While traditional cinema is going through a period of crisis and rethinking, more and more filmmakers are turning to the past with nostalgia, remembering its values. Sam Mendes does something similar with a film that takes us back to the late 1970s. The action takes place in a seaside English town where Hilary (Olivia Colman), a woman with mental health problems, works in an old movie theater. There she will meet Steven (Michael Ward), a handsome black man who has just taken a job at the same place. These two will develop a special, rare relationship, offering each other the warmth and understanding they so desperately need.

Mendes clearly draws from his own memories in order to atmospherically and musically dress human history. In the foreground we still see several elements of that time: the racial discrimination of the period of universal conservation and reaction, the hypocrisy of the so-called provincial elite – that’s what Colin Firth’s character symbolizes – but also the love for the magic of cinema, the longing for a dark room that resembles such films, like “Cinema o Paradisos”, etc. In the midst of all this, of course, somewhere attention is diverted from the main character (again, flawless) Olivia Colman, in a film that generally has its moments, without much risk.

Turkish Emin Alper won the Audience Award at the latest Thessaloniki Festival with a political thriller co-produced by a Greek. The new prosecutor arrives in a small provincial town, almost in the middle of nowhere, whose inhabitants are faced with a serious problem with water supply. Soon he will realize that behind this particular issue, as well as a number of others, lies the corruption of the local authorities, which, however, at first tries to approach him. However, after an alcohol-soaked night that ended in rape, everything will change, and now he will be at the epicenter of the storm.

Alpert does a great job of this from the start, with a perfectly filmed opening scene that feels like a western. And his hero somehow arrives like a new sheriff who comes to clean up almost independent local residents. The latter, including fanatical boar hunters and drinkers, will try various tricks to make things difficult for themselves until his own unruly behavior convinces them to try to get him out of the way for good. With a plot up to modern Spanish standards (like “Little Island”), the Turkish film manages to keep the interest and tension at a fairly high level, although its pace is not exactly exemplary. The trick of memories, gradually returning to the protagonist, filling in the gaps in the narrative, although skillful, also causes some confusion for the viewer; on the contrary, the cinematography, especially of the outdoor scenes, remains excellent, revealing a director capable of performing small “miracles” when given the chance.

Ten years after their latest cinematic adventures, René Gossini’s iconic characters return to the big screen with a brand new cast and lavish production. Together with her mother, the Empress of China, imprisoned as a result of a coup d’état, the young princess Sas-Yi escapes to the West to seek help from the famous Gallic warriors. Asterix (Guillaume Canet) and Obelix (Gilles Lelouch) are of course always hungry for new adventures and will follow her, but Caesar (Vincent Cassel) will also go with his army, seeking to add another conquest to the empire. Guillaume Canet orchestrates tastefully and plays the title role in a story he clearly loves; he has an entire stellar cast at his disposal, from Vincent Cassel and Marion Cotillard to the great balladeer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and yet he manages to avoid cliches and revive the myth of what now seems rather outdated.

Two friends and asvulis ★★
ANIMATION (2022)
Directed by: Rune Spence
They can be heard: Angelos Liagos, Apostolis Psychramis.

The Norwegian cartoon is inspired by the legendary music duo Tutson and Ludiwood. The two friends live happily together in a comfortable tunnel along with their other best friend, Badger. However, one day they are evicted by a strict railroad official. Now their only hope is to track down Tutson’s grandfather, a notorious pirate who can save them. The path of their search, of course, is full of adventures, surprises, but also many songs.

Consistent in its production of recent years, horror guru M. Night Shyamalan is back with another film of similar texture. While relaxing in an isolated hut, a young girl and her parents are captured by four armed strangers who demand the family make an unthinkable choice to prevent… the Apocalypse. With limited access to the outside world, they must decide what to believe in before it’s too late.