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      ‘The Courier’ Review: Secrets and Spies

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      Benedict Cumberbatch plays a salesman-turned-secret agent in this stuffy Cold War drama.“The Courier,” a true life-based spy thriller set in the early 1960s — and staged to appeal to audiences old enough to have lived through them — stubbornly resists involving or affecting us until it’s almost over. By that time, though, you might have fallen asleep.Ideally, that shouldn’t happen while watching two stand-up guys — one British, one Russian — perhaps narrowly prevent a nuclear apocalypse. But the director, Dominic Cooke (whose 2018 feature debut, “On Chesil Beach,” touchingly conveyed the tragedy of broken intimacy), is either unable to generate tension or simply chooses not to. The Cuban Missile Crisis might loom in the background, but we barely sense its menace as Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), an unremarkable English salesman, is enlisted as an intermediary between MI6 (in the form of a suave Angus Wright) and a Soviet officer named Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze).With its wood-paneled rooms and pluming cigarette smoke, “The Courier” is espionage cinema at its most decorous. Disappointingly, no one is karate-chopping or transforming fountain pens into tiny daggers. (Instead, they have lunch and attend the ballet.) Wynne, we are told, must be given a crash course in tradecraft before accepting Soviet secrets, but Tom O’Connor’s stolid script is actively antithetical to such excitement. We need a montage!Though Jessie Buckley, as Wynne’s suspicious wife, and Rachel Brosnahan, as an amusingly pushy C.I.A. operative, add welcome jolts of female energy, “The Courier” is essentially the story of an extraordinary male friendship. The men’s mutual compassion peaks too late to save the picture, but is no less moving for that.The CourierRated PG-13 for a bit of violence and a blink-and-you-miss-it bedroom scene. Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes. In theaters. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters. More

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      ‘The Fever’ Review: Tropical Maladies

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      Maya Da-Rin’s extraordinary film details the intimate life of an Indigenous family in the Brazilian city of Manaus.The urban world simmers with magic in “The Fever,” Maya Da-Rin’s meditative feature about an Indigenous family in Manaus, Brazil. The middle-aged Justino (Regis Myrupu), a native of the Desana tribe, works as a security guard at a cargo port, while his enterprising daughter, Vanessa (Rosa Peixoto), is about to leave her job as a nurse to go to medical school on a scholarship.Da-Rin quietly observes their routines of work and home, intertwining two elliptical layers of reality. As Justino contends with the ennui of his job and his impending separation from Vanessa, he contracts a mysterious fever; at the same time, a strange animal roams through the nearby rainforest. The film never spells out its secrets, which nonetheless invest every shot with ethereal beauty: The cranes that move giant cuboid containers at Justino’s port inscribe geometric poetry into the sky, while a rich layer of ambient sound envelops the film, adding texture even to its silences.“The Fever” colors in the experiences of Brazil’s Indigenous community through the casual racism Justino and Vanessa face at work, including taunts about the shapes of their eyes and ignorance about the diversity of Native languages. The characters are stoic in public, but at home, Justino responds with his own judgments. “They don’t even know how to look into dreams,” he says of white doctors. “They have big eyes, but they can only see what’s in front of them.” By showing us the world through Justino’s searching gaze, Da-Rin gives us an elusive but powerful sense of the limits of our own vision.The FeverNot rated. In Tukano and Portuguese, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes. In virtual cinemas, including Film at Lincoln Center. More

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      ‘City of Lies’ Review: Dirty Cops and a Dangerous Conspiracy

