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(Release Info London schedule; January 18th, 2019, Picturehouse, 12:15 PM) "Beautiful Boy" "Beautiful Boy" is a deeply moving portrait of a family’s unwavering love and commitment to each other in the face of their son’s addiction and his attempts at recovery. Based on two memoirs, one from journalist David Sheff (Steve Carell) and one from his son, Nic Sheff (Timothée Charlamet). As Nic repeatedly relapses, 'The Sheffs' are faced with the harsh reality that addiction is a disease that does not discriminate and can hit any family at any time. At 18, Nicolas Sheff is a good student, editor of his high school newspaper, an actor in the school play and a member of the water polo team. A voracious reader and a talented artist, Nic is set to enter college in the fall. He has started experimenting with drugs when he was 12, but in his late teens he tried meth for the first time and, the world went from black and white to 'Technicolor'. Nic went almost instantly from a teenager dabbling with substances to a having a full-blown dependency. "Beautiful Boy" is a searingly honest account of 'The Sheff' family’s journey through Nic’s continuing struggles with addiction. Based on David Sheff’s bestseller of the same name and his son Nic’s breakout memoir 'Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines', the film presents a unique portrait of the ways addiction can destroy lives and the power of love to rebuild them. Harrowing, heart-breaking and yet full of joy, hope, and love, "Beautiful Boy" recounts the rehabs, disappearances, broken promises and rage as Nic sinks deeper into the drug world, as well as David’s efforts to save his boy from the ravages of addiction. In 2005 journalist David Sheff wrote 'My Addicted Son' for 'The New York Times Magazine'. A painfully frank and unforgettable first-hand account of his son Nic’s battle with addiction to drugs including methamphetamine and David’s efforts to save his family, which includes his second wife Karen Barbour (Maura Tierney) and their two much younger children Jasper (Christian Convery) and Daisy (Oakley Bull), during an almost decade-long ordeal. Nic is a young man who's out of control, all without losing the audience’s sympathy. What makes it especially sad and painful to watch is that he should lucid enough to realize what he’s doing. He's trapped by the drugs and the situation he’s gotten himself into. As Nic describes so well in the book, there’s a cycle of shame; you relapse; you feel bad about it, so you take more drugs; you run out of money, so you steal; and then you've to take more drugs to forget about the horrible things you’ve done. Sentence by sentence, moment by moment, it's a very specific description of what Nic is going through and what it's like to be in the throes of drug addiction. When you’re deep into it, you're not yourself. It’s as if there are two versions of Nic. His mind is on what’s right in front of him and what or where the next high is. It's very present, very personal and in the moment rather than, ‘I’m really devastating my family'. Initially it seems that Nic has just gotten a little off track and David and Karen address it right away. But things are not always as we hope for them to be. In the photos, Nic goes from insecure teenager to self-centered drug addict and then vulnerable adult. The earlier, happier versions of him wore a lot of primary colors. As his drug use begins, he moves through more secondary colors and as an adult it’s all neutral tones. It's surreal and with such a grasp of the intricacy of the push and pull of trust and love and betrayal that's "Beautiful Boy". Despite that, both Nic and David admit to feeling some trepidation as development of "Beautiful Boy" got under way. They would, after all, be entrusting people with the most difficult and personal struggle of their lives. Because this is primarily Nic and David’s story, it's simple to reduce the roles of Nic’s mother and stepmother to tropes. The businesswoman and the artist. But they're both really good mothers, in very different ways, and essential to the story. Karen Barbour, Nic’s stepmother and David’s wife reveals subtle but unmistakable strength, as well as a profound affection for Nic. You're aware that there's a deep bond between her and Nic. But when his behavior crosses the line, she feels violated and protective of her younger children, Jasper and Daisy. Her relationship with Nic is special. She’s a well-known artist and they loved to paint and draw together. They speak French with one another and play word games. She has a very warm and loving relationship with him. Vicki (Amy Ryan), is David Sheff’s first wife and Nic’s birth mother. Vicki has remarried and is living in Los Angeles, where young Nic spent holidays and summers. The revelation that Nic has a serious drug problem comes as a bombshell for her. Like Karen, she also is a rock for Nic and takes over when David is unable to continue. Vicki, David and Karen are confronted with Nic’s addiction. Was it their fault? What's the best solution? As a parent, you’re always going to question whether you could have done something different. All three parents struggle with that. At times they've different ideas about what’s best for Nic, but ultimately they're there for their child. Dr. Brown (Timothy Hutton) is an eminent authority on the devastating effect of crystal meth on the brain, is a composite of the many medical professionals David Sheff consulted over the years. Spencer (Andre Royo) is Nic’s then-AA sponsor. Spencer doesn’t know how much of an impact he’ll ultimately have on Nic or how much help he can be. He knows that sometimes just being there's as important as anything he can do. The characters in the movie have to find their own arc. David’s book is written from the vantage point of looking back. But the movie has to show what’s happening in the moment. Balancing those arcs and juxtaposing them with each other is essential. This film is based on David and Nic Sheff's memoirs back in 2014. David and Nic write from their personal experiences of living through recovery and relapses, but also the moments of life’s joy, innocence, and love. They start out thinking that they've the tools to deal with Nic’s addiction, to solve it. They don’t, but they learn a lot along the way. As time passes, there are moments where control seems beyond their reach and they experience how the consequences of addiction affect every fiber of their lives. The family believes love, and yet they've to come to terms with the fact that there are no easy answers and dealing with addiction is impossibly irrational. The Sheff’s are honest about everything they went through, sharing their deepest fears and feelings of shame too. To experience how they live and how close they're is really amazing to see. The core of the family, which gets tested in a very big way, and the idea of genuinely being there for each other moved very much. The film gives voice to many people struggling with addiction. To show in a simple, honest and raw way, the complexity of the illness. The film helps people to feel and understand different points of view and might open the hearts and minds of the people who see it. The film is an epic story, but it's also extraordinarily intimate. It sees the beauty in life and the difficulties in life as inseparable and