Latest news with #BabakAnvari
Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Rosamund Pike enthrals in cinema's tensest car ride, shot in real time
Blame Aristotle. Every now and again a film-maker gets it into their head to clamp down on the old Aristotelian unities of time and space and let their drama play out in something close to real time. First we had Netflix's Adolescence, and now Babak Anvari's psychological thriller Hallow Road, in which a married couple, Maddie (Rosamund Pike) and Frank (Matthew Rhys), receive a panicky late-night call from their daughter, Alice (Megan McDonnell), after she hits a pedestrian while driving on a remote country road. Mum and Dad pile into their car to track her down, talking to their hysterical daughter on speakerphone. We join them for what feels like the longest 40-minute car ride you've yet had at the movies. The film
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Final Destination to Long Bright River: a complete guide to this week's entertainment
Final Destination: BloodlinesOut nowFunctioning like a sort of extreme version of You've Been Framed, this is the premier horror franchise dedicated to giving you intrusive thoughts about horrible accidents. Of course, they aren't actually accidents, but Death himself, stalking those snatched from his grasp via handy premonitions. Not for the faint of stomach.E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the SeaOut nowYou've probably heard of Le Corbusier, but have you heard of the architect he was obsessed with, and her greatest creation? The titular Eileen and the modernist villa she built in the 1920s are the subject of this poetic RoadOut nowDirected by Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow), and starring Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys, this chiller is set almost entirely in the car of two parents racing to help their daughter, who has just phoned to tell them she's accidentally run down a DebutantesBFI Southbank, London, to 31 May This ongoing season is dedicated to early films made by Black female directors, many of whom were subsequently unable to build the careers that should have followed. In addition to the films, the season features events and panels, including Exhibiting Black Cinema on 22 May. Catherine Bray Tyler, the CreatorUtilita Arena, Birmingham, 17 May; touring to 31 MayThe Californian polymath tours arenas in arenas on the back of last year's chart-topping eighth album, Chromakopia. Armed with a discography that touches on hip-hop, rap, jazz, R&B, soul and funk, expect an experimental melange of everything that's made Tyler Okonma one of music's most exciting practitioners. Michael Cragg ParsifalGlyndebourne Opera House, Lewes, 17 May to 24 JuneWagner's final, most enigmatic music drama is staged at Glyndebourne for the first time. 'My desire is to create characters that we can feel,' says director Jetske Mijnssen, who is making her debut at the Sussex house. It's conducted by Glyndebourne's music director Robin Ticciati, with Daniel Johansson in the title role and John Relyea as Gurnemanz; Kristina Stanek is Kundry, and Ryan Speedo Green Klingsor. Andrew Clements Manchester jazz festivalVarious venues, 16 to 25 MayThis festival runs at venues around the city all week, including gigs by the culture-crossing electro-acoustic trumpeter Yazz Ahmed (17 May), keyboards original Elliott Galvin's powerful band including bassist Ruth Goller and drummer Sebastian Rochford (19 May), and subtle Anglo-Polish singer, violinist and improviser-composer Alice Zawadzki (20 May). John Fordham Scissor SistersOVO Hydro, Glasgow, today; touring to 28 MayThirteen years after going on hiatus, the glam-rockers – minus Ana Matronic – are back touring UK arenas. While the crowd-pleasers will be I Don't Feel Like Dancin' and Laura, fingers crossed there's space for anything from 2010's underrated Night Work album. MC Ancient India, Living TraditionsBritish Museum, London, 22 May to 19 October Some of the most striking religious images in the world, including the multiform deities of the Hindu pantheon, figure in this blockbuster survey of early Indian art and its echoes in modern religion. It looks back 2,000 years, at the rise of Jain and Buddhist art (such as an AD701–750 painting of the Buddha) as well as Hindu. Nikki de Saint-Phalle & Jean TinguelyHauser and Wirth Somerset, Bruton, today to 1 February These renowned provocateurs were also a married couple. Nikki de Saint-Phalle shot holes in her art and created matriarchal, mythological creatures. Her husband, Jean Tinguely, built absurd surrealistic machines that drew crowds to their mechanical 'performances', in which they burst apart or gradually wound down into entropy. Art with humour. John Singer SargentKenwood House, London, to 5 October The salons of an English Heritage stately home are the perfect setting to see this Edwardian painter's brilliant portraits – at once grandly traditional and full of modern anxiety and ambiguity. The show focuses on his paintings of wealthy American women. They seem like characters created by his friend Henry James. Stephen CoxHoughton Hall, nr King's Lynn, to 28 September Sculptures of mythological beings in a modern, semi-abstract style by a British artist who often exhibits at classical and ancient sites around the world. Exploring his show will lead you through the Palladian wonderland of Houghton Hall. Jonathan Jones Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow: Show PonyTouring to 11 NovemberBetween sitcoms with David Schwimmer, movies with Orlando Bloom and a star turn in Ted Lasso, Nick Mohammed has acquired full-blown star status – but that doesn't mean he's abandoned his longstanding alter ego, the shrill, embittered and chaotic magician Mr Swallow, whose myriad blunders he showcases on this new nationwide tour. Rachel Aroesti Ballet BCSadler's Wells, London, 20 & 21 May; Edinburgh festival theatre, 23 & 24 May; touring to 11 June Canada's premier contemporary ballet tour two UK premieres. One of the most in-demand names in dance, Vancouver's own Crystal Pite, reimagines her 2008 work Frontier, which is performed alongside Passing by Sweden's Johan Inger, incorporating folk, hip-hop and swing. Expect a quality show. There are film and family programmes, too. Lyndsey Winship The Fifth Step@sohoplace, to 26 JulyDavid Ireland's slippery play about addiction, masculinity and faith transfers to the West End. Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) plays a young alcoholic looking for answers, with Martin Freeman as the AA veteran who befriends him. Miriam Gillinson Biting PointFruit Market Multi-Storey Car Park, Hull, to 18 MayTheatre with a cracking view and strong purpose from local innovators Middle Child. Sid Sagar's new play is about a supermarket driver and property manager whose worlds collide – with a bang – amid Hull's traffic. Performed in a car park with the audience wearing headphones. MG Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Long Bright RiverChannel 4, 18 May, 10pm The reliably excellent Amanda Seyfried enters her hard-nosed cop era in this adaptation of Liz Moore's novel. When a police officer begins investigating the murders of three women in her deprived Philadelphia neighbourhood, her motive is not entirely professional – and her safety far from guaranteed. The Bombing of Pan Am 103BBC One & iPlayer, 18 May, 9pmWe've already had one TV drama about the hunt for the perpetrators of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing this year, starring Colin Firth as a bereaved father and campaigner. Now this BBC and Netflix co-production enlists Eddie Marsan, Merritt Wever and Connor Swindells to retell the tale of the worst terror attack in UK history. Code of SilenceITV & ITVX, 18 May, 9pmRose Ayling-Ellis is a deaf canteen worker whose lip-reading skills are utilised by police monitoring a criminal gang in this new drama from Catherine Moulton, the brains behind recent hair-raiser The Stolen Girl. Andrew Buchan and Charlotte Ritchie play the detectives who get more than they bargained for from their new recruit. SirensNetflix, 22 MayPrepare for another preposterous thriller involving A-listers in a palatial setting with this new series from playwright Molly Smith Metzler. Milly Alcock stars as the assistant and acolyte of mysterious rich lady Micheala (Julianne Moore) – until her chaotic sister (Meghann Fahy) arrives to break the spell. RA Deliver At All CostsOut 22 May; PC, PS5, XboxImagine Sega's arcade classic Crazy Taxi, but instead of hurtling around a modern city in a cab, you're delivering weird packages in 1950s America. The isometric visuals and nostalgic music enhance the retro feel, but the best part is the destructible environment, allowing you to leave ruined buildings and smashed-up cars in your wake. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical TakedownOut 22 May; PCThe heroes in halfshells return for another video game outing, except this time it's in a highly tactical turn-based brawler where you carefully plan attacks on various foes using each turtle's unique abilities. Developed by acclaimed and hughly indie studio Strange Scaffold, this is the most unexpected cultural collaboration since Pokémon and the Van Gogh Museum. Keith Stuart Tom Aspaul – Cabin Fever Out 19 May Inspired by an acid trip in Sweden on Midsommar weekend, the third album by Wolverhampton pop maven Tom Aspaul explores sweaty sexcapades (the title track), paranoia (Drama) and, on the choppy electropop of That Girl, carefree longing. Rico Nasty – Lethal Out now On Lethal's lead single Teethsucker (Yea3x), Rico Nasty channels her rage-rap persona, destroying some no-mark over thundering guitars. But this third album also aims to show all versions of the Maryland rapper, so we also get the soft-focus Can't Win Em All and the hyperpop Butterfly Kisses. Aminé – 13 Months of Sunshine Out now Portland rapper Aminé follows up 2023's excellent Kaytraminé, a collaborative album with producer Kaytranada, with this fifth solo album. On recent single Familiar, he unpicks a failed relationship over sunny, buoyant hip-hop breaks, while the harder Arc de Triomphe samples the Streets' Has It Come to This?. Mø – Plæygirl Out now On this fourth album, Danish alt-popper Mø goes back to basics, stripping her collaborators down to a core team including producer Ronni Vindahl. That sense of cohesion is reflected in Lose Yourself and Who Said, which both house Mø's powerhouse vocals in rugged songs. MC The QuiltersNetflix This charming short documentary introduces inmates at a Missouri maximum security prison who have dedicated their time to creating patchwork quilts for foster children. Inside their windowless space, the inmates are determined to create something beautiful. The Music & Meditation BBC SoundsMarking Mental Health Awareness Week, this new series of Radio 3's guided meditation show sees new age luminaries including Deepak Chopra and Light Watkins produce engaging 10-minute sessions aimed at helping listeners focus and stay present. The Art of SoundResident AdvisorElectronic music site Resident Advisor's new series is a fascinating insight into the ways that cutting-edge sound systems produce loud and immensely physical dancefloor experiences, starting with the Horst festival's innovation – placing speakers on the ceiling. Ammar Kalia
