Neither overly opulent, or over-dramatized, "A Royal Affair" is a historical, costume drama that avoids becoming pedantic. It deftly observes the complex relationships between the odd/mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark, his wife, Caroline, and his royal physician, Johann Struensee. In addition to this love triangle, there's another delirious, damaging dance going on between the forces of feudalism and the advocates of progress and the Enlightenment.

Christian's madness is almost a character unto itself. He's portrayed as a sensitive,…

A fine French film, worth watching, that could have been so much more grand. I loved the novel--which was philosophic, witty and compelling. However, there is significant narration and inner thought in Muriel Barbery's book (she is a professor of philosophy) that is almost impossible to convey on screen.

So what you get is a sweet, dark, well-acted, slow-paced exploration of two people--the world-weary, 11-year-old, Paloma Josse, daughter of wealthy parents, and the secretive concierge, Madame Renée (the "hedgehog" of…

I noticed that the often-pompous, semi-jerk Bret Easton Ellis (who dissed both David Foster Wallace and Kathryn Bigelow) was singing this movie's praise on Twitter. He claimed it was one of the best films of the year and likely an Oscar winner for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress. That sounded simply ludicrous, with all the others in the field, including "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Amour," "Lincoln" and "Argo."

I got to see this right after New Year's,…

"Argo" is the based-on-a-true-story account of the rescue of six U.S. embassy staff members sheltered in the Canadian ambassador's residence during the Iran hostage crisis. It's an off-beat but endearing ride, fueled by serious politics and history, bolstered by the best elements of a light-hearted caper farce.

"Argo" succeeds--very well. It's quite as compelling as any quality superhero movies such as "Spiderman"--and at times, though based on fact, feels quite as fantastical as a web-shooting, costumed savior scaling a wall.…