carlo_simone18 Reviews

Atlanta (2016–2022)

Certainly memorable

[8/10 · 28 August 2023]

The first two seasons of Atlanta are among the best bits of television I've ever watched in my opinion. It had such a unique voice and style, I was incredibly invested in the characters and their journeys, and I thought the social commentary elements were weaved in really effectively. Also among all the surreal stuff there was a core story at the centre that kept it grounded with Earn and Alfred's struggles to make something of themselves in the music industry.

After season 2 there was a fairly long wait for season 3 to come out because of various different delays (with the Covid pandemic among them) and I was incredibly hyped for it. Living in the UK also meant I had a slightly longer wait for it to become available when it finally came out in the US so when it did eventually drop I was quite underwhelmed.

Season 2 ends with Alfred about to be a supporting act on someone else's tour of Europe, and I admittedly thought it was gonna carry on from that point. Instead it jumps to what I guess is a few years later and they are massively successful. The element of the story I was really enjoying about their trials and tribulations trying to make something for themselves was suddenly gone, and unfortunately from that point it never created anything else nearly as interesting to fill in that gap.

Also the most frustrating thing about season 3 was almost half it was made up of anthology episodes where none of the main characters were even present. It was another element removed which had initially got me so invested in the show and the further deep dive into experimental stories and surrealism wasn't really enough to draw me back in.

Season 4 I thought was fairly solid but there was still a lot of if where I just wasn't nearly as engaged even if I felt the final episode was a fairly decent one to end it on. Episodes in the final two seasons such as 'Cancer Attack', 'White Fashion', 'The Most Atlanta', 'Born 2 Die' and 'Crank Dat Killer' worked at recapturing some of that flavour from the first two seasons but it was few and far between.

My rating is as high as it is because of the strength of those first two seasons. Really wish it ended up building up to something a little stronger but I'm still glad the show exists.

The Moustache (2005)

Ambiguous and rather haunting tale

[7/10 · 11 May 2023]

I've wanted to watch this film for years, just because of how intriguing the premise sounded, and it was only last week that it finally became available to watch in the UK.

There's a great level of escalation to the confusion that this story brings as it goes along, that I really wasn't expecting. Vincent Lindon also does a superb job in expressing the utter bafflement to his life unravelling, which is an emotion I certainly shared trying to piece this together.

It's incredibly ambiguous and doesn't really offer any answers at all, with the last third especially completely switching up the narrative. Whilst I didn't fully understand this, it does end up being a rather haunting piece that provokes a lot of thought, and I think that's worthy of praise.

Swedish Dicks (2016–2018)

A Semi-Competent Series 2 can't quite make up for an awful Series 1

[3/10 · 13 December 2020]

There's a fairly good premise for this show, which I only feel is effectively utilised in Series 2, but more on that later.

Reviewing Series 1 individually, it's shockingly bad. The chemistry between Peter Stormare and Johan Glans is a bit hit or miss, and for a show based entirely off their partnership, it needed to be stronger. The usually reliable Stormare also has a lot of questionable line delivery here, and I actually ended up thinking Glans came across as a stronger actor.

My main issue with Series 1 comes from the stories in the individual episodes and the overarching plot involving Ingmar's investigation into the death of his former stuntman partner, Tex Johnson. The individual cases that Ingmar and Axel have to set out to solve are often quite inane, with their being no ingenuity or wit in the writing which meant there was very little to be invested in. The comedy side of things also falls flat, as whilst the set up for jokes is there the timing for their delivery was often off.

The overarching plot about Tex does initially provide some intrigue, but it leads to an incredibly obvious twist that he's still alive. You could have picked up on this at the end of the very first episode, when it shows Ingmar being held at gunpoint by Tex, who you can still see clearly in the background! It's presented through Ingmar in voiceover basically saying 'If you wondered how I ended up in this situation, than that's a story for another time'. It genuinely baffles me as to why this was included.

One of the more grating aspects of Series 1 was Ingmar's voiceover. It very obviously states his thoughts and feelings or the theme of the episode, which then for some reason tends to be repeated anyway in the very next scene. There's no subtlety at all to it, which extends to all the dialogue anyway.

