‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ Review: A Thrilling, Vertigo-Inducing Documentary That Scales the Heights of Fear and Devotion

Guy Lodge Film Critic In “Porcelain War,” a resilient Ukrainian couple divide their time between two seemingly antithetical pursuits: When enterprising Slava Leontyev isn’t training fellow civilian soldiers in the ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion, he and his partner Anya Stasenko are skilled ceramic artists, casting and painting dainty porcelain figurines inspired by local nature and folklore. If the title already suggests something pointed in that disparity, this emotive debut by Leontyev and American co-director Brendan Bellomo leaves nothing to chance in ensuring we get it: Porcelain, we are told, is “fragile but everlasting, and can be restored after hundreds of years.” Lest the point still be lost on us, the couple’s combined voiceover later offers a blunter paraphrase: “Ukraine is like porcelain — easy to break, but impossible to destroy.” The metaphor is clear enough, then; whether it’s quite complex enough to sustain a feature-length documentary is another question.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story” joins “Free Solo” in a film subgenre that can only be described as “F*ck That.” It’s an ultra-specific genre of documentary that showcases feats that are so incredibly dangerous that you not only shake your head in disbelief but actually get your heart beating harder as you hold your breath, imagining that if you don’t make a noise, then maybe these people won’t die right before your eyes.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has landed the Sundance Film Festival buzz title documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. The film premiered January 18 at The Ray Theatre.

Michaela Zee Netflix has acquired “Skywalkers: A Love Story” following the documentary feature’s debut at the Sundance Film Festival. “Skywalkers,” which premiered Jan. 18 at the Ray Theatre, follows daring couple Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus from Moscow, who saved their relationship and career by climbing one of the world’s tallest buildings.

EXCLUSIVE: Silver Lining Entertainment has signed Mercedes Mason, an actress known for turns on shows like The Rookie and Fear the Walking Dead, for management.

Latitude Festival has announced a swathe of new names for its 2024 line-up, including The Darkness, Future Islands, Lankum and The Vaccines.The festival will return on the weekend of July 25-28 in Henham Park, Suffolk, and last month revealed its 2024 headliners as Duran Duran, Kasabian, Keane and London Grammar.Also on today’s line-up announcement are Jockstrap, CMAT, Waxahatchee, Baby Queen and Marika Hackman.The festival’s comedy line-up for 2024 has also been revealed, with headliners Jo Brand, Judi Love and Joanne McNally joining the previously announced Sara Pascoe.See the full Latitude 2024 line-up so far.

A normal-looking house in Manchester proved to be a hit with buyers at a recent property auction after sparking a bidding war. The two-bed terrace, which sits on the border of Crumpsall and Cheetham Hill, attracted 75 bidders who drove the house to sell for more than double its guide price.

In 2019, Rose Glass announced herself to the world with the phenomenal Saint Maud. The film was an immersive character study of one lonely woman clinging to sanity in the wake of a personal trauma. Audiences loved Saint Maud with a common thread across all reviews being how hard it was to believe that it was only Glass’ feature debut. This year Glass returns with her second film, Love Lies Bleeding, which just debuted at Sundance. Whereas Saint Maud made a star out of lead Morfydd Clark, Love Lies Bleeding is set to do the same for Katy O’Brian.

At first glance, “Love Lies Bleeding” might look like another Americana-steeped tale of lovers on the run. But a look beyond its sleek hardbodies reveals that director Rose Glass has once again made a monster movie, albeit one of a different character than the spiritual possession in her scorching debut “Saint Maud.” Here, Glass finds a Gothic-tinged tale of passion and pride burning brightly amidst the embers of the eighties.

Addie Morfoot Contributor In 2013, Angela Patton gave a TEDWomen talk that described a father-daughter dance for incarcerated dads and their daughters. That talk was viewed over a million times and inspired the documentary “Daughters,” which has its world premiere Monday at the Sundance Film Festival. In the film, Patton, who in the past decade has helped arrange approximately 15 Daddy Daughter Dances across the nation, and co-director Natalie Rae follow four young girls preparing for the event with their fathers in a prison in Washington, D.C.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic There was a time, in the ’90s, when indie film noir thought it was being hip by imitating the trappings of ’40s thrillers ­— the dark shadows, Venetian blinds and “slinky” femme fatales. But a true noir never really looks back; it’s always pushing forward, toward fresh new varieties of desire and dread. “Love Lies Bleeding” is like that.

Kristen Stewart falls for a bodybuilder in “Love Lies Bleeding,” an electric (and violent) romance thriller that premiered Saturday night at Sundance Film Festival. Rose Glass (“Saint Maud”) directed the movie, which co-stars Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone and Anna Baryshnikov. O’Brian is no stranger to the world of bodybuilding, having done competitions in the past, so she didn’t struggle with the physical aspect of playing Jackie.

Swiss film producers and financiers Karl Spoerri and Viviana Vezzani have been Sundance regulars for more than 15 years, but this edition is special.

The Smile made a surprise appearance at a special screening event at London’s Prince Charles Cinema last night (Thursday January 18) – where the trio spoke about their creative process on new album ‘Wall Of Eyes’, working with director Paul Thomas Anderson, whether they felt any influence of The Beatles working at Abbey Road, and shared advice for struggling creatives.The event in the capital was to spotlight the band’s creative relationship with Anderson, and saw the premiere of a new silent film of never-before-seen footage of the waking of the band’s second album and new video ‘Friend Of A Friend’, as well as a full surround sound playback of the record. Anderson’s music video for ‘Wall Of Eyes’ was also screened, along with his short film ‘ANIMA’ made for Thom Yorke and a selection of videos made with Radiohead.After the full billed programme was complete, Yorke along with fellow Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner (formerly of Sons Of Kemet) then took to the stage for a Q&A session helmed by DJ and presenter Edith Bowman.

The mystery of what Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss discussed in the parking lot during the filming of the Season 10 reunion of Vanderpump Rules has been solved!

The full length trailer for Jennifer Lopez‘s This Is Me…Now: A Love Story has just dropped!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Remaking one of the most definitive films of a generation is not easy, but such is the task given to the cast of the new “Mean Girls.” A new spin on Tina Fey’s 2004 classic that throws in a handful of songs from the movie’s 2018 Broadway musical adaptation, this new iteration of “Mean Girls” aims to be a breakthrough moment for its talented cast of up-and-coming stars, just as the original was for the likes of Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan and more. While the new “Mean Girls” has earned mixed reviews from film critics, many agree the cast is far and away its strongest element.

Karen Idelson Though there are still those who view animation primarily as a kids or family form of entertainment, over the last year many of the most challenging, risky stories have been told by the modern masters of animation. Films like “Suzume,” “The Peasants” and “The Boy and the Heron” have all been lauded for taking on compelling stories that often attract more adult audiences or even becoming crossover hits that draw diverse viewers. Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume” earned well over $300 million in international box office.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is enjoying some downtime in Thailand!

Two And a Half Men first hit TV screens over 20 years ago!