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of the hour, straight after this programme. hello from new york. i'm tom brook and welcome to our talking movies: blockbusters 2022 special edition. in today's programme, the big films that have been really bringing out the crowds. i really like going to the cinema now, out of covid, because everyone�*s getting excited and clapping when really good scenes are happening. going to the cinema as a guy, like, going on a date and have a nice time with someone, yes it's — it's making memories. in talking movies, we'll be

looking at the indian blockbuster rrr, the epic action drama that has been a big hit around the world. we'll have a special report from delhi. the biggest blockbuster of the year, top gun: maverick. people are standing in line for hours to get a glimpse of him, and screaming and yelling, and saying "tom, tom, turn around and wave at me". we hearfrom tom cruise and the legendary hollywood producer behind it. it's a big screen experience, it really is. and the indie world's blockbuster, everything everywhere all at once. the co—directors explain its success. we love that weird people feel less alone after seeing our movie. and one of the year's big music films, elvis — we hear from director baz luhrmann on what he hopes his blockbuster tells us about the king of rock �*n�* roll. i loved elvis, just because the actors are really good in that movie,

the storyline just presents something that i never really heard before. i like the newjurassic world film because i like dinosaurs. i saw top gun and i am a pilot, so what i likedl about it was the flying scenes. three, two, one... for decades, blockbusters have been the foundation on which the modern cinema industry was built. but these are uncertain times — nobody quite knows what's going to happen in the long—term for cinema—going. although there has been a return to cinemas around the world, admissions overall are still well below pre—covid levels. cinema chains have had to file for bankruptcy. although cultural snobs may turn up their noses at blockbusters, they really are the lifeblood of the industry. there is no guarantee that a film will gain blockbuster status, but brand familiarity,

a decent story and well—crafted special effects really help. interestingly, movie stars at no longer so vital to the blockbuster equation — it's the allure of the franchises themselves which count. but too many potential blockbusters feel too corporate, too franchise—driven. we need some originality. it's a real challenge. i remain an optimist, and this year, certainly, there were blockbusters that delivered. chief among them was top gun: maverick, starring, of course, tom cruise, and directed byjoseph kosinski. emma jones reports. good morning, aviators. this is your captain speaking. no—one believed that top gun: maverick would reach such glorious heights — yet, put in storage because of covid for two years, when it was released, audiences flocked to see the film starring — who else? — tom cruise, in the role that made him famous in the 1986

original — that of pete �*maverick�* mitchell, called up to train elite graduates for a special mission. let me be perfectly blunt. you were not my first choice. you are here at the request of admiral kazansky, aka iceman. he feels you have something left to offer the navy. what that is, i can't imagine. today the movie has made $1.5 billion in cinemas. i just want to manage expectations. 60—year—old tom cruise is back as a hollywood's most bankable action star. and the crowds that turned out for the premieres showed event cinema still existed. this is a celebration. it's beautiful. i will never forget it — never forget it. it was really lovely. producerjerry bruckheimer, whose own career soared with cruise's when they made the first top gun, gave

an exclusive interview to talking movies. so this was the year, basically, that top gun saved cinema? it's done very well. it certainly expanded the audience, because a lot of people who saw top gun were over 40, initially, then ended up in theatres. so that was an experience that they were craving, and finally found a movie that they wanted to go see — because i think they were in love with the first one. you're flying with the best fighter pilots in the world. you guys really are cowboys. love of that first film boosted potential us navy recruitment by 500%, according to figures at the time, attracted by the presentation of military life. the us navy has used both films as a direct recruiting tool, and the world premiere of maverick was held aboard the uss midway in california. top gun: maverick offers an alluring vision for thrill—seekers — until you know

what the actors put up with behind—the—scenes for the stunts. these actors were trained for four months to be able to get in those planes and handle the g—forces. the first time we did it, every actor threw up. we couldn't use the footage. it was a low—budget movie at the time. and this movie, tom demanded that everybody took those flying lessons. do you hope tom cruise will get an oscar nomination? he — he certainly deserves it. he — he's — not only for this movie, but for his body of work. you look at the movies he's made, what he's brought to audiences, what he's done for cinema. tom cruise and his recruits proved exactly the tonic event cinema needed — the trouble is, hollywood doesn't have much that's new that's ready to fly. although top gun: maverick certainly delivered on all fronts of the studio picture, this wasn't so much the case with other blockbusters released during the year. although quite a few did make money, they seemed to lack

