safe level of drinking. it's nearly film review time. now on bbc news, a look ahead to sportsday at 6.30 tonight... coming up: jose mourinho arrives early, stays tight—lipped and then leaves. manchester united are preparing to face tottenham hotspur who have problems of the run—up to their goalkeeper was charged with drink—driving. we will have the latest for you from old trafford at 6:30pm. also coming up: the latest from f1 practice in belgium, and the challenge cup final. now it's time for the film review. hello and welcome to the film review on bbc news.

the good news is that mark kermode is back from his summer holidays. the good news is that mark kermode is back from his summer holidaysm has been ages. what have you chosen this week? the children act, a new film starring emma thompson. a very different alpha. and blackkklansman, the spike lee film. and the children act, iam the spike lee film. and the children act, i am interested to hear what you say, because i have read the novel and i liked it. adapted from the novel by ian mcewan. emma thompson is a high courtjudge whose work is engulfing her life. she's involved in life—and—death cases, one of which is about the 17—year—old boy refusing a blood transfusion on religious grounds, but he is technically a child, and

there is an argument about whether he's been forced by his parents into this position. she has to deal with weighty philosophical issues. she brings the work home with her, and her husband, he is starting to feel shut out of their marriage. here is a clip. i'll make reservations for dinner, because i've had an awful day myself. we'll go drink some wine, andl day myself. we'll go drink some wine, and i can get some opera tickets for saturday night. no, i am dutyjudge all we tickets for saturday night. no, i am duty judge all we can. tickets for saturday night. no, i am dutyjudge all we can. to make judgments for monday. —— all weekend. what? , nothing, just like la st weekend. what? , nothing, just like last weekend and a 50 weekend before that. well, that's how it is. yes, yes... look, idon't

that. well, that's how it is. yes, yes... look, i don't know how to say this, but here it is. i think... yes... look, i don't know how to say this, but here it is. ithink... i think i want to have an affair. yeah. stanley tucci is terrific. i ama yeah. stanley tucci is terrific. i am a big fan of his. the way he says yes is really well done. i have to say, the performances are terrific. emma thompson i am a huge fan of anyway, and she's great in this role. it is hard to think of other people who could carry it. what then happens is that as part of this case of having to rule about the 17—year—old boy who doesn't want the blood transfusion, she makes the decision to go to the hospital to see him, which is unusual. that encounter sparks something. if you're aware of things like enduring love the mama, you

will be aware of ideas of a short encounter coming to mean more. the film is really about the way that her marriage is falling apart and all these things are colliding. the film is not judgmental about all these things are colliding. the film is notjudgmental about the characters. it is a good portrayal of people being shut out of their marriage by work. i also think it deals in a sensible way with some complex issues. however, ithink deals in a sensible way with some complex issues. however, i think the performances are better than the film itself. ithink performances are better than the film itself. i think there are moments. there is one moment, and a lot of emma's performance is restrained, she telegrapheds a lot. she has an emotional breakdown, which reminded me of that building seenin which reminded me of that building seen in love actually. superb. there are moments where i think the drama is melodramatic and cheesy and doesn't work. i think it is really well played, and i would certainly recommend seeing it for those

performances alone. i think there are some problems with the writing and direction, which can feel a little state. i wonder how cinematic it is, because i was reading the novel and thinking, i could see this asa novel and thinking, i could see this as a television drama, in a good way, as i was reading it. that is an interesting point, because there are definitely moments watching the film in which televisual is the sense that you get from it. nowadays, television is as cinematic as cinema itself. there are moments where your thing, this isn't coming to life as a film. that isn't coming to life as a film. that is balanced by the fact that the performances are so good. even just from watching that clap, i could tell you were enjoying it and you could see how well those relationships... and i had not seen the prescreening, because i was told that won't end in divorce because we both have to see it. it is worth seeing. ijust both have to see it. it is worth seeing. i just have both have to see it. it is worth seeing. ijust have reservations about the writing and directing, but none about the performances. about the writing and directing, but none about the performancesm

about the writing and directing, but none about the performances. it is on the list for the bank holiday weekend. alpha, your second choice. the new film by alpha hughes, ——... a young man goes on a hunting trip. he hasn't yet learned to kill, and he is lost and left for dead. he is attacked by a pack of wolves, wounds one of them and then the friends it. then it becomes a story of a boy and his dog on a quest to get back home. there are some remarkable things about it, certainly visually. very little dialogue, and what there is is subtitled. it is of the visual storytelling. visually, it is very arresting. there are moments in it in which it kind of wonder is a little bit off the beaten track and becomes slightly hallucinatory, which i rather like. i think albert uses a talented director, however it has to be said it has been sitting

around for about a year. it was meant to be released about a year ago. there was some controversy about animal rights on the set. it has had a sort of strange route to the screen. there are things in it that are very impressive. at its heart, it is the story of a boy and his dog on a quest. and that happens to bea his dog on a quest. and that happens to be a story that i'm a sucker for. iam too, to be a story that i'm a sucker for. i am too, as you know. i may well enjoy that one. and, goodness, the new spike lee. tell us all. he is backin new spike lee. tell us all. he is back in full force. this is based on the stranger than victory. .. back in full force. this is based on the stranger than victory... fiction story of ron stallworth. he joins the formerly all—white colorado police force and decides to infiltrate the ku klux klan. he gets an advert from the press, phones up and says he wants to join. even works is way up the chain all the way to david duke, the grand wizard. when it comes to face—to—face