part the whole experience of being human. Maybe it’s because both David and Nic really love film, so when they write, they think about images or situations that are cinematic, like when they go surfing. All of a sudden, it’s foggy and dark and David loses his son. That's an incredible metaphor for the entire film. Ultimately, it's because the story feels so mythical and universal. It's exiting to show that special bond, what they shared and what they're at risk of losing. It’s heart-wrenching, especially because this is a family where there's so much love that none of them can fathom what’s happening. On top of that, it’s not one person’s story. Nic and David are equally present throughout. Often movies about addiction are about people coming out of rehab and restarting their lives. Or it’s about the experience itself with all it's ups and down. It’s a tough topic, yet the darkness is countered by a love for life, and the highs are really high. The pain 'The Sheffs' go through is not uncommon in America today. Beyond that, however their story will resonate for anyone who has raised a child, even those whose families have not been affected by addiction. Nurturing a child is one of the fundamental parts of the human experience. As the child becomes fully grown, the parent has to let go and let the child fend for himself. It’s a democratic phenomenon that doesn’t care how much money or love or education you've. So seeing a boy who comes from a beautiful place and has people who did their best to help him is excruciating precisely because it upends our cognitive bias about addiction. Rather than try to place blame for Nic’s addiction, "Beautiful Boy" takes a clear-eyed and intimate look at a family grappling with a devastating and growing phenomenon. In the past, and to some extent, still, addiction has been perceived. Addicts were kept at a distance. But we’ve come to understand that this is something that can happen to anyone, anywhere. So many families face these issues. The film wants to make sure addiction and recovery were handled in a subtle, complex and realistic way. The film plays with time in the beginning in order to grab the audience’s attention before diving in head first. "Beautiful Boy" includes numerous flashbacks to happier times before Nic became addicted, it's told in a fairly straightforward manner. The film shows what the family has lost, or what they’re about to lose. What sets this film apart is it's point of view. It feels like a window onto the disease of addiction that we hadn’t seen before. Addiction is the great equalizer. We’ve been trained to associate it with income status and moral failing. In reality, addiction is a disease that's rooted in non-moral circumstances, but it's taboo in our culture to talk about it that way. What makes us care is this loving but conflicted relationship between father and son. The story is heartbreaking, but also inspiring and hopeful. It puts forth an ideal of parenting as not giving up in the face of difficulty. If you acknowledge it as a disease, it's not something that should create shame. "Beautiful Boy" can start a much-needed dialogue. We judge their bad choices. We judge their families. We judge ourselves. We've stigmatized addiction. The judgment is so harsh that we hide and when we hide we feel like we’re alone. We all like to think of it as something that happens to someone else, but it's hard to find a family that has not been touched by addiction. The way "Beautiful Boy’s" narrative is structured, mimics the way memory works. At every crossroads in your life, you think, how did I get to this point? It’s a very natural thing for people to do, which is why they respond well to that kind of storytelling. The secret to making it work is that every cut back and forth has to have some kind of emotional logic.

"John Wick: Chapter 4" John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns as the un-retired hitman uncovers a path to defeating The High Table, a council of twelve crime lords that governs the underworld’s most powerful organizations, and which has put a multi-million-dollar bounty on Wick’s head for his defiance. But before Wick can earn his freedom, he must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances around the globe that turns old friends into deadly foes. A new day is dawning in Wick’s world, new rules, new ideas, and new management, as personified by The High Table’s sadistic frontman, Marquis (Bill Skarsgård). But now, win or lose, Wick has a way out, Challenge the Marquis to single combat. If Wick prevails, The Table will honor its word and Wick will no longer have a target on his back. Whatever the fateful outcome, John Wick knows that he left a good life behind a long time ago. At the beginning of the film, everyone assumes Wick is dead. So, he could live happily ever after and be in peace. But no, it’s John Wick!  He can’t leave it alone; justice must be done. He kicks the global hornet’s nest, and every assassin in the world is after him. And he’s alone. In Chapter 4 the film wants to flip the paradigm of Wick on the run and have him go after The High Table. It’s the story of John deciding that he’s not going to run away anymore. Instead, he runs at The Table, which really puts an exclamation point on why people fear John Wick. The Marquis is the emissary of The High Table, the new sheriff in town. The Marquis relishes his deadly duties, way too much. His scorched-earth approach to finding Wick, along with his sadism and underestimation of Winston and, of course, Wick, may lead to the, tables, being turned on the Marquis. He’s off his leash, which means he can implement whatever he wants and whatever he thinks is necessary to get the job done. The character’s lifestyle exemplifies his power. In contrast to the Bowery King in underground Paris, The Marquis frequents glamorous locations, which his wealth and power have secured for him to enjoy. Caine (Donnie Yen) is Wick’s longtime friend, who must turn against Wick when The High Table threatens a family member. In many ways, Caine is an intriguing mirror image of Wick, a lethal figure who made an extraordinary sacrifice because he did what an assassin should avoid at all costs, he loved. For Wick, it's his late, beloved wife, who succumbed to cancer. For Caine, it’s his precious daughter, whose safety The High Table threatens in order to secure Caine’s services. Caine was close to John, back in the day. They share no personal animosity but do have in common several facets of their personality and work. One of Caine’s defining characteristics is his lack of sight. This initially gave Yen pause, as he had recently played a sightless character in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". He’s a blind martial arts master who can take on dozens of opponents simultaneously, so he must be very skilled. Finding that balance between being sightless and physically gifted was challenging. Caine as a mix between Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee. Winston is the owner of the New York Continental Hotel, which functions as a comfortable and safe venue for hired killers. When, in the second film, after Wick conducts business” on hotel grounds, killing a despicable adversary, he incurs terrible penalties and ends up with a price on his head. In the third film, Winston committed a shocking, if necessary, act against his