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(Release Info U.K. schedule; May 9th, 2019, Picturehouse Exeter, Bartholomew St W, Exeter EX4 3AJ, United Kingdom, 12:00 pm) "High Life" Deep space. Beyond our solar system. Monte (Robert Pattinson) and his daughter Willow (Jessi Ross) live together aboard a spacecraft, in complete isolation. A solitary man, who uses his strict self-discipline in a shield against desire, his own and that of others, Monte fathered the girl against his will. His sperm was used to inseminate Boyse (Mia Goth), the young woman who gave birth to the girl. They're members of a crew of prisoners; space convicts, death row inmates. Guinea pigs sent on a mission to 'The Black Hole' closest to Earth. Now only Monte and Willow remain. And Monte is no longer the same. Through his daughter, for the first time, he experiences the birth of an all-powerful love. Willow grows, first of all into a young girl and then into a young woman. Together, father and daughter approach their destination; the black hole in which time and space cease to exist. Monte is part of a motley crew of convicts sent in a spaceship to seemingly exploit an energy resource from a 'Black Hole'. But they're the ones exploited as guinea pigs for sexual experiments by their medical officer Dr. Dibbs (Juliette Binoche). Dr. Dibs is a sort of 'Strangelove' in space, slightly crazed and dangerous. And it's wild to see Willow learning to walk in the corridor of the spaceship, because those truly were the baby's (Scarlett), first steps, taken in front of a camera. At the end of the day she's happily cooing and walking. It’s one of the favorite scenes. That's where we see on Monte's face that his beauty doesn’t get in the way of his goodness. Or rather, that his goodness is beautiful to see. The other crew members are Tcherny (André Benjamin), Nansen (Agatha Buzek), Chandra (Lars Eidinger), Mink (Claire Tran), Ettore (Ewan Mitchell), Elektra (Gloria Obianyo). All of them are wonderful individually and collectively. The same thing about them all; rebellious, broken youth. What unites them is that they’re a group of delinquents, from the community of men and women on death row. In exchange for so-called freedom, they agree to be sent into space to be used as guinea pigs for more-or-less scientific experiments on reproduction, pregnancy, birth; under the strict supervision of a doctor who also has a serious criminal record. It’s a prison in space, a penal colony where the inmates are more or less equals. A sort of phalanstery where no one is really giving orders, even the woman doctor, whose task is to collect sperm like a queen bee. The queen bee is in charge, but the real leader, the only absolute and imperceptible commander, is the spaceship itself, programmed to lead them all to a 'Black Hole', to infinity, to death. A sort of squat house, drab, dirty, poorly lit. There's a main corridor and cells on both sides. On the floor below are a medical lab, a morgue and a greenhouse garden. That earth is their Earth, the only thing that reminds them that they're earthlings, men and women of the earth. For the doctor’s lab, the film shows the same simplicity, the strict minimum; test tubes, a few instruments, a chair for gynecologic exams. None of the typical science fiction props, laser guns, disintegrators, teleportation devices. The same goes for weightlessness. There's no need for weightlessness because the spaceship is accelerating close to the speed of light. Terrestrial gravity, gravity in every sense of the word, reestablishes itself, because gravity is the effect of acceleration. All these men and women have in common is the English they speak. It's the only international language, along with Russian, that's spoken on modern-day space missions. Although soon people will be speaking Chinese in space. English, or more precisely the American English spoken in the film, serves another purpose. There's a flashback in the film that could be considered explanatory. The scene is shot on the roof of train on the frontier between Poland and Belarus. On this train are stowaways, hobos, some of whom we may recognize from the space station. Is it their past? It's more like a melancholic allusion that can evoke not only 'Kerouac’s On the Road' but also those convoys of outsiders and misfits that cross America from east to west. Train, bridge, forests. Other colors which contrast with film’s main palette. In point of fact, that scene is shot in 16mm, not in digital, which tends to rub out nuances. On the computer screens in the spaceship, we see three images from Earth. A random rugby match, an old documentary and a home movie. The documentary is a piece of 'In The Land Of The Head Hunters'. It's not an image of piety, compassion or nostalgia, but one of extreme sadness. What has become of them? Down what fatal rabbit hole did they disappear? These three groups of images, pixelated by the spaceship’s computers, are like archives of times past that can never be regained. Every passenger on the spaceship dresses similarly, in a sort of work uniform with the number 7 on it. 7 is the number of the spaceship. It’s like it is tattooed on their bodies. It implies that this spaceship is one in a series. At an important moment in the film, spaceship 7 docks with another spaceship, number 9, in which the only survivors are dogs; unless it's part of different experiment for dogs only. The film shows this encounter with animality, a mirror of our own, a challenge to our pseudo humanity and the ghoulish fate we've set aside for our so-called pets. The first living creature sent into space was a Russian dog Laïka, who didn’t survive her return to Earth. Sexuality is very present in "High Life" but is treated funereally. Sexuality, not sex. Sensuality, not pornography. In prison, normal sexuality isn’t really on the agenda. But if the prison is also a laboratory destined to perpetuate the human species, sexuality becomes even more abstract, if it's just to reproduce. If the men have to set aside their sperm for the doctor, yes, they get to cum, but for science. Before 'Christianity', marriage served one purpose; procreation. Sexuality is about fluids. As soon as sexuality stirs within us, we know it’s all about fluids: blood, sperm. We've to reduce the sex act to masturbation, more or less technically assisted by the Fuckbox fitted with a dildo for Dr. Dibs, who gives it her all, but in total solitude. This scene is, in part, dark and useless. But what's useful, in the end? Trying to cum isn’t useless. All of her strength is in her back. Later, she goes at night to steal the sperm of Monte, who's knocked out by sleeping pills. It’s a robbery. And definitely a rape. But we see Monte moaning, comatose but not in pain. It’s the story of a man alone in space for the rest of his life, with a baby most likely his, who will become a young woman and eventually his femme fatale, if ever he makes up his mind; this sort of knight, this 'Perceval', this scout of another story, to break his vow of chastity. This is what happens at the end of the film when the young woman, who has no other man on hand, who doesn’t even know that this man his handsome because she has never had anyone to compare him to, makes the first move. We're approaching the forbidden planet, the absolute taboo. A girl is also a woman. Incest is the quest for the ultimate in sex, because it's forbidden. What would you expect from a space opera directed by Claire Denis? Well, everything. "High Life" does to sci-fi what Denis "Trouble Every Day" did to vampire films; it’s a radical interpretation where the filmmaker subverts tropes and genre while preserving their very essence. The film explores Denis favourite themes, bodies and outsiders, which are desired and rejected at the same time. Mind-bending and very organic, "High Life" is a crossover between "Solaris" and "Alien", but without needing any monster. The shape of spaceship 7 doesn’t correspond to typical science fiction criteria. The spaceship looks like a box of matches. But it’s not a whim or a fancy. Not to play the astrophysicist card. When you leave the solar system, there's zero resistance, so the spaceship can be any shape as long as it's equipped with an energy source to keep it moving. The missile-like aerodynamic shape becomes useless or absurd. It’s above all a fascinating work on on how to keep one's humanity in the space void. The film recalls a country where the death penalty still exists, i.e. certain states in 'The US'. The characters are presented as men and women without a past. There's an earlier version of the script that referenced their former lives. The film makes a point of not over-fictionalizing the characters; they've all probably committed terrible crimes, but we don’t pursue it. Their history, collective or individual, takes place in the present and; who knows? In the future, even if for most of them the future will take the form of a cemetery under the stars. They all are contemporary community, utopians, hippies of a special sort, who've gone from juvenile detention centers to prisons and who do not want to live in any society other than their own. Desire and solitude, that’s the main theme. More or less. But above all, "High Life" is not a science fiction film even if there are healthy doses of fiction and science thanks to the precious participation of the astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau, specialist in astroparticle physics and black holes. The film takes place in space but it’s very grounded. It's a film about despair and human tenderness. About love, despite everything.

