Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 93

“Family Pack” on Netflix: A French Family Time-Travel Comedy

“Family Pack” is a Netflix movie starring Franck Dubosc and Jean Reno. It is directed by François Uzan.

“Family Pack” is a delightful family movie that doesn’t aim to challenge anyone’s mental frameworks: it’s a fun family entertainment featuring a family that travels back in time to the 15th century. The film is entertaining, amusing, and without too many aesthetic aspirations. It’s a good family comedy designed to fulfill its purpose without any ambition to become a classic in the history of cinema.

Plot

The story follows a French family who, through a magical book, finds themselves playing a mystical game where each member is assigned a unique role and special ability. They must navigate the challenges of the Middle Ages and protect their daughter, who has been transformed into a werewolf by the game.

About the Film

Entertaining and unpretentious, “Family Pack” is a solid family comedy that features two prominent French cinema stars, Franck Dubosc and Jean Reno, as its main attractions. It is an enjoyable movie that, however, does not aim to be anything more than what it is. The film has a good pace and well-drawn characters within the confines imposed by the family genre. Don’t expect grandiose sets or spectacular special effects: while the effects are decent, the film never stands out visually or in terms of aesthetic ambitions. It merely offers a more or less pleasant comedy about the differences between the Middle Ages and the modern era, with characters out of their time.

“Family Pack” does, however, feature well-developed characters. Despite being framed within a context of friendliness and family orientation, the stories and characters are well-crafted and the screenplay is strong. It addresses a marital crisis, children from different marriages, and various issues concerning modern family concepts. The film contains irony, humor, and a few touches of intelligent wit, but it is not the epitome of sophisticated French comedy.

Our Opinion

If you are expecting something akin to a Christopher Nolan film, you will be disappointed by its simple and family-friendly premise. However, if you are simply looking to have a good time with your family, this movie offers all the classicism and essence of traditional entertainment to ensure you have fun with your loved ones.

Where to Watch “Family Pack”

Netflix

“This Is the Zodiac Speaking” – Netflix Documentary: Unveiling the Truth About the Zodiac Killer?

“This Is the Zodiac Speaking” is a Netflix docuseries directed by Ari Mark and Philip Lott.

For decades, the Zodiac Killer (or simply Zodiac) has remained an enigma and a mystery. This man terrorized young victims using various weapons and sent cryptic messages to newspapers, sharing details that only the police would know. Indeed, the man who wrote to the newspapers was unquestionably the perpetrator of these heinous crimes and was, without a doubt, mentally unstable.

Over the years, this killer was a puzzle and instilled fear among the population around San Francisco. Now, Netflix has taken on the challenge of reconstructing this chilling narrative, providing testimonies and insights into what transpired and who the man known as “Zodiac” really was. His name, it turns out, is Arthur Leigh Allen.

About the Documentary.

This captivating case has inspired numerous films and series, with David Fincher’s adaptation being the most renowned. In the late 1960s, it was one of the most sensational cases in American media: cryptograms sent to newspapers, cold-blooded murders…

“This Is the Zodiac Speaking” is an outstanding true crime documentary that delves into the case, featuring firsthand accounts from those who knew Arthur Leigh Allen and explaining why he was identified as the Zodiac Killer. Allen was a music enthusiast, a burly figure, and an excellent swimmer who also happened to be a schoolteacher.

If you’ve followed the Zodiac case or are a fan of true crime documentaries, “This Is the Zodiac Speaking” is an absolutely essential watch. This remains the most famous unsolved serial killer case in the United States, and the documentary presents credible testimonies and seemingly irrefutable evidence.

Why wasn’t he caught? The famous inspectors Dave Toschi and Bill Armstrong were in charge of the investigation. The documentary also includes testimonies from a journalist who covered the case and individuals who were close to Arthur Leigh Allen, detailing how the murders began in Vallejo (near San Francisco) and how his crimes spread.

As you may already know, he is believed to have committed 12 murders, corresponding to the 12 signs of the Zodiac.

Interested in learning more? This is a documentary you won’t want to miss on Netflix, offering a deep dive into a pivotal part of American history that has become a significant element of the country’s iconography and popular culture.

