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(Release Info London schedule; May 7th, 2021, Curzon Home Cinema) https://homecinema.curzon.com/film/charlatan/ "Charlatan" Jan Mikolášek (Ivan Trojan) is the epitome of a plomb and solidarity. He's talented, sensitive, assertive and enigmatic. In his youth and when he's older, regardless of whether he's in private or public, he's a man of action, reason and intuition. A faith healer. Just one glance at the urine bottle is enough for him to know what ails his patient. With fame comes fortune, and this at a time when 'Czechoslovakia' is a pawn in a game being played by the major power blocs. Protected and used by both 'The National Socialist' and 'Communist' regimes, he steps in wherever the system fails. But during the 'Post-Stalinist' years, the political climate becomes unpredictable and his special status is endangered. Along with his assistant František Palko (Juraj Loj), with whom, as the secret police are well aware, he has much more in common than herbal medicine, the charlatan finds his morals being put to the test. Few true stories tread the thin line between good and evil as precariously as that of Jan Mikolášek, a '20th Century' 'Czech' herbal healer whose great success masked the grimmest of secrets. Mikolášek won fame and fortune treating celebrities of 'The Interwar', 'Nazi', and 'Communist' eras with his uncanny knack for urinary diagnosis. But his passion for healing welled up from the same source as a lust for cruelty, sadism, and an incapacity for love that only one person could ever quell; his assistant, František. As a show trial threatens to pry open these secrets and undo him, Jan’s dichotomies are put to a final test, with the fate of his life’s only love in the balance. A personal tale as replete with twists as the century itself, and a reflection on the price one pays for single-mindedly following one’s calling. Based on the true story of Czech healer Jan Mikolášek (1889–1973), who dedicated his life to treating the sick using medicinal plants. He was a very famous healer, an unusual medicine man, who was using unorthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment. Throughout the war and turmoil of 'The 20th Century' he has to choose between his calling and his conscience. Those special skills made him not only well known but also rich. In 'Czechoslovakia' before 'World War II', he became some kind of institution and even during 'The German Occupation' he was able to preserve his status by healing high 'Nazi' officials. He was sure that it would not be different after the war. The communists who took power were also humans. And humans fell sick, felt hopeless and needed the doctor; a special kind of a doctor as well, when others cannot help. But the situation changed when his main 'Stalinist' protector died, and the regime decided to destroy him. He was too different, too rich, and too independent. "Charlatan" tells the story of Mikolášek’s rise and fall. Of his moral fall and of his constant fight with the darkness inside him. It's the story of the mystery of a man, of the mystery of his special gift, of the prize he was ready to pay for it; the story of the paradox of strength and weakness, of love and hate. To tell this story with an epic scope, dozens of years, three different regimes, two 'World Wars', but one, that feels, at the same time, extremely intimate. The film tries to find a sensual and minimalistic language. Static. Quiet. Spare dialogues. Hidden emotions. Extremely subjective passage of time; years are passing in few minutes, minutes are extended, feel like eternity. The film shows a human soul without entering into the depth of psychological analyses, express interiority through behavior. The faces of actors, the tension between the characters, their constant efforts to pass through the armors of each other are what drives the story forward; the background, the big History of 'The Twentieth Century' is reflected in their fate. "Charlatan" explores the link between the private and the political, and the relationship between the passage of time and the story of an unconventional individual.

(Release Info London schedule; November 14th, 2019, Everyman Broadgate, Finsbury Ave, London EC2M 2PF, United Kingdom, 21:00 pm) "Le Mans '66" From James Mangold comes a film inspired by a true-life drama about a powerful friendship that forever changed racing history. In 1959, Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) is on top of the world after winning the most difficult race in all of motorsports, 'The 24 Hours Of Le Mans'. But his greatest triumph is followed quickly by a crushing blow, the fearless Texan is told by doctors that a grave heart condition will prevent him from ever racing again. Endlessly resourceful, Shelby reinvents himself as a car designer and salesman working out of a warehouse space in 'Venice Beach' with a team of engineers and mechanics that includes hot-tempered test driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale). A champion British race car driver and a devoted family man, Miles is brilliant behind the wheel, but he’s also blunt, arrogant and unwilling to compromise. After Shelby vehicles make a strong showing at 'Le Mans' against Italy’s venerable Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone), 'Ford Motor Company' recruits the firebrand visionary to design the ultimate race car, a machine that can beat even 'Ferrari' on the unforgiving French track. Determined to succeed against overwhelming odds, Shelby, Miles and their ragtag crew battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to develop a revolutionary vehicle that will outshine every competitor. But their tireless efforts take a difficult toll; for these bold men, victory comes at a price. The film opens with Shelby’s victory at 'Le Mans' and his subsequent diagnosis, before moving forward in time to 1963, when 'Ford Motor Co.', once the industry leader, is trailing in sales behind 'U.S.' competitor 'General Motors'. 'Marketing Executive' Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) suggests that if Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) wants to appeal to the young people of the day looking to buy their first cars, the company should focus on speed, if Ford has winning race cars, their consumer automobiles would become that much more attractive by association. Since no company produced faster or sexier cars than Enzo Ferrari, an acquisition of 'The European' carmaker seems like the answer. An envoy of top executives is dispatched to Ferrari headquarters to negotiate the purchase of 'The European' carmaker only to return to Michigan empty-handed. Outraged, Ford immediately places his right-hand man, senior vice president Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas), in charge of a new high-tech race car division, 'Ford Advanced Vehicles', tasked with quickly building a car that will beat Ferrari at their own game, defeating them at 'The Mount Everest Of Motor Racing', 'Fhe 24 Hours Of Le Mans'. 'The FAV' team builds the exciting-looking 'GT40 Mark I', but it's first outing at 'Le Mans' in 1964 ends miserably. All three models fail to finish the race while Ferrari’s place first, second, and third. Finishing fourth is the 'Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe', a fact that Ford II doesn’t fail to notice. Ford II hires Shelby to develop, test and ultimately oversee the corporation’s entire racing program, but Shelby’s lead test driver Ken Miles complicates the relationship. The outspoken Miles quickly makes an enemy of Beebe, who does his best to manipulate Shelby and box-out Miles at every turn. Still, against impossible odds and virtually non-stop corporate interference, Shelby and his team, which also includes chief engineer Phil Remington (Ray McKinnon), and young British mechanic Charlie Agapiou (Jack McMullen) build one of the greatest race cars ever produced; 'The Ford GT40 MKII'. The vehicle changed the perception of both Ford, and America itself, when it takes part in one of the most infamous racing showdowns in history, the 1966 running of 'Le Mans'. The most challenging sequence to capture by far is the restaging of the 1966 running of 'The 24 Hours At Le Mans' race. The last 40 minutes of the film is this race predominantly, and you really feel like you're hunkered down and living in the race. The film loves that idea of racing for 24 hours to start to dawn on you, to feel what that really would be like trying to drive faster than any man for longer than you ever can stay awake. The magic of that, of driving 200 miles per hour in the most cutting-edge race-car prototypes on a series of French country roads over and over again through day, night, rain, sleet, dawn, dusk, doing that for 24 straight hours in one vehicle seemed like the most powerful thing we could try to convey. The central drama turns on the heated relationship between renegades Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. Like legendary car racer and sports car builder Carroll Shelby, whose creations included 'The Shelby Cobra' and 'Shelby Daytona', as well as modified race-worthy editions of Ford’s legendary 'Mustang' series, 'The Shelby Mustang' celebrity status stretches back decades. Shelby had been a great driver and had kind of hit the pinnacle of that. Because of this heart condition, he’d lost his great love. He does wear a cowboy hat, but he wears it selectively in key scenes where it intentionally is supposed to seem a bit over-the-top along with his crocodile cowboy boots. He's really on the cusp of fading into oblivion and just being another guy hustling trying to sell cars to people. This Ford opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for him. The stakes are incredibly huge