friend, Wick, who had, after all, broken his establishment’s laws. But Winston may be Wick’s only hope when the cunning hotelier devises a strategy for the on-the-run hitman to finally be free of The High Table. Winston is always in control, and it’s interesting to see how he reacts when everything he values is taken away from him. He’s a suave figure when he enjoys all the vestments and services of the hotel, but when it’s stripped away, he becomes a far more dangerous man than we knew. In this story, Winston is a master of revenge and instrumental in shaping Wick’s only way out of a seemingly impossible situation. The supremely capable, dignified, and helpful concierge, Charon (Lane Reddick), is Winston’s right-hand man. There's a bond that transcends employer-employee and even friendship. One of the things that’s so interesting about Winston and Charon’s relationship is that it's so close. You get a sense that they’ve been together for many years, probably even before their tenures at the New York Continental. You feel there’s an affection between them, and this film confirms it. The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburn is the head of an underground intelligence network disguised as a homeless shelter. An underworld (literally) kingpin who, from his underground headquarters, heads an intelligence network designed to look like a homeless shelter. Now, he’s traveled to Paris, to be of service to Wick, as the latter faces the ultimate challenge. Bowery King is the character who most embraces the world of John Wick. He opens his arms and draws it all in. The Bowery King can be seen as Hades, the god of hell. Like Winston, he’s also a protector of Wick’s secrets. He’s the chef in John’s secret kitchen. Another martial arts master who, like Caine, has a long history with Wick, is Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada). Shimazu owns the Osaka Continental Hotel and faces the wrath of The High Table when he offers Wick safe haven at his establishment. John doesn’t have many friends left, but he has a brotherhood, steeped in friendship and sacrifice. John, Caine and Shimazu form a triangle: the assassin, Caine, who got out of the game but was forced back in to protect his daughter; and Shimazu, who also has a daughter he must protect. Shimazu will have to pay a price for his allegiance to John. Shimazu is maybe John Wick’s last friend. John had no place to go, but then he remembers his friend in Japan. Shimazu grew up with John and Caine; they were like brothers. They trained together. But when Shimazu had a daughter, he tried to transition to a more peaceful life until John Wick’s visit. For her position at the hotel, Akira (Rina Sawayama), Shimazu's daughter, is trained in etiquette and fighting. Her heretofore placid life there's turned upside-down when she learns that its New York counterpart has been demolished. Life gets even more complicated when Akira sees Wick sharing drinks with her father in the hotel’s rooftop garden. It's then Akira realizes that she really doesn’t have anything to lose. She knows Wick is a very dangerous man who's using his last defense and connection, her father. Another pursuer of John Wick is known only as the Tracker (Shamier Anderson), whose faithful and nameless canine partner is a Belgian Malinois. The Tracker makes a deal with The High Table but comes to realize it’s a Faustian bargain. Just by agreeing to their terms, he may have already lost. The Tracker is very tactile, from his notebook, in which he writes everything down during his search for Wick, to always carrying a sack, to his light, guns, clothing, and dog. The latter serves as a companion to, and extension of, the Tracker. Indeed The Harbinger (Clancy Brown) initiates both destruction, he brings The Table’s order to destroy the New York Continental, and death, as he presides over the final duel between Caine, and Wick. Wherever The Harbinger arrives, bad things happen. You do not want the Harbinger knocking on your door. Unlike Wick, the Harbinger is old. He limps and has scars. So, instead of being an assassin for that organization, he conducts its business. The story takes us out of New York City, where most of the previous films were set, and travels to Jordan, Japan, Berlin, and Paris. There are no less than 14 major action sequences, including a wild and epic chase through the streets of Paris. In John Wick’s fighting style, you experience his effort, commitment, and will. We see his never-give-up attitude; its style seems desperate and capable. Everything is on a bigger scale for this movie. Any individual stunt piece in this film could be the tentpole action piece for any other movie. In a world where there seems to be no escape for John, the film wants to show action in a slower way and deal with the emotional resonance. We go back to the core of the films, one man against another, with something huge at stake. In addition to the action, there's brotherhood and hope, and the film explores some emotional threads that were only hinted at in the previous films. "John Wick: Chapter 4" has huge sets and vistas. You get your popcorn, the theater's packed, you feel the energy, and audiences cheer as soon as John Wick comes on the screen. John Wick is an escapist ride and collective thrill for audiences. Written by Gregory Mann  

You decide to go to Mars forever and you forget to tell your husband? I’m open to all kinds of films. It doesn’t have to be a blockbuster with star actors. I love indies as well. And already several times I was lucky enough to see a gem of a movie. A film that’s not well-known to the general public. But to be honest, “Seat 25” is a film that has tested the limits of my stamina. Coincidentally I saw “The Martian” a few days ago on some television channel. “Seat 25” is about a young woman named Faye Banks (Madeleine Cooke) who has won a golden ticket. Just like Charlie in a very different movie. Not to immerse herself in a stream of chocolate in the factory of Willy Wonka, but to become a member of a team that booked a one-way trip to Mars. It all looks boring. Or not? So, are you looking forward to an exciting SF with the red planet as the central theme, then you can skip this one. Apart from some red-tinted images of a sandy, rocky landscape, there’s not much interplanetary to see. Sometimes it seems as if Faye is living on another planet. But don’t expect similar action sequences like Matt Damon did in “The Martian“. Or scenes with a large rocket. Or an overcrowded Control Center. The only thing that just kind of stuck with me is that it all seemed terribly boring and everything seemed so insignificant. Really everything radiates dullness. Faye is boring. Her family is boring. Her clothes look dull. Her work is boring. The colleagues are boring. Fay’s life in itself is boring. Mr. Popescu (Adnan Rashad) was dead tired of all the dullness in his life. The conversations are boring. The interior is boring (Yeak, those symmetrically placed pillows). You’d fly to Mars for less. Neighbor Peter (Stephen Lloyd) and his daughter Flossie are the only ones who breach this overall dullness. She’s also a science person. It’s not only the monotony of her life Faye wants to escape from. She also seems to have a degree in science. You can easily deduce this from the fact that her husband Jim (Nicholas Banks) persuades her to take a job at a certain moment, even