CBS This Morning (November 13, 2016)
Live with Kelly (November 16, 2016)
Category: TV/Streaming Shows
The Escape Artist (2013) starring David Tennant
NOTES: This is a SPOILER-FREE review. The original BBC version was shown in three parts (an hour each). The version shown in the US on PBS was edited to two parts (90 minutes each), which is the one I saw.
You do not know how you will react to the law, until the law happens to YOU.
The premise is VERY interesting, yet as the tale goes on, it becomes less and less believable. The tension created and acting are the main reasons to check it out. You will find parallels to Cape Fear. Game of Thrones fans will be pleased to see Anton Lesser (Maester Qyburn) and Kate Dickie (Lysa Arryn).
David Tennant (who gets to use his own Scottish accent) is in the lead role of Will Burton, a successful 38 y.o. barrister (lawyer who can go to trial) and devoted family man (w/ a wife, played by Ashley Jensen, and young son). Tennant’s face is very expressive, esp. the eyes, and he makes the legal talk sound like second nature. I esp. liked the interactions w/ the child actor who played his son. Tennant and Jensen have great chemistry as marrieds, too.
Will has been voted as the #1 junior barrister under 40 in London; he is congratulated by clerks and fellow barristers at the (private) firm where he works. In the #2 position is Maggie Gardner (Sophie Okonedo), a woman who respects Will but has a long-time professional rivalry with him. Okonedo is an actress that should REALLY be more known; she has the ability to be whip smart, strong, and also vulnerable (like Tennant). Maggie is a BIT surprised when Will decides to take on the case of suspected murderer, Liam Foyle (Toby Kebbell- most recently in the Ben-Hur reboot).
We learn that Foyle asked his solicitor to request Will, who has never lost a case. As he tells his son’s class at career day, Will believes that “everyone deserves a defense.” However, the details of this particular killing turn his stomach and keep him up late at night. Also, Foyle is NOT the most pleasant defendant (Kebbell makes a creepy villain), which may turn off the jury. Check out Season 1, Episode 3 of Black Mirror (Netflix)to see Kebbell’s acting range.
The Crown (Netflix): Coming NOV 4th
The Crown focuses on Queen Elizabeth II as a 25-year-old newlywed faced with the daunting prospect of leading the world’s most famous monarchy while forging a relationship with legendary Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. The British Empire is in decline, the political world is in disarray, and a young woman takes the throne….a new era is dawning. Peter Morgan’s masterfully researched scripts reveal the Queen’s private journey behind the public facade with daring frankness. Prepare to be welcomed into the coveted world of power and privilege and behind locked doors in Westminster and Buckingham Palace….the leaders of an empire await. -Netflix Summary
Lead Actors: Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth II), Matt Smith (Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh), & John Lithgow (Sir Winston Churchill)
Supporting Actors: Jeremy Northam, Eileen Atkins, Victoria Hamilton, Harriet Walter, Ben Miles & Alex Jennings
Director: Stephen Daldry
Writer/Producer: Peter Morgan
This highly-anticipated series will be available on November 4th. Two seasons with a total of 20 episodes are planned (so far), as noted in Variety. Daldry was the director of Billy Elliott and The Hours. In 2006, Peter Morgan wrote The Queen (starring Helen Mirren).
Rather than finding this woman and this predicament less and less interesting it becomes more and more interesting. The Queen’s story is a good way to examine the modern history of England because she is so intertwined with the British constitution and the British soul. -Peter Morgan
I’m excited to see Foy in a starring role; she was great in the miniseries Little Dorritt. Matt Smith (best known for Dr. Who) can handle both comedy and drama. Maybe he will get a chance to do both? And it’s so cool to see the film/stage veteran, Lithgow, in good shape and working regularly! The official trailer (below) gives us some hint, BUT not too much, re: the crux of the series- how a young woman manages different roles (daughter, queen, wife, and mother).
2016 AFI Latin American Film Festival: Magallanes (Peru)
In modern-day Lima, middle-aged Harvey Magallanes (Damian Alcazar) works as a driver for his former commanding officer, the wheelchair-bound Colonel (Frederico Luppi), who has lost his memory. He spends the rest of the day as a taxi driver and drinking w/ Army buddy/mechanic, Milton.
