Madonna urges the pope to visit Gaza 'before it's too late'
The superstar posted her appeal to the pontiff on social media Monday, saying her son Rocco's birthday prompted her to make the post. Rocco turned 25 Monday.
Addressing Pope Leo XIV, she wrote: 'Most Holy Father. Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it's too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Vibes Nation
an hour ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Unicorns' (2025) Review – Finding Love And Identity In A Restless World
From the moment our eyes fall on Aysha, the world shifts. It's the perfect character for the perfect film; vibrant, energetic, funny, and free-spirited. Not only is the dull Luke mesmerized, but so are we. With Unicorns , Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd create a drama that defies categorization. Characters are a blend of backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. Sexual fluidity is the name of the game between Luke, a straight man, and Aysha, a femme drag queen (Ashiq's 'realism' drag persona), whose lives collide and intertwine unexpectedly, allowing their similarities to counteract their differences and love to bring them together. The script deftly crafts the inner and outer rich worlds of Luke and Aysha. It effortlessly engages the viewers, stirring their curiosity to wonder about the two leads equally. We become so invested in their worlds that following the narrative doesn't become a burden as much as it is a pleasure and a joy. One of the scenes that truly touched my soul is Aysha (as Ashiq) performing wudu (the Islamic ritual washing before prayers) and praying. It is the first time I see it through the eyes of a liberated, anti-stereotypical Muslim character like that. A Muslim femme drag queen who, instead of discarding one of her identities, embodies both Muslim and realism queen, but beyond labels, she defies everything. Floyd perfectly outlines the complexity of Muslim identity in ways that few films before this have accomplished. This results in scenes that would be an eye-opener for everyone, especially people not from the South Asian community, and a portal into fascinating, exquisite dynamics between people whose differences can't be more stark, but their similarities are what bring them together and reveal their humanity. Val The Brown Queen as 'Zina', Saba Shiraz as 'Rehana', and Jamie Tank as 'Saira' Credit: Unicorns Film Production Limited The contrast between Aysha and Luke is fascinating to witness; the more reserved and emotionally closed in he is, the freer she becomes. Their relationship blossoms into the beautiful complexity of our modern times, where gender, roles, and stereotypes are thankfully waning away, leaving place for a more liberated approach to love and gender expression. In their quest for identity, both Luke and Aysha succeed in finding peace and bridging the distance between their lives and backgrounds. Aysha liberates Luke, allowing him to tap into places inside himself he never thought existed. Her spirited boldness and sassiness bring out the best in him. Luke is drawn into Aysha's world, the underground gaysian scene in London. His dull, rough life as a single father and struggling mechanic opens up to the queen's world of makeup, jewelry, and fancy fabrics. But the film is not devoid of some darker moments, ones that could be difficult to watch, but in the greatest context of the story, they are emphasize the film's key message: one can feel so alone in their community and circle of family and friends, only to meet a stranger from a completely different world, and realize they are on the same wavelength, in the least expected way. Jason Patel as 'Aysha', Ben Hardy as 'Luke', and Taylor Sullivan as 'Jamie' Credit: Unicorns Film Production Limited This would have never succeeded without the exceptional performances from their main and supporting cast. Jason Patel is brilliant, both as Aysha and Ashiq. It's incredible that this is his film debut because he's a natural in front of the camera; his energy and charm flow effortlessly, and you can't take your eyes off him every time he's on screen. A true scene stealer. Ben Hardy as Luke is equally brilliant. Despite Patel being the scene stealer, it's not easy for Hardy to play an emotionally suppressed character who finally finds the courage to be vulnerable when he finds love. There's no Aysha without Luke, and no Luke without Aysha. They create this contrasting presence that really sets the tone for the movie's narrative. Unicorns is bold, romantic, colorful, and enjoyable from start to finish. But it has layers of depth underneath the surface. At its core, it's a movie about the courage it takes to become our truth, disregarding any labels in the process. Unicorns is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Cohen Media Group. Unicorns is bold, romantic, colorful, and enjoyable from start to finish. But it has layers of depth underneath the surface. At its core, it's a movie about the courage it takes to become our truth, disregarding any labels in the process. User Ratings ( 0 Votes) 0 Jaylan Salah Salman is an Egyptian poet, translator, and film critic for InSession Film, Geek Vibes Nation, and Moviejawn. She has published two poetry collections and translated fourteen books for International Languages House publishing company. She began her first web series on YouTube, 'The JayDays,' where she comments on films and other daily life antics. On her free days, she searches for recipes to cook while reviewing movies.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Weapons' Takes Aim at Your Nervous System — and Fires
