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Having been waiting for an adaptation of this classic novel by Dame Agatha with David Suchet's definitive Hercule Poirot, I must admit to being a little thrown by the shift in tone that the series have taken over the years and by this episode in particular. Watchers of 'Agatha Christie's Poirot' will no doubt have long cherished memories of the good old days when Poirot was with his family of sorts; Hastings, Japp and Miss Lemon when the series lay equal emphasis on both the eccentricities of the detective as well as the crime at hand. Here we have no such approach; all is dark and foreboding from the second the episode starts where a misjudged decision on Poirot's part during a case ends up in a messy suicide and which visibly shakes the Belgian to the core, setting the tone of Poirot's internal religious and moral conflict for the rest of the film.

Regarding this, Suchet is magnificent and and proves how masterful an actor he is whether he is playing the detective or not...he is simply put an astonishingly powerful actor. A darker side is shown of Poirot which would have been unthinkable (even unbelievable) if one watches the early episodes, giving the character a complexity which we have rarely seen so far. It is also an interesting way to show how far Suchet has developed the character over the years and neatly brings Poirot to a stage in his life where he knows that the days he has in this world are slowly running out and thus has matters of a rather more spiritual and moral nature to contemplate. Though I personally considered the Catholic overtones a little too much for Poirot (who always struck me as not a particularly religious man), I can easily see how these internal conflicts will lead on to the similar themes encountered in the last novel and hopefully forthcoming adaptation of 'Curtain'.

However, this is where the problem lies with this film; Poirot's somewhat unusual and darker character simply does not fit with the original novel. In their aim to add complexity to Poirot as a character, the writers have alas left out essential parts (even characters) and themes of the novel (I for one was endlessly wondering when the mention of the mysterious woman in the scarlet kimono would pop up) as a result. Instead, we get scenes of women getting stoned in the street and other rather radical scenes which were simply never part of the book. The mystery element of the film (which probably is the reason why Christie's book is so well-known) is almost pushed out of our mind since the writers continually encourage the viewer to focus on topics such as morality, justice and religion, all of which I dare say *are* extremely important things to consider in our lives but are also things which we don't expect from an Agatha Christie novel or adaptation. The shift in emphasis was undoubtedly well meant but it unfortunately jars with the original source material.

Moving on to other aspects of the film; the costumes and set designs are excellent as usual and followers of British film and television will see many familiar faces in the supporting cast such as Samuel West (Dr Constantine), David Morrissey (Colonel Arbuthnot) and Eileen Atkins (Princess Dragomiroff) among others.

In conclusion, for those wishing to watch an entirely faithful and definitive version of Dame Agatha's classic whodunit, this version will most likely not be your cup of tea. On the other hand, those who would like to see a darker and fascinatingly complex side of the famous Belgian detective in the autumn of his life played by the wonderful David Suchet, this is certainly an episode to watch.

*Some spoilers* All right, to tell the truth, I'm not a big fan of action films...but with Die Hard(only Die Hard, not the sequels), I'm glad to make an exception. Even though fifteen long years have past, Die Hard is one of the most talked-of and popular action films today. Mention something out of an action film to me and I'll probably visualize a heroic gun-totting cop running around with all the weapons that can shred even the most protected of buildings to pieces...but with this film, there's a massive difference. The hero's got a toughened attitude, he's smart and add the fact that the poor man is running around barefoot on broken glass(and escaping from murderous terrorists), you've got John McClane a.k.a Bruce Willis. The plot of the film keeps you watching every second(an unexpected surprise for myself)and it leaves you feeling rather satisfied at the end of it, unlike James Bond films. Okay, John McClane's invited to a Christmas party, held by his estranged wife's rich Japanese boss and when the party seems to be going pretty smoothly, a gang of terrorists raid the building, holding everyone hostage, obviously...except McClane. Alan Rickman, again, simply shines as the villain, the suave terrorist leader, Hans Gruber.(How many terrorists wear a suit while holding people hostage? Not many.) So, McClane wages a one-man war, using his wits, his limited weapons and a 'borrowed' walkie-talkie to get himself and the hostages out of this mess, plus a little help from a trustworthy cop from the outside, Sgt. Al Powell, played by Reginald VelJohnson. For people who have watched this, most of you'll agree that this is one of the best action films ever made and if some people haven't watched this yet, go on, it's an entertaining ride of thrills, action and wit from start to finish. Recommended. 9/10

