Men With Brooms

The death of curling enthusiast Donald Foley (James B. Douglas) reunites his former team: Chris Cutter (Gross), James Lennox (Outerbridge), Eddie Strombeck (Rees), and Neil Bucyk (Allodi).  The team was successful, until Cutter left the team and Foley's daughter Julie (Nolden), without warning.  They have not seen each other for over a decade.

Foley left a message for the team and his family: he wants the team to compete in the Golden Broom curling competition, with his ashes placed in one of the stones.  The team reluctantly agrees to compete.  Neil is a funeral director and hates his life. Eddie and his wife, Lily (Spidell), are trying to get pregnant.  Lennox is a drug dealer with questionable ethics and Cutter has secrets.  They also ask Cutter's estranged father Gordon (Nielsen) to coach them.  At the same time, Cutter tries to make amends with Julie and pick-up his friendship with her sister Amy (Parker).  Can they find a way to work together and not embarrass themselves?


This was Paul Gross' directorial debut.  I know next to nothing about curling, but that doesn't really matter.  The characters explain the sport to Joanne (played by Polly Shannon).  It is a predictable sports film, but it is still entertaining.

The Good:
The cast has good chemistry and the story is lite comedy that plays with Canadian stereotypes.  The CGI of the beavers was ridiculous, but works to illustrate the plot.

The Bad:
The female characters are not well fleshed-out.  They are not the main focus of the story, but they are pretty one-dimensional.  The pregnancy plot-line could definitely be better.

Other Comments:
-Leslie Nielsen can be a talented actor... unfortunately, most people know him for the over-the-top comedy performances.  In this film, he holds back and gives an almost-human performance.
-It is quirky and entertaining.

Men With Brooms (2002) 102 minutes
Rating: R for language, sexuality and some drug use
Director: Paul Gross
Starring: Paul Gross as Chris Cutter
Peter Outerbridge as James Lennox
Jed Rees as Eddie Strombeck
James Allodi as Neil Bucyk
Molly Parker as Amy Foley
Michelle Nolden as Julie Foley
Leslie Nielsen as Gordon Cutter
Jane Spidell as Lily Strombeck
Greg Bryk as Alexander "The Juggernaut" Yount

TV: Downton Abbey

"I take that as a complement."

"I must've said it wrong."

In the 1910s, the Crawley family is in turmoil.  Robert Crawley (Bonneville), the 7th Earl of Grantham, does not have any sons and upon his death, the beloved estate and the title will go to the next male relative.  The heir presumptive was killed when the Titanic sank, leaving the family wondering what will happen next.

The next available heir is Matthew Crawley (Stevens) is a solicitor that has never met the family.  He and his mother, Isobel (Wilton), move to town to meet the family.  Isobel immediately clashes with Robert's mother, Violet Crawley (Smith), the Dowager Countess of Grantham.  While the Crawley's get used to Matthew and Isobel, Robert and his wife Cora (McGovern), Countess of Grantham, are thinking of their daughters' futures.  Headstrong oldest daughter, Lady Mary (Dockery), has a connection with Matthew, but they also clash from the beginning.  Middle daughter Lady Edith (Carmichael), is often overlooked in the family and is trying to find her own.  Youngest daughter Lady Sybil (Brown Findlay) wants more from life than a country estate and the life of a lady.

The family servants are also concerned about the future.  Led by traditional butler Mr. Carson (Carter) and thoughtful housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Logan), they try to keep life running smoothly while supporting the family they serve.  With the world changing around them, can Downton Abbey survive?

The show was inspired by the 2001 film Gosford Park written by Julian Fellowes.  Fellowes originally wanted to spin-off from the film, but ultimately decided to create a new story.  Three of the cast members from the film, also appear in the film: Maggie Smith (Constances, Countess of Trentham in the film and Violet, Dowager Countess of Gratham in the show), Jeremy Swift (Arthur in the film and Spratt in the show), and Richard E. Grant (George in the film and Simon Bricker in the show).

The 6 series of the show take place between 1912 and 1926.  The costumes are fantastic, and historically accurate.  The estate, Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, is beautiful.  The cast is great, with Maggie Smith as the clear stand-out.  Smith steals every scene as the Dowager Countess.  She gets the best lines and you can't help but love her character.  Her scenes with Penelope Wilton, especially their arguments are always entertaining exchanges.  The rest of the cast is great as well.  Over the 6 seasons (and 14 years they cover), the characters grow and change.  Some characters I did not like from the beginning, grew on me by the end of the show.  Each season introduces new characters, both upstairs and downstairs.  The seasons are short, just 7-9 episodes per season, including annual Christmas episodes with a longer running time.