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hallow Road starring Rosamund Pike is a taut car-crash thriller... until it hits the plotholes, writes BRIAN VINER
Hallow Road (15 hours and 18 minutes) Those of you who are or have ever been the parent of a young, college-age adult will probably watch the excellent first 40 or so minutes of Hallow Road and think: what on earth would I do? It's an agonising moral dilemma wrapped up as a taut thriller, brilliantly performed by Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys and the unseen Megan McDonnell. Babak Anvari's film begins grippingly. In disconcerting silence the camera roams through a house, picking out clues of a crime or perhaps a furious argument: an unfinished dinner, a smashed wine glass half-swept up. Soon we learn it was the latter, a domestic barney, which appears to have ended with a young woman storming out and driving into the night in her father's car. Waking in the small hours, Mads (Pike) and Frank (Rhys) are at first concerned only about the whereabouts of their daughter Alice (McDonnell). But then she calls with the alarming news that there has been an accident; driving through a forest, along Hallow Road, she has hit a woman of about her age. The woman seems to be dying. Aghast, Mads and Frank set off to find her, Frank driving Mads's car while she stays in contact with Alice by mobile phone, talking her through the mechanics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Handily, Mads is a paramedic. She has given Alice CPR training before but performing it for real is another matter. The clever screenplay by William Gillies is full of counterpoints, moments of dissonance between the horror of this situation and life's cheerful banalities. So when Alice doesn't answer her mobile, her bubbly voicemail message, ending with a chirpy 'byeee', is like a cruel mirage, an unattainable happiness. And when Mads explains how to do chest compressions, she reminds Alice to chant 'Nellie the Elephant' as a way of keeping up the tempo. As all this unfolds, we learn bits and pieces about their family life, the crisis that led to the argument, the secret Mads is keeping from Frank, other causes of friction. We also hear how Frank plans to protect Alice in the police investigation that will likely follow, which leads to that quandary: what would the rest of us do in such a predicament? Only at the start and the end, however, do we stray from the car's interior. In many respects, Hallow Road is strongly reminiscent of Steven Knight's terrific 2013 thriller Locke, which similarly used a single car journey and a series of phone conversations to ramp up the tension. Locke was only 85 minutes long and Hallow Road is even shorter, so it could easily keep on a linear narrative path, but instead, about halfway through, it takes a regrettable swerve into vaguely supernatural territory. Before Mads and Frank can reach their daughter, another car stops and a woman gets out, apparently to help Alice. We hear her talking on Alice's phone, but at no point does she convince either as a good Samaritan or a more sinister entity. After that I stopped fully believing in the story. What a shame that Hallow Road develops plotholes. The Marching Band (15 hours and 103 minutes) Rating: How many movies are driven by family dynamics? The Marching Band, a French-language crowd-pleaser, does it in a very different way. Benjamin Lavernhe is wonderful as middle-class Thibaut, a celebrated conductor who, after collapsing at the podium one day, learns that he has leukaemia. He needs a bone-marrow transplant but it turns out that his sister isn't a match. Then comes another life-changing revelation: he was adopted. So Thibaut must first find his biological brother, Jimmy (the also splendid Pierre Lottin, far left with Lavernhe), and then ask him for his bone marrow. All of which is drama enough, but there's another, compelling dimension. Jimmy, raised in a blue-collar community, is a talented trombonist in a marching band. Gradually, their worlds converge and their new fraternal bond builds through music, predictably but very touchingly. It's a real charmer.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Hallow Road: Rosamund Pike faces every parent's worst nightmare in this absurd thriller
