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Sabtu, 13 Juli 2019

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle attended Wimbledon together again: Which family member joined them? - AOL

The duchesses take Wimbledon!

One year after making their first joint appearance together at the tennis tournament, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle returned to the All England Club for the 2019 women's final between Serena Williams and Simona Halep.

The royals sat side-by-side in the front row of Centre Court's Royal Box during each of their second visits to the grand slam. Kate wore a fitted green dress adorned with gold buttons, while Meghan wore a white shirt tucked into a patterned pleated skirt.

Sitting next to them? Kate's younger sister, Pippa, who made her third appearance during the two-week tournament to join Meghan and Kate on Saturday.

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Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton attend 2019 Wimbledon final together

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: (L-R) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Pippa Middleton attend the Royal Box during Day twelve of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in the Royal Box on Centre Court during day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Royal Box during Day twelve of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge and The Duchess of Sussex on day twelve of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Pippa Middleton in the Royal Box on Centre Court during day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/Getty Images)

The Duchess of Sussex arrives on day twelve of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. (Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives for a visit ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she meets members of staff ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrives on day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she arrives on a visit ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) meets junior players ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) meets junior players (L-R) Latvia's Kamilla Bartone, Russia's Oksana Selekmeteva, Russia's Polina Kudermetova and France's Giulia Morlet ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge chats to members of staff during a visit ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 13, 2019. (Photo by Victoria Jones / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives ahead of the Women's Final on day twelve of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Victoria Jones - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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The Duchess of Cambridge, who became the Patron of Wimbledon at the end of 2016, previously stepped out for the tennis tournament's second day, where she surprised everyone by showing up to an outer court. The Duchess of Sussex attended with some of her college friends on the Fourth of July to watch one her pal Serena's early round matches.

Meghan's first outing at Wimbledon sparked controversy when she reportedly requested for a security guard to ask a fan sitting nearby in Court 1 to not take photos of her.

Their joint outing to the women's final comes amid nearly a year of speculation that there has been some level of bad blood between the two duchesses behind the scenes, but they've continuously put to rest those rumors during their more recent appearances with the royal family.

40 PHOTOS

Royal family at Trooping the Colour

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge appear on the balcony during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York appear on the balcony during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex ride by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II appear on the balcony during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York appear on the balcony during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 08: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, although the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 08: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, although the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2019/06/08: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is seen in a carriage on her way to Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which marks her 93rd birthday. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2019/06/08: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge (R) and Meghan Duchess of Sussex (L) are seen in a carriage on their way to the Horse Guards Parade during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which marks the 93rd birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest reigning monarch. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 08: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, although the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2019/06/08: Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are seen in a carriage on their way to Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which marks the 93rd birthday of, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest reigning monarch. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge rides by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Lady Louise Windsor rides by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex rides by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Andrew, Duke of York seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Autumn Phillips, Peter Phillips, Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Louis and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Princess Eugenie Windsor and Jack Brooksbank during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Princess Beatrice Windsor and Jack Brooksbank during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex rides by carriage down the Mall during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: (L-R) Lady Louise Windsor, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, James Viscount Severn and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York leave Buckingham Palace in a carriage during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive to Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive to Buckingham Palace in a carriage during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge leave Buckingham Palace in a carriage during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 08: Autumn Phillips, Peter Phillips and their children Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 08: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge ride in an open carriage as they attend Trooping the Colour on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 08: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince Louis of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge wave from a window of Buckingham Palace as they attend Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London, England. The annual ceremony involving over 1400 guardsmen and cavalry, is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. The parade marks the official birthday of the Sovereign, although the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21st. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Lady Louise Windsor attends Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 08: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York appear on the balcony during Trooping The Colour, the Queen's annual birthday parade, on June 08, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

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https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2019/07/13/kate-middleton-meghan-markle-attend-wimbledon-final-together-with-pippa-middleton/23768974/

2019-07-13 13:10:42Z
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Big Little Lies: HBO responds to reports of behind-the-scenes drama on Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep show - The Independent

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https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/big-little-lies-season-2-hbo-andrea-arnold-nicole-kidman-meryl-streep-jean-marc-vallee-fight-a9003271.html

2019-07-13 11:51:00Z
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Queen Elizabeth Is 'Astonished' and 'Very Impressed' by Meghan Markle - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

In spite of the torrent of negative press that Meghan Markle has received, she has actually been embraced by the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth.

Now that Markle is slowly preparing to head back to her royal duties, following the birth of Archie Harrison on May 8, the whole world is waiting and watching to see how Markle will handle the transition to working mother. According to a new report, it seems as though there’s at least one very important person in Markle’s corner.

Queen Elizabeth II | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan Markle is a hard worker

Although Meghan Markle is now in a position of privilege, she was definitely not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her mother was a social worker and yoga instructor, while her father was a television lighting director. Markle was interested in the arts from an early age, and by the time she was a young woman, had established a solid career in movies and television, playing a variety of small parts. She also supported herself with other odd jobs, including teaching calligraphy.

