BOOKMAN3

I was excited to discover this early movie by Stephen Poliakoff, the prolific British writer-director. An added bonus was the presence of Clive Owen, Miranda Richardson and Charles Dance, who are among my favorite actors. Nonetheless, the story makes almost no sense and you wonder why the movie was ever made. Owen describes Dance, the director of a medical research institute, as the most brilliant man he had ever met, even after they feud and become antagonists, but we are never shown anything about Dance to justify this extravagant praise. Similarly, Dance tells Owen, a specialist in physiology, that he is his most promising young doctor, yet we never see Owen do anything in that field. So, if you would enjoy seeing Clive Owen looking incredibly handsome, or seeing Miranda Richardson sensuous and bare-breasted, then CENTURY might be worth viewing, but if your highest value in a movie is a story that makes sense, look elsewhere.

Yes, it was a lapse of good judgment for Commander Blake to become romantically involved with a paroled murderer whom she had helped to convict 12 years earlier, but her decision is NOT inexplicable. She really has no time in her life to look for a suitable romantic partner -- her sister is dying of cancer and is dependent on her; her chief subordinate, whom she mistrusts (and he, in turn, hates her) is under suspicion for the apparent assassination of a suspect; and there are constant demands on her time and energies. So she yields to temptation-- drawn to the smooth talking, handsome parolee (played by Hugh Bonneville), unaware that her activities are being monitored and photographed by those who want to see her disgraced and demoted. Nonetheless, her complex character actually enhances a suspenseful tale, similar to the Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect) series, also written by the prolific and ingenious Lynda LaPlante. I warmly recommend this drama (3 parts, actually: Entrapment, Virus and Blackdog, though only part one has been available in America.) If you own a DVD player that can handle the PAL (Zone 2) format, order the 3-DVD set from England -- and savor this intricate and intense police procedural. Matter of fact, consider acquiring a second Lynda LaPlante series, the 8-DVD set, Trial and Retribution, available only in the PAL format. I am about to order another LaPlante series, The Governor (with Janet McTeer)-- about a new prison warden struggling the win the respect of the inmates and guards alike--because I can't think of another mystery writer whose work I find as consistently high-quality.

Last night, in search of an air-conditioned movie house, we were foolish enough to trust the movie reviewer for The San Jose Mercury who awarded 3 1/2 stars (out of 4) to Sean Connery's newest, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The reviewer said there is an intelligent story and characters with whom one could identify. Nonsense on stilts! It was a wickedly stupid movie, whose story made no sense and one could only root for the speedy annihilation of the "heroes" so the movie would be over sooner and one could emerge into the sweltering heat of a summer's night. (On the other hand, if you like seeing 600 deafening explosions, this is the movie for you.) Am I being clear enough?

My wife and I sat riveted throughout this magnificent eight-hour mini-series shown on the Bravo Channel. It was excellent in every respect -- the French was sharply articulated, so we could understand much of it; the sub-titles were easy to read;

the entire cast was well-chosen, especially the women; Gerard Depardieu showed an incredible range in the many disguises he wore, and was always believable; the story is psychologically rich and dramatically complex, yet could be followed and savored. I only wish it were available as a rental film, so I could watch it without commercial interruptions; fast-forwarding through the commercials is some help, but the spell of the movie is still broken. If it appears as a rental, I shall certainly see it again, and recommend it highly to all