CONTENTS Page 2 EDITORIAL 3-7 The Mauritanian Based the New York Times Best Selling memoir ”Guantanamo Diary” by Quld Stahi. This is the true story of Stahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the US Government for years alone and afraid. Stahi finds allies in Defense Attorney Nancy Hollander and her Associate Teri Duncan who battle the U.S. Government for years. Alone and afraid, Stahi. Evidence uncovered by military prosecutor Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch of shocking truths ultimately proves that the human spirit cannot be locked up.
8-11 Henry Glassie Fieldwork The worldwide travels and cultural finds of study of renowned of folklorist Henry Glassie are enthralling in this portrait by Irish director Pat Collins following on from his successful “Soul of the Granite”, an audacious exploration of the music of folk singer Joe Heaney, which was selected as the Irish entry for Best Foreign Language at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival.
12-13 Life As A B-Movie The unbridled life and kaleidoscopic filmography of Piero Vivarelli, who made B movies of all genres, wrote rock songs and penned the screenplay for Sergio Corbucci’s western “Django”.
14-15 The Ties (Lacci) A marriage-in-crisis drama set in Naples and Rome over a long period starting in the 1980s.
16-19 Quo Vadis, Aida? Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica, when the Serbian Army take over the town, with her family among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN Camp.
20-21 BFI Awards Past Winners 22 DVD OF THE MONTH - Gifted 23 DVD OF THE MONTH – Our Friend
24 Poster — The Mauritanian
PHOTO CREDITS: GEM ENTERTAINMENT 1,6,7, HARVEST FILMS: 10,11 INSTITUTO CINECITTA:13 CURZON.COM: 18,19 JoBlo: 32
Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the following people for providing publicity images for this magazine: Jake Garriock and Kelly Powell at Curzon.Com. Lizzie @PorterFirth. Charlotte Moore @premiercomms.com. Jill Reading @BFI. Emma Deakins @Strike Media. Chris Hagen @PremierComms.Com
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Editorial Hello film lovers, welcome to the latest issue of MbM. Once again in these troubled times, we bring you some relief and comfort and escapism to the greatest entertainment the world over – movies, which have been giving us its magic since the Lumiere Brothers introduced us to it in 1875 with their invention of the cinematographe motion picture system. As of this issue, we look at our cover feature review which is “The Mauritanian” with Jodie Foster adorning our cover. We also cover the annual Cinema Made in Italy with reviews of “Piero Vivartelli’s Life As A B- Movie”, ”The Ties”, “Quo Vadis, Aida?”. With the BAFTA Film Awards being held on the 10-11 April at the Royal Albert Hall, we list the Best Film Winners from Any Source over the past years 1947 to 2019. In addition to this there are this month’s DVDs of the Month: GIFTED and OUR FRIEND. Once again MbM offer you the best. Enjoy the Read
Brian Mills Magazine Editor
Paul Ridler Magazine Designer
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THE MAURITANIAN Directed by Kevin Macdonald Starring: Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shailene Woodley. “Since when did we start locking people up without a trial in this country?” – Nancy Hollander “You’ve got to see what I’ve seen.” - Lt.Colonel Stuart Couch Based on the New York Times best-selling memoir “Guantanamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Stahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charged by the U.S. government for years. Alone and afraid, Stahi finds allies in Defence Attorney Nancy Hollander and her Associate Teri Duncan who battle the U.S. Government in a fight for justice that tests their commitment to the law and their client at every turn. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by a formidable military prosecutor, LT. Colonel Stuart Couch, uncovers shocking truths, ultimately proves that the human spirit cannot be locked up. Memorable performances and a powerfully awakening narrative but the overriding thing that you take with you is the torturous sequences involving Tahir Rahim as the titular ‘The Mauritanian’.
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Kevin Macdonald: Director of “The Mauritanian” Previously known for “The Last King of Scotland” (2006) Starring: James McAvoy, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
Tahar Rahim: Known for “The Prophet” (2009) About a young Algerian man who is sent to a French prison.
