From Time to Time (2010)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Overrated

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

In 1944, the young teenager Tolly (Alex Etel) travels to the family real estate Green Knowe in the countryside of England to stay with his estranged grandmother Mrs. Oldknow (Maggie Smith). His mother went to London to search for information about his beloved father, who is missing in action in World War II. Mrs. Oldknow is trying to sell Green Knowe since she has financial difficulties and does not have any valuable asset to sell. During the night, Tolly meets two ghosts in his room and he goes to his grandmother to ask whether she believes in ghosts. Mrs. Oldknow explains that the manor has many ghosts from their family. Soon Tolly learns that he can travel to the beginning of the Nineteenth Century and he discloses secrets from the past of his family while waiting for his mother and the news about his father."From Time to Time" is a flawed but highly entertaining film with a naive story of ghosts and time travel. The cinematography is very beautiful and the cast has great names, such as Maggie Smith, Pauline Collins and Carice van Houten among others. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): Not Available (on DVD or Blu Ray)

When I saw the writer/director was Julian Fellowes, and the cast included his 'Downton' alumni Hugh Bonneville and the ever fabulous Maggie Smith, not to mention such great British actors as Dominic West(of 'The Wire'fame) and Pauline Collins ('Shirley Valentine' herself)and the perennially interesting Timothy Spall (Secrets & Lives) it seemed that all the omens were good....For me though it only went to show that success as a writer does not automatically translate into success as a Director. The great writer was unable to let go of the desire to tell the story as if it were being 'read'. Everything was articulated (Pauline Collins character at one point almost iterating her own movements out loud ('I think i will just move this cup from her'...we know, we can see you moving the cup!).The juvenile 'slave' character had an absurdly modern American accent (and a rather refined one for such a character) and only Maggie Smith seemed able to rise above the poor direction (naturally). The story idea has merit, but for Ghost story it lacked atmosphere, and the language was clunky. The characters were often stereotypical and one dimensional, no wonder this movie disappeared as soon as it was released!

This rather uninvolving time-slip film was made by Julian Fellowes to use sets and cast members left over from his popular period TV drama, DOWNTON ABBEY. It's ostensibly an adaptation of a '50s children's book called The Children of Green Knowe, about a boy living during the Second World War who finds a way to travel back into the lives of those in Regency England. I remembering seeing a Children's BBC adaptation of the same book, made back in the 1980s, and it was a hundred times more successful than this production: spooky, creepy with a genuine sense of wonder.FROM TIME TO TIME is subdued and subtle throughout. It has a decent cast and a not-bad script, but it lacks the oomph to make it memorable. There's nothing spectacular or scary here, and the atmosphere is non-existent. The biggest fault lies in the casting of Alex Etel as the teenage protagonist; he makes for one of the most unlikeable child leads I've ever seen. The supporting cast, including such luminaries as Timothy Spall, Maggie Smith, Dominic West, Carice van Houten and Hugh Bonneville, is excellent, but none of the actors are what you could call stretched and the story plays out with nary a twist in sight.

I put off watching this film for a long time because of the 6/10 IMDb rating and because it seemed like one of those films you 'need to be in the mood for'.Well, it is but when you are in the mood for a good story then watch this film because the overall experience is well worth it. Technically and visually the film is successful (i.e. cinematography, location, costumes etc.) but it was the story itself that kept me interested. I am not sure if the success of the film is owed to the book it was adapted from or if the script added anything but the story was really engaging.The funny and tragic moments never felt forced or embellished and the actors were extremely committed and convincing.I am not a viewer who knows too much about the film making process so the most I can comment on really is that whilst the ending was rather predictable I was happy I had watched the film and would highly recommend it to others.I hope the IMDb rating increases as it easily deserves 8/10