weekend watchlist: the plot to trick Hitler
Plus grownup romance and a bland dystopia, and more. (First published May 21st, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)
Penelope Wilton
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.
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.]
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.]
movies by or about women opening UK/Ire from Fri Apr 20
Helen Mirren, Angourie Rice, Lily James, Juliette Binoche, Shirley Henderson, Maxine Peake, and Bel Powley headline in an unusually rich week for movies about women…
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society movie review: the stories too painful to tell
A wonderfully old-fashioned tearjerker, with a thoroughly delightful cast, where cosy quaint Englishness is leavened by a harsh reality of World War II that pop culture has ignored.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (review)
Kooky-cutesy dramedy about British pensioners who retire to India, where they can be treated poorly in all new and exotic ways…
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (trailer)
I would generally say that moving to a country you’ve never even visited before is probably a bad idea. But it’s probably a good basis for a “wacky” comedy.
