The poignant and heartfelt documentary “Cow,” directed by Andrea Arnold, is a displaced movie. For all its virtues, its most interesting action isn’t onscreen but only hinted at. This lacuna reflects a widespread documentary practice that’s also a conventional lapse in aesthetic judgment. Arnold and her crew followed a single dairy cow named Luma, at a cattle farm in Park Farm, in Kent, England, for an intermittent four-year period. The film (which opens today in theatres and is streaming on many services) observes her through the cycle of life, from calving and giving milk through the travails of old age, amid the structured workdays on the farm. Employees guide Luma and the many other cows to the stalls where they’re connected to electrical milking machines, into fields where they romp, into pens where they feed, into other pens where Luma is mated with a bull and becomes pregnant again. But the filmmakers are absent.
“Cow” filters out the basic personal element. It doesn’t show the crew’s interactions with the farm workers, who seemingly pretend that the crew and equipment aren’t there; the efforts of the crew to stay close to Luma; or the conspicuous intrusion of Arnold and her colleagues setting up shop, with their equipment, at the farm and in the nearby fields where the animals graze. For that matter, the film also excludes the backstory on which it inevitably depends: the negotiations by Arnold and the producer, Kat Mansoor, with the farm’s management that set the terms for filming there, the implicitly transactional basis for the film’s very existence. These omissions are not a new issue with documentary filmmaking; the self-erasure comes up often (as in the Oscar-nominated “Honeyland,” in 2019) and seems baked into other agrarian films such as “Gunda” and “The Four Times,” as if both implying and concealing the incongruity of filmmakers’ presence in natural and rustic settings.
In “Cow,” the drama is thin and the ideas are distant. Closeups of Luma are the film’s emotional engine. (The cinematographer is Magda Kowalczyk.) These images have a soulfulness that’s then, at times, amplified into majesty by compositions in which sky, terrain, and other animals fill the frame with a sense of united, grand-scale, wide-ranging power. They’re the exception—and they merely punctuate the film’s sense of observational, reportorial information delivery. It’s all the more reason why the movie, despite the ambling pace, resembles the narrow train of a Hollywood fictional narrative.
The paradox of “Cow” is the paradox of modern documentary filmmaking, an aesthetic revolution that was born—in the United States and in France—on the basis of technological innovation, the ability to film while recording synchronized sound with lightweight and portable equipment. In 1960, Robert Drew produced “Primary,” in which he was able to dispatch a crew to Wisconsin to embed with the campaigns of Senators John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey as they competed for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Around the same time in France, the filmmaker Jean Rouch and the sociologist Edgar Morin collaborated on “Chronicle of a Summer,” in which they and their associates stopped people in the street to ask about their lives, and then probed further to explore the connections of work, private life, and politics—and to examine their own filmmaking process.
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Morin coined the term “cinéma vérité” for their project; Drew eventually borrowed the term for his work (he also used “candid drama” and “reality filmmaking”). Unlike Rouch and Morin, Drew (whose movies included “The Chair,” “The Children Were Watching,” and “Crisis”) didn’t feature the filmmakers discussing their work on camera or overtly interacting with their subjects. Nonetheless, Drew centered on the filmmakers’ presence, not their absence; for him, filmmaking was a unified field in which he and his crew were inevitably participants in the events that they recorded. That participation is revealed most often in the behavior of the subjects, who, far from going about their business as normal, speak to the filmmakers, address the camera, perform for it, and acknowledge its presence and its power. Drew’s candid dramas are based in the subjects’ realities—starting with the very fact of being filmed—and the emotional and intellectual authority of his work is rooted in these self-conscious performances.
All great ideas are subject to corruption; all original artistic practices risk being reduced to formulas. Much documentary filmmaking practice has devolved to the so-called observational or fly-on-the-wall method, where filmmakers get permission to embed themselves in a setting that interests them and collect recordings with the authenticity of the real—while excluding the reality of the filming. They shape their material as the fiction of what it would have been had the filmmakers not been present. At its best, this very idea resounds with a kind of directorial chutzpah—it’s what Frederick Wiseman has been doing since the beginning of his career, and the audacity comes from what he does with his disappearing act, creating scenes of immense length and complexity, in which his participants seem to be performing not for his sake but for their own, as an essential aspect of their identity and social lives. His narratives have vast arcs allowing for vast digressions because his principal subject is the abstract frameworks of institutions. He does the analytical work that seemingly builds out under the action as it advances.
Few documentary filmmakers have followed Wiseman into the radical potential of self-elision from onscreen events. Far more often, the arm’s-length observation is a sedimented convention, an unconsidered assumption about the very definition of documentary filmmaking—a choice, and a bad one, that is taken for essential and natural. The past decade-plus has been a time of grand renewal in documentary filmmaking; the very notion of creative nonfiction has been developed and expanded, as in the work of such filmmakers as Robert Greene, Penny Lane, Khalik Allah, Nanfu Wang, Theo Anthony, Courtney Stephens, and Pacho Velez, among many others. At the same time, new technology has made its power felt, often negatively. Digital video cameras, which dispense with the high cost of shooting film and make it possible to record enormous amounts of material, invite a snippety editing process that squeezes as much material as possible into a film’s standard duration.