Where to Watch “This Is the Zodiac Speaking”

Netflix

Photography Exhibition: Annie Leibovitz “Stream of Consciousness” – Hauser & Wirth New York

Opening on 2 November, ‘Annie Leibovitz: Stream of Consciousness’ presents a group of works—landscapes, still lifes and portraits––made by the distinguished American artist over the last two decades. Forgoing a linear timeline and conventional thematic constraints, the exhibition reveals Leibovitz’s associative thought processes and the fluid visual dialogue created among photographs that call attention to significant cultural markers of our time.

‘Stream of Consciousness’ features both familiar images of iconic writers, performers and visual artists—Louise Bourgeois, Billie Eilish and Salman Rushdie are among them––and images that have never been exhibited publicly before. These include the Selldorf suite of photographs, which was created at the historic Frick Collection on East 70th Street in New York City just days after Leibovitz returned from a visit with Annabelle Selldorf at the architect’s home in Maine. Selldorf had been charged with the sensitive task of the revered museum’s renovation and she had spoken to Leibovitz about the design challenges she was addressing. When they met again at the construction site in Manhattan, Leibovitz composed the four images that visitors will see first upon entering this exhibition.

‘Steam of Consciousness’ includes portraits of contemporary cultural figures such as Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Stephen Hawking alongside images of landscapes, interiors and historical ephemera—Abraham Lincoln’s top hat and Elvis Presley’s bullet-riddled television. The associative juxtapositions show Leibovitz’s diverse range of subjects and ability to balance intimacy and theatricality, the exquisitely personal and the grandly universal. Her eye is guided by intuition and a preternatural sense of narrative.

Annie Leibovitz© Annie LeibovitzCourtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

ScreenshotBrice Marden’s studio, Tivoli, Upstate New York 2024
Archival pigment print
50.8 x 66 cm / 20 x 26 in
Upstate New York
2024
Archival pigment print 50.8 x 66 cm / 20 x 26 in
Patti Smith, MacDougal Street 2024
Archival pigment print
50.8 x 73.7 cm / 20 x 29 in
Edward Hopper’s childhood home, Nyack 2024
Archival pigment print
50.8 x 72.4 cm / 20 x 28 1/2 in
Georgia O’Keeffe’s rattlesnake, Abiquiu, New Mexico 2024
Archival pigment print
50.8 x 66 cm / 20 x 26 in
James Turrell’s Roden Crater, Arizona 2024
Archival pigment print
50.8 x 66 cm / 20 x 26 in

About the artist

Leibovitz is the recipient of many honors. In 2006, she was made a Commandeur in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. She has received the International Center of Photography’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the first Creative Excellence Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors, the Centenary Medal of the Royal Photographic Society in London, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art Award to Distinguished Women in the Arts, the Wexner Prize and the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities. She has been designated a Living Legend by the United States Library of Congress and and in 2024 was inducted into the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She lives in New York with her three children, Sarah, Susan and Samuelle.

Several collections of Leibovitz’s work have been published. They include ‘Annie Leibovitz: Photographs,’ (1983); ‘Annie Leibovitz: Photographs 1970–1990,’ (1991); ‘Olympic Portraits’ (1996); ‘Women,’ (1999), in collaboration with Susan Sontag; ‘American Music,’ (2003); ‘A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005,’ (2006); ‘Annie Leibovitz at Work’ (2008; revised edition 2018 and 2024), a first-person commentary on her career; and ‘Pilgrimage,’ (2011); ‘Annie Leibovitz: Portraits 2005-2016,’ (2017); ‘Annie Leibovitz: The Early Years, 1970-1983,’ (2018); ‘Annie Leibovitz: Wonderland,’ (2021).

OpenAI vs Other AI Platforms: How Does it Compare?

The rapid advancement in the field of artificial intelligence has given birth to a number of Large Language Models (LLMs), each of which is distinct and has various applications. This post is examining the position of OpenAI’s models within the context of other AI platforms, their competitive analytics as well as potentialities in the market, and the user audiences.

What is OpenAI?

OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence research organization founded in December 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, California.

What is LLM?

