Monthly Archives: February 2022

Despite featuring some of the best recurring adversaries to the Doctor, like the Master, the Doctor Who series also isnt short of its good guys, including the dashing and the brave Captain Jack Harkness.

But who exactly is Captain Jack Harkness, whats his relationship with the Doctor, and how has the character evolved through one of televisions longest-running series?

Captain Jack Harkness is a pseudonym adopted by a former Time Agent turned conman Javic Piotr Thane, who appears in the Doctor Who and Torchwood television series, where hes portrayed by John Barrowman, and The Lives of Captain Jack Harkness audio series, where hes voiced by the same actor.

Hes introduced to the Who universe in the New Who era, during Christopher Ecclestons tenure as the Ninth Doctor, though chronologically, he first met Colin Bakers Sixth Doctor in the aforementioned audio series.

Captain Jack Harkness is a known associate of the Doctor, mainly cooperating with Christopher Ecclestons Ninth Doctor, David Tennants Tenth Doctor, and had a brief encounter with Jodie Whittakers Thirteenth Doctor in 2021s festive special episode Revolution of the Daleks.

Though seemingly mundane, John Barrowmans Captain Jack Harkness is actually a time-traveling human from the 51st century, originating from the Boeshane Peninsula one of Earths future colony worlds. He later signs up for the Time Agency, an organization tasked with the safekeeping of time, and garnered the nickname the Face of Boe. Did we mention hes also immortal?

As a time-traveling agent, conman, and later companion, Jack Harkness possesses several unique abilities.

As a human from the 51st century, Captain Jack Harkness has an evolutionary advantage over typical humans/companions found in the Doctor Who series. This advantage comes in the form of evolved human pheromones, which made him naturally nice-smelling and attractive to others.

In fact, in the episode The Doctor Dance, Jack recalls being sentenced to death. Thanks to his evolved human pheromones, he managed to seduce and bed both executioners at the same time, referring to them as a lovely couple that has stayed in touch. Of course, there was some hypervodka involved as well.

One of his most crucial abilities is his immortality and the range of other abilities implied by the detachment of death, like resistance to heat and radiation. However, his immortality isnt innate to his being; it was accidentally acquired through a failed resurrection process.

Jack was brought back to life by Rose Tyler as the Bad Wolf after he was killed by the Daleks on Satellite 5. However, Rose couldnt control the newfound powers she wielded at the time, and instead of simply resurrecting Jack, Rose brought him back forever.

Because of this, Jack became a fixed point in time and space, and as a result, he is now eternal, never aging past his prime, and never capable of truly dying. Whenever he did die, he would resurrect almost instantly, followed by a deep breath as his respiratory system became active again.

Severe trauma could delay his resurrection; he once recovered from being blown up by a bomb, regenerating himself from just his arm. His body would first grow the bones, followed by internal organs, flesh, and skin. This also meant that he could regain consciousness during still incomplete resurrections and feel all the pain associated with the current state of his body.

The advantages, besides immortality, were resistance to heat and radiation, which had no effect on him due to his regenerative capabilities, which would keep him in nearly perfect health at all times. Smaller injuries, like superficial cuts and bruises, will remain and heal at the rate of a normal human.

Other than the evolved pheromones and immortality, Jack had no other superhuman abilities. However, he was physically strong and fit, a skilled fighter with extremely fast reflexes, and an expert in firearms.

So far, Captain Jack Harkness has appeared nine times in the entire Doctor Who series, not counting for the Torchwood spin-off. Heres a list of his appearances.

While there are previous records of Jack traveling with the Doctor before the time he met Rose, the most common account of Jack and Doctors first encounter states that the two met during the London Blitz in The Empty Child episode.

He became a recurring member of Team TARDIS throughout the Season One of the new Who series, up until he became immortal and was unfortunately stranded in the year 200,100. He was left there purposefully by the Doctor, explaining that Jacks nature fixed in time and space now prevented normal functioning of the TARDIS.

However, despite being on friendly terms, the Doctor and Jack have very little in common in terms of their respective physiologies. Jack resurrects himself as a response to fatal injury and does have some instantaneously regenerative abilities, but those arent similar to the Doctors ability to regenerate in any way.

