Tag Archives: Michelle Dockery

Drama

DOWNTON ABBEY – THE GRAND FINALE (2025): New Trailer From Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Dominic West, Joanne Froggatt, Paul Giamatti…

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Downton Abbey - The Grand Finale (2025), Michelle Dockery, Focus Features
Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale (2025), Michelle Dockery, Focus Features

Downton Abbey, that gargantuan hit of a television drama about the lives of a British aristocratic family and their servants in the early twentieth century, has a final chapter.

Directed by Simon Curtis, Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale catches up with the Crawley family and their servants as they enter the 1930s.

I quit watching this show a long time ago, mainly because of that thing called patience, of which I tend to have little. The matter of marrying off a certain Lady simply took too long to reach its conclusion, so I moved on.

Now, however, I find myself somewhat intrigued by the general sumptuousness of the costumes/mise en scene in this trailer. Time will tell if I tune in upon release.

What is your experience of Downton Abbey, if any? Is this final instalment calling to you?

Phyllis Logan, Penelope Wilton, Elizabeth McGovern, Alessandro Nivola, Raquel Cassidy, Allen Leech, Brendan Coyle, Laura Carmichael, Robert James-Collier and Sophie McShera also star.

Downton Abbey – The Grand Finale Release Dates: September 12th, 2025 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Crime, Thriller

FLIGHT RISK (2024): New Trailer Starring Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace, Michelle Dockery…

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Directed by Mel Gibson; Flight Risk is a new action/thriller starring Mark Wahlbeg, Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace. One in which not all parties aboard a very important flight are who they say they are.

First came Jason Bateman as a terrorist in Carry-On (2024). Now we have Wahlberg, who’s usually a hero who saves the day, playing a very bad man intent on perverting the course of justice.

I’m interested in what will hopefully be gripping mid-air action. I also want to see how quickly I’ll get used to Wahlberg as a balding baddie.

How do you feel about Flight Risk so far? I’m hopeful because Gibson is a good director as confirmed via Apocalypto (2006).

Monib Abhat, Georgi S. Georgiev, Atanas Srebrev, Savanah Joeckel and Paul Ben-Victor also star.

Flight Risk Release Dates: January 24th, 2025 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama

HERE (2024): New Trailer From Robert Zemeckis, Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Michelle Dockery, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly…

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Directed by Robert Zemeckis; starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery and Paul Bettany, Here is the story of the multiple families that lived in one specific place.

The drama captures the human experience over several generations.

Wow!

So many thoughts went through my head as this trailer played. The biggest one is, how wonderful it is to see Hanks and Wright reunited. I can’t help but consider their character’s relationship as the kind that Jenny and Forrest always deserved.

Artificial Intelligence/CGI also came to mind because I’m almost certain this movie didn’t start shooting when Hanks and Wright were still as young as they appear in the above thumbnail.

Then there’s the strong This Is Us vibes, the telling of a family’s story over different generations. I admit to not actually watching the last few seasons of This Is Us because I found that I cried at least once in every episode, which is simply too much.

Something else the Here trailer reminds me of is this moving Quaker Oats ad I saw for the first time just two weeks ago.

Will you be watching this, considering the stellar cast and filmmaking team?

Ophelia Lovibond, Dexter Sol Ansell, Ben Wiggins, Beau Gadsdon, Leslie Zemeckis, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Lilly Aspell, Joel Oulette, Stephanie Siadatan, David Fynn, Billie Gadsdon and Jonathan Aris also star.

Here Release Dates: November 15th, 2024 (US)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Mystery, No Spoiler Reviews, Thriller

DEFENDING JACOB (2020): The Things I Liked…

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Defending Jacob (2020), Michelle Dockery Apple TV+
Defending Jacob (2020), Michelle Dockery, Apple TV+

There are parts I thoroughly enjoyed in Michelle Dockery, Chris Evans and Jaeden Martell’s Defending Jacob; the story of two parents who have to deal with the idea that their fourteen-year-old son might be responsible for murdering his classmate. Yet, I can’t say I completely loved the experience of watching it. 

The best moments besides the big revelation in the courtroom is  Dockery’s performance. Evans wasn’t terrible and Martell is a very talented young man. I only wish I enjoyed the series in its entirety and spent less  time asking questions such as:

‘Do we really need to keep going back and forth between Evans’s character in the present day as he recounts what happened? It doesn’t seem to be adding much to the experience.’ 

‘Why isn’t this a two-part, or four-part series instead of eight?’

The truth is I could do with more patience when it comes to movies and TV shows. However, all I want is for something I’m watching to be fully engaging, to the point where I’m happily lost in it, rather than having to question editing decisions.

I like the idea of a story about the possibility that one’s child could be a psychopath, and I felt for Dockery’s character. The bigger issue is likely that I’ve seen elements of this story in other productions several times before. A truth that then makes this experience less new/impressive.

If you’re especially curious, give Defending Jacob a chance. You may find that you love the way it just the way it is. And that you have a lot more patience than I do.

Happy Film Loving

G

Mystery, Thriller

DEFENDING JACOB (2020): New Trailer From Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Betty Gabriel, Jaeden Martell…

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Defending Jacob (2020), Chris Evans, Apple TV+
Defending Jacob (2020), Chris Evans, Apple TV+

Read my spoiler-free movie review of  Defending Jacob (2020).

Based on the bestselling book by William Landay, Defending Jacob is a new mystery/thriller starring Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and Betty Gabriel.

This is the story of Andy (Evans) and Laurie Barber (Dockery), whose fourteen year-old son (Martell) has been accused of murdering his friend and classmate.

Based on this trailer, Jacob seems guilty. Assuming he’s innocent, how awful would it be if Evans’s character ends up having to go to jail? Looks like a very promising mystery to me.

Sakina Jaffrey, Cherry Jones, Bradley Ryan Knispel, Pablo Schreiber, Jordan Alexa Davis, Daniel Henshall, Ben Taylor, Ted Arcidi, Megan Byrne, Tamara Hickey and Poorna Jagannathan also star.

Defending Jacob Release Dates: April 24th, 2020 (US), Apple TV+

Happy Film Loving,

G