Downton Abbey: The Movie (2019)

It is 1927 and King George V is coming to Downton Abbey.  Behold the excitement, the pageantry, the test of wills between the King's servants and the servants of Downton.  An occasion this momentous calls Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) out of retirement and Mr. Molesly eagerly resumes his footman post for the opportunity to serve the monarch.  As one expects, Lady Violet (Maggie Smith) trades barbs with Isobel (Penelope Wilton) in the ongoing battle of wits.  There are multiple plotlines that revolve around certain characters though Tom Branson (Allen Leech) shines best: man of action, giver of wise counsel, romantic gentleman.  Of course, Anna (Joanne Froggatt) leads the skirmish against the invading royal servants with Carson's reluctant approval.

 

The movie plays as an oversized episode of the show, offering an opportunity for the gang to reunite and for the audience to catch up on the latest news from Downton.  Most of the characters merely function in the storyline of the king's visit, making preparations and voicing concerns.  Lady Violet has a reunion with a cousin who has no intention of letting her estate go to Earl Grantham despite him being the nearest relation.  Lady Violet has other plans.  Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) once again wonders if she should abandon the estate and live a more modest life, which felt like a retread storyline.  Didn't they already address that?  Irritated by the return of Carson, Mr. Barrow (Robert James-Collier) sallies forth to potential ruination?  Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) misses her job as a publisher, finding her life of 'leisure' to be tedious.  Moreover, her husband might be leaving for Africa for several months.

 

When Branson first appeared, I was not keen on him.  An Irish Republican as a chauffer to a noble family was a bit awkward and his whirlwind romance with the feisty and rebellious Sybil was even more so.  However, I have come to like him more than most of the family.  He is more relatable than most of them, a common man adapting to a life among the uppercrust.  I suspect his role grew for exactly that reason.

 

If you are a fan of the show, this is a must see.  The estate on the big screen is quite impressive.  A feel good movie with a dozen happy endings and plenty of potential for a sequel.

Return to the Batcave (2003)

While watching a rerun of his old TV series, Adam West hears the doorbell.  When he answers the door, no one is there but an invitation has been slipped under his door.  It is for tonight!  Calling upon Alfred - "My name is Jerry, sir" - to make arrangements, he is soon on his way to a charity auction.  To his surprise, his old chum Burt Ward also received an invitation.  Among the items available for auction is the original Batmobile!  Adam announces that he still has the key, proudly displaying it; he had taken it as a souvenir.  The lights go out and the Batmobile is stolen by some dastardly villain who took Adam's key!  No need to call the police.  Adam and Burt are on the case.

 

The campy present is spliced with events that happened during the filming of the show some 35 years earlier.  Adam is convinced that the car thief has returned from their past and they must recall that past to expose him or her.  In 1966, Adam West (Jack Brewer) is enchanted by the quirky comedy in the Batman script.  Despite his agent's misgivings, he wants the part.  He beats out Lyle Waggoner (who eventually starred as Steve Trevor in the 70s version of Wonder Woman) for the part.  Bert Gervis Jr. (Jason Marsden) won the part of Robin; he changed his name to Burt Ward almost immediately.  Marsden is outstanding as young Burt, outshining the actual Burt Ward of the present.  The things that Burt endured for the part serve as comic fodder but are true!  There is a scene with Cesar Romero refusing to shave his mustache for the role of the Joker.  Burgess Meredith doesn't like smoking for the role of the Penguin as it makes him cough, leading to his peculiar Penguin squawk.  Mostly, the scenes from the past are just fun background about the series, exploring the impact on the actors lives with the rise and fall of the show.

 

Of course, there are plenty of guest stars.  Lyle Waggoner plays the narrator, Lee Meriwether (one of the three actresses to play Catwoman) appears as a waitress, and Julie Newmar (the original Catwoman) has a part as a bar owner.  Frank Gorshin (the Riddler) also has a role.  Ah, look at all this nostalgia.

 

That Adam and Burt play themselves as would-be sleuths is often awkward.  It is particularly campy when they get into a fist fight (Adam was 74 at the time).  Unlike their alter-egos, Adam and Burt prove pretty clueless.  Still, it is a fun movie that will entertain any fan of the series.  Thumbs up!

Ready or Not (2019)

Grace (Samara Weaving) marries Alex (Mark O'Brien), a scion of the wealthy Le Domas family.  Alex fled the family years ago and the wedding, hosted at the family estate, serves as a tense reunion.  Though outwardly all smiles and support, it is clear that most view Grace as a gold digger; she is an orphan raised in foster homes, hardly the pedigree for a Le Domas.  After the ceremony, a peculiar ritual is performed.  Whenever someone new joins the family, they must place a blank card into a small box.  When removed, the card will list a game.  In most cases, it is something harmless like checkers or Old Maid.  However, if hide & seek appears, the hunt is on.  Unsurprisingly, Grace draws hide & seek.

