hello from new york. i'm tom brook, and welcome to talking movies, as we look at hollywood's forthcoming summer movie season. mad max is one of my top on the list. deadpool 3. i am excited to see that. the deadpool movies are really funny, and i like to see - a movie that's funny - with other people, so we can all laugh together. mr president, do you regret the use of air strikes against american citizens? and talking movies will also be reporting on the dystopian action film, civil war, a movie following us journalists in the midst of civil disorder, an early—in—the—season big hit, critically praised, but not everyone liked it. i don't think it's a very revealing, revelatory or deep examination of the practice ofjournalism. also, diversity in the film industry — how much progress is being made? in some areas, concerns that representation is getting worse. only 30 films out of 100 featured a female lead or co—lead.

last year it was at 44%, so there's been a shift down. plus, how film fans are exploring new ways of watching movies in small spaces called micro—cinemas. you really don't need more than folding chairs, a projector, and a white wall. hollywood's summer movie season is less clearly defined than it used to be, but certainly the time between now and the beginning of september is vitally important to the film industry. last year, those weeks generated more than $4 billion in revenues for the studios. so, what is hollywood going to do this year to bring out moviegoers in the summer months? well, we've been finding out. plenty of viewing options on offer to movie lovers during hollywood's summer movie season. hi, peanut. i'm going to need you to come with me right now. one of the most hotly anticipated offerings is deadpool & wolverine,

starring ryan reynolds and hugh jackman. it brings deadpool into the marvel cinematic universe. it is marvel�*s only movie of 202a. wait! superhero films are losing their potency, but deadpool 3 is expected to be a triumph. if i were in a box office pool, i'd put deadpool 3 as my number one pick. i think that's the most likely billion—dollar movie this summer. your little cinematic universe is about to change forever. the marvel movies aren't quite the box office performers that they have been over the past 15 years. is that supposed to be scary? but deadpool has always kind of existed in a side part of the superhero world, and i think people like it for that, because the language is worse. ungh!

music: like a prayer by madonna the violence is more extreme, and i think ryan reynolds isjust a sort of popular star for a lot of folks. # they tried to make me go to rehab and i said... - there is some variety at the summer box office. a music film, a new amy winehouse biographical drama, back to black. # no, no, no... and there are some grand, sweeping spectacles coming up, generating excitement. what you build, they will burn down. among them, kevin costner�*s western, horizon: an american saga, in two parts. i want these movies to succeed so desperately, just because i love the idea of a big ego—driven star project. and i also love the idea of, like, a big sweeping western movie to, like, bring all those audiences out. i would love to see that. but what really defines the summer of 2024 is brand familiarity, with so many franchise films and sequels. coming up, kingdom of the planet of the apes, inside out 2... ah—ha! ..despicable me 4...

spluttering ..and horror offerings, including a quiet place: day one... ..and alien: romulus. where is the originality? i think that we're just in this time where it feels like everyone is waiting to find out where the new direction is. a lot of the old giant franchises, your fast and furiouses, you know, marvel mcu, all of those seem to be kind of at the end of their era, and maybe in need of rebooting orjust taking a break. it doesn't seem like any of the studios know what the next big thing is, but they also... no—one wants to be the one to take the lead. there is anxiety in the industry and questions over what kinds of films to make. creative minds, like british author and screenwriter neil gaiman, has his own thoughts about what he would do if he was a studio executive. i would probably try

and green light a lot of lower—budget films. i would look at the fact that genre films, traditionally, things like horror, things like humour, things like cheap science fiction have always done well. and when they work, they can make you a lot of money, and that pays for an awful lot of thoughtful and original films. indeed, these are head—scratching, challenging times for the industry. last year's writers�* and actors�* strikes has meant there's a shortage of films in the pipeline for hollywood summer movie season, and with no sign of a barbenheimer miracle on the horizon, it doesn't look like the studios will be breaking many records or bringing us a host of original creative wonders at the summer box office. arriving in cinemas just before the start of hollywood's summer movie season was the picture civil war. set here in the us in the near future, it presents us with a world where the states of california and texas have

broken away from the union and have their own military forces trying to topple the federal government. newsreaders: 19 states have seceded. the united states army ramps up activity... the movie civil war presents a nightmarish vision of the united states. the country has disintegrated. the film has the form of a road movie, and there are many harrowing moments. there's some kind of misunderstanding here. look, we're american, ok? 0k. what kind of american are you? at the heart of all the action is a veteran war photographer caught up in the mayhem, played by actor kirsten dunst. she claims what director alex garland was aiming for in this production was realism. it was very immersive, kind of almost like a documentary, the way the cameras interacted with all the actors. and so he wanted the movie

