Month: September 2022

Director James Cameron has been working on the sequel to . for about fiveyears now Avatar. To bridge the wait, the original film returns to theaterstoday after thirteen years. The makers have promised fans another four films.The second part is almost out now and we already know quite a bit about it.

By Esther Villerius

Making a 3D film requires time, money, special equipment and advancedtechnology. This was already apparent in the original Avatar , with whichCameron first brought a 3D production to a large audience in 2009. Itsproduction lasted four years. But the second part Avatar: The Way of Water ,should have been completed two years ago. In his own words, Cameron only hadto “dot the i’s”.

Cameron is also the director of the second part, but now gets help.Cameron wrote the first film on his own, but a team has been appointed for thefour sequels. Josh Friedman was the first to the rescue and is co-author of_Avatar 2_.

There are three more sequels to come. The shooting of the films got mixedup, which made the production of Avatar 2 delayed. The sequels can bewatched separately. They follow each other every other year, until the releaseof (the presumably last part) Avatar 5 in 2028.

The titles of the other sequels are according to the BBC also known. Itwon’t be Avatar 3, 4 and 5, but Avatar: The Seed Bearer , Avatar: TheTulkun Rider and Avatar: The Quest for Eywa.

The teaser of Avatar: The Way of Water is out, but keeps the plot vague.There is virtually no dialogue. The video shows not so much what happens inthe film, but more what it looks like. Like the underwater scenes, whichCameron actually shot underwater.

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*Later, the storyline of Avatar 2 shared more extensively, but not muchis clear yet. *Jake Sully, the main character of part one, starts a familyon the planet Pandora. When a “known threat” returns, Jake must team up withhis partner Neytiri and the Na’vi army to protect their planet. Jake andNeytiri are forced to leave their home and discover parts of the planet thatare under water during their flight.

The cast is known: many actors from the first part will return to the screenfor the sequel. Zoe Saldaña reprises his role as the Na’vi princess Neytiri,and Sam Worthington returns as Jake Sully, the human who became Na’vi. StephenLang plays the dead Colonel Miles Quaritch and becomes the villain of thesequels.

Several well-known actors join the cast. Kate Winslet, who for Titanic_already worked with James Cameron, plays in the Avatar sequel Ronal. This newcharacter belongs to the Metkayina tribe, a group of Na’vi that live in thewater. The chief of the tribe is Tonowari and is played by Cliff Curtis. OonaChaplin, previously in _Game of Thrones played, makes her appearance asVarang in this film. Her role is still unclear.

The release for Avatar: The Way of Water is scheduled for December 16.The film was often delayed, partly because of the extensive writing processand the making of the other sequels. But the many wanderings during productiondid not scare Cameron.

Against CNN he said, “There were seven years between The Terminator and_Terminator 2: Judgment Day_. In front of Avatar Is that going to be a10-year gap,” Cameron admits. “But you’re going to Avatar 2 with thecertainty that three more films will come after it. That’s a very differentexperience. That justifies a lot of the delay.”

Apple’s new AirPods Pro sound better, but stand out especially at times whenyou’re not listening to music.

By Bastiaan Vroegop

The wireless Pro earbuds have been upgraded after three years. It addresses afew obvious issues. New hardware, for example, makes the sound sound better.During our testing, we noticed a difference, especially in the lower basstones. Audio has a little more impact with the new AirPods Pro.

While calling in strong wind with the AirPods Pro, the other person alsoremains very audible. During test phone calls on the bike, we remained clearlyaudible, while the AirPods filtered the wind well.

In our opinion, the overall noise reduction is also slightly better, althoughwe had little to complain about with the original AirPods Pro. Apple now alsosupplies smaller ear tips in addition to the three standard sizes, so that thetips close better if you have small ear holes.

Finally a volume control

In addition, the new caps have a much-requested volume control. That wasmissing on previous AirPods, so you had to change the volume via Siri or youriPhone. Swipe your finger up or down on the stems and you adjust the sound.

Each swipe is one jump up. If you want to go from soft to loud in one go, youhave to move your finger quite a lot, but this prevents you from accidentallyturning the sound very loud in one go. In practice, we also mainly made smallsound adjustments, so this is not a big problem.

Photo: Apple

Easier to find

There are now four small holes on the bottom of the AirPods Pro: three on theright side and one on the left. Behind the holes on the right is a smallspeaker that is used for the Find My app. The hole on the left is an “acoustichole”, according to Apple, which is intended to take pressure off the speaker.

If you have lost the AirPods, you can play a sound to find them. In addition,the AirPods Pro work like recent AirTags, so that on recent iPhones a compassarrow points in the direction where your lost caps are.

Photo: Apple

A volume control for your everyday life

In our opinion, the biggest improvements are in the Transparency mode of theAirPods Pro. Press and hold the stem of your buds and the noise cancellationwill turn off just like on old models, after which microphones ensure that youcan hear your surroundings better.