While the Doctors regeneration is a part of his Time Lord physiology, allowing him to regenerate entirely from old age or fatal injuries, Jacks resurrection is entirely different. Sure, it allows him to regenerate as well, but unlike the Doctor, Jack apparently cant be permanently killed. By all accounts of the Doctor Who series, Captain Jack Harkness is endless.

As we previously said, he was resurrected by Rose Tyler, who had become the Bad Wolf after absorbing Time Vortex energies, during the Dalek invasion of Earth in the 2002nd century. However, Rose didnt have full control of her powers and ended up resurrecting Harkness forever a gift he sometimes saw as a curse.

Apart from becoming immortal in the series, Jack Harkness remained a forever dashing and handsome character that didnt see much development over the course of the Doctor Who series.

Most of his characters backstory and numerous adventures were explored in the Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood, which ran for four seasons, before concluding its run in 2011.

According to numerous reports, the future of Captain Jack Harkness within the Who universe is questionable, at best. John Barrowman has been systematically distanced from the projects tangentially connected to the Doctor Who series following the stings of accusations questioning his on-set professionalism and discipline.

In Torchwood: Children of Earth What Was the Unusual Reason the 456 Wanted Human Children?

They Needed Them to Eat

They Needed Them as a Recreational Drug

They Needed Them for Their Religion

They Needed Them to Help Increase Their Numbers

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Doctor Who Has Long Hinted That Jack Harkness Will Evolve Into the Oldest Living Creature in Existence One Day with What Apt Name?

The Man Who Beat Death

The Chin of Gilgamesh

The Everlaster

The Face of Boe

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In Doctor Who Spin-Off "Torchwood," What Was Revealed to be the Name of Jack's Long Lost and Thought Dead Brother?

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How Did Jack Know That if He Based Himself in Cardiff the Doctor Would Eventually Make an Appearance?

Susan Secretly Has an Apartment in Cardiff

He Knew the Doctor Would Come Looking for Him

Cardiff Has a Time Rift That is Needed to Refuel the Tardis

Cardiff has the Best Jelly Babies in all of London

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After the events of Jack's Resurrection on Satellite 5 What Year did the Vortex Manipulator End up Stranding Him on Earth?

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How Captain Jack Harkness Has Evolved In Doctor Who - BuddyTV

Dr. Stones big villain explained why the world was petrified and turned to stone in the first place with the latest chapters of the manga series! Ever since Riichiro Inagaki and Boichis original manga series kicked off its final arc last Fall, the Stone to Space phase of the series saw Senku Ishigami working together with people all over Earth to eventually craft a ship that could make the journey into space. When finally making their way to the moon successfully, the newest string of chapters have seen him now coming face to face with the one who started it all, Why-Man.

The series is inching closer and closer to its immediate end (which is looking all the more palpable with some of the reveals we have gotten lately), and after it was revealed that the true villain of the series was a mass of Medusas that serve as a parasitic technological life force that seeks to advance their own means through the exploitation of intelligent life, its explained that the Earth was turned to stone in the first place as their intelligent life could understand the allure of eternal life. Thus keeping the cycle going.

Chapters 229-230 of the series sees the Medusas explain that they first test intelligent life with their petrification, and that humanity was one of the species that recognized that this power could keep them alive forever. This granted immortality was meant to be a lure to eventually experiment enough to keep the Medusas going. Monitoring the radio waves given by humanity over the millennia, the Medusas sought to teach humans about this immortality by forcing activation throughout the years.

Its why the Meduas seemed to activate on their own, and its why the Do you want to die? question comes into play as the Medusas are literally asking humanity if theyd prefer death over that eternal life. The petrification is made to break easier with high mental activity (its why Senku is one of the first to break out), and when the humans chose to avoid the Medusa use at first, then they started to act even more. Now its just a matter if Senku can work with such a mentality.

The Medusas cant understand why humanity would devlop technology that isnt specifically meant for saving the Medusas, and Senku needs to understand more about this advanced technological life. As the series comes to an end, theres one last agreement that Senku wants to reach. Well see if that works out, but what do you think? How do you feel about the Why-Mans reveal overall? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

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Dr. Stones Big Villain Explains Why the World Was Turned to Stone - Verve Times

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Legacies episode called The Story Of My Life. Read at your own risk!

