Feeling in a 60s mood, I watched the camp but fun "Our Man Flint " hope to
Watch " In like Flint " later today.
I love those Flint films- probably the best send-ups of the early Bond films but still exciting enough to be great fun on their own. Although I liked the Austin Powers films, the Flint ones for me are much more successful. And that brilliant cigarette lighter! - 82 functions (83 including the light) ) )
-{ I've both flint films on DVD and would love to get the Matt Helm films but I think
They are only available for the american market. I'm not saying they're brilliant but
I have such found memories watching them as a kid. )
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,,it's excellent...
"I don't know if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or imbeciles who mean it."-Mark Twain
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
August: Osage County, the film adaptation of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer-winning play from 2008. Letts adapted the screenplay for direction by John Wells.
Story of a dysfunctional family brought together in a home on the desolate Oklahoma plains by the disappearance of its patriarch, Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard), an alcoholic one-time poet and writer whose best days are far behind him. His wife Violet (Meryl Streep) suffers from mouth cancer, which she soothes by smoking cigarettes and popping an assortment of pills that may as well be Jelly Belly candies. She is prone to acerbic tirades that bring to mind Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
When Bev disappears, the children (all girls) descend on the house to comfort their mother. Barbara (Julia Roberts) is the oldest (and Bev's favorite) who long ago moved to Colorado and is now bitterly saddled with a cheating, feckless husband (Ewan McGregor), an angry 14-year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin) and a generally sad life. Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) is Violet's middle daughter, who has stayed home in Osage County, only to absorb Violet's ungrateful scorn that Ivy seems to be turning into a spinster. The baby is Karen (Juliette Lewis), a flighty, flirty type who has driven up from Miami in the Ferrari of her latest fiance, a leering sleazeball "businessman" played by Dermot Mulroney. Also on hand are Violet's sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale), her homespun but moral husband Charlie (Chris Cooper) and their son "Little Charles" (Benedict Cumberbatch) a seeming loser who stammers, stares at the ground and appears afraid of his own shadow. Finally, there is Johnna (Misty Upham) a Cheyenne woman recently hired by Bev to care for he and Violet, who tastefully refers to her as an "Injun". Johnna clearly stands apart from the rest, and she is meant to represent the audience.
Suffice to say, there are lots of hidden secrets and anger among this lot. What you effectively get are a series of diatribes, some delivered with humor but many without. Despite the overall quality of the cast, this is Meryl Streep's movie first and foremost. She portrays Violet like a devastating Oklahoma tornado, and it's hard to turn away from the destruction she wreaks. Julia Roberts is as nasty as I can ever remember her, as her "inner Violet" shows through. The rest of the cast have smaller roles to play, although Chris Cooper stands out as the most relatively sane member of the asylum.
All in all, this is a good movie, not a great one. Try as they might, Letts and Wells cannot escape the fundamental staginess of the whole exercise. As compelling as some of the drama was, I felt as though I was watching a film of a play.
In order to try and satisfy my craving for the next episode of the BBC's Sherlock, I decided to try a Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Holmes film, and I decided 'The Secret Weapon' because I was intrigued by the idea of Holmes in WWII, and also because it is based in part on one of my favourite Doyle stories...The Adventure of the Dancing Men. I know that it is regarded as one of the lesser Rathbone films, but nonetheless I found it an enjoyable wartime mystery/espionage yarn. And with the incomparable Basil Rathborne as Holmes, what's not to like?
The only other Rathbone Holmes film I have watched is the 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'...I'll definitely be checking out more of these films. In fact, I have just order the DVD box set!
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,774Chief of Staff
You won't be disappointed...Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes as far as I'm concerned...I love these films...dated, sure...but quality -{
I loved the old rathbone films, still remember watching them on a tiny black and white portable in my bedroom
as a kid. I'm also glad that both M Gatiss and S Moffet have both said they too love them, where as some
Sherlock Holmes fans look down on them.
