Rather than lose all my comments on current films, I thought I'd archive them.  No particular reason, but it seems a shame to lose all those typing hours - however bad the reviews are!
(the dates are those on when I moved the reviews to the archive)

In the historical non-fiction vein, I 'enjoyed' Schindler's List - if it is possible to enjoy watching such a harrowing film. Somehow, the black & white filming makes it even more poignant.  One strange thing is the different reactions to it - almost everyone cries at some point whilst watching it, but it isn't until the very last scene when the cast and survivors are at Oskar Schindler's grave that I start - it's not the most horrific/sad/moving part of the film (I think that distinction goes to the part where the ghetto is being closed down and we see the little girl in the red coat running around trying to hide), but somehow, it gets me going every time. A brilliant film, dealt with sympathetically, however much it doesn't tell about the real Oskar Schindler or the hundreds of others who also saved many of the Jews from the death camps.  [Although there is no website for the film, Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation is worth a visit] 

Some of the films I've seen recently and enjoyed include odd ones like The Spanish Prisoner - slow to get going, and really a bit odd, but good when you get into it.  Smilla's Feeling for Snow is another 'odd' one - but nice to see something non American for a change - plus it does have Gabriel Byrne in it which helps! The Horse Whisperer was another film I enjoyed although I'm not really quite sure why - it's not my usual kind of film, but it was good.  I just have to read the book now! Action movies are always good for escapism, but there haven't really been any that got me going recently. Armageddon and Deep Impact were nothing special, and the X Files moviewas disappointing (but there again, the whole series is getting a little like that anyway). I enjoyed The Negotiator - both Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey were brilliant, helping bring it above most 'cops & robbers' films. I don't really have a point of view concerning Out of Sight - nothing to get excited about, but not bad. 

I must admit to being a bit of a James Bond fan - I suppose I grew up with the standard Christmas fare of at least 2 Bond films during the season.  I've also read the books, which tell a completely different kind of story, so worth reading, even if you have seen the films.  Tomorrow Never Dies was a good film - although Jonathan Pryce wasn't the most convincing of bad guys (come back Blofeld & Co.!).  I do like Pierce Brosnan in the film - almost as good has Sean Connery - and the one-liners weren't bad either! TND is much better than Goldeneye, which I thought was a bit dire, we shall see what becomes of Bond 19 (due to be released November 19 1999 by the way - apparently the producers thought it was too good a date to miss). One of the best Bond websites is the Ian Fleming Foundation's Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - all the latest gossip, reviews, interviews etc.
 

I now have a really sad admission to make here! I like The Man in the Iron Mask! NOT because Leo's in it (in fact he's one of the worst things in it most of the time), but because Gabriel Byrne and Jeremy Irons are in it, and the last quarter is worth watching - I must admit to hovering over the fast forward button during 

most of the early part.  It also bears very little resemblance to the original book - Randall Wallace seems to like taking a perfectly good story and inventing extra bits.  Whatever it's drawbacks, I prefer it to the Richard Chamberlain version. Also on the vein of French history, I saw Les Miserables recently.  Not having actually read the book, I can't compare them, but since it is such a large book, I image a fair amount has been compressed/left out. Although Liam Neeson is OK as Valjean, Geoffrey Rush steals the show as Javert - mind you Javert is my favourite character in the story anyway - somehow I feel sympathy for him. I must also admit to being addicted to the musical, so I did find it hard to see familiar scenes without thinking of the songs that should go with it, but that's my problem.

What else recently........ Mask of Zorro? I awaited this film impatiently having loved the old black and white movies and TV shows when I was younger.  I have nothing specific against this film, but there just seems to be something wrong with it.  Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas are all brilliant in it - I especially like the scene in the stable between Antonio and Catherine - but somehow it just doesn't seem to catch you in its grasp like the old film does. Oh well, I enjoyed it anyway!

I've also seen The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. The original story has been slightly rewritten, but manages to maintain the same sort of sense of fun about it. I missed the 'signature' song, Windmills of Your Mind, though as it is one of my favourites.

I suppose having passed comment upon Star Wars, I must also include Star Trek.  Another mammoth collection of films of varying standard. Of the newer ones, I enjoyed First Contact a lot - certainly better than Generations - and Insurrection is also quite good - it gets them off the ship for most of it at least.  The next one is supposedly in pre-production and might be the last one as a sole outing for the Next Generation cast, the series to be taken over by the DS9 lot next.