*SPOILERS* Shakespeare's comedy, 'Much Ado About Nothing' is one of the most enjoyable plays ever written by Shakespeare. Acting out Shakespeare well is already a hard task but actually directing, producing and as well writing the screenplay and playing a Shakespearean character is a tremendous feat; and the one doing all this, is Kenneth Branagh. This film is amazing with its great acting, costumes, music and the beautiful gardens are a major plus as well. Standing out from the rest of the other characters are the bickering, witty Benedick and Beatrice, marvellously acted by Kenneth Branagh and his then-wife, Emma Thompson. Denzel Washington plays Don Pedro, prince of Arragon and lord to Benedick and Claudio and Robert Sean Leonard plays the easily-lead Claudio, Kate Beckinsale plays the honest Hero and Michael Keaton is the bumbling constable, Dogsberry. The only problem with the film is the lack of effort from Keanu Reeves' Don John, who is Don Pedro's half-brother. Shakespeare wanted Don John to be a sort of cold hearted villain, something like Hans Gruber from the movie, 'Die Hard', I can hardly hear a word from Don John, it sounds as if he's talking to himself rather than giving orders around to his henchmen, Borachio and Conrade, I don't blame Keanu Reeves' for trying, but this is definitely not a film you want to watch him in if you're a Keanu Reeves' fan. The scenes played out in the film are touching, detailed and full of energy but one of my favourite scenes was when Benedick overhears Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio that Beatrice loves him, which of course is a lie but of course Benedick doesn't know this but believes it anyway. (If you watch the film I guess you'll understand why.) The music was lovely, composed by the celebrated composer Patrick Doyle, the two songs, one of them which I think is called, 'Hey nonny nonny' and the other was played at Hero's memorial service was memorable and I couldn't stop humming the tune 'Hey nonny nonny' for a few days after watching the film. The last shot in the film where everyone is singing and dancing must be mentioned, it's a long continuous shot, without any editing or cutting and it's breathtaking, it weaves through the courtyard, and then looks up at the balconies and there's confetti falling all over the place, then we follow Benedick, Beatrice, Claudio and Hero into the gardens and the film finishes with a bird's eye view of everyone joining hands, dancing and singing. Spectacular. This film is absolutely brilliant and I throughly reccommend it, hats off for Kenneth Branagh for this delightful and wonderfully romantic comedy, Shakespeare must be smiling somewhere...

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This 1991 adaptation of the well-known Robin Hood legend may not be the most realistic but it offers some entertainment. But Kevin Costner was totally wrong for the part of Robin, I'm not saying he's a bad actor but he just makes Robin, who is the hero of the film, boring and dull. Christian Slater was totally unnecessary, telling Robin that he's his half-brother is what the scriptwriters might have added to make the story more interesting but the whole scene doesn't really fit the flow of the story. Alan Rickman on the other hand is simply fantastic! He steals the whole movie and many of his scenes were deleted from the movie but he's still the most interesting character! He is simply and truly one of the greatest actors of all time. Actually, I was pretty upset when the Sherrif dies, it was like ending the whole film. Many of the films memorable lines come from his character, the mean Sheriff, such as: "Locksley! I'll cut your heart out with a SPOON!" Pure magic. Great voice, too.(If you like Alan Rickman in this, you better watch "Sense and Sensibility", 1995. Excellent movie). Morgan Freeman was good too, he was very convincing as Azeem, the Moorish warrior who vows to Robin to save his life one day. I only watched this film simply for the enjoyment of watching Alan Rickman do his magic, but the movie's not really that bad. One of the good points of the movie was the music, it's fits the movie. I give movie a rating of 6/10 but 10/10 for Mr Rickman's performance.

Jane Austen's book, Sense and Sensibility was always a favourite book of mine, next to Pride and Prejudice. Emma Thompson's adaptation of Austen's first published novel is simply delightful; not only does it completely capture the wit and spirit of Austen's novel, it gives you an understanding of what true love really is. I simply loved the acting, Emma Thompson's performance as Elinor was very good, not only does she act according to the book's Elinor, but she also gave Elinor a sense of humour, which was a good idea, in my opinion. I was impressed by Kate Winslet's Marianne, the emotions shown by her is believable, you really can't believe that she didn't win an Oscar for her performance, if you liked Kate Winslet in Titanic, you should try watching this movie, you'll be surprised by how believable she is. Hugh Grant as the kind Edward Ferrars is truly worth watching. The scene where Edward meets Elinor in London, while his fiance is in the same room is heart-wretching. You can't help feeling sorry for him. Absolutely marvellous. Alan Rickman's melancholy Colonel Brandon is amazing, it's a different role for him, but he plays good characters just as nicely as villains. I liked the scene where Marianne finally pays some attention to him while he reads some poetry to her. Greg Wise's Willoughby was somewhat disappointing. His performance didn't really capture the book's Willoughby. He didn't show much emotion, he's quite good but not good enough. Willoughby is certainly not worth dying for, Colonel Brandon is more worth it.: ) This was Ang Lee's first English-language film, I think he did a wonderful job, the essence of the film is truly faithful to Emma Thompson's screenplay. It's a pity that Sense and Sensibility only won one Oscar(Best Screenplay), it should have won more. This is definitely one of the best Jane Austen movie adaptations ever made, I'm giving this 10 out of 10, which is what this movie deserves. If you enjoy this movie, try watching, BBC/A&E's version of Pride and Prejudice(1995).

One of the best adaptations of the book, I have seen it countless times and I know I will watch it more and more. It improves on the number of times you watch it. The acting is marvelous and the scenery is smashing. Very believable. It is simply a wonderful, witty and intelligent comedy.