With the AirPods Pro from 2019, that ambient noise sometimes sounded a bittinny. This is not the case with the new version: other people’s voices comeacross naturally, making it sound like you have no earplugs in your ears atall. That in itself is a remarkable achievement.

In addition, Apple has added a new feature called ‘Adaptive Transparency’.This ensures that very loud sounds (above 85 decibels) are reduced in volume,but can still be heard clearly. It ensures that a jackhammer, highway or aloud concert is less of a burden on your hearing, but can still be heard.

In practice, it feels like a kind of personal sound mixer for your everydaylife. This is of great added value, especially at concerts: your AirPods makethe music clearly audible and provide a tolerable volume, without missing thetones that are missing from old-fashioned earplugs for hearing protection, forexample.

Conclusion

The new AirPods Pro sound better, but we are especially impressed with theimprovements in transparency mode. This can be a gadget that you also like towear when you are not listening to music, simply to make your environment morebearable. Although the question is how your environment reacts to this: afterall, they will think that you are always listening to music.

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“After I was 40, it looked suspiciously like I was entering my midlife. Mydaughters were increasingly going their own way, I had been working at thesame school for almost twenty years and Peter and I now knew when to presswhich buttons together. Everything was flowing and I felt: I want to get out,not from family life, but something for myself.

Peter suggested a weekend away with a friend, but it wasn’t comprehensiveenough. I really wanted a place for myself, with time and space. Like such aman cave. It became a garden shed at an allotment garden association. A lovelylittle hut, with a couch, a table and some lights. I was immediately clear toPeter: he could come and have a look, but not stay. He was fine with it for along time, because gardening was no use to him and his newspapers wereenough.”

“Sometimes I went for a day, sometimes a weekend. And more and more often afew afternoons in a row. Peter would then do some chores around the house andI would cook, with what I brought from the country. But more and more Inoticed that Peet I hadn’t done anything at all when I came home a few hourslater, that the laundry from that morning was still in the machine, eventhough I had left a note on the table to remind him.

Not that that was a bad thing, but I just didn’t know him that way. Or that hehadn’t eaten all day and when I came home I was cross-eyed with hunger. I wasconcerned, but Peter waved it off.”

Worried face

“In the garden I regularly spoke with Arjan, my single neighbor who had anapartment in the city and liked to sit among the greenery. He often gave mesome of his harvest, because what did he do with fourteen courgettes on hisown? We shared vegetable garden tips and increasingly also a chat pot.

Arjan was the first to ask about my worried face and the first to say out loudthat I was worried about Peter. ‘Shouldn’t I be home more often,’ I dubbed,but Arjan convinced me to keep taking my own space.”

“Four years later, Peter was diagnosed with dementia and he goes to day carethree times a week. It is distressing to see. My once so proud and strong manis now quiet and dependent. In Arjan I found not only a listening ear, butalso love Nobody knows about us yet, and that will remain so for the timebeing I will continue to take care of Peter until the last gasp, and Arjanunderstands that too.

When Peter goes to day care, I visit Arjan. At home or in the garden. Thislanky young man, he’s 54, with his modest life next to my chaos, was alone foryears and seems to understand exactly how love works. He makes my life easier,and makes sure I don’t feel alone. And I give him that too. Even now thatPeter sometimes also takes some of our time and I sit at home on holidays andother important days, without him.”

Peace, nature and love in the vegetable garden

“My daughters have already met Arjan, Peter too, but to the outside world heis a very beloved family friend. Only when it feels right for both of us willwe tell that we have found love in each other. For now my life exists for Imostly take care of my family and I am more grateful than ever for my oasis ofpeace, nature and now also love in the vegetable garden.

Arjan and I enjoy the here and now. We can do that like the best. I’m olderthan him, I have a demented husband, I’m worried about the kids, but itdoesn’t matter. Because if we are together and proudly look at how well thebeets are doing, and I walk into his country with a fresh pumpkin soup, thenwe are close and we live fully.”

The names Joke and Arjan are fictitious names, their real names are known tothe editors.

Wanted: Love Lessons

For the Love Lesson section on RTL Nieuws Lifestyle we are looking forbeautiful, vulnerable, funny, inspiring and honest love lessons. An insight, amoment of reflection. Preferably with a hand in your own bosom. Did youeventually turn out to be the one with fear of commitment? Should you neverhave emigrated for love or did a blended family turn out to be an illusion?Journalist Hanneke Mijnster would like to ask you all about it. You can tellanonymously. Mail to: hanneke.mijnster@rtl.nl.

The Chromecast HD with Google TV has yet to be officially announced, but thestreaming device is already for sale in several countries.

Read on after the ad.

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UPDATE 13.10: The new Chromecast with Google TV can also be ordered in theNetherlands, discovered Android Planet. The streaming dongle is for sale atBol.com and MediaMarkt for 39.99 euros. Android Planet has also spottedthe Chromecast with Google TV HD in a physical store of the MediaMarkt.

