For Sama (2019)

For Sama will be the single most heart-wrenchingly honest film you have ever seen. No amount of acting, elite accolades or story manipulation will ever compare to the genuine truth captured by a woman with a camera in Syria. It is truly an honor and a privilege to see this film.

Chuck Foster, Film Threat

This feature-length documentary is an extraordinary account of the war in Syria in general, and the siege of Aleppo in particular.  It was carved from over 500 hours of footage, filmed by the director out of a compulsive need to document what she saw and went through.  As much as it is about the turbulence and turmoil, it is also a deeply personal account.  It spans her transition from student to revolutionary to journalist, and her experience of kinship, love, and motherhood.  What stands out is her ability to coherently capture all of that.

It is a rare war documentary in which you don’t see the frontline or any guns going off.  There are a few bombings, and you frequently see the ravages up close, but the focus is clearly on what the civilians are going through.  You sense their fears and tensions, you see their grief and agony, but all throughout, you also see the strong undercurrent of resilience and hope that drives them forward and is their biggest uniting force.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Here’s a link to a 3 minute introduction to this film from Channel 4 News, along with links to where this can be streamed.  I also noticed a reddit post with additional upload links.

Eargo- Overheard

On its website, hearing aid brand Eargo flashes this message: “With Eargo you’ll hear everything, even things you wish you hadn’t”.

Its latest ad gives an idea of how that might play out in real life.

Bait (2019)

At the very least, this is a movie to be curious about. 

It looks and feels like it was made six to eight decades ago, and dug up from some archives.  It was shot with a clockwork camera on 16 mm black-and-white film that was less than pristine.  This was then hand processed by the director himself, 100 feet at a time.  The shooting style puts an emphasis on extreme close ups- of faces, hands, eyes, knots, ripped nets, even dead fish.  The editing is a mix of quick cuts, flashbacks and flash forwards.  All of this is in service of a straightforward story of tussles in a fishing village on the Cornish coast of Britain.

Yet for all this strangeness, it makes for a compelling viewing experience.  As one reviewer described it, it is “a visually arresting expressionist mood piece that’s quite unlike anything you’ve seen before.”

Here’s a link to the trailer.

RIP Kobe Bryant

His two ads for Turkish Airlines with Lionel Messi (Legends on Board and Selfie Shootout) are, of course, well known and remembered.  His Flying Chef ad is less known, but equally memorable.

LIDL- Lowpriceism

LIDL’s new ad is shaped on the lines of an art documentary, complete with an expert in emerging artistic movements who pitches low pricing as an art form.

Smart- Worries

Promoting your product by highlighting its limitations can be risky.  And that makes me wonder about the effectiveness of the latest ad by electric car manufacturer, Smart.  While many have praised the campaign for being amusing and self-deprecating, I am not entirely convinced about that.  Still, it’s worth checking out.

Hyundai VIVe

VIVe is Hyundai’s electric rural carsharing service, launched last year, in Campisábalos, the town with the cleanest air in Spain, according to the WHO. 

Here’s a link to the ad.

Daniel Craig vs. James Bond

Subversive, inspired, and utterly delightful.  That’s how I’d describe Heineken’s brilliant new commercial.

Shadow Commander: Iran’s Military Mastermind

I stumbled upon this on BBC: a gripping one hour documentary on Qasem Soleimani.  This is not a new documentary, pieced together after his killing: this was first screened around a year ago.  Thus it offers an excellent context to his killing without being encumbered by the need to do so.  It also spotlights a number of little known or forgotten aspects of the US-Iran relationship over the past two decades. 

I am not sure when this will next be screened but for anyone who’s interested, I noticed a reddit post with upload links.

As a prelude or a companion piece with additional footage, I would recommend checking out this 7 minute BBC Newsnight report from 2014.

Miller Lite- Offline Cans

Building on last year’s brilliant, if risky campaign, Miller Lite has been selectively offering limited edition “offline cans”, intended to reward drinkers who go offline.  This is how their blog explained the promotion:

Using new-to-market technology in partnership with Facebook, legal-age drinkers can scan a QR code that triggers a 30-minute countdown that can be synched among friends’ phones. Groups who collectively put down their phones (or “go offline”) for at least 30 minutes could be eligible to receive a Miller Lite Offline Can.

Meanwhile, they have also been a running a couple of 15 second spots.  This spot, in particular, stood out for me.

Vue- Get Lost in Great Stories

Vue Cinemas is promoting the therapeutic value of making a trip to the cinema with a new TV spot that stars John Boyega, and has a cameo by Ridley Scott.

For those interested in the research behind this, here’s a link.

Playboy Tortoise Retires

That’s pretty much how most reports have headlined the news of a tortoise breeding program coming to an end.  The original press release is simply titled: ‘Española tortoise captive breeding program concludes’.  Moreover, it is only in the final para of that press release that the specific tortoise in the title gets a brief, and much more dignified mention:

In this group there is also the famous Diego, the male who lived 30 years in the San Diego Zoo, United States, before being recruited to contribute to the captive breeding program. Diego, who is over one hundred years old, will return to his home island almost 8 decades after being extracted. In recent years it has become a symbol of the Galapagos conservation, since it is estimated that approximately 40% of the tortoises repatriated to the island of Española are their descendants.