a bit, at times, with originality. adam moloney has been surveying the field. after 29 years and six films, you would think that people would finally realise that humans and dinosaurs shouldn't mix. although with over $6 billion at the box office, it would take more than a meteor to make thejurassic franchise go extinct. we're talking about cascading, systemwide effects, ian. gosh, that's a drag. what is the matter with you? the major selling part injurassic world: dominion, the latest instalment of the ageing series, is the return of original trilogy actors sam neill, laura dern, jeff goldblum. the only play, now, is to take the time we have left and, like we always do, squander it. and action. the big budget film was filmed during the covid pandemic, with even the film's director uncertain of how it would impact the release.

two years ago, was there a stage where you like "oh my god, is this ever going to happen?" "is this ever going to get done?" yeah, i — i think there was a sense that everyone in the world had that we weren't really sure if we were going to see the end of the year. and it was — it — scary and unsettling. i know you guys took a break. did that kind of inform how you came back and maybe kind of altered film or changed the film at all? we made a film that is, in a lot of ways, about the way we were feeling when we were making it — which is not something that often happens, certainly not a movie of this size. we are racing towards the extinction of our species. you can feel the thread of where the world was heading through the film. we not only lack dominion over nature, we are subordinate to it. in this case, whhat we had to say was something that was growing more and more relevant in every moment throughout the process of making it.

while dominion did manage to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, the film was seen as somewhat of a financial and critical disappointment for the series. wa kanda forever. one movie that didn't disappoint was black panther: wa kanda forever. the revolution will be live. the original 2018 film was a huge hit, and became the first superhero movie to be nominated in the best picture category at the academy awards. my mother told stories about this place like this, a protected land, with people that never have to leave, and never have to change who they were. wakanda forever netted a whopping $330 million around the globe in its opening weekend. don't freeze. i never freeze. its success was bittersweet, given the death of the original film's lead, chadwick boseman. # no woman, no cry #. at its la premiere, the cast

were keen to honour the actor. i couldn't imagine moving forward without chadwick, but when our director and writer walked me through his idea to carry on with his story, i breathed a breath of relief, because what he did was he incorporated the loss into the story and so, as a person, and as an actor, i didn't have to pretend like i hadn't experienced such a loss — such grief. wakanda forever is the third marvel movie to be released this year, following doctor strange in the multiverse of madness and thor: love and thunder. this ends here and now. some marvel fans see the movies as a step down from previous efforts. but doctor strange star elizabeth olsen is keen to praise the studio for trying out new ideas, and for engaging quality directors, such as sam raimi.

he's very sure of how he wants to shoot things, and he's very creative with how he uses camera, and how he uses lenses, and i do think there's — that is part of the joy of watching the first doctor strange — is the kind of visual experience, as well as the story, and so i do think sam is — is not replicating something from the first, but he's kind of created his own lane. while the marvel year was somewhat mixed, dc started on a positive note with the new and yes, even darker version of the batman, in the guise of robert pattinson. i'm vengeance. the studio continued with its darker theme, marketing the rock's return as black adam as more of an antihero than your traditional superhero. with a global recession on the horizon, and cinema attendance still well below covid levels, the smart money has been on studios producing

safe and easily marketable properties, and that means many sequels, franchises, and superheroes — all coming to a cinema near you. and. . .action! one of my favourite blockbusters this year was elvis, which told the story of elvis presley very much through the relationship with his manager, colonel tom parker. it gave its australian director baz luhrmann his biggest american hit, and the film which starred austin butler and tom hanks was one of the best performing musical biopics ever made. # went to a party in the countyjail... elvis presley was a performer who mesmerised millions around the world, really making an impact in the second half of the 1950s. in baz luhrmann�*s audio and visual feast, we see elvis the musician, as young white man who grew up poor alongside black neighbours and took on aspects of their music. # i'm going to heaven!

