Category: TV/Film Projects

A Spy Among Friends on MGM+, Episode 3: Allegory of the Catholic Faith

Allegory of the Catholic Faith is a painting by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The painting, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 1931, depicts a woman with one foot on top of a globe representing the dominance of the Catholic Church across the world. TheĀ  Crucifixion scene on the wall is based on a painting by the Flemish artist Jacob Jordaens that Vermeer had in his collection.

The painting makes such a fitting title for this episode since the episode does not only have a direct connection to the painting itself but also to the Catholic faith as well as to the Crucifixion.

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Fan Fun Movie of the Month: The Escapist

“You know the one thing you’ve got going for you, Frank? You’re too old to die young.” – Rizza

source: superiorpics.com
source: superiorpics.com

The Escapist is a prison escape movie. But not your typical prison escapeĀ movie. It is a healthy combination of an action movie and anĀ art houseĀ movie giving you the grim prison life. You feel the brutality. You feel the daily presence of threat. You, in fact, live the violence without even seeing it. You feel very disturbed by the place.

An Ireland-UK co-produced ensemble piece directed by Rupert Wyatt, the film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to critical applause.

The Escapist premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, source: Getty Images
The Escapist premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, source: Getty Images

Frank Perry (a BRILLIANT Brian Cox for whom it turns out Rupert Wyatt wrote this role!) is in prison for life and he has made his peace with the fact that he will never see outside life again… Until he gets a letter, the first one in 14 years, that his beloved daughter is a drug addict and, following an episode of overdose, she is critically ill. This makes Frank to think about escaping. He plans his escapeĀ with fellow prisoners Lenny Drake (Joe Fiennes, a Guildhall class mate of Damianā€™s!), Brodie (Liam Cunningham), Batista (Seu Jorge) and Lacey (Dominic Cooper). These five ā€œgood guysā€ make the movie poster. Continue reading “Fan Fun Movie of the Month: The Escapist”

A Spy Among Friends on MGM+, Episode 2: The Admiral’s Glass

Elliott: Do you remember The Admiral’s Glass?

Philby: The Admiral’s what?

Elliott: Glass. By Southwark Bridge.

As her husband picks up the carrots he grew in their London backyard, Lily Thomas listens and re-listens to the Beirut tapes. What happened at The Admiral’s Glass? And why on earth is Philby seriously alarmed when an ambulance with sirens on arrives at their building? Continue reading “A Spy Among Friends on MGM+, Episode 2: The Admiral’s Glass”

A Spy Among Friends on MGM+, Episode 1: Boom-ooh-yatatatah

A Spy Among Friends has finally arrived on MGMplus today! The first episode is FREE without subscription and you can now watch it here. They are dropping Episode 1 and 2 today followed by oneĀ  episode per week for the next 4 weeks. That is what I will do with my episode recaps as well.

First things first: Since I was not patient enough for the mini-series to arrive in the US, I watched it on ITVX via VPN back in December. And As someone who read Ben MacIntyre’s book twice, I find Alexander Cary’s adaptation very clever. Nick Murphy’s background in documentary is evident and Joanna Eatwell proves once again she is the master of costume design. Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, Anna Maxwell Martin and Stephen Kunken give off-the-chart brilliant performances.

A Spy Among Friends is slow-cooking, captivating and elegant. It isĀ  cinematic to a degree that I envy the viewers who could see the first two episodes on big screen at the BFI London Film Festival. There are flashbacks and you need to pay attention – don’t text and watch šŸ™‚ So, yes, ladies and gentlemen, A Spy Among Friends is exactly my cup of tea!

So shall we?

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Will Bobby Axelrod Come Back to Billions? YES HE WILL! (And We Called It!)

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is OFFICIAL! Bobby Axelrod is BACK to Billions!

Damian Lewis was the guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and announced that Bobby was back! Continue reading “Will Bobby Axelrod Come Back to Billions? YES HE WILL! (And We Called It!)”