Are you ready for "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale"?

by Nathaniel R

"What are you doing here?"

When I first heard the news that there would be a third Downton Abbey film I thought,' that's crazy, you've killed off the most quotable character in the previous film!' As you'll recall the Dowager Countess played by the late great Dame Maggie Smith passed away in the last film Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). But then I reconsidered my incredulity about another film because the franchise has so many good characters...

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Goodbye, Maggie Smith (1934-2024)

by Cláudio Alves

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA (2022) was one of Maggie Smith's last screen appearances.

We always knew the day would come, but it's still difficult to imagine life without the great Maggie Smith among us. Born to a secretary and a pathologist in the interim years between the Great World Wars, she became a respected star of the stage before a jump to cinema in the 1960s expanded her horizons. From temptress to bitter old lady, from romantic heroin to comic relief, dipsomaniac tragedienne, whodunit queen and deranged diva – she could do it all, despite what some might have said about her late-career range or lack thereof. To me, Dame Maggie Smith was a titan, one of my favorite screen presences, and a reliable workhorse who could elevate every project she was involved in, even those that didn't deserve her talents. The British star will be sorely missed and the arts are poorer without her. Nay, the world.

Over the years, multiple writers at The Film Experience have explored the career of the late great two-time Oscar winner. So, let's revisit those pieces and bask in the love for an actress of incomparable wit and unimpeachable craft…

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Streaming Roulette (Halloween Weekend)

Happy Halloween Weekend! There are quite a few newish-to-streaming things to screen this weekend (many of them horror themed) so herewith 10 ideas to take you through Halloween on Monday night. 

If we can raise him up, we can raise up anyone in the cemetery.

WENDELL & WILD (2022) on Netflix
Went in with the highest hopes since Henry Selick is just great. Plus stop-motion animation is always such a treat in the more lifeless era of the absurdantly dominant CG 3D style. The animation here is definitely the highlight and it's perfect for Halloween...

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Four Handfuls of Link

• Deadline Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) has passed away unexpectedly at 67. He was shooting a film called Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. RIP
• Vulture Alison Willmore asks where the abortion thriller goes to next after recent films like Happening, Lingui the Sacred Bonds, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always
• Deadline Ellen DeGeneres bids her talk show farewell after 19 seasons on air

More after the jump including Gone Girl's legacy, frequently naked Clae Bang, Tom Cruise's all time biggest hits, Kevin Doyle from Downton Abbey A New Era, and a fascinating history of where streaming fits in the history of Hollywood...

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Weekend Box Office

by Nathaniel R

Downton Abbey: A New Era didn't open half as well as its predecessor which is a pity since it's a better film and a great night out for fans. Perhaps it's true that adult audiences just aren't returning to the theaters in the way younger audiences have? Still there was one piece of good news this weekend for fans of adult-oriented movies...

Weekend Box Office May 20th-22nd 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	PLATFORM RELEASES
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA	HAPPENING

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