Tag Archives: Simon Russell Beale

The Choral review — A pleasantly sad song

January 15, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Nicholas Hytner | Written by Alan Bennett and Stephen Beresford | 113 min | ▲▲1/2 The word that comes to mind when perusing these filmmakers' body of work is "distinguished." Hytner has spent much of his time recently filming UK National Theatre productions. His last feature was a decade ago, The Lady In… Read More

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale review — A fond farewell

September 28, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Simon Curtis | Written by Julian Fellowes | 123 min | ▲▲▲ | Amazon Prime Just when you might have thought Downton Abbey departed the cinematic stage, it's back for one last hurrah. This is after the better-than-it-needed to be Downton Abbey: A New Era and the just OK Downton Abbey, the first two… Read More

Operation Mincemeat review — A thrilling piece of wartime history

July 12, 2022 flawintheiris

Directed by John Madden | Written by Michelle Ashford, based on a book by Ben Macintyre | 128 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Netflix Sometimes a genre picture, otherwise conventional in many ways, can excel just via its commitment to the material, stylish choices in the direction, and a collection of unimpeachable performances. That's what's happened… Read More

#FIN2020 Review — Radioactive

September 19, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Marjane Satrapi | Written by Jack Thorne, adapting a book by Lauren Redniss | 109 min I don’t know what it is about biopics. I’m always attracted to them, but almost never satisfied by the experience. It's a genre that reveals celebrated, fascinating personalities but tends to conventional, predictable storytelling. The good news… Read More

The Death of Stalin review — Soviet satire with a sharp sting

March 22, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Armando Iannucci | Written by Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin, and Peter Fellows, from the comic by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin | 107 min | Crave Plus I have been on my horse for awhile on a particular Hollywood conceit: When English language films take place in foreign lands all the actors… Read More