As a side note Basil Rathbone was one of the best swordsmen in Hollywood.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Fast Five:
Great fun movie, fast car and chases with plenty of shooting and a few fist fights. )
I'd put it up there with " a room with a view "
It's a great popcorn film just sit back and enjoy.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
On the heels of 2012's The Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell channels his inner Scorsese with an adrenaline-filled quasi-fictionalization of the Abscam scandals of the late 1970s, in which US Congressmen were caught in an FBI sting accepting payoffs from fictional Middle Eastern moneymen.
The film has a Goodfellas-like rhythm, including extensive voiceovers, period-appropriate popular music in the soundtrack, and an overall gonzo feel. But this is no ripoff; Russell and his actors deliver a wonderful story that is by turns funny, sad, tense and baffling.
The real winners here are the actors. I cannot remember a better ensemble performance -- the principals in this case being Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. Not only is there not a mediocre performance in the bunch, there is not even a good performance in the bunch -- every one of them is absolutely brilliant. Christian Bale is nothing less than a marvel -- the transformations he has shown in his body of work have me thinking he is some sort of shape-shifting alien.
The film could be 15 minutes tighter (loses steam a bit toward the end, before gaining it back with a vengeance) but other than that I have only good things to say. 10/10
On the heels of 2012's The Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell channels his inner Scorsese with an adrenaline-filled quasi-fictionalization of the Abscam scandals of the late 1970s, in which US Congressmen were caught in an FBI sting accepting payoffs from fictional Middle Eastern moneymen.
The film has a Goodfellas-like rhythm, including extensive voiceovers, period-appropriate popular music in the soundtrack, and an overall gonzo feel. But this is no ripoff; Russell and his actors deliver a wonderful story that is by turns funny, sad, tense and baffling.
The real winners here are the actors. I cannot remember a better ensemble performance -- the principals in this case being Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. Not only is there not a mediocre performance in the bunch, there is not even a good performance in the bunch -- every one of them is absolutely brilliant. Christian Bale is nothing less than a marvel -- the transformations he has shown in his body of work have me thinking he is some sort of shape-shifting alien.
The film could be 15 minutes tighter (loses steam a bit toward the end, before gaining it back with a vengeance) but other than that I have only good things to say. 10/10
I haven't seen it yet, but this film is high on my list of must-sees.
"Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
Mr MartiniThat nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,707MI6 Agent
The Wolf Of Wall Street
Now this is my kind of movie. Lots of sex, lots of profanity and a pretty good story to. It just needed a high sped car chase and a couple more explosions. There is a quick explosion in one scene, it's brief, but it's fire. Only down side is, it's three hours long. Don't stop by 7-11 for that Big Gulp before the movie or else you'll have to get up and excuse yourself. Which I don't recommend doing.
Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
Watched The Edge (1997 ) a few crash survivors battle the elements, killer
bear etc. Very entertaining and it has a Bond conection as it was directed
by Lee Tamahori.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,774Chief of Staff
Watched Lincoln last night...good performances throughout but it was a little underwhelming....
Dallas Buyers Club. Sorry for the long ramble, but this one deserves it...
The year is 1985. Matthew McConaughey plays the real-life redneck Ron Woodruff, a homophobic, hard-drinking, drug-addicted electrician and rodeo hanger-on who has lots of unprotected sex with random women. After a work accident, he wakes up in a hospital with two doctors telling him he has full-blown AIDS and 30 days left to live. Ron is initially more angered by the potential implication that he is gay than he is by the death sentence, but he eventually does his own research on treatments for the disease. AZT is just being brought to market, and Ron becomes convinced that the drug is worse than the disease. He sets off to seek alternative treatments and eventually becomes a supplier of off-market medicines (primarily herb-based) for a large group of patients, mostly the very homosexuals he finds so repulsive. By necessity rather than choice, his partner in this business venture is Rayon, a tranvestite streetwalker played by Jared Leto.
Going in, I knew that both McConaughey and Leto were being lauded for their performances. I can say now that they both exceeded my expectations. McConaughey has become one of the most charismatic actors working today, and he absolutely nails this part. Having lost lots of weight for the role, he perfectly captures the skeletal visage that characterizes many terminally ill people, particularly AIDS patients in the scary 1980s when no one knew how to control the disease. There is a scene of him writhing near-naked in a hospital bed that is every bit as shocking as seeing Christian Bale shirtless in The Machinist. He also manages to make Ron a sympathetic character without skimping on the character's many revolting personality traits.
