this is bbc news. the headlines: the qatari television network aljazeera say their camerman has been killed in southern gaza by an israeli air strike. the network says samer abu daqqa bled to death after a drone strike hit a school in khan yunis. hundreds of people gather in tel aviv, calling for the israeli government to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by hamas. the protest comes after the israeli military admitted it killed three israeli hostages in gaza. the medical examiner in los angeles has ruled the death of actor matthew perry an accident from the acute effects of ketamine. officials say he drowned in a hot tub at his home after taking the drug.

the missing british boy who was found after six years is expected to travel back to the uk over the weekend. the grandmother of the now 17—year—old said she can't begin to express her relief and happiness. now on bbc news: talking movies: review of 2023. hello from new york. i'm tom brook and welcome to our talking movies review of 2023. in today's programme, highlights from the world of cinema in the past 12 months. hi, barbie. hi, ken. we'll be revisiting barbenheimer — one of the more memorable movie events of 2023.

he's going to now. pull me off the train. also, during the year, tom cruise did it again, bringing us a new mission: impossible film, but it didn't perform as well as expected. and 2023 was defined by industrial strife in hollywood, with both writers and actors going on strike. we hear from an actor who spent time on the picket lines. i'm the king of rock and roll! and year's end brought forth a wealth of documentaries poised for awards — all kinds of stories, from a ukrainian city under attack to the challenges facing transgender sex workers in america. we'll also be giving you our talking movies ranking of the top ten films of 2023. for the movie industry, 2023 was a year of significant challenges, trying to bring box office back to pre—covid levels and trying to figure out what movie audiences really wanted to see. but one thing was certain, and that is the film barbie was a certifiable hit. this film, based

on the adventures of a long—legged plastic doll, really delivered, both commercially and artistically. for talking movies, kes browne reviewed the film. audiences, including myself, flocked to the cinema in a sea of pink to see what has been dubbed by many as the film of the year. as an avid doll lover who played with barbies as a child, this film didn't disappoint. the action takes place in two realms — the real world and barbie land, filled with a variety of barbies and kens. turn to the barbie next to you, tell her how much you love her! but is life in plastic really as fantastic as it seems? no comment! we follow barbie, portrayed by margot robbie, as she goes on an adventure to the real world to restore herself after she starts to malfunction. did you bring your rollerblades? i literally go nowhere without them. her mission — to find the human that is playing with her

and discover why they're unhappy so that her life can go back to normal. where are we going? barbie land! - in the nearly two—hour film, a lot goes down. # watch me dance... # there are dance battles, ballads and interesting takes on the patriarchy and womanhood that have resonated with many. greta gerwig's barbie pays homage to the iconic doll, but in the same breath it also pokes holes at the beauty standards that barbie sets for women. the cast breathes life into these plastic doll characters by giving them heart and humour. ryan gosling shines as barbie�*s boyfriend, ken, but behind the belly laughs, there is a deeper meaning. 0k, ladies, let's do this. barbie land is a matriarchal paradise, but we later find ourselves questioning if this is at the expense of the ken characters. barbie has confounded the naysayers,

proving that films of female characters made by female directors can be huge international blockbusters. barbie, of course, was just one part of a big movie event of 2023 which became known as barbenheimer, the simultaneous release of two very different films chasing quite different audiences. the other part of the barbenheimer equation was, of course, the movie 0ppenheimer. it told the story of the man who led the quest to develop the atomic bomb, and it was masterfully put together by british film—maker christopher nolan. it starred cillian murphy in the title role. alan moloney went to meet christopher nolan for talking movies. three... truman needs to know what's next. what's next? ..one. in a landscape of sequels and superheroes, a film about the creation of the atomic bomb may not have been the obvious subject for your average

summer blockbuster. but then again, christopher nolan is not your average film—maker. an idea can transform the world... ..and rewrite all the rules. the british director is known for features like inception and the dark knight trilogy. when gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die. films that combine big spectacle with an intelligence lacking from many studio films. he's one of the few directors whose name can be used to market a movie. and for 0ppenheimer, he attracted a huge supporting cast, including matt damon and emily blunt. the story itself is fascinating. oppenheimer's life is fascinating, but he manages to make it genre—bending by where he moves in time and what he reveals as he goes. have a 12—month head start... 18. how could you possibly know that? he's able to kind of capture the vastness of ideas . that are really profound, he loves the audience, gives so much credit . to the audience to keep up and be able to metabolise these big ideas. _

it's happening, isn't it? however, much of the film rests on the shoulders of irish actor cillian murphy. what i was looking to him for — it was a lot of pressure, really — is this is a script that i've written in the first person. so i need cillian to use his powers of empathy to open his thoughts, open his soul, really, to the audience. and he can do that, you know, better than any actor can. it's a really remarkable thing. we imagine a future, and our imaginings horrify us. the film not only covers the creation of the atomic bomb, but also 0ppenheimer�*s life following the war, a period where he grappled with the fallout of atomic weapons as well as his past communist associations. it's a timely story in terms of politicisation of science and new technology and ai. did you find that as well?