though it has nothing to do with science (“I know it’s not in science, but it’s a job. We need the money “). That Jim-guy really is an intrusive and bossy fellow. And probably this trip to Mars is an unfulfilled wish of her. Seems quite obvious to me when you look at her box full of high-tech scientific material: a space helmet made of aluminum foil, a few pictures frames with space photographs and a pile of VHS tapes about planets from our galaxy. Probably these are remnants of demonstration material that she used for her thesis. The Mars issue isn’t the most important thing. Maybe it all sounds a bit sarcastic and it might be better to simply skip this film. It’s indeed all rather slow and boring. The whole story is infused with melancholy and sadness. So you won’t feel happy or excited about this movie. And yet it did fascinate me in one way or another. Forget about the science part. About a Mars trip. And you’ll discover an interesting story about how an individual is trapped in a daily routine. A life Faye isn’t really satisfied with. And maybe she expected more of life. Hence her candidacy for seat number 25. When is she going to tell it?. Madeleine Cooke isn’t only a fun and attractive appearance. She plays the role of the timid and introverted Faye in a perfect way. Even though it sometimes seems as if Faye is feeble-minded and spends more time looking at the sky. Or reads the discharge procedure for the umpteenth time in an apathetic way. Or has lunch on that bench in the park in an upright sitting posture while staring into space. And the whole time I was asking myself two things. Will she make the decision and leave everything behind to go on an adventure? And when is she going to tell she’s the chosen one? There really is a trip to Mars? No, “Seat 25” is not high-quality cinema. And no, it really isn’t SF. It’s rather melodramatic. Even though it sometimes comes across as humorous (but that has more to do with English correctness and stiffness). The film focuses more on the relations between everyday people. Faye has the choice between going to Mars on her own or staying in her current family situation. For her, the first option will be more satisfactory. Now she leads an ignored, misunderstood and numb life. With a man who has more eye for his own career and therefore is punctual and precise in terms of work. It’s a man who decides on his own that it’s time for them to have children. And Faye’s sister lives in her own pretentious world. And finally, her parents treat her as a stranger. Not really a rosy life. There was only one thing I doubted at first. And that was whether the whole thing about flying to Mars wasn’t something that only existed in Faye’s imagination. My rating 6/10 Links: IMDB

(Release Info London schedule; May 17th, 2021, The Prince Charles Theatre, 7 Leicester Pl, London WC2H 7BY, United Kingdom, 6:15 pm) https://princecharlescinema.com/PrinceCharlesCinema.dll/WhatsOn?f=17320550 "Nomadland" Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. "Nomadland" features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of 'The American West' A sweeping panoramic portrait of 'The American' nomadic spirit set on the trail of seasonal migratory labor, "Nomadland" is a road movie for our times, now doubly relevant and resonant in this moment of redefinition and change. We see the grandeur of 'The American West', from 'The Badlands' of South Dakota to 'The Nevada Desert', to 'The Pacific Northwest', through the eyes of 61-year old Fern. Fern is a woman who has lost a husband and in fact her whole former life, when the mining town where she lived is essentially dissolved. But in her process, she gains strength and a new life. Fern finds her community in the nomad gatherings she attends which include Linda May and Swankie (real life nomads who play themselves), closer companionship with Dave (David Strathairn), and along with others she meets on her journey. But most importantly, in nature, as she evolves, in the wilderness, in rocks, trees, stars, a hurricane, this is where she finds her independence. The film incorporates non-actors and have them be themselves in the moment, then Fran has to somehow be herself in the moment as well, because she couldn’t know what they're going to do. That’s why the film has so much of her in the character. It’s a way to make practical things that you need, things for bartering on the road. A big part of Fern's evolution is learning to live with nature. Living in a van, she becomes increasingly more exposed to nature, it's beauty and hostility, it's ability to replenish and to heal. The sound design is very important to the film and is tailored to the very different specific landscapes Fern travels through. The film keeps the sound design true to the soundscapes of the places where Fern finds herself. This film is based on the non-fiction book 'Nomadland: Surviving America In The 21st Century' by Brooklyn writer Jessica Bruder. The book is a work of investigative journalism and each chapter has a different topic. Half of the book focuses on nomadic living, and the other half is actually undercover reporting. Men come and go, cities rise and fall, whole civilizations appear and disappear; the earth remains, slightly modified. The earth remains, and the heartbreaking beauty where there are no hearts to break. We sometimes choose to think, no doubt perversely, that man is a dream, thought an illusion, and only rock is real. Rock and sun. We've always been deeply drawn to the open road, an idea we find to be quintessentially American; the endless search for what’s beyond the horizon. The film captures a glimpse of it, knowing it’s not possible to truly describe 'The American Road' to another person. One has to discover it on one’s own. The film uses the classically male/'Western' genre tropes to tell a more universal story of triumph over adversity and the will to survive and adjust one’s dreams. There's been this promise made to the baby boomer generation, that if they just did 'X', 'Y', and 'Z', it would all work out by the time they got to retirement age. Clearly that didn’t happen and isn't happening. The safety net has ripped, and many people are now falling through it. It's like 'The Titanic's' going down. And this situation dovetails with the tradition of rugged American individualism. Many of these people who are finding themselves forced into this sort of life are discovering an independence and a new sense of themselves. Beholden to only themselves for the first time in their lives. It's inspiring, complicated, of course, in the way that so much in America is so layered and complicated right now. These are people who are redefining 'The American Dream'. The film grapples with this idea of 'The American Dream', and seeing it from a fresh perspective. "Nomadland" enters this world, explores a unique American identity; the true nomad. Being a 'Nomad' is a choice, not a circumstance. NOMADLAND 93rd Academy Awards Best Picture 2021 · Frances McDormand, Chloé Zhao, Peter Spears Best Actress 2021 · Frances McDormand Best Director 2021 · Chloé Zhao Best Adapted Screenplay 2021 · Chloé Zhao

Though I'm not a professional film critic, I do know a bad film when I see one, and unfortunately, the new Netflix film To All The Boys I've Loved Before (dir. Susan Johnson) is one of them. Do give my (mediocre) review a watch if you're interested...