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      Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker head up this artless procedural about the murders of two rap artists.Languishing since 2018, Brad Furman’s “City of Lies” is the latest attempt to monetize the unsolved 1990s murders of the rap artists Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G.) and Tupac Shakur. The killings, previously wrestled with on film and in print, have spawned a morass of theories that would give even the most experienced filmmaker pause.Not Furman, though, who (with the screenwriter Christian Contreras) sets about dramatizing Randall Sullivan’s 2002 nonfiction book, the aptly named “LAbyrinth,” with rather more appetite than artistry. His focus is Russell Poole (Johnny Depp, confusing somnolent with serious), a former Los Angeles police detective still tormented by his investigation into Wallace’s death decades earlier. We know this because his depressing apartment is liberally plastered in details of the case.Into this psychological swamp comes Jack Jackson (Forest Whitaker), a journalist who’s working on a 20-year retrospective of the crimes. Jackson needs information, while Poole — who believes that the L.A.P.D. was actively involved in Wallace’s killing and the ensuing cover-up — needs a confessor. So we’re off down memory lane to watch Poole battle police corruption, hostile suspects and his antagonistic superiors.At heart a movie about one man’s self-destructive obsession (Poole was forced to resign two weeks shy of his pension), “City of Lies” has an underlying, unexpected poignancy. The look is grimy and the atmosphere is grim; but what could have been a moody character study or a taut conspiracy thriller is instead a dreary procedural, a misbegotten mush of flashbacks, voice-overs and dead ends.City of LiesRated R for offensive language and deadly weapons. Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes. In theaters. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters. More

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      Ryan Reynolds Live Tweets Ticklish Commentary During His First Ever Viewing of 'Green Lantern'

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      Warner Bros.

      Getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, the ‘Deadpool’ star additionally shares with his followers that he invented a new Lantern’s Light cocktail using his Aviation gin brand for the occasion.

      Mar 18, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      Ryan Reynolds got into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit on Wednesday, March 17 by watching his 2011 superhero movie “Green Lantern” for the first time – and tweeting his commentary.

      The “Deadpool” star also invented a new Lantern’s Light cocktail – made with his Aviation gin brand – as he took in the movie.

      “It’s apparently the only f**king movie in existence that’s not streaming anywhere so you’re SOL [s**t out of luck] if you want to watch along,” Ryan shared with his fans ahead of his private screening. “But I’m going deep. #GinnerAndAMovie #AviationGin.”

      Ryan Reynolds live tweeted during ‘Green Lantern’ viewing party.

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      He added, “I only ever read my parts of the script so this is genuinely exciting for me to watch… [the] protagonist seems reckless but likable”.

      His tweets continued with, “I swear I’m drinking to Grammy winner and international ambassador of joy, @TaikaWaititi. Not to numb any pain I might be in,” before he noted his now-wife, Blake Lively, is in the film.

      Ryan’s nuggets included, “Oh boy. Tragic childhood flashback sequence killing a beloved parent. Designed to instill a level of depth and hard fought empathy for our hero. Disney perfected this move”, “Do you have any idea how weird it is to act while being attacked by invisible space energy?” and, “There’s a lot of heavy hitters in the movie. Not always used in the right way… but still… heavy hitters.”

      The ‘Deadpool’ actor posted ticklish commentary.

      He also dished out compliments to his co-stars, stating, “Love Stanley Tucci”, “Angela Bassett is stunning. Period,” and “Goddamn I miss Michael Clarke Duncan.” And he posted video of himself sipping his Lantern’s Light while wearing his character’s prop ring.

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      Liam and Noel Gallagher Spark Oasis Biopic Rumor as They Launch Movie Production Firm

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      WENN

      The estranged brothers and former Oasis bandmates have apparently buried the hatchet as they secretly formed a movie production company, sparking rumors about upcoming biopic.

      Mar 18, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      Liam and Noel Gallagher have launched a movie production firm.

      The former Oasis bandmates and estranged siblings have secretly registered a new joint company called Kosmic Kyte on Companies House, which is for “motion picture production activities,” Britain’s The Sun newspaper reports.

      It’s now rumoured that the rival brothers, who have been at loggerheads ever since Oasis split following a backstage bust-up between the pair at their final concert in Paris in 2009, could be eyeing up a biopic following the success of Sir Elton John’s “Rocketman” and the Freddie Mercury film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

      No further information is known at this time, however, the Britpop group’s former frontman, Liam, has taken to Twitter to address the news, teasing, “There gonna put in the movies there gonna make a big star out of me c’mon you know LG x. (sic)”

      The 48-year-old rocker – who often uses Twitter to insult Noel – previously joked that Rowan Atkinson’s alter ego Mr Bean would be a good choice to play his brother in a film about the “Stand by Me” band while he’d love to see “Notting Hill” star Rhys Ifans portray himself.

      He said, “Mr Bean for Noel, because he’s annoying, isn’t he? You just want to punch his f**king head in. Rhys Ifans for me.”