In 2011, Meghan Markle landed her career-defining role as Rachel Zane on the TV series Suits. While starring on the show, Markle continued to lend her time and energy to various charitable organizations and became a vocal supporter of feminist causes and charities that work towards gender equality. She even wrote articles for Elle magazine about the importance of social responsibility.

When Markle met Prince Harry in 2016, and as their relationship started to grow and deepen, she likely realized that she would have to step away from her Hollywood career if she wanted to make it work with Prince Harry.

The two announced their engagement in 2017, and Markle slowly started to retreat from the spotlight – but all the while, she was hard at work with planning the next phase of her life, and how she could use her influence to do good in the world.

Meghan Markle stayed busy all throughout her pregnancy

Following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s May 2018 wedding, many fans wondered when the newly married pair would decide to start their own family. As it turns out, they didn’t have long to wait – in October 2018, Markle and Prince Harry announced that they were expecting a baby.

Most pregnant women don’t feel up to doing much more than lazing around on the couch and ordering takeout, but Markle kept hard at work all throughout her pregnancy.

In addition to accompanying Prince Harry at all of his events and appearances, Markle looked fabulous while doing so – even wearing four-inch heels. As her bump grew bigger, Markle even revealed that she still works out and tries to stay as healthy as possible.

Queen Elizabeth is a firm supporter of Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle gave birth to her and Prince Harry’s son, Archie Harrison, on May 8th. Reportedly, she had a stress-free birth and the baby arrived healthy and adorable. Although Markle did not have the home birth that she supposedly wanted, the hospital birth was without complications. The new parents have been relatively under the radar since the baby’s arrival, but within the next couple months, Markle will start resuming her royal duties.

Reportedly, Queen Elizabeth is very impressed with the way that Markle has managed to handle motherhood in the spotlight thus far, and is especially thrilled with her drive and work ethic.

It’s certain that Markle will need all the support and encouragement she can get when she returns to work later this year. Balancing work and parenting is a difficult task, as any mother can attest to, and with the immense amount of pressure on Markle, it’s probably that much harder.

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2019-07-13 07:10:40Z
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Federal R. Kelly Investigation Uncovered 20 Underage Sex Tapes - TMZ

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TMZ

R. Kelly's behind bars thanks in large part to his own inner circle -- enablers and ex-employees who handed the feds videos of Kelly having sex with underage girls, according to the attorney for multiple alleged victims.

Gerald Griggs -- who represents Joycelyn Savage's family among others -- tells TMZ the federal investigation run by the Northern District of Illinois uncovered over 20 videos of Kelly engaged with minors.

Both Griggs and our federal law enforcement sources tell us the tapes show multiple victims ... and prosecutors confirmed with multiple witnesses the girls were underage. Griggs says several of Kelly's enablers -- past and present -- flipped and turned over the tapes to investigators. He says those videos were exactly what the feds needed to secure indictments for sex crimes, including child pornography.

We broke the story last month ... an ex-employee testified the singer regularly recorded his sexual encounters with underage girls, and believed the feds got their hands on some of that video.

As we reported ... Kelly was arrested Thursday after a federal grand jury handed up a 13-count indictment, including 4 counts of producing child pornography and 2 counts of receiving child pornography.

Of course, he's facing another 5-count federal indictment out of the Eastern District of NY which includes racketeering and 4 violations of the Mann Act. Prosecutors in Brooklyn want to keep Kelly locked up until his trial too.

TMZ.com

Meanwhile, Joycelyn's parents say they're desperately trying to get in touch with her and get her help ... and won't feel any vindication over Kelly's arrest until they do.

We've reached out to Kelly's team ... no word back so far. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Northern Illinois had no comment.

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2019-07-13 08:00:00Z
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HBO ‘Extremely Proud’ of Andrea Arnold’s Work Amid ‘Big Little Lies’ Dust-Up - Variety

July 12, 2019 5:55PM PT

HBO said Friday that it is “extremely proud” of the work of “Big Little Lies” director Andrea Arnold, in response to an IndieWire story earlier that day that said creative control over the series was “yanked away” from her in favor of executive producer and Season 1 director Jean-Marc Vallee.

“There wouldn’t be a Season 2 of Big Little Lies without Andrea Arnold,” said HBO in a statement. “We at HBO and the producers are extremely proud of her work. As with any television project, the executive producers work collaboratively on the series and we think the final product speaks for itself.”

According to IndieWire’s reporting, Arnold had been under the impression that she had creative freedom over the second season, and was not told that her footage would be subject to molding to Vallee’s style.

Arnold’s name began trending on Twitter in California in the wake of the story Friday, and vocal users have been using the hashtag #ReleaseTheArnoldCut to voice their displeasure. In apparent response to the issue, director Ava DuVernay tweeted: “Dear Andrea Arnold. Thank you for all of your beautiful work. Can’t wait to experience more and more. We are lucky to have you. Your fan, Ava.”

