the oskar holverson letter is expected to sell for at least £60,000 as part of the auction in wiltshire tomorrow. a single page from titanic‘s enduring reach from history. duncan kennedy, bbc news. this is bbc news at five, the headlines: eu leaders agreed to start preparing for trade talks with the uk. theresa may says she is optimistic about achieving a good deal. oxford and cambridge universities are accused by one mp of "social apartheid" for not accepting enough underprivileged students. the uk's budget deficit last month was the smallest for any september in the past ten years. now on bbc news, a look ahead to sportsday at 6:30 tonight. we've got a busy show coming up, with a look ahead to the weekend's biggest football fixtures. we'll also discuss the continuing problems at everton for ronald koeman. we'll head to austin, texas

ahead of what could be an historic weekend for lewis hamilton at the united states grand prix. and we'll preview the women's ashes, which start on sunday. that's all on sportsday at 6:30. now on bbc news, it's time for the film review. hello and welcome to the film review on bbc news. to take us through this week's cinema releases is mark kermode. so, mark, what do we have this week? well, we have the death of stalin, the new film by armando ianucci. we have a really lovely musical drama called under. —— secret superstar.

and in my project to get you to like horror films, and in my project to get you to like horrorfilms, happy and in my project to get you to like horror films, happy death and in my project to get you to like horrorfilms, happy death day! and in my project to get you to like horror films, happy death day! ten out of ten for persistence!” horror films, happy death day! ten out of ten for persistence! i am nothing if not persistent! the death of nothing if not persistent! the death 0f stalin, a not much more starry cast. this is armando iannucci's latest project, taking his political scalpel to russia. 1953, stalin colla pses scalpel to russia. 1953, stalin collapses in the kremlin and is found in what is referred to as a pool of indignity. immediately, his cronies gather round, simon russell beale, steve buscemi, paul whitehouse. take a look at a clip. the head is the heaviest part. all right, ready? three, two... one? lift? jesus. god! whoa! to me. this way. yeah, all right. are you wearing pyjamas? can we just stop twittering like fishwives at the market and concentrate on... whoa, whoa!

open the door! back up, back up, back. no, that way! get back to the kitchen now! move! now, now! he's heavier than i thought he'd be. he thinks stalin is too heavy. no, it's a compliment — gold is heavy. well, you'd know, you've looted enough of it, you flimsy little pirate! get back in the dining room! stop using his feet! now, we're both chuckling along. because it is very funny, and there isa because it is very funny, and there is a great sense of class about it, adapted from a series of french graphic novels, but it manages that extraordinary trick of being on the one hand funny but also horrifying. the dialogue is ripe with one—liners, so planes do not crash! only comrades and old friends can shout at each other like this. but in the background is the spectre of torture and murder and worse, and i

think that what armando iannucci manages to do is keep that darkness on the present. so all the time this is playing out with a brilliant cast, really funny, nobody doing a cold russian accent, as you heard, everybody doing sort of a may launch of a cce nts. everybody doing sort of a may launch of accents. but you do get a sense that it of accents. but you do get a sense thatitis of accents. but you do get a sense that it is all unfolding against a background of genuine terror. at the beginning, paddy considine is broadcasting an orchestra recital, stalin rings up and says, it sounds lovely, i want a recording, and they have to keep the orchestra behind to record it, because they were not recording it. so everyone is terrified of saying the wrong thing, eve ryo ne terrified of saying the wrong thing, everyone except forjason isaacs, playing the red army hero zukhov, speaking in this broad yorkshire accent, taking no—nonsense from any body. on the one hand, it is historically interesting, it is also

very funny, but a very dark, and i think it needs to be, because if it wasn't, you would feel very uneasy about dealing with this particular pa rt about dealing with this particular part of history. i am curious about that, such a dark period, executions, famine, and yet i only saw the trailer at least an earlier this week, and the trailer, interestingly, to me, made it look quite a silly film. i thought, how can you make such a silly film about a dark period of history? i am wondering if the trailer is not representative. you have hit the nail on the head, the trailer is slightly misleading, and i understand why, you want to say this isa understand why, you want to say this is a broad comedy, and there are a lot of laughs in the trailer. the film itself is a lot darker, a lot more horror underpinning it. there isa more horror underpinning it. there is a character played by michael palin who spends his entire time tying himself up in knots to make sure that he is following the right line, what would stalin have wanted, what would the party have wanted? it

reminded me of his character in terry gilliam's brazil, which was also funny and horrifying at the same time, and i thought these two things were totally similar. the tag line is a comedy of terrors, and the terror is not in the trailer, but it is in the film. 0k, armando iannucci can do no wrong in my book. and he hasn't here. your second choice of the week. so secret superstar, laughter and tears, hindi treaty, which combines the teen fantasy of hannah montana with a strong social realist message dealing with domestic abuse, divorce law, gender selective pregnancy termination, a young girl teams are taking part in a talent competition, but her father is abusive, he beats her mother, so a mother gets a laptop and says, why don't you put your songs on youtube? next thing, she becomes an internet sensation, this secret superstar, but you still has to deal with the stuff that is going on at home, the mistreatment of her mother, she