Hopes continued fight against Aurora is chugging along, although the situation definitely got more complicated in the latest Legacies episode. In short, we now have another supernatural entity added to the mix, and Hope realized after tussling with one of them that she needs an ally if she wants to achieve her goals. If Hope is going to take down Aurora and risk scuffles with demi-gods and gods, she needs Lizzies help. Lizzie didnt want to help, but as we learned in the latest episode, she didnt have a choice.

Lizzies transition to Heretic (witch and vampire hybrid) gave her more strength to take on Hopes Tribrid abilities, but it came at a terrible price. Because the blood Lizzie ingested was that of Hope, shes now sired to Hope and cannot disobey any order that Hope should give. As such, Lizzie doesnt really have a choice but to tag along when Hope asked her to join, though its worth noting that Hope didnt need to force Lizzie to come along despite her objections of risking her newfound immortality on a suicide mission.

We didnt learn the identity of the slacker student who Hope suspected was a god after the girl blasted the Tribrid aside like she was nothing and flew away. Legacies did, however, reveal that Ben, the person who the teens back at the Salvatore School helped, was actually the god Prometheus. Prometheus is known in mythology for giving humans fire and being punished for it by the gods in a rather gruesome way. Thankfully Ben confirmed some of that is a myth, though didn't go deep into specifics.

In this telling, it appeared Legacies credited Prometheus with awarding humans the ability of magic. Ben was grateful the Salvatore kids helped him out and seemed to forge a close bond with Jed. It seemed like something a little deeper than a bromance could form on that front, but its too soon to tell.

Legacies adding gods to the mix is an exciting development, though its not known exactly how big of a role theyll play in the story at this point. For example, next weeks episode, called Follow The Sound Of My Voice, takes the typical show detour, and it seems the heroes will wind up at some random carnival that is anything but normal. Check out the synopsis for the episode, which doesnt mention gods once.

Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) and Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) find themselves at a carnival with an unusual cast of characters. Back at the Salvatore School, students are speaking their minds without knowing why, which makes Jed (Ben Levin) reveal a secret, and Cleo (Omono Okojie) works on protecting one of their own. Meanwhile, Kaleb (Chris Lee) and MG (Quincy Fouse) set out on a mission, which does not go as planned.

At least based on the episode description, we can safely say that Lizzie is actually forced to stay by Hopes side, because I doubt the Legacies character would stick around if she didnt have to. Who knows, though? Perhaps Hope can benefit from teaming up with someone who is always willing to embrace her humanity. Lizzie could just convince Hope to return to her normal self, but thats going to take time.

Legacies airs on The CW on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Its just one of the few returning shows worth checking out this year, and hopefully, one that is better than when it went into break.

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Legacies Revealed Another Supernatural Entity, And A Surprising New Ally For Hope - CinemaBlend

Golf Channel personality David Feherty will host next months World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The ceremony will be held March 9, on the eve of the Players Championship. The event will air live on Golf Channel at 7 p.m. ET.

Tiger Woods is among the four Hall of Fame inductees, along with Tim Finchem, Susie Maxwell Berning and the late Marion Hollins.

The ceremony will be held at the PGA Tours new headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

As someone who has been around golf practically my entire life, I know firsthand that the highest possible honor in our sport is the immortality that is reserved for members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Feherty said in a release. Im thrilled to contribute in some small way to what will be a historic evening as the Hall of Fame honors its new inductees.

The Hall ceremony will also recognize Peter Ueberroth and the late Dick Ferris as recipients of a newly created lifetime achievement honor. Renee Powell will also receive the inaugural Charlie Sifford Award for advancing diversity in golf.

Feherty, an Emmy-nominated golf personality, has been with Golf Channel and NBC Sports since 2015.

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David Feherty to Host World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - Golf Channel

LONDON Opposite art world titans attract in The Collaboration, a new play that opened Thursday at the Young Vic Theater here. Chronicling the creative partnership between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat during the 1980s, Anthony McCartens play offers bravura performances from Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope as the two cultural icons.

And if the writing isnt fully the equal of its star turns, well, a film version of this play is already planned. A movie should give McCarten the opportunity to sharpen a script that, as of now, only begins to deliver on its promise in the second act.

This writers track record with biopics certainly bodes well for Bettany and Pope when they transfer to the screen: The movies McCarten wrote about Stephen Hawking (The Theory of Everything), Winston Churchill (The Darkest Hour) and Freddie Mercury (Bohemian Rhapsody) brought Oscar wins for each of their leading men. His 2019 film, The Two Popes, earned nominations for the co-stars Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins and is the closest of those movies in structure to The Collaboration.