Let’s start with the basics.

A Large Language Model (LLM) is an advanced AI system trained on vast amounts of text data to understand, generate, and predict human language, enabling tasks like translation, summarisation, and conversation.

Five popular Large Language Models (LLMs) include:

GPT-4 (by OpenAI)BERT (by Google)LaMDA (by Google)LLaMA (by Meta)PaLM (by Google)OpenAI at a GlanceIndustry            Artificial intelligenceFoundedDecember 11, 2015; 8 years agoHeadquartersSan Francisco, California, U.S.CEOSam AltmanProductsOpenAI Five GPT-12344o DALL·E OpenAI Codex ChatGPT SearchGPT Sorao1Revenue$3.6 billion

Any discussion of OpenAI is incomplete without mentioning Sam Altman and Elon Musk.

The Early Days of OpenAI – Elon Musk & Sam Altman

Key figures in the establishment of OpenAI in 2015 included Sam Altman and Elon Musk, who sought to develop artificial intelligence responsibly. Musk, then an over-celebrated CEO and founder of Tesla and Space X, invested and changed the course early on, while suspiciously Sam Altman, then the president of Y Combinator, was appointed the CEO of Open AI and supervised its research and policy formulation.

Elon Musk’s Departure from OpenAI

In 2018, however, Musk left the board, expressing concerns about the control of the AI bottlenecks associated with the activities of Tesla, and turned out to be more positive about AI safety. Within a year, he transformed OpenAI’s mission from a stale operation into a dominant position in AI research and the development of innovative products, inclusive of the ground-breaking GPT 3.

The Explosive Growth of ChatGPT

ChatGPT has surged in popularity, which may be regarded as a turning point in the evolution of AI, especially regarding the way people use such technology. Unveiled to the public by the company OpenAI in November 2022, ChatGPT garnered lot of attention by creating human-like content, responding to queries and engaging with users on varied subjects.

Moreover, ChatGPT can be a subject-matter expert on almost all niches, including progressive betting in roulette, astrology and horoscope interpretations, mathematical problem-solving techniques, gardening tips for various climates, and nutritional advice for healthy eating, providing valuable insights and guidance across these diverse topics.

Top Five Chat Gpt User Statistics

User Growth: Within a period of only five days since it was made available to the public, ChatGPT managed to attract more than 1 million users, being released in November 2022 and indicating significant interest in AI conversation agents.

Daily Active Users: By the beginning of 2024, ChatGPT had more than 100 million active monthly users, which illustrates the inclusion of the application in the different user segments across numerous sectors.

Usage Frequency: Most ChatGPT users reported frequent usage of the service with some individuals indicating the repetitive nature of the usage, with those connecting more than once on typical days.

Business Adoption: As many as 50% of top 500 corporations have either started using this ChatGPT or any of such artificial intelligences for business optimization and interaction with customers.

Global Reach: ChatGPT in its functioning interacts in several languages thus cutting across cultures and six users from over a hundred countries use the system for education, fashion, and work among other activities.

Popular Large Language Models

Here are 5 examples of Large Language Models (LLM) which one can compare and contrast to those available from OpenAI.

BERT: BERT or Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers are products from Google. This application is meant to Read for the meaning and relationships of the words used in searches. That leads to better understanding of natural languages and therefore better results.

LaMDA or Language Model for Dialogue Applications: This is another release from Google but LaMDA is more of conversational and dialogue generation making it more successful at generating interaction.

LLaMA or Large Language Model Meta AI: Metas LlaMA attempts to build a efficacious and powerful LLM for assorted tasks but more of research and academics.

T5 or Text-to-Text Transfer Estimator: Google also made the T5 where all NLP tasks are done by formulating the problems as that of a “text to text” and hence regardless of the task success is welcomed.

Claude: Anthropic Clade stems for Claude is an AI model aimed to medicine the safe and responsible synergies between AI model capabilities and AI ethics noticeably ‘safety and alignment’.

These models indicate the competition within the LLM market where every player possesses different advantages and usage in the area of natural language processing.