(The UK and European premiere of "Mary Queen Of Scots" will be on Monday, December 10th, 2018 at 'Cineworld Cinema', Leicester Square, London, 7pm). UK release on January 18th, 2019. (Release Info New York City schedule; December 5th, 2018, The Paris Theatre) "Mary Queen Of Scots" A Queen who lost three kingdoms. A wife who lost three husbands. A woman who lost her head. 'Mary Queen Of Scots' (Saoirse Ronan) spends her childhood in France and is meant to become also 'Queen Of France'. However, her ailing husband dies and the young widow returns alone to Scotland, a country devastated by war. Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) has just become 'Queen Of England', for Mary she's like a twin sister to whom she can open her heart. Mary weds again and gives birth to an heir to the thrown. Her second husband, Lord Darnley (Jack Lowden), proves to be a weakling. When Mary finds the love of her life, 'The Earl Of Bothwell' (Martin Compston), she has Darnley murdered and marries Bothwell. Horrified by this deed and the blind passion that motivated it, both the nobles and the people of Scotland spurn her. To avert a bloody battle, Mary is compelled to give up her beloved Bothwell. In desperate straits, she turns to Elizabeth I for help. In response, 'The Queen Of England' imprisons her. After 19 years spent in a golden cage, Mary finds release at last; Elizabeth I sends her to 'The Block'. From the day she was born, Mary Stuart’s hand in marriage was coveted with such rough wooing that her mother sent the five-year-old 'Queen Of Scotland' to France as the betrothed of Dauphin François (Adrian Lester). Mary and François grew up almost like siblings at 'The Luxurious French Court' and were married when Mary was 15. Elizabeth I was crowned 'Queen Of England' at the same time. Mary reaches out to her cousin Elizabeth I, as if she were a trusted twin sister to whom she can open her heart. And yet, urged on by 'King Henry II Of France' (Kadiff Kirwan), she also lays claim to 'The English Throne'. Shortly there after, upon the death of Henry II, François and Mary become 'King And Queen Of France'. Mary’s reign as 'Queen Of France' comes to an abrupt end after only a year, upon the death of the sickly François at the young age of 16. Having lost her claim to 'The French Throne', 18-year-old Mary decides to return to Scotland. She accepts her fate with courage and determination. Life in Scotland is very different from what she has been accustomed to; the climate is rough and the customs are coarse in a country beset by poverty. In addition, Mary is confronted with the extremely explosive situation of a nation divided between 'Protestants' and 'Catholics'. As a Catholic, she faces the hostility not only of 'The Protestant Leader' John Knox (David Tennant) but also of her brother 'Earl Of Moray' (James McArdle) and she's reviled by her people as an unmarried French whore. She finds consolation and support in the four companions of her childhood, 'The Four Marys', in Rizzio (Ismael Cruz), 'The Puppeteer', who becomes her political confidant and advisor, and in 'The Earl Of Bothwell', the only Scotsman, it seems, to respect her. But Mary is a survivor. The royal blood in her veins lends her the strength to brave her opponents. She wants to unite her people; tolerance is her highest priority. So much so, that she even hazards the blatant hatred of her adversaries. It soon becomes clear that Mary must have a husband. Even Elizabeth I takes action by recommending her own lover, a suggestion indignantly rebuffed by Mary. In fact, having fallen in love with another Englishman, handsome Lord Darnley, she proudly defies Elizabeth I and her brother Moray by rashly deciding to get married. Ambitious, zealously anti-Protestant, refusing to be reined in by 'The Queen', Darnley rapidly proves to be a grave menace to the already precariously balanced relationship between 'Catholics' and 'Protestants'. Whatever faith Mary, now many months pregnant, may still have had in Darnley evaporates when he allies himself with Moray and has her confidant Rizzio brutally murdered before her very eyes. Mary is devastated. Skilfully masking her feelings, she successfully persuades Darnley that she has forgiven him but turns her back on him, the moment she has him under control. With a heavy heart, she entrusts her son to one of 'The Four Marys', to protect him from Darnley’s wayward behaviour. In the meantime, even Moray has become wary of him and warns Mary that he must be kept in line. Learning that Bothwell has been seriously injured, Mary realizes that the word friendship alone no longer applies to her feelings for 'The Loyal Earl'. The inevitability of her love for him sends her spiralling into despair and she too falls ill. She senses that she will pay for her passion with her life. Bothwell and Mary have recovered; they stand face-to-face at long last. Mary succumbs to her feelings; after the first night spent with Bothwell, she throws all precaution to the winds and chooses to remain with him. At the baptism of her child, she's quivering with excitement because Elizabeth I has announced that she will be present. The time has come for the sisters to embrace. They will meet in person for the very first time. But, once again, Mary's hopes are dashed. Elizabeth I has sent a deputy with the gift of a golden baptismal font. Despite her profound disappointment and rage, Mary still feels bound to Elizabeth I by unfathomable ties. Darnley, now suffering from syphilis, does not attend the baptism. In his stead, Bothwell is there at the table next to Mary. Moray and Bothwell make plans to eliminate Darnley. Mary does not get involved but neither does she interfere with their plans. Shortly afterwards, the house in which Darnley is being cared for goes up in flames. Mary, already pregnant with Bothwell's child, struggles to simulate shock and dismay. Only a few weeks pass before she decides to marry Bothwell. Aghast at this deed driven by blind passion, the nobles and the people turn against her. The people demand that she punish Bothwell; even Elizabeth urges her to do so. Mary cannot bring herself to take action against him. Her love for Bothwell is too great; she's too happy with him. Moray abandons her; he and his entourage depart for Italy, far removed from the impending catastrophe of a civil war. Bothwell has recruited an army but it's ranks are daily dwindling. Royal jewellery is melted down to pay the soldiers. On the morning of the battle, the hopelessness of Mary’s situation is patent. Vastly outnumbered by 'The Army Of The Lords', she's asked to surrender and dismiss Bothwell. She has no choice; there's no other way out. She sends Bothwell away. While gazing after him, the blood runs down her between her legs. In utter despair, Mary appeals to Elizabeth I for help. 'The Queen Of England' responds by having her imprisoned, ostensibly for murdering Darnley, but actually in order to eliminate a legitimate contender to 'The English Throne'. After 19 years in a golden cage Mary finds salvation on 'The Block'. Mary's youth in France is important to understand the luxury of the surroundings she grew up in. It shows the contrast to Scotland, the poor, war-torn country that she voluntarily chose to return to, after her first husband died, not because she's homesick but because she's their legitimate 'Queen'. She feels she has the right to marry the man of her choice and to mete out less punishment than called upon by custom. Above all, there so one objective that she pursues with bewildering tenacity, she wants to unite 'The English Crown' and 'Scottish Crown', effectively uniting England with Scotland, 'Catholics' with 'Protestants', and ultimately herself with her cousin Elizabeth I So intensely does Mary embrace this extremely personal idea of unification that she's blinded to political and social realities and incapable of considering the consequences of her actions. The uncompromising pursuit of her inner goals, however, don’t seem to lead to a more fulfilled life or greater freedom. Instead her freedom is increasingly curtailed and she's more and more isolated. Her inner drives prove fatal to her goals. Socially ostracized, ever more lonely, we see Mary in solitude, straying about in empty halls and courtyards. Crazed she gallops across fields, compelled to follow the same path, desperately seeking a way out. The smaller Mary's world becomes in her confinement, the more it revolves only around her. Here, a third stylistic device comes into play; Mary's thoughts, moods and emotions begin to acquire shape through the imaginary presence of her 'counterpart', the absent Elizabeth. Mary interiorizes 'Queen Elizabeth' and makes her part of herself to such an extent that one might even say she has become her alter ego. The letters she writes and never sends to Elizabeth are now soliloquies and the omnipresent portrait of 'The English Queen' in her chambers turn into mirrors. Although the real Elizabeth never accepted any of Mary's repeated invitations to visit Scotland and despite 'The English Queen’s' attempt to bridle Mary by choosing a husband for her, Mary persists in her vision of Elizabeth as a kindred soul, who empathizes with her state of mind. The puppet show, both as a product of Mary's imagination and as a skit staged for the public by her confidant Rizzio, adds an additional insight into Mary’s perception of her relationship with Elizabeth. The puppets are moved by only one puppeteer and are incapable of being anything but enemies. Never does Mary's antagonist react directly, never do we learn whether Mary’s opinion is shared by her English rival. And we realize that the end is inevitable, to Mary being executed makes sense emotionally; there's no other way out. In the final scene, she turns to the camera and addresses words of farewell to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth relationship is crucial to the film. There's no separate, self-contained Elizabeth in the film; she's essentially part of Mary, almost like her shadow. In that respect she's an inner figure, especially since Mary never saw her. She has only portraits and reports and formal diplomatic relations. Both women suffered an exceptional fate. Elizabeth went directly from prison to 'Queen Of England'. Mary went from 'Queen Of Scots', and briefly 'Queen Of France', to prison. Both have a strong will and a horde of nobles hovering around them and trying to tell them how to rule. Mary is the more old-fashioned queen but the more modern woman; Elizabeth is the manager and unable to bear children. They both knew that there's a woman on the same island, struggling with similar problems. They're related and at the same time rivals since Mary, influenced by her French relatives, has laid claim to the English crown as well. Their relationship is always very ambiguous and Elizabeth is the most important person in Mary's life. The presence of Elizabeth and Mary's longing for her sister’s real presence are vital to the narrative of the film and it’s embodied in the combination of Mary’s inner voice and the puppet shows. You can interpret their relationship classically; two Queens who are very close, who are in conflict and never meet. Her life takes a dramatic turn in a very short time. The film shows the beginning and end of her life. But also psychologically as Mary's inner struggle with her own being and who she's. That's very important, so it's a constant struggle to figure out how to do that without having to retell the whole story. The film focuses on those two dramatic, eventful years in which she falls in love with Darnley and precipitously marries him, witnesses her confidant Rizzio being murdered before her eyes, does nothing about the conspiracy against Darnley and finally marries Bothwell. It's like a volcano, with one explosion after the other, and it's just too much to weave into one storyline. Dramaturgically, therefore, the film treats the events like earthquakes that start out being barely perceptible and then suddenly erupt. Along with Mary, we're suddenly faced with unexpected situations. Having lost everything, including the crown, she can no longer face Elizabeth as an equal in rivalry, so that life has become meaningless. The end of 'Mary Queen Of Scots' once again reveals the extraordinary nature of this historical figure; even in death, she remains true to her inner logic and her own will. "Mary Queen Of Scots" instantly conjures opulent costumes, bloody battles and passionate love affairs. Mary Stuart’s story exerts an enduring fascination. She has been the subject of countless theatrical adaptations; she figures in series that immerse us in the life and times of her age. Her story has been interpreted time and time again; it has been examined from untold perspectives. It tells of a 'Scottish Catholic Queen' who considers herself the rightful 'Queen Of England' and is executed at the age of 42 by 'The Protestant Queen Of England' after years of political intrigue and imprisonment. The contradictory judgements and reactions provoked by the drama of Mary's life in her own time are still the subject of speculation today. Crucial to the film is the inner life of this historical figure. Mary intuitively struck a chord in us as someone we can relate to not in terms of her blue blood but because of her personality. It's not about a specific culture or country. She's a European heroine caught between 'Catholic France' and 'Protestant Scotland'. We're presented with the psychogram of a woman torn by ambivalence and driven by passion, a psychological treatment that reads Mary as a modern figure. The film gives us an intimate insight into a woman who does not conform, who has an iron will and steadfastly refuses to bow to conventions and expectations, a woman who does not yield to social pressure but answers only to herself and her own inner laws. She actively embraces the responsibility entrusted to her as 'Queen', boldly making decisions and taking action in a male-dominated world. With indomitable, emancipatory will, she confronts the powerful lords around her, never doubting the strength of her authority as a woman. Following the advice received from her stepfather, Henry II, in 'The Gardens Of The French Court', she tries not to succumb to her feminine instincts and her friendliness. With her deep, guttural voice, she leaves no doubt about how she perceives her role as 'Queen'. She's not obsessed by power; on the contrary, she's almost naïve and childlike in the unremitting pursuit of her ideals. Mary is neither a saintly heroine motivated by her Catholic faith to do good, nor is she an ambitious Queen obsessed with power. She's shown as an independent spirit, who obeys her own inner drives. Mary Stuart is a woman whose true life experience is compressed into the briefest of moments, for instead of being able to act out an entire life, she said confined to the ardent space of a single passion. Operating on several levels and employing several means, the film concentrates first and foremost on Mary's physical presence. In long takes, we're given time to read and understand the expressions on her face; defiant, stubborn, flushed with emotion, but always intense, open and communicative. We see her wildly galloping through a raw, forbidding landscape, horse and rider fused into one. On another level deserted landscapes suddenly appear, mirroring Mary's state of mind. The camera moves at eye level through foggy, bleak scenery redolent with surrealist symbolism. A single, dirt-spattered horse, the edge of the ocean, convoluted paths through labyrinthine undergrowth and fade-ins of complete blackness echo 'The Queen’s' moods and emotions. The genre hasn't really moved forward in any way over the past 30 years. The film generates a cinematographic feel for the era, which means, for instance, using lots of natural light, light candles or daylight, or gentle camera work with a handheld camera shooting at eye level. A preindustrial narrative style where we watch the characters and rest on their faces just a little bit longer to capture the full effect. We see traits in Mary and that aren't terribly en vogue anymore today. She’s looking for something unconditional. We live in an age where the focus is on getting a return on your investments. That doesn't interest Mary; she throws herself into life with a passion. That's a quality that has been overshadowed in an age of totally connected, postmodern individuals. The archaic nature of being human is important in developing her character. It's not surprising that we hear less about Mary today than about her adversary Elizabeth. Elizabeth is like a modern manager who has sacrificed her personal life for the greater good because of her love of the people. Mary figured prominently in 19th-century literature and music but she has never really come into her own in contemporary cinema. There are a number of TV series about Elizabeth in which Mary plays a supporting part. She represents values that we need to defend because they're fundamental human qualities: profound, unconditional commitment instead of concentrating on the quantifiable results of everything we do.