Like that film, with his new play McCarten imagines a duos conversations and conflicts. At the beginning, Bettanys lean, languid Warhol isnt sure about the commingling of talent that the Swiss art dealer Bruno Bischofberger (an excitable Alec Newman) has in mind for him and Basquiat: a joint exhibition to decide which of the two is the worlds greatest artist. Bischofberger has an eye on publicity and regards painters, he says, as boxers.

Gee, Warhol objects to the gallerist, you make it sound so macho, like a contest. Popes initially indrawn, pouty Basquiat, 30 years Warhols junior, isnt any more certain that he wants to be part of a double act: Hes old hat. Does anyone really care about Warhol now? One man traffics in brands and pop culture iconography (we see Warhols signature Marilyn Monroes on the walls of Anna Fleischles flexible, white-walled set), the other sees logos as the enemy. Art, Basquiat maintains, has to have a purpose.

The material follows a dramatically predictable course from mutual wariness to admiration, leading eventually to love. In fact, that very word is voiced in the penultimate line. Dismissive of Warhols attraction to surfaces at the expense of substance, Basquiat comes to adore him as a protective rival turned father figure, of sorts.

I hope you dont die, Jean, Warhol cautions, insisting that the addiction-prone Basquiat clean up his act. The younger artists reply is to insist on his own immortality, unaware, of course, that both men would die not long after, within 18 months of each other. When they do actually collaborate on a sequence of paintings its given surprisingly little stage time; you miss the specific attention to the artistic process that fueled a play like John Logans Tony-winning Red, about Mark Rothko.

The director Kwame Kwei-Armah gets up close and personal with Warhol and Basquiat as the duo move beyond some fairly labored exposition (like when Basquiat, on cue, details his Haitian-Puerto Rican parentage) to achieve real power. The two actors manage to find something primal beyond the boilerplate writing.

Pope, an Emmy and two-time Tony Award nominee, fills with fury as we see Basquiat at work on Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart), a painting created in response to the police brutality that resulted in the death of a young graffiti artist in 1983. The canvas inevitably chimes with the Black Lives Matter movement Basquiat never got to see, and lends The Collaboration a wrenching topicality.

A springy, restless stage presence, that sweet-faced actor communicates the heightened edginess of a man hurtling toward disaster. Its a shame, therefore, that the belated arrival into the play of Basquiats girlfriend Maya (Sofia Barclay) seems perfunctory, as if McCarten werent sure quite how to broaden the story beyond the artist duo.

Bettany, in turn, is a marvel in his first stage role in several decades. The Englishman, a longtime U.S. resident, has starred in Marvel movies and recently impressed as a forbidding Duke of Argyll in the BBC TV show A Very British Scandal, which will come to the United States in April.

A figure of white-wigged insouciance still reeling from having been shot by Valerie Solanas some years before the play starts, this Warhol reveals an insecurity and disgust that take the part well beyond caricature. Survival, you sense, is no less precarious for him than it is for Basquiat. The two legends are hellbent on self-laceration, reminding us that, no matter how great our cultural legacy, were all mortal.

The Collaboration.Through April 2 at the Young Vic in London; youngvic.org.

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Review: Conversation and Conflict, as Warhol Meets Basquiat - The New York Times

On Thursday, Russia, in spite of its assurances that it would not, launched an offensive against neighboring Ukraine. At least 57 have been killed and 170 others injured according to an update on Thursday by Ukraines Minister of Healthcare Oleh Lyashko.

Russia has become an international pariah, and the cost to the countrys citizens will be high in lives and in money after the western world has unleashed substantial financial penalties upon the country. The Russian stock marked plummeted 33% on Thursday, its biggest-ever drop, as Russian President Vladimir Putin tells his countrys investors that they must pay their part for this war in lost wealth.

And why? Because he feels like Ukraine belongs to him, and Russia, and his legacy. As former American soldier and politicianJason Kander said on Thursday: 19 year old Ukrainian boys and 19 year old Russian boys are going to die because of Putins futile search for immortality through legacy.

What does this have to do with swimming? FINA, the world governing body for sport, is planning to host two of its major 2022 competitions in the country: the World Junior Swimming Championships and the Short Course World Swimming Championships.