“One of the most damning details of the Indiewire report is its suggestion that the new edit scrubbed the season of Arnold’s particular ‘grace notes,’ especially her way of filming between the lines on the page,” wrote Variety TV critic Caroline Framke. “With vanishingly few exceptions, that Season 2 dulled Arnold’s specific voice and more wholly embraced that of writer David E. Kelley is obvious from watching it.”

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2019-07-13 00:55:00Z
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Jumat, 12 Juli 2019

CRAWL Review: More Gator, Less Bait - Birth.Movies.Death.

From a critic, “good for what it is” always sounds like a movie’s being damned with faint praise, as if failing to transcend whatever idea is at the heart of a story actually constitutes failure. But when you’re making a movie about a young woman and her father fighting off alligators during a hurricane, don’t you want that film to be exactly what it is? Quite frankly, the more a filmmaker tries to gussy up a premise like that with superfluous details and digressions, the worse it tends to be.

All of which is why Crawl, Alexandre Aja’s streamlined thriller about just that concept, manages to be so effective. Coming from the director of Piranha 3D, it’s easy to assume that this film’s tongue is firmly in its cheek, the camp level is high, and its goal is to generate as much gore per minute of celluloid. But Aja aims for a more naturalistic survival thriller - more Die Hard than Lake Placid - that proves genuinely suspenseful, thanks to a smartly contained environment, few acts of plot-necessitated stupidity, and strong, relatable performances from Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper.

Scodelario (The Maze Runner: The Death Cure) plays Haley Keller, a very good but not-quite-great swimmer who goes looking for her father Dave (Pepper) during the early stages of a Category 5 tropical hurricane when her sister Beth (Morfydd Clark) calls with news that he hasn’t answered his phone and is possibly missing. Ignoring warnings from the local police, Haley ventures to her childhood home, where she finds Dad unconscious and seriously injured in the crawlspace. But just as she attempts to drag him back to safety, an alligator attacks, forcing the two of them to retreat to one of the few safe corners beneath the house.

Slowly recovering, Dad helps hatch a plan to escape, but their danger escalates considerably when water begins flooding the space, exposing them not only to alligators that can more easily hunt, but the imminent risk of drowning if they can’t get out before it fills up. But even as the authorities arrive on the scene to search for stranded homeowners, the rising waters play host to an increasing number of bloodthirsty gators, and the imminent threat of nearby levees breaking promises to flood the area completely, even if Haley and her father are able to escape death beneath their family home.

Again, given Aja’s pedigree with campy showdowns between aquatic monsters and hapless coeds, not to mention this particular horror subgenre’s penchant for leaning into cartoonish spectacle, Crawl already has a few strikes against it - at least in terms of immediately taking the movie seriously. But the script by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen treats both the human characters and their beastly adversaries with a sobering gravity that sustains a palpable sense of danger and a consistent feeling of believability even when Haley and her dad are shifting their attention from desperate rescue attempts to delicate familial reconciliations. The latter never overwhelms the former, but Aja draws out the complex dynamic between father and his estranged daughter specifically through, rather than in spite of, the peril in which they find themselves.

Moreover, Aja depicts the alligators themselves as realistic beasts - a swarming menace able to inflict immediate and brutal pain - but they’re never super-sized nor supernaturally capable; there’s likely a few cheats in there somewhere, but it never feels like a battle of wills between Haley, her dad and the ‘gators, but a true fight for survival against a virtually prehistoric but convincingly physical force of nature. That said, they of course need someone to dismember, as well as some additional characters to complicate Haley and her dad’s escape attempt, and the Rasmussens’ script skillfully introduces characters that enter the story organically - and inevitably exit it as food.

Scodelario is a dynamic, gifted actress, and under what appears to have been a mandate not to shriek in terror, she gives Haley a strength and determination that makes her much more than just a potential victim. Even if the script stacks the deck in terms of her underwater capabilities - there’s a scene where she holds her breath for what seems like several minutes - she convinces the audience that Haley is capable of pulling such things off. Meanwhile, Pepper beautifully conveys weary self-disappointment as Dave, but it’s that character’s endless resourcefulness, and eventually, resilience to life-threatening injury, that test the tensile strength of realism. Nevertheless, they make a great pair, working together to solve escalating problems while working through their issues as parent and child.

Aja’s versatility has never felt as vibrant as it does here, turning out a lean, smart, ruthless thriller that knows how to scare an audience without sacrificing his characters either as fodder for gore gags or as ciphers for a paper-thin narrative. At 87 minutes, it jumps right into the story, puts its heroine through her paces, and never takes shortcuts to generate suspense, much less manufacture phony drama. In which case, yes, Crawl definitely is very good for what it is; but in an era where screenwriting seems to demand gymnastic complications and characters with long-winded, distracting personal problems, to pare down a story like this to its most essential elements - survival, and humanity - it may be even better for what it isn’t.

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https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2019/07/12/crawl-review-more-gator-less-bait

2019-07-12 13:50:00Z
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