Quarreling while working to restore the rundown villa to its original splendor, father and son open up to one another about their mutual sorrow and begin to mend their frayed emotional ties with forgiveness.
As a first-time director, British writer/actor James D’Arcy (“Avengers: Endgame”) subtly draws on the real-life resemblance and relationship between Liam Neeson and Micheal (pronounced Me-hall) Richardson, whose mother, Natasha Richardson, died in a 2009 skiing accident in Quebec.
Real-life widower Liam Neeson knows the challenge of bereavement: “I think you can start over again, but it doesn’t mean you forget what happened. You have to put it in its place: lock it away somewhere. We’ve all been hit with hardship … and it’s important to go into it, put it in its place and movie on.”
FYI: Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson also played father & son in “Cold Pursuit” (2019).
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Made in Italy” is a sincerely captivating 7, filled with the scenic splendor of the idyllic Tuscan countryside. Available on Digital/VOD.
Netflix’s new 10-episode fantasy series “Cursed” is a creative medieval prequel that re-imagines the classic King Arthur legend, popularized in “The Once and Future King.”
This jumbled interpretation revolves around teenage Ninue (Katherine Langford), a Fey sorceress who has been entrusted by her dying mother (Catherine Wilson) to deliver the legendary Sword of the First King to the drunken, misanthropic druid Merlin (Gustaf Skarsard).
The Fey are what we know as Fairies, blessed with magical, mystical powers. Because of that, they’re ruthlessly demonized and turned into a displaced people.
Destined to become the Lake of the Lake, vulnerable Nimue (pronounced Nim-way) and her awkward best-friend Pym (Lily Newmark) are besieged by religious zealots, led by Father Carden (Peter Mullen) and his extremist Red Paladins, whose violent villainy is spurred on by the mysterious Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman).
Meanwhile, rival Viking forces are threatening the rule of petulant King Uther Pendragon (Sebastian Armeso), who is henpecked by the demanding, domineering Queen Mother (Polly Walker) and whose power is hampered by Merlin’s current inability to perform magic.
Based on the YA graphic novel by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler and initially directed by Zetna Fuentes, it’s a sword-wielding, female warrior’s coming-of-age story, filled with adolescent love and R-rated, bloody battles.
Yet it has a distinctively contemporary feel, particularly since Arthur is adroitly played by hunky Black actor Devon Terrell (Barack Obama in “Barry”), who oozes humble confidence and scruffy charm.
There are familiar personages, like valiant Gawain (Matt Stokoe) and Igraine (Shalom Brunce-Franklin), plus eye-catching animation sequences that punctuate many scene transitions.
Yet I’m ultimately reminded of Monty Python’s Holy Grail comment: “Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”
On the Granger Gauge, “Cursed” is a slow-starting, sword-and-sorcery 6. It’s set for a second season now that the revised back story has been dutifully delineated.
The title “You Should Have Left” says it all: you should have left this direct-to-DVD disappointment in the Red Box!
When wealthy retired banker Theo Conroy (Kevin Bacon) suspects his marriage to his much-younger movie actress/wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) is in trouble, he rents a huge, brick country house in Wales for them and their six year-old daughter Ella (Avery Essex) for a brief vacation.
Jealous and fearful of losing his trophy wife, Theo is haunted by the remnants of a notorious, old scandal about his previous wife who killed herself under questionable circumstances. Back then, he was implicated in her suicide and had to stand trial before his innocence was determined.
Meanwhile, their spacious, new abode is filled with menace. There are narrow, labyrinthine hallways and frightening shadows — but no cell reception. One night when Theo goes downstairs to turn out the lights, he mysteriously loses five hours of his life.
Creepy Polaroids keep betting snapped by a mysteriously lurking, limping figure with a cane. And, apparently, the locals know something about the sinister, remote house’s owner, Stetler, but they’re not about to share that information.
In real life, the domicile is known as Life House (Ty^Bywyd) in LLanbister, Wales; it was designed by famed British architect John Pawson and completed in 2016.
Inspired by David Kehlmann’s 2017 German novella about a screenwriter who is losing his mind, it’s ineptly adapted by screenwriter/director David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “Mission: Impossible”), who opts for the spooky supernatural in this haunted house tale, updated to Airbnb.
Mercifully, it’s only 93 minutes long.
FYI: While the script acknowledges the Theo/Susanna age difference, Kevin Bacon is actually 27 years older than Amanda Seyfried. And Kevin Bacon subtly stepped into the role to replace Nicolas Cage.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “You Should Have Left” is a tepid 3. Don’t bother.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
Quarreling while working to restore the rundown villa to its original splendor, father and son open up to one another about their mutual sorrow and begin to mend their frayed emotional ties with forgiveness.