One morning, he picks up a harried/young/indigenous woman in his cab- Celina (Magaly Solier). Magallanes is VERY shaken up, looking upset; it turns out that she doesn’t recognize him. He follows Celina to a convention, learning that she needs money for her hair salon. After talking to Milton and his reluctant sister, Magallanes sees an opportunity to make some easy money. WHAT is his connection to Celina? WHY does he look so guilty? This film starts out slow (it’s a character drama for the most part), then eventually builds to an (VERY un-Hollywood) climax, which will totally change your view of the protagonist!
The brilliance of the story is that we find ourselves pulling for Magallanes right up until the moment when we can’t possibly forgive him his transgressions … any more than Celina can. More than an example of the jumbled mess of war and terrorists, the film is a wonderful observation of human nature and how we often rationalize our worst actions to the point of delusion of our own goodness. No matter how hard we try to put things behind us, the bad choices are always there. Some sins just cannot be washed away, and redemption is not always possible.
-Comment from IMDB
What To Watch Now
On Netflix:
Broadchurch – Veteran Brit powerhouse actresses (Charlotte Rampling; Marianne Jean Baptiste) join the strong ensemble cast as dueling barristers (lawyers) in S2 of the crime drama set in the quiet, beautiful, close-knit town. It’s time for the trial, BUT there is still suspense. We learn more re: another crime from the past of DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant). I’ve seen the first 3 eps so far.
Orange is the New Black – This show continues to grow (new guards and inmates come in, incl. a young/hijabi/black/Muslim woman and a celeb akin to Martha Stewart, played by Blair Brown). How will Sophia deal w/ being in isolation? What will Piper do next now that she has the rep of being a badass? Will Crazy Eyes ever find real love? The jail is overcrowded now, w/ a large pop. of Latinas bused in. I have only seen 3 eps- need to get back into it soon!
In Theaters:
Finding Dory – My mom (big fan of Finding Nemo) & I saw this yesterday afternoon (TOO hot to be out)- we LOVED it! The short film (Piper) was SO cute/well-made/touching! The octopus, Hank (Ed Oneill) was my fave; it was esp. cool how he blended into the environment around him (like a chameleon). Gorgeous Brits Idris Elba & Dominic West play two seals. Veteran comedy actors (Eugene Levy & Diane Keaton) voice Dory’s kind/encouraging parents.
Free State of Jones – The McConaughssaince continues w/ this (based on a true story) historical drama set during the Civil War. But I must admit that the first 5 mins are tough to watch (bloody/gory/realistic); the diverse audience I saw it w/ gasped and cringed at some scenes. There is absolutely NOTHING glam re: war, and boy does this film show us that! The pitch-perfect Matthew is joined by luminous Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle) and Mahershala Ali (who MANY will know from House of Cards on Netflix). In his role as Moses, an escaped field slave separated from his wife and young son, Ali gets to show us a LOT more of his talent. Even in the quiet moments, he is a strong screen presence.
No man outta tell another man what he’s gotta live for or what he’s gotta die for! –Newton Knight declares to his small band of followers- runaway Confederate soldiers, poor white farmers (including widows w/ children), & runaway slaves
I can’t believe that history like this is NOT taught in schools! I’m SO glad that I got to see it for free at a pre-screening. Unlike what Col. Robert Gould Shaw (played by Matthew Broderick in Glory) said in one his letters to his mother (“I do not know these men, their jokes, their songs”)- Knight can relate to the blacks around him. He lived in the swamps w/ them, foraged for food/fished w/ the men, etc. Check this film out if you can!
On TV:
The Night Of – This is an HBO limited series starring British-Pakistani actor, Riz Ahmed, and veteran actor, John Turturro (who had to take over after the death of James Gandolfini). The story centers on a Pakistani-American college kid from Queens, Nas Khan, who is questioned, then arrested, for the murder of a young woman he picked up in his father’s cab one night while on the way to a party. The original story comes from across the pond (England), where the accused suspect was played by boyish/waifish Ben Whishaw; that story was focused on class from what I’ve heard. This version doesn’t shy away from the fact that the suspect is a Muslim male, or the inherent suspicions that come w/ that in post-9/11 era.
Knightleyemma 