It would be absurd to even suggest a moratorium on the observational method, but it’s no less absurd to consider it uncritically—and the most vital criticism that the practice needs is that of filmmakers themselves, in action. “Cow” reflects an admirable and fascinating motive: to enter into the daily experience and the inner life of a farm animal. Arnold, a major artist of cinematic fiction, has made characters’ self-presentation, their sense of performance in daily life, a crucial part of her most original drama, “American Honey.” In “Cow,” Arnold hasn’t considered her subjects or her place in their world as stringently or as originally. The strongest moments of “Cow” evoke her fervent and empathetic dramatic sensibility but not a strong awareness of the possibilities of documentary form. In this, she’s far from alone; more than any one filmmaker’s omissions, “Cow” reflects the unquestioned conventions of the time.
Luna Lovegood actress Evanna Lynch has explained why JK Rowling was not present at the Harry Potter reunion.
The 30-year-old said that despite some of the cast such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint coming out against some of the writer’s views there wasn’t a rift.
She told GB News: “I’ve talked to all the cast, they all have great respect for her even if they don’t agree with her beliefs. I really strongly disagree with the narrative that there’s a rift.”
READ MORE:Harry Potter’s Emma Watson gives perfect response after being mistaken another celebrity in reunion special and fans love it
Evanna with fellow Potter stars Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint attending Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in Orlando, Florida (Image: Getty Images)
The Harry Potter stars have publicly disagreed with Rowling over her views on gender identity which some have labelled as transphobic.
Evanna said that everyone had their “strong beliefs” and that it had required “a very difficult conversation” between Rowling and cast members.
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However, she disagrees with the idea that Rowling was given the “cold shoulder” when it came to the reunion, with her name not appearing anywhere on promotional material and the lack of an in-person appearance begging the question.
“I reject the narrative that there’s been a cold shoulder,” said Evanna.
Adding: “I think she’s busy writing books, I don’t think that was about the conversations that have been had about more controversial issues.”
“I think she was busy and never on the sets very often. She’s still a big part of it.”
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Have a story you think we should be covering? Email rory.bennett@reachplc.com.
The Twilight movies, which used to be on Netflix, have officially moved over to Amazon Prime Video, and it just wouldn’t be a list of the best movies to watch on the platform right now without them. If teen vampire shlock isn’t your thing, we also recommend the indie dramedy Emergency, Chris Pine-Thandiwe Newton spy thriller All the Old Knives, and Regina Hall’s horror movie Master. Coming up later this month is the final Daniel Craig James Bond film, No Time to Die, which hits Prime Video on June 10.
An important note about how this list was made: In order to keep the list as relevant as possible, we’re stressing the best recent releases, Prime Video originals, and critics’ favorites. But we’re also putting our own personal spin on the list, with underrated gems we’re recommending to our friends, classic favorites, and important selections that highlight diverse voices. We’ll be updating the list regularly.
Last updated on June 4, 2022; the most recent additions are at the top
For fans of: The internet, vampires, CGI babies, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Twilight
Lionsgate
Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Director: Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz, David Slade, Bill Condon Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner Genre: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance Rating: PG-13 Metacritic score:56, 44, 58, 45, 52
What is there to say about Twilight that hasn’t already been said? Stephanie Meyer’s teen vampire romance books were adapted into a five-movie franchise that defined the late 2000s/early 2010s, introducing us to the love story between human high school student Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her undead boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson), but most importantly, these are the films that inspired a thousandmemes. When people say “so bad it’s good,” they’re talking about Twilight. [Trailer]
Director: Carey Williams Stars: Sabrina Carpenter, Donald Elise Watkins, RJ Cyler Genre: Drama, Comedy Rating: R Metacritic score:75
This Amazon film will likely get lost in the noise of the high-profile releases, but do not let it slip by if you’re a fan of party comedies. The indie film follows a pair of young Black college seniors (RJ Cyler and Donald Elise Watkins) ready to let loose in a string of parties before spring break when they discover an unconscious white girl in their apartment, with no idea how she got there. Realizing the bad optics of the situation, they (and their Latino roommate) set out to return her to safety without their good intentions being misinterpreted. The movie got great reviews when it did the festival circuit earlier this year. –Tim Surette [Trailer]
Thandiwe Newton and Chris Pine, All the Old Knives
Stefania Rosini/Amazon Studios
Director: Janus Metz Pederson Stars: Thandiwe Newton, Chris Pine, Jonathan Pryce, Laurence Fishburne Genre: Drama, Thriller Rating: R Metacritic score:63
