Mads Mikkelsen

CHICAGO – A bit exhausted from the general air of seriousness that permeates awards season while also just tired of mediocre period dramas in general, I approached my screener of “A Royal Affair” with a serious degree of doubt. Nikolaj Arcel’s film is a pleasant surprise, a passionate piece about a love triangle that helped start a revolution. With spectacular production values and a trio of strong performances, Arcel’s film was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD and I’d advise you to be more optimistic than I was upon its arrival.

CHICAGO – NBC’s “Hannibal” is the best new network drama of the 2012-13 season. It’s a smart, creepy, atmospheric piece of work that perfectly gets the Thomas Harris universe that gave us one of the most memorable villains of all time.

CHICAGO – European history is – in a sense – our history, especially as it relates to the “Age of Enlightenment,” the intellectual movement in the 1700s that anticipated the Declaration of Independence. One of the quirks in that timeline is passionately explored in the new Danish/French film, “A Royal Affair.”

CHICAGO – One of the fascinating expressions of fallibility is when human beings are trapped in the emotions and physicality of adultery. Despite all efforts to the contrary, the house of cards such relationships are built upon, tend to tumble at the most inopportune moments. Director Nikolaj Arcel explores these complications in the epic ‘A Royal Affair.’

CHICAGO – After receiving eight previous prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, German filmmaker Michael Haneke became the first person in history to win the Palme d’Or twice within a mere three-year period. Haneke snagged the top prize at Cannes for “Amour,” a widely praised drama about an elderly couple whose love is challenged by the physical frailties of age.

CHICAGO – The unjustified remake of the ’80s camp-fest “Clash of the Titans” may have been re-purposed for the trend of 3-D but its performances are still tragically 2-D and its plot practically see-through.