Downton Abbey: A New Era

 Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

Starring Hugh Bonneville, Elisabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Maggie Smith, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesley Nicol, Imelda Staunton, Penelope Wilton, Laura Haddock, Dominic West, Nathalie Baye, Jonathan Zaccaï, and Hugh Dancy

Directed by Simon Curtis

Written by Julian Fellowes

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B

Late Night

Late Night (2019)

Starring Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Max Casella, Hugh Dancy, John Lithgow, Denis O'Hare, Reid Scott, and Amy Ryan

Directed by Nisha Ganatra

Written by Mindy Kaling

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B

Movie Review - Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return

Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014)

Featuring the vocal talents of Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammer, Hugh Dancy, Megan Hilty, Oliver Platt, Patrick Stewart, Bernadette Peters, and Martin Short 

Directed by Will Finn and Daniel St. Pierre

***This film is currently strewing on Netflix***

$70 million was spent on Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return -- an animated film that picks up right where the popular and iconic 1939 film ends.  Where that dough was spent, I don't know.

Was it spent on a voice cast picked straight out of a 1980s casting call?  Although I can't say anything bad about their work in the film, Dan Aykroyd as the Scarecrow, Jim Belushi as the Lion, Kelsey Grammer as the Tin Man, Oliver Platt as an owl, Bernadette Peters as Glinda the Good Witch, Martin Short as the "evil" Joker, and Patrick Stewart as a tree stump (you read that correctly) likely aren't raking in the dough.  Although rumors of her diva antics run rampant, I can't fathom that Lea Michele's agents were able to snag a boatload of cash for their client either despite the fact that Michele takes on the role of Dorothy.  While all of the voice cast does acceptable work, the money wasn't spent there.

Was it spent on the conglomeration of songwriters (including 90s staple Bryan Adams) who contribute a song or two to the plot?  If it was, that was certainly not money well spent as the songs are laughably disappointing.  Yes, Lea Michele's voice fits many of the ballads well, but the numbers lack emotion and sound much too similar to one another to merit distinction.

Was it spent on the animation?  I sure hope not.  The film looks little better than a cheaply made computer animated tv show.  Yes, some of the design elements are innovative in that they take the world of Oz (originally created by L. Frank Baum although this story [which is a retread of The Wizard of Oz but simply places new characters in the place of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion] is based on the work of his grandson) and shine a light on its fantastical lands, but the characters themselves are wooden, static, and as bland as can be.

So where was that $70 million spent?  Certainly not on this film, right?  They inadvertently added a zero after that seven, right?

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Hysteria

Hysteria (2012)

Starring Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rupert Everett, Jonathan Pryce, and Felicity Jones

Directed by Tanya Wexler

British women in the late 19th century were irritable creatures.  Garnering very little respect from their husbands, they found themselves heading to their doctors where they were diagnosed with "hysteria."  The cure, employed by docs like Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce), was to massage the genital area (in a purely decent manner underneath a velvet curtain) to induce a "paroxysmal convulsion" unaware that this was actually an orgasm.  Dr. Dalrymple finds his practice overwhelmed with hysterical women so he hires young physician Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) who happens to have a knack for curing the disease.  More and more women flock to him to be relieved of their sickness which unfortunately causes his hand to cramp up substantially and he is fired by Dalrymple for not being able to perform his duties.  This dismissal happens to be quite fortuitous as Mortimer discovers that his friend Lord Edmund St. John-Smythe (Rupert Everett) has developed an electric feather duster which Mortimer believes could be the answer to his injured hand and the ladies' hysteria problems.  And, henceforth, the vibrator forever became a tool for women across the world.

Hysteria tells the story of the invention of the vibrator...and if that were the only story it told, it would've been a success.  Instead, the trio of screenwriters add in a love triangle involving Mortimer and Dr. Dalrymple's two daughters -- the younger, more reverent Emily (Felicity Jones) and the older, new-age feminist Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal) -- which takes over the film's second half and causes it to fall flat on its face.  The obvious nature of the resolution of the love triangle from the film's outset created nary a modicum of tension and failed to resonate in the slightest despite the valiant efforts of Hugh Dancy who tries his hardest to be charming and carry the film on his shoulders.