All the Old Knives sounds like a Knives Out sequel set in a nursing home (that’s a free idea for Rian Johnson), but it’s actually a thriller starring Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton as spies who are also ex-lovers. I have no complaints about that concept. Based on the novel of the same name by Olen Steinhauer, who wrote the film’s screenplay, the movie follows Pine’s Henry Pelham as his investigation into a CIA mole becomes entangled in his history with Newton’s Celia. Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce also star. Pine promoted this one in a series of to-die-for outfits. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
Director: Mariama Diallo Stars: Regina Hall, Amber Gray, Zoe Renee Genre: Drama/Horror Rating: R Metacritic score:67
The buzz out of Sundance and SXSW is that Regina Hall gives one of the best performances of her career in this horror movie about racism in the vein of Get Out. She plays a professor at a prestigious, predominately white New England university with a historical connection to the Salem Witch Trials and a legacy of racism that continues into the present. She, a Black first-year student (Zoe Renee), and another Black faculty member (Amber Gray) experience racism at the school as a literal haunting. It’s an assured debut film from writer-director Mariama Diallo (a Yale graduate) that’s adept at scares and social commentary. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]
Director: Amy Poehler (yes, that Amy Poehler) Stars: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz Genre: Documentary Rating: NR Metacritic score:75
Sure, Nicole Kidman played a great Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin‘s biopic Being the Ricardos (also on Amazon), but have you seen Lucille Ball play Lucille Ball? Amy Poehler directs this documentary looking at the lives of I Love Lucy‘s stars, both on set and at home. (Not to be confused with Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie, a 1993 documentary directed by Lucy and Desi’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz, that is also on Amazon.) –Tim Surette [Trailer]
Director: Martin Campbell Stars: Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime Rating: R Metacritic score:48
Look, if you tell me Maggie Q is starring in an action movie, I’m pretty much already on board. Here, she stars as a contract killer who vows to get brutal, bloody revenge on the people who killed her mentor (Samuel L. Jackson). Along the way, she becomes entangled in a game of cat and mouse with another ruthless criminal (Michael Keaton), and the two of them have such effortless chemistry it’ll make you forget about the movie’s shortcomings. The Protégé received middling reviews when it was released in theaters, but the fight scenes are well choreographed spectacles that make it the ideal watch when you want to turn your brain off. –Allison Picurro[Trailer]
Director: Analeine Cal y Mayor Stars: Sam Claflin, Verónica Echegui Genre: Comedy, Romance Metacritic score:44
In this silly, sweet romantic comedy, Sam Claflin plays the kind of character Hugh Grant would’ve played back in the ’90s: an uptight British romance author who learns that his latest (and not very good) novel has become a huge hit in Mexico, spurring him to travel there for a book tour. He only realizes after he arrives that the Spanish version of his book has actually been rewritten into a much spicier story that’s way more interesting than his original story, all thanks to Maria (Verónica Echegui), the woman who translated it. This is the kind of classic rom-com premise that I can’t help being utterly endeared by. [Trailer]
For fans of: Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, ill-advised schemes
Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, I Want You Back
Amazon Studios
Director: Jason Orley Stars: Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Gina Rodriguez, Manny Jacinto, Scott Eastwood Genre: Comedy, Romance Rating: R Metacritic score:62
It’s a Jenny Slate rom-com; it’s a Charlie Day rom-com; it’s a combination Jenny Slate-Charlie Day rom-com! And that means it’s actually funny. I Want You Back pairs up two of Hollywood’s most reliable chaos agents as a pair of strangers who bond over being recently dumped, then team up to win back their exes by destroying their new relationships. It’s a solid romantic comedy that actually feels fresh, and who doesn’t love a messy scheme? –Kelly Connolly[Trailer]
The latest movie from Iranian filmmaker and two-time Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi is this tense morality tale that’s getting rave reviews from critics. It follows a man (Amir Jadidi) whose debt has landed him in jail, but a chance discovery of some gold coins while on furlough turns him into a national hero when he decides to return the bag of coins to its rightful owner. But beneath this seeming act of altruism lie questions of the man’s true intentions. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
Amazon Studios
Director: Aaron Sorkin Stars: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat Genre: Biography, Drama, History Rating: R Metacritic score:60
Ever want to see Aaron Sorkin stuff the mouths of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with his wordy monologues? Sorkin wrote and directed Being the Ricardos, a biopic following I Love Lucy‘s Ball and Arnaz during a critical moment in their careers when Ball was accused of being a communist and the gossip rags wondered if their relationship was on the fritz. Early reviews are middling, but the draw here is watching Nicole Kidman as Ball and Javier Bardem as Arnaz, accompanied by J.K. Simmons, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development reunion!), and Nina Arianda. –Tim Surette [Trailer]
For fans of: Aliens, bugs, aliens that look like bugs
Lucian-River Chauhan, Riz Ahmed, and Aditya Geddada, Encounter
Amazon Studios
