“The Wild Robot”, a five-star film under the direction of Chris Sanders stars prominent voices like Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Mark Hamill amongst others. DreamWorks Animation celebrates its 30th anniversary with this top-notch animated feature, notable for many years. The story portrays a robot stranded on a wildlife-rich island, who becomes a surrogate mother to a gosling depicting the hurdles of motherhood. Parents will find parallels to the bittersweet separations of adolescence and early adulthood, while children gain insights into future challenges, all narrated through splendid illustrations.
In four-star Netflix film “Woman of the Hour”, Anna Kendrick does an outstanding job as a debut director, also featuring in the lead role with Daniel Zovatto. The plot revolves around Rodney Alcala, a serial rapist, and murderer, remembered for his ghastly spree during his participation in The Dating Game in 1978. Although Alcala passed away in prison in 2021, he is suspected to have brutally ended the lives of around 130 women and girls. The cinematographic storytelling by Kendrick and Zach Kuperstein focuses on minimising unneeded details and empowering the female characters fighting for survival.
Warnings for high winds are extended to seven more counties by Met Éireann with the approaching storm Ashley. The subsequent article revolves around the regrets of Stephen Roche for his actions in recent years. A potential election is also forecast to provide further complications for Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Féin, currently facing multiple crises.
The article then highlights an act of bravery by a 90-year-old former teacher in Cork, who lost his life while saving a woman from an oncoming car.
The list concludes with a three-star film, “The Apprentice,” directed by Ali Abbasi. Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova form the prominent cast in a 122-minute general release.”
This absorbing look into the early documented days of Donald Trump (portrayed by Stan) under the tough mentorship of lawyer Roy Cohn (played by Strong) is told in a manner that is intriguing yet understated regarding the energy it exudes. The performances of both actors are not direct mimics of their real life counterparts, instead they bring fresh interpretations to them. In particular, Strong’s performance is not as self-questioning as in previous roles such as Kendall Roy in Succession – he is relentless, much like a barracuda hunting in waters abundant with food. As for Stan, he takes on a character already well-known to the audience and delivers an actioned-down version distinguished by softened consonant sounds and a peculiar mouth movement that indicates he might suddenly break into a whistle. The film keeps you engaged even though there are moments when it seems to oscillate between biting criticism and detached neutrality. There are solid performances that keep the narrative going and the setting of the grim 1970s New York is skilfully recreated. For an in-depth review, refer to DC.
With a rating of four stars, Every Little Thing, directed by Sally Aitken and featuring Terry Masear is now available on Prime Video and runs for 93 minutes. This visually stunning, macro-lens documentary paints a vibrant picture of hummingbirds, capturing their tiny grandeur in all its glory. Included in the avian cast are: motherless Jimmy who has tumbled from his nest; Sugar Baby, who has been injured by the family that discovered her; and Mikhail who is oblivious to the fact that his cage-mate and potential love, Alexa, is from a different species altogether. Scenes showing orphaned babies being fed through 22 gauge catheters and wings being cleansed with cotton buds are truly touching. As Masear, the specialist on this species, puts it succinctly, “If they don’t do everything right, they die.” This documentary is a joy to watch and infinitely charming – see the detailed review by TB.