The clock strikes 2:17 a.m., and as if heeding some sort of pied piper's call, 17 children run away. They just get up out of their beds, flee their houses and, arms outstretched, bolt into the night. No one has a clue as to where these kids went. The only connection is that they were all part of the same third-grade class. 'This is a true story … it happened in my home town,' says an unnamed youngster. (Pop culture nerds may note the voiceover sounds oddly similar to the narration that opens the 1980 exploitation classic Shogun Assassin and is sampled on GZA's 'Liquid Swords.') Then comes the kicker: 'A lotta people die in a lotta weird ways.' You have no idea what an understatement that last sentence will turn out to be. This is one of the few plot points of Weapons, writer-director Zach Cregger's follow-up to his 2022 sleeper hit Barbarian, that can be discussed without fear of spoiling several whiplash-inducing twists and turns. It's the central tenet of the movie's cryptic marketing campaign and the catalyst for its mystery, which will end up being rewound, revised, and reframed from a variety of different viewpoints before everything's revealed. Yet these macabre scenes of eight- and nine-year-olds sprinting through darkness, set to George Harrison's 'Beware of Darkness,' are so eerily poetic that you'll find yourself getting chills simply from the memory of them. The images will haunt you long after the final puzzle piece is dropped in to complete the picture. And if Cregger's previous movie proved he knew how the withholding of information and slow turning of screws can conjure up dread, this ambitious, multistrand thriller demonstrates an expert facility in tapping directly into that part of your consciousness where nightmares reside. He's made good on the promise hinted at from that Airbnb horror flick. The dude is the real deal. More from Rolling Stone 'Freakier Friday': Get in Loser, We're Going to the Lohanaissance One of Most Disturbing NYC Thrillers of the 1980s Has Been AWOL - Until Now 'Together' Takes on Man's Most Terrifying Horror: Commitment A month after the kids have vanished without a trace, the small town of Maybrook remains in a state of panic and paranoia. Parents turn PTA meetings into potential powderkegs. Neither the police nor the school's principal (Benedict Wong) have any answers. Much of the community's anger is directed toward Justine Gandy (Julia Garner). A relative newcomer to Maybrook, Ms. Gandy is the teacher who walked into her classroom one day to inexplicably find 17 of her students missing; the idea that she's the only link between the missing children makes her a prime suspect. Only one of her third-graders, a quiet kid named Alex (Cary Christopher), showed up the morning after the incident. No one knows why he seems to have been spared. Given the volatile situation — and an act of vandalism that resulted in 'Witch' being painted on the side of her car — Justine is asked to take a leave of absence for her own safety. She's also told not to communicate with Alex, despite the fact that she thinks he knows something about what happened. Meanwhile, a contractor named Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), whose son is among the MIA, mounts an investigation of his own. After reviewing footage taken from door cams from the night of the Great Maybrook 2:17 a.m. Disappearance, he manages to triangulate a possible final destination for the nocturnal tweens. Coincidentally, the location is in the same neighborhood as a house that Justine had visited a few days before, one with newspaper covering up all of the windows…. No sooner have viewers come close to getting a grasp on who, what, where, and the holy grail that is the 'why' behind Weapons' tragedy then Cregger pauses at a key moment, switches angles, and hits the reset button. We get to see things unfold from Justine and Archer's respective perspectives, which soon begin to merge. The filmmaker also adds in storylines that focus on Andrew, the school's under-pressure principal; Paul (Alden Ehrenreich), a recovering-alcoholic cop who has a history with Justine; Anthony (Austin Abrams), a drug-addicted drifter passing through town; and Alex. Each chapter ends on the equivalent of a cliffhanger, which leads folks to wonder who strangely somnambulistic figures might be, the reason that one character is running full tilt to attack another character (funny how his arms are outstretched, where have we seen that before?); and why some peripheral presence in what appears to be clown makeup keeps showing up in people's dreams. There will likely be some folks who think this approach, which Cregger has mentioned was partially inspired by the format of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, requires too much work. Or that, like Barbarian, it favors shocks and width over depth. Or that the constant rail-switching between individual POVs keeps slowing things down — to which we'd reply that a rollercoaster is usually a slow ride as it makes its ascent, causing riders to feel the anticipation of what's to come all that more nerve-racking, nausea-inducing, and thrilling. Then the cars crest that first hump and head toward the drop, and away you go. Without mentioning any specifics, we can assure you that the abundance of bit-by-bit buildup gives way to a massive payoff, including a climactic series of set pieces that rewards the patient. There's a constant refrain of 'what the fuck?!' that comes from the movie's