to feel as real as possible. this film isn'tjust designed to give audiences a taste of civil war and its horrors. screenwriter and director alex garland hopes it will do more than that. it is an anti—war movie, but it's really got two other focuses. one is political and the other is aboutjournalism. it's a story about journalists and journalism, why we need them and what they do. but it's also asking a question, which is why is good journalism not getting the traction that it gets? what's gone wrong? and then very similar sort of questions about sort of polarised populist politics as well, extremist politics. but no effort is made to explain the ideological forces that led to the civil war. the journalists who define the film's narrative don't mention their own political views or thoughts on why the country has descended into civil war. there is no political context to this action film. this is really an audience movie. it's not telling you what to think. it's not giving you sides. it's really about you, which i think is unique. and alex garland's claim

that this film is also aboutjournalists and why they are so valuable doesn't satisfy some who've seen the movie. what strikes me as a journalist is how badly film and - television often portray what i do for a living, l or how — a completel lack of understanding of what journalists do - and how they are as people. and this film really falls . squarely into that bracket, i'm afraid. i don't think it's a very revealing, revelatory, | or deep examination- of the practice ofjournalism and the people that - populate the profession. despite these complaints, the film does have the power to unnerve. it's a presidential election year in america, highly partisan times, and still in many voters�* minds is the violent storming of the us capitol building in january 2021 by supporters of donald trump, which gave americans a taste of civil disorder. this new film definitely touches a raw nerve. many of us have the fear of losing america�*s liberty, america�*s democracy,

to violent, violent militants. and with everyone armed and so many guns loose, it�*s a plausible nightmare scenario to see this kind of violence. one nation... civil war generated very positive word of mouth when it was launched at the south by southwest film festival in texas in march, and it subsequently earned some strong reviews, and it impressively held the number one spot at the box office beyond its first weekend of release. god bless america. in recent times, efforts have been made to bring about greater diversity and inclusivity in the film industry, but questions linger overjust how effective these endeavours have been. emma jones took stock of matters in the wake of the recent academy awards ceremony to find out just how much progress has been made. emmajones: in the wake of the oscars, taking stock of hollywood�*s efforts

to increase diversity. lily gladstone, becoming the first native american to be recognised with a best actress nomination was seen as a landmark. a recent study looking at the highest—grossing hollywood films found only a quarter of a percent of speaking roles have gone to native american characters. what an extraordinary fact. at an industry event in hollywood for native american women, many felt their own careers might benefit from gladstone�*s success. she�*s holding the door open for all of us to follow in her footsteps. i'm hoping that this is a road, a path that we can open and be inclusive of all the tribes that haven't even been represented yet. we're just beginning. actress mary mcdonnell, oscar—nominated for kevin costner�*s film dances with wolves, set amongst the lakota people in the 1860s, felt gladstone�*s new high profile in hollywood could also be a turning point for native american

storytelling. she has the ability to tell the whole story while holding power inside a system that doesn�*t see her normally. and i think that the strength of that is part of what moves an entire culture forward. for many years, hollywood, and so by extension, the oscars, did not reflect the diversity of the real world around them. nearly a decade, though, after the hashtag #oscarssowhite and the metoo movement appeared, is real change finally upon us? there�*s no doubt the academy and hollywood has improved diversity in some areas. this year, six nominated actors were portraying the lives of lgbt+ individuals, and two of those nominees are gay. congratulations! but there was only one acting winner of colour this year, da�*vinejoy randolph, in the best supporting actress category for the holdovers. you don�*t tell a boy that�*s been left behind at christmas

that nobody wants him. what�*s wrong with you? justine, here we go! only one woman, france�*s justine triet, was nominated in the best director category. according to recent statistics, hollywood�*s commitment to get more women behind the camera actually went backwards in 2023. that�*s despite the billion—dollar box office success of greta gerwig�*s barbie. we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we�*re always doing it wrong. and for female actors, the news isn�*t that good either. a new study by the university of southern california found that the percentage of leading or co—leading female characters in top films was back to where it was 1a years ago. it's at a historic low. historic low for women. right? only 30 films out of 100 featured a female lead or co—lead. last year it was at 44%. so there's been a shift down. and it was at 30% back in 2010.

