Tea, Tears and Tiaras – ‘Downton Abbey’ Says Farewell With a Luxe Grand Final Bow

Tea, Tears and Tiaras – ‘Downton Abbey’ Says Farewell With a Luxe Grand Final Bow

By Lynn Venhaus
A bittersweet wrap-up of the classy historical drama, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is a fitting final bow for its legion of fans.

The beloved television series started in Edwardian England and ran for six seasons on PBS, winning 15 Emmy Awards, and was followed by a popular film trilogy, the first in 2019 and second “A New Era” in 2022.

Reminiscent of the British television hallmarks “Upstairs, Downstairs” and “Brideshead Revisited,” but “Downton Abbey” had more soap opera elements, optimistic tone, and used the past to reflect on present class and gender issues.

The rich-people problems of the Earl of Grantham’s family captivated with their depiction of a regal world, class dynamics, the historical impact of the 1910s and 1920s, and their relationships with their servants.

All helmed by director Simon Curtis, he maintains their winning formula of heartbreak, joy, intrigue, and luxury in the latest endeavor. For viewers who have never seen the series, you will be able to follow along without frustration.

Laura Carmichael and Michelle Dockery as Lady Edith and Lady Mary.

Redolent with warm humor and lavish designs, creator and writer Julian Fellowes’ compelling narratives on the aristocrats upstairs and their dedicated staff downstairs have taken fans on a transportive journey through every corner of the grand country homestead and grounds (the real Highclere Castle in north Hampshire stands in).

In this one, set during the global economic crisis that was the Great Depression in the 1930s, it’s clear that the times are changing. The principal characters start out enjoying the London social season, but trouble intrudes.

The family, now with money woes post-stock market crash, faces societal changes, and a necessary shift in direction. Their traditional way of life is disappearing.

From the beginning, Lord Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), Earl of Grantham, always saw Downton Abbey as his family heritage, and now must wrestle with moving on and allowing the next generation to take over.

After his heir’s death aboard the R.M.S. Titanic, his distant cousin, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), was next in line. He married Robert’s daughter Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), and after he died in a car crash, and she later married Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), others believed that Mary should inherit the vast estate.

So that is at issue. Mary has another scandal to deal with, publicly played out, and there is a family matter that involves her mother, Countess Cora (Elizabeth McGovern). Her brother, Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti), arrives from his home in America with a financier friend, Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola). Further complications arise, which fans will find out soon enough.

The twisty line of succession, staff retirements, and future residences are also part of the plot that provides fans with nods for their loyalty. The emotional tugs are there, if not the conflicts.

There isn’t a dramatic occasion like King George V and Queen Mary arriving on their tour of Yorkshire in 1927, as in the first film, followed by Violet Crawley’s inheritance of an Italian villa in 1928 and a film crew using the estate for a movie shoot in the second one.

However, this third go-round doesn’t leave stones unturned and looks towards a world where Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), formerly of the house staff who is the dresser for dashing movie star Guy Dexter (Dominic West), is allowed to mingle upstairs with guests.

Just as Bonneville’s Lord Robert is grumpy about his displacement, so is ‘retired’ butler Charles Carson (Jim Carter). He is reluctantly relinquishing his duties to eager Andy Parker (Michael Fox), who – gasp – has a mind of his own.

The downstairs staff.

Those who have a special fondness for the humble downstairs folks can rejoice, because the staff characters are as appealing as ever. The delightful cook Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) and housekeeper Elsie Hughes, played by chipper Phyllis Logan, are among the many fan favorites.

As pregnant Anna Bates, Joanne Froggatt takes good care of Lady Mary as her maid, and her doting husband, valet John Bates (Brendan Coyle), takes good care of her. Always a bright spot, Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera) takes on a bigger role in the kitchen.

Another welcome addition is impressive Arty Foushan as a cheeky Noel Coward, the sharp-witted playwright who charms every person he meets at a Grantham dinner party – and even gets an idea for his next play by hearing about Lady Mary’s private life (wink, wink).

As always, the ensemble cast is strong – and so are the attachments to them. The sprawling cast conveys its customary lived-in quality and longtime association with each other in heartwarming fashion.

Among family members, Laura Carmichael shows Lady Edith’s inner strength in a new way, especially in steadfast support of her sister. And Allen Leach is always a voice of reason as Tom Branson.

Penelope Wilton, Allen Leach, Michelle Dockery, and Paul Giamatti.

