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tv   The Film Review  BBC News  July 25, 2021 11:45pm-12:01am BST

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simon, very the personal story, simon, very quickly, and it's wonderful, son of a single mum, we spoke to her earlier. ~ , , �* ., ., earlier. absolutely. i'm not going to net to earlier. absolutely. i'm not going to get to talk _ earlier. absolutely. i'm not going to get to talk about _ earlier. absolutely. i'm not going to get to talk about chinese - earlier. absolutely. i'm not going i to get to talk about chinese nuclear energy, are we? but that's ok. that was outside of my comfort zone. they say, the paper, you don't know about these people, then suddenly every four years they pop up and you go wow, there is a whole back story, what i would add, don't forget, that jadejones didn't get her third goal and she could have done, and then chelsie giles who did get a bronze injudo, so it's ok we got two metals, and lots much look forward to as we heard.— to as we heard. under incredible circumstances, _ to as we heard. under incredible circumstances, no _ to as we heard. under incredible circumstances, no crowd - to as we heard. under incredible circumstances, no crowd to - to as we heard. under incredible i circumstances, no crowd to support them. and we have heard stories on how it impacted then. that them. and we have heard stories on how it impacted then.— how it impacted then. that was the issue. how it impacted then. that was the issue- very — how it impacted then. that was the issue. very interesting _ how it impacted then. that was the issue. very interesting bradley - issue. very interesting bradley talks about having the pressure, jade said the pressure got to reckon it's interesting how we react. we have mr petey to look forward to,
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for now, simon, annabelle, thank you very much, have a lovely week. thank you forjoining us here. coming up next, it's the film review. from the team, cheerio. hello, and welcome to the film review with me, mark kermode — rounding up the best new movies available for viewing in cinemas and in the home. tuesday, january ist, 1856. with little pride and less hope, we begin the new year. in the world to come,
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us—based norwegian film—maker mona fastvold captures an intense romantic relationship set against the bleak, unforgiving backdrop of i9th—century frontier life. when the day is done, my mind turns to her, and i think... "why are we to be separated?" adapted from a story byjim shepard, who shares screenwriting credits with ron hansen, the film follows the fortunes — or misfortunes — of two couples living on remote farms in schoharie county. it's a tough existence, with narrator abigail, played by katherine waterston, recording the daily grind in her diary — a monotone document of a life filled with hardship, tinged with grief, and notably lacking in love. until, that is, abigail's neighbour, tallie, played by vanessa kirby, arrives on her doorstep, stirring long—dormant emotions. soon, the pair have become inseparable — to the disapproval of their husbands, both of whom seem to swing
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between anger and disappointment at the respective marriages. the winner of the queer lion at the 2020 venice film festival, the world to come has been called a female version of brokeback mountain — although in truth, the two films have very little in common. a closer comparison would be with francis lee's ammonite — another film about love in a harsh climate which offered much to admire, if little to enjoy. focusing on the suffocating strictures of a society in which women have little or no agency, fastvold conjures an authentic air of misery, alleviated only briefly by stolen moments of affection quickly snatched away by the dour, patriarchal cloud of tragedy and heartbreak. my daughter, nellie, would've been five today. 0h... how did she pass? there's no doubting the conviction of the performances — with kirby, who earned an oscar nomination for pieces of a woman, continuing to cement her reputation as one of the finest screen actors of her generation. god puts heavy stones in our path.
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it's up to us to step over them. plaudits, too, to cinematographer andre chemetoff, whose imposing views of romanian mountains double efficiently for upstate new york, and british composer daniel blumberg, whose music captures the discordant mood shifts with gut—wrenching aplomb. stones are what the fortunate receive. my mother's mother was born in 1780, right here in schoharie county. the result is a film that offers what appears to be an honest and accurate depiction of hard times, but in which any sense of hope orjoy lies not in this world, but in the world to come. it's in cinemas now. it's very important... he doesn't appreciate you touching the glass. and i don't appreciate his manner. senor? we don't need this. 0h. he's gotta bejoking.
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oh, gosh! ok, no need, senor, no need... i am an american citizen, senor, please! at the other end of the spectrum in terms of mood, heft, and, well, pretty much everything, actually, is off the rails — a daft bill kenwright—produced romp boasting a cheesy script, a star—studded cast, and a jukebox soundtrack of clumsily—slapped—on blondie hits. jenny seagrove, sally phillips, and kelly preston — in herfinalfilm role — are the threesome reliving a youthful dream to see the lights in parma cathedral. joining them is elizabeth dormer—phillips' maddie, daughter of the recently—deceased anna, whose dying wish was for them all to make this last—minute pilgrimage. broad strokes interrailing japes ensue, as the group pinball across france, italy and spain, losing their money, passports, and minds as they deal with births, deaths, and marriages. the internet scares me.