OpenAI vs Other AI Platforms: How Does it Compare?ModelDeveloperKey FeaturesPrimary Use CasesStrengthsUser BaseEstimated RevenueGPT-4OpenAIAdvanced language generation, fine-tuning capabilitiesConversational AI, content creationHigh-quality responses, versatility in tasksOver 100 million monthly usersEstimated over $1 billion in 2023BERTGoogleBidirectional context understandingSearch optimization, text classificationStrong understanding of context and intentIntegrated into Google SearchPart of Google’s overall revenueLLaMAMetaEfficient and powerful model for various tasksResearch, academic applicationsScalability, designed for research purposesPrimarily academic/researchRevenue not directly quantifiedCopilotMicrosoftIntegrates with Microsoft Office, code generationProductivity, programming assistanceSeamless integration, user-friendlyOver 20 million users Estimated over $500 million in 2023OpenAI VS Co-Pilot

OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot (GitHub Copilot) are two of the most popular AI tools. However, they are tailored towards different use-cases.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT excels in natural language processing, providing human-like chats for creative writing and technical questions.

Microsoft’s Copilot employs AI to simplify and streamline the coding process. It leverages the OpenAI Codex to bridge the gap between human language and programming languages.

Conclusion

The field of Large Language Models changes extremely quickly, and the companies driving the development, namely OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Anthropic, are among the leaders in the sphere of natural language processing.

Every model has different properties and purposes developed for different tasks and thus target different customers. Many domains would continue to be transformed by AI, and therefore, these models need to be comprehended to harness them appropriately and efficiently.

Danish Americana Music: VINGARD’s New Single

Danish songwriter Vingard has crafted her unique take on Americana music. On Friday, she will release her new single, “House On The Hill.”

When does vulnerability transform into strength? This pressing question lies at the heart of Vingard’s latest single, “House on the Hill.”

With “House On The Hill,” Vingard invites her audience into a heartwarming narrative that delves into themes of courage, vulnerability, and hope. The song speaks to the daring act of letting go of fear and stepping into the unknown, trusting that love and genuine connection can build a strong foundation.

Last September, the charming singer released her debut album, “In The Long Run,” which was met with great success. She has since been nominated for “New Roots Artist of the Year” at the Danish Music Awards, cementing her status as one of the most promising names in the Danish roots scene.

ingard

Rare Georgia O’Keeffe Primrose Painting to Feature Prominently at Bonhams’ 20th / 21st Century Art Evening Sale

An extraordinary piece by the celebrated American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1888-1986) is set to be the highlight of Bonhams’ 20th / 21st Century Art Evening Sale on November 20 in New York. Titled White Primrose, this painting is an exceptionally rare and delicate creation, completed the year following the death of O’Keeffe’s husband, Alfred Stieglitz, in 1946. Within O’Keeffe’s extensive repertoire of renowned flower paintings, only two feature the primrose flower, which is often interpreted as a symbol of mourning, sorrow, and remembrance. Making its auction debut and having remained in the same private collection for almost two decades, White Primrose is estimated to fetch between $4,000,000 and $6,000,000. Prior to the New York auction, this noteworthy painting will be exhibited at Bonhams’ salerooms in London and Hong Kong.

“This painting is a mesmerizing tour de force of color, line, and undulating form, and it is supremely elegant and delicate in its composition,” remarked Andrew Huber, Bonhams’ Head of Department for 20th / 21st Century Art in New York. “We are excited to offer this rare masterpiece by O’Keeffe in our November Evening Sale – marking the first time this work has ever been presented at auction.”

In the annals of art history, no other figure is more intimately connected to the portrayal of flowers than O’Keeffe. Her iconic flower paintings deftly merged realism with abstraction, resulting in deeply personal expressions rendered on canvas. The white primrose, or Primula vulgaris, is frequently associated with sadness and remembrance, its petals symbolizing the stages of life, encompassing birth, consummation, and ultimately, death. In White Primrose, the gentle undulation of the velvety petals creates a pulsating, dynamic effect that appears to transcend the physical limits of the canvas.

