As a writer on the entertainment beat for about half a decade now, I've seen my share of review material which didn't necessarily appeal to me. Be it teen music concerts (i.e. anything with the word "Bieber" or "Jonas Brothers" in it) or downright exploitative junk (any direct-to-video product with the number 3 in it), I've often approached some of these review titles with a mixture of dread and abandon, realizing I can't always judge a film or show by its blu-ray cover.
In this week's case, I found myself approaching a TV season of a hit British show, unsure of what I'd find. Much to my amazement, despite my lack of enthusiasm for soap operatic drama, I was delighted by just how much I enjoyed the second season of Julian Fellowes' early 20th Century drama Downton Abbey, starring a pleasant cast of capable actors in what I can only describe as Dynasty meets Pride and Prejudice, if such a concept existed in 1916.
Downton Abbey Season Two (4 out of 5)
In order to keep this busy series in perspective for those of you unaware of its story, keep the following in mind: the titular building houses the blue blooded Crawley family, led by Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his American-born wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern). The aristocratic couple have three daughters, Mary (Michelle Dockery), Edith (Laura Carmichael) and Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay). Also part of the family is the Earl's mother, the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley (Dame Maggie Smith, known to all as Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter films).
Catering to this family's needs are the diligent (but not always happy) staff, including the butler (Jim Carson), housekeeper (Phyllis Logan) and other various valets, maids, cooks, and so on. For the record, all of these people have names and fleshed-out backgrounds, but there's simply not enough time in the day for detailed bios. Just watch the show, folks!
In the same way that Season One had begun following news of the HMS Titanic sinking off Nova Scotia, Season Two begins after news had come to the family signaling the war between England and Germany: World War I had started.
Lord Crawley had been in search of a male heir to the Grantham estate, by trying to find suitable husbands for his daughters, a task easier said than done. Furthermore, since the estate cannot be passed down to daughters, only sons, the family's wealth (most of it the American wife's) may in fact go to a Manchester cousin, since the closest preceding heirs had just perished on the doomed ocean liner.
Now, in Season Two, the perils of a country at war affects the household, some being recalled to duty, while others wishing to fight cannot, due to age or health concerns. The Crawley daughters seek to find their place in the world, and the waiting staff have issues of their own, no longer sure whether they will still have jobs as the war progresses.
What I really enjoy about this show is how scripter Julian Fellowes (whose work on Upstairs/Downstairs and Gosford Park clearly influences this series) maintains defined storylines for everyone from the patriarch all the way down to the kitchen cook, making everyone interesting, all the while drawing a parallel with established historical events we can easily spot in the show's timeline.
Some of the cast distinguish themselves more easily than others, namely Dame Maggie Smith, a scene-stealer whose appearance in each of her scenes make her an addictive draw to this period drama. Fellowes also ensures that the waiting staff has drama of its own, ensuring that love and longing be an equally daunting task to them, rather than simply look pretty and obedient in the background, while the aristocrats dabble in societal and political affairs.
The set I reviewed was the Original UK Edition, comprising 9 hours of content over 3 discs, and also contains features on the show's decor, costumes and historical accuracy.
If, like me, you've been finding yourself with the winter TV blues, suffering withdrawal from missing your favorite TV series not due back for another 6 months, then enjoy this fine show. It's well written, beautiful to look at in its fine set design and detail, and will possibly make you want to read about the early 20th Century and its rich history of conflict.
The Hour Season One (3.5 out of 5)
Another excellent pick for this Brit-heavy week, The Hour has all the feel of Broadcast News, had it been set in the booming 1960s, and written by Aaron Sorkin. The show follows the birth of a new BBC news program, and stars an impressive trio of actors (Ben Whishaw, Romola Garai and Dominic West) as they portray the members of this fledgling news team (as reporter, producer and anchorman, respectively) as they struggle to find their footing while retaining a modicum of journalistic integrity.
The one to watch here is Ben Whishaw. His performance as impulsive, stubborn investigative reporter Freddie Lyon jumps out at you, and makes you root for him as he delves further into a story, often getting in harm's way. Intrigue, drama, even spies! This show seems to have plenty of all of it.
Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition (3.5 out of 5)
The latest in a growing list of remastered Disney classics, this 15th animated masterpiece from the House of Mouse truly benefits from the high definition uplift, causing me to re-examine just how rich the backgrounds are in each scene. While we're all familiar with the story of cocker spaniel Lady and mutt Tramp, not to mention their iconic spaghetti dinner, there's good cause to watch this film again, if only to pay attention to the excellent minutiae to be found in the artwork, back in an age when computers didn't factor into the equation.
Even though the story is weaker than its animated brethren, Lady and the Tramp is still pretty to look at, and is family friendly.
The Sunset Limited (3 out of 5)
Based on the Cormac McCarthy play of the same name, The Sunset Limited stars Samuel Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones as two men named Black and White, as they have a lengthy argumentative discussion in Black's apartment, shortly following a suicide attempt by White at the local train stop (where the train is called the Sunset Limited.)
Both men give an incredible performance as diametrically opposed individuals (Black is an Evangelical ex-con, White is a atheist scholar) who go to great lengths to explain their views on the world, their lives and their actions. This one's a thinking person's film, is dialogue heavy, and may not be for everyone.
Anonymous (2.5 out of 5)
This film poses the shocking question, "Did William Shakespeare truly write his plays?" While the theory that a highly placed aristocrat may in fact have been the true Bard, I question the way in which blockbuster director Roland Emmerich approaches this puzzle, oversimplfying many facets of British history in favor of dramatic license. Rhys Ifans plays the mysterious role of the Earl of Oxford, the supposed man behind the plays. Not my cup of tea, though I found this supposition curious enough to check out.
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas -- Extra Dope Edition (2 out of 5)
As if this increasingly tiresome franchise really needed a third installment, John Cho and Kal Penn reprise their popular roles, this tinme setting the story several years after their escape from Guantanamo. The duo have grown apart, with Harold having become a successful businessman, and Kumar an unemployable career stoner. Throw in a dissaproving father-in-law (Danny Trejo), a toddler high on everything from Ecstasy to cocaine to weed, and much property damage, and you've got yourself a throwaway comedy clearly designed only to be seen in the 3-D format.
The reason I watched it, other than my professional duty to give it a fair shake? You can never get enough Neil Patrick Harris, who steals the spotlight once again. Give him his own franchise, why dontcha?
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I (No Score Available)
This is where I'd probably go at great lengths to discuss and evaluate the entertainment value of the latest in Stephenie Meyer's books turned into films. Alas, a review copy of the film was not available, and so I regret this obvious omission, for a title many of you had probably hoped to read about this week.
Also on Blu-Ray and DVD this Week
If you've always wanted to see a lavish stage production of a top-tiered Broadway classic, then you may want to get your hands on a blu-ray copy of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, celebrating the show's 25th anniversary. The voice performances are inspiring, though you want to own a decent surround sound system to fully appreciate the environment.
Paramount isues the late 60s tearjerker Love Story, starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw, with a minimum of bonus features, the most notable one being the commentary track by Canadian director Arthur Hiller.
Dominic Messier - Dominic Messier is a Toronto-based Film & TV writer, Sci-Fi TV and Film Dramas Topic Editor, and creator of PopCultureLandscape.com
