Right off the bat: Nope doesn't put a dent in Jordan Peele's reputation as mastermind of horror, but it doesn't do much to add to it either.
Long acclaimed for his work as a sketch comedian, Peele proved himself to be a formidable horror filmmaker right out of the gate when his 2017 debut Get Out won the Oscar for best original screenplay as well as the Saturn Award for best horror film. Us, his follow-up in 2019, showed that his penchant for socially conscious horror was not a fluke. The film may have received a less fevered response than Get Out, but it was every bit as meticulously crafted with its motif work, taut writing and artistry.
So, what does his third film, Nope, add to Peele’s succinct but potent directorial record?
The film is not as piercing as Get Out, nor is it as eerie as Us. In it, he again subverts classic horror tropes to deliver scathing social commentary, but it does break new ground for Peele, who has taken a stride into science fiction to make an atypical alien film that provides plenty of chills and food for thought — even if it is somewhat slack in its writing.
The film features a solid cast including Alice actress Keke Palmer, The Walking Dead star Steven Yeun, The Crow’s Michael Wincott, and The OA actor Brandon Perea in a breakout role. Front and centre, however, is Daniel Kaluuya. After starring in Get Out, the actor returns to work with Peele, sustaining a pairing that may become as dependable as Martin Scorsese’s with Leonardo DiCaprio, or Tim Burton’s with Johnny Depp.
In Nope, Kaluuya’s restrained performance is as impactful as ever, but the makings of his character, Otis Junior 'OJ' Haywood, doesn’t leave as much of an impression when compared with Get Out’s Chris Washington.
It wasn’t just OJ that suffered from this. It took effort to feel emotionally invested in most of the film’s characters, despite the prowess of their actors. Although Palmer and Perea deliver exceptional and energetic performances as Emerald Haywood and Angel Torres, their characters felt a bit flat and lacked substance.
The most interesting ones were, perhaps, Yeun’s Jupe and Keith David’s Otis Senior, who has no more than five minutes screen time throughout the two-hour film, but has a symbolically compelling place in the movie.
It is between these two characters that, perhaps, Nope’s intent can be best understood.
'Nope'
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Jupe was a star child actor in a sitcom titled Gordy’s Home until his chimpanzee co-star went on a murderous rampage, killing one castmate and injuring another. As a man, he has learnt to capitalise on his trauma, bottling his anguish while letting people pay big money to see the bloodied props from the show. One couple, he reveals, paid $50,000 dollars to sleep in the secret room where he stores the morbid memorabilia.
The idea of the spectacle, or what people are willing to put on the line for it, is a focal point of the film. Even the confrontation with the alien force in the film serves as a reflection of mankind’s fixation with spectacles.
Another driving force in the Nope concept is the marginalisation of black talent in film history. The Haywoods in the film are descendants of a fictional animal trainer who was the first person to appear in film but has long gone uncredited. The character is loosely based on historical truth and derived from the unidentified jockey in the 1887 motion picture plates Animal Locomotion by Eadweard Muybridge, considered by many to be the forefather of film.
“We’ve got the first movie star of all time and it’s a black man we don’t know,” Peele told GQ in July. “We haven’t looked. In a lot of ways, the movie became a response to that first film.”
In the film, Otis Senior has tried to bolster his ancestor’s legacy through his Haywood Horses enterprise, training the mammals to appear in films.
It is a business he has managed to sustain despite considerable heartache in the industry — that is, until his death in a freak accident, in which random objects fell from the sky, including a coin, which pierced his skull.
The Haywood children take on the mantle of continuing the business, particularly OJ, who soon finds himself in dire financial straits and resorts to selling several of his father’s horses to Jupe. However, after encountering a UFO one night, OJ and his sister decide to capture the flying saucer on film. They would be the first to capture undeniable proof of alien existence on film. It is an act that would help OJ retrieve his father’s horses and, at once, rebel against his ancestor’s erasure from film history.
What begins as a lacklustre and uninspired depiction of the extra-terrestrial becomes, in the film’s final moments, one of the most mesmerising alien encounters in cinema.
Overall, Nope is an entertaining and thrilling watch. The film is replete with thoughtful artistic choices that we’ve come to expect from Peele. Expansive, tableauesque scenes of rural California are juxtaposed with claustrophobic moments within the alien abdomen. An airy, string-driven soundtrack is interposed with the haunting whispering of the wind and the neighing of terrified horses. The medium of film is itself examined and confronted and there is plenty to ponder about as the credits roll.
But the fact remains that when comparing the film with other titles in Peele’s oeuvre, Nope is a popcorn flick.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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SPECS
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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
Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
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
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
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Photograph
Rating: 4/5
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Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
'Nope'
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