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The Mother of All Lies review – pursuing the truth of Morocco’s brutal dictatorship years

Asmae El Moudir employs a delicate mix of handmade replicas and oral testimony to brilliantly evoke personal and collective trauma Between those who refuse to remember and those who struggle to forget, a tumultuous clash of minds occupies the centre of Asmae El Moudir’s inventive documentary, a prize-winner at last year’s Cannes film festival. Through a constellation of clay figurines and dollhouse-style miniature sets, most of which were constructed by El Moudir’s father, the director recreates her oppressive childhood in the Sebata district of Casablanca. Under the watchful eyes of her domineering grandmother Zahra, all personal photos are banished from the house, save for a picture of King Hassan II. The delicate mix of handmade replicas and oral testimony brilliantly evokes the personal and collective trauma that stem from Morocco’s “Years of Lead” – a period of state brutality under Hassan II’s dictatorial rule. Lingering on the nimble fingers of El Moudir’s father as he puts t

Sunny Deol to resume shoot for Hindi remake of Joseph titled Soorya after two years before kicking off Border 2 schedule: Report

Bollywood actor Sunny Deol is set to return to the big screen with the crime drama Soorya, which he began working on in 2022. Directed by M Padmakumar, Soorya is an official adaptation of the acclaimed Malayalam film Joseph (2018). The remake features Deol in the role of a retired cop who is drawn back into the investigative world to solve a murder case, ultimately uncovering a sinister organ-harvesting racket. According to a report in Mid-Day, the production for Soorya initially commenced in Jaipur in 2022, but due to various scheduling conflicts and Deol's commitment to other projects, the film's completion was delayed. However, sources have now confirmed that Deol plans to finish shooting Kamal Mukut’s production by November 2024. This timeline aligns with Deol’s current engagements, as he is in the process of wrapping up another project, Lahore 1947. Deepak Mukut, son of producer Kamal Mukut, shared insights into the film's progress, stating, “We have completed over 8

Badshah, managers of Sanjay Dutt and Jacqueline Fernandez record statements; ED probes betting app case: Reports

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is digging deep into gambling, and money laundering, amid Bollywood glamour. Their investigation centers on a Mumbai-based event management firm suspected of recruiting celebrities to promote the Fairplay betting app, a subsidiary of the controversial Mahadev betting app. Big names like Sanjay Dutt, Jacqueline Fernandez, and rapper Badshah have come under scrutiny for their alleged involvement. The ED has already recorded statements from Badshah and the managers of Dutt and Fernandez. As reported by Times Now, this investigation stems from a complaint filed by Viacom18 Media Pvt. Limited, which triggered an FIR by the Maharashtra Cyber Police in Mumbai. Before raiding the event management firm, the ED reportedly obtained a statement from a key individual there. The raids yielded a treasure trove of documents, including contracts with celebrities to promote Fairplay, details on payment methods and transactions, and other crucial company information. Rep

Every Little Thing review – hummingbird documentary shimmers with the best of humanity

This film about an avian rescuer is a densely layered meditation on love, resilience and letting go Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Encounters with hummingbirds are not easily forgotten. I vividly remember my first, on a visit to Los Angeles 15 years ago: walking the streets of Beverly Hills, it buzzed towards me like a supersized bee, eyeballed me, pivoted, and zipped across the road, leaving me slack-jawed with wonder that something so miraculous could even exist. Miracles abound in Australian director Sally Aitken’s film Every Little Thing, which is inspired by Terry Masear’s 2016 book Fastest Things on Wings . Masear, who has dedicated her home (also in Beverly Hills) to the rehabilitation of injured hummingbirds for 18 years, is the star. But it’s the supporting cast she cares for that will capture hearts. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/jE9fw2S via IFTTT

Neil Jordan claims ex-taoiseach told him of money-for-endorsement agreement

Irish director says Garret FitzGerald said he was expecting payment from Warner Bros for endorsing Michael Collins biopic – which son refutes When the Irish film director and screenwriter Neil Jordan’s biopic of Michael Collins was released in 1996, it unleashed criticism from historians and politicians who contested its depiction of the rebel leader and Ireland ’s war of independence. Some disputed Liam Neeson ’s portrayal of the doomed, charismatic guerrilla chief and his romance with a character played by Julia Roberts. Others cited inaccuracies in the film’s depiction of the 1919-21 conflict with Britain and ensuing Irish civil war. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/GbIdxTH via IFTTT

Neil Jordan claims ex-taioseach told him of money-for-endorsement agreement

Irish director says Garret FitzGerald said he was expecting payment from Warner Bros for endorsing Michael Collins biopic – which son refutes When the Irish film director and screenwriter Neil Jordan’s biopic of Michael Collins was released in 1996, it unleashed criticism from historians and politicians who contested its depiction of the rebel leader and Ireland ’s war of independence. Some disputed Liam Neeson ’s portrayal of the doomed, charismatic guerrilla chief and his romance with a character played by Julia Roberts. Others cited inaccuracies in the film’s depiction of the 1919-21 conflict with Britain and ensuing Irish civil war. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/GbIdxTH via IFTTT