for him as they're for Ken Miles. Miles drove tanks in 'World War II' before finding his way onto the race track. Shelby just feels Miles is indispensable to this mission, and Ken is known for not suffering fools. He's irascible and not afraid to speak his mind and did not want to just fall into step with everybody else. If he thinks an idea is stupid, he’d tell you, and he has very little political skill or diplomatic skill. In terms of costume, Miles spends much of his time wearing a racing suit and coveralls. They refer to him as a beatnik, even though he never dressed as a beatnick. And so he's a constant source of frustration to Shelby because he couldn’t get out of his own way. But Shelby really needed him to help build the car and to then subsequently drive it at 'Le Mans'. It's one of the most legendary tales in the history of motorsports. Carroll Shelby, working closely with his spirited test driver Ken Miles, develops a revolutionary car that bests a fleet of vehicles built by Italian racing legend Enzo Ferrari at the 1966 running of 'The 24 Hours Of LeMans'. This is the story of a group of unconventional thinkers who overcome incredible odds to achieve something extraordinary through sheer inventiveness, determination and force of will. The film offerers the opportunity to stage thrilling racing sequences that essentially puts the audience inside the cars with these fearless drivers, and the chance to chronicle the turbulent friendship between Shelby and Miles. Both had quite distinct, larger-than-life personalities, Shelby, tough yet eminently likable; Miles, prickly and unfiltered, but they're united by a passion for innovation and an abiding love for racing. Quite simply, Shelby and Miles are driven to excel, even if it means putting their lives on the line every time they got behind the wheel. They understand each other at the most profound level. When Shelby’s confronted with the fact that he can’t race anymore, he reinvents himself from a driver into a car salesman and designer, and Ken becomes a vessel for Shelby’s dreams. But Ken can’t quite filter himself or control himself in corporate situations or publicity situations. He just says whatever he thinks, so Shelby takes on this role of protector or spokesman for Ken. They've a very symbiotic relationship. One fills in where the other leaves off. Lee Iacocca, who, from his humble roots as the son of Italian immigrants in Allentown, Pennsylvania, becomes a legend in the automotive business, reviving 'U.S.' automaker 'Chrysler' during the 1980s. His strength comes from his intensity. It comes from his intellect. When he's at Ford, Iacocca has the presence of mind to understand that there's a whole generation of 17-year-olds with money in their pocket who are interested in rock ’n’ roll and sex and moving fast, and the stale, stagnant repetition of reproducing 1950s cars is failing Ford. Lee Iacocca is the flashiest exec on the team. He’s got a good shark skin suit, mohair suits, little slivery ties, ultra ’60s. Mollie Miles (Caitriona Balfe) is Ken’s wife, and mother to their young son, Peter (Noah Jupe). Even though she’s a stay-at-home mom in the film, she’s very much an equal partner in the relationship. She wears old 'Wranglers' from the 1960s and cotton sweaters or shirts. She's’s a little rough around the edges with his personality and his people skills may not be that great. But this is where their relationship is strong. She tells him when he needs to pull up his boot straps and to also encourage him. There’s this real sense that they’re a team who supports each other. Detroit auto legend Henry Ford II is 'The CEO Of Ford Motor Company' from 1960 to 1979. It’s a classic story of man versus machine, man versus man, and man versus himself. It touches upon a lot of the points of a sports story, but at the same time the historical story that’s being told here's a good one. A lot of the cars that we know now, and a lot of the advancements we’ve seen with technology, starts with this period. By contrast, they’re ample archival images of Henry Ford II available to create a full picture of the auto titan’s fashion style. The film outfits Ford himself in classic 'Brooks Brothers' suits. Old money, button-down shirts, blue blazer, it’s recreating what they really wore. And he always wore navy blue with plain navy blue ties. His clothes are very traditional. Leo Beebe, is 'The Ford Motors Company' executive who's given control over Ford’s racing program. He has a shadier color palette, a little bit darker, a little bit oiler. Like his father, Peter Miles is completely consumed with the sport of car racing. Peter is a happy boy, but he’s also a kid whose dad could die at any point in a race. From an early age, he’s been brought into the racing world and wants to be a racer when he’s older just like his dad. It’s all he’s ever known. Phil Remington is the chief engineer at 'Shelby American'. A technical genius who can fix or fabricate anything, Remington is a key partner to Carroll Shelby in helping develop 'The Ford GT40 MKII' that takes on Ferrari at 'Le Mans'. Charlie Agapiou works with Ken Miles at Miles foreign car repair shop in Hollywood before joining him at Shelby’s shop in Venice in early 1963. Ken is something of a father figure to young Charlie. The challenge is how to navigate this story so that audiences feel the love and camaraderie and energy of these drivers and designers and mechanics and pit crew, but it doesn’t depend upon a cliché kind of victory. Whereas the Ford executives are sort of cool, wearing blues, grays, silvers, the Ferrari people are more old world. Their wardrobe is primarily browns, creams, knit ties, vests. The film gets deep enough into these unique characters, the winning and the losing of the races is secondary to the winning and the losing of their lives. One can believe that they’re characters who represent the last of an old school, brave, humble, gracious, male prototype. This is an inflection point in both of their lives. The goal in an age of incredibly computer-enhanced action movies, is that there's something profoundly analog and real and gritty about the film and the sexiness of these beasts, the cars, their engines, the danger. These characters are riding in a thin aluminum shell at 200 miles an hour around a track. The miracle that's their daring and their survival under these circumstances is something that the film tries to convey. This film is about the epic rivalry between Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari and the scrappy team of upstarts that Ford hires to help him in his quest. Both the classic 1966 sports drama "Grand Prix" and Steve McQueen’s 1971 film "Le Mans" served as references. It's about characters striving for excellence, trying to push against the onset of corporate market-tested group-think. It’s an essential struggle in 'The 21st Century' in our country, the risk-taking and daring and leaps of instinct that are required to invent a lot of the things that define our country are things that we’re almost too frightened to do anymore. The film creates a naturalistic portrait of what life is like for Shelby and Miles. In a modern era when 'CG' spectacle has come to define many blockbuster films, it's critical to take a grounded approach to the action in "Le Mans ‘66" to both more accurately depict the 1960s and to help the audience understand what these drivers experienced as they're pushing themselves, and their cars, to the limit. This isn’t Carroll Shelby’s whole story or Ken Miles’ whole story. This is about a hugely defining moment in their lives that shaped all they're to be. People really connect with this idea of trying to do an excellent job at whatever your job is with the challenge of dealing with oversight and corporate management and the corporate tendency to round every corner that’s a little sharp and to soften any blow that could offend somebody. We all miss the world when it's just a little more raw and prone to taking a risk. The reason the story is so legendary is because these misfits challenged God and won, didn’t they? God was Ferrari. He was a monster, a Goliath of reputation and style, legendary in the racing community. And this little band of misfits, with Ford’s backing but in spite of Ford’s interference, they did it. This is an incredibly compelling film because it’s about the behind-the-scenes conflicts and choices of passionate, competitive, driven, larger-than-life people caught in the very moment the American landscape is changing from the optimism of the post war 1950s and early 1960s to the more cynical late 1960s and ’70s. The visual inspiration comes more from the films of the ’60s and ’70s, rather than contemporary interpretations of race car films, no exaggerated movement, keeping it intimate with the use of close-ups and always maintaining a character’s point-of-view. The film sticks to camera techniques of the period. The production design follows suit and is much in sync with realism and plausibility and keeping the audience in the magic trick of this world that has been created. You’re both hearing and seeing the bolts rattling in the chassis of the car. You’re feeling the vibration of the engine. You’re understanding how hard they’re pushing this vehicle and how close to exploding it's. Today, we've computer-aided design. We can postulate with much greater accuracy what’s going to work. There was no way with a pencil and an abacus you could know that. You just had to build the car and drive the car and see if it just blew up around you. It’s a big, emotional, distinctive theatrical experience that embraces all of the reasons we want to sit in a movie theater. We want to be invested. We want to be moved, to cry to laugh, to be inspired. This movie is all of that.

