Driven

Back in the 80s, the actor James Spader was well know for playing sleazy, turncoat actor roles (e.g Sex Lies and Videotape, Pretty in Pink).  The current version of the sleazy white guy is Jason Sudeikis.  Of course he's a favorite of mine.

Jason Sudeikis here plays Jim Alcott, a man living in witness protection.  The FBI just happens to park him across the street from John De Lorean (played by Lee Bass).  They become friends and when Jim sees John's fledgling company needs money for the iconic car, he talks him into a drug deal and then becomes an FBI informant to De Lorean. 

A nice little cat and mouse game of a movie.  The midcentury look of the cinematography and the storyline were the best part, reminding me of one of my favorites, Catch Me If You Can.  Good acting by Judy Greer as Jim's grifter enabling wife and Corey Stoll as the FBI agent.

* * *  of 5

Downton Abbey

Take a Billion Dollar franchise and turn it into a movie.   A classic Hollywood recipe of adding success to success.  Here instead of Aladdin or Luke Skywalker, we have Earl and Lady Grantham, royal residents of Downton Abbey in York, England in the early 20th century.

If you didn't see the 6 seasons of the TV show, the action revolves around the Upstairs /Downstairs worlds of the Wannabe royalty and the large staff of servants (workers in Service as they like to say), the butler, the lady's maid, the footmen, the cooks and so forth.

In the TV show, there was always things going wrong, bad decisions made and worse consequences.  Here in the movie, it's all smiles, golden hour lighting, full moons and an ending short of the castle that would make Walt Disney himself smile.

Great photography and great job getting the entire cast together.  The thin plot involves the King and Queen coming to Downton and the preparations and hilarity involved.    Kind of Brady Bunch-like in some points because the barb of the original show was many years ago.  But like Mike and Carol Brady, this mixed family of Earl and Lady Grantham has a happy ending. 

**** of 5

IT Chapter 2

Like many sequels you can ask yourself "Was this necessary?"  Most of the time, the answer is no.  Here, it's a maybe.

27 years later, the old gang gets back together in Derry, Maine to combat the evil Pennywise who comes around every 20 years or so, like Hailey's Comet.

The plot gets a bit thin as each of the kids gets his turn in the barrel with Pennywise.  Then it all culminates in a Goonies style trip to the subterrean depths below the haunted house.

It's kind of a parody so that helps to not take this horror movie too seriously.

*** of 5