The lowdown on film, books, television, music & happenings

By Staff Writer

Movies:

Dunkirk

Acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan wrote and directed this historical thriller about the Dunkirk evacuation during the early days of World War II. When 400,000 British and Allied troops ended up trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, following a terrible defeat, a number of civilian boats set out from Britain to rescue them before they are killed by approaching Nazi forces.

Starring Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, James D’Arcy and Kenneth Branagh amongst many others, this is a war film without the nationalistic, feel-good trappings so common in the genre and really brings the reality of war to the big screen.

TV Series:

Ozark

Netflix’s latest original drama starring Jason Bateman is a deeply gripping drama and is a must watch for any crime-TV fans.

As a money launderer for a Mexican drug cartel, Bateman’s character Marty Byrde finds himself in the crosshairs of his shady employers after his business partner is executed. To try and get out of the danger he’s put them in, he uproots his family from Chicago to a sleepy mountain town in Missouri, Ozark.

The series follows his attempts to get himself out of the mess he’s landed himself, his depressed wife and two teenage kids all the while dealing with the idiosyncrasies of Ozark, where all is not as it seems.

Music:

HOT 100

TOP 5

Books:

This House of

Clay and Water

—By Faiqa Mansab

This House of Clay and Water, written by Lahore’s own Faiqa Mansab and published by Penguin Random House India, has a stirring narrative that explores forbidden love in the city of Lahore.

“It was difficult for me to stop writing this book,” said Faiqa. “It was difficult for me to let go of Nida and Bhanggi. I’d lived with them for so long, I was afraid there would be no others. That I’d hear no new voices and no new stories would reveal themselves to me. But one has to stop editing or the story suffers. And once I had, once I stopped listening to the whisperings of the ghosts of the old story, new voices clamoured to be heard. The new neighbourhood is quite interesting too.”

The novel has  received warm reviews in many prestigous publications, including including the Times of India “Faiqa Mansab’s promising debut This House of Clay and Water is a mesmerizing tale of three souls in search of love, freedom, and identity. Mansab’s book brings to light a fresh brilliance from Pakistan, with a storytelling so sophisticated, it exudes radiance. The novel, set in Lahore, chronicles the city, its repressed femininity looking for a louder voice, and its aspirations in need of a jovial push.”