i think the academy and hollywood has not taken this issue seriously. they have not brought in top experts. we're going to continue to see fits and starts, ups and downs. many commentators say the oscars are the annual reflection of the movie industry, and that there won�*t be significant change until more decision—makers at the studios are from those groups historically sidelined by mainstream hollywood. tom brook: coming up in talking movies, more one major hollywood star who, over the years, has certainly appeared in a number of summer box—office hits, is steve martin. before he was an actor, he was a very successful stand—up comedian. now, at the age of 78, he�*s a subject of a new high—profile documentary. good evening and welcome. my name is steve martin. steve martin! i am a wild and crazy guy!

cheering and applause steve! (martin) a documentary in two pieces explores the life of a man who first made his name with stand—up comedy. his absurdist humour was big on silliness and human fragility. it�*s hard to overestimate how huge steve martin once was. steve was a rock star, and i don't even think steve quite remembers how big of a star he was. i mean, he was outdrawing the eagles and fleetwood mac in concert stadiums. he was a phenomenon in america. the documentary shows how steve martin played with the conventions of stand—up comedy, holding back on punch lines, or indicators, as he calls them, to signal audiences as to when they could laugh. so i had this theory, what if i took out the indicators butjust kept going? i was after that quality that is indefinable, where you say, "i don�*t know why it was funny... "..but it was." when you look back at the early part of your career, when you were doing stand—up, what was it that enabled

you to prevail, do you think? i call it workarounds. you know, to me, talent is when someone goes on a broadway stage and they hit the high note, and then they do the low note, and then they dance across the stage with a big finish with a big note. i couldn�*t do one of those things, so i had to kind of work around, my things that were missing in the talent department. uh, and fortunately, you know, i�*ve been able to learn as i go along, learn how to act. water. in 1977, steve martin could be seen in his debut short film, the absent—minded waiter. four years later, he left stand—up behind, making movies became his focus. he became a big film star. there were so many movies to define his career. the jerk, dirty rotten scoundrels, then films like all of me, that i think was an important film for him because he could be silly and straight in the same movie,

and then these more emotional movies like planes, trains and automobiles, and father of the bride and things that are kind of about who steve really was, you know, which is a very emotional person. surveys of his film career show he�*s been willing to stray from hollywood studio formula. he was so impressed with the bbc production of dennis potter�*s musical romantic drama pennies from heaven, he starred in a film version of it, training to tap dance, for eight months. it was a commercial failure, but many critics praised it. this documentary is more thanjust a chronicle of steve martin�*s daily activities and an iteration of his career achievements. it�*s also the story of a man who made millions laugh but often struggled to find happiness himself. steve had a lot of success, but not a lot of happiness, and then he worked as hard on his happiness as he did on his success. i mean, that to me is actually really inspirational. and now he's happier

than he's ever been. on that point, 78—year—old steve martin would agree. i have a beautifulfamily, and the last part of your life is really about friends and family, and...and working. well, here�*s something you don�*t often see. waaah! this documentary probably won�*t alter prevailing perceptions of steve martin as a very talented and thoughtful performer with many interests. it shows that whatever he�*s tackled in life, he�*s more often than not prevailed by never giving up on himself. and for more than half a century, audiences have never really given up on him. movie houses are somewhat beleaguered, still struggling to bring box office back to pre—covid levels. audiences have been resistant to return, but some enterprising individuals have found new ways of watching movies collectively in so—called micro—cinemas. these do—it—yourself style

exhibition spaces can be found in many different cities — in tokyo, in berlin, and here in new york. talking movies has been investigating. micro—cinemas can be found in all kinds of new york locations, inside this formerfire station, or behind this nondescript brooklyn storefront. they�*re modest, makeshift spaces, often showing experimental or non—mainstream work. micro—cinema is, put simply, just a small cinema. you really don�*t need more than folding chairs, a projector, and a white wall. staffed often by dedicated volunteers with a passion forfilm, micro—cinema programmers use their imagination to offer something quite different from the multiplex experience. the mission is to run laps around better subsidised for—profit repertory movie theatres by showing films that should be on their radars.

it's usually going to be a monster movie from the 19705 that played at midnight, or perhaps a ground—breaking documentary fiction hybrid about some, you know, niche but extremely important political issue, you know, from a bygone era. this trailer is promoting a long—established new york micro—cinema, dctv, a venue that has a loyal following. do you know kim's video? among the recent documentaries shown here was kim�*s video, a film which explores a legendary now—closed new york video store. the co—editor of the documentary came to the dctv screening. to him, a big plus of micro—cinemas is that they provide a space for film—makers like himself to interact directly with audiences. it�*s like a learning experience for both sides. i feel like it�*s rather unique to small cinemas in a way that you�*d never get at a multiplex, so i don�*t need to have an enormous audience. i�*m not even that excited about a million people streaming at home as much as i am having a small dialogue

