Im filling in for Mark Kermode to review this weeks releases. The american Actress Aubrey Plaza usually picks really interesting indie films. I loved safety not guaranteed and ingrid goes west. Her latest movie might be her most fascinating yet. Youre so lucky. What do you mean . Youve got a guy who cooks. I cant cook. Like at all. Like anything . Can you cook eggs . I can scramble an egg, maybe. What about a hamburger . Have you ever cooked a hamburger . Baked a potato . Uh uh. You never baked a potato . Black bear begins as a biting Relationships Drama and transforms into something much more complex. Its split into two parts, both set in a remote Lake House and featuring three terrific lead actors aubrey plaza, sarah gadon, and christopher abbott. Orfour actors if you include a real Black Bear. Youre really hard to read. Yeah, you know what . I get that all the time. Part one, called The Bear in the road, is an intense triple hander in which Plazas Character Allison arrives to spend the night with a musician, gabe, and his pregnant partner, blair. The more the alcohol flows, the more the trios debates about modern Life And Feminism turn into full blown arguments, with allison apparently taking sides for sport. Its not i cant stand that you have thoughts about the world, its that i cant stand the thoughts about the world that you have. Its a darkly funny and uncomfortably credible depiction of a bickering couple. Writer Director Lawrence Michael Levine has a real handle on the way that partners can remember things differently and contradict Each Other in public. In part two, called The Bear by the boathouse, the story becomes a Film Shoot featuring the same actors in slightly different roles. Whenever youre ready. Abbott is now a controlling director who plays Mind Games with actress allison, and its incredibly stressful to watch him torture her. Yet as the shoot descends into near chaos, Black Bear is bitterly, brilliantly funny, offering convincing insights into the film making process. You are in love with her. You are. I know it. This explores and critiques the extremes that creative people can go to for their art and while the first part shows what we already knew that plaza is great at sarcastic, Deadpan Comedy The Second Part demonstrates her talent as a serious dramatic actress. Its on digital now. Next up, a documentary about the man who gave Star Wars the Green Light and who suggested that the character of ripley in alien should be a woman. Hes the most influential Movie Executive Youve never heard of. During his career, hes been an agent, a producer, an executive, and a studio head. With 150 Academy Awards nominations and 50 Academy Award wins, hes one of the most prominent executives in the history of hollywood. Not that any of this impressed me much growing up. Just as my dad spent years trying to escape the shadow of his own illustrious father, i tried everything i could to do the same. Laddie, the man behind the movies, tells the story of the Hollywood Producer Alan Ladd jr, known as laddie. Hes the son of Film Star Alan ladd, and was a Big Short At Fox during the seventies before founding the Ladd Company in the eighties. During his career, lader has worked 50 oscar winners, and his story is here told by his daughter, Amanda Ladd jones. Her goal is to understand more about the job that kept him away from her as a child. I think he really liked it. She speaks to many of his collaborators, including sigourney weaver, george lucas, morgan freeman, ron howard, and ben affleck. He said, i think youre really talented and i really loved american graffiti and what else do you have . So i said, lets do it. I particularly enjoyed hearing from director ridley scott, who explains how laddie helped make alien, Blade Runner and Thelma And Louise a reality. Many women in the industry also explain how he gave them a chance when other studios wouldnt. At one point, hes described as gender blind. Why do all roles have to be made for men . Laddie up himself appears much less comfortable talking about his career, perhaps unaccustomed to being in the spotlight, and maybe inevitably, certain areas are skimmed over by his director daughter. At times, this feels like a premature eulogy, but its still a tribute to an impressive career, Loaded With Film Trivia and reminders of classics youll want to rewatch immediately. It is on digitalfrom monday, the 26th of april. Now to a Music Doc and the brilliantly named sisters with transistors. Technology is a tremendous liberator. It blows up power structures. Women were naturally drawn to Electronic Music. You didnt have to be accepted by any of the male dominated resources the radio stations, the record companies, the Concert Hall venues. Directed by Lisa Rovner and narrated by laurie anderson, its a riveting film about the Electronic Music pioneers you may never have heard of, perhaps because theyre all women. I was enthralled by the black and white footage of clara rock moore, a glamorous lithuanian violinist who amazed the world as a Theremin Soloist in the 20s. Theres also terrific Archive Material of daphne 0ram, bebe barron, pauline 0liveros, and the late delia derbyshire, who arranged the doctor who Theme Tune in � 63. To make them of value for a musical piece, we have to shape them and mould them. This has plenty to say about how creative people are shaped by world events. Derbyshire describes being inspired by the abstract sound of Air Raid sirens. The history of women has been a story of silence. Sisters with transistors concludes with