As a first-time director, British writer/actor James D’Arcy (“Avengers: Endgame”) subtly draws on the real-life resemblance and relationship between Liam Neeson and Micheal (pronounced Me-hall) Richardson, whose mother, Natasha Richardson, died in a 2009 skiing accident in Quebec.
Real-life widower Liam Neeson knows the challenge of bereavement: “I think you can start over again, but it doesn’t mean you forget what happened. You have to put it in its place: lock it away somewhere. We’ve all been hit with hardship … and it’s important to go into it, put it in its place and movie on.”
FYI: Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson also played father & son in “Cold Pursuit” (2019).
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Made in Italy” is a sincerely captivating 7, filled with the scenic splendor of the idyllic Tuscan countryside. Available on Digital/VOD.
Netflix’s new 10-episode fantasy series “Cursed” is a creative medieval prequel that re-imagines the classic King Arthur legend, popularized in “The Once and Future King.”
This jumbled interpretation revolves around teenage Ninue (Katherine Langford), a Fey sorceress who has been entrusted by her dying mother (Catherine Wilson) to deliver the legendary Sword of the First King to the drunken, misanthropic druid Merlin (Gustaf Skarsard).
The Fey are what we know as Fairies, blessed with magical, mystical powers. Because of that, they’re ruthlessly demonized and turned into a displaced people.
Destined to become the Lake of the Lake, vulnerable Nimue (pronounced Nim-way) and her awkward best-friend Pym (Lily Newmark) are besieged by religious zealots, led by Father Carden (Peter Mullen) and his extremist Red Paladins, whose violent villainy is spurred on by the mysterious Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman).
Meanwhile, rival Viking forces are threatening the rule of petulant King Uther Pendragon (Sebastian Armeso), who is henpecked by the demanding, domineering Queen Mother (Polly Walker) and whose power is hampered by Merlin’s current inability to perform magic.
Based on the YA graphic novel by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler and initially directed by Zetna Fuentes, it’s a sword-wielding, female warrior’s coming-of-age story, filled with adolescent love and R-rated, bloody battles.
Yet it has a distinctively contemporary feel, particularly since Arthur is adroitly played by hunky Black actor Devon Terrell (Barack Obama in “Barry”), who oozes humble confidence and scruffy charm.
There are familiar personages, like valiant Gawain (Matt Stokoe) and Igraine (Shalom Brunce-Franklin), plus eye-catching animation sequences that punctuate many scene transitions.
Yet I’m ultimately reminded of Monty Python’s Holy Grail comment: “Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”
On the Granger Gauge, “Cursed” is a slow-starting, sword-and-sorcery 6. It’s set for a second season now that the revised back story has been dutifully delineated.
The title “You Should Have Left” says it all: you should have left this direct-to-DVD disappointment in the Red Box!
When wealthy retired banker Theo Conroy (Kevin Bacon) suspects his marriage to his much-younger movie actress/wife Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) is in trouble, he rents a huge, brick country house in Wales for them and their six year-old daughter Ella (Avery Essex) for a brief vacation.
Jealous and fearful of losing his trophy wife, Theo is haunted by the remnants of a notorious, old scandal about his previous wife who killed herself under questionable circumstances. Back then, he was implicated in her suicide and had to stand trial before his innocence was determined.
Meanwhile, their spacious, new abode is filled with menace. There are narrow, labyrinthine hallways and frightening shadows — but no cell reception. One night when Theo goes downstairs to turn out the lights, he mysteriously loses five hours of his life.
Creepy Polaroids keep betting snapped by a mysteriously lurking, limping figure with a cane. And, apparently, the locals know something about the sinister, remote house’s owner, Stetler, but they’re not about to share that information.
In real life, the domicile is known as Life House (Ty^Bywyd) in LLanbister, Wales; it was designed by famed British architect John Pawson and completed in 2016.
Inspired by David Kehlmann’s 2017 German novella about a screenwriter who is losing his mind, it’s ineptly adapted by screenwriter/director David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “Mission: Impossible”), who opts for the spooky supernatural in this haunted house tale, updated to Airbnb.
Mercifully, it’s only 93 minutes long.
FYI: While the script acknowledges the Theo/Susanna age difference, Kevin Bacon is actually 27 years older than Amanda Seyfried. And Kevin Bacon subtly stepped into the role to replace Nicolas Cage.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “You Should Have Left” is a tepid 3. Don’t bother.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
