Naomie Harris

The “Rampage” Interview

with Kam Williams

A Charming Chat with Oscar-Nominee Naomie!

Naomie Harris was recently seen in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, MOONLIGHT. Naomie was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA Award for her tour de force performance as the protagonist's mother, Paula.

She is set to appear next in director Andy Serkis’ feature adventure, MOWGLI, as a member of a stellar cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett. The film is slated to be released in the fall of this year.


Naomie reprised her role as Moneypenny in the latest installment of the James Bond franchise, SPECTRE, opposite Daniel Craig. She was first seen as the iconic character in SKYFALL, directed by Sam Mendes, which won the 2013 BAFTA Film Award for Outstanding British Film and went on to be Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing film ever, with a worldwide box office of over $918 million.


In 2013, she played Winnie Mandela in MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, opposite Idris Elba. Her other screen credits include: COLLATERAL BEAUTY, opposite Will Smith; OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, opposite Ewan McGregor; Antoine Fuqua’s SOUTHPAW, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal; THE FIRST GRADER; SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL; PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END; PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST; MIAMI VICE; AFTER THE SUNSET; and 28 DAYS LATER.

Here, she talks about co-starring with Dwayne Johnson in RAMPAGE, an action-oriented monster flick set in Chicago.

Kam Williams: Hi Naomie. I'm honored to have another opportunity to speak with you.

Naomie Harris: Oh, it's an honor to speak with you, too, Kam.

KW: This is my first interview with you since your Oscar nomination for Moonlight. Congratulations!

NH: Thank you so much. That's really sweet!

KW: You really did a phenomenal job of disappearing into that role. And because of the picture's modest budget, you had to cram all your scenes into three days of shooting.

NH: Yes, we only had three days, which actually turned out to be wonderful because instead of waiting around in a trailer, I got to spend all my time working.

KW: All the buzz after the premiere the other night was about your gold dress.

NH: Really?

KW: Yes! It was stunning! Who's the designer?

NH: Miu Miu.

KW: Who designed your accoutrements?

NH: I wore David Webb jewelry and shoes by Jimmy Choo.

KW: Well, it all blended beautifully.

NH: Thanks, Kam. I'll tell my stylist.

KW: What interested you in Rampage?

NH: In Moonlight, I had such a dark, harrowing role. Coming off of that film, I wanted to do something relatively lighthearted that would offer me the opportunity to have fun. I also wanted to work with Beau [Flynn] again. He produced my first Hollywood movie [After the Sunset]. I've always loved Beau and admired his work. And Brad [Peyton] is a very passionate director who got me so excited by his enthusiasm that i couldn't wait to start working on the project. It was almost contagious. I knew that working with him was going to be a lot of fun. That turned out to be true, since every day was quite an adventure on the set. He's an amazing human being and a fantastic director. and then there was The Rock! I wanted to work with Dwayne [Johnson]. He's a rarity in how he exudes such charisma and appeals to the entire family: men, women and children alike. So, I was very eager to work with him as well.

KW: He and Brad have a successful track record together, having collaborated on San Andreas and Journey 2.

NH: Yes, I observed a wonderful bond and a great shorthand between them which was very helpful and great to see on set.

KW: I loved those light moments, like when Dwayne's character moans, "Of course, the wolf flies."

NH: I know. They're fantastic!

KW: I enjoyed this monster movie more than The Shape of Water. Rampage went in the direction I was hoping Shape was headed.

NH: That's funny. That would've made it a completely different kind of film.

KW: Did you play the Rampage video game growing up?

NH: No, I didn't play it as a child. I wasn't really a gamer. But I love the nods to the game sprinkled throughout the movie. A lot of the computer game's fans are going to appreciate that.

KW: What was it like acting opposite Jason Liles, the motion capture performer who played George, the giant albino gorilla?

NH: It was great, because I thought we'd just have a tennis ball or a gorilla head, if we were lucky, to act off of, because that's what you normally get in this kind of movie. But Brad felt that we needed something more substantial to react to, so he brought on Jason who gave a fantastic performance. He was so emotive and really gave us a lot to react to.

KW: Despite being classically-trained at the Old Vic [in Bristol], you're no stranger to the action genre. I first interviewed you for Ninja Assassin and later for the Bond flick Skyfall.

