her family. All this attitude seems to come from the fact that two woman have come forward since the disappearance, claiming to be Ivy, resulting in doubt about her actual identity. It is only the lack of handcuffs around the wrists of Ivy that assures the viewer that she is the victim, not the offender. During questioning, Ivy actually asserts that DS Merchant believes that her inability to escape was her own fault and Merchant does not contradict Ivy. Ivy's mother scrambles to put the trappings of her former life, shattered by the loss of her daughter, back together again. She desperately clings to the belief that in doing this, she can exert some kind of control over the spreading chaos. There is tremendous tension and suspicion lurking in every nook and cranny of this show. It is clear that this onion will have many, many layers that will be peeled back as the story unfolds, revealing some shocking truth. At the end of the first episode, another girl has been abducted. Did Ivy escape, or was she released because she was no longer a 13 year old school girl, but a 26 year old women? Having been the victim of something very similar, I will be fascinated to see how well the creators of this show are able to draw a true picture of how much collateral damage results from something like this. Everyone becomes a victim.

Neelam Gill, a stunning, 20 year old British fashion model of Indian descent walks the viewer, for 17 minutes, through the "Vogue 100: A Century of Style" exhibition at ?. She never says where the exhibition is on-going. I researched it and found that it is at The National Portrait Gallery in London. If you are interested in the personal taste of this model and avidly follow her on Instagram and Twitter, then this is a perfect opportunity for those of short attention span, to pop around this really important exhibition. I appreciate that she attempts to focus on women of color who broke through difficult boundaries in fashion modeling. However, there really is no focus, only random, personal preferences, sprinkled with a bit of social commentary. My younger brother was one of the "Super Models" and great friends with many of the people featured. He lived fast and hard and perished at an early age. I appreciate that she touched on the dangers of that life in those days, and how difficult the work was when you were treated like a plastic manikin, rather than an actual person with feelings.

If you are similar to most current movie goers who only like movies that repeatedly show us how horrible we can be as a species, this film is not for you. If you want to see a beautifully filmed, beautifully acted and beautifully scored film that will not confront you with greed, lust and horror every second, then this may be the film for you. My grandfather was an Irish Catholic born in Dublin who came here long before the time in which this film was set. He married the daughter of a Methodist minister who disowned his daughter for joining her life with that of my grandfather. They had many struggles and this film is not about those sad moments. This film is about celebrating possibilities and the loving aspects of human nature. You will walk out of the theater feeling wonderful about who we have the capacity to be. Bravo.

Even though I objected to the portrayal of my beloved Louisianan as a state filled with incestuous, dimwitted swamp people, I loved Season 1. I awaited Season 2 with excited anticipation. The opening credits greatly impressed me with mysterious graphics and a theme song of which I never tired. The first episode was a jumble of meaningless stories that seemed to have no connection, but we have all seen this technique used before. I told myself that I simply had to wait and everything would become clear as the story unfolded. The cast was beyond impressive, so I kept watching and waiting for the characters, any characters to have a shred of appeal. In eight episodes, I never cared one tiny bit about any of them or the worlds they were trying so hard to hold together. The tag line is "You Get the World You Deserve" and they certainly did. Where Season 1 enticed the viewer into a frightening and strange world that seems to have been reclaimed by the magical forces of nature, Season 2 drags the viewer at gunpoint into a man-made cesspool populated by equally worthless creatures who deserve that world. More than a few times, I found that I was playing solitaire out of boredom and had to go back to see if I had missed something that might make me care about anything that was going on. I never did find a thing. The best part about this series, besides some of the music, was that it finally came to an end.

I was the biggest fan of this show. I was deeply saddened when the series ended, and could not wait for the film to debut. I felt as if I had known each character and that they had been part of my inner circle of friends for years. The film was on the level of the most mediocre episode, although I cannot remember one that was so lacking in direction as this film. It was great to see so many familiar faces, but not worth making it into a feature film. I felt as if all the characters simply "phoned in" their performances rather than taking on the personalities once again for the love of the series. Where there had been life, there was emptiness. If they make another, I hope they will once again attempt to reach for the bar they set with the series, and not just edit together a bunch of celebrity cameos.