The actual production also doesn't do much to avoid feeling cheap. The sets tend to feel rather empty and basic, and in a couple of cases sunlight completely blocks out a shot, yet they still decided to leave it in.

It all builds up to an unearned conclusion, which had made me felt like I had wasted my time watching it.

Series 2 did demonstrate some area of improvement though. There's a much stronger grasp on the character writing, competent dialogue that isn't inane, and the overarching plot for this series. That involves an issue with Axel finding out he's actually staying in the USA illegally. It isn't anything complex, but it's actually incorporated somewhat effectively throughout the episodes, which is more than can be said for the Tex storyline in Series 1.

What I'm most thankful for is the removal of Ingmar's voiceover. It does give a bit more nuance to the character when he's not just blankly stating his exact thoughts, so I'm thankful that the creative team saw it as a mistake.

Jokes also tend to land far more often, and in a couple of episodes the way the pair solve some of their cases is actually done in a fairly clever way. Unfortunately, the majority of episodes still conclude the investigations in a ridiculous fashion, but again it's something of a step in the right direction.

If a Series 3 is made then hopefully the could shore up the writing even further, but a lot of work would still need to be done.

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)

Earnest but would have worked better as a short film

[3/10 · 15 October 2020]

It's certainly well-intentioned, and Eastwood provides his usual sturdy direction, but it's such a shame how this film plays out.

Casting the real life trio who stopped the attack was a very bold choice, but their lack of acting experience really shows, and all of their conversations lack authenticity and conviction. That being said, their acting wasn't nearly as bad as I was led to believe it was. What was more surprising was how many of the actual actors were so poor, with the stilted dialogue really not helping.

You can also feel the film strain to reach its 1hr 27min runtime (not including the credits), unfortunately ruining the pacing. I get there needed to be some backstory to set these characters up a little, but barely any of it is actually compelling, and the European travelogue is most guilty of wasting the audiences' time.

The actual attack is suitably gripping, but everything leading up to it was incredibly sub-par. I imagine this would have worked well as a 30 minute short film, as they actual act of heroism these guys performed is definitely worth telling. The attempt at stretching it out to feature-length doesn't do it any favours.

Firefly (2002–2003)

The Space Western Serial at its finest

[10/10 · 27 July 2020]

I'd heard about the cult status Firefly achieved with its one season of television, so I had high expectations for sure. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed and had an absolute blast watching these 14 episodes.

It effortlessly blends elements of drama, action, pathos and humour to such an accomplished degree, and the writing overall is quite clever. What enhances these elements though is the brilliant characters, who were incredibly likeable.

The camaraderie and relationships between individual members of the Serenity is what made me want to come back to watch the next episode. They all have such distinct personalities, and their interactions always got the desired emotional reaction out of me.

Malcolm Reynolds also might be one of my favourite characters of all time. Nathan Fillion's performance is simply brilliant, as the confident, witty and determined captain, who is humanised by his recklessness and occasional lack of tact. He's certainly a wonderful lead protagonist, but every character holds their own and is enjoyable in their own way. Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Ron Glass, Sean Maher and Summer Glau all play their roles to perfection.

The universe that Firefly takes place in also feels so lived-in. Every location is like a distinct little community which immerses me into the setting. At first the melding of the frontier and space settings was a little jarring, but I soon became accustomed to it as the series went along.

I wish there could have been more series, but I'm happy what was made was so good. Joss Whedon should get a lot of praise for what he created here.

Crank: High Voltage (2009)

Insane, but underwhelming compared to the original

[5/10 · 9 July 2020]

The levels of insanity reached in Crank 2: High Voltage somehow outdo the first one, but as a result it loses any sense of cohesion which makes it a lot less enjoyable.

It's just as frenetic, but also slightly less funny and a lot more mean-spirited. Still there are plenty of great moments sprinkled throughout, even if it may have exhausted you by the end.

I also have to give credit to Jason Statham for just committing to the craziness of it all, and it looked like he really enjoyed his time on set.

I'll always appreciate the first one a lot more due to a far greater focus on the monofilament story it has, but I do respect Neveldine and Taylor's effort to just go for the most mental ideas possible.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

A profound and beautiful film

[9/10 · 24 November 2019]

What an experience this was. Such an emotional and moving tapestry of stories, combined with stellar acting and directing make this a joy to watch.