he's challenging both black music. i mean, what the film goes out of its way to say, i think, is no black music, no elvis. but he also channels country music, he brings all of these elements together, and what he creates musically and physically is a language that the youth of its time understands. he speaks to youth in a rebellious way in which the adult world simply doesn't understand, and that is crucial. your future, mr presley, blazing before you. much of the film focuses on elvis's manager, colonel tom parker, and how he took advantage of him. you bled me dry and you still want more. i'm the promoter. that is what i do. parker is portrayed by tom hanks, almost unrecognisable under all the prosthetics. we are two odd lonely children reaching for eternity.

baz luhrmann benefited from strong leading actors, none more so than austin butler, who was outstanding as presley. i'm ready. i'm ready to fly. when an actor takes wings like austin, right, and you go, wow! you know, before elvis, austin not that well known. go where you want, play where you want, and if they don't like it, you go some place else. and not only was there a star is born moment in a sense, i guess, but it was a star born of a great ensemble led by tom hanks. i will work and i will worry. that's how you allow someone like austin to flourish in that impossible task. # you ain't nothing but a... when baz luhrmann�*s movie opened, it lifted the spirits of cinema owners because not only did it bring in young movie goers, but older people who'd been hesitant to return to the movies in the wake of covid—19.

i went to warner's and i said, this is being made to bring an original idea, not a franchise, but an original idea. i want to prove that we can bring in all kinds of audiences back to the cinema. that was my singular mission, even with the pandemic. i've been lost. and when you're lost, people take advantage. in many ways, the humanity on display in elvis is disheartening. elvis's mother dies early from alcoholism, colonel parker is full of nefarious tricks, and towards the end, elvis is a sad sight. baz luhrmann says ultimately what's uplifting in the story he's brought to the screen is the music. what remains is the music. like, the spiritual part of elvis is the part that goes on. # we can go on together... now to a film from india that i really, really like. it's called rrr.

it's an epic action drama. basically it's a story of the relationship between two heroes. it's made by the country's regional telugu film industry, yet it's been a huge hit across india and in much of the rest of the world, including injapan and here in the united states. from delhi, tariq vasudeva reports. energy, fashion, spectacle. these three words perfectly describe the brute force of rrr. a lavish movie with stunning visual effects, razor—sharp editing, memorable music and choreography. essentially it is a story of friendship, friendship between two giant heroes, you know. but what we did was, like, we kept their emotions as grounded as very human, their strengths might be superhuman. but there's a beautiful friendship that's developing

between them. rrr has become a worldwide phenomenon. audiences have been awestruck by the grand scale of the movie. the zestful nature of the performances and the vibrancy in the direction and storytelling has entertained and captivated fans everywhere. the global viewership has been nothing short of spectacular. when we started getting appreciation from westerners, initially we thought it was the friends of indians who went there, right. then the numbers started increasing into tens, into hundreds. then we realised, ok, we have made something big that we didn't realise! during the covid pandemics, when everything was shut down, people started looking at stories from other cultures, they were exposed to different ways of storytelling. by the time the cinemas opened again and people started coming

to the theatres, their horizons broadened much wider than before. rrr has created a euphoric fan culture for a new kind of action—packed and energetic cinema emerging from south india. there's a clear indication all over the world that fast—paced movies made for the big—screen experience are in demand, regardless of the language and the country of origin. the indie film world certainly had its very own breakout blockbuster success this year with the movie everything everywhere all at once. it stars michelle yeoh who gives a very impressive performance. the picture certainly doesn't lack in terms of originality. mrs wang...mrs wang... mrs wang, are you with us? i am paying attention. set in california, this ingenious film is centred on michelle yeoh's character, a chinese immigrant and owner of a laundromat... i can see where this

story is going. ..who's having a hard time with the tax authorities. it does not look good. without giving too much away, she ends up moving through alternate universes, often leaving her confused. the universe is bigger than you realise. do you think this is funny? it's a film with kinetic energy that really mixes up genres. there's no going back. of all the places i could be... ijust want to be here with you. it has literally every genre . in it, and it's about a woman who is just trying to finish her taxes and reconnect l with her family in the middle of the chaos of modern life. i yeah! very good! and i'd say, like, if you think the title, everything everywhere all at once, sounds like a little too much, that's accurate. the movie's a little too much. and the film's form — the mixing up of genres — seems to be resonating