_The Chromecast with Google TV (HD) is already sold in stores. _ Remarkable is the name of the dongle, which is referred to by the web shops as‘ 2K HD’ and not the name we’ve seen a lot before: Google Chromecast HDwith Google TV. It is clearly indicated on the packaging that it is the HDversion. The more expensive 4K version therefore has ‘4K’ on the box.

Original article:

Chromecast HD with Google TV appears at online stores

For some time now there have been rumors about the Chromecast HD with GoogleTV, the new and affordable streaming dongle. No announcement has been madeyet, but this is likely to change soon. The famous smartphone insider RolandQuandt now reports that the Chromecast is already on sale in Germany.

The HDMI dongle can be ordered from various web stores. The web shops ask 45to 51 euros for the Chromecast HD and say they can deliver the new Googlegadget within a few days. Quandt also reports that the new Chromecast isalready for sale in various other countries.

Google will probably present the Chromecast HD with Google TV on October 6. Onthat day, a Made by Google event will take place, where the Pixel 7 (Pro) andPixel Watch will also be officially unveiled. It is still unclear whether thenew Chromecast will appear in the Netherlands, but this seems plausible. Afterall, the previous Chromecast has been officially sold in our country sincethis year.

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This is the new Chromecast with Google TV

The Chromecast HD with Google TV is a cheaper alternative to the Chromecastwith Google TV from 2020. The device would be a few tens cheaper and will costabout 40 euros, while you pay 69 euros for the current version. The newstreaming dongle looks the same from the outside as its predecessor, but thereis one important (and big) difference.

The new Chromecast streams movies and series to the maximum in full HDquality, while the current model can also handle sharper 4K images. Inaddition, the device probably has a slower processor and less RAM. We doexpect the latest version of Google TV, based on Android 12.

The Chromecast HD again comes with a remote control to navigate through theinterface. You can download apps from all popular streaming services, such asNetflix, HBO Max, Videoland and Disney Plus. Google TV provides viewingrecommendations and has a handy watch list function, which allows you to saveinteresting titles for later.

Many pieces of music played at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral were chosen for theirspecial significance to both the Queen and Westminster Abbey.

One of the songs was ‘The Lord’s My Shepherd’. The song was also sung atElizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip in 1947 at the same church.

The song ‘O Taste and See’ was written by Ralph Vaughan Williams for theQueen’s coronation ceremony in 1953, which also took place at WestminsterAbbey. Williams’ ashes are interred in the famous abbey.

The hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Exceeding” was sung at the wedding of theQueen’s grandson, Prince William, to Catherine in 2011.

Listen to a snippet of The Lord ‘s My Shephard below.

Much of the music for the Windsor service later Monday is by composer WilliamHenry Harris, who was also the chapel’s organist between 1933 and 1961. He issaid to have taught the Queen to play the piano as a child.

the sermon

The service was led by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, amongothers. He quoted in his sermon Elizabeth’s promise she made on her 21stbirthday to dedicate her life to service. “Rarely has such a promise been sowell kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love we have seen.”

“Those who serve will be loved and remembered, while those who cling to powerand privilege are long forgotten,” Welby said in his sermon.

Welby’s musings, addressed to the 2,000 in attendance at Westminster Abbey,centered on eternal life after death, a central message of traditionalChristian funerals.

Own input

The service was taken from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the official prayerbook of the Church of England. The Queen is said to have been fond of thisbook, along with the hymns and readings the Queen had personally chosen forher funeral.

View the funeral liturgy here

One of the readings was from the Bible book of John, which contains the famoussaying of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. In the run-up toQueen Elizabeth’s funeral, the Archbishop spoke in an interview about hisrelationship with the British Queen and about her life of faith.

Watch the conversation with Justin Welby below.

God save the king

The service at Westminster Abbey concluded with the national anthem ‘God savethe king’. King Charles was the only one not to sing along, because the songis addressed to him. Charles’ 9-year-old grandson, Prince George, and hisgranddaughter Charlotte (7) also sang the national anthem.

After the memorial service at Westminster Abbey, another service followed inWindsor. About 800 people were invited to the service at St George’s Chapel,including Queen Margrethe of Denmark.

Read here which royals were also at the funeral.

Pray

At the beginning of the service in St George’s Chapel, Pastor David Connorpraised Queen Elizabeth’s service to the country. “Here in the chapel whereshe has prayed so often, we are reminded of one whose uncomplicated yetprofound Christian faith has borne so much fruit, fruiting in a life ofunwavering service to the nation, the Commonwealth and the world at large. Butalso in kindness, concern and reassuring concern for her family, friends andneighbors.”