As for Jared Leto, the word I would use here is tragic. He completely inhabits the role of the wispy Rayon, again using extensive weight loss as a technique -- he/she does not look like anything more than 100 lbs. But more than that are the character's mannerisms, which are totally credible (apparently Leto spent all day every day in costume, including heels and carrying a handbag so that he was constrained in how his arms could move). There is a scene in which Rayon turns back into Raymond and dresses in a man's business suit for a final meeting with his estranged father. It is brilliantly played and as sad a scene as I can ever remember seeing.
OK, so both principal actors are brilliant (fully deserving of any awards they get). What really surprised me is how good the story was. The film does a great job evoking the early days of the AIDS crisis and the fear that the disease instilled. The big pharma companies are cast as villains (hardly a novel approach, but effective) for marketing drugs that have devastating side effects and charging patients insane prices for the "privilege" -- all in cahoots with FDA bureaucrats who seem more concerned with keeping things orderly than with saving lives. The only annoying aspect of the film for me was Jennifer Garner as a doctor whose idealism conflicts with her desire to work within the constraints of the established system. I just find her to be wooden in everything she does, and that was the case here.
All in all, I would highly recommend this film. A very well-told story brought to life by two acting performances that represent the peak of the craft.
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I ordered the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes collection on DVD, and this week it finally arrived. So I've been watching a Holmes-a-night this week, and thought I'd comment on last night's film. I could hardly imagine a duller title (well, perhaps Sherlock Holmes Plays Golf), but the film itself proved a great evening's entertainment. It had a rather Hitchcockian feel to it, with a fine Macguffin of a microfilm hidden in a matchbook. I must say that as I work my way through the Rathbone films I have found these WWII-themed thrillers to be the most entertaining, partly because I find the idea of Holmes vs Nazis quite irresistable. I find Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes to be excellent, although I would struggle to choose between him and Jeremy Brett as my favourite. I still haven't quite got used to Nigel Bruce's bumbling portrayal of Watson, although I will admit that it is an amusing version of the character. I also love the film noir style of these films and hope that the stylish cinematography continues as I work my way through the series, although I believe that from here on the series returns to more conventional Holmes stories, although still in a 1940s setting.
watched HEAT the other night with De Niro/Pachinno as I have this new Bose sound box for my tv
the gun battle chorographed by bravo two zeros Andy Mcnab is just the best
Just watched " Olympus Has Fallen " great action movie, ( quite a lot of plot holes ) but fantastic
fun to just sit back, and watch some spectacular action sequences. -{ not going to win any Oscars
but for a " Die hard, in the white house " a good way to pass a couple of hours.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Mr MartiniThat nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,707MI6 Agent
Went and saw Lone Survivor earlier today. Not a movie to be seen for the weak of heart. It's very intense. You'll be crying like a baby by the end of it.
Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
watched The A team last night, shame B. A.s, van got trashed so early in the film,
as the van (in my opinion )was the 5th member of the team, a bit like Starskys Ford Gran Torino,
Not as bad as some reviewers have said, I found it a bit slow in places with some of the
Characters having done a complete 180 in personality by the end. That said it has its
moments. Made me want to go and watch a western )
Performances are good , effects are top notch, sadly I didn't really care about the characters
too much, fault of the script I guess,
Worth a watch but not worth going to see. I'd give it 6 out of 10.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I have seen the HBO/History Channel series "Vikings". Vikings have been given a raw deal when it comes to movies and TV. The quality and historical accuracy usually ranges from bad to horrific. I have to say 'Vikings' is a step in the right direction. The production values are very high and the actors and crew are really good. Travis Fimmel plays the lead in an interesting and origional way. Clive Standen is also worth a special mention. In my opinion he is an obvious candidate to play James Bond when Craig quits. He looks good and handles himself well in both fight scenes and drama scenes. I would also like to mention the title sequence and the music. The music by Norwegian band Fever Ray and the visuals are stunning:
I also like the way they use language in the series. When we first meet the vikings they speak Old Norse and then let them gradually slip into modern English. The same happens with the English when they are introduced. During the planning of the series one hoped to film in Norway. Sadly Norway does not offer any tax incentives to film or TV productions, unlike countries like New Zealand, Iceland or Ireland. In addition to being a very expensive country to begin with, this made the production move to Ireland. This works well enough, but I belive shots from Norway is sometimes CGI'ed into Irish landscapes. Norse religion and culture is shown fairly belivable and the plot is interesting and well worth following.
