Harvey Helfand

After seeing the film, I am convinced that Elizabeth Taylor did not win her first Oscar completely out of sympathy from the Academy voters. She gave an outstanding portrayal of a prostitute who finds love with the wrong man and pays a severe price for doing so. The rest of the cast backed her up admirably. The background music was superb, and much of the dialogue was razor-sharp and highly effective. I had to chuckle because the movie showed its age - rotary phones, typewriters, only one black face near the end, a sign showing the toll for the freeway stop was 50 cents, just about everyone decked out in beautiful clothes, bad language virtually nowhere to be found. I highly recommend this film if you want to see Ms. Taylor in her prime.

I have been attending movies for more than 40 years (I am now 72), and "The Father" is one of the most riveting, devastating, and depressing I have ever seen in my lifetime. It was difficult to follow the story at times, but I seriously doubt if dementia has ever been portrayed on screen as it is here. There is no sugarcoating what Anthony Hopkins endures during the course of the film, for he becomes more and more addled as the story moves along. We are subjected to his anguish and confusion as he endures a whole panoply of different people, names, and details the other characters provide him. One really must have a strong stomach to sit through this film and put up with his mind feeds him. As disappointed as I was that Chadwick Boseman failed to win the Oscar, I am convinced that the voters made a very wise decision to hand over to Mr. Hopkins this honor for a performance that is truly one for the ages. Bravo to him and the rest of the stellar cast for a memorable movie!

Why are there no more new episodes until May 18? Are they kidding? Who's going to remember the intricacies of the plot lines after so many weeks have elapsed? Whose idea was this? The series started barely a month ago, and now it's going on an 8-week hiatus? What's going to be shown in its time frame? Do you really think the audience will hold on and come back after 8 weeks of all those plot threads being left hanging in the air? I am really angry about this situation, and we the viewers deserve a realistic explanation of why this situation has been created. Of course I will be there in May when new episodes resume, but too many events have happened already that have not been adequately explained. Are all the episodes already aired going to be shown in the gap between now and May 18? We need answers about this, and we need them sooner rather than later.