“In a fast-paced and often troubled world, her calm and dignified presence hasgiven us confidence to face the future with courage and hope. With gratefulhearts, we reflect on these and many other ways her long life has blessed us.We pray that God will give us grace to honor her memory by following her

Bam! Bam! Bam! In one of the opening scenes of the second episode of ‘Andor’,a stout man climbs the stone steps of a tower staircase. In the ridge of thetower, high above the city, he reaches for two bronze hammers that look atleast as impressive as Thor’s hammer.

Erik StockmanWednesday 21 September 202217:54

The man checks for a moment that his worn-out noise-canceling headphones arefirmly on his ears, then starts pounding a giant cast-iron anvil with purehand force with his two hammers: bám! Bam! Bam! The clattering hammers, whosemighty sound echoes all over the city, have been used to usher in the eveningon the planet Ferrix since time immemorial. For the workers, this is thesignal to hang their gloves on the hook, the lights are extinguished in thegigantic spaceship hangars, everyone rushes home in the evening twilight. Butas far as we’re concerned, those hammer sounds can also be interpreted in adifferent way: they form the melodious signal that a masterly ‘Star Wars’series has finally started on Disney +.

It’s as if that stout man with his thunderous blows is shaking up the entiredoomed ‘Star Wars’ franchise again: bám! Bam! Bam! Because yes: after thesomewhat childish ‘The Mandalorian’, the deadly brave ‘The Book of Boba Fett’and the quickly collapsed ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ we finally get a ‘Andor’, of whichwe were allowed to watch the first four episodes, ‘ Star Wars’ series that notonly lives up to the high expectations, but exceeds in almost every area – thevisuals, the dialogues, the music, the story, the performances, the characterdrawings – magnificently.

That timid figure who, like all the other inhabitants, hastens through thestreets of Ferrix at dusk, is Cassian ( Diego Luna ), a poacher who makesa living selling stolen spaceship parts. We are Cassian in a galaxy far, faraway We’ve run into him before: at the beginning of the fantastic ‘Rogue One'(2016) we saw him walking around a bazaar on the Ring of Kafrene withdetermined pace. In ‘Rogue One’, Cassian showed himself not only as a ruthlesskiller, but also as a brave rebel, who Jyn Erso ( Felicity Jones ) helpedloot the Death Star building plans. Set up as a prequel to ‘Rogue One’,’Andor’ sees Cassian rise from common petty thief to captain of the RebelAlliance’s intelligence service.

The hammer scene described above also makes something else clear: namely that’Andor’, more than the other ‘Star Wars’ series on Disney +, was deeplygrounded by its creators in the rituals, customs and daily life on theplanets. where the story takes place. The hammerman who beats his anvil everynight. The mechanics who hang their welding machines in a dilapidatedwarehouse under the body of rusty spaceships. A passenger who grumbles thatthe shuttle has to make a few rounds again before it can start landing, justlike passenger planes sometimes have to circle above the airport for a whilewhen busy. While the other ‘Star Wars’ series made us feel just a little toomuch like we were watching digital pixels, ‘Andor’ shot on physical film sets,with a lot of drab realism and a wonderful eye for detail, immerses us in atangible reality: that city on the planet Ferrix, for example, was completelyrecreated in England. The locations we visit in the first four episodes – thepale grays of Ferrix, the forests of Cassian’s home planet Kenari, thelandscapes of Aldhani resembling the Scottish highlands – are a welcome changefrom the completely worn-out sands of Tatooine.

Another plus is the surprisingly neat photography: see for example themagnificent shot of the speeder that, leaving behind a streak of splashingwater, zooms through a rice field-like landscape. A remarkably beautiful scorefrom Nicholas Britello also: just listen to that short, melancholyfragment of music that blows by when Cassian is commissioned by the mysteriousLuthen ( Stellan Skarsgard ) accepts a job on the planet Aldhani. Who’sSeen ‘Rogue One’ – And Now Here’s A Spoiler! – know why the music in thatcrucial scene doesn’t sound too elated: because Cassian, the moment he saysyes to Luthen and thus effectively joins the rebel army, seals his own fate.Dead man walking! There is talent behind this, so we can only conclude afterthe first four episodes, and yes: the showrunner and screenwriter of ‘Andor’is none other than Tony Gilroy the man who previously penned ‘The Devil’sAdvocate’, ‘Dolores Claiborne’, ‘State of Play’, ‘Rogue One’ and the entireJason Bourne franchise.

With ‘Andor’ Gilroy finally gives us a ‘Star Wars’ series that (at least inthe first four episodes!) cuts the ties with the boredom Jedi and the Sithwith a heavy blow of the lightsaber. A series that for once does not deal withexcessive fan service, which does not feel like a lukewarm extract of thefilms we love so much, and those – thank the Jawas! – really light years awayfrom the cowie-koedie-koedie series with Baby Yoda and Grandpa Fett meant forbottle kids. In fact, ‘Andor’ stands alone in the ‘Star Wars’ universe so muchthat it would feel completely out of place if Darth Vader or a digitallyrejuvenated Luke Skywalker suddenly appeared later in the season for somereason. As far as we’re concerned, ‘Andor’ thus far gives us everything welove so much, from the magical sound of a spaceship starting up over cracklinglaser guns to the beautiful image of good old Stellan Skarsgård on a speeder(that we may experience that! And even better: that Stellan may stillexperience that!).

