‘The New Look’: Apple TV+ explores Dior-Chanel rivalry with flair

‘The New Look’ is on Apple TV+. (YouTube)
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Updated 22 February 2024
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‘The New Look’: Apple TV+ explores Dior-Chanel rivalry with flair

CHENNAI: Apple TV+ offering “The New Look” features a lot style and sheen in the 10-part series as it explores the rivalry between Coco Chanel (Juliet Binoche) and Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) in wartime France and later.

In one scene that encapsulates the friction between the pair, Chanel, who is trying to come back at the age of 70 after an eight-year exile, rages about Dior: “You think Dior is fashion? His designs are extravagant – I have no time for extravagance … the dress shouldn’t wear the woman, the woman should wear the dress.”

“Dior ruined French couture and I’m coming back to save it,” she says with great flourish.

“The New Look” is superbly fictionalized and created by Todd A. Kessler. It has less of a focus on fashion than one might expect and more screentime is dedicated to the tension that engulfs the two pioneers in the world of haute couture. We learn how Chanel and Dior survived the dark and depressing days of the war: There is even a full episode on how the Third Reich asked Chanel to carry a message to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, possibly to broker a peace accord. On the other hand, Dior played it cool and saved himself from brutal criticism by stating that he was merely carrying out the orders of his boss, Lucien Lelong (John Malkovich with an amusing wig).

The work is well-paced, exciting and lovely to look at. The gowns are simply divine and the colors magnificently lush while the performances are first class. Binoche conveys the acidity and wit of Chanel, and Mendelsohn carefully treads the line trying to make Dior a gentleman, soft spoken, cultured and exceedingly well mannered. The script though is not couture, not quite, but it is still a pleasure to watch.


REVIEW: ‘Wolfs’ boasts A-list double trouble with Clooney and Pitt

Updated 43 min 54 sec ago
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REVIEW: ‘Wolfs’ boasts A-list double trouble with Clooney and Pitt

LONDON: The opening 30 minutes of Apple TV’s new (grammatically irritating) comedy thriller “Wolfs” is that rarest, most wonderful of things — a beautifully shot showcase of two phenomenal actors demonstrating that they are at the very top of their game.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt play two unnamed fixers called to the hotel room of a prominent district attorney whose hookup winds up dead. Though both prefer to work alone, the two contractors agree to set aside their differences to finish the job. But when the supposedly dead teenager turns out to be, well, not so dead, the two fixers must traipse across New York to clean up the rapidly spiraling mess.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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With both Clooney and Pitt willing to make fun of their own advancing years — it’s an ongoing bit that both are trying to hide their various aches and pains — director Jon Watts (recently the helmer of the Marvel “Spider-Man” movies and co-creator of Disney’s upcoming Star Wars show “Skeleton Crew”) sticks to a formula that works: namely putting the two rival fixers in a series of exasperating situations that will force them to begrudgingly like each other.

The ‘buddy comedy’ middle third of “Wolfs” is actually the least satisfying, particularly after the extremely funny opening act wherein the two professionals try to ‘out-cool’ one another. There are a few jokes that don’t land, a couple of plot points that fall off a cliff, and a grating riff on the two fixers insisting they’re not partners that we can all see through.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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But a tight, clever final third boasts set pieces which are efficiently restrained (this is no “John Wick” movie), an interesting final twist, and Clooney and Pitt really leaning into that “Oceans”-level chemistry. “Wolfs” is a snappy, smart thriller and, with a sequel reportedly on the way, will thankfully not be the last we see of this new take on an old partnership.


Dutch Moroccan DJ and producer R3hab promises Saudi gig

Updated 01 October 2024
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Dutch Moroccan DJ and producer R3hab promises Saudi gig

DUBAI: Dutch Moroccan DJ and record producer R3hab plans to return to Saudi Arabia before the end of the year, he told Arab News, hot on the heels of a busy six-month period during which he has hit the decks in Finland, China, Spain and beyond.

The DJ, who took to the stage at the E-Sports World Cup in Riyadh alongside Wiz Khalifa this summer, said in an interview with Arab News. “I’ve been to Riyadh many times, the energy of the city is unique. I really love performing in Saudi Arabia, the crowd energy is something else,” he said.

Asked if his Saudi fans will get to see him again soon, R3hab said: “All I can say is I’ll be back in Saudi before the end of the year and I can’t wait to play all the unreleased music I’ve been working on in the last months.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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R3hab’s love story with the Kingdom does not end there. He shot a music video for his track “Run Till Dark” at the historic city of AlUla.

“The ‘Run Till Dark’ shoot was exceptional. AlUla has so much history and we shot in some amazing locations. One that I won’t forget is Gharameel — this is a stunning desert reserve with beautiful natural stone pillars unlike anywhere else in the world. We were lucky to be the first film featuring this incredible site,” he said.

Last month, R3hab released two singles, each a collaborative effort.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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On his track “Gozalo” with Deorro, he said: “It’s been 10 years since Deorro and I produced our hit ‘Flashlight.’ We thought it’s time to get in the studio together again and combine his Latin influence with my energetic vision.”

And on his more recent release, “All Night,” a collaboration with Sophie and the Giants, he praised the artist’s vocal talent and shed light on the track’s pop influences.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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“Sophie’s voice stands out and I wanted to work with her on a record since I heard ‘Hypnotized.’ ‘All Night’ is a party anthem to keep us all dancing towards the end of the summer, it has a retro influence with a dance-pop touch.”

