One of the main battles of the Second World War took place inside the brain of a mathematician called Alan Turing. During the war, the allies' key objective was to crack the German army's encrypted communications code. Without a doubt, the key player in the game was this interdisciplinary scientist and a long-forgotten hero. Alan Turing's breakthroughs, his story and tragic destiny, gives us a chance to look at the Second World War from a different angle.
Law enforcement faces scrutiny as Americans demand justice after police violence claims multiple Black lives in Cleveland. The film examines the case in Cleveland where police officers shot at unarmed suspects in a car 137 times. Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams were the victims. While looking at policing standards within the city of Cleveland, '137 Shots' also examines the shooting of 12-year old Tamir Rice by Cleveland police officers. This film is an extremely tough thing to watch, but necessary in order to bring about awareness for change.
George Michael is honored in a fine documentary released in October 2017, a film he wrote and directed and supervised about his life in show business before his death on Christmas Day 2016. The film was completed under David Austin's direction. The movie is a frank and honest account of George Michael's professional life and career. Though the film, various artists add to the narrative – Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Emmanuelle Alt, Naomi Campbell, Ricky Gervais, Elton John, Liam Gallagher, Cindy Crawford, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kate Moss Nile Rodgers, James Corden, Stevie Wonder, and many others. The film highlights conversations with Michael, his crisis with Sony, his 'coming out' as a gay man, his driving force to be the best performer and songwriter ever known, his many successful videos and clips from live performances and much, much more. This is a very beautifully made film, steaming with love from Michael and from his many fans, and filled with information about the positive impact he made on the world. Completely entertaining and a fine tribute to an enormously gifted artist.
The film depicts the life and work of opera singer Maria Callas in her own words by using performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs nearly all of which have never been shown to the public. Maria by Callas reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time. Her letters and unpublished memoirs are read by opera singer Joyce DiDonato. (Click CC for subtitles)
Three years after the devastating fire, Lucy Worsley has exclusive access to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris at a key turning point of the restoration. Work to rebuild and restore the monument is being ramped up in a bid to meet the ambitious deadline to reopen it to the public in 2024. Scaffolding now fills the interior of the cathedral, giving Lucy and the team unprecedented close-up access to every inch of the structure. Lucy meets scientists, historians and craftspeople working to return the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece to its former glory. The fire coated Notre-Dame with tons of toxic lead dust, so specialists are now decontaminating the site. Unique access to the stunning rose windows allows Lucy and the stained-glass historians to uncover the mysteries of these enigmatic 13th-century works of art. An unforeseen legacy of the fire threatens to destroy the remaining vaulting, so the team must develop an ingenious solution to save the stonework. The loss of the roof during the fire reveals hundreds of large iron staples embedded in the stone along the top of the walls. And the incredible task of sourcing and cutting two-thousand perfect oaks gets underway to rebuild the world's most complex medieval timber structure - Notre-Dame's extraordinary roof and spire.
The First Amendment and the very idea of free speech are under attack in America today. A growing number of Americans don't believe you have the right to speak your mind if what you have to say might offend someone, somewhere. They advocate for 'safe spaces' in which people won't be offended by ideas they may find troubling. But is that what America is about? In No Safe Spaces, comedian and podcast king Adam Carolla and radio talk show host Dennis Prager travel the country, talking to experts and advocates on the left and right, tour college campuses, and examine their own upbringings to try to understand what is happening in America today and what free speech in this country should look (and sound) like.
Alan Turing's breakthroughs, his story and tragic destiny, gives us a chance to look at the Second World War from a different angle.