with an audience who cares about movies. in the financially fragile world of independent film—making, micro—cinemas are being seen as a real lifeline of particular help to documentary film—makers. we are a part of the documentary ecosystem in the world, and when we opened, which was right after the pandemic, it was also just a really challenging time that most documentary films were not being bought, and we're one of the few cinemas in new york that can screen films that don't have distributors. those who run micro—cinemas view them as a permanent feature of the landscape, a way of seeing films which will prevail and develop. micro—cinemas will continue to evolve because cinema itself is always evolving. at the same time, i think that part of the allure of micro—cinemas and cinemas in general is that they address a very fundamental need for people to come together to partake in a kind of public

ritual in a shared space. that desire to see movies together is perhaps more than anything else what sustains micro—cinemas. despite the convenience of streaming, gathering together in the dark, even in small numbers, to watch a film, still for many holds an unbeatable magic. well, that brings this edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you�*ve enjoyed the programme. please remember, you can always reach us online. so, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies team here in new york city, it�*s goodbye, as we leave you with some images from kinds of kindness, the new film from director yorgos lanthimos, starring emma stone, that will be unveiled later this month at the cannes film festival. # sweet dreams are made of this # who am i to disagree? # i travel the world

and the seven seas # everybody�*s looking for something # sweet dreams are made of this # who am i to disagree? # i travel the world and the seven seas # everybody�*s looking for something isn't it wonderful? hello there. although temperatures in northwest scotland reached 19 degrees on saturday, other parts of scotland were not as lucky. in argyll and bute it was a lot chillier. here we had temperatures of 23 degrees on friday but it was back down to 15 at best on saturday. further south though it felt a lot warmer because the sun was out — bedford one of the warmest parts of the country. we�*ve got a bit of fair cloud

and a little rain heading into the southwest of england by the morning, pushing into wales, eventually towards the south—east of england, but ahead of that, plenty of sunshine, mist and fog patches clearing, cloud will bubble up, the odd shower perhaps. we have more cloud though and more showers come into scotland and the far north of england. should be a bit drier and maybe brighter across northern ireland. but the highest temperatures are going to be across northern england and into the midlands, 18 or 19 degrees here, with some sunny spells. could be a bit of a sleazy day, mind you. we are moving into the grass pollen season and pollen levels are going to be high across the midlands and southern england, even though in the south, we�*re going to find a bit more cloud just dampening down the temperatures. most of that rain we see here will fade away during the evening but we will import some rain from the continent later on in the night and we�*ve still got those heavy showers pushing down across scotland and into the far north of england. then, for the bank holiday monday morning, temperatures are going to start at around eight or nine degrees. fly in the ointment on bank holiday monday is that weather front there, it�*s not really moving very far

at all and around it, we are pushing in more cloud and probably more rain actually for southeastern parts of england into central southern england and in towards the midlands. still got cloud and heavy showers in scotland, the far north of england. maybe staying dry but maybe cloudy in northern ireland and across other parts of northern england, wales, the midlands, towards the south—west, there will be some heavy and thundery, slow—moving showers in the afternoon. on the whole, more showers around for bank holiday monday, temperatures not quite so high, almost anywhere could catch a shower. tuesday though looks a little bit drier. we have still got the odd shower around across scotland, into northern england, the midlands, perhaps into wales, but not as many showers, not as heavy showers. the south and southeast are looking dry and warm, it may well be dry in northern ireland once again. and the theme as we head further into next week is for high pressure to build and that means things for many of us will turn dry, there will be some sunshine and those temperatures will be climbing as well.

live from washington. this is bbc news. hamas and israel remain at odds over a ceasefire deal — but negotiations in cairo are expected to continue. the us is reportedly set to send fresh military aid to haiti, to help its new government re—assert control over gangs. and a nail biter in elections in england — labour win the mayoral contest

in the west midlands capping a bleak set of local election results for the conservative party. hello. i�*m carl nasman. efforts are intensifying to secure a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in gaza as the israel—hamas war approaches the seven—month mark. a delegation of hamas negotiators arrived in cairo on saturday. cia director william burns is also in the egyptian capital to mediate. the talks are reported to have ended for the day — with a senior hamas official telling the afp news agency there have been "no developments" but talks are expected to continue sunday. let�*s take a look at where things stand. the main sticking point is whether a ceasefire deal will be permanent or temporary. a hamas official says the group will not agree to a truce that does not fully end the gaza war. israel is reluctant to agree to this. israeli forces remain active in gaza. mediators have been waiting for hamas to respond to an israeli proposal to halt the fighting for forty days —

and to exchange hostages, for palestinian prisoners.