Mary Jane reminds me of all the people I have been at different times of my life, and how thankful I am that I have grown out of many of them. For those who believe that money and fame are the keys to happiness, "Being Mary Jane" reminds us that true happiness and grinding discontent come from what we believe about ourselves. When Mary Jane feels good about herself, she is a wonderful friend, a generous sister, a caring aunt and an attentive daughter who is able to be honest with herself about what she wants. When she hates herself, she is a coward in her relationships, the self-righteous family authority on what is correct, and downright, self-destructive. Sometimes I love her, and sometimes, because she reminds me of who I have been, I'm not fond of her. This show says so many things that others fail to say. I find it extremely brave.

I adore a great British psychological thriller like "Wire in the Blood" or "Prime Suspect" but this is not one of them. I should have known that when the first two scenes consisted of the discovery of the maggot covered body of a girl followed by one of the most graphic autopsies of the gas bloated corpse I have ever seen, that it would be all down hill from there. Superior murder mysteries merely hint at or suggest the gore and violence because the real story lies in the unraveling the minds and motives of the killers and discovering the equal complexity of the detectives who strive to solve these puzzles. Although Kelly Reilly as D.C. Anna Travis is quite beautiful with a killer body, she appears to be mildly retarded, habitually unkempt and completely one dimensional. I suppose this was an attempt on the writer's part to make her quirky but it just made her less interesting. Except for a few moments when she springs into uncharacteristic action, she seems altogether somewhere else. Hinds could have delivered his "performance" as a stereotypical chauvinistic pig who hits on anything female, in his sleep. Jason Durr is the real star of the show but even his performance was a bit "over the top" in the end. I would recommend this show to all those who love violence, crime re-enactment, blood and guts. It is for viewers who basically only watch police mysteries to play the voyeur.

There is absolutely nothing fresh or original about this version of a tale which we have all seen magnificently presented in other films. From the very first moment, the film screams "B." I believe that the actors who are cast in the film are fully capable of delivering adequate performances but they move around the set and give their lines as if they are in an elementary school play. I can only blame it on the direction, since even Roger Moore is horrible. The lead actress, Katie McGrath reminds me of a less emaciated Keria Knightley. The sets and costumes are abysmal. Paintings are propped up on mantelpieces and pieces of furniture while everything appears to be lacking in the kind of quality one would expect to find in the castle of a prince. In the party scene, the majority of the costumes are not even pressed and look as if they were just yanked out of some forgotten theater trunk. It appears as if some of the actors provided their own clothes because there is a vast difference in the level of quality from one actor to the next. All in all, this is a complete waste of time and film. I decided to write this review to prevent others from throwing away their time and their Christmas money. If you are thinking about buying this for a child, think again.

When this show was announced, I researched it and learned about the original starring Helen Mirren. I have watched many fantastic British cops shows but the original "Prime Suspect" is now at the top of my list. The episodes were 3 hours long and I was riveted to the screen from beginning to end. They are indeed murder mysteries. Please do yourself a favor and see that series. That being said, I love the cast of this American version and agree that it has not tried to copy the original but forged its own path. Maria Bello is such a great actress and I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing her perform on a weekly basis yet sadly, her character seems without color or depth, but perhaps that IS her character. I also hate the hat but even that and the incessant gum chewing hardly detract from her astounding physical beauty. Unfortunately, I could not care less about any of the characters and I am hoping that as the series develops, the writers will flesh them out. All in all, it is pretty much the run of the mill formula cop show - the crime, the investigation and the arrest. Ho Hum! I will give it two more episodes because of the super cast (I'm currently on episode 7)before I stop watching.

I downloaded this new show without knowing that it was an MTV semi-documentary-style reality show. I have traditionally found that the creators of most reality shows edit down their footage to produce a final product that illustrates the worst side of people and encourages an endless steam of judgmental thoughts in the viewer. I actually feel less enlightened after about 15 minutes of exposure because I allow myself to fall into a way of thinking that I don't like. However, after watching the first episode of "Chelsea Settles" I was so inspired by the concept of the show, the unobtrusive filming coupled with the hope and courage of leading character, that I knew that I could dig down deeper inside myself and face my own challenges, which now seem so much smaller, with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. I only wish that Chelsea knew that moving to a new location and losing weight will not bring her happiness unless she is present during the journey. It is the journey, not the actual achievement of the goal that brings joy. We are often so focused on an end result that we miss the lessons that bring about long-term change and healing. I believe this could be a show about the hard work and determination that goes into real emotional growth. I applaud the tender and sensitive way that the creators present Chelsea. She is one brave young lady!