Director: Michael Pearce Stars: Riz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Rory Cochrane, Janina Gavankar Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller Rating: R Metacritic score:57
Riz Ahmed follows up his Oscar-nominated turn in last year’s The Sound of Metal with this paranoid sci-fi thriller that looks like a mix of Take Shelter and War of the Worlds. Ahmed plays Malik Khan, a decorated Marine who takes his two sons and goes AWOL to protect them from an alien threat – and military operatives who are trying to make sure the secret of that threat doesn’t get out. It comes from writer-director Michael Pearce, who made the excellent 2017 psychological thriller Beast, so you can bet there will be some gut-punching twists and some meaty material for Ahmed to work with. The supporting cast includes Octavia Spencer, Janina Gavankar, and Rory Cochrane. -Liam Mathews[Trailer]
Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Jones, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Amazon Studios
Director: Will Sharpe Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones Genre: Biography, Drama, History Rating: PG-13 Metacritic score:63
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the eccentric late 19th and early 20th century artist Louis Wain, known for his cat portraits, who falls for his sisters’ governess (Claire Foy), in this fanciful biographical drama. Reviews for the film have been polite but rarely glowing — which is to be expected from a film created and directed by the dark and whimsical Will Sharpe (Flowers) — but it’s got Benedict Cumberbatch and cats, so there are a lot of very online people who will certainly love it. Plus, Olivia Colman narrates. –Kelly Connolly[Trailer]
For fans of: Musicals, sweet coming-of-age stories
Max Harwood, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Amazon Studios
Directors: Dan Gillespie Sells, Jonathan Butterell, and Tom MacRae Stars: Max Harwood, Lauren Patel, Sarah Lancashire, Richard E. Grant, Ralph Ineson, Sharon Horgan Genre: Biography, Drama, Comedy, Musical Rating: PG-13 Metacritic score:62
This stage-to-screen musical film is destined to set your heart aflame — provided you aren’t a hateful malcontent — as it tells the story of a 16-year-old high schooler’s journey against bullying and toward realizing his dream to become a drag queen. It’s been reviewed positively with critics likening it to Billy Elliott, and is exactly the feel-good salve you’re desiring. –Tim Surette[Trailer]
For fans of: Pre-Marvel Kumail Nanjiani, heartfelt rom-coms
Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, The Big Sick
Amazon Studios
Director: Michael Showalter Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance Rating: R Metacritic score:86
This romantic comedy is based on the actual love story between Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon. Nanjiani plays the fictionalized version of himself while Zoe Kazan plays the fictionalized version of Emily, whose sudden diagnosis with adult-onset Still’s disease — and the coma she falls into — throws a major wrench into their burgeoning relationship. While Kumail and Emily’s story is undoubtedly the thing that drives The Big Sick, Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, who play Emily’s parents, are the movie’s grounding forces. You’ll probably walk away from this mostly wishing they could adopt you. [Trailer]
For fans of: Pop songs, using the phrase “so bad it’s good”
Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Cabello, Cinderella
Amazon Studios
Director: Kay Cannon Stars: Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel, Billy Porter, Minnie Driver, Nicholas Galitzine, Pierce Brosnan Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Family, Musical Rating: PG Metacritic score:41
Did we need another Cinderella re-telling? Probably not, but here’s this movie anyway. In this latest version, Camila Cabello plays the fairy tale heroine, now going by simply “Ella,” as an aspiring fashion designer with big dreams the traditional society she lives in just isn’t ready for. She gets help from her fairy godparent (Billy Porter), pushes back against her evil stepmother (Idina Menzel), and belts out a lot of classic pop tunes you already know, because this confounding movie is also a jukebox musical. If all of that doesn’t turn you off, you’re definitely ready for Cinderella, girlboss edition. It’s not “good,” per se, but the baffling choices will certainly make you laugh. This could be a new camp classic in the making. [Trailer]
For fans of: Adam Driver, creepy puppet babies, A Star Is Born
Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, Annette
Amazon Studios
Director: Leos Carax Stars: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell Genre: Drama, Romance, Musical Rating: R Metacritic score:67
If you care at all about film festivals, you’ve probably already heard of Annette, but if you haven’t, listen carefully: This is a musical where Adam Driver, speaking in an even lower register than usual, plays Henry, a stand-up comedian who falls in love with Marion Cotillard‘s Ann, an opera singer. Their relationship declines after the birth of their mysteriously prodigious daughter Annette (who is played, confoundingly, by a puppet), and from there it becomes A Star Is Born by way of Marriage Story, but with a touch of surrealism. It’s a fast-paced, hallucinatory rollercoaster that is certainly not for everyone, but will definitely have you walk away reeling. [Trailer]
For fans of: Sequels, the way Borat says “my wiiiiife”
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Amazon Studios
Director: Jason Woliner Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova Genre: Comedy Rating: R Metacritic score:68