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you could be talking to anyone. i mean, i could be- a serial killer — i'm not! if you stand this next is something like shirley valentine — in which a middle—aged housewife finds a new lease on life while holidaying in greece — then off the rails really pales by comparison. there's little of the wit, grit, or bittersweet humour of that willy russell—scripted gem in this ragbag of romantic cliches and cut—and—paste pop songs — which, for all its eye—catching locations, feels more like a tv movie than a feature. to be clear, off the rails won't be troubling the oscars, or even the baftas. but i'd be lying if i claimed that this didn't touch my dark heart at all. not least because it's pretty much impossible to spend 90 minutes in the company of this very likeable cast — which also includes small roles for ben miller and franco nero — without it raising a chuckle or a tear. and, i confess to both. moreover, there's something reassuringly shonky about off the rails that distances it from the obnoxious excesses of, for example, sex and the city 2 — a slick hollywood blockbuster that
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i personally found more distasteful than the human centipede. laughter. off the rails is in cinemas now. a couple of weeks ago, i declared mads mikkelsen's performance in the oscar—winning another round to be the high point in a screen career that ranges from playing a bond villain in casino royale, to starring in the oscar—nominated danish historical drama a royal affair, and winning a cannes best actor award for his lead role in the hunt, not to mention breathing new life into the cannibalistic dr lecter in tvs hannibal. now, mikkelsen further demonstrates his range in riders ofjustice — a totally unhinged offering from writer—director
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anders thomasjensen, whose extensive credits include scripting susanne bier�*s oscar—winner in a better world. mikkelsen plays markus, a gruff soldier with a crew cut and an unruly beard whose wife, emma, is killed in a train wreck after a fellow passenger gives up his seat. it looks like the set up for a grief—stricken drama about morning and loss, with markus's teenage daughter, mathilde, who was on the train with her mum, struggling to find comfort or common ground with her dad. but instead, the film turns into something completely different — first, a paranoid conspiracy thriller as the disconsolate algorithm expert who fatally gave emma his seat convinces markus that his wife's death on the same train as a biker gang trial witness could not have been a coincidence — and then, as an increasingly—crazed black comedy. as markus and three misfit geeks wreak murderous vengeance on the supposed of killers while pretending, for
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the sake of mathilde, to be experimental grief therapists. if that sounds completely nuts, it's because, well, it's completely nuts, veering between action, drama, socio—political satire, and three stooges slapstick comedy not only between scenes, but sometimes right in the middle of a sentence. mikkelsen somehow manages to keep a straight face, which perversely only makes the sense of disorientation worse — or better, depending on your perspective. none of which is to suggest that riders ofjustice, which opens and closes with a fatalistic joke about bicycle thieves, isn't oddly entertaining fair. i kind of enjoyed its tragicomic absurdity, even if it does suggest that the danish sense of humour is even more morbidly twisted than we may so far have imagined. riders ofjustice is in cinemas now.
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of the three ivory coast submissions for the foreign language film oscar over the years, two have been by writer director philippe lacote — 2014's run, and night of the kings, which was shortlisted for best international feature at the 93rd academy awards. a shape—shifting tale of incarceration and emancipation, it may have missed out on an oscar nomination — but this vivid, genre—fluid investigation of the alchemical art of storytelling definitely hits the mark. it's set in the notorious maca prison — described by one keeper as the only reason in the world run by an inmate. that inmate is blackbeard, an ailing godfather figure played by steve tientcheu, who made a lasting impression in the urban drama les miserables.
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nearing the end of his reign, blackbeard declares a new arrival to be roman, whose role it is to tell stories as if his life depended upon it. what follows is a strange and rather wonderful hybrid of tough prison drama and theatrical performance piece — with mime, dance, poetry, and oral history intertwinied in a whirling cinematic maelstrom. there's a fable—like element that links night of the kings back to the folkloric tales of 1,000 and one nights — with roman a modern—day scheherazade — and to the oral storytelling traditions of west africa. but lacote's cinematic storytelling is all his own, mixing the personal and political in a heady brew that's unlike anything else currently playing in uk cinemas.
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i'll leave you with news of the french comedy—drama bye bye morons, which picked up a whopping seven awards, including best film at the 46th cesars earlier this year. virginie efira is suze trappet, a woman with little time searching for the child she gave up for adoption. writer—director albert dupontel plays the snubbed it operative whose botched suicide attempt misfires with spectacular results. and nicolas marie is the blind archivist who winds up helping the mismatched pair to track her child and clear his name. despite the multiple awards, bye bye morons is fairly lowbrow fare, reveling in a hodgepodge of broad, bureaucratic satire, politically incorrect slapstick, and questionably romanticised views of creepy male—female relationships. or, to put it another way, it's very french.
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there on the—nose—nods to the films of terry gilliam, who makes a fleeting cameo appearance, while the overcranked zaniness evokes the heyday ofjeunet and caro, albeit without the visual invention. it's fun up to a point, but i remain baffled by the love heaped upon it in its homeland which is unlikely to be replicated here. it's in cinemas and on curzon home cinema now. that's it for this week, thanks for watching the film review. stay safe, and i'll see you next week. hello there. if you didn't enjoy last week's extreme heat and humidity, the weather story is on the change. but be careful what you wish for — you may not like what you're going to hear because our week ahead is going to be noticeably cooler,
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but unfortunately, it's going to be accompanied by some pretty heavy, thundery downpours. hopefully some sunny spells of the very best as well. today, not too bad a day. we've got this low pressure drifting up through the north sea. it will bring a little more cloud first thing in the morning across eastern scotland and northeast england. a little bit misty, but generally speaking, it's a fine start with some sunshine coming through. there will be a few scattered showers developing as we go through the afternoon, but not as heavy or as widespread as we saw on sunday and the southeast corner. actually, with more sunshine across parts of england, it could be a warmer day with highs of 26 degrees. showers will start to become more widespread from the west as we go through monday night and into tuesday. tuesday is a messy day with some heavy, thundery downpours and a little bit cooler, particularly in the northwest.
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welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... some shocks and surprises on the second full day of the tokyo olympics, including relative unknowns from austria and tunisia winning gold medals. i'm sarah mulkerrins live in tokyo, where day three of the games is already under way with the men's triathlon close to me here in tokyo bay. a top american general warns the taliban they could face us air strikes unless they stop their military offensive across afghanistan. and we're prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks
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if the taliban continue their attacks.

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