White Primrose is one of only two works created in 1947 while O’Keeffe was in New York handling Stieglitz’s estate following his unexpected death. The only other painting to feature the white primrose in O’Keeffe’s oeuvre is Spring, which is currently housed in the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. Both works are deeply infused with the distinctive style that O’Keeffe honed over the decades she spent in New Mexico. White Primrose evokes a sense of tranquility and peace, reflecting the liberation and serenity O’Keeffe found in her decision to permanently relocate to her cherished Abiquiú, New Mexico.

Bonhams’ 20th / 21st Century Art Evening Sale in New York will present an array of masterpieces, spanning from Impressionist to Contemporary art. Among the noteworthy pieces is Deux femmes tenant des fleurs, 1954, by Fernand Léger (1881-1955), estimated at $1,500,000 – $2,000,000. Léger’s body of work, not confined to any single stylistic allegiance, was driven by his fascination with the evolving conditions of modern life. Deux femmes tenant des fleurs echoes Léger’s earlier Cubist approach, despite his later works deviating from the fragmented planes of Cubism. Comparable works by Léger are held in prestigious institutions such as Tate Modern in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Fernand Léger (1881-1955) Deux femmes tenant des fleurs, 1954,estimate: $1,500,000 – 2,000,000.

Additional early highlights to be featured in the sale include:

Gerhard Richter (B. 1932), Abstraktes Bild, 1995. Estimate: $1,500,000 – $2,500,000.
Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Le Pont-Royal, temps gris lumineux, 1903. Estimate: $800,000 – $1,200,000.

The Bonhams’ auction promises to be an event of considerable significance, drawing attention from collectors and connoisseurs worldwide, as it showcases these remarkable works of art.

“Off with His Head” – Hasan Minhaj’s Stand-Up on Netflix: Irony for Everyone

Hasan Minhaj stars in “Hasan Minhaj: Off with His Head – Netflix,” a Netflix stand-up comedy special.

Hasan Minhaj delivers a stand-up special on Netflix that brims with criticism and irony, targeting everyone without exception. Minhaj engages with his audience, making jokes and discussing the housing crisis in California with the same biting wit he reserves for every U.S. President, regardless of party affiliation. At nearly 40 years old, Minhaj understands, as he puts it, that fundamentally all politicians, irrespective of their party, are in pursuit of power.

However, Minhaj’s comedy is not limited to political satire. He possesses the unique ability to seamlessly weave one topic into another at a rapid pace, combining charm, self-deprecation, and, most importantly, a sharp and affable demeanor. This makes him endearing to the audience, even if they don’t always agree with his viewpoints. Minhaj’s critiques span the entire political spectrum and even extend to Netflix itself.

What stands out in this stand-up special is its incisive criticism, wit, and a glimmer of hope amid the self-imposed censorship prevalent today. Here is a comedian who doesn’t hold back and speaks his mind with coherence and charm.

There are certainly stand-up specials that are better or worse, but each has its own audience. This particular one, characterized by its almost caustic critique, is elevated by Minhaj’s engaging presence. His humor is so infectious that he can even make a pandemic like COVID-19 seem laughable.

We recommend this stand-up special for its critical insights, sharp humor, and Minhaj’s charismatic performance. Even if you don’t agree with everything he says, his ability to deliver his points with a blend of irony and charm is sure to leave you entertained. Enjoy the show.

Where to Watch “Hasan Minhaj: Off with His Head”

Netflix

SAG Award Nominee Stelio Savante Starring In Three Upcoming Films Based On True Stories

South African born SAG Award nominee Stelio Savante, also known as ‘Ajax’ in the Call Of Duty video game series and ‘Moses’ in the historical world-wide hit biblical series The Chosen, is starring in key roles in three upcoming films, all based on true stories. Sarah’s Oil, Between Borders, and Hazel.