it's interesting. you don't know the circumstances in which your film is going to be released, but now that people are seeing the film, i'm having more and more conversations with researchers in the field of ai, for example. i don't think 0ppenheimer�*s story, though it points to the important questions and it is a true cautionary tale, i don't know how much it gives them in the way of answers. certainly this film doesn't pretend to have any answers to these questions. itjust tries to really present the questions in the most suspenseful and dramatic way possible. with a dense subject matter, three—hour running time and opening on the same day as barbie, it was feared that 0ppenheimer might get lost in the summer box office. however, the movie seems to have actually benefited from the barbenheimer hype that accompanied the simultaneous release of the two films. with critical acclaim and oscar talk, christopher nolan has once again proved himself to be a film—maker that can deliver big ideas in big films to big audiences.

in 2022, the worldwide box office belonged to tom cruise with his movie top gun: maverick. in fact, he was credited with saving the film industry with this film. as emma jones now tells us, tom cruise was back again in 2023, this time with the latest instalment in the mission: impossible franchise. already hollywood's golden boy for what top gun: maverick did for post—covid cinema attendance, the question was, would tom cruise's midas touch work again for mission: impossible — dead reckoning? there was a big promotional tour supporting the release, including a world premiere in rome, where part of the film was set. it's all about, "how do i engage the audience?" cruise was as willing as ever to meet fans and be chief salesman for his movie. it's bigger than all the films. it has vivid characterisations. it has glorious, luxurious

locations and practical action. and the stuff that we've accomplished has never been seen before on screen. three, two, one... ..action! we even built our own train to destroy it. this film, the first of a two—parter, does what you'd expect a mission: impossible film to do. it's set around the world in glamorous locations and has an intriguing and timely plot around artificial intelligence, which might even be able to outsmart ethan hunt. it's only the beginning. but it costs $300 million to make, and so the pressure was on to top the last mission: impossible film, 2018's fallout, which made more than $800 million for cinemas. at the time of release, the cast were hoping for even more with dead reckoning. is that what you're hoping for, for mission: impossible, that it will be a huge blockbuster summer?

0h, of course. i'd love to crack a bell, wouldn't you? imean... i'd love to get a bit of that. i how much was it, 800? yeah, i've never been in a billion—dollar film. but then nor had tom till top gun, you know, amazingly. so, of course, you want everybody to see this. i feel like this film is everything a cinematic blockbuster should be. and it should be seen. and there's so many films... i mean, we speak about mission, but it also becomes a ripple effect, doesn't it, _ where you show that we can do it? other films will do it. - what made a billion—dollar movie almost mission impossible was the release of barbie and 0ppenheimer just after dead reckoning. after a strong start, the film's hype was quickly stolen and its worldwide box office of $570 million so far stalled as a direct result of audiences seeing so—called barbenheimer instead, including tom cruise, who posted on social media with his tickets. ethan, this mission of yours... ..is going to cost you.

this mission has been uncertain. the actors�* strike delayed filming on dead reckoning part two and part 0ne�*s steady climb at the box office was derailed by barbie. yet, despite the film's difficulties, most unpredictably of all, few would argue that 61—year—old tom cruise is still cinema's most reliable action star. coming up in talking movies — hollywood has just emerged from the longest strike ever of film and tv actors. during 2023, writers and actors spent a lot of time on picket lines. while the strike was under way here in new york, talking movies visited one actor to hear her concerns. new york's upper west side is home to melissa rakiro, a working actor for the past six years. she's had jobs in commercials, television and film. she's one of america's 160,000 unionised actors

currently on strike. the issue vexing her the most is how her real income has declined because of streaming. a few years ago, i had one line on an episode of fbi that runs on cbs, right? so every time that would air, i would get a cheque, i would get... ..you know, you could make a decent living. i think i made $10,000, $15,000 off one line, right, which is not bad. the same exact episode on netflix... in fact, i was in two episodes of a show on netflix, i probably made $700 in residuals. instead of working, nowadays melissa has a new routine, leaving her home and walking to her local subway station. this week, she travelled downtown to join a picket line outside netflix�*s offices in new york. a big concern of melissa's striking colleagues is the use of ai — artificial intelligence — in movie—making.

