tv The Film Review BBC News January 30, 2021 7:30pm-7:46pm GMT
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a four—year—girl has discovered a rare dinosaur footprint on a beach in south wales. lily wilder and her family made the discovery at bendricks bay in barry in january. the footprint is 220 million years old and had been preserved in mud. palaeontologists say it's one of the best examples from anywhere in the uk and will help them to establish more about how early dinosaurs walked. a little earlier, my colleague reeta chakrabarti caught up with lily and herfamily — who told her when they realised they'd discovered something spectatular. we were just walking along the beach, and there it was, this amazing footprint. just unbelievably realistic that we can believe it is
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real. we thought maybe, because it's popular with fishermen down there, i thought maybe someone's been sat on the rock on a out, but it wasn't really and so we got home and i showed sally and even she thought, is it real? the first archaeologist we showed it to, likewise, they were like,... is we showed it to, likewise, they were like,... , , we showed it to, likewise, they were like,... , h, , we showed it to, likewise, they were like,... , ,. , like,... is this a wind-up, he said! i showed — like,... is this a wind-up, he said! i showed my _ like,... is this a wind-up, he said! i showed my mum, _ like,... is this a wind-up, he said! i showed my mum, and _ like,... is this a wind-up, he said! i showed my mum, and she - like,... is this a wind-up, he said! i showed my mum, and she said l like,... is this a wind-up, he said! l i showed my mum, and she said we need _ i showed my mum, and she said we need to— i showed my mum, and she said we need to report it, and i put on a fossil_ need to report it, and i put on a fossil identification facebook page, and it_ fossil identification facebook page, and it caused a bit of a stir, and that's_ and it caused a bit of a stir, and that's when_ and it caused a bit of a stir, and that's when i was put in touch with the archaeologist, cindy from cardiff — the archaeologist, cindy from cardiff museum, and they knew what to do, _ cardiff museum, and they knew what to do. so_ cardiff museum, and they knew what to do, so they took over from there. that's_ to do, so they took over from there. that's my— to do, so they took over from there. that's my favourite dinosaur. is it reall ? that's my favourite dinosaur. is it really? the _ that's my favourite dinosaur. really? the footprint that you found, do you think the dinosaur looks a bit like that? ida. i have it
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looks a bit like that? no. i have it all wrong- — looks a bit like that? no. i have it all wrong. tiny. _ looks a bit like that? no. i have it all wrong. tiny. it _ looks a bit like that? no. i have it all wrong. tiny. it was _ looks a bit like that? no. i have it all wrong. tiny. it was too - looks a bit like that? no. i have it all wrong. tiny. it was too small, | all wrong. tiny. it was too small, wasn't it? — all wrong. tiny. it was too small, wasn't it? yeah, _ all wrong. tiny. it was too small, wasn't it? yeah, t— all wrong. tiny. it was too small, wasn't it? yeah, t rex _ all wrong. tiny. it was too small, wasn't it? yeah, t rex footprintsj wasn't it? yeah, t rex footprints are bi. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. well, we've seen some rain, sleet and snow today. as temperatures drop, and that clears, as we get into tonight, it is going to be turning quite icy out there, and risk of ice, too, in the northern isles, where there will be some wintry showers continuing, and some snow out of these, particularly into shetland. for many of us, though, it's a dry, clear night, although there will be a few freezing fog patches in parts of scotland, with a widespread hard frost, minus double figures in the coldest spots in scotland as we going to sunday morning, which will be a crisp, cold, crisp, sunny start for most of us. a few wintry showers still in northern scotland, sun turning hazy elsewhere, and another weather system bringing some outbreaks of rain into towards south—west england and wales. some sleet and snow again in the hills, but patchy rain and drizzle toward south—east england, as well, later into the afternoon. not quite as windy to the south as it has been today, but it is still going to be a cold
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day out there. more rain and some disruptive snow pushing northwards during tuesday, lingering across some northern parts on wednesday and thursday. for some, briefly milder. now on bbc news, the film review with mark kermode. hello and welcome to the film review with me, mark kermode, reminding you that while cinemas may be closed, there is still plenty of new movies to enjoy in the comfort and safety of your own home. the most mainstream release this week is the dig, a bittersweet real life drama about the unearthing
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of the sutton hoo treasures on the the eve of world war ii. what are they? would you hazard a guess? burial mounds, i'd expect. we are standing in somebody's graveyard i reckon. viking. maybe older. apparently local girls used to lie down on them in the hope of falling pregnant. i've heard plenty of legends. is that why you want to dig, mrs pretty? tales of buried treasure? ralph fiennes stars as basil brown, the self—taught archaeologist who wears his immense learning lightly and who is enlisted by carey mulligan�*s wealthy widow, edith pretty, to excavate the imposing burial mounds on her property. "my interest in archaeology began like yours," edith tells the initially sceptical basil, "when i was scarcely old enough to hold a trowel." and so begins an unlikely friendship between two very different people, both of
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whom believe the past speaks. the line thatjoins them to their forebears, isn't that what you all say? something like that. adapted by screenwriter moira buffini from the historical novel byjohn preston, the dig is extremely likeable fare, beautifully lensed by cinematographer mike eley, who captures the lonely landscape and the darkening skies of the drama. would you have dinner with me? yes. fiennes and mulligan are perfectly cast in the lead roles and there's strong support from the likes of monica dolan, ken stott, and the young archie barnes as edith's son robert, who finds solace in his friendship with basil as his mother's health fails. if i have a complaint, it is that the film gets rather sidetracked by a subplot that sees lilyjames�* real—life archaeologist peggy falling forjohnny flynn's fictional airman rory, a distraction that feels as though it has been