Jodie Foster: Jodie has a few films which stand out in her filmography:
“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974), directed by Martin Scorcese. Jodie plays a recently young widow with a precious young son and is determined to make a life for herself as a singer. Another Scorcese film followed for her in 1974, the classic “Taxi Driver” as Iris, an unstable woman working at nightime as a taxi driver.
“Bugsy Malone” was the classic gangster story with an all -star cast. Then in complete contrast to that Jodie starred in “The Silence of the Lambs”, playing a young FBI cadet who must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer.
Benedict Cumberbatch: Atonement: As Paul Marshall. (2007) The Other Boleyn Girl: As William Carey (2008) The Whistle Blower: 2020 As Nick Kaufman. (2020)
The Courier: As Greville Wynne (2021) A highly anticipated thriller with Benedict Cumberbatch starring Cold War Spy Greville Wynne and tells how he and his Russian source try to put an end to the Cuban missile crisis. UK Release Date: 17th May.
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Stahi (Tahar Rahim) in The Mauritanian
Lt.Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) in The Mauritanian 6
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Stahi (Tahar Rahim) in The Mauritanian
Defense Attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and Associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) in The Mauritanian
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HENRY GLASSIE—FIELDWORK Directed by Pat Collins Featuring: Henry Glassie, Daniel Johnston. “I stand with people and study things which people create”. - Henry Glassie
The film follows Pat Collins successful “Song of the Granite”, an audacious exploration of the music and life of folk singer Joe Heaney, which was selected as the Irish entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2017 Academy Awards.
Inhale the creative ambiance of this inspiring documentary. Henry Glassie who is a University Professor Emeritus and author of the book “All Silver and no Brass – The recollections of four old people of a Hamlet of Ballymenone who recall the mumming of their youth. The pleasure in watching this film is in absorbing the creativity than you can relish from Henry Glassie and associates. Whether you are surrounded by book lovers, film lovers or music lovers, you will appreciate this documentary and glad that you discovered it. Please share the experience. Here is a fine documentary that will almost certainly arouse an interest in Irish folktales and also the creative enticement of pottery. So, don’t be surprised if after watching this film you start enrolling for pottery classes. Quote: “The way we were shooting is the way Henry worked”
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Pat Collins (Director) The film opened at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival and was warmly received. In the Q & A Henry Glassie was quick to praise and thank the film’s director Pat Collins for his work on the film as well as the crew; everybody who gave their heart and soul on the project. Henry and the team researched the film and met the locals and it shows in the final cut. The authenticity you feel and see is exactly what you get. If there are awards in the offering, then “Henry Glassie Fieldwork will not have to wait too long to receive one and you will read about right here.
Documentaries of this quality deserve to be honoured.
Henry Glassie has made a life out of studying folk artists and the marvels. Over the past 50 years, the renowned US scholar has travelled to five continents conducting fieldwork with an obsessive thoroughness. Each project Glassie undertakes requires at least a decade. Brimming with insights into the artistic impulse – and how every culture manifests its own standard of beauty and meaning. This poetic portrait of Glassie doubles as a travelogue, taking us places Glassie has embedded himself. In Bahnia, Brazil, changed and sacred with reconstruction. Any documentary worth seeing is one that captures your attention and will not let go.
“Henry Glassie: Fieldwork” is such a film.