Perhaps the most pertinent view on the value of art is the Romantic belief that art becomes more meaningful through expression – whether this be attitude, character and, for the most part, emotion. The more powerful pieces of cinema tend to elicit strong emotional responses through an appeal to the more evocative states of being, which is achieved through adherence to a strong script, powerful acting, and tactical directing. In surely one – if not the – frontrunners of 2016, Manchester by the Sea combines all three of these to create a poignant commentary on grief and the aftermath it leaves in its wake. To accurately depict the effects of this difficult emotion and to draw sympathy, understanding and attachment to the broken characters within the plot is the mark of a brilliant piece of art and it is in this respect that Manchester by the Sea is almost faultless. That being said, you need to be in a certain mood for this film. It is an emotional and sometimes difficult watch in what is writer-director’s Kenneth Lonergan’s third and finest entry, after You Can Count on Me [2000] and Margaret [2011]. In keeping with his thematic focus on the effects and difficult strains of life, he has perfected the art of drawing a strong response from the audience. It was this rawness of experience -which is entirely anti-Hollywood in sentiment – that left such a last impression. This is a film to observe acting at its finest and in its deepest form. Michelle Williams [Randi Chandler] showcases her range of acting skills and it is a shame her Oscar nomination did not materialise in to a win – you would think that her performance in one particularly heart wrenching scene near the end would almost be enough merit to give it to her. Lucas Hedges [Patrick Chandler] also stars as an up-and-coming talent capable of a strong performance alongside a Hollywood heavyweight. This is surely what Casey Affleck has now become after Manchester by the Sea. Whilst controversial, Affleck’s Oscar could not be more richly deserved in his portrayal of a struggling handyman called Lee Chandler. The story begins with him and immediately we are presented a sense of the character’s self-inflicted agonist tendencies as he rejects the advances of several women in the opening scenes to choose the punishment of a drunken fight. Struggling to coexist with a harrowed past – which is revealed through a series of flashbacks throughout the film – it is a credit to the acting ability to be able to convey such a convincing sense of depression with the lacklustre commitment to dialogue the character gives. Shuffling, sighing and appearing almost robotic, it is clear that Chandler is broken and incapable of a life in the place that reminds him so much of his grief. Returning to Manchester following the death of his brother, played by Kyle Chandler, Lee is presented with the unwanted adoption of his nephew, played by Hedges. In this character, Lonergan shows the reliance on those around you in times of grief – Patrick is presented as strong and able to deal with the loss of his father until left alone and unable to go visit one of his girlfriends. This is contrasted to Lee whom actively shies away from others and company, perhaps as a form of punishment. He rejects the opportunity of relationships throughout the movie, including an attempt of a re-connection from Randi, admitting to Patrick at the end that he cannot beat the grief. The value of Manchester by the Sea is surely in its expose on life and grief itself, which is inherently complex and idiomatic. It goes against the grain of typical cinema and it is thanks to the powerful performances by the cast and Lonergan’s script that makes this such a must see film.

"When Evil Lurks" /10/07/23/Prince Charles Cinema/13:45/     The residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them. They desperately try to escape before the evil is born, but it may be too late.   When brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomón) discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse, its very proximity poisoning the local livestock, they attempt to evict the victim from their land. Failing to adhere to the proper rites of exorcism, their reckless actions inadvertently trigger an epidemic of possessions across their rural community. Now they must outrun an encroaching evil as it corrupts and mutilates everyone it is exposed to, and enlist the aid of a wizened cleaner, who holds the only tools that can stop this supernatural plague.   The film wants to create an own universe and something unique in the genre. It's a sequel to "Terrified" (Aterrados). To make the audience experience disturbing situations in the context of everyday life. It's about a new way into the demonic possession subgenre, without falling into the expected or generic places. Unlike "Terrified", where the protagonists were based in a couple of houses and going to look for 'evil' until they collided with it, here we propose the complete opposite, evil would be looking for the characters, who would have to cross a whole region to avoid that confrontation. The idea is always to create a horror road movie of characters with family ties that are in a state of decay, which makes everything that happens more brutal and disturbing. The film also wants to present striking scenes and images within the horror and fantasy genre set in Latin America. A wildly original take on the possession film, "When Evil Lurks" is a shocking supernatural thriller.   Written by Gregory Mann

Wonder Woman! The final 'trinity' movie in DC's universe. I must speak of what first comes to mind - the cinematography. The entire movie looks beautiful, from the orange beaches of Themyscira to the colours of the poison gas, 'Wonder Woman' is designed perfectly. The movie is flawlessly integrated into history, with real parts of World War One (such as General Ludendorff) playing key roles in the movie. Perhaps what is done well (where its predecessors fell) is the structure and pacing of the movie - each act builds up to the final climactic battle between hero and villain. There is no over-cluttering of characters and plot points, a feat that makes this movie great. Instead, there are very few characters, all developed well with enough dedicated screen-time. The film's key strength is its era; those engineering the war are very dismissive of Diana due to her being a woman (a historically accurate feat). How so that the movie ends with Diana being mankind's only hope! Please do yourself a favour and see this film. It is the DC Universe's first truly outstanding piece and DC's best movie since 'The Dark Knight'.

