The "indie" Affleck brother, Casey, has dropped the trailer for his latest self-penned, directed and starring work, Light of my Life, and while the performances and premise look solid enough, the movie looks certain to raise a few eyebrows too.
Light of my Life takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where a mystery pandemic has wiped out half of the world's population. Of course, we've been here before with everything from viruses (Contagion) to zombies (28 Days Later) to aliens (A Quiet Place) to dragons (Reign of Fire), but Affleck's pandemic is a little more specific – it has meticulously wiped the entire female population of the planet.
That's a controversial proposition in the post-#MeToo era, and all the more so given that Affleck was required to settle two separate lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment while shooting his directorial debut, the mockumentary I'm Still Here.
To give Affleck his credit, the female Armageddon doesn’t mean his latest movie is entirely bereft of strong female roles. Affleck’s character has a secret, and this isn’t a spoiler since it’s made quite clear in the trailer: His young son, with whom he is traversing the barren post-apocalyptic wastelands, is in fact his daughter, presumed to be the last surviving female on the planet, complete with cropped hair and nondescript clothing to pass her off as a young boy.
Affleck’s protective fatherly instincts are, naturally in overdrive in a world full of men who haven’t seen a female since the disaster occurred.
The Manchester By the Sea star has certainly taken a provocative turn with the plot of his latest offering, but it's certainly an interesting prospect, and the performances look solid even if, from the trailer, the film looks like it could be a little slow and ponderous in terms of its pacing.
The 11 critics who have been lucky enough to see it and review it since it debuted at the Berlin Festival in February have helped it to an 82 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though it's fair to say that those who didn't like the movie really didn't like the movie. SciFi Now's Katie Goh was cutting with her assessment: "Pitched as a story about a girl, Light of My Life is only concerned with one man's saviour complex," she said. "A patriarch's journey to safeguard his daughter's virtue. Everything else is background noise."
The rest of us will have to wait until August 9 to make up our minds, when the film will launch in US cinemas and, as yet tbc, digital platforms worldwide.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
