Hollywood calls
MOVIE CREW DESCENDS ON THE ABBEY, GIVING POPULAR SERIES A FRESH TAKE
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA (PG)
Director: Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold)
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Hugh Dancy.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
A home movie, and a holiday abroad
Downton Abbey fans can rest easy.
Though there are slight changes afoot in A New Era – the second movie outing for the Crawley clan and their ever-expanding entourage – everything so beloved about this oh-so-British costumedrama franchise remains exactly the same.
The action (if you can call it that) picks up shortly after we last left the Crawley’s splendid rural estate. The 1920s are almost over, and a big rambling joint like Downton could use a fresh lick of paint to usher in the new decade.
Therefore Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) has decreed that the Abbey swing open its doors to a Hollywood film crew as a plush location for their latest production. A sizeable payday will cover the cost of some urgent repairs.
Not all of the Crawleys are thrilled by the prospect of moviemaking types causing a daily ruckus in their drawing rooms and parlours, and elect not to stick around while shooting is in full swing.
As luck would have it, the legendary Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith), has just received news that she is to inherit a swanky villa in the south of France.
Though not inclined to travel to inspect the new property herself, Violet encourages her son, Earl Robert (Hugh Bonneville), his wife Countess Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and others within the family circle to make the trip across the Channel.
Once the tourists have departed, A New Era settles into a comfortable rhythm which longtime Downton devotees will find most agreeable indeed.
Front and centre most of the time is the chaotic film shoot at the Abbey, which starts out as a silent movie but later must be hastily remade on the spot as a talkie.
Whenever events in A New Era are in need of some light (and luxurious) relief, the screenplay cuts across to France for an update on how the inspection of the villa is coming along.
The regular switching between the two settings is handled smoothly, and though the storytelling stakes are low, the end results are as highly enjoyable as they have been since the TV series debuted more than a decade ago.
If there is a minor quibble with Downton Abbey: A New Era, it is only that it is carrying more featured characters than it truly knows what to do with. In particular, fan faves from the servant ranks such as Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) and the huffing, puffing ex-head butler Carson (Jim Carter) come off second best here.
However, the scripting prominence given to the visiting movie stars Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock) – along with their director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy), who develops a crush on Lady Mary – is justifiable in terms of bringing some much needed fresh material to the table.
Downton Abbey: A New Era is in cinemas now
THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT (M) Rating: ★★★1/2☆ General release
Rather nutty, kind of sweet and genuinely funny, this gimmickdriven action affair is much, much better than it has any right to be. First of all, let’s address that gimmick, as it is a doozy. The formerly famous, respected, popular and now not-so-hot movie star Nicolas Cage plays the lead role of Nicolas Cage, a formerly famous, respected, popular and now not-so-hot movie star. Considering the dire form he has been in for his last 30-or-so releases, Cage slips into character very quickly and quite impressively here (playing your real self in a fictionalised setting is tougher work than it sounds). The story starts with a desperate Cage taking the only job coming his way: a million bucks to travel to Mallorca to appear at the birthday party of a superfan. A superfan who also happens to be a drug-running, arms-trading supervillain with a billion in the bank and the feds on his tail. Cage ends up cutting a deal with the CIA to provide insider intel on the shady operations of the notorious Javi (Pedro Pascal), while also becoming quite fond of the guy. While this is a goofy conceit for a movie, it is an effective one. Cage clearly enjoys sending himself up, while doubling down on slaying as an actioncomedy lead.
ELIZABETH: A PORTRAIT IN PARTS (PG) Rating: ★★★1/2☆ Selected cinemas
This may not be the most essential, nor the most definitive documentary you will ever see on Queen Elizabeth II. However, few – if any, taking a hard line – have come as close as this well-made production in reflecting the true personality of the most famous monarch in modern history. The late filmmaker Roger Michell (Notting Hill, The Duke) must have scaled many mountains of footage to arrive at a nifty 90minute final cut, and even the most seasoned royalist will be impressed with the finished product here. Not only is there is a vast array of material rarely seen before,
Michell and his team also apply some tasteful irreverence and tactful inquisition when required.