Mobile phones have a well-known power to ruin films, if someone's texting or (worse) scrolling in your field of vision. On screen, they can be even more of a menace. Exhibit A is Hallow Road, a suspense thriller that essentially relays all its tension by speaker-phone. Eighty minutes ought to be a tight frame for this sort of hokum, which takes no effort to watch, but the only thing that escalates is how silly it is. Two Middle England parents, not given names but embodied with pained intensity by Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys, have just had a furious row with their pregnant daughter, who has stormed out and driven off into the night. Somewhere in the woods, about a 45-minute drive away, she has knocked down a pedestrian, while possibly high on drugs, and calls them up hysterically to sort things out. Pike happens to be a paramedic, who tries to talk her through CPR, while Rhys drives them both as quickly as possible to the scene. They assume emergency services will beat them there, but it could well be that their daughter – a snivelling problem child we never see, but hear panicking plenty – is telling porkies on that front. There's some thematic ambition to the piece: writer-director Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow; Wounds; I Came By) is evidently thinking about parental responsibility, and the point where protective instincts might snap under duress. Pike and Rhys take it as seriously as they can, but the camera is given to interludes of just wafting over their anxious faces, and there's nothing they can do about a big daft crunch in the sound mix when CPR goes wrong and the victim's ribs cave in. Much is left to the imagination here – Anvari may be aiming for the slippery logic of a Grimm's fable. At the same time, his overeager screenplay spells out too much. What should be the sore aftermath to a familial bust-up has the telltale ring of a recap. The writing is several drafts away from being jagged or suggestive the way Anvari's terrific Under the Shadow was – it's stuck being blunt and obvious. As for the twist, it's too risible to be disturbing. The mystery vocal performances flaunted in the end credits give it a campy Twilight Zone quality that sends you out bemused. In cinemas now
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Hallow Road review: You can't deny the chutzpah of this filmed-in-a-car minor classic
Hallow Road Director : Babak Anvari Cert : 15A Starring : Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys, Megan McDonnell Running Time : 1 hr 20 mins One could programme a brief, claustrophobic festival featuring movies set almost entirely within the same car. Abbas Kiarostami had two: 10 and Taste of Cherry. His Iranian colleague Penah Panahi just about qualifies with Hit the Road . You have Tom Hardy worrying his way through Steven Knight's Locke. Such films have things to say about how we fill up such spaces with our anxieties. There is nowhere to storm if the emotions get heightened. With this tense, original Irish coproduction, Babak Anvari, the British-Iranian director of the fine horror Under the Shadow , delivers a minor classic in this sparse genre (if we can call it that). Beginning in domestic drama before moving somewhere distinctly more peculiar, Hallow Road successfully invites us to ask 'Hang on, what is this thing?' on more than one occasion. Not everyone will be happy with the eventual destination, but the film-makers' chutzpah cannot be denied. We begin with a camera crawling about the apparently comfortable home of Maddie ( Rosamund Pike ) and Frank ( Matthew Rhys ). There are some signs of disturbance: broken glass, abandoned food. A ringing telephone breaks the nocturnal silence, and the couple are propelled into an increasingly confusing nightmare. Their daughter, Alice (Megan McDonnell), on the other end of the line, explains that, driving through woods, she knocked over a woman who now appears close to death. It transpires that Alice had a fight with her parents and took off in a huff. Now in their car on the way, they hope, to the scene of the accident, the parents try to manage the situation by phone. Maddie, a health professional, explains how to perform CPR. (I had always been told you massage to the tempo of the Bee Gees' Staying Alive, but she prefers Nellie the Elephant.) Frank, learning that Alice may have been on drugs, decides he will claim that he was the one who knocked down the girl. All this unfolds within the unforgiving prison of two front seats. READ MORE The opening 20 minutes play out like a social study of how far parents will go to protect their children. Maddie and Frank are not blind to the tragedy, but, as events escalate, saving Alice from disgrace emerges as the greater priority. This is the sort of challenge any half-alive actor would savour – later developments offer further demands we shan't hint at – and the pair here work hard to inject tension and unease into each enclosed crisis. Pike has a firmness that speaks to her character's everyday resolve. Rhys gives us a man untethered by sudden mortal terror. As the car drives deeper into the woods, however, the story drifts somewhere altogether more peculiar. A mysterious women appears at the scene of the accident and takes to hectoring in a voice somewhere between impatient schoolteacher and bitter grandparent. ('What kind of parents are you?' is the implied question.) In these later stages the logic behind the film's structural conceit becomes plain. Knowing about the aftermath of the accident from only what we hear on the telephone, we are forced to construct our own unreliable version. One governing explanation does eventually announce itself, but a dozen viewers will have a dozen takes. Hallow Road has its flaws. As is the case with most films set in real time, a little too much happens a little too quickly; a few too many family crises spill out just a little too easily. But William Gillies's taut script sets the action at an oblique angle to mundane reality. Few so economical features – 80 minutes, with only three significant characters – have had such unsettling fun in the dark, dark woods. Don't let it slip you by. In cinemas from Friday, May 16th