I really dislike how the TV show claims the British Iles were unknown to Scandinavians in the late seventh century. This is clearly wrong, we know of contact well back into the iron age. There is also a scene where the main character Ragnar and his wife wakes a slave in the middle of the night and ask him politely if he wants to join them in a threesome. First of all, vikings didn't ASK slaves for sex. Second, the Norse were about as tolerant to homosexuality as present day Uganda. this was a warrior society and not a hippie commune!
Still, I'll watch season two when it is released.
Series lead Travis Fimmel to the left, Clive Standen to the right.
Comments
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
I love those Flint films- probably the best send-ups of the early Bond films but still exciting enough to be great fun on their own. Although I liked the Austin Powers films, the Flint ones for me are much more successful. And that brilliant cigarette lighter! - 82 functions (83 including the light)
They are only available for the american market. I'm not saying they're brilliant but
I have such found memories watching them as a kid.
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
Story of a dysfunctional family brought together in a home on the desolate Oklahoma plains by the disappearance of its patriarch, Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard), an alcoholic one-time poet and writer whose best days are far behind him. His wife Violet (Meryl Streep) suffers from mouth cancer, which she soothes by smoking cigarettes and popping an assortment of pills that may as well be Jelly Belly candies. She is prone to acerbic tirades that bring to mind Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
When Bev disappears, the children (all girls) descend on the house to comfort their mother. Barbara (Julia Roberts) is the oldest (and Bev's favorite) who long ago moved to Colorado and is now bitterly saddled with a cheating, feckless husband (Ewan McGregor), an angry 14-year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin) and a generally sad life. Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) is Violet's middle daughter, who has stayed home in Osage County, only to absorb Violet's ungrateful scorn that Ivy seems to be turning into a spinster. The baby is Karen (Juliette Lewis), a flighty, flirty type who has driven up from Miami in the Ferrari of her latest fiance, a leering sleazeball "businessman" played by Dermot Mulroney. Also on hand are Violet's sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale), her homespun but moral husband Charlie (Chris Cooper) and their son "Little Charles" (Benedict Cumberbatch) a seeming loser who stammers, stares at the ground and appears afraid of his own shadow. Finally, there is Johnna (Misty Upham) a Cheyenne woman recently hired by Bev to care for he and Violet, who tastefully refers to her as an "Injun". Johnna clearly stands apart from the rest, and she is meant to represent the audience.
Suffice to say, there are lots of hidden secrets and anger among this lot. What you effectively get are a series of diatribes, some delivered with humor but many without. Despite the overall quality of the cast, this is Meryl Streep's movie first and foremost. She portrays Violet like a devastating Oklahoma tornado, and it's hard to turn away from the destruction she wreaks. Julia Roberts is as nasty as I can ever remember her, as her "inner Violet" shows through. The rest of the cast have smaller roles to play, although Chris Cooper stands out as the most relatively sane member of the asylum.
All in all, this is a good movie, not a great one. Try as they might, Letts and Wells cannot escape the fundamental staginess of the whole exercise. As compelling as some of the drama was, I felt as though I was watching a film of a play.
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
In order to try and satisfy my craving for the next episode of the BBC's Sherlock, I decided to try a Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Holmes film, and I decided 'The Secret Weapon' because I was intrigued by the idea of Holmes in WWII, and also because it is based in part on one of my favourite Doyle stories...The Adventure of the Dancing Men. I know that it is regarded as one of the lesser Rathbone films, but nonetheless I found it an enjoyable wartime mystery/espionage yarn. And with the incomparable Basil Rathborne as Holmes, what's not to like?