It’s hard not to be wary when a beloved character is resurrected for a second go-around years later, but Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (full title Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan) is the rare sequel that works. Sacha Baron Cohen returns as Kazakh journalist Borat, and the international fame he’s racked up since the first film has hurt more than helped his home country. In an attempt to redeem Kazakhstan, he returns back to America with the hopes of delivering a gift to former President Donald Trump (this movie was released right before the 2020 election, which does admittedly give some of the jokes a ten-second expiration date), but more compelling than all of that is Borat’s legitimately sweet relationship with his daughter, Tutar (Maria Bakalova, who absolutely earned the Oscar nomination she received for her performance), who accompanies him on his mission, much to his chagrin. Honestly, the Rudy Giuliani stuff is the least interesting thing about this movie. It’s good! Wa wa wee wa indeed. [Trailer]
Director: Ninian Doff Stars: Eddie Izzard, Kate Dickie, Samuel Bottomley, Viraj Juneja, Rian Gordon, Lewis Gribben Genre: Action, Horror, Comedy, Music Rating: R Metacritic score:69
This 2019 British black comedy film will easily remind you of Danny Boyle’s bonkers classic Trainspotting, and it should: three Scottish teens with a knack for partying and doing drugs get into trouble. In Get Duked!, they’re joined by a do-gooder and wander the Highlands to win the Duke of Edinborough Award, a survival challenge that turns boys into men, but they get stuck in the middle of a hunt-or-be-hunted situation with Eddie Izzard playing a psycho with a sniper rifle. Believe it or not, it gets weirder from there. Hilarious, ridiculous, and packed with social commentary, this would be regular viewing in weed smoke-filled dorm rooms of the late-’90s. –Tim Surette[Trailer]
Director: Chan-wook Park Stars: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong Genre: Drama, Thriller, Romance Rating: Not rated Metacritic score:84
The Handmaiden is one of those movies where every character is scamming another character, resulting in an exciting, dramatic thriller. It starts out as a film about a Korean con man (Ha Jung-woo) who devises a pan to seduce a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee) out of her inheritance. He enlists the help of a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) to act as the heiress’ maid and confidant, tasking her with encouraging marriage between the two. Things begin to get more dangerous as deeper relationships develop in the messy, intertwined trio, which is all I want to say without actually spoiling the plot’s genius twists. What you should know going in is that this movie was directed by Park Chan-wook, who gave us the brutal, bloody Oldboy, so you should expect some gruesome imagery. [Trailer]
For fans of: Kate Beckinsale violently brutalizing goons
Kate Beckinsale, Jolt
Amazon Studios
Director: Tanya Wexler Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Bobby Cannavale, Laverne Cox, Stanley Tucci, Jai Courtney Genre: Action, Comedy Rating: R Metacritic score:48
Kate Beckinsale could have coasted in her career and played a lonely single mom who gets wooed by a hunk in various rom-coms, but thank god she’s decided to be a butt-kicking action hero instead. In Jolt, she plays a woman with a unique condition that you’ll only find in movies: If she doesn’t electroshock herself with a custom-made harness, she loses her temper and starts to beat the sh– out of everyone. Let’s just say she doesn’t always get the jolt she needs in time… a lot. There’s also a scene in which she throws babies, and there are many swift kicks to the groin. Dumb fun, good time. –Tim Surette[Trailer]
For fans of: Comedies about going to work, Emma Thompson wearing suits
Amazon Studios
Director: Nisha Ganatra Stars: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Max Casella, Hugh Dancy Genre: Comedy, Drama Rating: R Metacritic score:70
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson star in this extremely sweet-hearted movie, written by Kaling, about a talk show host (played by Thompson) whose popularity is waning as she ages. To help freshen up her writers’ room and stop the network from replacing her, she hires a new, inexperienced writer (Kaling). Some of the jokes and job responsibilities admittedly delve a little too far into the inside baseball territory — a lot of importance is placed on Kaling’s character becoming co-monologue writer, for example — but overall, Late Night is a fun movie about the lengths women have to go to in order to be taken seriously in their careers. [Trailer]
This award-winning documentary will teach you all about a painful chapter in China’s history via the one-child policy, which lasted from 1979 to 2015. Real people who lived through such a devastating period speak on their experiences, and the film delves into the damaging effects of government propaganda. Interestingly, One Child Nation is given a personal touch by co-director Nanfu Wang, who weaves stories of her own experience as a new mother in with the documentary’s overall narrative. [Trailer]
Director: Regina King Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr. Genre: Drama Rating: R Metacritic score:83
Directed by Regina King and based on a play by Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami… tells a dramatized account of a 1964 meeting between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge). They spend the night in a Miami hotel room together and end up arguing for a good portion of it, about X’s belief that Cooke has sold out by pandering to white audience with his music, and Ali’s, referred to in the film as Cassius Clay, decision to convert to Islam and change his name. It’s an interesting movie that succeeds in peeling back the curtain on four pretty untouchable cultural icons, revealing more about their anxieties, inner lives, and ambitions than the average biopic would. [Trailer]