Sarah’s Oil, is an Amazon MGM drama starring Zachary Levi, Naya Desir Johnson, Sonequa Martin Green, Garret Dillahunt, Bridget Regan, Kenric Green, Adyan Copes, Stelio Savante and Mel Rodriguez. Sarah’s Oil is inspired by Tonya Bolden’s book Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America, and tells the true story of Sarah Rector, an African American born in Oklahoma in the early 1900s.  Filmed in Oklahoma, the drama chronicles Sarah’s journey to becoming the first African American teenage millionaire. Cyrus Nowrasteh (who also directed Savante in the action thriller Infidel) directed Sarah’s Oil from his script written with Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh. Producers include John Shepherd, Cyrus Nowrasteh, Derrick Williams, Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Daryl Lefever, Jon Erwin, and Zachary Levi. Why Not You Productions’ Russell Wilson and Ciara are executive producing alongside Sherry Kang, Tony Young, Katelyn Botsch, and Robert Scott Fort. The film will be released in theaters on December 25, 2025.

Stelio Savante with director Cary Solomon on the set of NEFARIOUS

Between Borders, shares the true journey of an Armenian refugee family escaping persecution and racial discrimination in Azerbaijan and Russia, who are desperately seeking asylum in the United States.  The drama stars Elizabeth Tabish, Patrick Sabongui, and Stelio Savante with Michael Paul Chan, and Elizabeth Mitchell and is directed by Mark Freiburger. Based on real events that took place in the late 80s during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which created hundreds of thousands of refugees, “Between Borders” follows the perilous journey of Violetta (Tabish) and Ivan Petrosyan (Sabongui), and their two young daughters, and the challenges they face in their search for a place to call home, and aims to capture the desperation and resilience at the heart of the refugee experience. Between Borders was filmed earlier this year in and around Bucharest, Romania. The film was written by Adam Sjoberg, Isaac Norris, and Mark Freiburger, and produced by Isaac Norris, Jude S. Walko (“Rumors of War,”), Mark Freiburger and Ken Carpenter (“Finding You,” “The Shift”).  The film  is scheduled for a limited engagement release in theaters nationwide from January, 26th, through Pinnacle Peak Pictures.

Hazel, is a survival thriller based on the true story of Hazel Miner and stars Madelyn Dundon, Stelio Savante and Laurie Fortier with Genevieve Bielinksi, Xavier Bielinski, David Reardon, Timothy Goodwin, Franni Rae Cash Cain, and Todd Terry filling out the lead ensemble. 

The synopsis reads as follows: A gentle March snowfall suddenly transforms into a furious blizzard. The Miner children, Hazel (Madelyn Dundon), Emmet, and Myrdith; struggle to make it home from school as they become lost in the blinding wind and snow. As their parents (Stelio Savante and Laurie Fortier) and friends hunt desperately for the lost children, Hazel must keep her younger siblings alive in the face of impossible odds.

Filmed on location in North Dakota, Hazel is written and directed by Daniel Bielinski (Sanctified, End Of The Rope) for Canticle Productions. Canticle Productions has produced three feature films: A Heart like Water, Sanctified (distributed by Film Rise), and End of the Rope, which recently signed with Saban Films for distribution.  

Savante is 140 international credits into his 4th decade as an actor & producer, a prolific product of leading, large supporting, & recurring roles in television, independent, & international theatrically released studio features that have accumulated almost $400million in world-wide box office. His most recent credits include Fresh Kills directed by Jennifer Esposito starring opposite Annabella Sciorra & Domenick Lombardozzi, the animated series Captain Fall for Netflix, and in the psychological thriller Nefarious opposite Sean Patrick Flanery. His producing credits include What Remains starring Cress Williams, Kellan Lutz and Anne Heche (STARZ and Gravitas Ventures), comedy Angry Neighbors (Lionsgate) starring Frank Langella, Bobby Cannavale, and Ashley Benson for, football drama Under The Stadium Lights (SABAN) starring Laurence Fishburne, and Summer Of Violence, released by Quiver Distribution, directed by Nicki Micheaux, nominated as Best Narrative Feature at the Austin film festival.

Savante is represented by Opus Entertainment, Exclusive Artists Agency, VOX, Treasure Coast Talent, and Beverly Hills attorney Kevin Mills of Kaye & Mills. 

“MadS” Movie on Shudder: A Night of Madness and Fear

“MadS” is a French horror movie written and directed by David Moreau starring Milton Riche, Laurie Pavy, and Lucille Guillaume.

