Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

bkoganbing A tale set in medieval France, The Advocate is the story of a lawyer who tired of the decadence of Paris longs for a simpler life Colin Firth heads for a most rural area where he figures the peasant folk to be a kindler, gentler lot than what he left in the Isle De France. What he finds is a brutal and ignorant lot of people ruled by a cynical local lord played by Nicol Williamson who manipulates the populace for his own benefit. Williamson is not someone from an old and titled family, he's a harbinger of what was to come, a businessman who for services rendered got a title. Now that he's rich and with a title, he and his family can live a hedonistic lifestyle and they indulge themselves to the fullest. Williamson's son Justin Chadwick has all the vices and invents a few of his own.Among the beliefs these folks have is that animals have souls, souls because of their simplicity can be readily possessed by Satan and his minions. They face trial for offenses as one poor goat does at the beginning with a man who sodomized him. Only a testament to the goat's good moral character saves him from Judge Michael Gough hanging him with the man who did him wrong.As a defense advocate Firth gets one case to defend a pig owned by a family of gypsies. I will not go further except to say that Firth is quite disillusioned by everyone in what he thought was some rural idyll.The film has a lot of nudity in it. Quite frankly it needed it to perk up the interest. The Advocate for the most part is one crashingly dull film and I think the players knew it. Even Donald Pleasence who usually can spark a film doesn't deliver at all. No doubt Pleasence was kept in strict directorial check, a pity.Medieval France is recreated quite well, too bad the story just wasn't more interesting.

Armand Beautiful exploration of premodern atmosphere, of time's masks and of faith. Show in rule's body and ambiguity of innocence. Signs, symbols and respiration of a era. Misticism, sin and a strange advocate lost in a deceptive world.A great character in Ian Holm acting and subtle recreation of gestures of every period. At first sight, the love is only motive of characters actions. Love for law, for power or money, prestige or personal image, for ideal or for a woman. But, the essence is the sin, like result of corruption, hypocrisy and prejudices. Richard Curtois is not only an outsider, the stranger but principal danger for community. The desertion of Paris is capital error . The endeavor to move life in his rational limits- a cruel blasphemy. Image of his failure is not the departure, but the presence of father Albertus in a place who destroys every innocence's shadow.In spite of atmosphere, it is not a historical film. The reality after September 11 is Medieval in same measure and same saving knight is expecting.

darkteilani *Warning! Contains some spoilers!*An intelligent story brought to live with a brilliant cast!"Firth" of all of course Colin Firth who is as endearing and convincing as always. He just radiates so much honesty into this character and to us being witty, sexy, passionate, sly and clever at the same time.I regard him as the best English actor of this time!He plays a lawyer looking for peace,justice and a quiet life in the country in order to escape political corruption. And every lawyer in real life will tell you that those are unreachable goals and the quest is just grotesque. But Richard Courtois starts with the best intentions in mind and acts accordingly, even almost completely disregarding his own safety. Partly because he naively believes the law to bring justice and not the money or the political power. A lawyer with ideals, a heart and conscience, a rarity.Ian Holm is beautiful cast as priest Albertus who goes after women nevertheless,twisting everything the way it fits him best while always having a sharp look and the wits to escape the Inquisition and the mighty landlord. The conversations between him and the greenhorn lawyer are refreshing, funny and also frustrating when Albertus denies what he really knows to be right in order to preserve his good life. He betrays his friend Courtois by doing that looking him straight in the eye.The crime, the perpetrator and the mystery are well developed and the truth isn't reveal until the very end. I enjoyed myself tremendously (being a lawyer myself and realizing that the madness brought before court is still the same though the laws have changed... well, a bit... *lol*)

jasongoy this is one of my favourite films - then again I do also love Congo, Jack and Joe Versus The Volcano, Bitter Moon and Extreme Measures. I think all these films are very special - unfortunately, most other people and critics tend to think they are crap! And I'm not trying to be quirky, I genuinely like them very much.