"Four Daughters"     The life of Olfa (Hend Sabri), a Tunisian woman and mother of 4 daughters, oscillates between light and shadow. One day, her two eldest daughters disappear. To fill their absence, the film intimates a journey full rebellion, violence, intergenerational transmission and sisterhood, which will question the very foundation of our societies.   It's the story of a mother and of her four teenage daughters. When the film begins, it's astonishing to see them so radiant and smiling, when we're expecting to find women who are grieving. They're like that in real life. The passing down of traumas from mother to daughter is a recurring theme throughout this film. It's the story of a curse, because in turn, this little girl will hold her mother to account. Olfa is a very powerful character. She's the embodiment of a mother with all of her contradictions, her ambiguities, her troubled areas. Olfa’s story is well known in Tunisia. But what role was she playing and what was the nature of this trap? Olfa had been conditioned by journalists. But we've to understand that at that time, this kind of story was commonplace. We notice that in life we often behave in a way that's influenced by clichés that we’ve seen on TV or in the media. Most of these reports do not allow for the different dimensions of an individual to be explored. Yet Olfa is so exuberant, so ambiguous, and so complex that it is impossible to show just one side of her. What struck us about Olfa and her daughter's lives is the absence of men. As soon as a man enters their world, they throw him out. The men around them can’t survive them. They've a very complex relationship with masculinity. Olfa embodies something that's both very feminine and very masculine.   In a way, as all of the men have been ejected from their group, it's as if all these men are just one man (Majd Mastoura). For him, we can not permit ourselves to elicit such confessions in front of a camera. He thinks that this intimate speech should not have left the psychologists office. When you're faced with such revelations about other people’s lives, you've to ask yourself a thousand ethical questions. When you're faced with such revelations about other people’s lives, you've to ask yourself a thousand ethical questions. The strength of their resilience is phenomenal. It's a retrograde form of patriarchy that women have to assimilate in order to survive. They don’t have a choice. Olfa might not respect men, but she still embodies one of the forms of this patriarchy. When you come from a humble background like her, the choice for a young girl is limited: to become a prostitute or holier-than-holy. There's no room for nuance. And as they're beautiful, that's their other curse, her daughters chose holiness and even going beyond holiness, they've wished for death! Through the four portraits that the film paints of these young women, it's also a film about adolescence, of this chasm between childhood and adulthood, where suddenly we seek to understand, and even to experiment with, the idea of death, as one of the girls demonstrates when she wants to sleep in a grave. But even as we play with death, it's the period of our lives when we're searching for an ideal of life while worrying about our social environment.   The emergence of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, transformed the world of jihadism. After capturing large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014, the Islamic State attracted tens of thousands of foreigners who sought to build a new Islamic society in a modern caliphate. They included engineers, accountants, teachers, grandparents, and teenage girls, as well as fighters. They reinvigorated existing jihadist movements and galvanized a new wave of support for jihadism generally. In 2014, ISIS seemed to eclipse al-Qaeda. But al-Qaeda, the vanguard of the global jihadist movement, is seeking to reclaim its primacy. It has built support among local jihadist groups in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and the Caucasus. Core leaders still provide overall directives, although they've also dispersed among affiliates. Advisors help groups define local goals and targets. Al-Qaeda has played the long game, and it may prove to be a more enduring model than the Islamic State. But the jihadist spectrum is also far more diverse today than it was on 9/11. Tunisian nationals make up the largest number of foreign fighters affiliated with ISIS in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. As ISIS gains a stronger grip in neighboring Libya, the issue of youth radicalization in Tunisia is more pressing than ever. ISIS is highly effective and organized in using social media platforms to recruit foreign and local fighters across national borders.   The paper examines ISIS’s use of sophisticated online propaganda strategies to recruit young Tunisians and proposes concrete ways to improve the gov- ernment’s thus far lackluster response. Fighting the online and offline recruitment efforts of terrorist groups should include not only monitoring online content that incites violence but also more constructive measures such as building platforms to connect government with the population, from using social media to encourage civic engagement to crowdsourcing in policy making. How did ISIS manage to successfully recruit a person as ordinary as Olfa’s daughter's and convince them to commit a terrorist attack on such a scale? There are a plethora of reasons why Tunisian men and women flock to join ISIS at home and abroad. Regardless of their diverse motivations, ISIS has shown itself to be highly effective at recruiting foreign and local fighters across borders, using sleek online propaganda and social media platforms. In Olfa’s case, there's no evidence that her daughters were recruited online by ISIS. Nevertheless the threat of online recruitment and radicalization by Islamist terrorist groups remains very high. ISIS is one of the biggest threats to Tunisia’s stability and democratic consolidation as it is getting a stronger hold over parts of neighboring   After the revolution in Tunisia, the new government tolerated jihadist-Salafist discourse as part of its commitment to freedom of expression and beliefs. Such discourse in fact further strengthened the message that jihad is a duty of Muslims in times of war, for example in the war in Syria. Hungry for change, young men and women fell victim to such narratives, only to be disappointed later. Friends and family of some of the Tunisian fighters have reported that they've often regretted going to Syria after discovering a different reality. In fact, the number of returnee fighters to Tunisia is also the highest globally. While this number could signal a threat that terrorism will be reimported home, the returnees are a very valuable source of information for learning more about the motivation behind radicalization and designing proactive measures accordingly. For this to materialize, however, de-radicalization programs have to be in place to rehabilitate returnees, win their trust, give amnesties in return for their readiness to peacefully engage with society and to cooperate to prevent further radicalization. Jihadism has evolved dramatically and traumatically since the 9/11 attacks. Movements, leaders, targets, tactics, and arenas of operation have all proliferated in ways unimagined in 2001.   How to revive memories without embellishing or changing them, without playing the good guy, without sugar-coating the truth? How to succeed in recapturing what took place and what is no longer there? How to face up to the truth of one’s own past years later? The girls are looking for something that's missing. They want to challenge the authority of Olfa who has always embodied both their father and mother figure and who wanted to repress their sexuality. Since they did not have the tools to be able to do so, they became, as one of them said, 'God’s chosen ones'. This gave them the illusion of transcendence to try and impose their desires on the world. This film documents the different relationships to death and to life that sometimes run through adolescents in a confused manner.   However, taking a deeper look at the contradictions, the sensations, the emotions, requires time that journalists do not have. It is the role of cinema to explore these areas, these ambiguities of the human spirit. It's the role of cinema to explore these areas, these ambiguities of the human spirit. However, taking a deeper look at the contradictions, the sensations, the emotions, requires time that journalists do not have.  The line needed to become blurred because we spend our time acting in life and even more so in front of the camera. Since the early days, movies enjoyed exploring the tenuous relationship between fiction and documentary. It's a common thread that runs through all films. This film is a therapeutic laboratory in which memories can be recaptured.   Written by Gregory Mann