many characters throughout. You'll hear more than one audience member screaming those same three words during the final 10 minutes. More importantly, however, is the fact that Cregger never lets the complicated, ever-morphing narrative get too tangled up in itself even when it leads you down unexpected detours. This is a tale that's carefully crafted as much as told, with hints hiding in plain sight and surreal touches that add more to the vibe than the momentum. But you never feel like you're in the hands of someone who doesn't know exactly what he's doing. And thanks to cinematographer Larkin Seiple's ability to visually balance the banal and the bizarre (he also shot Everything Everywhere All at Once and Swiss Army Man) and the cast, all tuned in to the same wavelength of weird here (though a big shout-out to Christopher, who gives Alex's story a genuine undercurrent of pain), there's a real coherence to the horror. Weapons wants nothing more than to jolt you out of a sense of complacency — to remind you that manipulative forces exist, and not even basic explanations can wash away the concept of chaos hovering just outside of the frame. In that sense, it's aim is true. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
The Art Of Summer Suiting With Infamous London Tailors Edward Sexton
Edward Sexton campaign shot by Jonathan Daniel Price Edward Sexton Discerning, dapper, and charismatic, Edward Sexton is the London tailoring house that's long been associated with the rock 'n' roll glamour, having dressed everyone from The Beatles , Mick Jagger (in the cream suit he wore to marry Bianca in St. Tropez), and Andy Warhol to David Hockney, and ladies including Twiggy and Naomi Campbell. Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger and his wife Bianca, shortly after their wedding ceremony in St Tropez. (Photo by) Getty Images Now, in time for dashing summer escapades, Dominic Sebag-Montefiore, Creative Director of Edward Sexton has shared his guide to summer tailoring. Start with the right cloth and you will look and feel great. If you are going to be wearing tailoring in the warmer weather fabric selection is key. Linen is dry and porous, so it keeps you feeling fresh, but has a tendency to crease, so best kept for more relaxed occasions, evenings out, holidays and events, but not so much in an air-conditioned boardroom. Linen will keep you cool, but it has no natural stretch, so if you go too fitted it can feel restrictive and uncomfortable. High twisted open weave wools are excellent; they are woven using twisted yarns of wool that are constantly trying to untwist, so they do not crease easily. This means you can create a lighter cloth that resists creasing. Having an open weave allows air to pass through. We work with some fantastic mills that have perfected this technique. But these clothes are great for the warm weather and travelling. Some of the high twist fabrics can be flowing and drapey and others can be firmer and hold their shape. A good tailor should be able to tell you which are which and what would work best for your figure and the style of garment you want. Edward Sexton campaign shot by Jonathan Daniel Price Edward Sexton In summer, you don't need to commit to a full three-piece suit or shorts and a linen shirt. There is a lot of room to play. Loose-fitting tailored trousers in a flowing fabric can be great dressed down. A light, unstructured suit worn with a t-shirt or linen shirt can be easy and elegant. A structured jacket can add a touch of formality to a pair of trousers and an open shirt, and makes a great layer if the temperature drops as the sun goes down. Feel Good, Look Good How you feel in your clothes has as much of an impact as the quality and fit on how you look and how well you function in them. This may be about how soft or rough the fabric is, it could also be a psychological association with the brand, it could be how well suited to the weather you are going to be in the clothes. It could be how the cut of the clothes make you stand. The right clothes will feel right. Don't think it see how clothes feel on. Edward Sexton campaign shot by Jonathan Daniel Price Edward Sexton Classics Are Classics For A Reason A good classic is, classic. This is not to be ignored or dismissed, but get it right and you will have an awesome piece for years, until you get bored of it, then put it away and wait 10 years (don't put on or lose weight) and you will fall in love with it again. Quality, construction and colour are imperative. Key classics for summer: white linen suit or just the trousers if the suit is too much; a navy high twist blazer can be worn with the white linen trousers for a riviera look. A navy mohair blend suit for when you want to look impeccable but not too heavy, dark chocolate brown linen suit, a real suit wearer's summer suit in Irish linen, of course. Get them right and you will feel and look a million dollars in them even when they are old and worn in. They will get character like a pair of indigo denim jeans. Meet Your Needs - Go Bespoke Whether you know them or not, get all of your needs from your clothing met. A good bespoke tailor will sit down with you and want to understand how you want to feel in your clothes, what context and climate you are going to wear them in and build garments that flawlessly flatter your physique and meet your needs, or tell you when they can't all be met. Get the expert consultation and then something handmade for you and your lifestyle. Edward Sexton campaign shot by Jonathan Daniel Price Edward Sexton See more on
