I have stuffed three important reviews into this blog post — all because I love you. I give you a review of Netflix’s The Crown, season 6, episodes 1-4 (because that is all they’ve dropped), Angel Studios movie The Shift, and The Hallmark movie A Biltmore Christmas.
Let’s start with The Crown. These four episodes are easily the best since seasons 1 and 2. It is not that the other seasons aren’t good, but they never had the punch of the opening two offerings. But these new episodes seem to regain it, and they do so by moving away from the head of the monarchy, The Queen, and focusing entirely upon Diana.
I found the acting in these episodes to be tremendous. The woman who plays Diana, Elizabeth Debicki, is so convincing and captivating that I forgot at times she was acting. That happens rarely, like when Daniel Day Lewis played Lincoln or Renee Zellweger played Judy Garland. There is something about Debicki that captures both the lonely tragedy and the bold ambition that needed the limelight as much has she hated it.
In this telling, Prince Charles (now King) comes off as a rehabilitated figure — human, compassionate, and almost as much as victim as Diana was. Almost.
The big revelations, for me, are not how the show spins the royal family in this matter, but the relationship between Dodi and his father, played excellently by Salim Daw. Indeed, The Crown draws us in with the mommy issues of Charles and the daddy issues of Dodi such that one wonders if Diana was not a magnet for men who had dysfunctional and emotionally abusive relationships with parents.
I highly recommend The Crown to anyone interested in this period of history, even if you’ve not watched any of the other seasons, these stand alone almost like a movie.
Friday Mrs. Greenbean and I went the movies and got our popcorn, Hot Tamales, Coke Zero, and enjoyed a surprising movie from Angel Studios. I say surprising, because it can only be accurately described as speculative fiction, not a genre you’d expect from a Christian studio. This movie felt to me like something Philip Dick would have written if he’d been weaving in biblical motifs.
No spoilers, but the main thrust of the story is the devil (played maniacally cold by Neal McDonough, who you’ve seen in all sorts of things but who I like particularly in Red 2) has the main power to shift people from one reality to another, thus hell becomes an unfettered nightmare of possible dystopian worlds. That is some pretty good work there, writers, especially if you’re interested in the idea of ‘for there is no one righteous, no, not one.’
The story of Job from Hebrew wisdom literature serves as the skeleton, but don’t get too attached to it. The themes of this film are more specific than theodicy.
Is this movie perfect? No — some of the editing and directing could have been sharper. Does it have flaws — yes, the dialogue at time is just weak and predictable. However, it is a very very good movie, overall high quality, some brilliant acting, big budget effects (especially the sound, I think this movie should get an Oscar nomination for sound editing), well known actors, and theatrical release.
The bottom line is this: people like me have complained for years that Christian-based or faith-based films were lousy (and they were) and actually brought disputation to the cause of Christ. Here, we have a great concept and a well-put together film. Go watch it, even if you don’t like speculative fiction or science fiction, go watch it. Support the work being done and those outstanding people putting it together.
The last review today is the briefest. Mrs. Greenbean, of course, loves her some Hallmark movies, and I have blogged about them many times (HOW TO SAVE HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIES, HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIES: A LAMENT, IF WE ACT NOW, WE CAN STILL SAVE CHRISTMAS for example). Last night we finished a fantastic day by making it a double-feature evening and watched the new movie from Hallmark called A Biltmore Christmas. It is set around the famed Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The plot is predictable, but it has a fun twist or two. It is safe, entertaining, and pleasant. No car chases or murder.
I watched it primarily for sentimental reasons: Jonathan Frakes and Robert Picardo, alums from Star Trek, are both in it.
If you enjoy this style of movie, you’ll like this one.