Anonymous
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, Rafe Spall, Edward Hogg
***
Previously best known for effects-driven action blockbusters including Independence Day and Godzilla, the German-born director Emmerich has been widely criticised by academics and historians for this straight-faced dramatisation of a fringe conspiracy theory that William Shakespeare's works were actually written by the 16th-century English nobleman Edward de Vere.
Listing all the errors and fabrications in Anonymous would require a much longer review, but that would also miss the point. Emmerich protests too much about the veracity of his flimsy source material, because this story works just fine as a lavish and tangled period thriller, swept along by the director's flair for grand spectacle and sumptuous, painterly tableaux.
Ifans gives a terrific star turn as the suave playboy de Vere while Spall's Bard is a vain, illiterate, drunken oaf – and possible killer. Casting both Redgrave and her daughter Richardson as Queen Elizabeth at different ages is also a smart touch.
About midway through Anonymous, even Emmerich seems to lose faith in his preposterous conspiracy plot, sidelining Shakespeare to plunge de Vere into a life-or-death political struggle over the future of the English monarchy. Again, this is pure invention, but it makes for a surprisingly compelling historical action romp.
POWERWASH%20SIMULATOR
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Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young