background actors are a great example of this. background actors, what they want to do is they want to pay background actors a day rate, which is $180, scan them and then use their likeness. that's 160,000 people. star names from hollywood have shown up at rallies and picket lines, many of them not short of money. their presence, while welcomed, can confuse the message that the vast majority of strikers are not economically privileged. 90% of us out here are not out here making millions of dollars a year. we're just out here trying to pay our rent and make our health insurance. and all we want to do is be paid fairly. that's it. new yorkers have, for the most part, warmed to the striking actors, often sounding their car horns in support. horns blare oh, i don't know if you can hear it, but we got a lot of honks. the truckers are very pro—union. they're the ones who are out here probably giving us the most love every single time. and it's just really nice. like the city is very pro—union, it's very pro—labour, so we feel very supported. it's a great city to do this in, honestly.

how long do you think it's going to go on for? i think it's going to go on as long as it takes, until the studios hear us out and give us the list of things that we need. 2023 certainly brought forth some powerful and moving documentaries. now, a number of them are getting recognition from different awards bodies. talking movies has been taking a look. what did it mean to be still? i wouldn't know, i was never still. still: a michaelj fox movie took the top prize at the critics choice documentary awards. i woke up and i noticed my pinky~ _ it's a candid portrait of a much—liked actor who, at the age of 29, was diagnosed with parkinson's disease. facing illness is also a theme in another popular documentary, american symphony. it's a story of a year in the life of award—winning musician and composerjon batiste, both his public triumphs and the challenges he faces dealing with a remission in his wife's cancer.

i won the biggest prize in music. come home. she's back in the hospital. this is what we're dealing with. also getting attention, roger ross williams with his film stamped from the beginning, an adventurous work featuring animation and comments from female black scholars looking at the origins of anti—black racism. we need to remember that slavery is a piece of human history. there's open season on black people. — black men and women being shot down in the streets for no reason. it's a very difficult time to be black in america, and we want to understand why this is happening. and if we don't understand the history, then how are we going to get past it? another aspect of black life comes into focus with kokomo city, a well—received documentary on the lives of transgender sex workers in new york and atlanta. most of the time, the strife that comes with who we are is because we didn't become who our parents wanted us to be.

kokomo city basically is just like the discovery l and the, and the exploring of four black trans women | that happen to do sex work. but the movie really is about their experiences— as trans women, _ just from their perspective, because so many times we hear from the same girls, _ the same story, the same narratives_ and the same expectations. and ijust want to dig deeper and really get _ to like more of the girls that are out there. - # i saw uncle john with bald—head sally... # documentary cinema has also been bringing us films celebrating dynamic, talented, musical lives. little richard: i am everything is a film which shows how the american musician little richard preceded a dazzling array of white musicians, from elvis presley to the beatles to the rolling stones, who were all heavily influenced by him. i am the king of rock and roll! this is the first time i saw 2... ..the russian sign of war.

one of the more noteworthy of these documentaries and one that's been picking up awards is 20 days in mariupol, an unsettling account from an associated press video journalist who documented life in the port of mariupol as russian forces advanced. documentary film takes a year or two to produce a film, capturing that moment. and now is the time when we're getting some of, some really powerful documentaries about the war in ukraine, such as 20 days in mariupol. but right now, all the film—makers with documentaries in the fray have their eyes on the days leading up to christmas, when the oscars shortlist will be revealed. it's still a fragile marketplace for documentaries, and oscar recognition can make a big difference to their prospects. it's our annual tradition — our list of the top ten films of 2023. although doomsayers talk of an existential crisis in the movie industry, with box office declining in cinemas

and the ascendancy of streamers, artistically, at least, 2023 did deliver in terms of the quality of film. so here's our list. you're the man who gave them the power to destroy themselves and the world is not prepared. at number ten, 0ppenheimer. christopher nolan certainly gave us a great movie to watch and ponder, an admirable portrait of the complicated man who helped to develop the atomic bomb. i don't know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. but we have no choice. in 1941, they started rounding people up. in 1942, the deportations began. in ninth place, film—maker steve mcqueen�*s documentary 0ccupied city, which very effectively tells of the nazi efforts to remove thejewish population from

amsterdam during world war ii. a number eight, another original holocaust film, the zone of interest, from uk director jonathan glazer, depicting the commandant of auschwitz and his wife trying to lead a perfect life while living next door to a concentration camp. in seventh place, from germany, the teachers�* lounge. an intense story of an idealistic teacher who is thrown off kilter after one of her pupils is accused of stealing. it works as a very engaging thriller. # watch me dance... # at number six, barbie. film—maker greta gerwig's fresh, intelligent satire, which reminded many of us just how much fun it could be to share the act of movie—going with others. in fifth place, the holdovers.

