This British-American film is based loosely on a book of the same name written by Shrabani Basu in 2010. It tells the story of the relationship between Queen Victoria and an Indian Muslim commoner, Abdul Karim, in late 19th century England. Queen Victoria (Judi Dench), is lonely after the death of friend and servant John Brown, and she forms an ‘unlikely’ attachment to Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal). By Peter Sheehan.
The Australian release of the movie Spotlight, which details the uncovering of the sexual abuse of minors in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, and in the United States of America more generally, tragically has many parallels for the Catholic Church in Australia.
A car chase through St Peter’s Square and a flippant joke about joining the priesthood aside, the 24th James Bond film, “Spectre” (Columbia), has predictably little to do with religion. Yet director Sam Mendes’ follow-up to “Skyfall,” his 2012 reboot of the 007 series, does set its protagonist on an upward ethical path that will please faithful grown-ups.
Just as the title, Believe Me, was fading from the screen, there was a momentary after-image of just three letters from Believe: LIE. It was an indication of what was to come, a story that was based on deception – until the end, when all the edifying plot developments emerged.
As the lively profile of a wildly successful uber-geek, Steve Jobs is likely to appeal to many a youthful tech fan. Parents should be aware, however, that this is a morally complex life story – the computer pioneer and Apple, Inc co-founder died in 2011 at 56 – recounted with a vocabulary that’s anything but user-friendly for younger moviegoers.