Anonymous
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Rafe Spall, Edward Hogg
***
Previously best known for effects-driven action blockbusters including Independence Day and Godzilla, the German-born director Emmerich has been widely criticised by academics and historians for this straight-faced dramatisation of a fringe conspiracy theory that William Shakespeare's works were actually written by the 16th-century English nobleman Edward de Vere.
Listing all the errors and fabrications in Anonymous would require a much longer review, but that would also miss the point. Emmerich protests too much about the veracity of his flimsy source material, because this story works just fine as a lavish and tangled period thriller, swept along by the director's flair for grand spectacle and sumptuous, painterly tableaux.
Ifans gives a terrific star turn as the suave playboy de Vere while Spall's Bard is a vain, illiterate, drunken oaf – and possible killer. Casting both Redgrave and her daughter Richardson as Queen Elizabeth at different ages is also a smart touch.
About midway through Anonymous, even Emmerich seems to lose faith in his preposterous conspiracy plot, sidelining Shakespeare to plunge de Vere into a life-or-death political struggle over the future of the English monarchy. Again, this is pure invention, but it makes for a surprisingly compelling historical action romp.
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Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
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At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
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Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
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