Maggie Smith – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

THE MIRACLE CLUB – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 Valerie Kalfrin kathy bates, laura linney, lourdes, Maggie Smith, Thaddeus O’Sullivan, the miracle club

Working-class Dublin and the women who want something more out of life are the core of The Miracle Club, an ensemble dramedy about a pilgrimage to Lourdes, the Catholic shrine in France where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared in 1858. Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linney lead an esteemed cast in a story that has so much on its mind at times, the tone and the pacing are uneven. Still, fans of the three may find this story rewarding, especially in its focus on honesty and forgiveness.

Reviews

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA – Review by Martha K Baker

June 6, 2022June 12, 2022 Martha K. Baker downton abbey a new era, Elizabeth McGovern, hugh bonneville, julian fellowes, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, penelope wilton, simon curtis

They have all been through a lot, and the new era offers just as many challenges. The prospect of another war and a depression. A leaky roof. Hetero- v. homosexuality. A French villa no one knew about from a paramour no one knew about. Lord Grantham’s lineage. Who inherits what? Plus a moving picture filmed on the premises — just as Downton is, which presents the running theme of silent films vs. “talkies.”

Reviews

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA – Review by Susan Granger

May 23, 2022May 23, 2022 Susan Granger downton abbey a new era, Elizabeth McGovern, hugh bonneville, julian fellowes, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, penelope wilton, simon curtis

If you’re an avid fan of the PBS series and followed the franchise onto the big screen, you should relish this reunion with the inhabitants of the Crawley’s stately country house who have become so familiar. But if you’re not acquainted with their backstories, this sequel may be a bit bewildering. Written once again by series creator Julian Fellowes and directed by Simon Curtis, the period drama, set circa 1929, veers between Yorkshire and the South of France and is fraught with emotional complications.

Reviews

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA – Review by T. J. Callahan

May 20, 2022May 26, 2022 T. J. Callahan downton abbey a new era, Elizabeth McGovern, hugh bonneville, julian fellowes, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, penelope wilton, simon curtis

In Downton Abbey: The New Era. the Crawleys of Grantham have invited us back into their stately manor to catch us up on what the Earl, his family, and all of the spunky servants have been up to of late. This is the sequel to the 2019 movie spinoff of the globally popular six-season TV series that lasted from 2010 to 2015. Fans of the Downton Abbey franchise will find The New Era scathingly delicious and sentimentally sweet. But, if you’ve never visited the Granthams before, you’ll probably have more fun watching your favorite DVD.

Reviews

DOWNTON ABBEY – Review by Susan Granger

September 20, 2019September 21, 2019 Susan Granger 0 Comments doownton abbey, Elizabeth McGovern, Imelda Staunton, julian fellowes, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, penelope wilton

If you’re an avid fan of PBS’ dramatic series Downton Abbey, you’ll relish this big-screen version. Working with screenwriter James Fellowes, director Michael Engler manages to give all the characters their own mini-crisis and catharsis, involving proper manners and utmost civility, drawing on the trials and tribulations of England’s inherent class system, which exists despite anti-monarchist grumbles.

Reviews

DOWNTON ABBEY – Review by Leslie Combemale

September 20, 2019September 21, 2019 Leslie Combemale 0 Comments adam leech, downton abbey, julian fellowes, Maggie Smith, penelope wilton

You don’t really know the fans of Downton Abbey until you sit in a darkened theater as the first strains of the theme song start playing, to a bust of applause, and even a few gasps. Thus begins the feature film that feels like its only raison d’etre is to tie all the storylines and character arcs into big, flouncy bows, of the kind one sees on the back of a bejeweled 20s-era frock.

General Archives Reviews Women on Film

LADY IN THE VAN, CHI-RAQ, HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT and Other Dec 4 Openers – Reviews by Jennifer Merin

December 5, 2015December 6, 2015 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments Alan Bennett, Chi-RAQ, Hitchcock/Truffaut, Kent Jones, lady in the van, Maggie Smith, mother Teresa, spike lee, the letters, world of Kanako

Maggie Smith’s smashing performance in The Lady in the Van. Is the driving force in this must-see cinematic version of

Commentaries General Archives News Women on Film

THE WEEK IN WOMEN: Hollywood Ageism Denies Actresses Their ‘Prime,’ plus Phosphate Award for Female Characters, and Davis Honored with Ali Award – Brandy McDonnell comments

September 27, 2015October 19, 2015 Brandy McDonnell 0 Comments geena davis, helen mirren, Hollywood agism, liv tyler, maggie gyllenhaal, Maggie Smith, monica bellucci, muhammad ali, phosphate award

At age 38, actresses Liv Tyler and Maggie Gyllenhaal are told by Hollywood they’re too old to be cast opposite leading men in their 50s. Read what they and others say about that. Plus, the Phosphate Pictures Award pitches $25,000 prize to a script with a strong female lead and the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards honor Geena Davis for activism. Read The Week in Women>>

Reviews

MY OLD LADY – Review by Susan Granger

September 20, 2014June 8, 2020 Susan Granger 0 Comments Maggie Smith, My Old Lady

At age 75, prolific playwright Israel Horovitz makes his feature film directing debut with this adaptation of his own 2002