with younger audiences. everything is happening on the internet constantly on a thousand times a second. we really needed to make a movie that would meet the culture where it's at in this moment without pandering, but to reallyjust engage the younger audience. i'm here because we need your help. very busy today. no time to help you. of course it's the performers in this movie who've made it into the hit that it's become. no—one more so perhaps than michelle yeoh who's now tipped to earn a oscar nomination for her work in the picture. every time we said action, no matter how weird or uncomfortable the thing that the scene asked of her was, she would land in it, ground itand make it feel, like, relatable in a way that i don't think many actresses could have. so we were so lucky that we got michelle yeoh, and she killed it. we talk later? what's redeeming about this indie blockbuster is that it isn't just clever. it deals with real people, real heartache, real

difficulties and real emotions. we love that, like, weird people feel less alone after seeing our movie, you know. like, it's about, like, scary, dark thoughts, and how people bottle them up, and we wanted to make a movie that went there, that captured those feelings and then tried to give all those people who feel that way a hug. yeah. is that a theme — giving sad people a hug? well, that brings our talking movies blockbusters 2022 special edition to a close. we hope you've enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online, and you can find us on twitter. so, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies production team, it's goodbye as we leave you with a very energetic sequence from the indian blockbuster rrr.

hello there, this november has mostly brought us mild weather so far but on monday morning there was a taste of the colder. temperatures in the

highlands getting down below minus five celsius, the coldest morning of the autumn so far but that is not the theme for the rest of this week, in fact if anything, slowly but surely it is going to turn milder and there will be spells of wind and rain at times but not all the time. on the satellite picture, you see this as well of cloud, that brought wet and windy weather for many on monday, behind me plenty more cloud waiting out in the atlantic. we have more weather systems which will be directed towards the uk by the jetstream, the winds high up in the atmosphere but what's the pattern of the jetstream closely. by the end of the week it starts to shift northwards, that will focus most of the wind and rain towards the north and west of the uk but it will also us to bring in some much milder airfrom the also us to bring in some much milder air from the south. that will peak as we had through the coming weekend. we start on tuesday with a band of rain working its way into eastern scotland, some heavy downpours in the north of scotland and

some windy, salary weather for a time in southern england and the channel islands but generally speaking early cloud will tend to break up, we will see you soon spells of sunshine, temperatures not herself 6— 12 degrees. as we move out of tuesday into wednesday here comes another area of low pressure, another atlantic weather system that will bring a band of rain northwards and eastwards, some of that rain will be on the heavy side, behind it mix of sunny spells and have showers and it will turn windy again across parts of wales and the south—west of england. temperatures just gaining to creep upwards by a degree or so stop into thursday after what may well be a fine, dry start we see yet another band of rain, again some of this wet weather will be heavy accompanied by some quite brusque winds but we had a degree to the temperature is so 10-13, degree to the temperature is so 10—13, maybe 1a degrees. now, for friday we are watching this area of high pressure, along way to the south of us but noticed this ridge in the

isobars. it is going to have some influence on our weather for friday so while there will still be some showers we will start to see more in the way of dry and bright weather, some spells of shun sato and those top temperatures again nine — 13 degrees but as we get into the weekend that the mildness really starts to shower its hand stop this weather system bringing quite heavy rain across the western side of the uk we suspect. a southerly wind that will lift temperatures to between 10—13 maybe 1a degrees but as that southerly wind continues to blow through saturday night, temperatures are not going to drop. in fact we will keep a feed of really milder air so overnight lows on saturday night likely to be between 8— 13 degrees, pretty extraordinary for a night in late november. this forecast takes us through the remainder of november, through to the end of november, through to the end of the month doctor you can see more rain at times, windy and it stays mild. however as we

head into the start of december there are signs, just tentative signs, that we might start see something a little bit colder. we will keep a close eye on that and we will keep you up—to—date.

welcome to bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: rescue efforts in indonesia as a powerful earthquake kills dozens of people and injures hundreds more, overwhelming local hospitals. hundreds of people are spending the night being treated here in tents outside the hospital building. there is a fear also of after—shocks. iran's footballers show their support for protesters back home by refusing to sing the national anthem before their first match at the world cup. a woman awomana a woman a woman was in the stands with poster saying woman, life in freedom in

solidarity with protesting back in her country.