French horror cinema, though not frequently ventured into, has a reputation for delivering extreme, violent, and disheartening experiences. “MadS” fits this mold perfectly, presenting the terrifying effects of drugs in their most horrific form. Directed by David Moreau, this film takes us on a journey through the subconscious, navigating a night filled with madness and terror. While it may not be entirely original, it succeeds in creating the atmosphere and tension necessary to bring the film to its dramatic peak.

Plot

The story follows Romain, who consumes a new hallucinogenic drug. After hitting a woman on the road, his life and that of his girlfriend spiral into chaos, leading them through a nightmarish night of insanity.

About the Film

If you’re looking for psychological and subtle horror, “MadS” might not be your cup of tea. This film seeks to make a visual impact in every scene and through its narrative, featuring extensive handheld camera work, copious amounts of blood, and a series of shocking sequences. The film heavily relies on the performances of its three lead actors: Milton Roche, Lucille Guillaume, and most notably, Laurie Pavy. Pavy’s performance stands out as she fully immerses herself in the role, taking the audience to the edge between madness and reality. Her portrayal is memorable and significantly marks her career.

“MadS” achieves its goals with the resources at hand. It is not a Hollywood blockbuster by any means but strives to make an impact with abundant bloodshed, pushing its actors to their limits, and successfully immersing viewers in a nightmare where, ultimately, nothing seems to make sense.

Our Opinion

Although the film is not groundbreaking in its concepts, it is bold, distinctive, and possesses a strong personality. “MadS” excels in its performances and its daring, effective, yet extravagant and extreme presentation. The film is a powerful example of how a horror movie can be both impactful and memorable without the need for high-budget production values.

Giuseppe Abate’s “Piroette” at Museo Fortuny: A Contemporary Tapestry

Giuseppe Abate’s “Piroette,” masterfully crafted by the expert weaver Giovanni Bonotto, is now on display at Museo Fortuny in Venice, Italy. This tapestry, originally intended for the collection of the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo, was created as part of A Collection Aps’s artist residency project. Bonotto employed traditional textile craftsmanship techniques to create this horizontal-format tapestry, which depicts various species of game animals at the moment they are struck by a bullet. Abate’s iconographic research draws from the tradition of weaving scenes of hunting or still lifes, and he arranged the subjects in a manner characteristic of his visual language. The tapestry features both realistic and fantastical creatures, woven using threads of varying materials and colors.

“Piroette” has thus been incorporated into the civic collections as the winning project of the PAC 2022-2023 Piano per l’Arte Contemporanea – MiC. Currently displayed on the second floor of Museo Fortuny, the tapestry interacts with the evocative settings of Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo’s studios. These settings are dedicated to showcasing the ingenuity, skills, and experimental endeavors of the Spanish artist, encompassing everything from engraving to photography, theater, lighting techniques, and his renowned and unique fabric creations.

Giuseppe Abate, born in Bari in 1987, earned an MA in Material Futures from Central St Martins College in London, UK, in 2020, following a degree in Painting from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia in 2012. His work has been exhibited in numerous prestigious institutions and galleries, including Somerset House in London, UK (2021), Spazio Cabinet_Studiolo in Milan, Italy (2020), the first online show of Dutch Design Week (2020), ADA Project in Rome, Italy (2019), Palazzo Barolo Artissima in Turin, Italy (2019), Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice, Italy (2018), Assam State Museum in Guwahati, India (2017), Museo Nazionale della Montagna in Turin, Italy (2016), and Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Venice, Italy (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015). Additionally, he has been showcased at Rob Pruitt Flea Market at Galleria A + A in Venice, Italy (2015), Studio d’Arte Cannaviello in Milan, Italy (2013), Museo di Arte Contemporanea Pino Pascali in Bari, Italy (2012), and Galleria Municipale d’Arte Contemporanea di Monfalcone in Monfalcone, Italy (2011).

In 2014, Abate was selected for the residency program of Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Venice, Italy. From 2016 to 2017, he participated in the residency program promoted by Microclima, Guwahati Research Program in Assam, India. In 2018, he was a finalist for the Premio Cairo in Milan, Italy. He was also the winner of the graphic project for Vinitaly, Artissima, and Regione Piemonte in Verona, Italy in 2017.