curated cinema: the wit and wisdom of Maggie Smith (and her friends)
2018’s Tea with the Dames (aka Nothing Like a Dame) is on Kanopy in the US, BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Downton Abbey
weekend watchlist: a timely cure for collective cultural amnesia
Plus drone warfare, murder most genteel, and more. (First published May 7th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)
Downton Abbey: A New Era movie review: should we improve society somewhat, or nah?
Steady your heart palpitations: it’s the same old era for the nicest feudal hangover. The delusional reactionary fantasy of wealth and privilege for some, cheerful servitude for others remains intact.
The Gentlemen movie review: sufficiently advanced crime
Guy Ritchie ups his game on his signature subgenre with a hilariously sublime crime comedy that acts as mirror on the legit world and oozes with crackling cynicism about culture and politics as well.
AWFJ 2019 EDA Awards winners announced
And we have winners!
movies by or about women opening US/Can Sep 18–20
Tuva Novotny directs Swedish dramedy Britt-Marie Was Here, starring Pernilla August; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Downton Abbey movie review: embarrassment of riches
Wherein the working class revels in servitude, and wealth and privilege are deserved. Deeply reactionary and unlikely to please anyone not already enamored of the show. I get Anglophilia, but really?
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire Sep 13
Lorene Scafaria directs crime drama Hustlers, starring Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
The Man Who Invented Christmas movie review: but would Charles Dickens approve?
There’s charm and wit in its fanciful depiction of the creative process, but the film downplays the social activism that Dickens fully embraced in his work.
It’s a Wonderful Downton Abbey Life (with George Clooney and other special hilarious guests)
What if the Earl of Grantham had never been born? Chaos at Downton Abbey, is what.