As progressive Isobel, Penelope Wilton is always a welcome presence, and she comically tussles with a huffy snob Sir Hector Moreland (the great Simon Russell Beale) at the county fair.

For its swan song, the cinematography by Ben Smithard, costumes by Anna Robbins, production design by Donal Woods and variations on the familiar theme music by composer John Lunn are opulently crafted.

Not only does Robbins surpass herself on the ballgowns and party clothes, but she outfits an Ascot afternoon with an incredible array of hats.

The series MVP, two-time Oscar winner Maggie Smith as dowager Countess Violet Crawley, left a huge gap after her death last year. Her character’s death was written into the second film, and tributes continue here. But her sparkling quips are dearly missed.

Fans who fell in love with this story 14 years ago are welcomed to the party, and it’s a fond farewell full of wit, sentiment and a warm hug of nostalgia.

“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is a 2025 period drama, directed by Simon Curtis and starring Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Lesley Nicol, Phyllis Logan, Allen Leach, Arty Foushan, Paul Giamatti, Alessandro Nivola, Sophie McShera, Brendan Coyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Simon Russell Beale, Robert James-Collier, and Dominic West. It is rated PG for suggestive material, smoking and some thematic elements and run time is 2 hours, 3 minutes. It opens in theatres Sept. 12. Lynn’s Grade: B.

Martial Arts Mash-Up ‘Boy Kills World’ Has Strong Cast But Too Much Gore

Martial Arts Mash-Up ‘Boy Kills World’ Has Strong Cast But Too Much Gore

By Lynn Venhaus

An ultra-violent wild and woolly “Boy Kills World” benefits from a strong cast, wit, and flashy moves, but is hurt by its lack of restraint.

While destined to be a cult classic among genre fans, it’s just too much excess in every way to take it seriously as a narrative feature when it’s clearly a gonzo video game.

Had first-time director Moritz Mohr and his screenwriting partners Tyler Burton Smith, a video game writer, and Arend Remmers, toned down the sickening and savage splatter-fest, it could have been entertaining in a “John Wick” meets “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” way.

It’s based on Mohr’s same-titled short film that he wrote. With its high-body count, severed limbs and gushing blood, it’s a tough watch.

The action thriller is set in a dystopian future, where the deranged matriarch of an evil dynasty stages “The Culling,” a brutal organized thinning of the dissident herd. Think “The Hunger Games” and “The Purge.”

Emulating Hong Kong action films in a cartoonish and comic-book way, our hero, simply named Boy, is driven by vengeance. As a youth, he witnessed his mother and sister killed in the annual televised spectacle. He is trained by a mentor and grows up to become a martial art killing machine. Think “Kill Bill.”

In this post-apocalyptic world, Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen) executes people who are a ‘threat’ to their way of life.

Now grown, Bill Skarsgard is the buff assassin who is deaf and mute from the torture he endured. He has repressed his vivid imagination to become an instrument of death.

His part is narrated by H. Jon Benjamin, who voices Bob on “Bob’s Burgers,” and that’s an inspired move.  So is the boy talking to his sister’s ghost — Mina is played charmingly by Quinn Copeland.

The mysterious shaman Yayan Ruhian has prepared him for a showdown with this insane totalitarian regime, which besides Janssen, includes Michelle Dockery (“Downtown Abbey”!!!), Sharlto Copley as her idiot husband game show host Glen and a very funny Brett Gelman, of “Stranger Things,” as hard-drinking Gideon.

Jessica Rothe, who made a good impression in “Happy Death Day 2 U,” is their ruthless soldier assassin called “June 27.”

Boy’s resistance group pals are played by Andrew Koji and Isaiah Mustafa, and they have a stand-out scene slicing and dicing in a “winter wonderland’ TV set.

“Do you know how hard it is to get a cereal company to sponsor mass murder?” Melanie screams after things go horribly awry.

Mohr confidently and cheekily directed this fever dream in an over-the-top style that will appeal to all short-attention-span viewers. He unleashes torrents of carnage, like a demented Nickelodeon employee dousing folks with slime, only here it’s buckets of fake blood.

Dawid Szatarski, a fight coordinator who has worked on such films as “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “Wonder Woman,” designed the fight choreography, and it is a barrage of fast moves and gruesome injuries, captured by stylish camerawork from cinematographer Peter Matjasko, with crisp editing by Lucian Barnard.