meetings, they have to get someone else to play ron, so they pull in his partner, played by adam driver, who is jewish. his partner, played by adam driver, who isjewish. they say, i will do the voice on the phone, you do it in person. they have different attitudes to the case initially. here is a clip. i'm not risking my life to prevent some rednecks from lighting a couple of sticks on fire. this is the job. watch a problem? that's the problem. for you, this is the job. watch a problem? that's the problem. foryou, it's this is the job. watch a problem? that's the problem. for you, it's a crusade, for me it's a job. it's not personal. why haven't you bought into this? because you are jewish, brother. the so—called chosen people. you have been passing for a wasp. a dull white boy. why do some light skinned white fur —— white —— light—skinned black folks pass for why? the balancing act is between humourand why? the balancing act is between humour and horror. it is produced by

the producer of get out. jordan peel said it was a document array. this ta kes a said it was a document array. this takes a historical story and brings it right up to date with shocking footage of cha rlottesville. depictions of neo—nazis and extreme right wingers. this could be a deeply serious film throughout, which would expect, given the subject. he manages, and they said the beginning that this is based on some for real stuff. it takes a story and fictionalise it, but it bala nces story and fictionalise it, but it balances those two elements. the balancing is brilliantly done. i think this is spike lee's best film since for little girls. there were moments were people were belly laughing and moments were people we re laughing and moments were people were hiding theirfaces laughing and moments were people were hiding their faces and recoiling, because you were dealing

with really profoundly disturbing stuff. it is an angry film, one which although it is set in the past, in the 19705, feels which although it is set in the past, in the 19705, feel5 urgently contemporary. i love the look of it and the fact that it looks like a film made in the 19705. the performances are really great. john david washington is brilliant at the centre of it, carrying this drama. again, he is also at the centre, balancing the humour and the horror. i thought it was remarkable, and i think you will like it. ok. i certainly did like what you chose a5 best 0ut. certainly did like what you chose a5 best out. you are back to mamma mia. you can't give it up. i sobbed. just floods of tears. what makes it so brilliant i5 floods of tears. what makes it so brilliant is that if it didn't have that emotional sucker punch, it wouldn't be half the film that it is. it's not just wouldn't be half the film that it is. it's notjust that you smile and all the rest of it, it's that when

you weep, you weep buckets. i thought it was really good. it does what the film is meant to do: it reaches in an graduate by the heart5tring5. reaches in an graduate by the heartstrings. it was, dare i say, so much better than what i expected, which is a plaudit in itself. much better than what i expected, which is a plaudit in itselflj much better than what i expected, which is a plaudit in itself. i went in thinking, this isn't going to work. there was no way that the godfather to structure can work with mamma mia, and you just want to go and see it again and again. dvd? in the fade. best actre55 award at canon—mac a year ago “— the fade. best actre55 award at canon—mac a year ago —— cannes. her performance is brilliant. the film has some flaws, but she carries it shoulder high. it is worth seeing for her performance. mark, lovely to have you back. thank you very much indeed. a quick reminder before

we go that you'll find more film news and reviews from across the bbc online at bbc.co.uk/mark kermode. and you can find all our previous programmes on the bbc iplayer. that's it for this week, though. thanks for watching. goodbye. summer today's showers have packed a punch. we have had lightning in anglesey and east yorkshire. between, there have been dry, bright intervals, particularly the further south and east you were earlier in the day. even here isn't immune. you can see quite nicely from the radar earlier, a real rash of showers spreading across the uk, rattling through fairly quickly. some of them have been quite heavy, and as we head to the evening, they had further south and east. underneath those, it feels particularly cool, temperatures widely in the mid to high teens at best. that cooler theme continues over the weekend.

the showers ease and fade as the night goes on. maybe one or two filtering into parts of north wales and the north west midlands, but largely dry. we keep the north—westerly wind, but in sheltered spots, it will be chilly, with temperatures widely down into single figures. a cool the start to saturday morning, particularly down the north sea coast, courtesy of a fu rley the north sea coast, courtesy of a furley brisk northerly wind. —— a fairly brisk. saturday is a fine and dry day with good spells of sunshine around. lighter winds and the chance of one or two showers. in the sunshine, it should feel much better thanit sunshine, it should feel much better than it does today. lighter winds and temperatures in the mid—teens to low 205. there is a change on the cards as we head into sunday. a low pressure system will send rain our way, pushing into northern ireland as we approach dawn on sunday morning. then it works its way into south—west england, up into wales, north—west england and into

scotland. through the day, this rain will gradually take a journey to the east across the country, with heavy bursts in there. it will be accompanied by gusty south—west winds. it won't feel warm underneath that cloud. with the rain, it will feel much cooler, with temperatures back down in the mid to high teens. as the rain clears away as we head into monday, a bank holiday for many of us, it is a largely fine and dry day with good spells of sunshine. more cloud perhaps for parts of north—west scotland, where we could see a few showers peppering the coast. maybe one or two as well for north—west england. in those lighter winds, once again, it will feel pleasa nt winds, once again, it will feel pleasant and perhaps a touch warmer thanit pleasant and perhaps a touch warmer than it has done recently. i temperatures of 22 celsius. —— high temperatures. scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, hits back

at the scottish government after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. mr salmond said the process of investigation was unfairand unjust — he was no saint, he said, but had done nothing wrong i've made many mistakes in my life — political and personal. but i've not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly have not been engaged in criminality. but scotland's first minister said the claims of sexual harrassment could not be ignored. it's a difficult situation, but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously regardless of who the person complained about is. we'll be asking about the wider implications of the affair that's rocking scottish politics. also tonight: egyptian authorities say a british couple on holiday