I wanted to like this movie and for the first 45 minutes or so, I found Hysteria humorous enough to warrant its existence.  However, as the film progresses, it abandons its subject matter which makes it unique and turns into something we've seen over and over again in movies better than this.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Starring Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy 

Directed by Sean Durkin

I was disappointed I missed this flick in theaters last year and the anticipation level had been building as the months passed, so I was happy to discover that Martha Marcy May Marlene did not let me down.  A great performance from Elizabeth Olsen in her first feature film role and a deft directorial hand from Sean Durkin lensing his own script (in his first time directing and screenwriting a feature film) come together to craft an eerie psychological drama that gives an intense look at the warped mind of a cult member.

Effortlessly jumping back and forth through time, Martha Marcy May Marlene is essentially two timelines in one -- the first allowing us to glimpse young twentysomething Martha's (Elizabeth Olsen) life in a farming commune/cult led by the mild-mannered though devastatingly twisted Patrick (John Hawkes).  Through the seemingly simplest of ways -- for example, changing Martha's name to Marcy May to give her a new identity away from her previous life -- Patrick is a frightening presence whose calm demeanor masks a sinister bastardization of religion.

In the opening scene of the film, we see Martha running away from the cult, and after she escapes she calls her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) who takes Martha back to her lakefront home she shares with her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy).  Making up timeline number two, we watch as Martha attempts to come to terms with the true hell she went through while with the cult all the while masking what really happened from her sister, the one person who truly loves her.  Unable to reveal the truth to where she has been for two years, Martha herself is unable to escape the indoctrination Patrick forced onto her and finds herself being constantly reminded of her past.

Looking back on the film, I'm impressed with the fact that this is a real deep psychological study of the victims of cults and Elizabeth Olsen does such a fantastic job as Martha that it's nearly impossible to think that this was her debut performance.  The last shot of the film (which in and of itself ends things on a killer note) showcases Olsen's talents -- a vulnerability that can effortlessly shift from hopefulness to dread with such believability.  Needless to say, I was really impressed by her turn here and look forward to seeing what she brings in the future.

Also rather amazingly is that this is Sean Durkin's first time both behind the camera and penning a feature-length screenplay.  His vision of jumping back and forth through time was perfect for the tale he wanted to tell and he did so in such a manner that never proved to be gimmicky or confusing.  Sure, there are times of disorientation, but that is ultimately one of the points Durkin is trying to get across -- Martha's life isn't going to be easy and clear-headed from here on out simply because she has escaped the horrors of the cult.  If anything, shifting back to a "normal" life may prove to be more difficult than she could have imagined.

There's definitely something special in Martha Marcy May Marlene...and the ending has me still thinking about it many hours later.  [I'd be more than happy to elaborate and/or discuss in the comments should anyone desire.]

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Savage Grace

Savage Grace (2007)

Starring Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy, and Stephen Dillane

Directed by Tom Kalin

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

I don't know why in the world this movie was in my Instant Queue, but it's been there for a while.  I must have read some decent review of it somewhere, because it's a film that wasn't on my radar at all.

And I'm tremendously thrilled that I watched Savage Grace if only so that I can now remove it from the queue and never think about it again.  While watching this movie, I couldn't help but wonder at what point have you invested too much time in a movie to stop watching even though you're completely aware that the movie is pure and utter crap?  I got 45 minutes into this biographical tale detailing the 1940s-1960s life of Barbara Baekeland (Julianne Moore) and her incestuous relationship with her son, Tony (Eddie Redmayne), and I was ready to check out.  But then I said to myself, this is halfway over...and according to the Netflix description, Tony's gonna kill Barbara so that's gotta be somewhat interesting, right?

Well, nope...it wasn't interesting.  Not in the least.  All the characters (all real-life people, apparently) seemed completely fake, lacking any kind of true depth.  None of their emotional arcs seemed like arcs at all, and I didn't understand any of the motives or reasoning behind their ever-changing thought processes as scene after scene progressed.  Julianne Moore never seems to come to grasp of who Barbara really is.  I never once had any sense of why the heck she was the twisted rich housewife she was portraying.  Eddie Redmayne as her son seemed rather normal and then appeared to change into some psychopath on a dime.  

Really despised this one.  That rating below doesn't come often, so in that regard, congrats to those involved with this dreck.