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Henry Glassie (Himself) in Henry Glassie: Fieldwork
Kate Johnston (Herself) in Henry Glassie: Fieldwork 10
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A delicately crafted piece of work
Two carvers at work
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* Cinema Made in Italy *
PIERO VIVARELLI, LIFE AS A B-MOVIE Directed by Fabrizio & Niccolo Vivarelli Featuring: Piero Vivarelli, Sergio Corbucci, Quentin Tarentino, Franco Nero And the beat goes on… The unbridled life and a kaleidoscopic filmography of Piero Vivarelli and B movies of all genres. This is a tempting documentary for cinephiles which unfortunately does not live up to its trailer. Some of the world’s greatest filmmakers have been Italian but an assertion that B movies have inspired Michelangelo Antonioni is not proven. However, what does come out of this documentary, is the interest it arouses in other films particularly “Django”, which Piero Vivarelli collaborated on the screenplay. It starred Franco Nero in the title role. Now this movie was influential for Quentin Tarantino, and one of his favourite movies. Sergio Corbucci is interviewed in this documentary on Piero Vivarelli; Sergio, director of IL Grande Silenzio (The Great Silence). Something sinister cloaks the snowbound Utah mountains as bounty hunters chase their quarry to a merciless end. The winter bites hard on the small town where everyone has a secret and a need for revenge. When a vengeful widow hires a gunman into town with a clear mandate. Honour and righteousness take sides in a brutal confrontation as the two adversaries wage justice by the gun. Screen legends Klaus Kinski, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Frank Wolff head an impressive cast in a masterpiece of cunning and suspense. And so Piero Vivarelli – Life As A B – Movie may seem to be a confusing mismatch of scenes of second rate Italian films, but it at least arouses the curiosity for the viewer to look at other filmmakers that will engage your full attention. For that reason alone, then Piero Vivarelli, Life As A B, Movie is worth seeing, though as a whole, the trailer is better than the full feature.
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Piero Vivarelli (Himself) in Piero Vivarelli Life As A B - Movie
Piero Vivarelli (Himself) & Actress (Uncredited) In Piero Vivarelli Life As A B Movie
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* Cinema Made in Italy *
THE TIES (Lacci) Directed by Danielle Luchetti Starring: Alba Rohrwacher, Luigi La Cascio, Laura Murante. When I first read Lacci, I found questions that concerned me and characters with whom it was difficult not to identify through a family history that lasts thirty years, two generations, bonds that look more like barbed than love ties. We come out of rancour in shame, in dishonour, in a mad attempt to keep your word. Lacci tells of the damage that love causes when it suddenly makes us change direction and those worse; you allowed your life to be governed by love. Lacci is a film about the secret forces that bind us, it is not only love that unties people but also what remains, when love is gone or you can stay together in shame, when it stops accompanying us. - Danielle Luchetti
In the same way that the narrative of this film examines the bonding of love and what ties are tied and untied, it also highlights the emotive moments of laughter and sadness which we all can relate and react to. Furthermore, how welcoming it is to see Alba Rohrwacher again, adding another fine film to her filmography. She is supported by an outstanding cast.
“The Ties” was MbM’s favourite film of this year’s CINEMA MADE IN ITALY film season. Danielle Luchetti: Roman born, mainly known for writing and directing “My Brother is an only child”(2007), “The Yes Man”(1991) and “It’s Happening Tomorrow” (1988). He was considered to direct “The Best of Youth” (2003).
Alba Rohrwacher: Born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Known for her work on “Hungry Hearts” (2014), “The Wonders” (2014)”I Am Love”(2009).Alba is quoted as saying: “I was a very restless girl. My restlessness was related to the desire to also get out of the country, that today I consider incredibly rich, but at the time suffocating me”.
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Aldo( Luigi Lo Cascio) and kids in The Ties
Aldo (Luigi Lo Cassio), kids and Avanda (Alba Rohrwacher) in The Ties
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QUO VADIS, AIDA? Directed by Jasmila Zhanic Starring: Jasna Djuricic, Izudin Bajrovic, Johan Heldenbergh, Boris Ler “Their tanks are getting closer by the hour”. – Aida “We are doing everything we can. Aircraft are on standby”. - Colonel Korremans “What happens if the planes don’t come?” - Aida “They will come. They will come”. - Colonel Korremans Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. “Quo Vadis, Aida?” is the official submission of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards. It is a powerfully emotive drama depicting the conflict between two rival countries. It is 1995. As translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica, when the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. As an insider, to the negotiations, Aida has access to crucial information, that she needs to interpret. What is at the horizon for her family and people, rescue or death? Jasna Zhanic not only stars in this film but also directs it. Seeing the broad scope of this film, you realize what an achievement that is. One can justifiably expect her efforts to be rightfully rewarded come the Oscars.
