Latest news with #island
Geek Vibes Nation
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Red Island' Blu-Ray Review - A Reflective, Child's-Eye View Of Colonization
Living on one of the last remaining military bases amidst a hedonistic group of French armed forces in 1970s Madagascar, ten-year-old Thomas begins to find cracks in the surface of his family's blissful existence on the idyllic island. Taking inspiration from his comic book hero Fantomette, Thomas spies on those around him, discovering the hidden and tangled political and sexual lives of the colonizers and the colonized. As relocation looms, Thomas questions whether the memories he has made are ones he should remember fondly. Simultaneously a sensual evocation of discovering the adult world and a sober reflection of what it represents, Robin Campillo's anticipated follow-up to his acclaimed 120 BPM weaves together the personal and political in a 'visually spectacular [and] masterful portrayal of colonialism through a child's eyes' (The Upcoming). For in-depth thoughts on Red Island, please see my colleague Will Bjarnar's review from its original theatrical release here. Video Quality Red Island arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Film Movement with a sumptuous 1080p presentation that perfectly captures the look of the film. This is a visually resplendent film with a significant amount of time spent around the community, and the camera soaks up every single moment of it. There is a fetching amount of detail in close-up shots, along with wide shots of the beautiful scenery. Colors are deftly saturated and especially vibrant within the foliage. Skin tones look natural, and there are some wonderful facial details present. Black levels are solid with no obvious crush, and highlights avoid blooming under the bright sun. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are fortunately not an issue. The film looks great in high definition. Audio Quality The Blu-Ray comes with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track in the original mixture of French and Malagasy that sounds lovely. The movie is primarily dialogue-driven with room to observe and luxuriate in the soundscape as a whole. Dialogue is clear without being burdened by the score or sound effects. This is not a film that commands a particularly robust low end, but there is some valuable texture at points. The track shakes things up with sounds of nature emanating out of the speakers. The film makes good use of panning effects to make the island come alive. Environmental sounds come through distinctly in the side and rear speakers. Overall, this track does a tremendous job of representing the film. Optional English subtitles are available. Special Features Audio Commentary: Director Robin Campillo provides a commentary track in which he discusses the process of making the film, the inspiration for the narrative, the fairy tale qualities, the performances, and more. Trailer (1:56) Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay 'Masks Off: On Robin Campillo's Red Island ' by film critic Sam Cohen is provided here. This piece gives a well-rounded analysis and context for the historical aspects, themes, and plot developments, which strengthens your appreciation overall. Final Thoughts Red Island provides a unique entry point into the colonization of a community as seen through the wide, deeply observant eyes of a kid. Director Robin Campillo weaves in the stories of multiple different members of the community, but the limited lens means that some of the narratives feel a bit incomplete or superfluous. There is a mixture of tones that mostly works out well, but the clashes are jarring in a few key moments. The performances of the young newcomers are quite good, and the adults in the ensemble all feel completely authentic to the time period. It is not always the smoothest path, but the narrative journey is worth taking. Film Movement has provided a Blu-Ray with a splendid A/V presentation along with a valuable commentary track. Recommended Red Island is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Film Movement and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘The White Lotus' creator Mike White is coming back to ‘Survivor'
Mike White seems to love an island getaway — the filmmaker and creator behind the HBO drama 'The White Lotus' is headed back to 'Survivor' for the show's 50th season. White was among the 24 all-star cast members announced Wednesday. The season will feature previous contestants, including Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, who appeared on the show's first season in 2000, all competing for a $1 million prize.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A reality show sent 12 virgins to an island to learn how to have sex. The result was weirdly coy
Channel 4's latest attempt to straddle the line between televised humiliation and light titillation came to an end this week. Virgin Island documented a two-week bootcamp for 12 'courageous virgins', whisked off to Mamma Mia!-style surrounds and delivered into the hands of self-proclaimed experts with job titles such as 'emotional intimacy coach', 'surrogate partner therapist' and 'sexological bodyworker'. These professionals were meant to help them overcome physical and emotional hang-ups around sex, and offered a kind of hands-on, public therapy that for most of us previously existed only in nightmares. Having watched the entire series across an especially sedentary weekend, I'm in no position to doubt that this sometimes made for maddeningly good TV. From tutorials in oral sex to animal role-play, the whole affair resembled a sun-kissed gameshow with a few premature ejaculations scattered in for good measure. At the end of the series, only one contestant had lost their virginal status, and it briefly seemed possible that the grinning individual in question might be presented with a Bullseye-style prize for doing so – a Nissan Micra for your victory in the boudoir, perhaps? Miles from the mainland, with nothing but deep-rooted psychological trauma or diagnosable medical disorders to get in the way, Virgin Island positioned itself as a locus of pure fantasy. Unfortunately, this was also its downfall. Turning sex into a series of uncomfy routines to be memorised and performed (classes included practising ''smooth transitions' from one position to another, or learning exactly when during a dinner date to kiss your partner's hand in the manner of a serial killer), the show seemed unable to admit that sex is not only a physical challenge but a social phenomenon, one bound up with unpredictability, rejection and power. Still, the oddly evacuated social politics of sex kept cropping up. Cast member Charlotte spoke about trying to work through issues with shame, but had few qualms about humiliating others, openly repulsed by the 'horrible stretch marks' of civil servant Ben. When anxious Emma, 23, was paired with