The RyMickey Rating:  F

Movie Review - Adam (2009)

Adam
Starring Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, and Amy Irving
Directed by Max Mayer

This is a simple love story that if I really want to be critical isn't all that good. Somehow, though, this tale of two unlikely friends and lovers won me over. While it's nowhere near perfect, Adam is a pleasant 90 minutes with some nice performances by the two leads.

As the film opens, the title character's father has just died and the twenty-nine year-old Adam (Dancy) is left parentless. While that would certainly be a difficult situation for anyone, Adam has Asperger's Syndrome (a moderate, more functional form of autism) and he finds anything outside of his strict daily routine to be very uncomfortable. When the charming Beth (Byrne) moves into his building, the two strike up an unusual friendship. Despite his quirks, Beth begins to fall for Adam, much to the chagrin of her father (Gallagher).

While I'm sure people with Asperger's Syndrome can fall in love and get married (in fact, that's line from Beth in the film -- "People with Asperger's can fall in love, get married, and have kids" -- oh, did my eyes roll), it's a difficult task taken on by writer-director Max Mayer to make this odd couple relationship not seem fake and forced. In most respects, he succeeds. While the film takes a slightly wrong turn towards the end focusing on Beth's parents and their shaky relationship, when Mayer stays with Adam and Beth, one can't help but feel something for these characters.

That's a testament to Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy. Dancy's Adam could've been a caricature, but he crafts an understated performance that felt fully realized. The nervous nature on display always seemed authentic and never over-the-top. He's matched by the graceful Rose Byrne (rebounding from a godawful performance in Knowing) who essentially plays the role of the audience here, trying to get the bottom of all of Adam's issues. She questions him, pushing him to the limit of who he thinks he can be. She wants Adam to succeed and we want him to be successful, too. Plus, both Dancy and Byrne's respective English and (super-strong) Irish accents never once are on display.

I would completely understand if someone watched Adam and just rolled their eyes all the way through. To me, it worked as a quaint, simple romance with an ending that doesn't necessarily follow the typical Hollywood outline.

The RyMickey Rating: B-

Theatre Review - The Pride

The Pride
Written by Alexi Kaye Cambell
Directed by Joe Mantello
When: Saturday, February 13, 2010, 2pm
Where: Louise Lortel Theatre
What: Drama, Off-Broadway

"Hey. Do you wanna go see this play with really cheap tickets that stars two British guys that I'm sure you've heard of?"

"Sure, I'll go."

"Yeah, I have no idea what the play's about, but the tickets are only $20, so let's go."

That was essentially the conversation that occurred between myself and a friend prior to deciding to head up to NYC to see this Off-Broadway show. After a bit of research (of course, after the tickets were purchased), I discovered that the play was a look at gay relationships in the 1950s and the aughts. I'm not gonna lie (and if this makes me a bad person, so be it), I was a little uncomfortable going into this one. It probably didn't help that sitting down in the theater, I was definitely in the minority in terms of sexual orientation (the leather sex shop next to the theater and the gay pride flag I saw coming out of the subway were a big clue).

But, once the play started, I was completely drawn into the rather interesting premise. The Pride essentially tells two different stories in two different time periods with two different sets of characters who happen to have the same name in both stories. In the 1950s, Philip (Hugh Dancy) and Sylvia (Andrea Riseborough) are a married couple. Sylvia is a failed actress who has turned to illustrating children's books and Oliver (Ben Whishaw) is her employer. Oliver comes over to the couple's home one evening and there's immediately an odd connection between the two men -- a connection that Philip wants to ignore but is intrigued by. While it's not even stated that Oliver is gay, his dialogues hoping for an age of equality allow the audience to infer such a thing.

Suddenly, and initially rather awkwardly, the play jumps to the present time in which Oliver (a different Oliver than in the 1950s setting) and Philip have recently broken up. Oliver can't seem to control his sexual urges, promiscuously cheating on Philip with unknown men. As the aughts setting opens, Oliver and Philip's relationship is kaput and mutual friend, Sylvia, a somewhat successful actress, tries to help each of them through their difficult time.

In the end, I'm not 100% sure what message the play is trying to get across other than the fact that times have changed. Whereas homosexuality was veiled in the 1950s, it's more "out in the open" today. That's not exactly a life changing revelation there. That being said, the time bouncing and unique use of the same character names allows us to really see a compare/contrast quality that playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell is putting on display.

