Pam Hartling – Google

A fantastic mystery thriller with some beautiful visuals that made it worth going to the cinema to see. Ralph Fiennes is excellent as the Dean who finds himself out of his depth as the intense politics play out around him. Many of the interior domestic scenes are as stark as an airport hotel contrasting the lush Renaissance frescos in the Sistine chapel. Also cool to see are the rituals of the conclave where the process is strikingly manual. One of the most enjoyable films I've seen recently.

Outstanding performance by Saoirse Ronan as an alcoholic living a wild dangerous life in London as she slowly goes through acceptance, transformation and growth. Her journey culminates in the Orkney Islands where she grew up. She spends a winter of recovery and solitude in a remote hut where the intensity of her emotions are met by the wild and rugged intensity of the natural world around her. The story moves back and forth as she relives the painful episodes of her alcoholism/illness and there is the colour and length of her hair dye to help the viewer gauge where she is in the storyline. This may earn Ms Ronan an Oscar nomination and hopefully a win.

This film deserves to be watched. It focuses on Golda and the decisions she had to make and the consequences which she had to endure during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The dynamics of the middle east and the complex international arena is made clear. It is fascinating to see her take information from the war cabinet mixed with the experiences of her own life and those around her like the stenographer whose son is fighting at the front to make one human's decisions, brave, sometimes disastrous, and principled. This is a strong woman who loved her country. It is not often you see a woman in this position and she deserves to be documented for her role in history. Helen Mirren may not have captured Mier exactly, but she does an amazing job showing us how heavy weigh these decisions and how heavy are the losses as she struggles to continue living herself as cancer attacks her body.

Excellent series. Fantastic nuanced writing and a wonderful, rich ensemble cast. The production quality is amazing. This is a show that rewards women viewers - it is centred around strong, complex female characters and their successes and setbacks. Watching this show, I am reminded how much male-centric programmimg has been forced on us all for so many years and I applaud the women writers, producers, and directors who are emerging to bring balance to the art of story telling. One of the most enjoyable television experiences I have had.