wa nts mistreatment of her mother, she wants her parents to get divorced, and it manages brilliantly, on the one hand, fantastic tunes and performances, aamir khan was wonderful, this slimy talent show judge who, during the course of the movie, discovers there is more to life than self—serving success. i laughed, i cried, life than self—serving success. i laughed, icried, i life than self—serving success. i laughed, i cried, iabsolutely loved it, i thought it was a really wonderfully well told story, real girl power story, absolutely about the relationship between mother and daughter, about triumphing over, you know, in odds. it has you punching the airat all know, in odds. it has you punching the air at all the right moments, and the tune is word... ijust loved it, it is called secret superstar, andi it, it is called secret superstar, and i thought it was a real treat. good recommendation! your third choice... happy death day. it has done well at the us box office. yes, it isa done well at the us box office. yes, it is a satirical horror movie, a couege it is a satirical horror movie, a college student wakes up in the dorm, it is her birthday, and things

could not get worse until summer day wearing a baby massed chases with a knife and she wakes up in the same dormitory and has to live the same day over and over. it is groundhog slay! look, i know this isn't going to make any sense, but i've already lived through this day. twice. tree, i... no, no, believe me, i know it sounds totally crazy, but this is happening to me, i swear to god. tree, i'm sure it feels like you're... ok, ok, you made me a cupcake — for my birthday, right? you're about to give it to me, and then later on tonight there's a surprise party. who told you? was it becky? no, nobody told me, that is what i mean, don't you see? i know what is going to happen before it happens! lori... lori, somebody‘s going to kill me tonight. because it is self—aware, people say, it is groundhog day meets

scream, but you can't look further back, as far back as the twilight zone. it is a simple idea, and an idea we have seen before, more than once, but it plays it well. good tongue in cheek tone, not scary, i mean, there are chiller moments in it, as someone who see many slasher movements, i was not scared, but it dealt with the ideas well. it is made with real enthusiasm and real wit, and it is not surprising that it has proved a crowd pleaser. it is a proper popcorn movie, a friday night... i know you are not a horror movie fan, but i think you would enjoy it, you would appreciate the way it is put together, the fact that it way it is put together, the fact thatitis way it is put together, the fact that it is tiny in cheek but well done. give it a go! when you do your review of the year, i want you to add up how money times you have said, ithink add up how money times you have said, i think you will enjoy this horror movie, jane! i hear you. said, i think you will enjoy this

horror movie, jane! i hearyou. so best out? two and three quarters hours, have you seen it yet? no, because it is nearly three hours! you love blade runner, right?|j because it is nearly three hours! you love blade runner, right? i will try. it is wonderful, visually astonishing, denis villeneuve has done a terrificjob, it takes its time because it needs to, because it is dealing with big, serious issues. if you are a science—fiction fan, andi if you are a science—fiction fan, and i know you are not, it is a world building film, big ideas, not afraid of those ideas, and, frankly, when was the last time you saw a sequel to a really good film that didn't make you think, i wish they hadn't done it? that is true. they understand the film, the original writer for blade runner, understand the film, the original writerfor blade runner, adapted from philip kay dick, he was the key writer, and you can tell it is about sending. i think you will love it, i

genuinely think you will like it. sending. i think you will love it, i genuinely think you will like itm is at least an my list, to be fair. dvd? gifted, a sweet film about a single parent raising a young child, he wants her to have an ordinary life, but pushy grandmother has got other ideas. it owes certain debts toa other ideas. it owes certain debts to a film byjodie foster called little man tait. i went into this thinking that this was cheese on toast, but i really liked it, really well played, just the right amount of sentimentality, and there was something a little bit more stringent in there as well, terrific performances, and it is a real heart warmer. mostly, when people say that movies are heart—warming, they don't mean it, they just movies are heart—warming, they don't mean it, theyjust mean they are cheesy, but this won me over, and are no one was more surprised than i ami are no one was more surprised than i am i thought i would hate it, but i really liked it. plenty to go and see this week, thank you. a quick reminder before we go that you'll find more film news and reviews from across the bbc

online at bbc.co.uk/markkermode. and you can find all our previous programmes on the iplayer. that's it for this week, though. thanks for watching. goodbye. hello there. storm brian is looming large, nothing unusual about this storm, typical autumn storm heading our way, but before then we have so much, weather and sunshine, but already that cloud has been thickening up, rain arriving, and the wind is starting to pick up towards the west. this weather front will sweep some wet and windy weather eastwards, but around the centre of the low pressure, that is the storm, the winds will pick up as it approaches our shores. by the time we get to saturday morning, windy day, may be severe gales around western and southern coast of

england and wales, windy across—the—board, but also wet, frequent heavy showers, longer spells of rain in western areas of the uk, somewhat drierfor eastern scotla nd the uk, somewhat drierfor eastern scotland and the eastern side of england. the storm will weaken as it moves england. the storm will weaken as it m oves a cross england. the storm will weaken as it moves across the uk, and this is the centre of the low pressure area on sunday, out into the north sea. so whilst it is going to be quite windy on sunday, not as windy on saturday, and not as wet eyed, a mixture of sunshine and showers, probably quite a few for western scotland and north west england. some progress in brussels, as eu leaders agree to begin preparations for post—brexit trade talks with the uk. but despite the smiles, the prime minister is told not enough progress has been made on other matters to allow formal talks to begin. i am ambitious and positive for britain's future and for these negotiations, but i know we still have some way to go. while progress is not sufficient, it doesn't mean there is no progress at all. one of the major sticking

points remains money, how many billions the uk is prepared to pay for the so—called divorce bill. also tonight: oxford and cambridge are accused of promoting "social apartheid" by a labour mp who says most students are from a "privileged minority". a warning that millions of mobile phone users are being overcharged for their handsets by some of the uk's biggest companies.