Movie and TV show reviews

In essence: Nicole Kidman, portraying a woman discovering her sensual self after an affair with her intern, put forth more effort than ever before in her acting career; similarly, Daniel Craig as a gay man yearning for love, conveying his emotions through actions rather than words, also worked tirelessly. Regrettably, neither of them received a nomination. The critically acclaimed “Challengers,” featuring Zendaya and its captivating score and daring script, failed to secure a place in the competition. Surprisingly, “Nosferatu,” a visually stunning exploration of desire nearing death, didn’t receive the Best Picture nomination that some anticipated.

Emilia Pérez garnered a total of thirteen nominations, among them Best Picture, Best Actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, Best Supporting Actress for Zoe Saldaña, and Best Director for Jacques Audiard. The streaming platform was also recognized with nominations for “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” in the category of Best Animated Feature and for Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” in the category of Cinematography.

Once again, A24 finds itself in contention for the Best Picture award with “The Brutalist” and receives several nominations for “Sing Sing”. However, three of the studio’s most powerful films (“Babygirl”, “I Saw the TV Glow”, and “Janet Planet”) were not nominated. It seemed only Nicole Kidman had a real chance among those titles to receive an Oscar nomination following her win at Venice and recognition from the National Board of Review, but she fell short. Similarly, Daniel Craig, who won the NBR’s best actor prize, was also overlooked as Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” received no nominations at all. It was a disappointing morning for Guadagnino, as his film “Challengers” also failed to secure any nominations.

Comcast, the major cable provider, unveiled Sports & News TV, a fresh video plan tailored for Xfinity Internet broadband subscribers. This package offers over 50 live news, sports, and broadcast channels, in addition to Peacock access. The Sports & News TV is priced at $70 per month when bundled with Xfinity Internet, without any binding contract.

The leading tech company, famous for its social media sites, plans to showcase its Ray-Ban Meta Glasses during Super Bowl LIX. These glasses enable users to capture photos and videos, play music, and make calls. According to Meta, these glasses are powered by artificial intelligence (AI), respond to voice commands, have a built-in camera, and feature open-ear audio technology.

As a movie enthusiast, I was deeply moved by this week’s revelation of the Academy Award nominees, which were delayed due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles being extended twice. These fires have claimed at least 28 lives and caused extensive property damage. In solidarity with those who have shown incredible bravery in fighting these fires, I was heartened to hear that the Oscars will honor their efforts during their March telecast.

The series producers at BBC Studios, in collaboration with co-producers including PBS, ZDF, and France Télévisions, will take viewers on a journey into the prehistoric era by focusing on real dinosaurs whose fossils are currently being unearthed by top paleontologists. Each episode, lasting approximately 50 minutes, combines groundbreaking paleontological findings with captivating narratives, breathing life into dinosaurs such as the Albertosaurus, a fearsome relative of the T. rex with feathers, and the unique Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, known for its distinctive “unicorn”-like horn.

Many of his plans, telegraphed in a series of memos over recent months, have been expected.

What particularly resonated with me was the realization that despite the world’s intricate complexities, the majority of people yearn for kindness, love, and tranquility. It’s just a handful of influential individuals causing trouble. If more of us were to act instead of remaining indifferent and standing united, imagine what we could achieve,” she shared with EbMaster.

Drawing from real-life events, “The Settlement” – debuting from Berlin’s innovative Perspectives section – tells the tale of two brothers, the 23-year-old delinquent Hossam and 12-year-old Maro, residing in a disadvantaged Alexandrian neighborhood. Following their father’s demise in a factory mishap, they are employed by the same factory as a form of compensation, rather than them opting for legal recourse.