a compelling message about the male bias in Music History and demands a change in the way that students are taught. If you are after a fascinating Alternative History of Electronic Music, rent this and turn up the sound. Its in virtual cinemas now. Go to modernfilms. Com. 0nto a film with absolutely no women in it, the oak room. A Concept Thriller set in a bar in snowy canada. Im cleaning up the place. Guess who walks through the door . Out of the blue, he comes in here acting like a big shot. Based on peter genoway� s play, it stars breaking bads Rj Mitte as a lone late night punter, steve, whos clearly got history with the bartender, paul, played by peter 0uterbridge. Ive got something better than cash. Ive got a story. With time to kill, the Pair Trade stories, and so the Action Flashes to a Story Within A story. Steve ends up telling a mysterious tale about a Guy Walking into a bar in eerily similar circumstances to the one theyre in. As sure as im sitting here right now, im getting this bad, bad vibe from this guy. The performances are variable. Some actors go for a more heightened comic tone than others. But i enjoyed the way that explores the art of storytelling, the dark sense of humour, and the twilight zone vibe. Its on digitalfrom monday, april the 26. When i was a kid, teenagers would write their romantic fantasies in their diaries, but young Suzanne Lindon has turned hers into a feature that was selected by the cannes film festival. She writes, directs and stars in Spring Blossom as suzanne, a 16 year old schoolgirl in paris who is monumentally bored. It is when she spots 35 year old actor raphael, she is smitten, and a hesitant romance begins during his time performing at a local theatre. This is a convincing portrait of a possibly inappropriate erotic obsession. I was torn between viewing it as a concerned adult and reminiscing about my own teenage crushes. It is certainly refreshing to have the story entirely from the Point Of View of the girl. Lindon was 15 when she wrote this, so it feels very authentic. Her performance is pleasingly quirky and her direction is tremendously assured. This captures the awkwardness of young romance and indulges in playful stylistic flourishes. It could almost be the work of a young, french miranda july, with an emphasis on the french. Suzannes on screen parents are terribly cosmopolitan and matter of fact about sexual matters. Its no surprise to learn that shes the daughter of actors, sandrine Kiberlain And Vincent lindon. Spring blossom is on Curzon Home Cinema now and it will be in cinemas when they open on may the 17th. Finally, a tribute to one of the worlds most famous fashion designers, pierre cardin. In the 60s, he decided that it is ok to use ajapanese person, a person that look like me with brown skin. What he was selling was not a colour of skin. The Documentary House of cardin is a pacey, colourful insight into the work of cardin. He was actually born in italy but made to paris in 19115. After working for christian dior, he launched the eponymous brand and didnt stop at the famous bubble dress, designing everything from glasses to aeroplanes. In archive interviews, the Young Cardin comes off as pretty pleased with himself. He is rather endearing in his old age. This was filmed before he died last year at the age of 98. It is most remarkable for its eye popping footage of Fashion Shows that were way ahead of their time. Some of his futuristic designs look fabulously outrageous even now. It is kind of amazing. This is an enjoyable portrait of a real self starter, with no shortage of Flamboyant Fashionistas to regale us with colourful tales. Famous faces include naomi campbell, sharon stone, and more surprisingly, alice cooper, who tells an amusing story involving bianca jagger, Catherine Deneuve and a broom cupboard. House of cardin is on digital from the 26th of april. Thanks for watching the Film Review with me, anna smith. Mark kermode will be back next week. Meantime, stay safe. You really dont need to prove anything to me. I prefer weak, sickly men. Hello. The dry sunny weather continues to route through the course of the weekend. The month of april is turning out to be exceptionally dry, with temperatures on the Cool Side for the time of year but through this coming week we will see the return of some scattered showers. Thats down to the fact that low pressure is showing its hand, something we have not seen a little while, moving up the north but it will bring some shower a arena monday. Perhaps one or two light showers into the far north of england and Northern Ireland as well later in the day. Further south across england and wales its dry and once again lots of sunshine, less windy conditions than recent days in the south. Temperatures up to 16 degrees for some western a little Bit Cooler with onshore breeze around the east coast. And hang on into tuesday low pressure still with us and share was rotating around that area of low pressure. Hit and miss scattered showers and things turning colder from the north. Weve seen body after body being brought in. Its hard for anyone to keep count, but what workers have been telling me is that the real scale of deaths caused by covid 19 in india is a lot higher than what official numbers reflect. A showdown over Privacy Facebook and apple, fall out over the launch of a new Software System which asks users for permission before their activity is tracked. And, the years most prestigious film awards the oscars, are due to be handed out in a live scaled Down Ceremony in los angeles