There an insane amount of stories, ideas and characters in this narrative, but the through-line of how all these things connect and rhyme throughout time is extremely profound. This affected me way more than I anticipated and it's certainly my favourite film from the Wachowski's and from Tom Tykwer.

I would highly recommend this to say the least.

The Flood (II) (2019)

Solid, if unspectacular

[5/10 · 3 September 2019]

A somewhat intriguing look at immigration and the border officials who handle it. The story works quite well with its limited use of location, with much of the narrative shifting between the interview between Wendy and Haile, and Haile's journey to get to the UK. It does a decent job of showing both the perspectives of border officials and refugees.

Lena Headey's acting is fine, but Ivanno Jeremiah is fantastic, having to showcase a lot of emotion, and dig deep within his character's psyche. Through his journey from Eritrea to the UK you can understand the tough choices he has to make, such as when he attacks a police officer to allow others to escape. The film doesn't justify his actions, making him a more interesting character by not taking the moral option at every turn.

For negatives, there is a lack of narrative momentum during the second act, and some emotional beats for Haile feel a bit over-cooked. Wendy's sub-plot involving her divorce could have tied back to the overall story a little more as well.

Do find it interesting there are quite a few reviews calling the film propaganda. Tackling immigration is a political issue, but I don't think emphasising with the experience of people trying to come to the country should be considered such a problem. That factor seems to have overtaken the usual values of judging a film for some people, purely giving it a 1/10 because of supposed differences of political opinion.

Looking for Eric (2009)

Hard-hitting and Emotionally Powerful

[8/10 · 30 August 2019]

The concept of a downtrodden man getting his life back on track has been done many times before, but Ken Loach has managed to put a unique spin on it, as well as imbuing it with a lot of pathos.

Having Eric Cantona in a main role puts this film in a unique position, as there aren't many players like him who are so embedded into the psyche of a city. He in a way represents Manchester, which makes sense for Eric Bishop to visualise him specifically to help him out. Cantona's own story of struggle and then redemption makes him especially suited to helping out someone who is having a tough time in their life, which is why this story works so well.

Cantona himself has a decent screen presence, but Steve Evets puts in a powerhouse performance which really makes the film worth watching. He can really explode with fury, but his quieter scenes of disappointment, anguish and hope are also brilliant.

Loach does well to manage the magical realism side of the story along with his usual kitchen-sink drama, and any conversation is exceptionally interesting because of that. Paul Laverty should also get a lot of credit for his screenwriting work here.

This is something I would definitely recommend.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

A Great Piece of Action Cinema

[10/10 · 17 May 2019]

The best way I can describe the production of the John Wick films is slick. Everything from the direction, camerawork, fight choreography, set design, music and lighting is superbly polished, making it gorgeous to watch. John Wick: Chapter 3 carries this on very effectively.

It's just glorious action cinema from start to finish. Keanu Reeves is just a living legend at this point with how he commits fully to the role. Stahelski also rightly gets much praise for how he handles the fight sequences with such grace.

Somehow the action has managed to keep on improving from the first instalment, and the brutality is also upped as well, which I didn't think would be possible after what was delivered in Chapter 2.

The additions to the cast are also pretty good. Halle Berry is solid, although her character is not involved nearly as much as I thought she was going to be. Mark Dacascos was also great as Zero, who was a worthy foe for John to take on in hand-to-hand combat. The introduction of Asia Kate Dillon as the Adjudicator was also intriguing, as it gave us our first glimpse of the mysterious High Table, which undoubtedly will be explored in further films.

Also the world-building is once again on-point, slowly revealing morsels of information about the society of assassins. However, this is also the film's greatest weakness as it expands the world so much that what story there is becomes unfocused.

I adore these films, and whilst this is certainly the weakest of the three, it's still a highly-engaging piece. I can't wait to see what they do next, as the prospect of John teaming up with the Bowery King to take on the High Table sounds great in concept.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

A Satisfying Finale to the MCU as we know it

[7/10 · 27 April 2019]

A great cinematic experience this certainly is. Once again the Russo brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have managed to craft a film that juggles a vast array of characters superbly well.