You know, it would take us a hundred thousand words to define the ‘Star Wars’feeling, but really it comes down to this: just like ‘A New Hope’, ‘The EmpireStrikes Back’, ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘ Rogue One’, just like the very best’Star Wars’ movies, we sat enchanted, breathless and – bám! Bam! Bam! – wideawake, glued to the screen.

Call it the first law of Netflix, or of the platform movie. Within a minute,or at most two, something violent has to happen in a new title. Something thatforces the viewer to look through, instead of scrolling through theincreasingly blurry range of subcategories.

Director Romain Gavras (41) and screenwriter Ladj Ly (44) were determined tohonor this law with Athens , their tragedy inflated to war-film proportionsabout an uprising in the French suburb, which will premiere on the pay channelon Friday. The apparently uninterrupted and fabulously filmed opening scenelasts a good ten minutes. The toss of a Molotov cocktail heralds the stormingof a police station, whereupon the young perpetrators barricaded themselves ina captured police van like a medieval fortress. quarter hurry, waving theFrench flag. Because the whole thing was filmed with a refrigerator-sized Imaxcamera, the image is Hollywood-worthy blockbuster -quality. At the sametime, the way in which people navigate between the people in the swirlingmasses make it seem as if they are turning handheld.

Simple question to the filmmakers, who queue up in Venice for a conversationwith the press, a day after the world premiere of Athens. How could theyfilm this like that? ‘Blood, sweat and tears’, sums up Gavras. ‘We firstrehearsed for months, with actors and a small camera, to understand how thechoreography would work with the actors. And then we started adding elements,step by step: the extras, the fireworks. We only got well after take fifteen.I think we needed about 25 for the opening scene. With all the explosions,yes, every time. We worked on the details for each take. Sometimes we had agreat shot, but there was just that one extra who went wrong or tried to getinto the shot. Or then the actor couldn’t get his motorcycle helmet off, rightat the end of the otherwise perfectly executed choreography of the take. Thathappened to us twice.’

Ladj Ly and Romain Gavras.Image WireImage

Netflix provided 15 million euros in budget: little for an American actionfilm, generous for a French production. Gavras: ‘We wanted to make everythingreal. Even with the highest budget for computer effects you still feel that itis not real. When my daughter watches a Marvel movie, I hear her say all thetime: CGI, CGI ( computer-generated imagery , red. ), fake, fake. You alsoknow with such a superhero movie that what you see is impossible, whileeverything you see in Athens is possible. The camera is everywhere. And byfilming in this way you give urgency to what you see. By the way: it’s alsojust more fun for the director to work like that.’

Gavras’ father is Costa-Gavras, the now 89-year-old Greek-Frenchcinematographer who caused a furore in 1969 with z , his Oscar-winningpolitical thriller that inspired the Black Panthers, among others. Son Gavras,raised by his politically engaged parents under a strict Disney ban, stood outfor directing incendiary and violent music videos for artists such as MIA,Jay-Z and Kanye West. He scored a hit in France in 2018 with his smooth crimefilm The World is Yours.

Gavras and screenwriter Ly have known each other since they first picked up acamera. They are both members of the French artist collective Kourtrajmé. Lybroke through as a director in 2019 with Les miserables , his 2019 Oscar-nominated feature film about derailing (police) violence in a French suburb.The director and screenwriter grew up in such a concrete place many kilometersfrom the Paris city center, as the son of Malian migrants. He directed hisfirst and controversial documentary there 365 days à Clichy-Montfermeil ,about the weeks-long riots of 2015. Ly: ‘I experienced those riots from theinside, they took place downstairs near my flat. Of Athens we place theviewer in the heart of the consternation, we nail him to his seat. In this waywe want to convey something essential about those riots: that you don’t havetime to think or reflect when you’re in the middle of it.’

In Athens three brothers face each other when a video shows their brotherbeing killed by police brutality. Karim is the undisputed leader of the mob offighting youth, Abdel the decorated soldier who preaches ‘calmness’, Moktarthe drug mobster who only serves his own interests and trade. Meanwhile, theFrench mobile unit surrounds their neighbourhood. Gavras: ‘The film isconstructed like a modern Greek tragedy, in which characters cannot escapetheir fate. Their own will gives way. The pressure of that first act ofviolence is too strong, what unfolds after that is inevitable. That blueprintof conflict is timeless, I think. And to convey that timeless idea in thefilm, we gave parts of the besieged quarter the appearance of a castle wall ofsorts, with those battlements. And that’s how you see officers with shields insuch a turtle formation, like Roman soldiers.’