Singham Again: Rohit Shetty confirms Ajay Devgn starrer’s release in Diwali

Just a day ago, Ajay Devgn opened up about Singham Again wherein he revealed that they are in no hurry to release since the film is yet to be completed. While it was expected to release in August this year, now filmmaker Rohit Shetty has confirmed that the date has been pushed by a few months and it will release on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. In an earlier interaction with the media, Ajay Devgn had addressed about the delay in the release of Singham Again, wherein he revealed that the film encountered an unexpected delay due to a few portions yet to be shot as well as some post-production work which is still pending. However, this delay seems to have only heightened the anticipation surrounding the project, with fans eagerly awaiting the return of their beloved Inspector Bajirao Singham to the big screen.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Rohit Shetty (@itsrohitshetty) The decision to release the film during Diwali, one of the most auspicious and celebrated f

Ultraman: Rising review – endearing kaiju animation battles the monster that is parenting

Appealing superhero film saddles a kaiju fighter with an orphaned infant, who brings challenges to test supernanny’s domestic mettle In this family superhero animation with a twist, the monster that must be grappled with by our hero is parenthood – and specifically baby-care. We open in Odaiba, Japan, with a flashback to the childhood of Ken Sato, whose dad is passionate about kaiju , the giant monsters of Japanese pop culture (of which Godzilla is probably the best known in the west). Twenty years later, Ken is a baseball star by day and gigantic kaiju fighter Ultraman by night (or indeed, whenever the kaiju show up) though like his father before him, it’s more about protecting people and monsters from each other than a standard slay-the-beast trajectory. Things get complicated when he finds himself unexpectedly landed with an orphaned baby kaiju to look after. Ken is not prepared for single parenthood, and is duly rushed off his feet managing the competing demands of work and adopt

Karan Johar moves Bombay High Court over illegal use of his name in a film’s title

Director-Producer Karan Johar has reportedly taken legal action against the creators of the upcoming Hindi movie Shaadi Ke Director Karan aur Johar. Johar, a prominent figure in the Indian film industry, filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking an urgent injunction against the film's release, since it is slated to hit theatres this week, on June 14. With the film being only a day away from its release, Johar seeks not only a temporary stay on the film's distribution but also a permanent injunction against the unauthorized use of his name in any context related to the movie. In his plea, Karan Johar emphasized the necessity of preventing the unauthorized use of his name in the film's title, arguing that such usage directly infringes upon his personal rights, including his rights to privacy and publicity. He also went on to firmly clarify and assert that he has no involvement whatsoever with the movie or its creators. Karan also explained in his complaint that this

Àma Gloria review – amazing performances in sensitive drama about a kid and her nanny

Six year old Louise Mauroy-Panzani is wonderful as Cléo, strongly bonded to her carer Gloria, who has to leave her By rights Louise Mauroy-Panzani should be at the front of the queue for every acting award going for her role in this gorgeous French drama. Just six years old at the time of filming (the casting director spotted her in Paris arguing with her brother in the street), she gives a performance so open and natural, it has an almost transparent quality. You feel what her character Cléo feels as her world is turned upside down over one summer. Equally brilliant is another first-time actor, Ilça Moreno Zego, a real-life nanny playing Gloria, who has taken care of Cléo since she was tiny and is now moving back to Cape Verde. The opening scenes showing us Cléo’s life with Gloria are beautifully detailed. Cléo’s mum died when she was a baby, and she lives with her dad (Arnaud Rebotini), who is gentle but remote, still reeling from grief. It’s Gloria who is the sun in Cleo’s life. R

Inside Out 2 review – Pixar returns to emotional Mission Control for Riley’s teen years

Anxiety, Joy and Ennui join the crew as Riley navigates high school, a hockey camp and zits – but where’s Lust? The first Inside Out took us into the Mission Control operations centre within the mind of a kid, and showed us the five emotions amusingly piloting her every decision – Joy, Fear, Rage, Disgust and Sadness – as well as all sorts of dizzyingly intricate detail about memory balls and personality islands. Now the sequel-upgrade brings us up to the teen years with a whole bunch of new emotions. There are some laughs, but it sees the teen transition in terms of a moral crisis, of abandoning and then reclaiming the niceness of childhood innocence; it’s a little bit convoluted and repetitive and, in its sanitised, Disneyfied way, this film can’t quite bring itself to mention the most important new teen emotion of all. Have the grownups in charge of this film really forgotten? One of the original film’s smartest implied gags was that the story stopped just before the puberty cris