Ladies in Lavender

Pros: Dench, Smith, cinematography, subtle character study
Cons: Dance's directorial inexperience occasionally shows, slow pacing will alienate some viewers

Hurray! Finally a film we Brits get to see before anyone else! :-) Ladies in Lavender is a charming film set in Cornwall in an idyllic town, shortly before WWII broke out. The elderly ...

Pros: Dench, Smith, Margolyes; Cornwall exteriors
Cons: terrible title, unnecessary slo-mo shots and extended pub scenes, lack of Andrea backstory

Through no plan on my part, I seem to be watching a run of offbeat romances. I didn't know that "Ladies in Lavender," actor Charles Dance's debut as a director(/adapter) was a romance. All I needed to know is that it starred Judi Dench and Maggie Smith ...

Pros: Calm, competent performances by the legendary Dench and Smith, and a charming story
Cons: A very slow pace---if you crave ACTION you will be bored!

Sisters Ursula and Janet Widdington (Judi Dench and Maggie Smith), share a house in Cornwall on a rocky ocean bluff with their loyal housekeeper, Dorcas (Miriam Margolyes). Their blissful lives of tea, flower picking, walking the beach, knitting, and ...

Pros: Judi Dench, "Dorcas", the music (a clue to the plot twist)
Cons: I would have liked to understand more about how Andrea came to be washed up

Two grand dames of cinema, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, combine their talents to bring us the ultimate feel-good movie of the year. It's an old lady chick flick par excellence, though it is sure to be enjoyed by just about everyone. Set in 1936 in ...

Pros: Thoughtful performances, great music and beautiful scenery.
Cons: None.

"Ladies in Lavender" tells the tale of two elderly sisters, Ursula (Judi Dench) and Janet (Maggie Smith), who share an ancient cottage in Cornwall, England on the eve of WWII. One morning after a violent storm, they find a young man washed up on the ...