This is not about politics. It’s about your children. This is about our children. We will find a cure and we will save our precious sons and daughters. If you want to form a sentence with the words “monotony”, “mediocrity”, “clichéd sameness” and “corny”, you can do that without any problems along with the movie title “The Darkest Minds“. Well, I’m getting sick of the concept of dystopian teen films. Even though they mixed it this time with a kind of “X-men” mood. Apart from some crackling electrical flashes, a storm with trees crashing down and flying containers, there’s not much more to see here. And don’t expect impressive special effects either. Actually, I already had the feeling while watching “The 5th Wave” that after the successful franchises of “Divergent” and “The Hunger Games” we would be flooded with weak duplicates of this genre for years. Duplicates of which they hoped it could be the start of again some successful sequels. However, I’m afraid this is yet again another feeble attempt that will fail. Simply because “The Darkest Minds” is really embarrassingly bad. Watch out for the orange and red ones. This time it’s not a devastating war or an alien invasion that makes our planet a place where survival is priority number one. No, it’s a sudden emerging disease (Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration) that actually kills about 95% of young people. I suppose this is a kind of childhood disease of a higher level. And those who survive suddenly have supernatural powers. They are locked up straight away in youth camps by the adult world. Allegedly to examine them and to find a cure. Ultimately it’s because these adults, like with the X-men, are afraid of mutants and secondly because they are afraid to lose power. There, on the basis of their acquired powers, those kids are divided into groups. Each with a specific color, whereby those from the orange and red camp are considered to be the most dangerous. In other words, persons who’re allocated to these two groups, simply are going to be eliminated. Likewise, the lovely girl Ruby (Amandla Stenberg) who appears to be part of the orange team after being tested. It’s kind of predictable. For the umpteenth time, we see how moronic and stupid adults are portrayed in these kinds of films. Orange means that a person has the ability to manipulate someone else’s thoughts. You don’t need to be an Einstein to know how Ruby manages to save herself from this life-threatening situation. The moment Ruby escapes from this concentration camp and joins a group of teenagers, you can get ready for the most sugar-coated and predictable storyline ever. Let’s meet “The slip kid”. The group of teenagers, consisting of Liam (Harris Dickinson), Chubs (Skylan Brooks) and Zu (Miya Cech), are looking for a kind of youth camp where children are safe. It’s led by a legendary figure with the name “The Slip Kid “. And before you know it, love is in the air and Ruby finds the ultimate hint to find out where the camp is located. And finally, there’s also a mandatory plot twist. Only viewers who have fallen asleep above their popcorn, haven’t seen that one coming. The only thing I could appreciate was the end. I can’t say it was really original. But it’s kind of daring. But I came real quick to my senses when I realized that sequels with similar nonsense are likely to be released in the future. Uninspired and mediocre. To be honest, you can’t blame the film studios to release such films. After all, the profit is the most important thing for them. And when a specific genre is already a hype for a number of years, you have to continue with it until the subject has been completely milked dry. And as long as the theaters fill up with teenage girls (With helmets on because they run into walls while being constantly focused on their smartphones) who dream away while watching a film full of female heroism and who swoon when looking at a handsome Boyband-like wuss, the studios continue to produce these type of movies. Till one day when those youngsters themselves exclaim in disgust (the age of reason probably) that they’ve had enough. And despite the political correctness in this film and the moral of equality (an “It doesn’t matter what color you are”-like message), it still remains mediocre crap with superheroes in it. So even though colors play an important role in “The Darkest Minds“, it’s just a colorless (and also uninspired) teenage film. My rating 2/10 Links: IMDB More reviews here

(TIMES & TICKETS, London Central, FRI 1 JUL, BFI London Southbank, 0 Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XT, United Kingdom, 6:20 PM) https://www.flicks.co.uk/movie/wayfinder/ "Wayfinder" Set during a pandemic, The Wanderer (Perside Rodrigues), a young girl, undertakes an intrepid journey across England. The film tracks the movements of it's central protagonist, The Wanderer, on an intrepid journey across England. Presented across six chapters, including The North, The Land of Smoke and The Kingdom of the East, this film builds a dialogue around the themes of class and economic exclusion, belonging and displacement, cultural heritage and the meaning of home. Travelling from North to South, The Wanderer passes through different regions, towns and landscapes, encountering people, stories and situations on her way. With the film set during an unknown point in the not-too-distant-future during a discursive moment in time. The Wanderer acts as a witness to accounts, conversations, places and histories, both known and dormant. Setting out from Bowness-on-Solway, a village that separates England from Scotland, the film follows the Wanderer’s journey across the ancient paths of Hadrian’s Wall and other significant environments thereafter. From Hemmingwell housing estate in Wellingborough to the National Gallery deserted at night, through the international port London Gateway (in Essex), eventually reaching the sea at Margate. The film’s cast includes former athlete Anita Neil Oly (herself) who's Britain’s first Black female Olympian and we see The Griot (Mataio Austin Dean) in a trippy dialogue-driven scene set within East London Café E. Pellicci in Bethnal Green. A road movie of sorts, "Wayfinder" draws on British traditions of travel and exploration of the sublime landscape and the sea, reflecting on division and crisis in this nation today. Addressing an unreconciled history of empire and inequality, it asks, who's allowed to feel that they belong? The film combines sweeping shots with poetic voice-over narratives, melded with real vox pop testimonies, field recordings and an original orchestral score. This project feels like a poignant moment. It feels important and necessary, especially at this point in time to be able to bring this range of subject matter and conversations to the table at what is increasingly becoming a contentious moment of our times. This expansive vision marks a new and exciting stage in art practice. The film employs still imagery, aural and visual archives, live performance, objects and sound to explore ideas surrounding class, gender, cross-cultural and post-digital identity. With works that examine communal and personal heritage, in particular, the intersection between Popular culture and the post-colonial position, the film crate-digs the vaults of history. These investigations examine constructions of the self by splicing the audible and visual materials of personal and interpersonal archives, offering multiple perspectives that reveal the deeply entrenched inequalities in contemporary society. Written by Gregory Mann

(Release Info London schedule, May 11th, 2018, Cineworld, Leicester Square) "How To Talk To Girls At Parties" From the visionary minds of director John Cameron Mitchell comes a story of the birth of punk, the exuberance of first love, and the universe’s greatest mystery of all. It’s London, 1977 and our teenage hero Henry (Alex Sharp) and his two friends John (Ethan Lawrence) and Vic (Abraham Lewis) are in search of a night to remember, uninterested in 'The Silver Jubilee' celebrations that are going on behind the privet hedges and lace-curtained windows of quiet suburbia. Desperate to be taken seriously by local punk matriarch Queen Boadicea (Nicole Kidman) and her coterie of followers they hear of a party not far away and decide to gatecrash. On arrival, nothing is quite as they expected; the house seems to be full of teenage students: exotic, foreign, unbelievably gorgeous. Know-it-all ladies man Vic identifies them as American; what else could they be? Soon Henry is in way over his head with the beautiful, enigmatic Zan (Elle Fanning), an outsider just like him. As Henry becomes her ambassador to a brave new world of punk, partying and music, he learns that Zen has a new world of her own to share and over the course of twenty four hours the two will go on an adventure that's truly out of this world. Zan, the rebellious alien drawn to the punk life, and Henry, the shy punk rocker who falls for her; and have an appealing on-screen chemistry. Zan is a tourist although she would resent that description as she wants to be more than just a tourist. She's there to see earth and what she sees is Croydon in 1977. She wants to see more and she's frustrated. Zan is part of 'The Fourth Colony' whose motto is 'Fourth Colony Manifests Individuality'. The colony is all about being unique and self-confident but PT Waldo (Tom Brooke), the father of the colony, is very protective and doesn’t allow to be individual. Zan is very frustrated because the colony have been touring many different places now we’re humans and in London, an amazing city, and we can‘t do anything, we can’t meet locals, we can’t dance, we can’t drink, all we‘re allowed to see is coal. How exciting! And then she meets Henry and she rebels. Zan comes from a sterile world where everything is strictly regulated, even the food we’re allowed to eat, so when she meets Henry, she wants to know everything about the punk world because he’s this fascinating thing, wearing interesting clothes and safety pins and she wants to be a part of it and experience something new. Punk is nasty and gritty and exciting! Zan is fascinated with every little detail, and every little vein on a person’s face. We see the story through Henry’s eyes. He's a budding graphic novelist, doesn't quite fit in, smarter than his own good. He's not a full on punk but has something of a punk in him. Henry is a great cartoonist, a great visual artist and a wannabe punk. He's quiet and introverted but loves cartoons and creating them. One night when he’s out with his two best mates, he ends up at a party where he meets Zan who turns out to be extraordinary in a lot of unpredictable and bizarre ways and he falls in love. He’s not the archetypal nerd; he’s got a lot going on. He's got that teenage confusion and lack of