By Ahmed Ab From Marvel Studios, exclusively for Disney+, comes the all-new, original, live-action series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, and May Calamawy. Moon Knight is due to premiere exclusively on Disney+ on March 30th, with weekly episodic releases. The story follows Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), a mild-mannered man who lives a mundane life, plagued by blackouts and mysterious memories of a life somehow separate from his own. After one fateful encounter, Steven discovers that he has Dissociative Identity Disorder and shares a body with Marc Spector—a former mercenary and the ruthless avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon and vengeance. With their enemies converging upon them, Steven must learn how to adapt to this revelation and work with Marc. With other godly motives at play, the two must navigate their complex identities amid a deadly battle played out among the powerful gods of Egypt. In August 2019 at the D23 conference, Marvel Studios announced that a Disney+ series based on Moon Knight was being developed. In preparation for the series’ release this March, the studio assembled the cast and filmmakers for a press conference, streamed live to reporters across the world. On hand to take questions were actors Oscar Isaac (Steven Grant), Ethan Hawke (Arthur Harrow), and May Calamawy (Layla El-Faouly). Executive producer Grant Curtis, joined by executive producer and director Mohamed Diab, were both in attendance, alongside directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. During the 40-minute press conference, topics ranging from performance methods to costume design were discussed, with the reporters in attendance hoping their questions would be selected following the brilliant reception to the first four episodes which were released to press all around the world. The project really took form when Mohamed Diab was brought on board as executive producer and director. Despite Diab receiving offers for high-budget movies in the past, one aspect that attracted him to helming Moon Knight was the Egyptology that was so integral to the series’ concept: “The other aspect that really attracted me was the Egyptian part of it”, the director says. “The present and the past, the Egyptology of it.” The importance of faithful Egyptian mythology in this series was reiterated by executive producer and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who stated in the production brief: “We have fascination and reverence for Egyptian history… it was very exciting to take Moon Knight’s origin story, which is grounded in Egyptology, and infuse it with globetrotting adventure, intensity, and mystery.” Diab, the first Arab director to release a Marvel project, also saw this series as a tool to correct many of the past portrayals of Egypt in filmography that he feels are not representative of his, and many others, own experiences as Egyptians: “As an Egyptian, we always see us depicted or the Middle East depicted in a way that is – we call it orientalism, when you see us as exotic and dehumanized…”, he says. “Imagine Paris and you’re seeing Big Ben in the background. That’s how we see our country”. A part of Diab’s proposal to rectify this was the hiring of Production Designer Stefania Cella, who designed sets to not only be accurate to the spirit of Egypt but also convey the series’ themes of duality and identity, a feat most apparent in the Burial Chamber set. With much of the production taking place in Budapest, Hungary, many large-scale practical sets had to be built on soundstages. Even the museum scenes required an entirely original Egypt exhibit, an undertaking that took the art department several months to complete. Khonshu's on-set performance actor Karim El-Hakim corroborates the realism of the production design, joking that the team “brought Egypt to Budapest, down to the license plates, even the t-shirts – everything in Arabic”, the actor states. “It brought me back to being in Cairo. It was like a flashback; it was so realistic – the smells, the smoke, the cars, the tuk-tuks, even down to the food and the types of fruit that were on sale in our marketplace. It was really impressive”. May Calamawy also recalled the attention to detail Diab wished to replicate on-screen: “One of the main things he wanted was for people to watch and to not be able to tell at all...”, she says. “That was very important to him. It’s down to the newspaper clippings that have been torn on the floor; that’s the precision that we’re talking about”. Mohamed Diab spoke to his keenness to shoot practically and on location: “I’m all for reality”, he says. “I’m all for minimizing the green screen as much as possible, especially with a story that could be in the mind of someone”. As a testament to the effect of Diab’s methodology, it came as a surprise to a sample of the London-based reporters (who viewed the first four episodes) that the street scenes in London were recreated in a Budapest market street, which was altered to replicate a real-life Brixton street. When discussing the signing of Ethan Hawke as the series’ central villain, Diab spoke to the unorthodox means of developing the character of Arthur Harrow, revealing he implored Hawke not to read the script before signing: “When it came to the signing, Ethan is someone that is – everyone sees him as this great, legendary, independent film actor, and joining the superhero world is something big. So, when Oscar first approached him and then I talked to him about it, we pitched him the idea, but I told him please don’t read the script. Not that the script is bad, but when you work with him, you have to get from him. Like, I think Harrow is his son, in a way, it’s a ping pong between us all but definitely his son. So, to trust us and sign without -- he told me this was the first time in 35 years that I signed something without reading a script. And he did it.” As revealed in an interview by On Demand Entertainment during the Moon Knight UK Special Screening, Hawke actually rejected Marvel roles in the past, a fact which has only heightened fans’ expectations that after fourteen years, Arthur Harrow, the role Hawke finally accepted, must be incredibly special. Having followed up Diab’s comments regarding signing on blind, it appears the collaborative freedom between the actor, writer, and director to sculpt the story and character is what enticed Hawke to join the project: “In my whole experience, usually when there’s a huge budget, there’s a tremendous amount of fear. And the people in charge are incredibly controlling, and creativity is reduced. In my entire experience, with you Grant, and with Marvel, it’s the opposite of that. You guys have translated your success into confidence and the confidence to -- yes, we are going to cook in your kitchen, but if we stay in the kitchen, we can do what we want. And there was a lot of playfulness and a lot of willingness to fail and a lot of willingness to have bad ideas. Because you can’t find a great idea if we don’t say some dumb ones and make mistakes… And that’s what collaboration is… and that’s why you don’t sign on without reading a script. But I’m really glad I did because I think it’s better because of the way it evolved.” Hawke followed up to reassure prospective viewers he chose correctly, speaking about his experiences on set, and praising every department involved with the project: “As somebody who’s never worked on a Marvel film or series and hasn’t even worked inside this genre in any way, I’ve had the best production design of my life, the best costumes, the best craftspeople”, says the actor. “The cinematographers are incredible. I’m working with Oscar every day, and we have time to do it right. We have time to rehearse. We are trying to make five to six hours of really quality entertainment and that’s a heavy lift, but we have the tools that we need to do it.” A promising, compelling rendition of the hero-villain dynamic was expressed by the actor, speaking to past stories basing the villain’s conduct on mental illness, and how Moon Knight reverses this relationship, giving viewers something they haven’t seen before: “Well, the history of movies is paved with storytellers using mental illness as a building block for the villain. I mean, there are countless stories of mentally ill villains, and we have a mentally ill hero. And that’s fascinating because we’ve now inverted the whole process. And so now, as the antagonist, I can’t be crazy because the hero’s crazy. So, I have to kind of find a sane lunatic or a sane malevolent force. And that was an interesting riddle for me to figure out how to be in dynamics with what Oscar was doing. And Mohamed was really embracing his mental illness as a way to create an unreliable narrator. And once you’ve broken the prism of reality, everything that the audience is seeing is from a skewed point of view. And that’s really interesting for the villain, because am I even being seen as I am? … It’s especially interesting to take your hero and present him with a real source of pain in mental illness. It’s not a joke. He’s a guy who’s really struggling, and it’s very interesting to have a protagonist who’s in a tremendous amount of pain and who is not a classic hero…” In order to maintain an authentic and sensitive approach to the series’ exploration of mental health themes, the production sought consultation from Dr. Paul Puri, a board-certified psychiatrist, who is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA and past president of the UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty Association. Particularly, this focused on dissociative identity disorder, helping the filmmakers and cast understand the disorder and its implications. This expertise allowed Diab to, from a director’s perspective, convey mental health themes visually: “What got me excited about this opportunity is that this is a superhero that we haven’t seen before, someone who’s struggling with himself,” says Diab. “His inner conflict is actually visual. You can see his internal struggle. It’s a great room for character development.” As we learn in the synopsis and throughout the show, Steven Grant’s dissociative identity disorder mentally divides him from his Marc Spector persona, resulting in a pair of characters with polar opposite natures, necessitating two vastly different performances from Isaac. When questioned on how he achieved such a feat, Isaac shared his approach; Isaac’s brother (Michael Hernandez) would play opposite him, accent, and all, to give Isaac something to play off of. Having to perform each scene numerous times, switch around, and give two separate performances, became taxing for Isaac: “I really wanted to do a character study, a point of view experience, so you’re not sitting back and just watching the story unfold; you are within the eyes of Steven and experiencing this thing that’s happening to him. And it’s quite terrifying.” As exciting news to the audience, directors Benson and Moorhead maintained only the highest possible praise for the cast: “The most fulfilling aspect of making ‘Moon Knight’ for us was working with Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, and Ethan Hawke”, the pair assert. “To witness Oscar’s perfectionism firsthand was an honor, to see May bring so much heart and humanity to this story was inspiring, and to learn from the wisdom, work ethic and performance mastery of Ethan Hawke every day was an experience we’d only ever dreamed of.” Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight is available to stream, exclusively on Disney+.