confident, middle-aged 'sexological bodyworker' Thomas, she was visibly uncomfortable. The optics of their pairing – and how unlikely it was to help Emma – seemed not to matter. Then there was Zac, the villain of the piece. In one scene, he dished out a range of objectifying compliments to the women of the show. These women had little interest in finding out whether they would be winners ('banging body') or losers ('good sense of humour') in Zac's personal hotness Olympics, but on he went regardless. Zac seemed to have almost no issues around sex, other than his lack of it. He described his intense impatience as his coach delayed penetrative sex, seemingly keen to race through the steadily paced structure of the programme in which individuals graduated through various sex acts only if and when the experts deemed them ready. His best explanation was, fascinatingly, that perhaps she was intimidated by him. Having said as much, Zac was kindly asked to put on his clothes, but beyond this, Virgin Island seemed totally uninterested in engaging with the behaviours and dynamics actually exhibited by the group. Desire is complex, unpredictable and often indecipherable even by those experiencing it. Nothing about this could have been neatly resolved in six hours, but a gesture to the relationship between what happens in the bedroom and what happens beyond it might have helped. True to the neoliberal navel-gazing that so defines our times, Virgin Island invited its contestants to look only inwards, but more interesting lessons might have been learned if they had observed their relationships with one another, too. They might have noticed a grimly gendered divide, in which many of the women were indeed intimidated by men, a situation unlikely to be helped by the 'up against the wall' practice session where nervous participants were made to forcefully push partners up against a pillar, with as much allegedly sexy conviction as they could muster. What are the connotations of a move like that? Why might some people, sometimes, like it, and some people, sometimes, not? TV producers, fearful of dull detail, might be sceptical, but for my money, those conversations would have produced the most revealing content yet. From childhood trauma to fantasies of worship, it was clear that for absolutely everyone on the island, sex was inseparable from power. Why, then, couldn't the programme admit it? Maybe because to open up a conversation about power would risk admitting the odd imbalance at play as paid professionals take an ambiguous pleasure in laying hands on often vulnerable bodies, all while denying a transaction is taking place. The show had little choice but to remove power from the conversation lest it, ironically, expose itself. Perhaps most unexpectedly of all though, in doing so, Virgin Island often boxed itself into a dull little corner of denial. Pretending that sex is a matter for the bedroom alone? You don't get much more vanilla than that. Jennifer Jasmine White is a writer and academic
Geek Vibes Nation
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
A24 To Release The Wondrous Family Adventure 'The Legend Of Ochi' On Blu-Ray This July
A24 has just announced that they will be releasing director Isaiah Saxon's lushly handcrafted adventure The Legend of Ochi in a special Blu-Ray Collector's Edition that is expected to ship in July 2025, exclusively from the A24 Shop. The film stars Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard, and Emily Watson. The release will come with a Dolby Atmos track and new special features including a commentary track, featurettes, and more. Get more details below! Synopsis: In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy girl is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when she discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home. Special features: Commentary with Writer-Director Isaiah Saxon 'The Ochi Quest' Behind-the-Scenes Featurette Deleted Scene: Emily Watson's 'Singing Bird' Six Collectible Postcards with Behind-the-Scenes Photography by Alexandru Ionita This is the latest of many Collector's Editions from A24. Which of their films would you like to see get this treatment next? Let us know in the comments or over on Twitter.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Much-loved European holiday island to join Schengen Area next year and why it's bad news for Brits
Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter Published: Invalid Date, CYPRUS has revealed plans to join the Schengen Area - but it won't be good news for British holidaymakers. The popular island that sees around 1.3 million Brits visiting each year has announced it hopes to join the zone in 2026 meaning that holiday rules will change. 4 4 The Schengen Area consists of 29 European countries that have abolished border controls for other EU countries. These include 25 EU member states, as well as four non-EU countries; Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Essentially, the Schengen Area is a passport-free travel zone, which allows people to move between participating countries without border checks. But there are strict rules that Cyprus will have to adhere to when they join. And for Brits, that means a limited time to stay there. The rules state that a total stay in the Schengen Area must be no more than 90 days in every 180 days. It does not matter how many countries you visit as the 180 day period keeps rolling. Currently, a visit Cyprus does not count towards your 90 day limit. So any time you spend in the Schengen Area does not affect the number of days you can spend in Cyprus - but this will change when they join. President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus recently announced that the island will "enter the Schengen Zone in 2026.' He added: 'A huge effort is being made, we will complete all the technicalities we need." All the free activities Cyprus has to offer 4 Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 but unlike other countries, did not join the Schengen Area at the same time. This means that Cypriots face border checks and visa issues when travelling to surrounding EU countries. For Cyprus, joining the Schengen Area will mean locals can access the country with more ease and without extra border checks. For Cypriots, the move will be beneficial for trade as it allows goods to flow more easily between countries without custom checks at internal borders. The timing will coincide with the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). The new system is being introduced as part of enhanced security measures for travellers. The new system that will require non-EU travellers to get approval beforehand. For Brits, you will need one of these to go into any of the Schengen Area nations. Currently, the only EU states that aren't members of the Schengen Area are Ireland and Cyprus. And the European destination that is warmest in May with 26C highs and 'wine villages'. 4
