[Fifth Business]

She's wrong about the book also. It was not DOA. It was well-received and celebrated. She's also wrong about the characters being pacifists. The protagonist was disillusioned and tired of fighting.

Having said all that, I did not particularly enjoy the book, though the prose was excellent. The previews for the movie look pretty sappy, so I think I'll go see Master and Commander for the third time.

[John H K]

She's wrong about the book also. It was not DOA. It was well-received and celebrated. She's also wrong about the characters being pacifists. The protagonist was disillusioned and tired of fighting.

On any given day, there's more intelligent analysis on National Review Online than there is on World Net Dumbly in a year.

[Ciexyz]

....I think I'll go see Master and Commander for the third time.

Yes, by all means, see M&C again! I'm on multiple viewings myself. (And I'm also a fan of the A&E Horatio Hornblower series of films.)

[ShakeNJake]

I saw Cold Mountain. Kidman's character (or maybe just her portrayal) is insipid and the whole movie a huge bore except for the character of Ruby played by Renee Zellweiger. Renee's performance is absolutely priceless and saved a movie good for nothing but a long nap.

So, unless you are interested in a long winter's nap, skip Cold Mountain completely. I don't even consider it worth the time spent watching it even if it was a free viewing.

Master and Commander is fabulous! It was so good that I want to go back and see it again. It was well worth the price and my time, and is probably the best movie of its genre ever made.