self-confidence, in some ways he knows exactly who he's and what he wants. He's in that period of his life, coming of age, where he wants more than what he’s got so far and feels frustrated by it. As Henry gets to know Zan, he becomes aware of her very different ways of expressing herself and showing her affection. Queen Boadicea is the outlandish owner of the local punk club. Matt Lucas plays PT Wain (Matt Lucas) is a grumpy alien in a purple outfit. He's a bit of a killjoy and is quite stern which is a bit of a stretch. He likes to do things by the book and of course this film is about people thinking for themselves and following a new path, and this character is a barrier to that. "How To Talk To Girl At Parties" based on a short story by Neil Gaiman from his collection 'Fragile Things'. A funny and delightful genre mash-up, the film focuses on Henry, a shy teenage punk rocker in 70s suburban England, and his two closest friends, Vic and John. One night they all sneak into a party where they meet a group of seemingly otherworldly girls; at first they think it’s a cult, but eventually come to realise the girls are actually from another world, outer space. The leaders of these alien colonies have an ominous plan in mind, but that doesn’t stop Henry from falling madly in love with Zan, one of the colonies key members. Their burgeoning romance sets in motion a series of increasingly sensational events that will lead to the ultimate showdown of punks versus aliens, and test the bonds of friendship, family, and true love. The adventures of Henry and his friends are autobiographical-ish. The film takes those fragments and makes it about the gulf between boys and girls at that age; and girls might as well be aliens. Based on the short story by renowned author and graphic artist Neil Gaiman, the film‘s tone, spirit and period setting chimed perfectly with gleeful love of the alternative. It draws on Neil Gaiman's youth as a punk in Croydon and in some ways we need a punk spirit more now than perhaps we did in the 70's because of a feeling of darkness, harshness and doom that's suffusing everyone now. The juxtaposition of worlds represented in the story also struck a chord. It's also a real romance between a punk and alien, it's a mixture of cultures and subcultures. Both the aliens and punks are tribes on the fringe in the normal grey 70's world of Croydon. What's lovely about the story is that it has a first act and then it stops and it's just what happens if one of the girl’s from the story follows Henry home. It starts as a very short story, that's in effect the first scene in the film. The film loves the idea of exploring punk and pop, like 'The Damned' and 'The Ramones'. The thrill of the unknown, the way the music you loved is the most important thing on earth, the mysteries of the human and alien heart, all set in a world where the line between the everyday and fantastic is blurred. This is a film about waking up and maybe it's time to wake up again because culturally everything’s become a bit homogenous. Maybe it's time for another punk explosion. While whipping them into shape you really want to keep that punk energy of freedom, laughter, spontaneity and improvisation. The story is set in 1977 but the film is not slavishly faithful to the period. The sci-fi aspects to the story allows to let our imaginations run free. The story embraces grit-Brit naturalism as well as unbridled fantasy and the design echos that combination. Although it's set in 1977 it doesn't try too hard to be 1977. It's a mash up between now and then. It's definitely the world of punk as seen from the early 21st Century. “How To Talk To Girls At Parties" is a British film about a British subject matter, directed by a US director. As a result there's always a danger the film can feel disconnected from reality, but that’s not the case here. "How To Talk To Girls At Parties" has an authentic spirit. Key to the look is the spirit of punk and it's effects on popular culture both in the UK and around the world. It’s difficult to understand now but when the 'Sex Pistols' appeared on early evening television in 1976, the shockwaves were seismic. If their surly attitude, scruffy clothes and hair and swastika armbands weren‘t alarming enough, it was as though civilisation had crumbled and the four horsemen were coming into view over the hilltops. Swearing on TV was just one of the barriers broken down by punk. From music to fashion, art to politics, punk represented a breaking away from the past and a dismantling of tradition. Old ways of doing things were out and the new way was whichever way you wanted. Punk means what it always meant which is that you do it. The joy of punk was that famous poster; here’s a chord, here’s another, now form a band. Just do it, find out how to do it on the way, but start doing it. It’s for the original punks and the generations whom they’ve transformed from the inside out since. It’s a wild ride and big-screen punk-show and the belief that different worlds can combine in unexpected ways to create something exhilerating and urgent and new.

Every once in a while, nature makes a mistake. The beginning explains a lot. First, footage of an adorable-looking 2-year-old, growing up and having one injury after the other. And again and again, you get this emotionless stare because he turns out to be numb to pain. In addition, there’s an increasingly desperate-looking mother. And finally, that picture of a little boy in plaster staring sadly ahead while in the background children enjoy themselves in a playground. Perhaps this little boy realizes at that moment that his life will be very different from that of an average person. And that’s how you’ll see the grown-up Henry (Joey Klein) afterward. A person who lives completely isolated and who moves carefully through society every day. Taking with him a backpack stuffed with attributes to take care of injuries. The only thing he’s trying to produce in his as a lab equipped apartment is a medicinal product. Not to treat pain. But something so he finally can feel pain. A vital signal that the human body passes on to indicate that something isn’t right physically. A medicine so Henry has the feeling he’s really alive. It feels like watching a science programme. “Painless” is not SF, even though I don’t know whether there are people in the world who suffer from the same condition as Henry or not. I’d rather call this film a drama with a scientific undertone. Because believe me, a lot of Chinese sounding medical terms will be fired at you. Technical terms about chemical compounds and genetic stuff are used throughout the whole movie. No idea what education Henry has followed. But it’s clear he’s a genius in the field of science. He also appears to have an unprecedented gift that allows him to diagnose a person’s condition with a single glance. This all makes this film rather boring sometimes and too intellectual. It feels as if you are looking at some scientific program. Something only real nerds like to watch. And they get excited about every scientific term that’s being used. Yet there’s something else to be enjoyed for ordinary people without a master degree. Someone like me for instance. And that’s the wonderful acting. The acting is absolutely superb. Joey Klein delivers a great performance. The way he shapes Henry is simply brilliant. The unworldly loner who looks shyly around and who avoids any contact with other individuals. The only one he has regular contact with is his doctor Dr. Raymond Parks (Kip Gilman). Probably someone who took care of Henry countless times after yet another incident. He’s also Henry’s confidant. So regularly Henry storms into his office without asking, just to argue about a new theory. In my opinion, it’s also the only one who fully understands Henry. And then one day Henry meets the graceful Shani (Evalena Marie). A painful encounter (there’s hot coffee involved) after which he comes to the realization that there’s more to life than his eternal search for a cure. It’s painful to see how clumsy he is when interacting with others who don’t have a medical background. A scientific drama with a romantic twist. “Painless” is about the absence of physical pain. It’s also about the numbing effect this had on the emotional part of Henry. He’s just as insensitive when it’s about emotions. The way he responds to certain situations shows a social ignorance and a lack of experience in the field of human interaction. For him, everything is a distraction that prevents him from finding a solution for his ailment. “Painless” is certainly not an action-packed and adventurous blockbuster but still an interesting film. It shows how persons with a disorder still can function in our society. And even though you usually don’t understand what they’re talking about (thanks to the frequent use of medical and scientific terms), you can understand Henry at the end. “Painless” is about perseverance and determination. But at the same time, it is also about loneliness and sorrow. In short, a scientific drama with a romantic touch that surprised me. My rating 7/10 More reviews here

What was expected to be one of the years best movies turned out to be one of worst. Having been a fan of Prometheus, I was looking forward to a continuation of that story, which despite flaws was amongst the better sci-fi film contributions we've had recently. There was lot's of scope in Prometheus and a sense it could go anywhere it wanted it to...especially within the Alien film universe. However, Covenant does away with that and we get what feels like a stand-alone story and a generic one. Without spoiling the plot, it ties up the Prometheus conclusion very quickly within the opening 20 minutes....and what follows is a very by the numbers storyline (you're counting the numbers) primarilly focused on David (Michael Fassbender) the synthetic from the first film. Fassbender is on top form and provides one of the films few strengths. This focus on David dominates the first hour of the film, and then after providing scope for the character it quickly goes off the edge of a cliff and trancends into a generic slap- dash last half. Both undermining the character development it's created and further moving away from Prometheus. The last half provides some sub- par special effects, some bad dialogue and a re-run of set pieces evocative of Alien and Aliens that just don't work. Before Covenant was released it went through many script re-writes and I think this shows in the film. Especially between the first and second half. One part of the film is fairly fluid during David's scenes, and the other, feels like it's from another movie. Overall, Covenant feels like history repeating itself in relation to Aliens and Alien 3, one film provided a vision of a franchise, the other did away with it (although it did away with it well).