Director: Michael Gracey Genre: Biography, Music, Documentary Rating: Not rated Metacritic score:60
What do you know about Pink? (Or, sorry, P!nk, as she apparently prefers to be addressed.) You’re probably aware she has the voice of an angel, and that she really, really loves singing while performing aerial tricks, but you might not know much beyond that. This documentary is a highly personal look into her life as a mother. Expect a lot of very sweet scenes of her carting her young children around on tour, some emotional behind the scenes interviews, and to be blown away by her sheer vocal range. It’s a fun watch for Pink devotees and new fans alike. [Trailer]
For fans of: Social justice stories, period pieces
Small Axe
Amazon Studios
Director: Steve McQueen Stars: John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Michael Ward, Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Sheyi Cole, Kenyah Sandy Genre: Drama Rating: R Metacritic scores:90, 95, 84, 77, 87
Small Axe is peak prestige television in that it’s not actually television at all, but instead it’s an anthology collection of five films directed by Steve McQueen. Every installment focuses on London’s West Indian community in the years between 1969 and 1982, and each stars a great group of actors that includes John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Jack Lowden, and more. The stories don’t overlap, but they all do a beautiful job of building out the world, and deal with issues and themes that impact the community, like police brutality, education, and what it means to be part of British society as a person of West Indian descent. On one hand, yes, five films is a lot to ask of viewers, but on the other, it just so happens that McQueen is an incredible director with a strong vision and every one is worth your time. If you only want to try one, give “Lovers Rock,” a romance centered around a reggae house party, a spin. [Trailer]
For fans of: Heavy metal band t-shirts, being emotional
Amazon
Director: Darius Marder Stars: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci Genre: Drama, Music Rating: R Metacritic score:82
I am of the opinion that Riz Ahmed gave the best performance of 2020 as a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing in Sound of Metal, and he very correctly earned an Oscar nomination for it. As Ruben, he explores the emotional trauma of sudden deafness — literally, as it plays out in the film, one minute he can hear perfectly, and the next everything is muffled — and the importance of finding community as he goes to live in a rural home for deaf recovering addicts in order, run by Joe (Paul Raci, also rightfully Oscar-nominated for his work). The way the film utilizes sound design is nothing short of incredible, and most notably, director Darius Marder cast many actual Deaf actors who help bring the story to life. [Trailer]
For fans of: Witches, dancers, witchy dancers, Tilda Swinton
Suspiria
Amazon Studios
Director: Luca Guadagnino Stars: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror Rating: R Metacritic score:64
Luca Guadagnino directs this remake of the 1977 Dario Argento horror classic. Dakota Johnson stars as Susie, a seemingly fresh-faced dancer who travels from Ohio to Berlin to study at an elite dance academy and is quickly named head dancer. As Suspiria unfolds, and as more students and teachers are found dead or go missing entirely, and it becomes increasingly clear that something very sinister and supernatural is going on underneath the surface. Also, Tilda Swinton plays three roles, and for one of them she gets to dress up as an old man. It’s kooky, it’s campy, and it’s also very, very scary. [Trailer]
If sweeping romance is your thing, Sylvie’s Love should be your next watch. Set in New York City in 1962, Tessa Thompson stars as Sylvie, an aspiring TV producer who strikes up a summer romance with a saxophonist (Nnamdi Asomugha) who works at her father’s record store. Life eventually drags them apart, and they both go on without each other for a while, only to reunite years later to find that their connection remains just as strong. [Trailer]
For fans of:Independence Day, action broken up with passable humor
Chris Pratt, Keith Powers, and Sam Richardson, The Tomorrow War
Amazon Prime Video
Director: Chris McKay Stars: Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller, War Rating: PG-13 Metacritic score:45
A muscly and brainy Chris Pratt stars as a scientist who, along with thousands of others, is zapped 30 years into the future to help future soldiers fight an alien invasion and save the human race. Yeah, if that insane logline doesn’t turn you off then you should enjoy this popcorn flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously — as evidenced by the many one-liners from comedians Sam Richardson, Mike Mitchell, and Mary Lynn Rajskub — but doesn’t skimp on hours of soldiers unloading clips into grotesque aliens. It’ll remind you of Starship Troopers without that sharp commentary. [Trailer]
For fans of: Road trips, Paul Bettany’s American accent
Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, and Peter Macdissi, Uncle Frank
Amazon Studios
Director: Alan Ball Stars: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn Genre: Drama, Comedy Rating: R Metacritic score:58