(Release Info London schedule; May 22nd, 2018, BFI Southbank) "Zama" In a remote South American colony in the late 18th century, officer Don Diego de Zama (Daniel Giménez Cacho) of the Spanish crown waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. He suffers small humiliations and petty politicking as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia. Zama, an officer of the Spanish Crown born in South America, waits for a letter from the King granting him a transfer from the town in which he's stagnating, to a better place. His situation is delicate. He must ensure that nothing overshadows his transfer. He's forced to accept submissively every task entrusted to him by successive Governors who come and go as he stays behind. The years go by and the letter from the King never arrives. When Zama notices everything is lost, he joins a party of soldiers that go after a dangerous bandit. In the twilight of the 18th century, Zama is a minor cog in the Spanish rule of what's now Paraguay. He's stuck in a crumbling South American outpost of the Spanish colony, toiling away in a bureaucracy that treats him as invisible. Far from home and separated from loved ones, he's shunned by his fellow Europeans and unsettled by the.indigenous population. Unpaid for months and longing to reunite with his wife and child, he lives on the promise of a letter from the King that will transfer him to Buenos Aires, but as the years pass, frustration threatens his grip on reality. In the melancholy inspired by tropical heat, he nurses his loneliness and lust by courting the wife of a local aristocrat and contemplating the ennui of colonial pursuits. The film acutely observes the hopelessness of a colonial servant whose fevered fantasies threaten to drive him into an absurd free fall. Lucrecia Martel ventures into the realm of historical fiction and makes the genre entirely her own in this adaptation of Antonio di Benedetto’s 1956 classic of Argentinean literature. In the late 18th century, in a far-flung corner of what seems to be Paraguay, the title character, an officer of the Spanish crown born in the Americas, waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. The film renders Zama’s world, his daily regimen of small humiliations and petty politicking, as both absurd and mysterious, and as he increasingly.succumbs to lust and paranoia, subject to a creeping disorientation. Precise yet dreamlike, and thick with atmosphere, Zama is a singular and intoxicating experience, a welcome return from one of contemporary cinema’s truly brilliant minds. The film offers scenes from the life of Zama, who's awaiting a letter from the King granting him a transfer from the river town where he's stuck. But his situation is precarious and he's forced to accept submissively every task entrusted to him by successive Governors. When Zama realises all is lost, he joins a party of soldiers going after a dangerous bandit. Like other Western characters stranded in the tropics, Zama's identity is defined by a sense of belonging to, being connected to a notion of Europe, best remembered by those who were never there. Hundreds of years later, South America still faces the same issues of ownership, of land and race, of conqueror and subjugated, of dissatisfaction and fatalist fatigue. A beautifully crafted reflection on the catastrophe of colonialism. "Zama" moves towards the past with the same irreverence we've when moving towards the future. Not trying to document pertinent utensils and facts, because Zama contains no historicist pretensions. But rather trying to submerge in a world that still today is vast, with animals, plants, and barely comprehensible women and men. A world that was devastated before it was ever encountered, and that therefore remains in delirium. The past in our continent is blurred and confused. We made it this way so we don’t think about the ownership of land, the spoils on which the Latin American abyss is founded, entangling the genesis of our own identity. As soon as we begin to peer into the past, we feel ashamed. Zama plunges deep into the time of mortal men, in this short existence that has been allowed to us, across which we slide anxious to love, trampling exactly that which could be loved, postponing the meaning of life as if the day that matters the most is the one that isn’t here yet, rather than today. And yet, the same world that seems determined to destroy us becomes our own salvation: when asked if we want to live more, we always say yes.

"Deadpool 2" Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) returns and this time 'The Merc With The Mouth’s Movie' is bigger and more badass than ever. 'Deadpool' is an apple among oranges, when it comes to superheroes. He's irreverent. He's self-loathing. He's silly, childlike, violent, annoying. He’s a lot of things that other superheroes aren’t and he’s not really even a superhero. He’s kind of an antihero in superhero garb. 'Deadpool' is sort of like 'The ‘Hunchback Of Notre Dame'. He’s disfigured and incredibly empathetic. He’s got a great backstory. There’s the wish fulfillment of a guy who has these healing powers. He’s kind of invincible. And he’s irreverent. He says dark, funny bold shit that you can’t say, but we like to hear. That mixture is great for a character. 'Deadpool' is a self-deprecating, self-hating shame-spiral. Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) is the love of Deadpool’s life. When we first meet Russell (Julian Dennison), he’s at an orphanage run by a crazy, insane man. Russell is at a low point, he’s really angry and sad and just wants to let it all out and blow stuff up. As 'Firefist', he’s able to shoot fireballs out of his hands. His powers are an extension of himself, it’s how he speaks if he’s full of rage. By the end of the film, he's very strong and knows how to use his powers and control them. 'Firefist' provides 'Deadpool' the connection to his old life. Cable (Josh Brolin) is a time-traveling warrior infected with the techno-organic virus that renders him cybernetic. 'Deadpool' is still on the fringe, he hasn’t really made much of his life and he's still scrounging to get by, which is always endearing. The Cable character has also lost a great deal. He has lost his wife and daughter at the hands of a mad man, and he’s doing anything in his power, including traveling back in time, to solve that issue and bring them back. In this, there's an undercurrent of real emotion and depth that counterbalances the humor. It’s not just farce or a romp. It has real emotional underpinnings and the combination is where we like to live. Cable is a stalwart of 'X-Force'. 'Deadpool' is the gateway into the 'X-Force' world, and an essential part. Cable is the straight man to 'Deadpool’s' madness. He provides an almost parallel emotional core. Despite them being very different, they’re very similar in that they’re both broken. They’ve both lost something and are in search of something. Ultimately, they find each other. They're incredibly strong-willed personalities. One sees the world in black and white in a very serious way, and the other sees the world in fuchsia and technicolor and every shade of grey in between. Sparks fly between them. This is not a buddy movie in any way, but you can see the beginnings of a partnership that may yield even bigger results in the future. Domino (Zazie Beetz) is a badass combatant with a unique power. It’s an unknown power of probabilities, kind of a luck power. She’s wonderfully unpredictable in that way. She's also a stalwart of 'X-Force'. It’s this ragtag group of dysfunctional, morally improper or uncentered folks. She doesn’t put up with Deadpool’s shit at all. She rolls her eyes and can’t believe she’s involved with this ragtag group of fuck-ups and yet, that’s exactly where she fits in. She’s sarcastic and sardonic. She goes head to head with 'Deadpool', and doesn’t take his shit. Domino does her own thing. She’s not really a sidekick, she holds her own. She’s a mercenary and does her job and then heads out. She knows what she’s got, and it’s interesting because that can open up the discussion of where does that luck end and begin? Because her past is quite tragic. If everything just works out for you, then what’s the point in even being motivated to do anything? She struggles with that a lot. Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) has grown and matured a lot since the last film. Maybe she has figured out more about herself. Before, she was really rebellious and she still has an attitude, but she’s more comfortable now and not necessarily trying to rebel as much as she's just being herself. Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) is very happy Tokyo-style kind of girl, with a very pink, posh hairstyle. But she’s a badass assassin. Yukio is 'NTW’s' new girlfriend. 'NTW' is more cynical and cold, but Yukio is always trying to see the positive side of everything. When Deadpool meets Dopinder (Karan Soni), he doesn’t make fun of him. Instead, he becomes his friend and wants to help. The world of 'Deadpool' is very dark and bloody and Dopinder sees all that. He’s just living with the biggest smile on his face. He’s a cool addition to the universe because the movie is quite dark and it’s nice to have this bright light walking and driving around everywhere, innocent. In the second movie, Dopinder’s motivation has changed. In the first, he’s romantically motivated. In this one, he’s motivated by 'Deadpool'. He looks up to him and wants to be like him. Weasel (T.J. Miller) is back as 'Deadpool’s' confidante. Besides running the mercenary bar, 'Sister Mary Margaret’s School For Wayward Girls', he deals weapons. So that’s a big part of what’s mysterious about him. How does he have all these hook-ups? He doesn’t have any friends except 'Deadpool'. He’s a confusing dude at times. Weasel and 'Deadpool' are not partners. They work together, but Weasel bets on him to die. The only reason they’re friends is there’s no one more selfish than the other one. Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) is 'Deadpool's' unlikely roommate. She doesn’t care, she says exactly what's on her mind, and she likes throwing those F-bombs. It's fascinating, because you think that because she’s blind, she’s going to be quiet, kind of sedate. And she's totally the opposite of that. She’s been around the block, she doesn’t take any nonsense and she just says whatever she wants to say. That's why the relationship between her and Deadpool is terrific. It’s kind of like best buddy, mother-son, because he knows that anything he says is safe with her. But any BS that he tries to pull she’s right there to tell him but quick with one line what needs to be done. She kind of like the priest when he needs to confess certain things. She’s there to listen and try to give him advice. Their relationship is more than just a roommate situation, there’s a deep friendship between them. Black Tom (Jack Kesy) iscone of the inmates of the mutant prison, where all the mutants wear dampening collars to prevent them from using their special powers. When 'Deadpool' and Russell arrive at 'The Mutant Prison', Black Tom and his sidekick Sluggo (Robert Maillet), have it in for them. Tom menaces young Russell. Black Tom sees vitality, youth, strength, power, his potential; and he wants all of it. He’s always scheming, trying to find a way out. 