The French suburb, also called banlieue, has often been the arena forexcellent French cinema. From the classic La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz to theGolden Palm winner Dheepan by Jacques Audiard from 2015. Or Bande de filles byCéline Sciamma and the Oscar-nominated Les misérables (2019) by film-makerLadj Ly, the screenwriter of Athena.

The director, when asked by one of the journalists whether his film can alsoincite young people to violence: ‘It is always the same discussion: are it thevideo games that make children violent? I tend to think it’s the society, thecultural and social context. Films are a reflection on society, I don’t thinkthey give such an impulse. Are you going to smoke because Marlon Brando smokesin a movie? Okay, a movie can inspire you to wear a shirt like Tony Montana,but to Scarface looking doesn’t make you a drug dealer.’

And is he now also a political filmmaker, just like his father? ‘I do notknow. My father’s answer to these kinds of questions is always that everythingis political. A superhero movie is also political, because that movie sayssomething about the cultural influence that America is washing out on theworld. I don’t like preachy movies. When someone tells me what to think, Iusually go against it – that’s my nature. With a good film you feel somethinginside, only then does your brain start analyzing.’

Dali Benssalah and Sami Slimane in Athena.

below Athens the share of far-right groups in the conflict, which may haveplayed a role in the battle between the residents of the neighbourhood, isdormant. “I believe such forces have influence, but I don’t want to focus toomuch on them. The film is also about the tragedy that takes place between thebrothers. And there are always forces pushing humans toward conflict, eversince the Trojan War. Sometimes that is the government: like US SecretaryColin Powell in the Iraq war. But tomorrow it could be something or someoneelse again. Maybe Elon Musk from the moon, who knows?’

Gavras and Ly’s film is reminiscent of the Egyptian Oscar submission here andthere clash from 2016, for which filmmaker Mohamed Diab mobilized largenumbers of extras with flash mobs. The spectacular shots sometimes turned intoreal riots when the police arrived. ‘Our organization was very strict,’ saysGavras. “Almost like a military organization. We filmed chaos, but organizedchaos. And I know what can happen when you shoot conflict scenes like this,thanks to the music videos I’ve directed before. If the two groups you pitdon’t really know each other, things can get really tough. In front of_Athens_ the youths from the neighborhood and the stuntmen who play the copstrained together for months. When you know each other so well, such a scene ismore like a dance.’

So no one got hurt at Athens? “What’s your definition of injured?” Gavrasreplies. ‘Someone goes through his ankle: a bobo , as we call it in France.No one lost their eye, or arm.’

Did you know that there are five characters from The Rings of Power even in_The Lord of the Rings_ were on display? It’s been over twenty years since wesaw the first big screen adaptation of the Tolkien books (let’s forget aboutthis 1978 monstrosity). Time to refresh that memory. we got you.

In both reality and fantasy, there is an eternity between the series and thetrilogy. The new Amazon Prime prequel is set a few thousand years before theadventures of Sam and Frodo and is basically an origin story. Not only fromthe ‘One Ring that Rules Them All’, as a result of which Sauron eventuallyloses out twice. But also from some characters from _The Lord of the Rings_that should ring a bell.

Five (un)known faces of The Rings of Power

Following are the five characters from The Rings of Power from whom you knowthe ‘older me’ from The Lord of the Rings .

1. Galadriel

Cate Blanchett (left) and Morfydd Clark(right) as Galadriel (Image: New Line Cinema / Prime Video / Screenrant)

In The Rings of Power the mighty elf is played by Morfydd (she is fromWales, give her a break ) Clark . Galadriel may be a feared general in theprequel, but she clearly has yet to earn her stripes. In The Lord of theRings on the other hand, the Lady of Lothlórien has acquired an almostmythical status as the moral compass of Middle-earth. We do wonder where CateBlanchett got her inspiration for that role. Anyway.

2. Elrond

Hugo Weaving (left) and Robert Aramayo(right) as Elrond (Image: New Line Cinema / Prime Video

In the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Elrond is a key figure. He firstbrought the Fellowship together in Rivendell and allowed his daughter Arwen tomarry Aragorn. You probably recognize Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith from TheMatrix. In The Rings of Power we see a younger and more cuddly Elrond,played by Robert Aramayo.

3. Gil-galad

MarkFerguson (left) and Benjamin Walker (right) as Gil-galad (Image: New LineCinema / Prime Video)

In the prologue of Fellowship of the Ring we briefly see Gil-galad, playedby Mark Ferguson, fighting alongside Elrond and Isildur. Gil-galad is the lastHigh-King and has the greatest authority on Middle-earth among the elves. EvenGaladriel dares not go against his orders. There is a good chance that we willencounter Gil-galad more often in The Rings of Power where Benjamin Walkerplays the part.

4. Isildur

HarrySinclair (left) and Maxim Baldry (right) as Isildur (Image: New Line Cinema /Prime Video

Aragorn’s ancestor got in the first Lord of the Rings movie (good, you’vealready forgotten about the monstrosity) only a brief cameo, but seems toclaim one of the main roles in the prequel series. Maxim Baldry takes thehonors. You may recognize him from the (viewing tip!) series _Years and Years_which can be seen on HBO Max.