This movie is a little bit like if someone tried to update Little Miss Sunshine and focus primarily on Steve Carell’s character, but in a good way. Beth (Sophia Lillis) moves from her small North Carolina hometown to good ol’ New York City, and immediately crashes into her favorite uncle’s life. She finds out that Frank (Paul Bettany) is gay and has been living with his boyfriend Wally (Peter Macdissi) for years, while successfully keeping it a secret from the rest of their family. And because this is a movie, the secret is of course put in jeopardy when Frank’s father dies and he, Beth, and Wally embark on a road trip to attend the funeral. Uncle Frank balances its comedic and dramatic moments well, and your heart will ache during the flashbacks to Frank’s adolescence, where he was first confronted with his family’s homophobia. Plus, an always perfect Judy Greer co-stars. [Trailer]
Directors: Leo Scott, Ting Poo Genre: Documentary Rating: R Metacritic score:73
Val Kilmer gets the autobiographical treatment in this intimate documentary about his life and career. Kilmer lends his own home movies he’s taken over the years to the film — which includes videos from the set of Batman Forever, and footage of younger versions of Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon just hanging out — and provides a look at his struggle with throat cancer, from which he’s still recovering and has left him using a prosthesis in order to speak. It’s more revealing than the standard celebrity doc. [Trailer]
For fans of: That ’80s and ’90s sci-fi feel, first-time directors making a huge splash
Sierra McCormick, The Vast of Night
Amazon Studios
Director: Andrew Patterson Stars: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy Rating: PG-13 Metacritic score:84
This 2019 science-fiction film from director Andrew Patterson is one of the best directorial debuts of the last decade, with Patterson’s keen eye able to bring to life a small town experiencing strange phenomena from the sky. Featuring some truly incredible continuous shots featuring hundreds of extras and one of my favorite intimate cinematic scenes featuring just one person on screen, The Vast of Night is a film school student’s dream that follows a young switchboard operator and a disc jockey in 1950s New Mexico trying to find the source of unidentified sounds, and it’s an entrancing thriller from the opening shot to the closing seconds. –Tim Surette[Trailer]
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Emma Watson and Rupert Grint said they both considered quitting “Harry Potter.”
The pair said the fame of the film franchise took a toll on their lives.
“The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way,” Watson said.
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The actors Emma Watson and Rupert Grint said they both considered quitting their roles in the “Harry Potter” film franchise during its eight-film run because of the pressure childhood stardom put on their lives.
Watson and Grint — who played Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in all eight “Potter” films — discussed their time acting in the franchise during HBO Max‘s wizarding-world reunion show “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.”
The one-off reunion special was commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” the first film in the “Potter” franchise. At one point during the show, Grint recalled a time during the production of the films when Watson brought up the possibility of her exit.
“You were considering pulling out. I’ve never really spoken to you about that,” Rupert said, according to a clip seen by ET Canada.
Watson replied: “Yeah. I think I was scared. I don’t know if you ever felt like it got to a tipping point where you were like, ‘This is kind of forever now.'”
Grint, Watson and Radcliffe.
HBO Max.
Grint later said that he also had moments “all the way through” his time as Ron Weasley in the “Harry Potter” films when he would be “contemplating what life would be like if I called it a day.”
Speaking about his anxieties from the time, Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular role, said: “We never really spoke about it. I guess we were just going through it at our own pace. We were kind of in the moment at the time. It just didn’t really occur to us that we were all probably kind of having similar feelings.”
“The fame thing had finally hit home in a big way,” Watson added.
Later during the reunion, David Yates, who directed the final four “Potter” films, said that when he was drafted into the franchise, one thing David Heyman, the series’ producer, “and the studio spoke to me about was, ‘Emma is not sure she wants to come back to do another Potter.'”
Watson as Hermione Granger.
Warner Bros.
The British actor Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the film series, also continued to highlight the pressure Emma Watson was subjected to as the lone female lead in the franchise.
“People definitely forget what she took on and how gracefully she did it,” he said. “Dan and Rupert, they had each other. I had my cronies, whereas Emma was not only younger, she was by herself.”
Watson concluded by saying that “no one had to convince” her to stay. The support of the franchise’s fans and her costars, she said, gave her the confidence to continue in her role.
“The fans genuinely wanted you to succeed, and we all genuinely have each other’s backs. How great is that?” she said.
“Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” airs January 1 on HBO Max.
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Mohan Bhagwat’s speech on the Gyanvapi mosque has been applauded by some of our “liberals”. See, they say, the RSS chief has spoken out. This is a message to Hindutva forces. They must not take hatred further. Yadda yadda yadda.
It takes very little to keep our public intellectuals and influential fence-sitters happy.
So, what did Bhagwat say? He said that we should not look for a shivling in every temple.
He said the Gyanvapi issue is “on”. “Gyanvapi has a history we cannot change now”. Issues of “special significance in the hearts of Hindus” are being raised.
Islam came from “outside”.