In fact, with legs of the FINA Artistic Swimming World Series and FINA Diving World Series coming up from April 8-10, FINA will take at least four trips to Russia this year.

The awarding of these events was always questionable for reasons more directly related to sports: Russia was supposed to be barred from hosting international sporting events because of the failure of their doping system, a threat that was ultimately proved empty.

But now, with the invasion and bloodshed in Ukraine, FINA has another reason.

Its not that Russia is the first country to be involved in armed conflict in the last decade. The United States and others have been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq for nearly 20 years. China and India have been involved in border skirmishes over the last two years and have resulted in at least 24 deaths (and as many as 60 deaths, depending on which side is to be believed).

But those military actions all had reasons, be them good reasons or bad reasons. They werent the unilateral decision of a deranged dictator citing a false revisionist history to describe an inalienable right to another sovereign countrys allegiance.

Sport governing bodies like FINA cant take sides in every international conflict. That would be an endless spiral. But some actions are so egregious as to warrant it.

Putin will, of course, assure the world of the safety of athletes, including those from the Ukraine, at the events his country hosts. But he also said that claims in January that Russia would invade Ukraine were ridiculous. The whims of Putin cannot be trusted.

SwimSwam reached out to Ukraines best active swimmerMykhailo Romanchuk, and he said he didnt want to discuss the events in his home country and their future hosting, because this war is about more than swimming, it is about peoples lives.

Romanchuk won silver in the 1500 and bronze in the 800 at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

And hes right: the hosting of swimming competitions seems silly and trite in a time where dozens have lost their lives and where many more could in the coming days and weeks.

But swimming is also the only avenue that we have to put pressure on Russia, to alert them that these actions are not acceptable in a peaceful global community. It is the only thing that FINA can do that matters, it is the only thing that Romanchuk can do that matters, and it is the only thing that I can do that matters.

Will FINA move? Probably not immediately. The governing body, which has already been locked in a quagmire of moving meets driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, wont react until they see what each countrys next moves are. Brent Nowicki, the new CEO, is an American, while Husain Al-Musallam, the new President, is a Kuwaiti. Kuwait, incidentally, stands to profit dramatically from the conflict: oil accounts for nearly half of the countrys GDP, and the conflict has already sent the price of oil skyrocketing, peaking at $102-a-barrell on Thursday.

But Al-Musallam of all people should appreciate whats happening in Ukraine, which is reminiscent of Saddam Hussains 1990 invasion of Kuwait at a time when he was a captain with Kuwait Airways.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has blocked all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country in the event that they need to be conscripted for a military response. Romanchuk is currently training in Ukraine.

FINA is already in a competition with the International Swimming League (ISL) for the hearts of athletes. The ISL is owned by one Konstantin Grigorishin, who was born in the Soviet Union and obtained Ukrainian citizenship amid a tax dispute with Russia. Russias military action is wildly unpopular in most of the world, and it is going to be a tough pitch to convince athletes to attend the events in that country.

Thats not to mention the technical difficulties that could come with hosting, and paying vendors or federations, if some of the most severe financial sanctions come to fruition, including removing Russia from the SWIFT financial system.

FINA must remove its events from Russia. Its the right thing to do for its athletes, for the sport of swimming, and for the people of Ukraine.

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FINA Must Remove 2022 World Championships from Russia After Ukraine Invasion - SwimSwam

The Awakener

Rent or Buy on most major platforms.

The Brazilian federal agent Miguel Montessant (Kiko Pissolato) has just arrested a corrupt governor, Sandro Corra (Eduardo Moscovis), on charges of embezzling public funds from hospitals. But Montessant knows that regardless of the mountain of evidence facing Corra, he will go free, aided by a corrupt government. Worst yet, an errant bullet strikes Montessants young daughter while she is on the way to a Brazilian soccer match. Although the slug injures her, what kills her is the inadequate care provided by an underfunded hospital. Now the once straightedge agent wants revenge.

Based on the Brazilian graphic novel O Doutrinador, the directors Gustavo Bonaf and Fbio Mendonas vigilante superhero film features bloody and brutal murders set to a raucous punk score. During a protest, Montessant dons a gas mask with red-lighted vision and beats the governor with his bare hands to a bloody pulp. He later teams with a hacker (Tain Medina) to hunt down the other dishonorable governmental string pullers. The glut of American superhero films can obscure the richness of the genre, especially its potential for political statements. But The Awakener, even in its depravity, refreshingly restores that power of meaning.