'The Broadstone House, Essex School For The Young' tries to teach mutant children to suppress their urges to explore their abilities. 'The Headmaster' (Eddie Marson) is a genetic fundamentalist who tries to tell children to control their urges. The orphanage is full of young mutant children with extraordinary powers. 'The Headmaster' has developed a type of cognitive therapy that stops them from exploring these abilities. He has created a form of torture so that whenever they think about using their powers, they remember the pain he’s inflicted on them and that stops them using it. 'The Headmaster' tortures Russell just as he tortures the other mutant children. One of the reasons why Russell turns bad and becomes dangerous is because of what 'The Headmaster' has done. Colossus (Andre Tricoteux) comes from Russia and he’s one of the original 'X-Men'. He’s educated, stoic, well-mannered, polite, and rarely loses his temper. He looks out for everybody else; the prototypical big brother. He turns into metal and obviously has great strength, speed and power. 'Deadpool' and Colossus have always had a kind of big brother/little brother thing. Colossus is 'Deadpool’s' moral compass, he’s always trying to keep him on the straight and narrow. He tries to help train him to become an 'X-Man'. And of course, 'Deadpool' finds ways to screw everything up. Bedlam (Terry Crews) can manipulate electrical fields and he can cause you pain and make you confused. It’s a very psychological weapon; he literally sends his brain power. Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) is a bioengineered warrior from a different planet that's raised as a gladiator. He fights for money and performance. He’s got a badass haircut, and hollow bones. He uses swords and he can channel shockwaves through them. He was engineered to be the greatest warrior and he’s a natural born killer. Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgard) can puke acidic vomit and incinerate people. Peter (Rob Delaney) is a regular dude who, for some reason, answers an ad that 'Deadpool' puts in the paper. Everybody else who answers is a legitimate superhero with either mutant powers or some kind of other powers and then there’s Peter, who has no powers at all. He’s earnest and has no bullshit and 'Deadpool' admires that because everybody else is like. As little as six years ago if someone talked about a "Deadpool" sequel you would’ve looked at them like a dog looks at grapes. But here we're, millions of tickets and billions of tacos later and the world is a different place. Yet one thing remains the same; people love sequels. And that’s where this film totally succeeds. The film takes some liberties, but he sticks true to the sources. 'X-Force' is the second best-selling comic of all time. The film creates a couple of different cool universes, but there’s something that’s undeniably fascinating about the 'Deadpool' universe; it re-imagined the action-comedy. The beauty of “Deadpool” is, the more obscure the reference, the funnier it's. There’s the satire and the irreverence of the R-rated comedy, and this over the top action. It’s going to be jaw-dropping. ”Deadpool” does not take the genre seriously, and it also doesn’t take itself seriously. In this movie, 'Deadpool' makes fun of himself. He makes fun of the writing. He makes fun of Fox. He makes fun of all the things associated with the franchise, so it softens those jokes about other people when we’re also willing to make jokes about ourselves. “Deadpool” is known as a comedy, but there’s a real beating heart to it. The secret sauce of “Deadpool” is this emotional core. It’s a character that’s been kicked and knocked down, and life’s been really tough on him, as a character with cancer and this terrible scarring on his face. Kids related to 'Spider-Man' because it was a nerdy little kid, and then he put on the mask and he was this amazing super hero. And people tap into 'Deadpool' because they see a character whose life has been tough and he somehow overcomes it all, laughs about it and wins in the end. “Deadpool” is finding that balance between the comedy, the action, and the emotion. Comics are like 'The Bible'. You better stick to exactly how that character is in the comics. “Deadpool 2” is filled with an assortment of nasty antagonists, but there's no one main villain. 'Deadpool’s' a character who breaks all the rules, he breaks the fourth wall. We, in turn, do the same. The film doesn’t have the traditional mustache-twirling villain. It’s an unusual structure. To keep storylines and even characters under wraps, the film creates code names for every key character in the script, and the actual title as well. Sometimes it's like working at 'The CIA'; for the goal of keeping the movie fresh and not spoiling it for anybody. But if all the secrecy pays off, fans will be more than a little surprised to meet a slate of previously unannounced superheroes that 'Deadpool' recruits to go up against an ultimate foe. As they’re about to embark on their maiden mission, they dub themselves 'X-Force'. There are a number of exciting gags, and just trying to figure out the balance between visual and practical effects..The aesthetic feels earthy. It’s soulful and there’s something kind of retro about it, too. "Deadpool 2” is bigger, crazier, than the first. All of the set pieces are three times what you saw in the first one. The challenge is always do something you haven’t done before and keep everything new and dynamic. Is "Deadpool 2" better than "Deadpool? Not really. But it’s still pretty damn good.  

(■ Paw Patrol: The Movie showtimes in London Mon 09 AUG ● Cineworld Leicester Square.5-6 Leicester Square, • 11:30 • 13:50 ● Vue Cinemas - Piccadilly (Apollo), 19 Lower Regent Street, • 12:00 • 14:15 ● Vue Cinemas - West End, 3 Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, • 10:00 • 12:30 • 15:55 Vue Cinemas - Islington, Angel Central, Central Shopping Mall, 36 Parkfield Street, • 10:00 • 12:30 • 15:15 Fulham Road Picturehouse, 142 Fulham Road, • 13:15) https://we-love-cinema.com/movies/54311-paw-patrol-the-movie/ https://ttrp-www.cineworld.co.uk/films/paw-patrol-the-movie/ho00007948#/buy-tickets-by-film?in-cinema=london&at=2021-08-09&for-movie=ho00007948&view-mode=list "Paw Patrol: The Movie" In it's first motion picture event, 'The Paw Patrol' is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger (Ron Pardo), becomes mayor of nearby 'Adventure City' and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder (Will Brisbin), and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head-on. While one pup must face his past in the bustling metropolis, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty (Marsai Martin). Armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, 'The Paw Patrol' fights to save the citizens of 'Adventure City'! The film opens in familiar territory, the pups’ home base of 'Adventure Bay', but when the pups get a call for help, they pack up 'The Paw Patroller' and head off to the booming metropolis of 'Adventure City. Unfortunately for it's residents, newly elected Mayor Humdinger is already causing new problems. So, the pups have to jump into their all-new vehicles and spring into action to keep the city safe. Indeed, Humdinger’s name pretty much says it all. The self-involved, self important, self-impressed, and cat-loving official has a strict edict of, surprise!, No. Dogs. Allowed. But little does he know that the world’s greatest team of canine rescuers are on the way to stop his plans of turning 'Adventure City' upside-down with corruption and crazy capers. We learn the moving and emotional backstory of police pup Chase and of the fears he must overcome to become the hero 'Adventure City' needs. Ryder is the resourceful and fearless leader and mentor of the pups. Ryder’s favorite sayings are 'No job is too big; no pup is too small!' Chase (Iaia Armitage) is a 'German Shepherd' who serves as a police dog and is, like Ryder, a natural leader. His pup house is a police station that transforms into a police truck. Chase gets a new car that's super fast, has a shield-mode when things get dangerous, and there's even a motorcycle hidden inside of the vehicle. He's prepared for all challenges, so it’s no surprise that he is known to tell everyone, Chase is on the case ready for action', There’s also a lot to love about Liberty’s hometown, 'Adventure City', Rubble calls it supersized!, but for one pup, Chase, it brings some trepidation. He’s not sure he wants to be there, and we soon learn why. Chase’s confidence falters, and his journey is to find it. Chase thinks about where he comes from but at the same time, how much he’s grown since then, now that he has this family as a support system. Chase is a funny, smart, quick and brave pup. In fact, all the pups are funny, relatable, and smart. Marshall (Kingsley Marshal) is the team’s brave firedog, and an excitable, all-action 'Dalmatian' pup. He’s always fired up and ready to roll. Marshall’s house transforms into a fire truck or ambulance, depending on the type of rescue. Marshall shines, as always, a perfect combination of fun and heroic. Of course, he has the biggest vehicle in 'The Paw Patrol', and has an awesome moment with its water cannon, which puts out the fires from Humdinger’s crazy fireworks. Perhaps Marshall’s coolest moment is when he unfurls his endlessly long ladder for a rollercoaster rescue. The ladder converts into a slide, and who wouldn’t want to go down that slide and land in Marshall’s fire truck. Skye (Lilly Bartlem) is a cute and smart 'Cockapoo' puppy, Skye is a fearless aviator and daredevil who will try anything to complete a rescue. Her house is an 'Airstream' trailer that transforms into a helicopter, and her pup pack opens to reveal wings that let her take flight. This pup’s gotta fly! Syke has a spectacular rescue in the movie, sacrificing her copter to take down a gizmo known as 'The Cloud Catcher' (Ian James Corlett), which has created powerful and dangerous storms enveloping 'Adventure City'. Rubble (Keegan Hedley) is a construction 'Bulldog' who's tough and gruff but possesses a heart of gold. Rubble’s construction office pup house becomes a digger with a bucket