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Thumbnails 11/21/14

How "Maleficent" subverts Christian symbolism; A crash course in diva; Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly on "The Homestretch"; "Sports Night" was Aaron Sorkin at his best; Peter Erskine on "Whiplash."

Ebert Club

#153 January 30, 2013

Marie writes: Kudos to fellow art buddy Siri Arnet for sharing the following; a truly unique hotel just outside Nairobi, Kenya: welcome to Giraffe Manor.

Festivals & Awards

Smilin' through with Mike Leigh

TORONTO -- Mike Leigh is 65 years old and universally acclaimed as one of the leading British directors, although "Happy-Go-Lucky" is only his tenth theatrical feature sine 1971. There's a reason for that. He went another 17 years before making "High Hopes" in 1998, although he kept busy with BBC films and stage work. His problem was, he couldn't get financing to make a film without a screenplay, and he famously has two conditions to make a film: (1) No outside interference, and (2) the screenplay is devised in collaboration with the actors, after the project has started.