Hi Guys, Just wanted to share the official trailer for my upcoming short charity film, I am Sherlock Holmes, let me know what you think! https://vimeo.com/284323662 Also please give us a follow on Twitter if you like what you see! We'll follow back! https://twitter.com/sherlock_short

(Release Info London schedule; December 26th, 2019, Vue Cinéma, O2 Centre, 255 Finchley Rd, London NW3 6LU, United Kingdom, 2:00 pm) "Spies In Disguise" Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is not. But when events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo is forced to team up for the ultimate mission that will require an almost impossible disguise; transforming Lance into the brave, fierce, majestic pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril. Brimming with confidence and swagger, Lance is the world’s greatest spy, the best of the best of international espionage agents, Lance is all sharp angles, tall, elegantly attired, exuding coolness. Everyone knows his name, and he's often greeted by his fans with applause. He’s also used to being armed with the most state-of-the-art, cool spy gadgetry, including his cutting-edge two-seater sports vehicle, 'The Audi RSQ E-tron'. In this way, Lance and all the other agents are dependent on the technical wizards behind-the-scenes who design these gadgets for 'The Agency'. One of these tekkies is awkward yet lovable Walter Beckett. Walter is the opposite of Lance, short and appealingly geeky, dressed more for comfort and practicality than style; a genius, not an athlete. Where most of these gadgets designed by 'The Agency' are intentionally destructive and deadly, Walter, who graduated 'MIT' at age 15, has a different point of view, and designs gadgets that are completely effective, but cause no harm. For example, when tasked to create a grenade, he invents a device that explodes with glitter and creates a visual of an adorable kitten. Walter understands that seeing a kitten releases serotonin, causing the viewer to feel happy, reduce aggression and become distracted from the situation. Much safer than a grenade that blows things up. While Lance believes in fighting fire with fire, Walter believes that type of thinking just gets everyone burned. If Walter could save the world with a hug, he would. Friendless save for his faithful pet pigeon 'Lovey' (Karen Gillan), Walter’s co-workers at 'The Agency' refer to him as a weirdo, but he was raised by his late police officer mother to believe in himself and his unconventional ideas. Together, Walter and his Mom Wendy (Rachel Brosnahan), proudly called themselves 'Team Weird'. Lance and Walter both work at 'The Agency', headed by Joy Jenkins (Reba McEntire) who Lance affectionately calls 'Joyless'. She’s a pretty tough nut. Harsh and demanding, she doesn’t have many soft spots, but one of them is for Lance. Her devotion is tested when 'Internal Affairs' agent Marcy Kappel (Rashida Jones) reveals evidence that shows Lance has stolen a cataclysmically deadly drone from 'The Agency’s' covert weapons lab. The truth is that the weapon, 'The M-9 Assassin', is really in the hands of supervillain Keller 'Robohand' Killian (Ben Mendelsohn), disguised as Lance. A criminal whose real identity is unknown to global authorities, Killian’s missing right hand has been replaced by a robotic claw, hence his nickname. Joy can’t believe that Lance would turn, but Marcy, aided by her video surveillance and analysis agent Eyes (Karen Gillan) and audio analysis expert Ears (DJ Khaled), is determined to have him arrested. Lance, knowing there's a bad guy out there, needs to go rogue to stop him. Eluding capture by 'Internal Affairs', Lance is able to escape from 'The Agency' headquarters and, remembering Walter saying that he could make someone disappear, heads to Walter’s house seeking this new technology. Walter has been working on an invention called bio-dynamic concealment, an elixir that will make whoever ingests it turn into something that most people ignore, allowing them to disappear in plain sight. When Lance unintentionally drinks the formula, he's transformed into a pigeon. Lance, who always viewed pigeons as rats with wings, is horrified and demands that Walter unbird him immediately. But Walter hasn’t yet cracked a formula to reverse his concealment invention. Trapped in the body of a pigeon, our super suave spy struggles to adjust to his new body. What’s more, this guy who’s always flied solo finds himself suddenly part of a flock, surrounded by a trio of other pigeons. And Walter, who may not be built for action in the field, ends up out there, while he desperately tries to find the antidote to the elixir. As they learn to work together in order to stop 'Robohand' from turning the Assassin on mankind, Lance slowly begins to open himself up to a whole new, weird approach to saving the world from Walter.   In addition to being a spy movie, “Spies In Disguise" is a buddy comedy that derives much of it's humor from the differences between it's two main characters. Lance and Walter are a classic odd couple. Lance is a pretty straightforward character. He’s self-confident, he likes being in the spotlight, he likes being the hero, and he likes the accolades. But he’s pretty full of himself, so there’s definitely a balance to be struck there. It’s a special kind of charisma that can carry that off, and you look up chqarisma in the dictionary. Lance is built for the world of espionage: He’s 6 ft. 5 in., 230 lbs. of pure muscle, with broad shoulders, a narrow core and extremely long legs. He’s sleek, sophisticated, strong and athletic and he looks like he could take on anything. That means straight lines, broad shapes, clean. He's better than the best, he’s cool, he’s suave, he’s got swagger, he’s got all the great one-liners, and he’s the good guy. And then you’ve got the guy with the robot hand who’s leering and stands in the shadows and says horrible things and is violent. So you know he’s bad. Then as the movie goes on, the balance walks a delicate line, is to blur those edges, so that the hero’s flawed, he lacks empathy and employs violence. Walter is a hard character to discover because the film wants to make sure the character is sincere. So it's really important that he's affirmational, so kids will go to see the film initially wanting to be like a Lance Sterling, but realizing that the hero is really inside them, like Walter Beckett. Walter’s a really smart dude so you never want him to feel goofy. But he's definitely out of his element in being out in the real world. He’s an academic, but he’s also very committed to those ideas and forceful but not aggressive the way Lance is. Walter is a really happy go lucky kid. He’s really positive, he’s really excited about using his brain for good and to make a difference in his workplace. And then he’s really excited by the idea of a challenge and a mission and going into the field.  But what’s most endearing about him is that he’s trying to change 'The Agency’s' way of thinking and instead of blowing people up and killing people he’s trying to make everyone be happy and positive and safe. So it’s quite nice. Walter has a smaller build, 5 ft. 4 in. and is very wiry. He works hard and feels unappreciated and underestimated, so his posture is somewhat slumped. But he’s full of naïve optimism. He's a dreamer that thinks if you can just come up with the right sort of ways, we can do things differently. A man turns into a pigeon, which is insane. What's genius about the conceit of the script, is that pigeons are actually amazing creatures, and they're the perfect disguise! They’re in every city around the world. No one pays attention to them. Nobody even knows that they’re there. So they’re hiding in plain sight. Because they've eyes on the side of their head, they can see in 360 degrees, which means that at any given time, they can see your face and their butt. And you can’t sneak up on them. They’re one of the fastest birds in the world. But because they’re so fast, they see at a faster rate of speed than we do, so everything to them feels slow motion. We would always refer to that as 'Pigeon Bullet Time'. They see 'UV' light, bands of light that we can’t see with the human eye. On the surface, it seems like a joke, but really this is the best cover for a spy.  No one knows you’re there. You’ve got all these built-in gadgets. It’s actually genius, as are all of Walter’s other gadgets. For example, Walter develops a personal protection device called the 'Inflatable Hug'. It envelopes whoever is holding it in a cushy bubble to avoid harm. Another is the multi-pen. While it looks like a traditional multi-colored pen, it actually has functions such as the ability to shoot serious string like 'Silly String' but only serious to tie up bad guys. It can spray a serum, complete with a hint of lavender that will make even the biggest baddy reveal the truth. It can even shoot a non-lethal electrical pulse that causes whoever is on the receiving end to lose all muscle control and collapse into a rubbery mess.  One of the cool differences about the two characters is that Lance is obviously so into action and beating people up and fighting and being a super spy. Whereas Walter is very much more the guy who wants to help people and, yes, get the job done, but do it in a way with no casualties and he has this one device called 'The Kitty Glitter' which basically explodes glitter everywhere and calms people down to the point where they don’t want to do bad stuff anymore. Whereas Lance just wants a grenade. One of the major differences between Lance and Walter is their approach to the job. Lance flies alone, but the main reason for his desire to stay solo is his concern that anyone else around him might get hurt. Walter, on the other hand, is a firm believer in teamwork, something Lance is forced to accept when he finds himself transformed into a pigeon and is surrounded by three other pigeons known as 'The Flock'. Lovey, Walter’s faithful pet and the smartest of the three, is instantly taken by Lance’s pigeon magnetism, and can’t resist the urge to constantly try to get closer to him. Fanboy’s awkward movements set him apart from the other birds, but nothing will stop him from trying to imitate the suave stylings of his hero, Lance. Walter believes that if we’re the good guys, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard and do things a good way. In Lance’s world, at first, that seems weird. But then Lance starts to realize that maybe his uncompromising version of good and bad in the world isn’t the only version. As in all classic spy films, there needed to be a formidable villain, an antagonist to set the plot in motion and challenge, but it's important that there be real world motivations for his actions. 'Robohand' is a mysterious and terrifying villain, and it's important to hold back a lot of who he's and why he's. There’s definitely a history with our hero, Lance Sterling. There’s a revenge plot that he’s taking on. The film wants it to feel scary and menacing, so that when we reveal who he's, it’s not just revealing his plan, but a reason for what he does. In order for there to be a Lance Sterling you’ve got to have a Killian. And Killian is the other end of the spectrum of good guys/bad guys. Killian is a super villain. He’s a guy that can and will take down enormous body counts and damage. These are the old paradigms of what good guys and bad guys look like, and they’re very pervasive and they have a great influence in the way that we think about ourselves, and crucially in the way we think about others. That’s all sort of 'Cold War' and 'Pre-Cold War' ideas and notions, and they worked for a long time. Underworld hacker Katsu Kimura (Masi Oka) is the shady character responsible for stealing 'The Assassin' and selling it to Killian. Katsu and Lance have a history together. So he’s not surprised when Lance invades his hideout when he’s doing his deal with Killian, he's probably him. Even though Lance always wins, Katsu has always been able to get away and keep on doing what he does. Physically, Katsu’s a massive giant, very imposing. But he doesn’t use force. He doesn’t have to, he has his Yakuza minions that do it for him. He uses his clever intelligence and his wits and technological skills to do his dirty work. Another obstacle for Lance and Walter is Marcy, "The Internal Affairs' agent on their trail. Marcy’s strong, she’s capable and throughout most of the movie, she’s very definite about what she thinks is right or wrong, but then that strict viewpoint starts to soften a little bit. She realizes she has to open herself up to all the shades of gray in between right and wrong. Marcy’s a very by-the-book, no-nonsense woman. She’s like Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive": on a mission, straightforward, persevering, with only one thing important to her, which is to get Lance Sterling and solve this case. Whereas Lance is all about sports cars and tuxedos and flashy, she’s all about getting the job done and doing it efficiently. She’s not into him from the beginning. At the same time, Marcy’s a very skilled negotiator. And when she needs to be, she can be empathetic and calm and communicate in a way that’s actually going to help the situation. She isn’t hot-headed. Joy Jenkins (Reba McEntire) is Lance and Walter’s boss at 'The Agency'. She’s tough. And to have a name like Joy, you would think she’d be bubbly and animated and not, not at all.  She’s very deadpan. Not much melody in her voice. So her nickname 'Joyless' fits her really well. She's such an effervescent personality that even in a character who’s supposed to be dour at times, you still really feel this fun connection to her. She really brought that sort of undercurrent of charisma to a character who could be pretty flat otherwise. Wendy Beckett, Walter's mom, is a police officer who’s out there facing the hard realities of the world that we live in on a daily basis. At the same time, she needs to appreciate how special Walter is and how important it's that he stay optimistic and true to his beliefs, no matter what other people say. Wendy obviously loves Walter very, very much. And Walter’s kind of a weird kid. He’s into stuff that other kids his age aren’t, and sometimes that’s hard for him. And while Wendy is sometimes annoyed by his inventions and how they interfere with their everyday life, she supports him wholeheartedly, and encourages him to be himself all the time, in all of his weirdness. Even if that means that other kids make fun of him, she tells him that the things that make him weird right now are going to be his superpower as he grows. That's one of the most important lessons that she teaches him that carries through the film. Everyone’s weirdness is their superpower. Everyone’s weird in their own way. There’s no such thing as normal. And it can be so hard when you’re growing up and, and everyone’s striving for this idea of normalcy that just doesn’t exist, to let your freak flag fly, to be yourself in the face of everything else. She only gets screen-time at the beginning, but we feel the effect of her character throughout the whole movie. "Spies In Disguise" is a film that has it's own unique style, design and color palette. In paying homage to classic spy movies, the film creates all exotic globe-spanning locations from 'Washington, D.C.' to Japan to 'The Mayan Riviera' to 'The North Sea' while evoking a world that's very contemporary. The film’s cool spy base, in keeping with the whole idea of espionage where things are hidden before your eyes, is concealed under the reflection pool of 'The Washington Monument'. So it’s in sight, but never seen. The film developes a color language where warmer oranges and yellows represent teamwork and community. A warm shade of turquoise represents 'The Agency', whereas a cool shade of blue is isolating, which is why Lance’s tux is that color, he’s a man who flies solo. Red is an indicator for danger, so the first time we meet Kimura, he’s wearing a big silk red shirt and he’s in a red environment. Killian’s got an eye that goes red; 'The Assassin’s' drone has a red eye. Lance, who prefers to work alone, wants to be isolated, so he’s seen in single shots, carved out by light, or in focus with everything else in the frame out of focus. This way, the audience can see and feel the isolation he’s chosen. Whereas Walter is kept more engaged in the broader focus range and warmer, brighter light. It's an animated spy comedy adventure set in the slick, high-octane, globe-trotting world of international espionage. The film has all the familiar elements of the genre; exotic international locales, dazzling cinematography, big action set pieces, futuristic gadgetry and a great score with a memorable theme. So if the film wants you to feel sad, you might not even notice that the clouds are overhead and it’s a little gray and the characters are a little glum and distant from each other. But when they’re happy, they’re together and they’re in the same frame and it’s a little sunnier out. "Spies In Disguise" teaches a good message to kids that violence isn’t the answer and friendship is more important than anything really.