5. Sauron

The Dark Lord Sauron, or not? (Image: PrimeVideo)

Last but not least. In the film trilogy, Sauron (played by Sala Baker)appeared mainly in the form of a large yellow eye who had set his sights onthe conquest of Middle-earth. We will probably get in Rings of Power –literally and figuratively – to see a more complex character, with a beautifulorigin story. Unfortunately, it has not yet been announced who will play therole of the dark lord will take on.

First look at Anson Boon as Sauron in The Lord of the Rings:> #TheRingsOfPower> pic.twitter.com/4so5cHM25y>> — Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 22,> 2022

Contrary to what is being said in the tweet above, this is not Anson Boon.After seeing these images, fans started to speculate who that blond actor was,but studio bosses have now confirmed that it is Bridie Sisson. They also saidthey “enjoy” the wild speculation, but would not confirm or deny whetherSisson will actually play Sauron. In addition, there are also theories thatSauron would be a shapeshifter who can make Middle-earth unsafe in variousguises (read: characters we already know). To be continued.

Awaiting the reveal, watch below what Sala Baker has to say about his role asSauron in Lord of the Rings :

More Rings of Power or House of the Dragon?

Want to learn more about this wonderful series? Then read this article aboutwhat Rings of Power has cost. Or, for example, were you already aware thatthe prequel doesn’t just have trouble fighting Orcs?

If you are more to the side of House of the Dragon we recommend that youdelve into this article. At least you won’t be surprised next week when acompletely different Princess Rhaenyra suddenly flies on a dragon.

Eight soldiers from the Grenadier Guards, an elite unit of the British Army’sinfantry, were chosen to carry Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin at her funeral.Five of them were flown in from Iraq just hours after her death was announced.The whole world saw how the soldiers performed their task flawlessly andgracefully. But their mission was not over when the coffin descended into thecrypt below St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Away from the cameras, theystill had to interred the Queen with her husband in the King George VIMemorial Chapel, with her parents and sister.

British comedian, writer and actor Stephen Fry thought the bearers of QueenElizabeth II’s coffin deserved a pint. “Carriers, to the pub, quick march.Porters, lift the mug. Porters, drink beer. You deserved it,” Fry tweeted at2:38 p.m. our time. But he turned out to be a bit too quick with his tweet.2.5 hours later, at 5:08 PM, he added: “Oops, I hope they didn’t follow myadvice. Do one last shift first.”

Fry intended that the elite soldiers still had to take the Queen along withher husband to her final resting place in the King George VI Memorial, whereshe was interred with her parents and her sister. This burial vault in StGeorge’s Chapel in Windsor Castle had been requested by Queen Elizabeth II in1962 for her father, King George VI. Seven years later, on March 26, 1969, theburial vault did indeed become George VI’s final resting place. And then in2002 also his daughter, Princess Margaret, and his wife Queen Elizabeth, theQueen Mother, who died seven weeks after her daughter. Princess Margaret -exceptionally for a member of the royal family – was cremated. Yesterday,Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year, werealso interred in the King George VI Memorial side chapel.

Stephen Fry > @stephenfry >

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That task was the last of a grueling day—starting before 10:30 a.m. localtime—for the ten-strong Grenadier Guards deputy who had to look after the atleast 225kg box. Eight of them had already lifted, carried and set downElizabeth II’s coffin flawlessly ten times during the Queen’s final journeyfrom Westminster Hall to St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The first was when they carried the coffin from Westminster Hall, where theQueen lay in state for four days, and placed it on the ceremonial gun carriagethat would carry the Elizabeth II’s remains to Westminster Abbey where thestate funeral was to begin. From there, after the service, the processionproceeded via The Mall and Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch, with thecoffin back on the 123-year-old cannon base. There the soldiers placed thecoffin in a hearse, which they drove to Windsor.

© via REUTERS

The most difficult part of the trail for porters was probably the steep stepsof the more than 500-year-old St George’s Chapel. The eight were assisted atthe rear by a ninth soldier from the first battalion Grenadier Guards,19-year-old Fletcher Cox, from the island of Jersey. He had to keep the oakbox from sliding on the slope. At the front, Sergeant Major Dean Jones led thecoffin bearers upstairs.

The last image the world saw of the Queen descending from her coffin into thecrypt beneath St George’s Chapel, where she was reunited with Prince Philip,her husband who died last year and was given his provisional resting placethere. Elizabeth and Philip’s coffins were interred at the King George VIMemorial in a private ceremony that evening, eleven days after the death ofElizabeth II at age 96 in Balmoral, Scotland. The Grenadier Guards were calledin again for this. The elite soldiers were on the job for about 12 hours whentheir shift ended late in the evening.