Director: Ryan Coogler (Contains mild spoilers) In under one month Black Panther has taken over $1 Billion dollars at the International Box Office, a huge feat for an all black cast; Hollywood, in the recent past, would never have considered the idea that black people being represented on the big screen in such a way could ever grab the attention of a worldwide audience. It is old out-dated ideas like this (ironically, as will be discussed, the main theme of Black Panther) that make the success of the movie grab the headlines and the attention of the media as it did, which was equally matched by the huge hype and anticipation. Whatever the reasons for this global phenomenon, it should hopefully pave the wave to secure more diversity in an industry where diversity should have happened a long long time ago. A sidestep continuation to Captain America: Civil War, we see Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), AKA T'Challa, take on the throne of Wakanda, a fictional African nation invisible to the outside world. The film introduces a country that adhesively follows strong traditions (first notably seen by the incredible and colourful costume and set design), whilst possessing new, modern, highly-conceited alien technology (new to us anyway), and this visual concept becomes the overall theme of the movie - old ideas vs new ones. Whilst the first chapter of the film is sluggish with its introduction of Wakanda and its traditions (one notably being the coronation ceremony and the ritual combat that challenges the rule of the throne), as well as T'Challa, we get to know some of the lesser known characters of the Marvel Universe - in particularly the women. Not only can we see this as a film for black kids growing up with a hero to identify with, but another film (the other being Wonder Woman) where little girls (and boys) can be inspired. Black Panther has an array of bad-ass, strong female characters. Okoye, (Danai Gurira), is head of the Wakanda Special Forces, sworn to protect the king at all costs. At times, she and her soldiers seemingly took the form of an all Grace Jones’ army, an actress who many probably saw for the first time take on a strong black female role in Conan The Destroyer and A View To A Kill. Okoye becomes of great interest when her traditional values is challenged when the new king comes into power. She loves and respects T’Challa, but her love for him cannot overwrite the ways of Wakanda law, and thus, decides to make a heartbreaking choice to stay and protect and advice the new king. T'Challa's younger, humorous, very likeable sister, Shuri (Leitita Wright), is head of the alien technology progress, and brings a James ‘Bondesque’ sonority by providing her brother with new gadgets aiding his quest to take down Ulyssess Klau (Andy Serkis). Her demeanour and personality brings a necessary humour to a film that is driven by deep, serious, dark undertones. Opposing Okoye's traditional values is the restrained love interest of Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) who represents the template of what the future of Wakanda should be; a country that preserves its traditions, but looks outwardly to others in desperate need or to those who wish to establish a more unified international community. All women fight. All women protect the king. All women are women you do not want to mess with. In a time of The Harvey Weinstein scandal, its a message thats very well-timed and very much needed. In the middle of the film we learn through the main antagonist, Eric “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), AKA N’Jadaka, that T’Challa’s father’s past decisions, which were based on old traditions, led to the uprising aggressions of Eric. T’Challa has to face the fact that his father made great consequential mistakes, and that it is Wakanda itself that has brought on its own destruction. This leads to questions about what sort of king T’Challa wants to be. On one hand, through tradition and keeping themselves to themselves, Wakanda has survived and prospered. On the other, with a fast changing world, new enemies and new forms of attack can not always be tackled alone. In general, the film is a great watch and a must see for reasons already stated. Chadwick Boseman, like his character T’Challa, had a heavy weight on his shoulders taking on a historic, highly anticipated role, who played it with great authentic regality. However, perhaps due to the amount of hype, the movie felt a little bit lacklustre (stressing a little bit). Furthermore, Marvel films have an infamous plague of lacklustre antagonists, something Black Panther is not immune to. Eric is an interesting character and we do identify and sympathise with his cause, but we only get to really meet him half way through the movie where most of his back story is explained rather than shown. For example, he makes a very compelling speech about how Wakanda has just stood by in its riches and prosperity whilst other black people all over the world have suffered. American Slavery, The Civil Rights Movement, #Black Lives Matter, Charlottesville, Rodney King, Stephen Lawrence, are just a few images that spring to mind. We do get a brief encounter in the beginning mirroring the kidnapping of Nigerian women by Boko Haram, but seeing more visuals like these would have helped the audience identify the drive and motive of Eric’s assailments even further. Eric also reveals that his scars - which lay inherent all over his body - symbolises every person that he has killed. Again, some form of visuals of his bloodshed would have helped enhance his ferocity and skill as a fighter and killer and make him seem even more deadly and threatening. Similar problems could also be said about Ulyssess Klau, the South African smuggler who was the first outsider to enter Wakanda and the first outsider to escape it. His likeable, animated, over-the-top character was somewhat problematic. As the main antagonist for the first part of the film, he inadvertently took away most of the ‘bad guy role’ time from Eric. At the same time, his departure half way in the film meant we didn’t really attach ourselves to his character, and thus, our time with him felt insignificant and ineffective. There is also the questionable role of Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman), a CIA agent previously seen in Captain America: Civil War. After being injured, the only way to save him was to take him to Wakanda. Okoye reminds the king that this practice is not the Wakanda way, but with opposing arguments from Nakia, T’Challa reluctantly brings him to his homeland. A character like Everett would have conventionally given exposition, helping the audience understand the world a lot better. But his introduction to Wakanda occurs more than half way through, and by this time we have seen most of Wakanda already. Everett does help in the final war scenes, but that did not help his role feel any less pointless. Most hardcore comic book fans will know that Everett was an important character and key ally to Black Panther in the novels. Everett’s creator, Christopher Priest, said to newsarama.com in 2015 “...in order for Black Panther to succeed, it needed a white male at the centre, and that white male had to give voice to the audience's misgivings or apprehensions or assumptions about this character... I think that his stream of conscious narrative is a window into things I imagine many whites say or at least think when no blacks are around; myths about black culture and behaviour.”