Funk Queen Betty Davis changed the landscape for female artists in America. She “was the first…” as former husband Miles Davis said. “Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince”.
An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty Davis arrived on the 70’s scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music.
She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles – startlingly turning him from jazz to funk on the album she named “Bitches Brew”.
She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself. Betty was a feminist pioneer, inspiring and intimidating in a manner like no woman before. Then suddenly – she vanished.
Creatively blending documentary and animation, Betty – They Say I’m Different traces the path of Betty’s life, how she grew from humble upbringings to become a fully self-realized black female pioneer the world failed to understand or appreciate.
After years of trying, the elusive Betty, forever the free-spirited Black Power Goddess, finally allowed the filmmakers to creatively tell her story based on their conversations.
As a model in 1966, Betty first met jazz musician Miles Davis who was 19 years her senior at a concert. At the time he was separated from his first wife, dancer Frances Davis, and he was dating actress Cicely Tyson. Betty began dating Miles in early 1968, and were married in September 1968. In just one year of marriage, she influenced him greatly by introducing him to the fashions and the new popular music trends of the era. In his autobiography, Miles credited Betty with helping to plant the seeds of his future musical explorations by introducing the trumpeter to psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix and funk innovator Sly Stone. The Miles Davis album Filles de Kilimanjaro (1968) includes a song named after her and her photo on the front cover.
Have a yippee-ki-yay Christmas! Why Die Hard is the one Christmas film you should watch this year…
It’s one of the great controversies of our time – is Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis as an off-duty cop taking on a gang of terrorists, actually a Christmas movie?
Okay, so it’s not a story about whether Santa is real or not, but it does encompass all the elements of what makes a seasonal film a perennial, heartwarming favourite (with a few explosions and shoot-outs thrown in for good measure).
Here’s a look at why this action classic is the perfect film to watch as you tuck into your mince pies after polishing off a turkey dinner. Yippee-ki-yay!
Travel Plans
https://gph.is/2BEWtjJ
Christmas, traditionally, is the time of making long journeys – think of the Three Wise Men making their way to Bethlehem, or the four hours you’ll spend on the motorway to get to the in-laws. In Die Hard, John McClane flies all the way from New York to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, in the hope of making up with his wife.
Best baddy
https://gph.is/2BxjfcS
No Christmas film is complete without a Scrooge – a cantankerous character trying to ruin Christmas for everyone, getting his deserved comeuppance. In this case it’s German terrorist Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman), who puts a serious damper on the festive spirit with his hostage-taking, heisting ways.
The terrorist Gruber totally wrecks the Christmas party being held by the Nakatomi Corporation. All the staff wanted to do was let their hair down, and see the year out with a few drinks and jokes. Think about that next time you grumble that your office Christmas party was a bit of a letdown – at least it wasn’t interrupted by a gang with heavy weaponry shouting demands and shooting the ceiling.
Argyle, the limo driver, seems oblivious to the action unfolding in the Nakatomi Corporation building, indulging instead in a bit of Christmas spirit while it all kicks off inside. Isn’t this exactly what Christmas is all about – putting your troubles to one side and enjoying yourself?
Unbeknownst to the evil Gruber, who plans to steal a fortune in bearer bonds, there’s a surprise guest at the Christmas party, there to remind him that Christmas is a time for giving, not taking. Although said surprise guest does take a machine gun so he can even the odds.
All McClane wanted to do that Christmas Eve was make peace with his estranged wife Holly (Bonny Bedelia) – because Christmas is, after all, about forgiveness and coming together. If he manages to save a building full of people and kill the baddies into the bargain, so be it.
Christmas can be a testing time – tempers get frayed, family disagreements can reach boiling point, and the sherry runs out too quickly. But spare a thought for John McClane, trapped in an air vent like a turkey left too long in the oven. In comparison your Christmas is a breeze.
Still not convinced Die Hard is the best film to watch this Christmas? A Christmas setting, a Christmas party, Let It Snow! And Jingle Bells on the soundtrack. It couldn’t be any more Christmas if it was wrapped up and with a bow on top!
Curzon are proud to present PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE; a film from renowned French filmmaker Céline Sciamma(Tomboy, Girlhood). The film follows the story of a female painter, who, after being sent to an isolated island in Bretagne at the end of the eighteenth century, is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman in secret. The film received its World Premiere at the 2019 Cannes International Film Festival where it won awards for both the Queer Palm and Best Screenplay. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE features ground-breaking performances fromAdèle Haenel (Suzanne, Love At First Fight)and Noémie Merlant (Heaven Will Wait, Paper Flags) and will be released in cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema from 28th February 2020.
Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending, is reimagined in this delicious new film adaptation of EMMA. Handsome, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse is a restless queen bee without rivals in her sleepy little town. In this glittering satire of social class and the pain of growing up, Emma must adventure through misguided matches and romantic missteps to find the love that has been there all along.
https://youtu.be/tYbmNZxd118
Ocean Finance analysed all the top streaming services – Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Now TV (division of Sky) and Britbox – to calculate the cost of pop culture in 2020. They evaluated 38 of the most-anticipated shows of 2020 across all the top streaming services and the cost came in at £456. So there you have it, the biggest TV releases of 2020 will cost you over £450.
The story of the Profumo Affair has been told many times before…on the big screen, in books galore, on stage and even in song and now a brand new BBC drama takes a look at the real people behind the headlines. The Trial of Christine Keeler flips the focus to the women involved and brings the story bang up to date for the #MeToo era.
It’s a new year and Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) are no longer pretending to be a couple. They ARE a couple. And, as Lara Jean navigates a trove of official firsts with Peter — her first real kiss, her first real date, her first Valentine’s Day — she finds herself leaning more on Kitty and Margot (Anna Cathcart and Janel Parrish), Chris (Madeleine Arthur), and an unexpected new confidant, Stormy (Holland Taylor), to help her manage the complex emotions that come with this new chapter of balancing a relationship and figuring out her authentic self. But when John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), another recipient of one of Lara Jean’s old love letters, enters her life again she must rely on herself more than ever as she’s confronted with her first real dilemma: Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?
Echoes of Fear received its World Premiere at the 18th annual Shriekfest Horror Festival, the longest running horror festival in Los Angeles, where it won Best Supernatural Horror Feature. 14 festivals have since followed and the film has won six Best Feature Awards. Alysa inherits her grandfather’s house following his sudden death from an apparent heart attack. She cannot keep the house so travels there to prepare it for sale. While she is packing away her grandfather’s belongings some strange and unexplained events inside the house start to spook her and she soon comes to the conclusion that she is not alone there.
“The film follows Tom Dunn a broken man after the death of his young daughter. When his wife falls pregnant again, he cannot believe their luck. However, his joy is short lived, as on the very same day, the people of Earth become plagued with terrifying visions of the end of the world. When a gigantic, all-consuming alien mothership appears in the sky and launches a ruthless attack on Earth’s cities, chaos and destruction follow! Tom must find the strength and wisdom to save his wife and unborn child. However, first he must confront a shocking truth. A truth which threatens the key to the survival of the human race. The ultimate war for Planet Earth is about to begin…”
Fallon Sherrock beat the world number 11 Mensur Suljovic to reach the third round of the PDC World Championship. The 25-year-old Fallon Sherrock, who made history by becoming the first woman to win a match at the event, beat the Austrian 3-1.
Fallon Sherrock made yet more history by beating Mensur Suljovic to reach the third round of the World Darts Championship. FallonSherrock won the match 3-1 in sets, stunning the 11th seed and the darts world once again following her first-round victory over Ted Evetts.
Quentin Tarantino’s spectacular flick Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood takes over Number 1 on the Official Film Chart, toppling last week’s chart topper Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, which slidesto Number 3.
The Golden Globe-nominated comedy starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie depicts an aging movie star (DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Pitt) as they strive to hold on to their fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’.
Disney’s The Lion King clings to Number 2, while Toy Story 4 drops one to Number 4. This week’s highest new entry at Number 5 goes to US action thriller film Angel Has Fallen, which makes its entrance as the week’s biggest-selling digital download. The third instalment in the Fallen series stars Gerard Butler once more as a US secret services agent, who in this chapter must clear his name when he’s framed for an attempted assassination of the President.
Meanwhile, Aladdin climbs one to 6, just ahead of Spider-Man: Far From Home at Number 7. Christmas favourite Elf holds in the Top 10 during the festive season at Number 8, and Elton John biopic Rocketman drops to Number 9.
Finally, Dora and the Lost City of Gold enters the chart for the first time at Number 10.
This week’s Official Film Chart features a clip from horror film Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, which is available to download and keep from December 23.
The Official Film Chart Top 10 – 18th December 2019
The UK’s leading film critics today announced the nominations for the 40th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards presented by Pearl Street Productions. Writer-director Joanna Hogg’s delicate autobiographical drama The Souvenir was out front with 7 nominations, including Film, Screenwriter, Actor (Tom Burke), Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton) and Young Performer (Honor Swinton Byrne). In addition, the film is nominated for British/Irish Film of the Year.
The critics spread the nominations around the field this year, naming both Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Sam Mendes’ 1917 in six categories, while giving five nominations each to Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory and Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite. The remaining four films in contention for Film of the Year are Joker, Knives Out,Midsommar and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
The nominations were announced today at The May Fair Hotel by actors Jenn Murray, who appeared alongside the nominated Lesley Manville in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and John Dagleish, who appeared with nominee Renée Zellweger in Judy. Multiple nominees today include Florence Pugh, shortlisted as lead actress in Midsommar, supporting actress in LittleWomen and as British/Irish Actress for her body of work over the year.