The only other Rathbone Holmes film I have watched is the 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'...I'll definitely be checking out more of these films. In fact, I have just order the DVD box set!
as a kid. I'm also glad that both M Gatiss and S Moffet have both said they too love them, where as some
Sherlock Holmes fans look down on them.
As a side note Basil Rathbone was one of the best swordsmen in Hollywood.
Great fun movie, fast car and chases with plenty of shooting and a few fist fights.
I'd put it up there with " a room with a view "
It's a great popcorn film just sit back and enjoy.
On the heels of 2012's The Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell channels his inner Scorsese with an adrenaline-filled quasi-fictionalization of the Abscam scandals of the late 1970s, in which US Congressmen were caught in an FBI sting accepting payoffs from fictional Middle Eastern moneymen.
The film has a Goodfellas-like rhythm, including extensive voiceovers, period-appropriate popular music in the soundtrack, and an overall gonzo feel. But this is no ripoff; Russell and his actors deliver a wonderful story that is by turns funny, sad, tense and baffling.
The real winners here are the actors. I cannot remember a better ensemble performance -- the principals in this case being Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. Not only is there not a mediocre performance in the bunch, there is not even a good performance in the bunch -- every one of them is absolutely brilliant. Christian Bale is nothing less than a marvel -- the transformations he has shown in his body of work have me thinking he is some sort of shape-shifting alien.
The film could be 15 minutes tighter (loses steam a bit toward the end, before gaining it back with a vengeance) but other than that I have only good things to say. 10/10
I haven't seen it yet, but this film is high on my list of must-sees.
Now this is my kind of movie. Lots of sex, lots of profanity and a pretty good story to. It just needed a high sped car chase and a couple more explosions. There is a quick explosion in one scene, it's brief, but it's fire. Only down side is, it's three hours long. Don't stop by 7-11 for that Big Gulp before the movie or else you'll have to get up and excuse yourself. Which I don't recommend doing.
bear etc. Very entertaining and it has a Bond conection as it was directed
by Lee Tamahori.
an ex commando OAP living on a inner London sink hole estate supported by the talented Plan B, this is a must see film
I saw that film a couple of years ago.....Caine is magnificent - as usual.
like making his breakfast. Brilliant film. -{
The year is 1985. Matthew McConaughey plays the real-life redneck Ron Woodruff, a homophobic, hard-drinking, drug-addicted electrician and rodeo hanger-on who has lots of unprotected sex with random women. After a work accident, he wakes up in a hospital with two doctors telling him he has full-blown AIDS and 30 days left to live. Ron is initially more angered by the potential implication that he is gay than he is by the death sentence, but he eventually does his own research on treatments for the disease. AZT is just being brought to market, and Ron becomes convinced that the drug is worse than the disease. He sets off to seek alternative treatments and eventually becomes a supplier of off-market medicines (primarily herb-based) for a large group of patients, mostly the very homosexuals he finds so repulsive. By necessity rather than choice, his partner in this business venture is Rayon, a tranvestite streetwalker played by Jared Leto.
Going in, I knew that both McConaughey and Leto were being lauded for their performances. I can say now that they both exceeded my expectations. McConaughey has become one of the most charismatic actors working today, and he absolutely nails this part. Having lost lots of weight for the role, he perfectly captures the skeletal visage that characterizes many terminally ill people, particularly AIDS patients in the scary 1980s when no one knew how to control the disease. There is a scene of him writhing near-naked in a hospital bed that is every bit as shocking as seeing Christian Bale shirtless in The Machinist. He also manages to make Ron a sympathetic character without skimping on the character's many revolting personality traits.
As for Jared Leto, the word I would use here is tragic. He completely inhabits the role of the wispy Rayon, again using extensive weight loss as a technique -- he/she does not look like anything more than 100 lbs. But more than that are the character's mannerisms, which are totally credible (apparently Leto spent all day every day in costume, including heels and carrying a handbag so that he was constrained in how his arms could move). There is a scene in which Rayon turns back into Raymond and dresses in a man's business suit for a final meeting with his estranged father. It is brilliantly played and as sad a scene as I can ever remember seeing.