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foregrounded simply to broaden the film's appeal to a younger audience rather than as an organic addendum to the central story. but that aside, this is engaging stuff, boasting a similar melancholic charm tojessica swales�* lovely summer land, one of my favourite films of last year. you can find the dig on netflix now. american filmmakersjustin benson and aaron moorehead are the team behind the 2017 oddity the endless, a strange little movie about two brothers revisiting the ufo death cult to which they formerly belonged. although made on a comparatively small budget, the endless had eerie atmosphere to spare, offering a genuinely strange and haunting experience. the same cannot be said of their latest, synchronic, another sci—fi inflected mystery adventure with high ambitions but one that doesn't quite hit the mark. jamie dornan and anthony mackie
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star as paramedics dennis and steve, who start to encounter people who have been driven to death or distraction by the titular drug. yeah, that is a body, not a burn victim. new kid called it in. when dennis' daughter goes missing, steve, who is facing his own medical crisis, resolves to help his friend with the aid of the mystery drug, which, it transpires, can transport the user to another time. as with benson and moorehead's previous films, synchronic is brim full of interesting ideas and admirably bonkers dramatic conceits. but arriving as it unfortunately does in the wake of chris nolan's mega—budget head—scrambling tenet, which recently came out on blu—ray, it can start
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to look like a cheap b—movie version of a more celebrated and accomplished a—list film. there is nothing wrong with that per se, but i think the filmmakers had far higher goals, certainly on the basis of their back catalogue. synchronic, which is available now on a range of digital platforms, is fine, although ultimately rather unremarkable, which is unusual for these inventive filmmakers. altogether more celebrated is beginning, a haunting georgian—french co—production written and directed by dea kulumbegashvili, which has won numerous international festival awards and now finds its natural home on streaming service mubi. ia sukhitashvili is jana, wife of david, a religious
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leader in an isolated community ofjehovah's witnesses whose place of worship is firebombed in an astonishing opening sequence. it looks like the set—up for a mystery thriller, with david concerned about tracking down those responsible, but instead the film focuses on the inner life of jana, who is trapped by her surroundings, misunderstood by her husband, and sexually harassed by a visitor who claims to be a detective but seems to be something altogether more sinister. kulumbegashvili has described jana as somebody who would be a "secondary character in any other film".
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certainly she gives the impression of being a bit—part player in her own life, robbed of agency or understanding, trapped in somebody else's story. shot on 35mm by arseni khachaturan and edited by matthieu taponier, whose credits include the soul—shaking son of saul, beginning, which takes its title from the bible, makes for deeply unsettling and uncomfortable viewing. some critics have drawn comparison with the films of michael haneke, but to me this is closer to the work of carlos reygadas, whose films i admire but don't actually like, and who here serves as an executive producer. in the end, i'm not entirely sure what to make of beginning, although it has stuck with me, which is always a good sign. you can check it out for yourself on mubi. for a couple years, we have been waiting for answered prayers. i refer to it now as
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my posthumous novel. writer and withering society wit truman capote's two most famous books both spawned acclaimed movies, breakfast at tiffany's and in cold blood. capote himself has also been the subject of the couple of biopics, the 2005 film capote for which philip seymour hoffman won an oscar, and 2006's perhaps less—lauded infamous, for which tobyjones deserved awards recognition. now in the documentary the capote tapes, we hear interviews conducted by george plimpton with the writer's friends and enemies along with a collage of talking heads and home movie footage to build a portrait of the real capote. he was writing these thinly veiled stories about people he knew and he basically told all their secrets. the response was, how could your friend do this to you? he must've known therei was danger in all of that. dick cavett, norman mailer and lauren bacall are among those remembering the writer who said of his famously
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unpublished book answered prayers "either i'm going to kill it or it's going to kill me." a thinly veiled expose of his high—society friends, the book, which he claimed to be working on for decades, surfaced only in magazine extracts that alienated his posh cohort and also suggested that the finished work might not be the "proust in the age of warhol" masterpiece that everybody was waiting for. the depressing truth is that after in cold blood in the mid—60s, capote did little of note other than appear on chat shows and hang out with rich celebrities at studio 5a. as this documentary makes clear, noone knows whether a finished manuscript of answered prayers exists. and even if it did, would anyone care? the capote tapes is available now at altitude.film and on other digital platforms.
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kim jong—nam has been assassinated. two women have just been arrested in connection with the murder. altogether more riveting of the documentary front is assassins, a film about the murder of kimjong—un�*s half—brother, kimjong—nam, by two young women who later claimed they thought they were taking part in a harmless video prank show. yes, really. caught on camera smearing a deadly chemical on kim jong—nam's face at kuala lumpur airport, the women, one vietnamese the women, one vietnamese and one indonesian, were arrested and tried for murder. meanwhile, a group of north koreans who had apparently masterminded the killing, widely believed to have been ordered by kimjong—un, returned
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home safely. by turns jaw—dropping, bewildering and horrifying, assassins leads us through the stranger than fiction tale with an impressive array of news and surveillance footage, with each twist and turn more gobsmacking than the last. the story really does beggar belief, but in the hands of director ryan white, it becomes a chillingly credible thriller. all the more gripping because it is actually true. for details of virtual cinema screenings and on—demand info, go to dogwoof.com/assassins. that's it for this week. thanks for watching the film review. stay safe and i will see you next week. doubts, man. they never go away. you think the wedding day will dissolve that, it is profound but...
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i get it, bruh, you're a guy in a relationship. hello, i'm olly foster, here's what's coming up on sportsday. a good result at goodison for newcastle and relief for steve bruce after such a long wait for a win. the chiefs are also back in the winning groove, but worcester pushed them close. and the euros gamble — we catch up with the fans who have had to decide what to do with their tickets for the summer tournament. good evening.
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