The second half of the year has been as busy as the first for the jet-setting producer with appearances at Dreambeach Festival (Spain), WKND Festival (Finland), Unseen Festival (Thailand), Smukfest (Denmark), Ministry of Sound (UK), Mysteryland (The Netherlands), EDC China and the Mega DJ Festival (South Korea).

“Touring can get very intense, so I take special care to recover, exercise and eat well on tour. The motivation is simple — the people. Connecting with the crowd every time I go on stage is a very rewarding feeling and my main drive,” he said.


London plays host to rousing ‘Marvels of Saudi Orchestra’ performance

Updated 29 September 2024
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London plays host to rousing ‘Marvels of Saudi Orchestra’ performance

  • With unique Saudi flair, the performers showcased a rich repertoire that intertwined Saudi and British musical traditions

LONDON: The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir, in partnership with the UK’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, delivered a rousing performance at London’s Central Hall Westminster on Saturday night as part of the “Marvels of Saudi Orchestra” concert tour.

With unique Saudi flair, the performers showcased a rich repertoire that intertwined Saudi and British musical traditions.

In his opening remark, the CEO of the Saudi Music Commission, Paul Pacifico, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in the midst of an unprecedented program of social, cultural and economic transformation under Vision 2030.

“Music has a very special role to play in that transformation,” he continued. “Music’s ability to develop skills and to provide platforms for cultural and artistic expressions, as well as routes to sustainable economic development and social mobility, is at the heart of our work in the Saudi Music Commission.”

He added: “Through this concert, we strive to present some of the most iconic Saudi songs to a global audience, while inspiring the audience back home, who can take pride in seeing this music performed on one of the great stages of the world for the first time.”

English mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly also performed a song in Arabic — from the first-ever Saudi opera, “Zarqa Al-Yamama” — which had its world premiere in Riyadh this year.

Pacifico expressed hope that the event would promote cultural exchange and strengthen human connections, highlighting that “for that reason, coming to this venue is especially resonant.

“It was in this very room on the 10th of January, 1946, that the first meeting took place at the United Nations General Assembly,” He explained. “Then and now, our aim is to bring people from different cultures together to foster greater mutual understanding.”

The first segment of the two-hour concert boasted arrangements by the Saudi National Orchestra led by maestro Reaab Ahmed and accompanied by dance performances. The repertoire included iconic Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu’s “Ana Min Hal-Ard,” “Hna Talabna Allah,” “Ismahili Ya Al-Gharam,” and Adele’s hit “Rolling in the Deep” to name a few.

British maestro Benjamin Pope and Connolly of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the second part of the program. It featured “Crown Imperial,” “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4,” “Zadok the Priest,” and a scene from the opera “Zarqa Al-Yamama.”

The evening concluded with a medley of Saudi tunes and Rashed Almajed’s hit “Ashiginak,” conducted by Hany Farahat.


REVIEW: ‘His Three Daughters’ is a gloriously bumpy ride

Updated 28 September 2024
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REVIEW: ‘His Three Daughters’ is a gloriously bumpy ride

  • Though it starts off on the pretentious side, this New York City-set drama comes good in the end

LONDON: Viewers beware: the first two thirds of Netflix’s “His Three Daughters” is a Very Serious Film full of Very Serious Acting from a trio of Very Gifted Actors.

This tense, claustrophobic family drama tells the story of Katie, Christina and Rachel — played by Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne, respectively — who return to the family home to look after their ailing father during his last days, butting heads on everything from groceries to life choices.

And writer-director Azazel Jacobs wants us all to know just how Very Serious it all is — so he has his cast speak and move like very accomplished thespians straight out of a critically lauded stage play.

So we learn all about the three women and their relationships with each other, and their father, from wildly gesticulated one-sided phone conversations, impassioned exposition dumps, and spectacularly articulate jibes they launch at one another.

“His Three Daughters” is on Netflix. (Supplied)

But it is the last third of the movie, when the three women must deal with the inevitable, that this goes from being a Very Serious Film to an actually great one.

Coon, Olsen and Lyonne all lean into the slightly caricatured roles they have established thus far, and all of a sudden, “His Three Daughters” becomes a sweet, heartbreaking, bitterly acerbic and wonderfully nuanced examination of an ever-shifting family dynamic that is more layered and relatable than the first hour of runtime ever hinted at.

Coon and Olsen make for good extremist foils — they sit at differing ends of the sister spectrum, one serious and efficient, the other laidback and irritatingly holistic.

But it is Lyonne’s Rachel who really makes the final act sing, bursting with approachable spikiness and disarming wit, all while visibly trying to keep it together while her world falls apart.

Jacobs has opted to shoot the movie on film, in a real location, both of which give “His Three Daughters” a visceral, lived-in feel that only adds to that sense of claustrophobic, sinking dread that their father’s life is coming to an end.

Forgive this movie its overwrought first hour and settle in for a final act that is as good as anything else that has been released this year.


Coldplay adds fourth Abu Dhabi show

Updated 27 September 2024
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Coldplay adds fourth Abu Dhabi show

  • Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band in the Emirati capital

DUBAI: British supergroup Coldplay has once again responded to increasing fan demand by adding a fourth show in Abu Dhabi.

The band will now perform their hugely successful “Music of the Spheres World Tour” on Jan. 9, 11, 12 and 14 at Zayed Sports City Stadium.

Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band.

The 22-year-old has been a frequent collaborator of the group this year, joining the band on stage at their Glastonbury set. Last week, she released the Arabic edition of the band's new song “We Pray.” On Saturday, she performed with Coldplay in Las Vegas.

Promoters Live Nation Middle East confirmed Abu Dhabi will be the only stop in the region for the band.