OK, so both principal actors are brilliant (fully deserving of any awards they get). What really surprised me is how good the story was. The film does a great job evoking the early days of the AIDS crisis and the fear that the disease instilled. The big pharma companies are cast as villains (hardly a novel approach, but effective) for marketing drugs that have devastating side effects and charging patients insane prices for the "privilege" -- all in cahoots with FDA bureaucrats who seem more concerned with keeping things orderly than with saving lives. The only annoying aspect of the film for me was Jennifer Garner as a doctor whose idealism conflicts with her desire to work within the constraints of the established system. I just find her to be wooden in everything she does, and that was the case here.
All in all, I would highly recommend this film. A very well-told story brought to life by two acting performances that represent the peak of the craft.
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I ordered the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes collection on DVD, and this week it finally arrived. So I've been watching a Holmes-a-night this week, and thought I'd comment on last night's film. I could hardly imagine a duller title (well, perhaps Sherlock Holmes Plays Golf), but the film itself proved a great evening's entertainment. It had a rather Hitchcockian feel to it, with a fine Macguffin of a microfilm hidden in a matchbook. I must say that as I work my way through the Rathbone films I have found these WWII-themed thrillers to be the most entertaining, partly because I find the idea of Holmes vs Nazis quite irresistable. I find Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes to be excellent, although I would struggle to choose between him and Jeremy Brett as my favourite. I still haven't quite got used to Nigel Bruce's bumbling portrayal of Watson, although I will admit that it is an amusing version of the character. I also love the film noir style of these films and hope that the stylish cinematography continues as I work my way through the series, although I believe that from here on the series returns to more conventional Holmes stories, although still in a 1940s setting.
just as I love M Rutherford as Miss Marple.
the gun battle chorographed by bravo two zeros Andy Mcnab is just the best
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
fun to just sit back, and watch some spectacular action sequences. -{ not going to win any Oscars
but for a " Die hard, in the white house " a good way to pass a couple of hours.
as the van (in my opinion )was the 5th member of the team, a bit like Starskys Ford Gran Torino,
Not as bad as some reviewers have said, I found it a bit slow in places with some of the
Characters having done a complete 180 in personality by the end. That said it has its
moments. Made me want to go and watch a western
Performances are good , effects are top notch, sadly I didn't really care about the characters
too much, fault of the script I guess,
Worth a watch but not worth going to see. I'd give it 6 out of 10.
I have seen the HBO/History Channel series "Vikings". Vikings have been given a raw deal when it comes to movies and TV. The quality and historical accuracy usually ranges from bad to horrific. I have to say 'Vikings' is a step in the right direction. The production values are very high and the actors and crew are really good. Travis Fimmel plays the lead in an interesting and origional way. Clive Standen is also worth a special mention. In my opinion he is an obvious candidate to play James Bond when Craig quits. He looks good and handles himself well in both fight scenes and drama scenes. I would also like to mention the title sequence and the music. The music by Norwegian band Fever Ray and the visuals are stunning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFFxiPegAE0
I also like the way they use language in the series. When we first meet the vikings they speak Old Norse and then let them gradually slip into modern English. The same happens with the English when they are introduced. During the planning of the series one hoped to film in Norway. Sadly Norway does not offer any tax incentives to film or TV productions, unlike countries like New Zealand, Iceland or Ireland. In addition to being a very expensive country to begin with, this made the production move to Ireland. This works well enough, but I belive shots from Norway is sometimes CGI'ed into Irish landscapes. Norse religion and culture is shown fairly belivable and the plot is interesting and well worth following.
I really dislike how the TV show claims the British Iles were unknown to Scandinavians in the late seventh century. This is clearly wrong, we know of contact well back into the iron age. There is also a scene where the main character Ragnar and his wife wakes a slave in the middle of the night and ask him politely if he wants to join them in a threesome. First of all, vikings didn't ASK slaves for sex. Second, the Norse were about as tolerant to homosexuality as present day Uganda. this was a warrior society and not a hippie commune!
Still, I'll watch season two when it is released.
Series lead Travis Fimmel to the left, Clive Standen to the right.