 

While Alex tries to smuggle Grace out of the mansion, his family chases her with a variety of old-fashioned weapons, from 19th century revolvers, crossbows, and even a battle axe.  Not everyone is keen on killing Grace.  Alex's older brother, Daniel (Adam Brody) is a sad drunk who didn't flee the family madness but only marginally follows the rules of the game.  Can Grace survive until dawn?

 

The movie is more often comedy than horror.  Clearly out of practice - the last hide & seek had been 30 years ago, the family is mostly incompetent.  The incompetence gets overwhelming as the story progresses.  The ending was surprisingly gory and not really satisfying.  Even so, it was fun to watch.

9/11 + 18

18 years after the war began, Trump appears to be looking for an out that doesn't include winning.  If we've spent 18 years fighting and haven't won, then maybe we should just quit.  Throw in the towel.  Have a meeting with the Taliban and threaten them with furious retaliation if they start hosting al Qaeda again.  Oh, that'll work just great.

 

Like his predecessors, Trump is unwilling to identify the enemy.  If you can't say what you are fighting, you can't win.  We've been fighting symptoms - Islamic terrorists - for years but haven't even thought to address the disease: Islam.  Islam is not a religion of peace.  Read a biography of Muhammad and there is no way you can view him as a peacemaker.  He was a warlord and conqueror.  The religion he founded calls for the subjugation of all non-Muslims and views martyrdom - death in the cause of Islam - as the most praiseworthy thing a Muslim can do.  Is it any wonder so many are willing to blow themselves up or fly planes into buildings?  This isn't some crazy misinterpretation.  This is the religion.

 

The only way to win is to wipe out Islam.  That is an impossibility in the world today.  The West cannot do that.  In fact, the West is happily allowing Islam to migrate and takeover.  Charles Martel stopped the invasion of the Muslims into France but modern French leaders are inviting them in and paying welfare to have them.  This will not end well.

 

I said Trump's new plan wouldn't work and it hasn't.  Like his predecessors, he will not do what it would take to win.  The argument used to be that we fight over there so they don't show up here.  Well, they are showing up here because we've rolled out the red carpet to show how tolerant we are.  Fighting there just creates pressure for them to migrate to the West (see Syria).

 

"There is no substitute for victory."  Douglas MacArthur

 

Is it time to admit that we lost?  Is it time to cut and run?  So it seems.  But maybe we can spin it to look like a win.  Or at least a tie!

Republican Presidential Contenders

Incumbent presidents do not usually face primary challengers; the party likes to stay in power and primary challenges to a sitting president usually lead to the other party winning.  For example, Reagan challenged Ford in 1976 and Carter won.  Ted Kennedy challenged Carter in 1980 and Reagan won.  Pat Buchannan challenged George H W Bush in 1992 and Clinton won.  Challengers never get the nomination and usually sabotage the general election.  This is well-known, which means the challengers are spoilers.  The three challengers thus far are:

 

Joe Walsh is a one-term Congressman who was elected to the House in 2010 and lost in 2012 after his district was redrawn.  He has no other elective office experience.  He has spent most of the years since as a radio talk show host.  He admitted to saying 'racist things' on air, which is going to sink him in an instant.  He's going nowhere but maybe he can raise some cash and increase his name recognition.

 

Mark Sanford is the former governor of South Carolina who went 'hiking' but was discovered having an adulterous affair in Argentina.  He dodged impeachment but was censured 102-11 by the South Carolina House.  He has served in Congress since 2013, managing to make a political comeback though it was a demotion; he had previously served in Congress from 1995 to 2001.

 

The most formidable of the bunch, Bill Weld is the former governor of Massachusetts (1991 to 97).  Despite a huge re-elect margin in 1994, he decided to run for Senate against Kerry in 1996.  He lost.  Then he accepted a nomination by Bill Clinton to be Ambassador to Mexico.  Didn't get it.  He resigned his governorship with 18 months left.  Boy, I'll bet the voters loved that.  Then he moved to New York and ran for governor there!  Mercenary politician.  In 2016, he was the VP nominee for the Libertarian Party.  He's a Republican like Bernie Sanders is a Democrat.  He is older than Trump and nixes age as a factor.

 

All three of these men would have been bottom tier candidates during the 2016 campaign.  Trump's overall approval ratings have hovered between 40% and 50% but are phenomenal among Republicans, the very voters who will participate in choosing a nominee.  Even if everything goes awry for Trump, primary challengers never win the nomination.  This is the longest of long shots.