"Border" Tina (Eva Melander) is a border guard who has the ability to smell human emotions and catch smugglers. When she comes across a mysterious man with a smell that confounds her detection, she's forced to confront hugely disturbing insights about herself and humankind. At a ferry-port customs checkpoint, Tina is one of many polyester-uniformed guards standing watch. Short, with her features broadened and by a congenital genetic condition, and one of many in her polyester uniform, she blends into near invisibility, a cog in the system. During the day, she keeps a close eye on travelers; off the job, she has a small place surrounded by primal forest and a normal life of family, friends and work right down to her ailing dad (Sten Ljunggren) and her indifferent boyfriend Roland (Jörgen Thorsson), a dog-trainer. The only thing exceptional about Tina's work is how exceptional she's at it; in a way even she can't quite explain, Tina can literally smell guilt, fear and fury seeping off of some travelers, and her results speak for themselves. Mostly she detects booze-smugglers and other minor transgressors, but two separate travelers give off clouds of strange scent that give her reason to look closer. One is a suit-clad smoothie found to be carrying a cache of child pornography, the other is a smiling, swaggering rambler named Vore (Eero Milonoff) whose silent ways and familiar-strange features pull Tina closer. Her search for belonging crystallises when Vore passes through customs. As Tina's strange skill and determination see her helping the police work up the chain of sex criminals she caught a small link of at the terminal, she has to go to the grey city streets and perfect 'IKEA' apartments of her suspects. Back at her home, in the woods, wild and waters, she and Vore talk and grow intertwined, as he reveals more and more secrets about his life even as he confounds and confuses her. He has many of the same scars as her, knows more about her past in some ways than she does, and soon Tina has to decide just how much of her life she's willing to upend in the name of belonging. Almost instantly, she can tell something is off about him but for the first time she can’t quite put her finger on what it's. Strangely attracted, Tina strikes up a friendship that soon blossoms into romance as she gradually learns uncomfortable truths. When the true nature of the case Tina's working and the lies about her childhood past she's uncovering lead towards friends and family, Tina will discover, for herself, who she truly is. This film is based on the short novel 'Let The Right One In' by John Lindqvist. His way of writing and his universe is very specific, and he doesn't write 'feel-good' literature. He works in fantasy genres, or subgenres, but it always has a twist. The way he treats his characters, he uses a lot of space and effort in describing their inner conflict, and their feelings, and their emotions, and their thoughts, which is the kind of thing that you would kind of expect from 'serious literature'. Even if he's known as a fantasy writer, underneath there's always something unsettling, and something very serious, and other conflicts going on, which makes it hard to just see it as 'fantasy literature'. "Border" is about being an outsider, but when you think about where the story comes from, John is a white guy that's totally adapted to his society, and as for being an outsider, that's not why he wrote. The experience of being outsider is not exclusive to if you're brown in a white society, or if you're a woman in a man-dominated society. You can be perfectly fit for the society you live in, but still experience. You end up in a job you don't like, or you end up in a marriage you don't. Every person has experienced how it feels to be an outsider, and that's why, in a strange way, everybody is an outsider. Or at least they know how it feels. There are always groups and places that exclude you. This story is stylized, it's not realism; there are other elements, and it's elevated. The film stylizes shots or framing that kind of signals something special is going on. It's a kind of anchors the realism. Because it isn't real, you probably wouldn't care about Tina. We've this theme through the whole film, nature versus nurture, or nature versus civilization, or whatever you want call it. The society and the socio- economic situation is really important. It's easy to justify how Tina is more human than Vore is. Tina has the context to develop empathy, which is the most critical part of being human. The film creates a contrast between the ferry terminal and the forest, and again, as for the realism of it, that place in reality does sit exactly like that. The ferry terminal is kind of like a piece of concrete landed at the shore, just a slab on the edge of a forest. And you go inland to the forest, and then there are some small communities of houses, and the film is what the surrounding community looks like. And then there's a city an hour's drive from there. The set design is not that far from reality, and of course, the film choses more shades. The idea of monster is very connected to the idea of human being. Because monsters are always defined as; you don't call a fox a monster. The idea of monsters has always been where there's enough humanity, or elements of humanity, so that we can relate to it as some kind of human-like creature. But it's also far away enough from us so that we know that it's not human. That space is how you define a monster. The film is interested in the psychology of nature versus nurture, of what happens when you're at the limit of humanity. And what's it that defines humanity, which is a very relevant question. It isn't just an artistic or existential question like it maybe was in the eighteenth century. Not anymore. Because soon, we're going to have legal, ethical, and technical questions to answer about humanity. And one of the core questions of the movie is, what does it take to be a human being?' It's about how nature versus nurture and similar thinking underlies a difference between Democrats and Republicans. Generally speaking, Republicans put an emphasis on nature. If you don't have a job it's because you're lazy, if you're a crack addict it's because you like drugs, if you're a criminal, it's because you've a bad nature. And generally speaking Democrats put an emphasis on nurture. If you're poor maybe it's because of the socio-economic situation, or your context, or our society. And of course, it's neither 100% this or that. To say more would spoil many of the film’s surprising revelations, but the ease with which the film infuses a social dimension with 'Scandinavian' folklore without ever losing his footing, in reality, is nothing short of breathtaking. "Border" is one of the most original and unique films of recent years. The film weaves folklore, tragic romance, and existential questions into a highly affective cinematic tale.