Those receiving double nominations include Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho, Spanish maestro Pedro Almodóvar and actor Tom Burke.
“Because our critics see almost everything that’s released, they nominated more than 200 movies across their ballots,” says Awards Chair Rich Cline. “And as usual, we have also made some surprise choices in our voting, which makes our list of nominees stand out in the current awards season. In addition, we’ve selected four women specifically for their work as writers and directors, and highlighted work in films that tend to get overlooked this time of year.”
Anna Smith, chair of the Film Section and host of the Girls On Film podcast, says: “I’m proud that our members have recognised the fantastic work of both female and male directors this year. While some awards ceremonies continue to shut out women filmmakers and smaller films, the Critics’ Circle voters are leading the way again. And we’re thrilled that the iconic – and very funny – actor and writer Sally Phillips will be hosting our ceremony.”
Known for her intelligence, talent and razor-sharp wit, Phillips was listed in The Observer’s survey of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy (2003). She is instantly recognisable from Smack the Pony, which she also wrote, as well as such classic series as I’m Alan Partridge, Miranda and Veep, the acclaimed BBC2documentary A World Without Down’s Syndrome (2016)and as the eponymous Clare in the Community on the Radio 4 sitcom since 2004. On film, she costarred in the three Bridget Jones films and The Decoy Bride, which she cowrote. This past year, she had a role in Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded by the Light. Coming up are roles in the road comedy Off the Rails alongside Judi Dench, Stephen Fry’s The Liar and the musical Chocolate Cake, starring Toby Sebastian.
The Critics’ Circle will announce its winners a gala 40th anniversary ceremony at which three special awards will be presented. Aardman, the animators behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, will receive the 40th Anniversary Award, while British film icons Sally Potter and Sandy Powell will each be presented with the critics’ top honour, the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Cinema.
The 40th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards is presented by Pearl Pictures Productions on Thursday, 30th January at The May Fair. The red carpet event is also sponsored by The May Fair and Rémy Martin, and Audi is the official car of the awards.
Full list of nominations:
FILM OF THE YEAR
The Irishman
Joker
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Midsommar
1917
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The Souvenir
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Happy as Lazzaro
Monos
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Amazing Grace
Apollo 11
The Cave
For Sama
Varda by Agnès
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Pedro Almodóvar – Pain and Glory
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Sam Mendes – 1917
Céline Sciamma – Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Pedro Almodóvar – Pain and Glory
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Bong Joon Ho & Han Jin Wan – Parasite
Joanna Hogg – The Souvenir
Steven Zaillian – The Irishman
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Florence Pugh – Midsommar
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renée Zellweger – Judy
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
Tom Burke – The Souvenir
Robert De Niro – The Irishman
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Tilda Swinton – The Souvenir
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Shia LaBeouf – Honey Boy
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood
BRITISH/IRISH FILM: THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD
Bait
1917
Rocketman
The Souvenir
Wild Rose
BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS (for body of work)
Jessie Buckley – Wild Rose/Judy
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Lesley Manville – Ordinary Love/Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Florence Pugh – Fighting With My Family/Midsommar/Little Women
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR (for body of work)
Tom Burke – The Souvenir
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
George MacKay – 1917/Where Hands Touch/Ophelia
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse/High Life/The King
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER (for body of work)
Raffey Cassidy – Vox Lux
Dean-Charles Chapman – 1917/The King/Blinded by the Light
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
Noah Jupe – Honey Boy/Le Mans ’66
Honor Swinton Byrne – The Souvenir
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER: THE PHILIP FRENCH AWARD
Waad Al-Khateab & Edward Watts – For Sama
Richard Billingham – Ray & Liz
Mark Jenkin – Bait
Owen McCafferty – Ordinary Love
Nicole Taylor – Wild Rose
BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR
Appreciation
Beyond the North Winds: A Post-Nuclear Reverie
The Devil’s Harmony
Kingdom Come
Pompeii
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ad Astra – Allen Maris, visual effects
Apollo 11 – Todd Douglas Miller, film editing
Judy – Jeremy Woodhead, makeup and hair
Little Women – Jacqueline Durran, costumes
Motherless Brooklyn – Daniel Pemberton, music
Monos – Jasper Wolf, cinematography
1917 – Oliver Tarney, sound design
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood – Barbara Ling, production design
Parasite – Lee Ha Jun, production design
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon – Will Becher & Richard Phelan, animation
DILYS POWELL AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Sally Potter
DILYS POWELL AWARD for EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Sandy Powell
40TH ANNIVERSARY AWARD
Aardman
Winners will be announced Thursday, 30th January 2020, at The May Fair Hotel