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      Liam took to the micro-blogging this week to declare himself the only frontman of Oasis in a dig at his 53-year-old sibling.

      He wrote, “Only time there was ever 2 front men in oasis was when my shadow was lit up by the lights THE END. (sic)”

      Fans are hopeful that an Oasis reunion will happen one day, though Noel has been adamant that no amount of money would persuade him to get back on stage with his arch-nemesis brother.

      In the meantime, Oasis fans have an upcoming biopic about Creation Records boss Alan McGee – who signed the “Supersonic” hitmakers – to look forward to.

      “Trainspotting” star Ewen Bremner plays the music mogul in “Creation Stories”, which “tells the unforgettable tale of infamous Creation Records label head Alan McGee; and of how one written-off young Glaswegian upstart rose to irrevocably change the face of British culture.”

      The film is released on 20 March (21).

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      Priyanka Chopra Claps Back as She's Called 'Unqualified' for Announcing Oscar Nominations

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      Instagram

      The ‘Quantico’ actress is quick to react to the haters who claim she’s unworthy after announcing the Academy Award nominations with her husband Nick Jonas.

      Mar 18, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      Priyanka Chopra has hit back at a critic who said she was not “qualified” enough to announce this year’s Oscar nominations.

      The “White Tiger” star showed off her acting credentials as she responded to a tweet which questioned why she and her husband, singer/actor Nick Jonas, had been given the honour of unveiling the Academy Awards shortlist on Monday (15Mar21).

      The tweet read, “No disrespect to these two but I’m not sure their contribution to the movies qualifies them to be announcing Oscar nominees.”

      Quoting the message, Priyanka shared a video of her scrolling through her IMDb profile, which lists all of her acting jobs including “Baywatch”, “Quantico”, and “We Can Be Heroes”, among others.

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      She captioned the post, “Would love your thoughts on what qualifies someone. Here are my 60+ film credentials for your adept consideration. (sic)”

      Priyanka’s clapback came after she recently confessed “hate and negativity” have changed her relationship with social media.

      The 38-year-old actress – who has 27 million followers on Twitter and 60 million followers on Instagram – explained, “My relationship has changed with social media because of the hate and negativity. I’m just an actor. Look, we live in a world where cancel culture exists in such a large way because it’s easier to hate on someone than to take a minute to understand why anybody says and does what they do.”

      “I’ve always been someone who believes in the goodness of human beings, but it seems as the world progresses that we’re afraid of each other and we’re only looking for the worst in each other. What’s the point of giving credibility to a few trolls who choose to live in the darkness, whereas I have such an enormous sea of supporters and I have so much fun with them? So I’ve bifurcated it and I live in the light.”

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      New Britney Spears Documentary In the Works With Award-Winning Journalist

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      Instagram

      Hot on heels of the huge success of ‘Framing Britney Spears’, a new film exploring the truth behind the singer’s controversial conservatorship is on the way.

      Mar 18, 2021

      AceShowbiz –
      A new documentary exploring the truth behind Britney Spears’ conservatorship is on the way from BBC Two.

      Following the massive success of U.S. documentary “Framing Britney Spears”, which documents the “Toxic” singer’s treatment at the hands of reporters and the paparazzi, 2008 public breakdown and a hospital spell, BAFTA-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar’s own investigation into Britney’s situation will air on the TV channel later this spring.

      In the documentary, which has a working title of “Britney”, Azhar will be seen journeying from the singer’s hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana to Los Angeles, as well as attending a court hearing and speaking to those fighting for Britney’s freedom.

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      “I went to LA in search of the truth of how Britney Spears, one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, ended up in a conservatorship,” he said in a statement. “I found myself in a world of lawyers, superfans and paparazzi and spent time with many of the people who’ve had a front row seat in Britney’s life.”

      “This film taps into the energy of the #FreeBritney movement and questions the industry, fandom and the laws that facilitate conservatorships.”

      The Southern Belle was not involved in “Framing Britney Spears” and it’s unclear whether or not she will take part in the upcoming documentary.

      Rumor has it, the singer is working on documenting her life journey “said in her own words.” However, a source said, “Under her current conservatorship, she fears her father could take control of the film to paint himself in a better light.”

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      Mary Wilson of The Supremes Laid to Rest in Los Angeles

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