NH: [Giggles] Ninja Assassin! That's really going back a ways. The stunt work for that film was much more demanding and involved a lot more training. And I also ended up with a lot more bruises. Rampage was much kinder on my body, since most of the acting was against a green screen. 

 

KW: I recently read the announcement that they're doing Bond 25. You must be excited about that.

NH: Yes, I'm really, really excited! Kam, you know that most of the time spent as an actor you're sort of a gypsy, traveling around the world. You don't really belong anywhere, in a sense. You uproot your life and, in this case, go off to Atlanta, where we shot Rampage. After three or four months there, you come back home for a while before heading somewhere else. there's very little continuity. What I like about Bond is how it offers me a kind of family that I get to return to. I really love that feeling and everybody involved.

KW: Do the 007 movies involve much travel?

NH: Not for me. The guys flew all over the world for Spectre, but I shot all of my scenes in London.

KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

NH: [LOL] There's a huge difference because the person on the red carpet has had a whole village of people help her get ready, and done her hair and makeup, and put wonderful clothes on her. The person I am at home is much, much simpler. I'm a jeans, t-shirt and trainers girl. Yeah, that's how I roll most days. I'm very, very casual.

KW: Who is your favorite clothes designer?

NH: You're really into fashion, Kam, aren't you? I don't have one particular favorite. I love mixing up designers like Calvin Klein, Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou.

KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

NH: I love musicals. My favorite film of all time is The Sound of Music. I'd love to take part in a remake of West Side Story or what have you. But I can't sing, and I can't dance, so I don't think there's much hope for me, really.

KW: Finally, Samuel L. Jackson asks: What’s in your wallet?

NH: What’s in my wallet? Omigosh! And my driver's license, obviously. My credit cards and a bit of cash. I even have an old library card in there as well.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Naomie, and best of luck with the film.

NH: It's been lovely hearing your voice again, Kam.

To see a trailer for Rampage, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coOKvrsmQiI

Rampage

Film Review by Kam Williams




Mutant Monsters Decimate the Windy City in Old-Fashioned Horror Flick


Hey, sci-fi fans, did you find it hard to stomach the sight of a human mating with another species in The Shape of Water, too? If so, have I got a movie that'll wash the bad taste right out of your mouth. 
 
Call me shallow, but I much prefer this old-fashioned monster flick. Loosely based on the video game of the same name, Rampage is reminiscent of campy Japanese classics like Godzilla (1954), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964).

But instead of decimating Tokyo, the gargantuan creatures here have their sights set on the Windy City. Another significant difference is that Rampage is a big-budget spectacular that relies heavily on CGI and state-of-the-art special f/x.

Otherwise, you know the drill. Some ordinary animals morph into mammoth, man-eating beasts in the wake of a scientific experiment gone terribly wrong. In this case, we have a wolf, a crocodile and an albino gorilla mutating into alpha predators.

The anthropomorphic primate actually has a name, George (Jason Liles). That's because he was raised in captivity by Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), an ape-whisperer stationed in Rwanda where he heads an anti-poaching unit dedicated to the preservation of endangered species. 
 
However, he makes a beeline to Chicago as soon as he receives word that the enormous animals have begun wreaking havoc. There, he joins forces with Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), a disgraced geneticist in need of redemption with access to an antidote. But before the cure can be administered, brace yourself for generous helpings of horror fare, ranging from the scaling of skyscrapers, to mass hysteria in mob scenes, to my favorite, helicopters swallowed whole.

Rampage marks the third time director Brad Peyton has collaborated with Dwayne Johnson following the equally-bombastic Journey 2 (2012) and San Andreas (2015). The capable supporting cast includes Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman and Joe Manganiello. 
 
For all the visually-captivating action sequences, what I enjoyed most about Rampage was the comic relief coming courtesy of the hero, and invariably in the middle of major mayhem, as if to remind everybody that we're just watching a movie. After a sightseeing boat filled with tourists flips over, Davis says, "Well, that sucks." Then, when an iconic building is flattened, it's, "I need a drink." And as a menacing creature unexpectedly takes flight, he matter-of-factly moans, "Of course, the wolf flies." 
 
Not only breathtaking stunts but perfect comedic timing from a beefy action star at the top of his game!



Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for violence, mass destruction, brief profanity and obscene gestures
Running time: 107 minutes
Production Studios: Wrigley Pictures / Twisted Media / Flynn Picture Company
Distributor: New Line Cinema

To see a trailer for Rampage, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coOKvrsmQiI

Beirut

 
Film Review by Kam Williams




Grieving Diplomat Returns to Kill Zone in Raw-Edged Revenge Thriller


In 1972, Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) was a career U.S. diplomat delighted to be serving his country overseas in Lebanon. In fact, he and his wife Nadia (Leila Bekhti) were so comfortable living in the Middle East that they had decided to adopt Karim (Idir Chender), a 13 year-old Palestinian refugee.

This, despite the fact that the destabilized region had a history of easily falling into a state of unrest where warring factions remained on edge for months, if not years. As a seasoned veteran, Mason had become fast on his feet and knew to keep the lines of communication open because the fighting starts once the talking stops.

However, that philosophy proved futile the fateful day that a colleague, Cal Riley (Mark Pellegrino), arrived with some shocking news. He announced that Karim could be a security risk since his older brother was Abu Rajal (Hicham Ouraqa), an infamous terrorist who had just taken part in the massacre of 11 Jewish athletes participating in the Summer Olympics staged in Munich. 
 
Before Mason had a chance to react, gunmen burst into the house and start taking hostages. By the time the dust settled, Karim had disappeared and Nadia lay dead with a bullet in her head. Therefore, Mason never got a chance to discern whether the orphan they had welcomed into the family with open arms was secretly a radical Islamist.

Fast-forward a decade, and we find the still-grieving Mason addicted to alcohol while pursuing a totally different line of work in Boston. Then, he receives word that his old pal Cal has just been kidnapped in Lebanon. It doesn't take much for the U.S. State Department to coax him out of retirement. But can Mason lay off the booze, and does he still have what it takes to handle such a sensitive assignment? 
 
That is the intriguing premise established at the outset of Beirut, an edge-of-the-seat, political thriller cleverly crafted by Oscar-nominee Tony Gilroy (for Michael Clayton). The picture was directed by Brad Anderson and features a top flight cast that includes Jon Hamm, Rosamund Pike, Dean Norris and Shea Whigham.

The plot thickens upon Mason's landing in Lebanon when he learns that the mastermind he must deal with is none other than the now-grown Karim, who is willing to exchange Cal for his missing brother, rumored to be languishing in an Israeli prison. A raw, super-realistic tale of revenge, set in a godforsaken kill zone not on this critic's bucket list.




Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, violence and a nude image
In English and Arabic with subtitles
Running time: 109 minutes
Production Studios: Radar Pictures / ShivHans Pictures / Kasbah - Film Tanger
Distributor: Bleecker Street Media


To see a trailer for Beirut, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SagsqxiVStM

Top Ten DVD List for April 10, 2018

by Kam Williams

This Week's DVD Releases

Phantom Thread [Daniel Day-Lewis' Swan Song]

Molly's Game [High-Stakes Poker Thriller]

All the Money in the World [Getty Kidnapping Revisited]

The Greatest Showman [P.T. Barnum-Inspired Musical]

Braven [Jason Momoa Action Thriller]

The Wonder Years [The Complete Series]

Jasper Jones [Based on the Award-Winning Aussie Novel]

Proud Mary [Taraji P. Henson Kicking Butt]

Father Figures [The Ultimate Paternity Quest]

Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke [40th Anniversary Edition]

Honorable Mention

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds [Korean Reincarnation Thriller]

Gone Are the Days [There's Always Time for One Last Ride]

Forever My Girl [Find Your Way Back Home]

Understanding the Opioid Epidemic [Examines Drugs' Devastating Impact]

The New York Cantors [In Concert in Amsterdam] 
 

Victorian Rebel: Marianne North [Feminist Painter's Biopic]

WordWorld: Let's Eat [Reading Aid for Preschoolers]

Wild Kratts: Madagascar Madness

Kam's Kapsules for movies opening April 13, 2018

 

Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun  

by Kam Williams

OPENING THIS WEEK

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Borg vs. McEnroe (R for nudity and pervasive profanity) Tennis docudrama, set in the summer of 1980, revisiting the fierce rivalry between mild-mannered Bjorn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason) and hot-headed John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf) leading to their historic showdown at Wimbledon. Featuring Stellan Skarsgard, Tuva Novotny and Scott Arthur.