The stunt work is exceptional, as expected. If the film weren’t so off-putting with its gore for gore’s sake, it could have had some lasting merit, especially with some of the inspired characters, but it’s just exhaustive fighting from start to finish for 1 hour, 55 minutes.

The plot takes a sharp hairpin turn midway that may not work for viewers, but this film’s audience is there for the mayhem. The director has jumbled a bunch of styles from different films, given it a graphic novel sheen, and presented this slaughter with the mind-numbing and relentless action of a video game.

Produced by Sam Raimi, this work premiered at last fall’s Toronto International Film Festival.

“Boy Kills World” is a 2023 action thriller directed by Moritz Mohr and starring Bill Skarsgard, Famke Janssen, Sharlto Copley, Brett Gelman, Jessica Rothe, Yayan Ruhian and Michelle Dockery. It is rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references, and runtime is 1 hour, 55 minutes. It opened in theatres April 26. Lynn’s Grade: C-.

Satisfactory Story Endings In Opulent ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’

Satisfactory Story Endings In Opulent ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’

By Lynn Venhaus
This beautifully filmed sequel is as welcome as seeing old friends again now that we’ve been through a global pandemic. And as a merry follow-up film, “Downton Abbey – A New Era” couldn’t be more charming and delightful – and provide satisfactory story arcs for all major and minor characters.

Half the Crawley clan heads to the south of France to investigate the Dowager Countess’ (Maggie Smith) newest inheritance while the family’s new matriarch, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays home to oversee a movie being shot there (they need a new roof).

Only, it’s impossible to divulge plot points because of the big reveals throughout its two-hour runtime. The entire historical period drama, tinged with warm humor and trademark zingers from creator and writer Julian Fellowes, is one big spoiler alert.

That said, the two overlapping plots are deliciously engaging – a sojourn to the south of France to stay at a grand villa that has its own jaw-dropping backstory, and a glamorous Hollywood film crew taking over the august estate. It’s 1929, and they will roar headfirst into a new decade.

For fans, this is as enjoyable as opening presents on Christmas morning. And dare I say, even better than the first film, which continued where the series left off, updating the lives of the downstairs servants and the heirs of the Earl of Grantham.

Three years after the first film dealt with a royal visit from King George V and Queen Mary in 1927, and seven years after the hit TV drama ended its sixth season (2011-2015), award-winning run, the family and the servants are still in a flutter – only this time have a gift horse to speculate about, and stars in their eyes from the intrusion of movie people.

The melodrama gives the characters plenty to fret about and deal with, making them relatable to us commoners as power shifts and romances begin and deepen. Director Simon Curtis, who made the captivating “My Week with Marilyn,” nimbly weaves both plots together for a satisfactory narrative.

The addition of the film crew, who starts off producing a silent picture but must accommodate the growing popularity of ‘talkies,’ provides comical encounters and an engaging subplot for Lady Mary, with Michelle Dockery in classy form.

Hugh Dancy is earnest as smitten film director Jack Barber and a jaunty Dominic West is dashing as movie star Guy Dexter, while Laura Haddock does her best Jean Hagen as the Tinsel Town beauty Myrna Dalgleish whose crass voice needs an overhaul as does her uppity attitude. Shades of “Singin’ in the Rain”!

Maggie Smith, the two-time Oscar winner, owns the film as quipmeister Violet Crawley, effortlessly delivering her customary putdowns.

Just as the first film, “A New Era” is opulently crafted, with exquisite costume design by Anna Robbins and Maja Meschede and production design again by Donal Woods befitting a regal world of aristocratic wealth and position.

Andrew Dunn’s sumptuous cinematography keys in on the scenic splendor of the Mediterranean coast as well as effective shadows and light in the indoor movie making scenes. Composer John Lunn returns to accentuate every mood with swelling strings.

The real Highclere Castle in north Hampshire stands in for the Downton Abbey homestead, and still makes one swoon.

I’m ready for a third chapter, but if this is the end, what a fine swan song it is.

“Downtown Abbey: A New Era” is a 2022 historical drama directed by Simon Curtis and starring Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Dancy, Dominic West, Laura Haddock, Penelope Wilton and Imelda Stanton. It’s rated PG for some suggestive references, language,  and thematic elements and its runtime is 2 hours, 4 minutes. It is in theatres May 20. Lynn’s Grade A.