Indian Muslims are anyway Hindus so we should not fight.
“We participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement against our nature”.
The Gyanvapi issue needs to be “sorted out amicably” between the “two sides”.
Hindus are not opposed to Muslims.
He ended his speech by a glorious defence of the Constitution of India and the judiciary. No other development in independent India’s history has done as much damage to India’s Constitution, India’s judiciary and India’s democratic institutions as the RSS-guided administration of Narendra Modi has over the last eight years.
To the perpetually innocent infected with positivity – I think the word is naïve – Bhagwat’s speech sounds like some massive message to his own community of bigots to step back. That Hindus and Muslims must work together. That the RSS very graciously accepts that Muslims live in India.
But the RSS also carries on with its pointed beliefs that all Muslims are actually Hindus and must accept the dominance of Hinduism. That the RSS doesn’t really want to get involved in movements and violence because those are the jobs of organisations it has created for those express purposes like the VHP and Bajrang Dal.
What kind of a fool believes Bhagwat?
What kind of a fool believes that the RSS has “stepped in” to contain Narendra Modi and its own community of violent mobs?
Did the RSS stop lynching after Mohammed Akhlaq was lynched?
Did the RSS stop Modi or Yogi Adityanath from attacking Muslims during every election?
Did the RSS stop bulldozers destroying Muslim homes and businesses?
Did the RSS stop Hindutva thugs from attacking Muslim girls in hijabs?
Did the RSS object to the vilification of Muslim women at Shaheen Bagh protesting for the democratic rights?
Did the RSS stop Hindutva mobs from attacking Indian universities with Muslim connections or those propounding liberal thought?
Did the RSS stop all those “Dharam Sansads” where Hindu priests consistently called for the murder and rape of Muslims and the destruction of their lives?
Did the RSS stop the consistent targeting of Muslims across various fields in India from education to the judiciary to government by the Modi government and by BJP-run state governments?
We all know the answer to these questions.
But when it comes to the RSS and BJP, we tiptoe around them, searching for “nuance” and “interpretation” and “translation”.
The fear is palpable and from that follows cowardice.
The Hindutva movement belongs to the RSS. Its goal is a Hindu majoritarian state, with Muslims, Dalits, women and people of other minority religions living with second or perhaps third-class citizen status. There is nothing hidden about the RSS and its ideas.
It is there in the words of its founders and early chiefs. It lies in the RSS’s admiration for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi state. It is evident in the fact that India is one of the world’s few countries where Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ is a permanent bestseller.
No BJP government can survive without RSS guidance. It is a canny institution – despite the sticks and khaki shorts and trousers – and has had almost a century to put its despicable plan into motion.
It played no role in India’s freedom movement. That is why it constantly tries to appropriate various freedom fighters, none of whom were part of the RSS. This appropriation is not to bring glory to itself because the RSS purposely chose not to be part of the Independence Movement. This appropriation is to attack other parties or to fool fence-sitters, public intellectuals and half-educated professionals who are desperate to be fooled. These are the core voting group which brought Modi to power.
The RSS-BJP already has between 25-30% of the vote bank in some parts of the electorate. The toxic, inferiority-complex ridden fools provided the rest and swept Modi to power twice.
So no, Mohan Bhagwat is not telling you that the RSS is full of love and sweetness towards Muslims and other minorities. It’s not telling Modi to step back in its campaign.
It’s just the RSS being the RSS.
(Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist. Views are personal)
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is another effort that will decide the future of the Wizard franchise.
Since Harry Potter ended, J.K Rowling has been surrounding the various projects. The best of them is the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise.
Fantastic Beasts debuted in 2016, on its first excursion, it was a box office success. However, the last movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald had negative reviews related to its complicated plot.
However, J.K. Rowling began posting transphobic content, starting a war with Harry Potter fans.
Rowling’s controversies regularly trend in social media. Every comment always comes with condemnation.
In December 2021, Rowling tweeted, “The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman” in response to a Times story about a condemnation story.
The evidence shows that Rowling makes fun of trans women celebrating International Women’s Day, calling trans people, “the lived reality of women globally is erased.”
J.K. Rowling returned an award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group after the president of the foundation described a “profound disappointment” about Rowling’s stance.
Movie theatres are about to release The Secrets of Dumbledore. On April 15, Harry Potter fans will deal with a dilemma.
Is watching the new Fantastic Beasts alright after Rowling’s comments on trans people?
Does the audience care about J.K. Rowling’s points of view, or just about the entertainment?
“It’s not a question of “Can I justify supporting Harry Potter?” It’s a question of, “Are trans lives more important to me than a fictional series?” And tragically, I think there are many people for which the answer is no,” said Alex Petrovnia, founder of the Trans Formations Project.
“Those are the people who will continue to associate with this franchise and financially support it. Trans people are facing massive prejudice right now, and we desperately need allyship.”