shovel, drill, and auger. His motto: 'Rubble on the double'. Rubble provides much comic relief throughout the story. But like all the other pups, Rubble is also heroic and has a great moment using his cement mixer to prevent disaster with an out-of-control rollercoaster, which is the result of Humdinger’s dumbest idea ever: an upside-down subway/hyper-loop. In another scene, Rubble uses his wrecking ball to crush through a Humdinger-run doggy day care center to rescue Chase and release other pups who’ve been trapped there. Rocky (Callum Shoniker) is a master of recycling and a mixed breed, creative canine. His pup pack contains a mechanical claw, as well as tools like a screwdriver and ratchet. Rocky has a great moment during which a wild fireworks display, unleased by Humdinger, is put out by the pups, and Rocky scoops up all the remaining fireworks into the back of his vehicle and crushes them, for recycling. But there’s still some life left in the fiery display, which causes Rocky and his truck to bounce up and down like he’s riding a bucking bronco. In that moment, you get to see how much fun the pups have, even when they’re in the middle of the most intense rescue. Zuma (Eva Olivia) is a water rescue 'Labrador' pup, whose pup pack contains air tanks and propellers that enable him to dive and swim under water. Liberty is a long-hair miniature dachshund who has grown up in the streets of 'Adventure City'. She's 'The Paw Patrol’s' number-one fan, and dreams of one day joining their ranks, though Liberty never could have imagined that she’d be going on adventures with them in her home city. But the great thing about Liberty is that she always stands up for what’s right. She has all the qualities that make her a perfect fit for 'The Paw Patrol'. The key thing about Liberty is her extraordinary optimism and confidence, She’s a joyful character who sees the best in everyone, loves her city, and wants to protect it from the moment Humdinger enters the picture. So, she calls 'The Paw Patrol'. Liberty brings great energy to the team and makes an easy connection with all the pups, They’re funny, lovable, and many people’s best friends. And the pups in "Paw Patrol' are saving the world, have awesome pup packs, cool cars, and amazing helicopters and motorcycles. Gus (Tyler Perry), a cantankerous truck driver, is rescued by the pups prior to their arrival in 'Adventure City'. He makes his way through 'Adventure Bay', pulling a load of 'Canadian' maple syrup. He’s drinking a slushy, which falls on his lap, and causes him to lose control. Looking for the helpers when you’re young is so important. The rescues and adventures are inspiring to kids, and helps them learn about helping, doing the right things for others, and just being all around good people. That’s a profound message, and it’s what’s drew us to 'Paw Patrol' all these years. Delores (Kim Kardashian), a pampered poodle who’s all bark and no bite. She finds herself aligned with 'Paw Patrol’s' efforts to stop Humdinger’s dastardly deeds. Delores is a 'Valley Girl' poodle pup, who doesn’t mess around with other pups. She doesn’t want to be pushed around and is really sassy and funny. She has little in common with 'The Paw Patrol' pups, and she really doesn’t have their ‘vibe.’ She doesn’t like to get dirty. It’s fun to see a pup like that enter 'The Paw Patrol' world. Another celebrity fan and now, part of 'The Paw Patrol' family, is news reporter Marty Muckraker (Jimmy Kimmel). He’s a, well, dogged correspondent if you will. Marty is always on the scene and reports the news honestly. There’s no fake news in Marty’s reports, much to the chagrin of Mayor Humdinger, for whom Marty is a thorn in his side. While Kimmel’s Muckraker is reporting on Humdinger’s nefarious plans, the latter’s henchmen, Ruben (Dax Shepard), and Butch (Randall Park), are doing everything they can to ensure the villainous politico’s success, albeit in their own comically brutish and incompetent ways. Ruben and Butch are lower-echelon goons. Ruben is a kind of low-rent Jersey gangster who’s made his way into Mayor Humdinger’s circle. Ruben is disreputable, prideful, thin-skinned, and always searching to advance his status. Another character new to 'The Paw Patrol' universe is Kendra (Yara Shahidi), a super-nerdy scientist and Humdinger’s lead egghead, who's employed by the clueless mayor to create a weather control machine known as 'The Cloud Catcher', which will ensure eternally sunny skies above 'Adventure City'. As with all of Humdinger’s humdingers, things go awry, and Kendra must enlist the help of 'The Paw Patrol' to save 'Adventure City' from meteorological catastrophe. Kendra has a big part to play in this film because she’s been forced to use her invention, 'The Cloud Catcher', at Humdinger’s whim, which causes a chain reaction leading to disaster. Kendra’s never-ending stream of four or five-syllable words was the hardest part of getting my mind around the character The series 'Paw Patrol' debuted in 2013 on 'Nickelodeon', becoming an instant hit and thrilling youngsters around the country, and, ultimately, the globe. It now airs in 160 countries. For many years, the fans have watched 11-minute or 22-minute stories on television, but we always knew that the characters and their world could hold up to a much bigger scope. As created by Keith Chapman, 'Paw Patrol' focuses on a 10-year-old named Ryder, a precocious young man and the rescuer, leader, and teacher of a team of pups who join forces on missions to protect the bucolic, sleepy little town of 'Adventure Bay'. Each pup has a specific and impressive set of skills based on first responder professions, such as firefighter, police officer, pilot, and water rescue. They live in doghouses that transform into customized “pupmobiles” for their thrilling adventures. 'Paw Patrol' is one of the most exciting shows in the pre-school space. It entertains, empowers, and connects with kids, while teaching them to be good citizens through teamwork, loyalty, and friendship. The film tells a big story with an emotional impact and find out what makes some of the characters tick. The action is thrilling, but safe, and features cute, cuddly, smart, heroic, empowering, and aspirational pups. They’re your best friends. The movie celebrates the themes of being there for your friends and family, and being a good citizen, all in the context of 'The Paw Patrol’s' biggest adventure. So so, okay if you don't pay.

The first film review I ever posted on YouTube was of Francis Lawrence's Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Dominika Egorova, a ballerina turned spy. However, in said review, I discuss how the 15-certificate may not be the appropriate rating for this slightly NSFW film. P.S. I am terribly nervous in this video, but we all have to start somewhere.

(Release Info London schedule; November 13th, 2020, Curzon Home Cinema) https://www.curzonhomecinema.com/film/watch-two-of-us-film-online "Two Of Us" Two retired women, Madeleine Girard (Martine Chevallier) and Nina Dorn (Barbara Sukowa) live opposite each other in the same building in a small, French provincial town. The narrow corridor separating their homes is convenient, as they spend a lot of time together, way more in fact than anyone suspects. Their affair has been secret for decades, and these two elderly ladies have made detailed plans to spend their old age together abroad. Everybody, including Madeleine’s family, thinks they're simply neighbors, sharing the top floor of their building. They come and go between their two apartments, enjoying the affection and pleasures of daily life together, until an unforeseen event turns their relationship upside down and leads Madeleine’s daughter to gradually unravel the truth about them. To do this, they will have to sell their apartments, but Madeleine hesitates. Family secrets and medical fate appear to be ruining Nina and Madeleine's relationship. Or is it indestructible after all? How is she going to tell her son Frédéric (Jérôme Varanfrain) and daughter Anne (Léa Drucker), who think that their father who died a long time ago was the love of her life? The film is centered on a couple of women in their seventies who are secretly in love. The two women are widows in their seventies, who warded off loneliness by constantly keeping their doors open and making the landing between them part of an enlarged apartment that covered the whole top floor. The front doors of the two apartments up there are open, and the voices are those of two women talking to each other from their respective apartments. We lingered for a few minutes, unseen and in silence. It really is very intriguing. The protagonists live together in that way, hiding their romantic involvement by appearing to the world to be mere neighbors. Nina and Madeleine conceal their relationship from their families. Life imitating art. The architectural aspect is at the core of the film. The two interconnecting apartments are the protagonists living space and, at the same time, a symbolic place that reflects and expresses their dealings with the outside world. In Madeleine’s apartment, every detail, every object tells the story of her family. It's coziness constantly reminds us of the burden weighing on her shoulders, the bonds around her, the chains holding her. Nina’s apartment is more mysterious. We only see it later in the movie, just as the character gradually reveals herself. As for the landing, it's the pivotal space between the two apartments. The two front doors, which are always open initially, start to shut, turning this porous space into a kind of border. Those images - open doors, closed doors, seemed a simple and effective metaphor for Nina’s exclusion by Madeleine’s family. The obstacles that stand in their path sometimes lead Nina and Madeleine to extreme behavior. Anne, Madeleine’s daughter is an oppressor. Anne is an incredibly loving daughter who always looked up to her mother as a role model. She would do anything for her, but she's rattled when she finds out that Madeleine has been living a lie. That explains the harshness of her reaction. Each character has light and dark sides. What inner conflict roils us when confronted with that kind of censorship? The film tells the story of a struggle, the story of a passion that's as obstinate as it's affectionate. But that struggle is also a way to explore issues that fascinates. The inspiration for the complexity of the protagonist's life choices and their inability to completely own them, with regard to their families, come from various people, whose trajectories make a deep impression on us. An eye looking through a peephole, an intruder in the night. The idea is to borrow from the codes of suspense, while reinterpreting them so they sit coherently with the universe of the film.

(Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9BN, FRIDAY 17 - THURSDAY 23 JUNE 2022) https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/good-luck-to-you-leo-grande-33853/ "Good Luck To You Leo Grande" Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) is a retired teacher. Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) is a sex worker As Nancy embarks on a post-marital sexual awakening and Leo draws on his skills and charm, together they find a surprising human connection. A woman of around 60 is waiting in a hotel room for a young man that she has booked to have sex with. This woman is waiting, and the guy coming up and you're just hearing this soft knock on the door and she opens the door. Nancy is a 60-ish retired religious education teacher who’s been widowed for 2 years and who makes this sort of fabulously bold and unusual decision to hire a younger sex worker. She's brave but also deeply flawed. So many of her beliefs are the opposite of woke which we love because that’s sort of 90% of the population. It’s not uncommon, her attitudes, her prejudices, her biases. She's just a normal person who initiates this very strangely not-romantic relationship. Nancy obeyed the rules her whole life; she's what you would describe as a pillar of society. She's conducted herself incredibly well, she's had a long, successful 31-year-old marriage. She's got two children. She had a long career in religious education. She's unflinchingly honest about her own discomfort around sex and determined to explore what it could be. She can be abrasive and seem uncaring, but over the film she grows to understand that she may have perpetuated values she didn’t believe in. She may have accepted and reinforced a status quo that's unhelpful to those around her and also to herself. This is as much of an awakening as her physical one. Leo Grande is a modern young man who makes a living as a sex worker and meets Nancy after she books him for a session. He's someone who navigates his own identity and pleasure so openly, it’s his superpower. He’s had his own experiences with sexual shame, and in response to that he empowered himself. He uses his expressiveness and his own sexual desires to help others discover theirs. Nancy is a woman who has been pretty much starved of healthy and beautiful sexual experience and Leo has found a vocation in helping to introduce that to his clients and help them see their own power through sexuality. Different generations don’t necessarily have the same understanding around sex and pleasure, which is also something we explore. It’s a topic that has affected Leo personally and he’s able to take those experiences and use it as momentum for himself to find his own identity. It also helps him with Nancy, and working with her to understand these parts of herself for the first time. Leo has a full life and a past that he doesn’t share with his clients and that shape who he's, but he also creates lines for himself within his work like you should in any professional setting. His boundaries are clear, but he's also having a human connection which sometimes doesn’t follow the rules. He's able to decide how to respond to a boundary crossed. What do you want, really? How do you experience pleasure? Do you allow yourself to experience pleasure, and if you don’t then why not? Where do you carry your shame and why are you ashamed? Why are pain and pleasure and shame so inextricably linked? "Leo Grande" creates a hotel room that's modern-ish, which means something that isn't’t luxurious, and didn’t have heaps of colour. The hotel room doesn’t have any revelation of character like you’d have in somebody’s home for instance. The room feels cheap looking, all while maintaining a visually entertaining space. Given that "Leo Grande" largely takes place in one room, the film feels claustrophobic. There's lots of really tactile fabrics in there. At the beginning there's a kind of very symmetrical style and then by the end that gets a little bit messier. And there's certain very particular scenes where we've the camera handheld instead of being on the dolly, which is what we're seeing most of the time. It's a script that approaches sex in a sometimes comedic way. The film is simple, two actors in one room exploring intimacy, connection, sex, frustration, and shifting power dynamics, but in our currently divided world, these intimate stories about connection feel even more vital. Our bodies, our shame, our mis-communications, our sexual connections, and sexual frustrations are often tragic, and we believe we are longing for stories that reflect us and challenge us and allow us to consider how we treat each other. There's much to be said between two characters who meet to have good sex, and much that cannot be expressed in words. We love to work with desire, our wants and needs, the way our wants compete with each other and the way we try to reject them or embrace them. To get past that's a lot of freedom. How can the film makes sure that we’re consulting sex workers, that’s not harmful, that’s perhaps empowering in some way. Sex and the body are fundamental to the film and having been soaked in a culture that teaches us to be ashamed and want to control and change our bodies. A lot of our societal constructions make it impossible for us to be present and we think that’s also what the film starts to address. If you weren’t following the rules, what would you want? How would you express it and how would you find it? It could be a reminder that someone unlikely might free you from your own limitations in a small but significant way. Written by Gregory Mann

After more than 30 years as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it. ★★★★ Directed by: #JosephKosinski Starring: #TomCruise #MilesTeller #JenniferConnelly #JonHamm #GlenPowell #LewisPullman #EdHarris #ValKilmer Released: 27th May 2022 Film review by: Ahmed Abbas | Published: 25th May 2022 It was only two months ago when a friend of mine approached me, raving about the new Top Gun movie finally releasing in May. At this point, I had not seen the original film, but was familiar with it, having noted references to it time and time again in popular culture. With its cult classic reputation and the sequel imminent, I decided it was finally time to set foot in the Top Gun franchise. With the rising trend of sequels being made to decades-old releases, there is a common trap of said sequel behaving less like a follow-up and more like a remake, repeating the story and shifting the original lead character in the mentor role. Plenty of recent sequels are guilty of succumbing to this oversight. Despite its plenty of call-backs to the original 1986 film, Top Gun: Maverick is not one of them. The film makes standout use of characters from the original. For example, Maverick (Tom Cruise), the title character from the first, is not reduced to a mentor role that watches from the side-lines as the new characters fill his role, he remains the lead in the sequel, while new characters are still introduced and given plenty to do. Nearly four decades later, none of the characters are left the same. Time has passed and everyone’s lives have moved on – the film remembers this and uses it to its advantage, evolving relationships between characters, such as that of Maverick and Rooster (Miles Teller). This is a bond that takes centre stage and is a phenomenal, tear-jerking journey throughout – forget fighter jets, this reunion of the pair is the movie’s core story. Miles Teller reminds the world why he is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors One of the newly introduced characters is Penny (Jennifer Connelly), Maverick’s love interest. Penny replaces Charlotte, the romantic interest from the 1986 original, and does so without explanation. While their relationship has touching moments, I did find the chemistry in the first film to be noticeably stronger and felt their relationship could have been tied to the main story in a more meaningful way. Having later learned that a relationship with Penny was mentioned in a line from the original, it may have worked in the film’s favour to refer to this romance in a flashback, making their reunion all the more momentous. The film takes great advantage of its newly developed miniature IMAX cameras, filming inside the jets in order for the viewers to genuinely feel trapped inside the claustrophobic cockpit moving at Mach 10 – this makes it a must for IMAX viewing. At no point in the movie did I question whether anything was computer-generated or green-screened, which is rare of an action feature of this calibre. Having later read that Tom Cruise (who also served as a producer) fought for there to be no green screen in the sequel is no surprise, with various behind-the-scenes clips displaying how much was shot practically. The labour applied to Top Gun: Maverick is to be respected, as most blockbusters would opt to recreate these scenes digitally. Researching all of this only highlights the care put into the movie, and the filmmakers’ efforts are certainly reflected on screen. This allows for action scenes better choreographed and easier to follow than the first, with the authentically filmed cockpit scenes accentuating actor emotion, raising the tension of the scenes. Despite the iconography of its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick is one of the few sequels to improve on the original in almost every respect and is a feature worth the wait. The film understands what the fans want – a continuation of Maverick’s story, with him still as the focus, while showing how his relationships have evolved 36 years later. Mark my words: Top Gun: Maverick will become the template that sequels follow in the future. This wasn’t a film I would have taken an interest in beforehand but is an unexpected delight that will surely earn it status as one of the cinematic highlights of 2022. I had avoided reading the duration of the film prior to seeing it and was very surprised to find out the runtime was 137 minutes. The film breezed right past; it felt like a breath of fresh air in movie form. With a high number of media screenings and an embargo lifting weeks before release (a rare feat), Paramount show their hand, revealing their utmost confidence in the film’s quality; I can safely say their boldness is not misplaced. Kosinski and co make a statement, demonstrating to filmmakers around the world how a decades-later sequel should be made, delivering a slick, emotional, action-filled romantic family drama that takes your breath away. Top Gun: Maverick is now available, exclusively in cinemas.

(Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury The Brunswick Centre, London WC1N 1AW, United Kingdom, Showing from Fri 10 Sep, 20:30) https://dochouse.org/cinema/screenings/lost-leonardo-0 "The Lost Leonardo" "The Lost Leonardo" is the inside story behind 'The Salvator Mundi', the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million. From the moment the painting is bought for $1175 at a shady 'New Orleans' auction house, and the restorer discovers masterful 'Renaissance' brushstrokes under the heavy varnish of it's cheap restoration, 'The Salvator Mundi’s' fate is determined by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. As it's price soars, so do questions about it's authenticity; is this painting really by 'Leonardo da Vinci'? Unravelling the hidden agendas of the richest men and most powerful art institutions in the world, "The Lost Leonardo" reveals how vested interests in 'The Salvator Mundi' are of such tremendous power that truth becomes secondary. The whole story of the most talked about painting of the century. The main character is the painting. Brooding over it's restorer, Dianne Modestini, who began working on it just after losing her husband, Mario, a world-famous restorer himself. The restoration becomes a symbiotic process of mourning in which the painting and Mario at times become one. After she lets go of the painting, it's locked away in a freeport somewhere, leaving Dianne feeling alone, and criticized for her work. Did her restoration go as far as to transform a damaged painting into a Leonardo? She's forced to defend herself and her integrity, and seek closure on the painting and her grief. She's of the top art conservation professionals in the world, Modestini restored 'The Salvator Mundi' over several years in the period between 2005 and 2017 and became convinced the work was from the hand of 'Leonardo da Vinci'. Dianne Modestini comes under intense scrutiny but continues to fight for the attribution. In 2008, the world’s most distinguished 'Leonardo Da Vinci' experts gathered around an easel at 'The National Gallery' in London to examine a mysterious painting?, an unassuming 'Salvator Mundi'. Despite not seeking expert's formal opinions, 'The National Gallery' presents 'The Salvator Mundi' as an autograph 'Leonardo da Vinci' painting in their 2011 blockbuster exhibition, setting in motion one of the most beguiling and perplexing art stories of our time. Filmed over a three-year period, "The Lost Leonardo" meticulously unveils the whole story behind 'The Salvator Mundi' and unfolds as a real-life thriller featuring major characters from the world of art, finance, and politics including the restorer Dianne Modestini; who speaks in the film about her role in the evolution of the painting for the first time. 1500 A.D. 'Salvator Mundi' is commissioned, possibly for 'Louis XII Of France' after his conquests of 'Genoa' and 'Milan'. There's no evidence from 'Leonardo da Vinci’s' lifetime that he painted it himself. The first certain sighting of 'The Salvator Mundi', when it's purchased by a wealthy textile manufacturer, 'Sir Francis Cook'. Cook bought the painting, as a work by 'Leonardo’s' follower 'Bernardino Luini' for £120 in 1900 from 'Sir Charles Robinson', who was the 'Surveyor' of 'Queen Victoria’s Pictures'. Art historians are still not sure of 'The Salvator Mundi’s' whereabouts between c. 1500 and 1900. There's a photo of the painting from 1911 with an old and amateurish restoration which makes it difficult to recognize it as the same painting. After having hung in 'The Cook' family house, 'The Doughty House' in 'Richmond', until 1958, the painting is sold at 'Sotheby’s' in London to an 'American' businessman, 'Warren Kuntz', for £45. 'Warren Kuntz' and his wife 'Minnie' lived in 'New Orleans'. After their deaths the painting was inherited by their nephew 'Basil Clovis Hendry Sr.' and he kept it in his house in 'Baton Rouge' until his death in 2005. It was then put for sale at 'New Orleans Auction' where it's discovered by the sharp and speculative eye of 'Alex Parish', a 'New York' art historian and dealer. Parish partners with 'Robert B. Simon' to buy 'The Salvator Mundi' for just $1175. 'The National Gallery' in 'London' asks five 'Leonardo' experts to look at 'The Salvator Mundi' over an afternoon. During the informal conversation, the scholars are open to the painting being by 'Leonardo', but they're not asked to examine the painting thoroughly or express formal opinions. 'The National Gallery' in London presents 'The Salvator Mundi' as an autograph 'Leonardo' in their blockbuster exhibition 'Leonardo da Vinci: Painter At The Court Of Milan'. 'Russian' oligarch 'Dmitry Rybolovlev' buys 'The Salvator Mundi' on May 3rd, 2013 for $127.5 million. 'Rybolovlev' later learns that his art adviser 'Yves Bouvier' had acquired the painting the day before from a consortium led by 'Robert Simon' in a private sale brokered by 'Sotheby’s'. 'Bouvier' paid the consortium $83 million before flipping the painting to 'Rybolovlev' at a markup of $44.5 million. On February 25th, 2015, 'Bouvier' is indicted in 'Monaco' on charges of fraud and complicity in money laundering. According to 'Rybolovlev', Bouvier had defrauded him of more than $1 billion, often reselling paintings to him in a matter of days at markups as high as 70%. The dispute over 'Rybolovlev’s' collection of 38 paintings spawned civil and criminal litigation in at least five jurisdictions around the world. The legal battle is still going on today. Ahead of it's auction, 'Christie’s' create an extensive marketing campaign for 'The Salvator Mundi', sending the painting New York, where it sells on November 15th, 2017 for a world record auction price of $450,300,000. 'The Salvator Mundi’s' buyer was the crown prince of 'Saudi Arabia', 'Mohammad bin Salman'. The painting’s first public appearance is scheduled at 'The Louvre Abu Dhabi' in September 2018 but the show is cancelled at the last minute. The unveiling is postponed indefinitely with no explanation given. The painting is sent instead to the 'Centre For Research And Restoration Of The Museums Of France (C2RMF) for a scientific examination..In October, 2019, 'The Louvre' in Paris opens their blockbuster 'Leonardo da Vinci' exhibition to mark the 500th anniversary of 'The Renaissance' master’s death. 'The Salvator Mundi' fails to show up despite 'The Louvre' requesting a loan. 'The Art Newspaper' reports on a secret 46-page booklet, 'Léonard de Vinci: Le Salvator Mundi', prepared by 'The Louvre' and printed in December 2019. The publication of the book was cancelled when 'The Salvator Mundi' loan was refused but some copies of the book were purchased at 'The Louvre' bookshop. The booklet provides detailed conclusions of 'The Louvre’s' scientific examinations. The results of the secret book is published by 'The French Art Newspaper', 'La Tribune De L'art', in April 2021. This is a film about the incredible journey of a painting, 'The Salvator Mundi', 'The Saviour Of The World', possibly by 'Leonardo da Vinci'. It's a true story, yet a fairytale worthy of 'H.C. Andersen'. A damaged painting, neglected for centuries, is fortuitously rediscovered and soon after praised as a long-lost masterpiece of divine beauty. At it's peak in the spotlight, it's decried as a fake, but what's revealed most of all is that the world around it's fake, driven by cynical powers and money. The story lays bare the mechanisms of the human psyche, our longing for the divine, and our post-factual capitalist societies in which money and power override the truth. The painting becomes a prism through which we can understand ourselves and the world we live in. To this day there's no conclusive proof that the painting is, or is not, a 'da Vinci' and as long as there's a doubt, people, institutions, and states can use it for the purpose that serves them the most. It's a fantastic voyage into secret worlds that are otherwise entirely inaccessible. Worlds in which anything can be bought and sold, where prestige, power, and money play out beneath the beautiful surface of the art world. What fascinates and disillusions is that art is being used for economic speculation and as a token in political games. Art is a beautiful manifestation of human feelings and expressions throughout history. Art belongs to humanity. Instead of being publicly accessible, it's hidden away in freeports and used for cynical and speculative purposes. The supposedly independent scientific and scholarly approach to the painting is under enormous political pressure. In the end, not only the painting is lost, but also the truth itself. The painting, a product of the very 'Renaissance' that valued freedom of science and art, ultimately becomes a victim of vested interests and power games. The story is a telling fable of our time. The film engages surprises and intrigues the viewers who themselves become detectives in the story, leaving them with a question: What do I believe to be the truth'? The documentary positions this stranger-than-fiction story squarely at the intersection of capitalism and myth-making, posing the question; is this multi-million dollar painting actually by 'Leonardo', or do certain powerful players simply want it to be?