Darkest Hour (2017)

Darkest Hour is a vehicle for Gary Oldman, but also for Joe Wright. Starting with Oldman, the makeup is incredible. It's uncanny how much he looks like Churchill. And the speeches some grade A acting. Churchill was an eccentric guy and Oldman plays out the eccentricities. His accent is only intelligible most of the time, maybe on purpose. But I think the director maybe takes too much liberties to make him seem Trump-ish, which just is not correct. He is portrayed as a leader that didn't really know what he was doing but that's not true. He didn't win the war by accident. He was strategic. He was smart, a brilliant historian. His intelligence only comes through in his speeches. He otherwise seems...well, Trumpish. And I don't think that really does Churchill justice.

Apart from Joe Wright taking those directorial liberties, he does some other interesting things. There are two shots that seem to suggest that Churchill was crazy, that he hallucinated: Hitler masks and gas masks. The cinematography and production design (the interior of Buckingham Palace is gorgeous) are notable. I really liked most of the cinematography but it's very dark. The darkness, accentuates the few rays of light. And I get that it's the "darkest hour" but the lighting was certainly a choice, a little extreme at times (like the red bulb). There are some really great angles--I like the busy parliament scenes.

Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver feels fresh thanks to Edgar Wright's smart and stylish direction. He brings together slick editing to the beat of a sick soundtrack and brilliant choreography. The beginning of the film has a fantastic tracking shot that sets the exciting tone for the rest of the movie. Is Ansel Elgort cool? Wright makes him cool and he makes an extraordinarily fun and enjoyable movie.

Downton Abbey (2010-15)

Downton Abbey is a costume soap opera that started out with a phenomenal first season. And it kept it up for a bit, but then they fell into a lull in the fourth and fifth seasons. Gladly, they ended strong with an excellent final two episodes, tying nicely everyone's story lines in a touching and emotional way. As a big ensemble drama, there are a lot of characters. And admittedly, some characters have more interesting story lines than others. You try to equally invest in the upstairs aristocrats and the downstairs servants. The separation between the two spheres was distinct but I enjoyed watching their interaction as well.

The characters that last all 6 seasons maintain continuity in a world of change. The great estates of England are in decline by the end of WWI and we watch the times change and the family adapt. It is a period drama, and the time period always played an important part of the story as new technology was introduced and as events unfolded around the world. And time moves very quickly episode to episode. The music and cinematography of Downton Abbey is really pretty too. It takes place in the gorgeous Highclere Castle.

Mary was known for being mean to poor Edith. Their dynamic was always funny to watch. Mr. Carson and Ms. Hughes also had some great banter. But Dame Maggie Smith was was the star of the show with her never ending one-liners.