By far, what makes this play shine is the great acting. Of the two main male characters, Ben Whishaw comes off a little better simply because his two Olivers are really two completely different people. He gets to play both the shy, timid type and the aggressive one. I liked Whishaw quite a bit in this year's Bright Star (had him on my Best Actor list for a while) and he was enthralling in this. Hugh Dancy (perhaps the better known of the two actors) was perfectly fine and it's not as if he was upstaged by Whishaw in the acting department, it's just that his Philips are a little underdeveloped in comparison.

The star of the show, however, was the lovely Andrea Riseborough (who, at times, was a spitting image of Kate Winslet). Her 1950s Sylvia has more emotional oomph -- there is a scene in which she discovers her husband's infidelity and confronts Oliver that was heartwrenching. Her 2000s Sylvia doesn't quite have the same impact, but she's the epitome of fun and provided quite a few laughs. I don't know who this lady is, but she was great to watch.

The play actually contains one more actor -- Adam James -- who plays three different distinct characters -- The Man (who, let's just say, has a thing for S&M), Peter (a straight editor of a men's magazine), and The Doctor (whose purpose is a little bit of a spoiler so I won't mention it here). He creates three distinct personalities for each of these characters, and actually provides quite an emotional moment when, as Peter, he reminisces about his late gay uncle.

Suffice it to say, The Pride is buoyed by four great actors. And considering that this is playwright Campbell's first play, there's definitely some promise on display. While it's doesn't quite work completely and, in the end, seems a little too obvious in terms of what it's trying to say, it works nonetheless and was worth the "uncomfortableness" to see my first Off-Broadway play.

Movie Review - Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)

Starring Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, and Kristin Scott Thomas
Written by Tracey Jackson and Tim Firth
Directed by P.J. Hogan

I'll never understand women and fashion. Does owning a pair of shoes really make you feel better about yourself? Does purchasing some shitty looking green scarf make you think other people will like you more? Put on some clothes and go out, for Christ's sakes.

Isla Fisher is Rebecca who is in complete denial of the fact that she can't stop shopping. She's maxed out all of her credit cards, is unable to pay the rent to her roommate, and is constantly hiding from debt collectors. It doesn't help that she's lost her job as a writer at a gardening magazine. Through a twist of fate, she ends up working at a money magazine. How she gets hired there, I don't know. It's one of those typical movie moves where the character gets a job via false pretenses, then the lie is revealed and the person who was fibbed to gets angry, but all ends up fine in the end because the liar is so darn cute and nice and the deceitfulness wasn't that bad to begin with, right? Ugh.

This comment isn't all that important, but it really bugged me -- The film was filled with incredibly weird musical interludes (for example, Rebecca's dad pulls some ugly-looking camper up to his house to the tune of some crappy dance song that stops immediately when he stops the camper...the music was not playing in the camper, either). How clever is it that when she gets sent to group therapy, Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" plays (and they do that joke twice!)? Who woulda thunk of that? And what chick flick would be complete without a dance scene? Ladies love dancing, so let's throw that in there, please! But make sure we have one of the characters say something along the lines of "I don't know how to dance" and then dance amazingly well or super funny or both!

I must admit that Isla Fisher, who I've only seen in Wedding Crashers, is quite charming. It's a shame that she's burdened with such a lousy character in this. While she makes the most of it, it's tough to rise above this character who really never learns her lesson and who is stuck with a typical film romance where there's no way two people would fall in love, but end up swooning over each other in the end. And the character that Rebecca falls in love with is your typical emotionless robotic automaton who we've seen in tons of rom-coms. Still, without Fisher in the role, the movie would've been nearly unwatchable, so there's something to be said for that.

There were two things that were incredibly aggravating to me (and spoiler alert here). Apparently, the "bad guy" in this movie is the debt collector. Since he's doing his job, I don't understand why he's set up as this evil man. Rebecca owes a ton of money, why shouldn't she be hounded by this guy instead of buying the pair of knee-high Prada boots? Secondly, Rebecca makes her money back by having a sale of all her clothing. She's essentially coddling others (who are banging down doors in order to get into this sale) into becoming shopaholics to cure her "disease." I didn't get it at all. It's okay for you to fall apart as long as I'm getting better.

The RyMickey Rating: D