Reviews

Downton Abbey was a great series, developing strong characters and compelling storylines over several hour-long episodes in a season, with the occasional Christmas special to add a bit more action and drama. The problem with ending such a character-driven series, and then following up with two films, is that the writers feel a need to wrap things up tidily. And while that's fine once at the end of the series, and maybe again in the first film, it starts to wear thin at the third go.

One of the main plots in "Downton Abbey: A New Era", about a film being shot at the estate, is a fresh story that ties in nicely with Downton's progression through the decades. The plot in the French Riviera provides a beautiful new backdrop but ultimately feels like filler. It's the subplots that regularly repeat themselves, to the point where you can predict them: someone will die or announce they are dying; a couple will get engaged; Mr Moseley will be offered a job unrelated to his current position; a gay man will enter Downton and immediately recognise that Thomas is interested in him; and there will be an unexpected pregnancy (I actually laughed when someone in the cinema loudly gasped at this scene). In the pursuit of a happy ending for everyone, some subplots simply don't make sense (Mr Carson was forced to retire due to illness, yet now he can suddenly return to his former duties when the position becomes available again?). The format of a film simply doesn't allow the kind of plot and character development you would see over the course of several episodes, and so stories feel rushed and a bit *too* perfect.

As nice as it is to see these characters again and get a glimpse of what has happened to them in the breaks between films, I hope this is the last reiteration. To me it feels like this film existed to finally give Thomas the closest thing to happiness that he could achieve in a society that treats him as a criminal, and to ensure that Sybbie has a bright future even after her father's marriage. Now everyone has truly achieved a happy ending.

I do want to recognize one of my favourite scenes in the film, when Mary firmly but politely declines Jack's (equally polite) advances towards her. Mary really shone as a strong character in this film and this scene in particular managed to veer away from predictability.

Both times I went to see this film, I was intensely excited as soon as the title showed up. Pirates 2 is entertaining, funny, and knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat.

The first time I watched this movie, it was difficult to understand the storyline, especially amongst the pirate talk. Seeing it again, you begin to notice the subtle hints to Davy Jones' crew and search for Jack.

The writers know how to play with your emotions the entire two and a half hours. There was a lot of laughter and some tears around me. The tension keeps building (unfortunately sometimes to the point where the scene becomes predictable) until you think you're going to burst with anticipation of what is going to happen next.

Overall, I think the movie was very well done. The actors were phenomenal, and the script was just as well-written as in The Curse of the Black Pearl. I can't wait for the next movie to come out, and I'm pretty sure I will be standing in line to pre-order tickets a month before.

I only finished reading The Da Vinci Code in April, and was really pumped for the movie. The trailers were thrilling, and Tom Hanks and Ian McKellen sounded perfect as Langdon and Teabing. Unfortunately, I never liked the choice of actress for Sophie Neveu, because she wasn't even remotely how I pictured her. I suppose I was sort of determined not to like Audrey Tautou during the movie, but she did a good job despite my judgment that she wouldn't.

I guess I just thought the movie would be better. A lot of important details in the book were changed, like the fact that Jacques Saunière was not Sophie's grandfather at all, but only assigned to protect her. A large amount of excellent bits from the novel were cut out, including the intense code breaking of the first cryptex on the plane, which hinted at Sophie's bloodline.

Of course, there is only so much you can take from the novel to put into the movie. Almost 500 pages of reading are hard to fit into a two and a half hour film. Will I buy it when it comes out on DVD? Most likely. It was enjoyable, and I always tend to be analytical of books turned to movies when I see them first (which is why I hated the third Harry Potter movie for some time).