I watched this show because it was a BBC production starring Tara Fitzgerald, who I adore. However, it begins with a long string of shots of decaying bodies in the wild, crawling with insects. These corpses are brought back to "the farm" where they are studied by "the farm" team. As the show moves forward, the viewer begins to understand that the main cast is made up of a team of scientist who are truly thrilled to live around and study dead things in order to learn about how they died. From the outside, "The Body Farm" appears to be a charming homestead. However, inside it consists of very dirty laboratories and unkempt living spaces. The team is perfect for this work as they are completely at ease with all this filth and decay. All of this seemed intriguing and perhaps the premise for something quite original. However, it turned out to be just another gory forensics show with overly dark sets, flat acting, jerky camera shots made even worse by bad lighting. The viewer is forced to relive the bloody crimes over and over again with escalating brutality with all manor of crawling insects, maggots,and flesh eating flies added to the mix. If you love CSI because you are able to see the violent crime committed over and over again with increasing detail AND you love insects that feast on dead flesh, then this is the show for you. To each his own but I will not be watching the next episode.

Before you waste your time seeing this visually beautiful yet essentially vapid piece of fluff and ruin a great plot, see "Anthony Zimmer." By the end of the film, I found it difficult to believe that Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp had signed up for this, but who wouldn't when the film was "written" and directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, the master director who was responsible for the great German film and one of my personal favorites, "The Lives of Others." The cast is filled out by other greats such as Timothy Dalton, Rufus Sewell and Steven Berkoff. I hear that the pathetic finished product was due to Hollywood problems and dough. The movie does have stunning sets and locations but so does "Zimmer." If you want to see a slick film that delivers the same plot with style and actually has sexual chemistry between the stars, opt for "Anthony Zimmer" before the cool plot twist is destroyed by watching it poorly delivered in this mediocre film.

This film reminded me immediately of one of my favorite films - Amélie. It is delivered in the same quirky, cartoon-like style but without the mesmerizing charm and flowing story line. The acting by Leslie Bibb was fantastic and she did a wonderful job with what she was given. Everyone in the cast was outstanding and acted their hearts out. I can easily see why they all won awards for their performances in Boston. The main problem I found with this movie was that after the first half hour it was so repetitive and predictable, I found myself looking at my watch every 5 minutes. That being said, I appreciated the director's (Tim Cox) dedication to the style of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie), as I imagine that these kind of films are much more difficult to direct and produce than a straight forward, dark comedy. I was relieved when it all came to an end.

If you watch this film you will believe that Jason Lewis definitely hit his peak as Smith Jarrod in "Sex and The City." His high, nasal voice constantly distracted me from trying to find him attractive. Even though 30% of his shots were of him naked to the waist (I am female), it was not enough to overcome his lack of acting ability or chemistry with anyone in the movie. I suppose the "message" of the film was a comment upon how superficial and incapable of intimacy we have become. By creating characters that had absolutely no chemistry with each other and just went through the motions of sex, the makers of this film succeeded. I have seen Eric McCormack and Jason Lewis do great work, so I can only blame it on the director, Warren Sonoda and the writer, Liam Card. Even though the film made an episode of "Gossip Girl" seem deep and meaningful, the final 20 minutes were the most painful to get through. There was simply no substance. My advise is that even if it is free to view, save your time for anything else.

I anticipated a clone of "Before Sunrise," which I really enjoyed, but this film was much more than the story of two people spending 24 hours together, sharing tiny parts of their lives and moving on. The film sets the stage and encourages the viewer to imagine the truth about the characters without any cinematic tricks. The pace was perfect and the film devoid of unnecessary dialog. Just as in true life, some of the conversations were unfinished or interrupted as the film carried on. Several times I found myself forgetting that I was watching a film, as I was so caught up in the humanity of the characters. The acting was truly first rate. It was beautifully filmed, using really super London locations and fun music which gave it the look of a much more expensive finished product. I will keep this gem in my movie library, listed under "inspirational romances."

This is a very sweet, innocent semi-comedy. Throughout the first half of the film, the characters are fairly one dimensional. Even Dorothée and Nicolas seem flat and almost cartoon like while all the other characters simply have cameo type appearances. However, when Dorothée and Nicolas each arrive in Paris, they begin to flesh out. Hubert, played beautifully by Guillaume Gallienne brings the film alive with his portrayal of a deaf-mute tailor. Only the French could come up with such a brilliant solution to the romantic dilemma of our two love-struck soul mates. This is not profound, French cinema but certainly not a waste of time. I smiled in the end and giggled here and there throughout the movie. Enjoy