Spoiler-Free Review:

The Death of Dick Long is a bit of a mystery. Three guys are partying one night, and one of them ends up dead. The other two are somehow involved, and they try to cover up their role in whatever happened. The truth eventually gets there, though.

This film is not for the faint of heart. While it’s not very gory, it covers some topics that some filmgoers will find unpleasant. You will likely not believe the outcome, but it does make sense. Its not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ll admit, I liked it. I’m on the fence about recommending it or not.

Standard Review (with minor plot spoilers):

The movie starts out with a bunch of guys practicing with their band, and then they start drinking and smokin. Then, they leave the house. It’s the next day, and Zeke and Earl (Michael Abbott Jr. and Andre Hyland) are hoping no one links them to the death. Problem is, they dumped him outside the hospital, where he died. These guys are dumb. Really dumb. Box of Rocks dumb. Oh yeah, and it’s a good friend of theirs that’s dead. They make plans to hide their participation, but miss major flaws in their thinking. Earl is fired again for leaving his job to take care of things. Zeke is trying to hide everything from his wife Lydia (Virginia Newcomb) and daughter Cynthia (Poppy Cunningham), but reality and logic just aren’t part of their plan, if you could call it one.

The police are called in by the hospital, after the body is discovered, but with no ID. Officer Dudley (Sarah Baker) tries to get the cause of death of the man, and her process leads down a rathole filled with clues. Things start falling into place. The Doctor performing the autopsy is Roy Wood Jr, and he’s trying to get to the bottom of it all, butt it’s quite puzzling, to him.

People have likened it to Fargo, but it’s not as involving. I will say, I was entertained by it. It plays out with some flashbacks, and you can deduce what actually happened as the movie moves forward. In a way, it reminded me of the plot for The Hangover, but it’s reasonably compelling. As a side note, I feel that Virginia Newcomb should be mentioned for her work here. Her acting is the glue that kept me engaged in the film. You do expect all the pieces to fall together, and they eventually do, just in a rather weird way.

There are good and bad bits to the film. These guys are trying to cover up their activities, by doing things they’ve seen on TV and in the movies. Problem is that in their situation, they don’t manage to think about what would’ve happened before, and can’t tie it all together. It bugged me a little that they could get creative with coming up with plans, but kept failing to get their stories straight. They kept making things worse by heaping lies onto their lies. It was like they were smart dumb guys, if that’s a thing.

Minimal Spoiler Review:

Britt-Marie Was Here is the story of a wife, who lived in her husband’s shadow for 40 years, until something changes and she has to come into her own. It’s the sort of heartwarming story that Hollywood really doesn’t make any more. That’s good, since it comes from Sweden, and is subtitled.

Britt-Marie (Pernilla August) is the kind of housewife that fades into the background. Unremarkable, she cooks, cleans, and washes up for her unappreciative husband, who barely acknowledges her when he’s home. That all changes when something happens to him. She has to go it alone, and lands a job as a youth counselor in a small suburban town in the middle of nowhere. No one accepts her, not even the kids, but she is resolved to make it work.

Pernilla is a good actor. As a minor footnote, you’ve probably seen her before in her role as Shmi Skywalker in the Star Wars Prequel movies.

This is a fun and decent movie. It has its moments and it’s a nice story that works itself out. Without spoiling any more, I’ll say I rather liked it. However, if you want more spoilers, you can check out the trailer on imdb.com

Spoiler-Free Review:

Downton Abbey is a movie continuation of the series that aired on PBS in recent years. All the cast has returned for the film, but even with a runtime of 2 hours, 2 minutes, not everyone has a chance to shine. It’s a very large cast of characters. Thanks to a good script, the story flows as you’d want it to, with one or two predictable moments.

This one is for the fans of the show. While it is essentially a movie that must stand on its own (and it does), many of the nuances and relationships play out well, and can be appreciated by longtime fans.

If you are a fan of the show, or know someone who is, it’s worth the trip. Not many people saw it at the screening (I comprised half of the audience), but fans will find it quite satisfying, and it leaves the story open to more such films in the future, if they choose to make them.

Standard Review (with minor plot spoilers):

While touring Yorkshire, King George V (Simon Jones), and Queen Mary (Geraldine Jones) have announced they will visit Downton for one day on their trip. This sends the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dochery) into a tizzy. So much to do, so little time to prepare. Lady Mary approaches Carson (Jim Carter), who has retired as Head Butler, to return as the preparations are not going well.

As the big day approaches, various members of the Royal Staff arrive, to lay out a list of how the day will go, effectively replacing the entire Downton staff. This angers the existing staff…well, perhaps that’s not the most British way to say it say. Instead, perhaps they found the orders a tad irksome, since the staff will not be able to perform any noticeable duties while the Royals are there. Fortunately, Mr. Bates and his wife Anna (Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggat) have devised a cunning plan to deal with that…

Several new characters are introduced along the way, including cousin Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), who is traveling with the Queen, becomes a formidable foil for Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith). There’s money involved, and…I’ll stop there. Suffices to say that the new characters add intrigue to the adventure.

As is the case with many movie adaptations of TV series, studio heads get the bright idea to introduce new writers to the mix. Fortunately, this is not one of them. Julian Fellowes returns, and is up to the task. The movie flows with a flair akin to any of Robert Altman’s films, jumping from story to story without too much in the way of setup. It’s a large cast of characters. This is where the fans will be satisfied, and the uninitiated might become a little confused. Established relationships are a vital part of the movie, and this movie only enhances the tale.

Downton Abbey has been a successful show. It’s a bit melodramatic at times, but not overly so. The same is true for the movie. Once some story elements are revealed, the film has a tendency to become a tad predictable, but it is by the strength of the script and the actors that this movie makes its way through those supposed difficulties.

If you are a fan of the TV series, I’d say this is a must see. If not, but you will be attending with someone who is, you should go, as well. Afterwards, you can grill that someone for hours to get all of the backstory you would want. Glad to say that I recommend this movie for that audience.

If you haven’t seen the show before now, you can always stream it, and by the time you’re finished, this movie will be available for streaming, as well.

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