There's also such a sense of emotional resonance and poignancy to this film, which is executed nicely in the first and third acts that concludes the arcs of many established heroes. It's a superb send off to Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, whose journeys ended in a palpable way. It was a nice touch to send Steve back in time to finally spend his life with Peggy Carter, and fitting for Tony to save the day by sacrificing himself, ensuring the Infinity Saga began and ended with him.

However, I do have some issues, mainly with the fact the second act with the 'time heists' wasn't nearly as interesting or thrilling as I hoped it would be. It didn't drag the pace of the film down too much, as the three hour runtime zipped by overall, but it wasn't that fulfilling.

There's also some consistency issues with how characters are able to handle Infinity Stones like it's nothing, despite it being set up in Guardians of the Galaxy that most beings would disintegrate trying to hold them. Also the Avengers are able to fashion a gauntlet from Iron Man's tech to hold the stones despite it being set up in Infinity War that a special gauntlet needed to be forged to hold them. These things bugged me a little.

However, these are only minor nitpicks in what was an overall great film, which delivered a lot of brilliant moments of fan service as well has a fantastic final battle which was set up and executed with great precision.

I preferred Infinity War as a film, but as an experience Avengers Endgame stands on its own in the current cinematic landscape.

A Simple Plan (1998)

A Riveting Thriller

[8/10 · 25 April 2019]

This is one of those films that becomes more interesting as it goes along. It's a twisted thriller, punctuated by brief bursts of violence, all concluding in a rather tragic fashion.

Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton are great together as brothers Hank and Jacob, with their relationship at times reminding me of George and Lenny from Of Mice and Men.

Hank's descent into moral degradation is intriguing to watch, and under Sam Raimi's accomplished eye the direction works extremely well. It's something that accompanies the story beneficially, without being too stylistic to distract from the fascinating writing.

It's certainly something I would recommend at the end of the day.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Thrilling and Emotionally Impactful

[8/10 · 24 April 2019]

After finally getting around to watching this, it replaces Infinity War as my favourite film in the MCU.

It's near perfect in its depictions of its characters, and in the ideological debate it presents which divides them. It's also emotionally impactful and really meant something to me, which despite liking most MCU films, I can't say they did the same.

Evans and Downey Jr. are at the top of their game here, whilst the addition of Boseman and Holland are also superb.

Every action scene is thrilling, especially the encounter at the airport which was endlessly inventive and thrilling. That's not forgetting the final battle between Cap, Tony and Bucky which became exceedingly brutal.

I'm not sure I could ask for much more from a film like this, and I absolutely love it.

Juno (2007)

Surprisingly Captivating

[8/10 · 12 April 2019]

I think it's quite amazing that I've been so enthralled by a film with a fairly straightforward story and execution.

What makes it work so well for me is the sincerity of the writing of Juno's character and the maturity she comes to learn from the situation she finds herself in.

The upbeat music choices were also beautiful, as they reflected Juno's more quirky taste in music and film quite appropriately.

Whilst this film could arguably be described as twee, the genuine emotion it inspires surpasses any notion of that.

Also any scene with Juno and Paulie is an absolute delight, and they capture something both incredibly awkward but charming at the same time.

Shazam! (2019)

Enjoyable and entertaining

[7/10 · 7 April 2019]

Shazam! is easily the DCEU's most light-hearted film to date and that helps to make it as enjoyable as it is. I really enjoyed David F.Sandberg's direction, which incorporates a lot of interesting shots, as well as the darker elements he brings in. Zachary Levi is superb as Shazam, and he delivers exceptionally well on a lot of the comedic elements. Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer were perfectly fine, but didn't do much for me otherwise with their performances.

The story is also quite engaging, with it having the emotional centre focused on the foster family that Billy becomes a part of, which delivers a fair few heartwarming moments.

I do have some minor issues, with the main one being that Billy Batson and Shazam don't feel like the same person at all really. A lot of Shazam's dialogue and actions didn't really feel like something Billy would say or do, so that was a little distracting.

Also the film is a lot darker and more serious than the trailers made it out to be. Whilst it has some great meta moments where it makes fun of traits in superhero films, it mixes in a lot of darker subject material, which doesn't blend well tonally.

Mark Strong's Thaddeus Sivana was also not hugely compelling as the main antagonist. Strong is decent with his performance, but his motivations for his actions could have been fleshed out a little more.

Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable time at the cinema and certainly a step in the right direction for the DCEU.

Us (II) (2019)

Well made with a couple of issues holding it back

[7/10 · 27 March 2019]

Whilst the film has a lot of positives it has a couple of minor problems holding it back for me. With regards to the positives the acting is superb across the board, with Lupita Nyong'o putting in a very compelling performance. Jordan Peele's direction and Mike Gioulakis' cinematography were great, as like everything else in the technical department, it was clean and effective. What also impressed me was the musical score, with Michael Abels doing great work, much like he did with Get Out.

Speaking of Get Out, comparisons are undoubtedly going to be made to Peele's directorial debut, but Us doesn't hold up anywhere near as well as that. One excellent attribute that does carry over though is the clever writing that delivers subtle yet sublime set ups and pay offs which work brilliantly. Nearly every line of dialogue in the opening act pays off him some way later down the line which for me is very satisfying.

However, the mixing of horror and comedy doesn't work out that well, as it shows too much of a tonal shift in moments that are meant to be quite chilling at points.

Finally, with regards to the ending twist I'm not sure I like it. Whilst it works well on a thematic level, as it explores the theme of othering and being our own worst enemy, it just ends up raising more questions about how that situation worked out the way it did. Why didn't Adelaide go back up to the surface when she got out of the handcuffs? How did she manage to co-ordinate 'the Tethered' to all emerge from the tunnels at the same time? Where did they get all the red uniforms and scissors from? It's just frustrating that it doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Us and will look forward to what Jordan Peele does next, as the guy clearly has some interesting ideas and concepts to explore in his work.

Cold Pursuit (2019)

Pleasantly surprised

[5/10 · 25 February 2019]

The first half an hour of this film is unremarkable stuff but certain plot developments after that mark make the narrative much more intriguing, especially as the dark humour and more absurd elements kick in. There is some genuinely great dialogue as part of that which combined with Petter Moland's sense of style make it enjoyable viewing.

Liam Neeson is assured as the snow plow driver Nels Coxman, but its is Tom Bateman who steals the show for me as the main antagonist 'Viking'. He sells the arrogance of his character extremely well, playing the role almost to perfection. The rest of the performances were fine across the board, but unfortunately Laura Dern's character is completely wasted and given no depth.

In the end I would certainly recommend this.

Fighting with My Family (2019)

I wish I enjoyed this more than I did

[6/10 · 20 February 2019]

Having been a big fan of Stephen Merchant's work before I was sort of underwhelmed by this. Whilst he demonstrates that he's a competent director I felt that the writing was a little formulaic, especially with the humour which felt a little obvious most of the time. Nonetheless they are still some decent jokes in here, especially helped by Nick Frost's delivery.

Whilst Paige's story is fairly formulaic and simple, the aspect of the plot involving her brother Zak and how he coped with not being picked for the WWE training programme was really well-written. It added a genuinely intriguing element to the narrative and helped to raise my score for the film.

Aside from that the acting from everyone was pretty great, especially from Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden, whilst Dwayne Johnson was entertaining in the couple of scenes that he is in.

Whilst not really appealing to me, I'm glad people are enjoying it and I hope Merchant will be able to do more directing in the future.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

An Emotionally Satisfying Conclusion to the Series

[7/10 · 11 February 2019]

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World caps off the trilogy in a wonderful way. It again manages to tell a fairly compelling story, coupled with absolutely stunning animation and a mesmerising score from John Powell, which really adds impact to certain scenes.

The story does well to create emotional stakes, which is something How to Train Your Dragon 2 also did very effectively, which incorporates into the bittersweet message that the film is creating. This then leads to some powerful scenes at the end which I really connected with. Much like with the ending of the Harry Potter film series I was left with a hollow feeling by the end as I knew no more films would be made in that series, but that is testament to the quality of the films' storytelling.

For minor gripes I felt that villain Grimmel could have been developed more than he was, but he was voiced well by F. Murray Abraham. Likewise the voicework was decent across the whole cast.

Overall, the How to Train Your Dragon series remains one of the most consistently good trilogies, animated or otherwise, in recent film history and deserves all the acclaim it has received.