In contrast, in almost every news report, this para was picked as the lead, and spiced up. 

This is how CNN lead the story:

A womanizing tortoise whose rampant sex life may have single-handedly saved his entire species from extinction has retired from his playboy lifestyle, returning to the wild with his mission accomplished.

Diego's unstoppable libido was credited as a major reason for the survival of his fellow giant tortoises on Espanola, part of the Galapagos Islands, after being shipped over from the San Diego Zoo as part of a breeding program.

And this is how Forbes lead the story:

The sexually rampant and undeniably proud dad, Diego, is a legend when it comes to giant tortoises. He and his shy friend are responsible for the entire population rebound of giant tortoises on Española.

Now, Diego, who is believed to be 100 years old, is retiring from his decades-long job and returning to the wild in Española, part of the Galapagos Islands.

Match- If Commitment is Your Thing

An interestingly scripted series of spots from dating app, Match.

Jellyfish (2019)

In the words of the director, this movie offers “a window into a world” that we don’t see otherwise.  It is the world of a teenage carer, who has her mentally ill mother, and two siblings to look after, while juggling the demands of school and the necessity to earn for her family.  This could have been a complete downer of a movie.  Indeed, it is largely bleak, but it is made compellingly watchable, partly due to the writing, but largely due to an astonishing yet heart-breaking portrayal by newcomer Liv Hill in the lead role.  It is noteworthy that the movie was made on a shoestring budget and that Hill was 16 years old when the movie was made. 

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Subaru Acronym

The latest edition of its Forester SUV is named the Forester Ultimate Customised Kit Special edition.

Meat Loaf- Anything for Veg?

Meat Loaf stars in this hilarious new promotion by Italian/American restaurant chain, Frankie & Benny's, for their vegan menu.  I guess it will probably appeal more to fans of the singer and those who remember him for a certain ’90s song.

Ricky Gervais- Unbleeped Golden Globes Monologue

Here’s a link.

For anyone who needs more context to his jokes and comments, here’s a link to a YouTube upload of the audio overlaid with visual explanations.

Dogman (2019)

This Italian movie is a character study of a meek, middle-aged dog groomer named Marcello, who plies his trade in a decrepit seaside town.  Like his fellow shopkeepers, he is struggling to get by and so he sells a bit of cocaine on the side.  He is eager to impress but lacks much of a personality and his side dealings are presumably what give him most of whatever social standing he has.  His only source of joy is his daughter, who lives with her mother. 

Key to Marcello’s story is his relationship with Simone, an out-of-control, violent sociopath and petty thief.  It is an odd and troubling relationship and in the personalities of these two men, you can see parallels to the dogs that Marcello tends to.  Marcello himself is like a lap dog, fearful, yet craving for recognition and friendship.  Simone is like a ferocious yet unpredictable attack dog, a fit case to be put down.  It is this relationship that propels the narrative of the movie and, as one might expect, there comes a point when things spin out of control.

This is a grim yet fascinating movie that has been loosely inspired by real life events from three decades ago.  It is, by turns, violent, touching, and heart-breaking.  At its centre are two powerful performances, especially an award winning turn by Marcello Fonte (as Marcello), in his first major acting role.  This is one of the best movies of 2019 that I have seen.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Dracula Billboard

A billboard for the new BBC mini-series, that comes alive (or undead?) at night.  Here’s a link to a timelapse video.

Twilight (1998)

Make sure you read that year right: this is not to be confused with the more recent movie with the same title.  Given the star cast, this movie should have been much more well known.  Paul Newman.  Gene Hackman.  Susan Sarandon.  In addition, the supporting cast includes James Garner, Stockard Channing and the then up-and-coming Reese Witherspoon and Liev Schreiber.  Sadly, back in the day, when this was released, it got mixed reviews, and bombed at the box office. 

I guess that was largely because the movie is more suited for home viewing than a theatrical experience.  The plot is unexceptional, and it’s low on energy.  But if you’re someone who likes slow burn, film noir with good acting, subtle dialogue and occasional, witty one-liners, then this is worth checking out.  And, of course, there’s the pleasure of seeing that star cast, especially Newman.  Roger Ebert, who was critical about the movie as a whole, had this to say about his performance:

The reason to see the film is to observe how relaxed and serene Paul Newman is before the camera. How, at 73, he has absorbed everything he needs to know about how to be a movie actor, so that at every moment he is at home in his skin, and the skin of his character.

For some reason, I couldn’t find an updated trailer, or even any good quality spoiler-free clips.  Here’s a link to the theatrical trailer.

Vegan Discrimination

A man has filed a case against his former employer, claiming he was sacked because of his veganism.  From a BBC news report:

The landmark employment tribunal, in Norwich, will consider whether veganism is a "philosophical or religious belief".

"Religion or belief" is one of nine "protected characteristics" covered by the Equality Act 2010.

It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate directly, by treating an employee less favourably than others because of their religion or belief.

To qualify as a philosophical belief, veganism must:

• be genuinely held
• be a belief as to a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour
• attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance
• be worthy of respect in a democratic society, not be incompatible with human dignity and not conflict with the fundamental rights of others
• be a belief, not an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of information available.

If successful, the case could provide vegans with protection against discrimination in employment, education and the provision of goods and services.