TODAY’S PEOPLE
‘The Lost King,’ a redo for Richard III
Richard III didn’t need a horse for his kingdom. He just needed Philippa Langley.
Langley was a single mother and amateur historian living in Edinburgh, Scotland, who became increasingly obsessed with the English monarch long portrayed as one of the great villains of history.
Stephen Frears’ “The Lost King” dramatizes the true tale of Langley’s dogged pursuit to unearth Richard’s true story and long-lost remains.
It’s the kind of comic, eminently British underdog story that Frears excels at, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review.
And with Sally Hawkins playing Langley, “The Lost King” makes for a sturdy and modestly stirring tale of reappraisal. Book ban attempts hit record high
NEW YORK — A new report from the American Library Association says attempted book bannings and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2022.
The report released Thursday says more than 1,200 challenges were recorded by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone is the director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
She says she has “never seen anything like this,” and calls the past two years “exhausting, frightening, outrage inducing.”
Librarians around the country have told of being harassed, and threatened with violence or legal action. ‘Tori and Lokita’ in theaters Friday
It’s one of the great ironies of cinema that many — not all, but many — of the most seemingly arthouse filmmakers make some of the most approachable films.
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are imposing names in cinema; the Belgian brothers have twice won the Palme d’Or. But you would be hard pressed to find many filmmakers who have beaten a more humanistic path, trailing working-class protagonists with handheld cameras and deep wells of empathy.
It’s been nearly a decade, though, since the Dardennes made a real impression. But in “Tori and Lokita,” a heart-wrenching immigrant drama that opens in theaters Friday, they make a thrilling return to form.