ARNOLD AT THE MOVIES
  • Movie Reviews
  • Review Archive
  • Yearly Favorites
  • All-Time
  • Features
  • Contact

Review: The Northman and Downton Abbey: A New Era

5/21/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture

A Double Feature Review!


The Northman

Picture
Robert Eggers’ (The VVitch and The Lighthouse) The Northman is a fierce and extraordinary piece of cinema. A visual splendor with Eggers’ craft oozing through the screen. The Viking mythology floods our senses. The acting (Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe) is top-notch, along with that roaring score. What a picture! Eggers doesn’t miss. 5-stars. In his third outing, Eggers continues to prove why he is one of the best modern filmmakers working in the industry today. Eggers has always been a visionary director, and The Northman showcased some of the director's greatest visual strengths. Co-written by Eggers and Sjón, The Northman is based on the legend of Amleth. Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak as young Amleth) is on the verge of becoming a man when his father (Hawke) is brutally murdered by his uncle (Bang), who kidnaps the boy's mother (Kidman). Two decades later, Amleth (Skarsgård as adult Amleth) is now a Viking who is on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father's death. The Northman is chock full of Viking and Nordic mythology as Eggers throws the audience straight into the film.
Picture
Eggers' film moves with a nihilistic tone, yet it feels epic in every frame. Pulse-pounding, that roaring score (Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough) sinks its teeth into your veins. With gorgeous cinematography throughout along with an artistic vision guiding this film front and center, this is a movie that I have not stopped thinking about since I saw it in the theaters. All of the actors in this picture are phenomenal, with a special shout out to Taylor-Joy. Her presence might be small, but she packs a punch with every scene she is in. In addition, her chemistry with Skarsgård flows beautifully. Shot throughout Northern Ireland and Iceland, The Northman is a stunning picture that will eat your heart out. The scope and scale of this movie is massive and had me cheering in multiple scenes throughout. I implore you to go see Eggers' latest picture if you still have not seen it yet. The theater would be the best experience for a film this epic, but it is also available to now rent on VOD if it is not playing in a theater near you. So, sit back, relax, and let a valkyrie carry your cinematic soul through the gates of Valhalla.
Picture
The Northman is rated R (Restricted) Strong Bloody Violence | Some Sexual Content | Nudity.

See it in theaters or rent it on VOD.

Directed by Robert Eggers

Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Picture
Downton Abbey: A New Era is an utterly delightful picture. It’s comfort food for longtime fans of the series. If they continue making these films every few years, then I’ll continue to watch them. A New Era brings the Downton clan back to the big screen. Based on Masterpiece's hit TV show (Downton Abbey, 2010-2015), the British historical drama continues its story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era. The TV show's timeline focused on events from 1912 to 1926. In 2019, the Crawley's had their first feature film made, which took place in 1927. Now, A New Era moves the Crawley family ever closer to the 1930s. All of our favorite characters return like Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Charles Carson (Jim Carter), Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), John Bates (Brendan Coyle), Daisy (Sophie McShera), Tom Branson (Allen Leech), Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier), Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol), Joseph Molesley (Kevin Doyle), Phyllis Baxter (Raquel Cassidy), Andy (Michael Fox), Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), Isobel Merton (Penelope Wilton), and Violet Crawley (the great Maggie Smith).
Picture
It's a ton of characters that were well developed over the TV show's 5-year period, so the movies do not need to go into great detail because we have known them all for so long now. A New Era follows two main plots this time around. The first is the Dowager Countess' (Smith) newly inherited villa in the South of France. While the second is a film crew that wishes to use Downton as a filming location for a new silent film called, The Gambler. It's 1928, so the Silent movie industry is starting to become a dying breed because the "talkies" are currently the rising stars in the film industry. A New Era pulls heavily from the Singin' in the Rain (1952) "talkies" subplot throughout. Like a warm delicious scone, A New Era goes down easy and, in the end, will leave one satisfied. While the TV show can stretch out plot points, the movies have to wrap everything up into a nice big bow after two hours. But that is okay because this is such a delightful picture. I had a good time seeing my friends back on the big screen. Give it a few years, and we will be able to catch up with the Crawley family again. And someone please tell Mr. Bonneville to cut back on the bronzer in the next outing.
Picture
Downton Abbey: A New Era is rated PG (Parental Guidance) Thematic Elements | Some Suggestive References | Language.

Directed by Simon Curtis

Starring
Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle, Sophie McShera, Allen Leech, Rob James-Collier, Lesley Nicol, Kevin Doyle, Raquel Cassidy, Michael Fox, Imelda Staunton, Penelope Wilton), and the great Maggie Smith.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Ryan Arnold 

    Welcome to
    ​Arnold At The Movies

    Ripe Banana Approved Critic

    I love film and I love to write so I thought, why not combine the two? I currently review every new movie I see in theaters, on VOD, and or Streaming.

    Please enjoy, share and leave a comment if you like.


    For Your Consideration:
    akajeannette

    CherryPicks
    CRP Writes
    Cup Of Soul Show
     Filmotomy
    Film Posers
    In Their Own League
    Insert Montage
     InSession Film 
    Latinx Lens
    Mashley at the Movies
    Mike, Mike, and Oscar
    The Movie Oracle
    Next Best Picture
    Reos Positive POV
    Ripe Banana
    Shaurya Chawla
    ShuffleOnline
    The SoBros Network
    Strange Harbors
    Turbulent Cinema 
    Untitled Cinema Gals Project

    Movie Reviews

    All

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Movie Reviews
  • Review Archive
  • Yearly Favorites
  • All-Time
  • Features
  • Contact