FACKHAM HALL (2025)

Directed By: Jim O’Hanlon 

Written By: Steve Dawson, Andre Dawson, Tim Inman, Jimmy Carr and Patrick Carr

Based on an original idea By: Jimmy Carr and Patrick Carr

Cast: Ben Radcliffe, Damien Lewis, Katherine Waterson, Thomasin McKenzie, Tom Felton, Emma Laird, Adam Woodward, Lily Knight, Jimmy Carr 

A new porter forms an odd bond with the youngest daughter of a well-known UK family. As the Davenport family, headed by Lord and Lady Davenport, deals with the epic disaster of the wedding of their eldest daughter to her caddish cousin.

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At heart this film is a comedy. Well, I will admit I expected a fast paced witty British comedy of errors and manners what it actually ends up being is more a spoof-Ish wacky comedy along the lines of the naked gun mixed with throwback aristocratic. Period piece  romance dramas of the British variety like downtown Abbey.

Where throughout the film, it feels like there are mile a minute jokes being thrown all over to see what sticks, but maybe with its upper crust background of characters. It ends up being a bit surprising, and yet quite charming.

I think this is a film that will appeal to all audiences even those who might be unfamiliar with the films or shows like DOWNTON ABBEY. As at times, the film is all over the place, but manages to stick to the landing and staying with it storyline and plots, even if they don’t always make sense.

So it’s an interesting mix that keeps it lively and an experiment that may be more films should take when mixing genres as at least it doesn’t make it evident at first, and you slowly get into that groove in atmosphere of it. It’s not so obvious nor were too ingredients. Don’t mix in the right way so that it’s actually well thought out.

Unfortunately, after a while, it does start to run out of steam or you get so used to it. It’s hard to surprise you anymroe.

The film is wacky and can be a bit offensive, but manages to keep its charms about it as well as giving us a romance that we want to see basic successful. 

GRADE: B- 

THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (2025)

 

Directed By: Mona Fastvold

Written By: Mona Fastvold And Brady Corbet 

Cinematography: William Rexer 

Editor: Sofia Subercaseaux 

Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin Mckenzie, Christopher Abbott, Matthew Beard, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Daniel Blumberg, David Cale, Viola Prettejohn

Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shaker Movement, is proclaimed as the female Christ by her followers. This film depicts her establishment of a utopian society and the Shakers’ worship through song and dance, based on real events.

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This is a hard film to quite get your head around. 

Though it definitely makes an impression. As it is an epic done on a budget, but still manages to be quite illustrious throughout even when it seems like it’s not doing that much or playing it basic at times.

Which showcases limitation, but works for the time the story is set in when the world and society was still building itself.

The film is a musical and the religious choreography, testimonial music score and movements are great. Which is what keeps a captivating and keeps your interest as it might not have been as magical if it had played as a straight drama. It might’ve felt more like a prestige film rather than something of its own concoction while trying to tell a true story.

The film gets matters of the flesh out of the way early, so that while that theme is always in the background, it’s not as heavily a focus, and once the lead character played by Amanda Seyfried goes all in with her religion and beliefs. We don’t get to see any really again, it’s more hinted at or implied, but never seen until when the film needs to be brutal.

One can see this from getting more of an audience as more people discovered it through word-of-mouth as it might not be perfect, but it certainly is interesting and never boring

Amanda Seyfried in the lead is strong and memorable. One of her strongest performance is so far as it seems like with each new passing year and each new project she does get stronger as an actress and more captivating to see with her range.

Christopher abbot plays another terrible character. Which at this point he seems to have cornered the market on. When not playing leading roles. 

The film ends brutally as that seems to be the case when it comes to most films, depicting religion or even religious ones as usually we know how they will end. It’s all in how he get there.

What keeps this from exciting is that you Never quite know where it’s going so it manages to be quite an Odyssey in of itself. Even with its limited surroundings. 

Looking forward to more films from this filmmaker.

Grade: B+ 

EILEEN (2023)

 

Directed By: William Oldroyd

Written By: Luke Goebel and Ottessa Moshfegh

Based on the novel by: Ottessa Moshfegh

Cinematography: Ari Wegner

Editor: Nick Emerson 

Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Marin Ireland, Sam Nivola, Owen Teague, Brendan Burke 

The stagnant waters of Eileen's dull, stifled life as a solitary worker at a juvenile detention center in 1960s Boston, are unexpectedly disrupted when the institution brings in a new psychologist, the vibrant Rebecca. The fervent enthusiasm that blossoms between the two women almost immediately gives way to a closer relationship, until their fragile connection takes a dramatic turn.

OLD (2021)

Written for the screen & Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan Based on the graphic Novel “SANDCASTLE” By Pierre-Oscar Levy & Fredrik Peters Cinematography: Michael Gioulakis Editor: Brett M. Reed 

Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krepis, Rufus Sewell, Abbey Lee, Ken Leung, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, Eliza Scanlen, Embeth Daviditz, Aaron Pierre 

A vacationing family discovers that the secluded beach where they're relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day.