Elysium (I) (2013)

Middling Sci-Fi with great production value

[6/10 · 27 January 2019]

What Neill Blomkamp does really well with Elysium is creating the world that the story takes place in. Both Earth and Elysium are stunningly realised with great visual effects and production design. There was clearly a lot of care and attention put into this and it immerses you into the world extremely well.

However, the story for me is one that's just fine. It could have explored its ideas and concepts in a lot more detail but overall its paced well enough to keep it mostly engaging.

The characters are also rather bland, except for Sharlto Copley who is hilariously over the top as the villain Kruger and appears to be having a lot of fun in the role. Matt Damon's Max didn't interest me unfortunately and the line delivery of other characters range from fine to poor on most occasions.

In the end there is a lot of potential here, but I feel Blomkamp did a much better job with his first film District 9.

Vacation (1983)

Decent 80s Comedy

[7/10 · 27 January 2019]

Whilst acting as more of a collection of loosely connected scenes than a cohesive narrative, National Lampoon's Vacation is nonetheless a funny and entertaining ride. It manages to strike a good balance between physical and verbal comedy which make the situations the Griswolds go through much more engaging.

Spaced (1999–2001)

Fantastic early work from Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, Nick Frost and co.

[10/10 · 20 January 2019]

Having now finished this series I consider it amongst my favourite ever comedies. The writing from Jessica Hynes and Simon Pegg is hilarious and heartfelt, and often very clever, resulting in great payoffs and well-rounded and quirky characters who all have such personality. The dramatic moments which are included are also thankfully not undermined by this and feel a natural addition to the story. All of the actors do a great job with their performances as well.

Another thing that must be praised is Edgar Wright's direction which goes above and beyond anything comedies usually do, especially with the dynamic camerawork and editing, which greatly help in the construction of a lot of the jokes.

What was also executed so well were the numerous references and homages to popular culture, which usually help the overall effect of a joke, rather than just be the joke in of itself and lose any potential because of it. It was also great to see a lot of well-known British actors appear in minor roles in this before they became popular, as they are a fair amount of them.

Overall, this is a practically perfect British comedy which I would highly recommend. It got everything it could out of two great series and ended on a lovely note.

Stan & Ollie (2018)

A charming film about two great entertainers

[7/10 · 15 January 2019]

Stan & Ollie is a profound yet bittersweet look at the careers of Laurel and Hardy, which works as well as it does thanks to brilliant performances from Steve Coogan and John C.Reilly who embody the famous duo incredibly well. Their dynamic is very well-realised, giving the audience a great understanding of their friendship. Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda, who portray Lucille Hardy and Ida Kitaeva Laurel respectively, also do a fine job and have some very entertaining conversations.

Director Jon S.Baird also draws you into the time period effectively with detailed production design and costuming.

Whilst this sort of story has been done many times before, it is executed with a great deal of care for who Laurel and Hardy were, which helps it to be an enjoyable time.

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

A mostly interesting period piece/romance

[6/10 · 6 January 2019]

I haven't read Thomas Hardy's novel on which this film was based, so I can't say for sure how closely it adheres to the source material, but the narrative that is presented under the assured eye of Thomas Vinterberg is engaging. The performances from Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts and Michael Sheen are also decent.

Whilst I enjoyed the narrative, I didn't particularly find any of the characters that compelling, as there was more of a focus on story than character development. Other minor faults include some pieces of dialogue sounding rather unnatural at points, but this wasn't too much of an issue.

Then again there is much to enjoy on a production level, with some lovely cinematography complimented by naturalistic lighting in the English countryside, whilst the musical score adds lots of gravitas and emotion to every scene.

In the end this is something I would recommend.

Gosford Park (2001)

Enjoyable British Drama

[8/10 · 5 January 2019]

An intriguing portrait of the dynamics between British aristocrats and their servants is presented in an engaging fashion by director Robert Altman. The mosaic of how all these characters interact is quite fascinating, and provides for some hilarious moments of wit and snide remarks.

The ensemble cast is packed with many great British actors, including amongst others Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Tom Hollander, Emily Watson, Charles Dance and Derek Jacobi. They all put in very assured performances, but Maggie Smith was a standout for me as the sardonic Constance Trentham who has some brilliant dialogue.

Whilst I think the narrative loses momentum in the last twenty minutes, it is very engaging beforehand and well worth a watch.