. It is a shame that the film did not come anywhere close to functioning Everett’s character in such a way. Other characters like W’kabi and Zuri (played by Daniel Kaluuya and Forest Whittaker respectively) were fine in their roles, but their roles were too small for actors with such high authority and calibre. Special effects were a fairly disappointing spectacle. The final panther fight scene had a lot of problems with realism, whilst the vibranium nano bots that seemed to be the solution to all problems felt uninspired and unoriginal, failing to take advantage of an opportunity to create something different and out-of-this-world with the alien tech. Although the film does not quite live up to the hype, and despite some minor flaws, Black Panther proves to be a force of paving the way for other minority groups to break into the big Hollywood scene, and justifies the notion that more diversity in film can mean global success. With its underlining themes amalgamated with wonderful cinematography, colourful costume and set design, acting, compelling action scenes (those set in South Korea were highly entertaining), Black Panther makes a great watch and should bring some joy to those of all ages and especially to hard core Marvel fans. Not as good as some of its Marvel predecessors such as The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: Civil War, and even most recently Thor: Ragnorok, what the film does that the other Marvel films do not, is challenge Hollywood myths and ideology, inspiring and giving hope that a different, brighter, outward looking world is forthcoming. (Film Rating: 7/10)

(Dog' showtimes in London Today 23 FEB Cineworld Leicester Square, 5-6 Leicester Square, 12:50 15:20 17:50 20:20 Vue Cinemas - West End 3 Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, 14:45 17:30 19:00 ODEON Luxe Haymarket, 11/18 Panton Street 15:30 18:00 20:30 Vue Cinemas - Piccadilly (Apollo), 19 Lower Regent Street, 15:15 18:00 Everyman King's Cross, Handyside Street, 11:15 18:15) https://we-love-cinema.com/movies/59945-dog/ "Dog" "Dog" is a buddy comedy that follows the misadventures of two former Army Rangers paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army Ranger Jackson Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier's funeral on time. Along the way, they II drive each other completely crazy, break a small handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards in order to have a fighting chance of finding happiness. "Dog" is about a road trip that a guy takes with a dog. But more than all of that, it's a movie about the uncanny ability of road trips to go awry in the craziest possible ways and how animals can be healing, even when relationships with them aren't unconditionally effortless. So perhaps, it's that easy to describe it, a road trip that a guy takes with a dog, in the end, they rescue each other. This dog in particular, an anxious, boisterous Belgian Malinois named Lulu. Lulu is the main character in the film. Lulu is a war hero, who worked with her handler Riley Rodriguez (Eric Urbiztando), who served in the Army Rangers with Jackson Briggs for many years. But for a road trip movie to have the perfect tinge of Americana, you first need the perfect car. A sleek, vintage, blue ’84 Bronco to hit the highways. Sadly, Rodriguez has passed, and it's up to Briggs to pack this dog into his ’84 Bronco and drive her down the Pacific Coast to Rodriguez's family in time for the funeral in Arizona. Briggs, however, has no interest in this trip, after a traumatic brain injury, his interest lies in getting back to active duty. The only way to make that happen? To do his C.O. a solid and get Lulu to the funeral on time. Driving a dog to a destination? How hard can it be? Pretty difficult, it turns out. No road trip movie is fun without antics, have you ever taken a road trip with no antics? It's impossible. Malinois, they love to tear stuff apart, and we've a sequence where the dog escaped from her cage and she's destroying the insides of the car. She chews up the seats. So, needless to say, it's his worst nightmare that this dog just treats it with utter disrespect. A car has always got to get destroyed on the road. It's not a road trip if it's not. "Dog" certainly lives by this adage. But along the way Briggs and Lulu bond in an unexpected way, even through adventures with ornery pot growers, a car break-in, and a luxury hotel con. Lulu needs a comfortable bed, so says a pet psychic they meet on the road. Needless to say, Lulu and Briggs both bring a lot of emotional baggage on this trip. Lulu also comes with an owner's manual, which is something most people in the military actually create. They can range from a simple book of all their military paperwork to a beautifully designed scrapbook, filled with mementos. For Lulu, this was a book full of letters written by Rodriguez to her and DVDs that calm her anxiety down. Though Briggs mocks it at first, he grows to embrace its highlights getting to know Lulu through Rodriguez's eyes. Along the way they encounter outlandish characters who not only bring comic relief to Briggs's mission, but teach him about trauma, healing, and bonding. Meeting a lot of eccentric people. Mean locals. Why are the locals so mean? You're bringing them business. South Park did something good with theis cliche. We don't care much for your kind round here. Gus (Kevin Nash) and Tamara (Jane Adams) are cannabis farmers who create some real drama for Briggs. While Gus initially mistakes Briggs for an interloper, Briggs ultimately befriends the couple. What makes a good road-trip movie. The roots of the genre go back to classical literature such as “The Odyssey” and “Don Quixote". In case you don't know, a road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home to travel from place to place, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. What are some common elements in the genre you can think of that are done to death or are just plain cheesy and annoying? The story for "Dog" is initially inspired by the documentary 'War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend' (HBO, 2017). The Rangers do very specialized things, so they've these walls up, but a dog can come in to the room and turn hardened soldiers into these puppy dog sort of loving guys. Belgian Malinois are also known as Dutch Shepherds, and most people associate them with military, Secret Service or Navy SEALS. Road movies are our favorite kinds of movies..They make you feel something and expose you to new ideas and places and wild characters. Casting a movie is never an easy task, but how do you audition for a co-star when it's a four-legged friend? For "Dog", that means working with three dogs, Britta, Zuza and Lana. The three dogs are wonderful, like really great acting. And watching them act is magical for everyone. There's a certain irony in bonding with an animal just so you can both act like you're not bonded. In dog movies, typically the way you see an animal is in an insert shot. There's a trainer right off camera doing something so the dog does a specific behavior and then you cut back to the action. Characters are on a quest for something or someone and what happens, is that they discover themselves along the way. The idea of a road trip is to expand your consciousness. The road picture is like that, going from place to place, meeting all sorts of people. It’s a cliche, it’s about the journey, not the destination. There's nothing new under the sun. It's a completely different world, but at the same time, feels very natural, because it's very military in the way it's chaotic but everyone seems to know what they're doing. The movie wants to capture the personality and the spirit of the Rangers and their dogs as well. Don't worry about tropes and clichés. You need to have the cliches that define road movies in the script, otherwise it wouldn't really be a road movie. And that's the guiding spirit of the movie. Written by Gregory Mann Personal Note: This winter, homebound with writing deadlines, I watched “Paris, Texas” again. This time, undistracted by the road, I turned my focus to the narrative and the characters. At the end, I wept. .