Coming Soon
Out this week
* Albums
- Songs of Experience by U2: Fourteenth album by the Irish rock band; is a companion piece to their previous record, Songs of Innocence (2014); led by the single ‘You're the Best Thing About Me’.
- War & Leisure by Miguel: The R&B singer’s fourth album, the follow-up to Wildheart (2015); includes the songs ‘Sky Walker’ (featuring Travis Scott), ‘Pineapple Skies’, ‘Told You So’, and ‘Come Through and Chill’ (featuring J. Cole and Salaam Remi).
* Movies
- The Disaster Artist (starring James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie) – comedy; biographical drama about the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 film The Room which is widely considered one of the worst movies ever made.
- The Shape of Water (starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins) – fantasy romance; a mute custodian (Hawkins) at a government laboratory befriends a captured humanoid sea creature.
- Wonder Wheel (starring Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Jim Belushi) – crime drama; the wife (Winslet) of a carousel operator as well as her husband's estranged daughter pursue the same man (Timberlake).
Star
Rizwan Ahmed
- Born on 1st December 1982 in Wembley, London, England
- Parents are British Pakistanis. His grandparents migrated from India to Pakistan during the 1947 partition, and his parents moved to England from Karachi during the 1970s.
- Graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University, with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
- Studied acting at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama in London.
- Made his film debut in the movie The Road to Guantanamo (2006). Has since appeared in films including Four Lions (2010), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013), Nightcrawler (2014), Jason Bourne (2016), and Rogue One (2016).
- Starred in the crime drama The Night Of (2016), earning the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance.
- Started his music career in his mid-teens. Subsequently competed in and won many rap battle competitions. Released his debut album, Microscope, in 2011.
- Is also a member of the hip hop duo Swet Shop Boys. Their first album, Cashmere, came out in 2016.
- Upcoming projects include the movies The Sisters Brothers (2018) and Venom (2018).
- Has been involved in raising awareness of the displacement of Rohingya Muslims and Syrian refugee children.
Also born today: Zoë Kravitz, Vance Joy, Steve Gibb, Emily Mortimer, Sarah Silverman, Sarfraz Nawaz, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Bette Midler, Woody Allen
Spotlight
Murder on the Orient Express
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Tagline: Everyone is a suspect.
- Mystery drama; renowned detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) tries to solve a murder on the famous European train, the Orient Express, in the 1930s.
- Is based on Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel of the same name.
- Is the fourth adaptation of the novel, following a 1974 film, 2001 TV film, and 2010 episode of Agatha Christie’s Poirot.
- Had a budget of $55 million; has made around $196 million in less than a month.
- Has received mixed review, with criticism aimed towards its dullness and lack of innovation.
- Many of the cast and extras are Branagh’s close friends, acquaintances, and former film and theatre co-stars.
- Angelina Jolie was in early talks to co-star in the film but ultimately passed on the project. The role eventually went to Michelle Pfeiffer.
- Score composed by Patrick Doyle.