(Release Info London schedule; November 30th, 2018, Everyman's Kings Cross, 18:00) "The Favourite" Early 18th century. England is at war with 'The French'. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail 'Queen Anne' (Olivia Colman) occupies 'The Throne' and her close friend Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as 'The Queen’s' companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfill her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way. The film is set in the 'Stuart Period' (1603-1714). Anne was born in 1665 under the reign of her Uncle, 'King Charles II'. Anne faced upset and disruption in her life from a young age. Between 1669 and 1671, she lost three very close family members, her grandmother, aunt, and mother. Anne and Sarah Jennings met in 1673 when Sarah, at age 13, entered the court of Anne’s Father. Anne and Sarah developed a close friendship in their youth; they invented 'pet names' for themselves, 'Mrs. Morley' (Anne) and 'Mrs. Freeman' (Sarah), which they continued to use after Anne became Queen. They also wrote sentimental letters to each other, a selection of these letters remains at 'The British Library'. Sarah married John Churchill, 10 years her senior, in 1677. In the early 1680’s, Abigail Hill’s father died after declaring bankruptcy and reducing his family to poor circumstances. Abigail was sent to work as a servant of Sir George, '4th Baronet Rivers'. Abigail’s mother, Elizabeth Jennings, was Sarah’s aunt. Sarah eventually learned of her cousin Abigail’s misfortune and offered her employment in her own household at 'St. Albans'. Abigail, on her father's side, was also a second cousin of Robert Harley, 'Earl Of Oxford'. Anne married 'Prince George Of Denmark' in 1683 and Sarah was appointed as a 'Lady Of The Bedchamber'. Anne had at least 17 pregnancies during her marriage. Most ended in miscarriages or stillbirths and only 5 babies were born alive. All of these babies died in early infancy. Her father 'James II', became King in 1685. 'Mary II', Anne’s older sister, and Mary’s husband, 'William III', became 'Queen & King' in 1689. Mary died in 1694 and William remained King until his death in 1702. Anne suffered from health problems throughout her life. She was sent to France at the age of three to seek medical treatment for an eye condition. By the time she became Queen in 1702, she was already stricken with gout, leading to a largely sedentary lifestyle and subsequent overall decline in her health. When at Court, Anne was often carried in a sedan chair or had to use a wheelchair. Sarah was promptly made 'Mistress Of The Robes', 'Groom Of The Stole' and 'Keeper Of The Privy Purse'. John Churchill was given a 'Dukedom', the highest rank of aristocrat, as well as made 'General Of The Army'. John and Sarah became 'The Duke & Duchess Of Marlborough'. Sarah rose to be one of the most influential women of her time through her close friendship with 'Queen Anne'. Sarah’s knowledge of government, and intimacy with 'The Queen', made her a powerful friend and a dangerous enemy. Leading public figures often turned their attentions to Sarah in the hope that she would influence Anne to comply with requests. Sarah was famous for telling 'Queen Anne' exactly what she thought and did not offer her flattery. 'Queen Anne' gifted 'The Duke And Duchess Of Marlborough' a large piece of royal land in Oxfordshire and money to build a large new country house there, to be called 'Blenheim', following the Duke’s victory at 'The Battle Of Blenheim' in 1704. After a tenure of satisfactory service, Sarah brought Abigail to work for Anne, first as a form of maid in around 1700 and from 1702, once Anne became Queen, as a bedchamber woman. As 'The Duke' commanded troops in 'The War Of The Spanish Succession', Sarah devoted much of her time to overseeing construction on 'Blenheim Palace', causing her to be regularly absent from Court. In 1707, Abigail Hill was privately married in 'The Queen’s' presence to Samuel Masham, a gentleman of 'The Queen's Household'. Abigail became Lady Masham. Sarah found out about Abigail's marriage months after it occurred. She also discovered that Anne had been present and had given Abigail a dowry of £2000 from 'The Privy Purse'. This proved Anne's duplicity to Sarah as 'Keeper Of The Privy Purse'. Sarah had been unaware of the payment. From this, Sarah also learned that Abigail had, for some time, enjoyed considerable intimacy with Anne. In 1710, at a final meeting, Sarah threatened to expose Anne’s impassioned letters written to her. In late 1710, Sarah was dismissed from her appointment at Court and asked to return her gold key, the symbol of her authority within 'The Royal Household'. Abigail Masham took her place as 'Keeper Of The Privy Purse' until 1714. 'Queen Anne' awarded Abigail and Samuel aristocratic titles and they became Lord and Lady Masham. In disgrace, 'The Marlboroughs' left England and travelled in Europe. Given his success in 'The War', 'The Duke' was a favorite among the German courts and 'The Holy Roman Empire' so the family was received in those places with full honors. 'Lord Godolphin', who served as 'Lord High Treasurer' from 'Queen Anne’s' accession in 1702, was ejected from office in August 1710 and replaced by Robert Harley. Harley served until 1714. Sarah and Anne never made up their differences or saw each other again. 'Queen Anne' died in 1714 at 'Kensington Palace'. When 'The Queen' died in 1714 Abigail Masham lost her influence and lived out the rest of her life in obscurity. After a long illness she died in 1734 at 'The Masham's' modest house in Essex. The title of 'Baron Masham' bestowed on Samuel by 'The Queen' was inherited by his son but the title became extinct when the son died childless and bankrupt. Sarah, 'Duchess Of Marlborough' retained social and political influence throughout her life and died a very wealthy woman in 1744 at the age of 84. 'Queen Anne' may be England’s least known ruler, not least of all because she left no heirs to speak of her, despite an extraordinary 17 pregnancies. In fact, had Anne left an heir, there may have been no United States as such, since 'George III' may never have been King. Ascending to 'The Throne' at the turn of 'The 18th Century', essentially because no other Protestant successors to 'The Stuart' royal line are available, she assumes the role of Queen just as England is on the verge of a tidal wave of changes. Anne oversees a war with France, considered the first world war of modern times, and the uniting of England with Scotland to forge 'The Kingdom Of Great Britain'. She also confronts a shocking new era of acrimonious national division, with 'Whigs' and 'Tories' taking sides as partisans and bitterly battling each other for influence as a young two-party political system is born. For the world of rapidly enlarging personal and political agendas in which she moves, Anne is not an obvious match as Queen and ruler. Plagued by incessant ill health, notoriously meek, anything but glamorous with her myriad skin and joint ailments, and having only a limited education, she's perceived as highly susceptible to manipulation. This in turn means Anne is beset upon by a flurry of people competing to gain influence by finding a way to gain her trust, or perhaps, her heart. Encumbered by grief, gout and insecurity though she may have been, 'Queen Anne' is nevertheless handed enormous authority and power, and in the screenplay for "The Favourite" she moves like a pendulum between extremes of would-be panache and pathos. She's not what she seems. She's a spoiled, mercurial and manipulative monarch. Though she appears to be an invalid and even simple in the beginning, you start to realize that she should actually aware of her power. It’s just that she chooses erratically when to use it, which makes for a very intriguing character. Just as much as Sarah and Abigail, Anne is a survivor. She has extraordinary strength. She wants to be seen as a good Queen, but she just didn’t have the confidence to do it. She can never be sure who to trust and who has been through the unfathomable loss of 17 children. If anything, her isolation, heightened by the vast, echoing rooms of 'The Royal Palace', only seems to increase her many appetites, needs and bunnies. There’s so much sadness in her background, she must have been terribly lonely, because in her position, you never really know if people genuinely like you or if it’s only because you’re 'The Queen'. At the same time, she's quite childlike. Part of the learning curve on "The Favourite" is diving into Anne’s sexual desires, and the switching of her affections from Lady Sarah, who had been essentially running the country in Anne’s stead, to her new favourite, Abigail, who appeals to her in an entirely different way. She and Sarah have known each other since they're little girls and they’ve always protected each other. But with Abigail, Anne is just so thrilled that someone is so attentive towards her. She just thinks, ‘oh, this beautiful young creature is looking at me’ and she’s completely struck by that. But the tragic part is that 'The Queen' thinks it’s all for real, and it’s not. What interested most are these three characters, their power, their fragile relationships and how the behaviour of so few people could alter the course of a war and fate of a country. It's also a love story that can be quite funny and dramatic and gets dark. The film focuses on the female triangle in 'Queen Anne’s' bedchamber and this shift in Anne’s affections from Sarah to Abigail. The two women who make their way deep into Anne’s inner sanctum create a triumvirate of female power-players uncommon for any time period, let alone in the so-called days of pre-Enlightenment. Pulling strings behind the reign of 'Queen Anne', and propping her up in more ways than one, is her right-hand woman, the legendarily sharp and alluring Lady Sarah Churchill, 'The First Duchess Of Marlborough'. Lady Sarah Churchill is Anne’s 'BFF' since childhood who, once Anne took 'The Throne', became a primary political adviser and perhaps, according to rumors that have swirled for centuries, her lover. The second is Abigail Masham, who's Sarah’s cousin by birth but reduced to destitution by family bankruptcy, joining the royal household as a lowly maid. Nevertheless, Abigail would set in motion an epic, impassioned battle with Sarah to become Anne’s new favourite, making herself indispensable to 'The Queen', while pushing Anne in the opposite political direction that Lady Sarah is pulling. While a vivid picture of Sarah has been painted by her own memoir, the original evidence for Abigail is sparse and comes mainly from Sarah. There are interesting snippets to be found elsewhere where Abigail emerges as a ruthless chambermaid, and her trajectory clearly reveals her ambition. That's the historical account. But the bones of the story come to life with a psychological and sensual resonance that escaped the history books. Lady Sarah is one of the most powerful political figures of her times, the woman who kept 'The Queen’s' purse, bent 'The Queen’s' ear and blackmailed her when she feels it necessary. She met 'The Queen' when both were young daughters of powerful men, secluded in the boring confines of 'The Royal Palace'. Their friendship would develop into something both symbiotic and highly intimate, the real Anne indeed wrote Sarah passionate letters with lines such as, 'I hope I shall get a moment or two to be with my dear, that I may have one embrace, which I long for more than I can express'. Though Sarah married John Churchill, who was soon named 'The Duke Of Marlborough' by 'Queen Anne', the closeness between the two women continued long after. When Anne ascended to 'The Throne', she named Sarah to several key positions including 'Mistress Of The Robes', the highest title that could be held by a woman in that time, and 'Keeper Of The Privy Purse'. Sarah took those opportunities for all they're worth. She becomes Anne’s most indispensable adviser, holding forth on matters of policy, politics and intricate war strategy. Renowned for her fierce intelligence, her savage temper, her gutsy frankness and also her oft-mentioned beauty, Lady Sarah also drew a circle of sycophants and influence-seekers around her. Sarah has the whole package. She’s very intellectually powerful, she’s very sexually powerful, she’s physically quite powerful and politically she's said in charge of, well she would say, she’s in charge of the entire country. She has the clarity and decisiveness of any modern political leader. But for all her brilliance, Sarah cannot deny that her leadership positions stems from one source only: her ever so co-dependent relationship with 'Queen Anne'. 