Stream it on Amazon.

In the director Sukumars epic action flick, a low-wage laborer named Pushpa (Allu Arjun) is forced to illegally harvest a rare wood that only grows in the Seshachalam Hills of southeastern India. Despite his unkempt appearance, Pushpa is the prototypical action hero: stoic, egotistic and defiant of authority figures, particularly the local capitalistic businessmen and corrupt cops. Hes the kind of Joe cool, who, when offered water after a merciless beating, extends the refreshment to his huffing torturer.

Pushpa: The Rise is an origin story. The single-named hero advances through the ranks of the smuggling operation, wrestling power from a ruthless dealer along the way. The big musical numbers and clean, fluid fight choreography are enrapturing. Pushpas escape from underworld thugs is so hilariously outlandish (he careens through a jungle blindfolded), I immediately wanted the sequel.

Rent or Buy on most major platforms.

On its face, the story of a genetically engineered being created to foster immortality in humans would seem primarily like science fiction. But the film has more up its sleeve. The dehumanizing scientists call this creature the Specimen, yet his real name is Seobok (Park Bo-Gum), a clone made from stem cells, impenetrable to disease. With his higher brain function he can even manipulate matter. The latter ability puts him in the terrain of mutants, making the South Korean director Lee Yong-jus film another crisp, adventurous reimagining of the superhero subgenre.

The American and South Korean governments would rather this clone did not exist. They believe an immortal world, filled with ambivalent humans, could lead to extinction. Chief Ahn (Woo-jin Jo), the head of an intelligence agency, brings on the former operative Ki Heon (Gong Yoo) to help transfer Seobok to a safer location.

Massive, Christopher Nolan-style set pieces fill Lees film (Ki Heon drives a semi-truck through a brick wall). Unlike other blustery superhero flicks, however, an existential dread consumes this movie: If dying is like sleep, then why arent we afraid to sleep? asks Seobok. These kinds of poetic reflections set the poignant Seobok: Project Clone apart from other, slighter action flicks.

Stream it on Netflix.

An Indian adaptation of Tom Tykwers Run Lola Run, the director Aakash Bhatias Looop Lapeta features a similar visual playfulness, gleefully experimenting with smart, dynamic compositions, while managing to add new, plentiful layers. After the former sprinter Savi (Taapsee Pannu) attempts suicide, she falls in love with the gambling grifter Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin), a man with a smile for every occasion. They live a devil-may-care, albeit penniless life, often upended by Satyas misguided get-rich-quick schemes.

When Satya loses $5 million of his underworld bosss money on a bus, however, they discover a trouble that may be too big, even for them.

Much like Lola in the original, Savi, in trying to save Satya, becomes stuck in a time loop while learning to be a kinder person to the people around her. Fascinatingly, Bhatia maps the ancient myth of Savitris deception of Yama (the god of death) onto Tykwers Eurocentric concept, adding a uniquely Indian resonance to the action. Mixed with sharp comedy, screwball characters and idiosyncratic split screens, Looop Lapeta is a fun yet introspective entanglement of romance and action.

Sami Najjar (Ziad Bakri) was once a well-respected translator. But following a gaffe at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when he mistranslated the words of his childhood friend, a Syrian boxer, he was banished from his homeland to Australia. Now, a decade later during the Arab Spring in Syria, with his activist brother Zaid kidnapped by pro-regime forces, Sami returns to find him.

The directors Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalafs film, a subdued political action-thriller doubling as a character study, hinges on Bakris gripping performance. Sami comes back to a frightening world of random death: Snipers patrol buildings, killing squads hunt indiscriminately and the unrelenting governmental surveillance makes every move made by Sami a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. A twitchy camera, as startled as the viewer, translates Bakris frenetic body and his arched anguish.

Family drama ensues too: Samis sister Karma (Yumna Marwan) despises how Sami has hidden in Australia rather than fight, making this film about the pain of being left behind and abandoned both by family and the greater world. That potent mix of hurt and anxiety makes The Translator wholly unshakable.

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Five Action Movies to Stream Now - The New York Times