The royal family, honored guests, all of the United Kingdom and the rest ofthe world said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth on Monday. After a long mourningperiod, her coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault of St. George ‘s Chapel inWindsor. The day was emotional and several guests were crying, includingMeghan Markle.

Harry and Meghan – who have been in the UK since the Queen’s death – wentout of their way to be discreet at the late monarch’s funeral. Meghan wipedthe tears from her face, although not everyone believes the gesture is as realas it seems.

Television host Karl Stefanovic – known for harboring a strong dislike forMeghan – claimed that pictures of Meghan wiping her tears could bemisleading.

Phil Noble – WPA Pool/Getty Images

In recent years, Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the British royal familyhas deteriorated. But at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the couple reunited withthe other members of the royal family to show a united front.

Harry & Meghan Markle at Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral

Harry walked behind the coffin alongside his brother William as the Queen’sfuneral procession passed through the streets of London yesterday.

He did not wear a military uniform to Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral, as hewas stripped of his military titles when he stepped down as a working memberof the Royal Family in 2020. At a vigil held by the late monarch’s eightgrandchildren, Harry was allowed to wear his military uniform by his father,King Charles.

Meghan Markle is said to have honored the Queen in a beautiful way during thestate funeral. She is said to have worn the earrings with pearls and diamondsthat the Queen gave her during their engagement together in 2018.

It has been a mourning tradition within the royal family since the time ofQueen Victoria to wear pearls.

In the infamous 2021 Oprah interview, Meghan spoke heartily about the Queenand how she had treated her during their engagement.

“The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me. I mean, we had oneof our first dates together,” Meghan said at the time.

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“She asked me to go with her, and I went by train. And we had breakfasttogether that morning and she gave me a beautiful present and I just reallyenjoyed being in her company, and I know we were in the car – yes, she gave mea pair of beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace – and we sattogether in the car between appointments.”

Did Meghan Markle Break a Royal Tradition?

Meghan added: “And she has a blanket over her knees for warmth and it waschilly and she said Meghan come on and put the blanket over my knees too.”

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle both followed royal protocol with theirattire. However, many royal fans reacted to the fact that Meghan seemed to bebreaking a certain royal tradition. It is said to be tradition – although notmandatory – for the royal women to wear a mourning veil. Kate, Camilla – theQueen Consort – and Princess Sophie were some of the women who wore such aveil, along with the traditional black hat.

However, Meghan Markle and the young Princess Charlotte decided not to wearthe veil.

Last Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was transported from BuckinghamPalace as she left her official home for the last time.

MeghanMarkle at the Queen’s funeral (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The journey to Westminster Hall passed Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guardsand Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and NewPalace Yard, with tens of thousands of people paying tribute to her along theway.

The Queen’s Last Voyage

The procession – which, according to The Guardian, was literally decades inthe making – saw the queen’s coffin placed on a gun-carriage and pulledthrough the center of the capital. The coach, The George Gun, was also usedfor the ceremonies when the Queen Mother and King George VI – Her Majesty’sparents – died.

King Charles walked behind the coffin alongside William and Harry, as did theQueen’s other children, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.Meanwhile, the Queen Consort, Kate Middleton, Sophie and Meghan Markletraveled by car.

Hundreds of thousands of people were allowed to say goodbye to the queen forthe last time. Westminster Hall was open 24 hours a day. Not everyone in linecould see the queen, however, because of how she lay in state.

The BBC reported that access to the back of the line would be closed early toensure anyone already waiting would have a chance to walk past the Queen’scasket.

Among the well-known royals who attended the funeral were King Felipe VI andQueen Letizia of Spain, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of theNetherlands, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, and King Carl XVIGustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Meghan Markle cries at funeral – and gets criticized

King Charles fought back tears when his mother’s coffin was lowered into theroyal vault, but he wasn’t the only one crying. Meghan Markle also wiped tearsfrom her face after the state funeral, with the makeup showing on one of herblack gloves.

Meghan was pictured with William and Kate’s two children, Prince George andPrincess Charlotte, as they waited for their car after the state funeral. Atone point, Charlotte turned and saw Meghan’s gaze, who looked down and gavethe young princess a beautiful, reassuring smile.

As mentioned, several members of the royal family wept as they bid farewell toQueen Elizabeth. But apparently Meghan’s tears really upset a televisionpersonality.

TimMerry – WPA Pool/Getty Images

The coverage of the program Today The Queen’s funeral was led by presenterKarl Stefanovic, who decided to poke fun at Meghan after photos of her cryingwere published.

“We don’t know if it was real or not”

He said they were open to interpretation, meaning photos of Meghan wipingtears from her face may have been misleading.

“There are a lot of photos in circulation and interpretations of photos thatmay or may not be real,” Stefanovic said.

“There’s a few with Meghan, er, with a tear running down her face – apparently- and even one of Princess Charlotte that everyone said she was crying, and wejust don’t know if it was real or not.”

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