'The Queen' and Sarah have a very complicated relationship that's constantly shifting. Neither politics, nor battle tactics nor running the country is Anne’s strong suit, but that’s all very appealing to Sarah. Yet, they're also childhood best friends who make love to one another. Their relationship gets into all kind of themes of sexual politics, power games, power struggles, emotional needs, emotional dependence, dominance and subjugation, as well as pain, protectiveness and healing. Even amid all the men making power bids in the court of 'Queen Anne', Lady Sarah has few rivals. So it takes her by surprise when the woman she chose to become Anne’s bedchamber maid, her subservient cousin, Abigail, becomes her greatest threat on every level. Sarah really misjudges Abigail. She perceives Abigail as being needy and weak because she’s fallen on such hard times, and because her father lost his own daughter gambling. Sarah initially feels tenderness and compassion towards Abigail. She wants to protect her and teach her how to be a strong woman. It turns out, Abigail needs no help whatsoever. From the moment Abigail tumbles from her carriage into the stinking mud outside 'The Royal Palace', she begins to skew the balance of power within. Throwing herself upon Sarah’s mercy, she takes a job as a scullery maid but soon ingratiates her way deep into 'The Queen’s' bedroom. If Sarah has always dominated the fragile Queen, Abigail soothes her, and the student overtakes the master in the balance of power. As with her cohorts in the film’s triangle, Abigail is made of contrasts; her cool, shrewd pragmatism, the fruits of a hard knock life, mix with her seemingly unlimited capacity for charm. She has a great amount of confidence and she's a real survivor. The reason why Abigail is able to win the wary Queen’s trust is that Abigail senses her need to be loved for who she's, rather than for her enormous stature and power. She always listening and paying attention and using what she learns. Then there's the royal protocol. In 'The Palace', everything is so formal and so presentational. That's all fascinating to learn. Abigail has to back out of the room because you don’t turn your back on 'The Queen'. Abigail is the lightning rod who sets the story in motion. She transforms from a stranger to a very dangerous political and romantic operative. Instead the idea of who's a villain or a victim is one that shifts and changes and moves from one character to another. This way you feel for what they each do and you aren’t be able to make absolute judgements on their characters even if they do a horrible thing. The rule of 'Queen Anne' is marked not only by the first modern worldwide war and the uniting of 'The United Kingdom', but also by the emergence of partisan politics, or what's called at the time 'The Rage Of Party', rife with vicious, personal in-fighting and ideological stand-offs. 'The Queen- sat atop a constitutional monarchy, sharing power with an elected parliament made of 'Whigs' and 'Tories' beholden to their constituents. 'The Whigs', largely of landed aristocracy, supported the war and initially have the monarchy’s support. 'The Tories', the opposition party, sought to bring the war, with all it's mounting costs in blood and treasure, to an end. Although both parties were of course entirely made up of men the film emphasizes the women in action and in control; while the flamboyantly rouged and blinged-out men are reactive. The men may be greater in numbers but not in spirit. Everyone in this film is using one another, whether it’s for power, position, influence or sex. 'The Tory' opposition leader is Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), '1st Earl Of Oxford', considered one of the modern world’s first master practitioners of spin. Though he would ultimately become 'Queen Anne’s' chief minister, in the film Harley finds his access to 'The Queen' constantly blocked by Sarah. It's only the arrival of Abigail that reverses Harley’s fortunes, allowing him to make his case that the war is a financial disaster. His character, the kind more often in the historical foreground, in fact gets relegated to a secondary position in the film, reliant on Sarah and then Abigail to gain influence with Anne. Harley is quite manipulative, noting that to get 'The Queen’s' ear, Harley has to weave his way in through an alliance with Abigail. One historical reality that's reflected, albeit stylized, in the film is Harley’s fondness for a flashy outfit. Harley’s political rival is the most powerful politician of the day, Sidney Godolphin (James Smith), '1st Earl Of Godolphin', who served as 'First Lord Of The Treasury' under 'Queen Anne'. Though a 'Tory' by name, Godolphin aligned himself with 'The Whig' leader John Churchill (Mark Gatiss), 'The Duke Of Marlborough', to find ways to fund England’s war with France. John Churchill is a soldier and statesman whose influence spanned five monarchs, and who commanded English, Dutch and German forces in the war against France. The historic Churchill married Sarah when she was still a teen, but later his wife’s curiously tight bond with 'The Queen' would prove to be of great advantage. Under her reign, Churchill amassed not only power, with Anne naming him to his dukedom, but a considerable fortune. In the film, they're truly a power couple. Sarah is effectively running the country, and brilliantly playing the game of dangling political favors, while John is conducting the war. John acknowledges that his wife is better than he's at politics and she’s the more important one in this relationship. Rounding out the male supporting cast is Samuel Masham (Joe Alwyn), who's only too happy to allow Harley to broker his marriage to Abigail, finally affording Harley the access he’s long pursued. For Abigail, the marriage is equally valuable, raising her rank, bringing her closer to her quest to fully unseat Lady Sarah as 'The Queen’s' favourite. There’s an immediate physical lust and interest for Masham, and being obviously higher up rank, he expects he’ll be the one in power in their courtship. But Abigail quickly subverts that idea. Her wit and her boldness catch him off guard. He’s turned on by the playful banter and each scene is a power struggle to see who comes out on. When you make a film set in another time it's always interesting to see how it relates to our time; you realize how few things have changed apart from the costumes and the fact that we've electricity or internet. There are so many ongoing similarities in human behaviour, societies and power. The film discovers a period in 18th century English history where women held power and influenced events on the British political and European stage. The setting for "The Favourite' has been plucked from real history, from the veiled world of 'Queen Anne', the last and historically most ignored of 'The Stuart' line of Britain’s rulers, who infamously gouty, shy and disregarded, nevertheless reigned as 'Great Britain' became a global power. It's through Anne’s intricate relations with two other women of cunning and aspiration, her lifelong intimate friend and political advisor Lady Sarah, and Sarah’s penniless cousin turned social-climbing chambermaid Abigail, that the film dives into a whirlpool of manipulations and emotions that define the phrase palace intrigue. A dark yet comic story about three hugely commanding women jockeying with raw abandon for love, favor and power that actually feels very contemporary. The film creates it's own very alive universe, playing freely with the external events of the day to service and motivate the inner lives and personal politics of his characters. And speculations aside, no knows what went on verbally, physically or otherwise behind the doors of 'Queen Anne’s' court, let alone in her bed. For a story of such sprawling history, "The Favourite" takes place in a very insular world; largely within the confines of 'The Royal Palace’s' walls where power plays, seductions, blood orange throwing and the occasional duck or lobster race transpire, detached from the realities of the outside world. Though the film plays like a bedroom farce with global consequences. We're inspired by the real people and stories but largely reimagined them in order to make films that alludes to similar issues that we all can identify with or recognize in our everyday contemporary lives. The story is about how complicated love is, and how who you're as a person can be perverted and deformed by those complications. It’s about these people who love each other, but there are so many other aspects of their personality and aspects of what they want in the world-at-large that get in the way of staying in love. People are all sorts of things at any given time and they also do the unexpected. The vision of the world is that there’s a broader way of looking at people and that the deeper you look, the more complicated, perverse and strange people become. Audiences really respond to that because that's true of what people are like. And even though we knew this was society of manners at that time, underneath the film shows a sort of casual cruelty. Society is rigid and you stuck where you're, so all you've is your ability to influence other people and to shift yourself and your motive; to shift your ground. That's why people operate with such hardcore cruelty.

Her story begins where the fairy tale ends. I suppose this movie was inspired by the well-known fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” by Christian-Andersen. Now, if you were an attentive reader, you’d noticed that this little sea-dweller was explicitly present throughout the whole story. If this film is a kind of homage to this fairytale, then it really falls short on that part. It’s more like the movie “Godzilla“. This legendary monster also appeared only a few minutes in the film. The same for the singing mermaid in “Mermaid’s song” (First titled “Charlotte’s song“). You can admire her for 5 minutes. That’s rather scanty for a film that lasts 88 minutes. But in that short period, you can see that the transformation of Charlotte (Katelyn Mager) to the dreaded mermaid is shown in a successful way. Nope, this isn’t horror. This film obviously isn’t a fairytale suitable for little children. However, it’s not such a frightening film as the film poster suggests. And categorizing it under the genre “horror” is also a bit exaggerated. You could call it a drama with some fantasy elements. The drama part deals with the demise of a flourishing cabaret theater somewhere in no man’s land in the United States. The deterioration of this establishment is caused by the death of Serena (Natasha Quirke, mother of Charlotte and also blessed with the mermaids gene) and the economic depression. And before he realizes it, George (Brendan Taylor), father of Charlotte and a spineless wimp, is having a financial hangover and is heading for a forced closure. I guess men went crazy when seeing such a show. Whether the bankruptcy of this bar is caused by the prevailing economic crisis only, I doubt anyway. The stage show isn’t exactly a crowd puller either. Maybe it was exciting enough for that period. In those days naked flesh of a female foot was enough to drive an average man crazy. I was surprised to see (during a stage performance) that the phenomenon of twerking was already invented in the 1930s. The fact that a lot of people showed up in the past, was mainly because of the enchanting singing of Serena. She was a mermaid who has exchanged her tail for a pair of slender legs and completely renounced to live on as such a sea miracle, so she can spend the rest of her life with the man who has completely and absolutely won her heart. Business has been slow? Turn it into something erotic. But to be honest, the whole thing about mermaids is subordinate to the rest. “Mermaid’s song” is rather a social drama about poverty and the local mafia trying to exploit misfortunes. That’s when Iwan Rheon appears on the scene. He plays Randall. A kind of Mafia type who has a lucrative proposal for George so the bar could be saved. The fact that George needs his daughters to act as ordinary prostitutes and his business is more like a brothel from then on, is the other side of the coin. And in this horrifying situation, Charlotte needs to grow up. An innocent looking girl who discovers that she has a special gift. Pros and cons. It’s strikingly clear that “Mermaid’s song” is a low-budget film (and the lion’s share of that budget went undoubtedly to Iwan Rheon). The sound is simply terribly bad. The balance between music, sounds, and speech was so bad that you couldn’t understand what people were saying sometimes. It was completely drowned out by the sound effects and music. Sorry to say, but that’s something typical for a low-budget film. Also, the acting wasn’t always enjoyable. It was rather clumsy and inexperienced. In retrospect, Katelyn Mager wasn’t so bad after all. But I was really pleased with the overall presentation of the film. The decor, the props, and clothing looked authentic. And the scarce moments with the mermaid showing up, weren’t so bad either. It’s a mermaid hype. So, all in all, it is nothing more than an average film. No, it’s not the kind of film that makes you very enthusiastic. And no, it isn’t so bad that it should be ignored at all time. If you ever come across it on one or another television channel, you should give it a chance. “Mermaid’s song” is definitely worth a look. The film itself dates from 2015, but only surfaced again last year via “Video On Demand” services. Weird. Does it seem as if they are trying to benefit from the success of “The shape of water“? My rating 4/10 Links: IMDB More reviews here