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JASMILA ZHANIC: Born in Sarajavo and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, 1974. Prior to “Quo Vadis, Aida?”, Jasmila directed “On The Path” (2010) and “Land of my Dreams” (2006). In the same year, she was president of the official Competition Jury at the 12th Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF)She was also at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival. She has lived in the United States of America where she has worked as a puppeteer. Today she lives in Berlin and was a member of the official 2021 Berlin Official Competition Jury. There is a purposely repetitive sequence in the film which is done to emphasise what Aida and her loved ones and fellow citizens which she is representing, are going through. It is these scenes that stay in your mind after the film is over. And of course, AIDA echoes a voice for women the world over.
BORIS LER: Born Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Yugoslavia. Known for “In the Land of Blood and Honey” (2011), “The Call Up” (2016), “The Cirkus” (2010).
JOHAN HELDENBERG: Born: May 11, 1967 in Wilrjk, Flanders, Belgium. Known for “The Broken Circle Breakdown” (2012), “The Zookeeper’s Wife” (2017) and “The Brand New Testament” (2015).
IZUDIN BAJROVIC: Born in Pjevja, Montenegro. Known for Pink Elephant (2017), It’s Hard To Be Nice (2007), Ranjenik (TV Series (1989).
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Aida (Jasmila Zhanic) in Quo Vadis, Aida?
A fun-time competition in Quo Vadis, Aida?
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Joka (Emir Hadzihafizbegovia), Major Franken(Raymond Thiry), Aida (Jasmila Zhanic) in Quo Vadis, Aida?
Joes (Brauers Boudwijn) in Quo Vadis, Aida
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BFI BAFTA FILM AWARDS Past Winners: Best Film from Any Source
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1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
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1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
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The Best Years of Our Lives Hamlet Bicycle Thieves All About Eve La Ronde The Sound Barrier Forbidden Games The Wages of Fear Richard III Gervaise The Bridge Over The River Kwai Room At The Top Ben-Hur The Apartment The Ballad of Soldier Lawrence of Arabia Tom Jones DR. Strangelove Or How To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb My Fair Lady Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? A Man For All Seasons The Graduate Midnight Cowboy Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid Sunday Bloody Sunday Cabaret Day for Night Lacombe Lucien Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Annie Hall Julia Apocalypse Now The Elephant Man Chariots of Fire Gandhi
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1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
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Educating Rita The Killing Fields The Purple Rose of Cairo A Room With A View Juan de Florette The Last Emperor Dead Poet’s Society Goodfellas The Ten Commandments Howard’s End Schindler’s List Four Weddings & A Funeral Sense & Sensibility The English Patient The Full Monty Shakespeare in Love American Beauty Gladiator The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring The Pianist The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King. The Aviator Brokeback Mountain The Queen Atonement Slumdog Millionaire The Hurt Locker The King’s Speech The Artist Argo 12 Years A Slave Boyhood The Revenant La La Land Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri Roma
The 2020th Awards will now be held on th 10 & 11 of April 2021, These will be the 74th BAFTA Awards.
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DVD OF THE MONTH GIFTED Directed by Marc Webb Starring: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Octavia Spencer. Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man dedicated to raising to raising his spirited young niece, Mary (McKenna Grace), a child prodigy. But Frank and Mary’s happy life together is threatened when Mary’s mathematical abilities come to the attention of her overbearing grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) who has other plans for the girl. You’ll love every moment of this “deeply satisfying” (Edward Douglas Film Journal International) film also starring Jenny Slate and OSCAR
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
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DELETED SCENES GIFTED HBO FIRST LOOK STORY AN ACCOMPLISHED CAST INSIDE THE EQUATION MARC’S METHOD ON LOCATION GIFTED STILLS GALLERY
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DVD OF THE MONTH OUR FRIEND Directed by Gabriella Cowperthwaite Starring: Jason Segel, Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, Isabella Kai, Violet McGraw. As Matt’s responsibilities as caretaker and parent become increasingly overwhelming, the couple’s best friend, Dane Faucheux (Jason Segel) offers to come and help out. As Dane puts his life on hold to stay with his friends, the impact of this life altering decision proves greater than anyone could have imagined.
“THE FILM THE WORLD NEEDS RIGHT NOW” - Stephen Saito The Movable Fest.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
BEHIND THE SCENES BONUS FEATURE WITH THE CAST & CREW
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