what is perhaps one of director alexander payne's best films, with a great performance from paul giamatti. it showed that families in any shape or form can emerge anywhere. in fourth place, killers of the flower moon. martin scorsese's epic western showing how greed led to the murder of 0sage native americans in oklahoma in the 1920s. at age 81, scorsese is still a master of his craft. and number three, american fiction from director cord jefferson, making his first feature. look at what they publish. look at what they expect us to write. a hilarious satire on the way people respond to racist stereotypes, with a great performance from jeffrey wright. can i ask what you were in for? was it murder? you said that, not me. i am bella baxter. and there is a world

to enjoy, circumnavigate. in second place, the frankenstein—inspired poor things, directed by yorgos lanthimos, in which we accompanied bella baxter, played by emma stone, on a wondrous, wild ride as a woman of great, uninhibited passion. sarah! are you ready? i'm going to press it. merry christmas. here you go. - merry christmas! merry christmas. and the talking movies number one film of 2023 is all of us strangers, from british film—maker andrew haig, starring andrew scott and paul mescal in leading roles. hello. hi. saw you looking at me from the street. it's a moving romance and partly a ghost story. 0ur boy's back home. our sort _ a film from which you can take 1,000,001 things. you... ..and me together... ..against the world.

well, that brings our special review of 2023 to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the programme. please remember, you can always reach us online at bbc.com/talking movies. so we're going to leave you with a moment of levity from cinema in 2023. it's ryan gosling performing the song just ken from the big hit film of the year, barbie. # cos i'm just ken # anywhere else i'd be a ten # is it my destiny to live and die # a life of blond fragility? # i'm just ken # where i see love she sees a friend # what will it take for her to see # the man behind the tan and fight for me? # i'm just ken # and i'm enough # and i'm great at doing stuff # so, hey, check me out, yeah,

i'm just ken # baby, i'mjust ken. # we have seen a respite in the weather after the recent rain, high pressure has been building over the past day or so and into the weekend a lot of drying cloudy weather, a bit mild and breezy, some rain in the forecast but it will mainly be across the northwest the uk. we are seeing the weather front moving across the western isles, parts of the highlands, up isles, parts of the highlands, up to the northern isles as well, could be the spot for northern ireland, the cumbrian felt as well but dry weather elsewhere. it will generally be on a cloudy day. but it is milder than recent days so double figures across the map, between 10—13 on saturday. let's look at the expected

rainfall that will accumulate just through the weekend. you can see these colours, these deep greens and white colours across the west of scotland with an amber warning heavy rain across parts of the highland, could be about 175 millimetres there so enough to cause flooding through saturday night and sunday, so wet weather continuing to piling across the west of scotland as we had through into sunday morning. drier elsewhere but a frost free night, temperatures remaining about 8— 11 degrees. we have them while they're on sunday coming in from the southwesterly direction, it is lasting through the day on monday, some of us on tuesday as well but colder air weighting to the far north. whether to air masses meat is where we see the rain. so for sunday, persistent across the northwest of scotland. at times it will move into northern ireland, northwest england as well, clearing away later on into the far north of scotland. temperatures in the mild side, 13 and 1a for many of us, a touch cooler in the far south,

cooler out of the north of the weather front. cooler out of the north of the weatherfront. this cooler out of the north of the weather front. this frontal system into months they slipped its way southwards, tending to fill out but it will bring showers and abraded our monday to of us. the odd spot of rain around central parts of england and wales, saying driver the southeast of england, east of scotland should see some dry weather with a bit of sunshine breaking through. but in general it is mild, breezy and cloudy once again. temperatures certainly above average across the map between 10—13 or 1a degrees, cooler across the northern isles. into tuesday, the next active weather front moves in from the atlantic that will been quite a lot of weather for tuesday across parts of southern and central england wales to drift in gradually eastward through the day, windy conditions through the english channel and then further showers move in with this north—westerly breeze developing across the northwest of the uk, could even be snow over the highest ground of scotland but for most of us it will be rain, but we're back into single figures across the

northern of the uk, holding onto the milder weather across the south. into the middle of the south. into the middle of the week, for a time the milder weather clears away, something a little colder for a time through the middle of the week but it looks like that at atlantic milder and will push in quite quickly from the west. what does that mean? a cold start to wednesday, one or two wintry showers across the highest ground in the north but by the end of the day as the milder air sweeps back in it will bring further rain towards the west. still in double figures for belfast and plymouth, aberdeen around seven degrees or so. further ahead for thursday onwards, still a fairly unsettled spell of weather on the cards, some showers or rain symbols on the outlook, perhaps a chance of things turning more wintry towards the weekend but i think any wintry nurse over the higher ground across the north. - l. higher ground across the north. _ l_ __ higher ground across the north. — l. —— bye for now.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. 0ur headlines today: the israeli army says it's mistakenly killed three hostages during fighting in gaza. the country's prime minister called their deaths an "unbearable tragedy". friends actor matthew perry's death has been ruled as an accident, caused by the "acute effects of the drug ketamine". a british teenager who was found in france six years after he disappeared is expected to return home this weekend. good to return home this weekend. morning. spurred on towards the top four: to return home this weekend. tottenham revive their champions league ambitions after their rocky spell as they pile more misery on nottingham forest.