Seldon's Blog

"CASINO ROYALE" (2006) Review

Before watching my DVD copy of 2006’s "CASINO ROYALE" for the upmteenth time, I had assumed that my initial enthusiasm toward the 21st James Bond thriller would dim with time. I felt certain that I would have enough of the fictional British Secret Service agent. Needless to say, my assumptions proved to be wrong. I managed to enjoy "CASINO ROYALE" more than ever. It has become firmly entrenched as my second favorite Bond movie of all time, following 1969’s "ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE”. ( Read more... )

"RETURN TO CRANFORD" (2009) Review

Due to the success of the 2007 miniseries, "CRANFORD", the BBC aired a two-part sequel called "RETURN TO CRANFORD" (also known as the "CRANFORD CHRISTMAS SPECIAL"), some two years later. Like the original miniseries, it was adapted by Heidi Thomas and directed by Simon Curtis. ( Read more... )

"CRANFORD" (2007) Review

Seven years ago, the BBC aired a five-part miniseries adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s series of stories about a small town in North West England. After viewing the 2004 miniseries, "NORTH AND SOUTH", my curiosity regarding the 2007 miniseries became piqued and I turned my attention toward it. ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my ten favorite movies of 2015. Since my movie attendance was pretty low during that year, I missed a great deal of films. (List subject to change in near future): ( Read more... )

"SPECTRE" (2015) Review

Following the release of the 2012 movie, "SKYFALL", my interest in the James Bond movie franchise had somewhat dropped. This was due to my negative reaction to the movie. In other words, I disliked it. When I learned that Sam Mendes, who had directed "SKYFALL", would return to direct the franchise's 24th movie, I did not receive the news very well and paid as little attention to the production of this new movie as possible. But . . . my family has never been able to resist the release of a new James Bond movie. So, we did not hesitate to rush to the theaters when "SPECTRE" hit the movie screens. ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my favorite movies (so far) that are set in the 1900s decade: ( Read more... )

"A ROOM WITH A VIEW" (1985-86) Review

Ah, Merchant and Ivory! Whenever I hear those particular names, my mind usually generates images of Britons in Edwardian dress, strolling along a London street, across a wide lawn or even along some city boulevard in a country other than Great Britain. In other words, the images from their movie, "A ROOM WITH A VIEW" usually fills my brain. ( Read more... )

"JANE EYRE" (2011) Review

There seemed to be certain famous British novels that are always adapted for film or television . . . over and over again. One of those novel is Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, "Jane Eyre". There have been twelve television adaptations and seventeen movie adaptations. That must be a world record for any literary piece. I have seen at least three television adaptations and four movie adaptations. The most recent I have seen is the 2011 motion picture, directed by Cary Fukunaga. ( Read more... )

"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES" (2011) Review

When the Walt Disney Studios and producer Jerry Bruckheimer had first released news of their intention to make sequels to their 2003 hit movie, "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL", I reacted to the news with a great deal of wariness. In fact, I was against the idea. But after seeing 2006's "DEAD MAN'S CHEST" and 2007's "AT WORLD'S END", my opinion had changed. I ended up enjoying the two movies just as much as I had enjoyed "CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL" . . . especially the second film. ( Read more... )

"DIE ANOTHER DAY" (2002) Review

The 2002 movie, "DIE ANOTHER DAY" marked several milestones in the James Bond franchise. One, it was released during the 40th anniversary of the Bond film franchise, which began with 1962’s "DR. NO". Two, it was the first time that a non-white actress portrayed the leading lady in a Bond film. And three, it happened to be Pierce Brosnan’s last Bond film for EON Productions. ( Read more... )