The show was popular and received numerous awards including Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie in 2011, Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film in 2011, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012, 2014, and 2015.

The series finale gave audiences a satisfying conclusion to the lives of the Crawley family and their servants.  It tied up loose ends and left the characters in believe-able places.  It ends in a place of hope and joy for the characters, as you want all stories to end.

Fellowes and the cast will reunite for the 2019 film Downton Abbey.  The film will continue the story of the Crawley family a few years after their last episode.

Downton Abbey (2010-2015)

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Starring: Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Crawley
Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson
Raquel Cassidy as Miss Baxter
Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates
Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham
Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley
Kevin Doyle as Mr. Molesley
Siobhan Finneran as Miss O'Brien
Michael C. Fox as Andy Parker
Joanne Froggatt as Anna
Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot
Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Pelham
Thomas Howes as William Mason
Lily James as Lady Rose MacClare
Rob James-Collier as Mr. Barrow
Allen Leech as Tom Branson
Rose Leslie as Gwen Dawson
Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes
Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
Sophie McShera as Daisy
Matt Milne as Alfred Nugent
Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Patmore
Amy Nuttall as Ethel Parks
Julian Ovenden as Charles Blake
David Robb as Dr. Clarkson
Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham
Ed Speleers as James Kent
Dan Steven as as Matthew Crawley
Cara Theobold as Ivy Stuart
Penelope Wilton as Isobel Crawley

Support Your Local Gunfighter

"That's murder!"

"I've studied law. OF COURSE it's murder!"

Latigo Smith (Garner) is a con artist.  While escaping his latest scheme, he ends up in the mining town of Purgatory.  Purgatory is in the middle of a rivalry between miners Colonel Ames (Dehner) and Taylor Barton (Morgan), both on the hunt for a big score called "the mother lode."  They are willing to do anything, including hiring gunfighters, to get to the "mother lode" first.  Ames hired notorious gunfighter Shifty Morgan to defend his claim.  No one has ever seen Morgan and they believe Latigo is the gunfighter.

Latigo becomes the target of all the would-be gunfighters, including Barton's headstrong daughter Patience (Pleshette) "the Sidewinder," who just wants to get out of the town.  Latigo cozies up to bar owner Jenny (Blondell) and wanderer Jug May (Elam) to find a way to survive the town and make some money in the process.  Can he convince the town that Jug is Morgan, make a big payday, and escape with his life?


This film, written and directed by Burt Kennedy, is a parody of classic western films.  The story also mimics the setup of many western films, while also laughing at the absurd situations.  Kennedy previously used this formula for the 1969 film Support Your Local Sheriff! with most of the same cast (in different roles).  James Garner and Jack Elam star in both films, and this is the better film of the two.

The Good:
James Garner is effortlessly charming as con artist Latigo Smith.  He is the reluctant hero, trying to stay one step ahead of everyone else.  Jack Elam is good as the quirky sidekick.  Suzanne Pleshette is funny as Patience Barton, a character with a violent temper and an overwhelming desire to escape the town.  She is a terrible shot and earned the nickname the Sidewinder, but she wants to get out of town to go to an etiquette school on the east coast.  The cast is filled with character actors getting their chance to shine.  They underplay the comedy and sell the story.

The Bad:
The female characters aren't great.  Suzanne Pleshette is entertaining as Patience and Kathleen Freeman is good as Martha, the owner of the local inn, but the rest are mildly irritating.  The actresses are good, but the characters are not.

Other Comments:
-The story is good, it feels like a real western, with a comic twist.  It works well and with a few minor tweaks it could play as a regular western.
-John Dehner gets to play the mustache-twirling villain and throws himself into the part with gusto.  He isn't menacing, but definitely has his own agenda and isn't willing to budge.  You don't like the character, but you can't fault his ambition.
-Chuck Connors is imposing as the uncredited Shifty Morgan.  He is the most serious character and gets the biggest laughs at the end.

Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) 91 minutes
Director: Burt Kennedy
Starring: James Garner as Latigo Smith
Suzanne Pleshette as Patience Barton
Harry Morgan as Taylor Barton
Jack Elam as Jug May
John Dehner as Colonel Ames
Marie Windsor as Goldie
Dick Curtis as Bud Barton
Dub Taylor as Doc Shultz
Joan Blondell as Jenny
Ellen Corby as Abigail Ames
Kathleen Freeman as Martha Perkins