Isle of Dogs (PG-13 for mature themes and violent images) Stop-motion animated adventure, directed by Wes Anderson and set in Japan, about a boy (Koyu Rankin) who runs away from home and steals a plane in order to find a beloved pooch quarantined on a remote island. Voice cast includes Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Greta Gerwig and Yoko Ono.

Rampage (PG-13 for violence, mass destruction, brief profanity and obscene gestures) Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris co-star in this action comedy as scientists who save the day when three animals mutated into monsters decimate the Windy City in the wake of a genetic experiment gone terribly awry. With Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman and Joe Manganiello.

Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (PG for action and mature themes) Animated adventure, set during the First World War, recounting the real-life exploits of a stray dog that was adopted by a GI (Logan Lerman) before becoming the most decorated canine in American history for his service in the trenches of France. Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, with voice work by Gerard Depardieu, Jordan Beck and Jason Ezzell.

Truth or Dare (PG-13 for violence, sexuality, alcohol abuse, profanity, mature themes and disturbing content) High-body count horror flick revolving around a teen party game that turns deadly when prevaricating players get picked off one-by-one. Ensemble cast includes Lucy Hale, Tom Choi, Aurora Perrineau, Tyler Posey and Sophia Ali.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

10x10 (Unrated) Suspense thriller about a young businesswoman (Kelly Reilly) who is kidnapped and locked in a soundproof, concrete cell by a creepy identity thief (Luke Evans) Supporting cast includes Noel Clarke, Jason Maza and Olivia Chenery.

Beirut (R for profanity, violence and a nude image) Espionage thriller, set in the Eighties during Lebanon's civil war, about a retired U.S. diplomat (Jon Hamm) coaxed back into service by a CIA agent (Rosamund Pike) to negotiate the release of a kidnapped colleague (Mark Pelligrino). With Dean Norris, Shea Whigham and Douglas Hodge.

Bye Bye Germany (Unrated) Post-WWII dramedy, set in Frankfurt in 1946, revolving around the effort of a half-dozen, Jewish Holocaust survivors to raise enough money to move to America. Co-starring Moritz Bleibtreu, Antje Traue, Tim Seyfi, Mark Ivanir, Anatole Taubman and Hans Low. (In German and English with subtitles)

Nana (Unrated) Serena Dykman makes her directorial debut with this poignant biopic recounting her Holocaust survivor grandmother's ordeals in Auschwitz, Ravensbruck and Malchow. (In English and French with subtitles)

The Rider (R for profanity and drug use) Bittersweet biopic about rising rodeo star Brady Blackburn's (Brady Jandreau) search for new meaning in life after suffering a near-fatal kick to the head from a horse. With Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Cat Clifford and Lane Scott.

Nelufar Hedayat

(L to R): Host Nelufar Hedayat talks with Nicole Richie, Dominic Monaghan and Moby in “Food Exposed”

The "Food Exposed with Nelufar Hedayat" Interview

with Kam Williams

Mademoiselle Nel!

Nelufar "Nel" Hedayat is a correspondent for FUSION. In 2016, she hosted the network’s award-winning series, The Traffickers, which followed illegal trades of precious minerals, counterfeit drugs, endangered species and even of people around the globe. Most recently, she reported on the domestic crisis and human rights issues surrounding the shocking maternal mortality rates in the U.S. for another FUSION documentary, The Naked Truth: Death by Delivery.

Having fled war-torn Afghanistan as a child herself, Nel’s work has often focused on cultural upheaval experienced by women, children and families in conflict-ridden societies. The unique way the series covered a bold range of subjects with incredible depth of research and investigative efforts netted the team a raft of awards and nominations.

These included the International Affairs Award at the Association of International Broadcasters 2017 and Best Investigation at the Asian Media Awards 2017 and also the coveted Reporter/Correspondent Gracie Award (the Alliance for Women in Media) and Journalist of the Year at the Asian Media Awards. Individual episodes, including Killed for a Horn and Fake Pharma, were finalists for numerous awards, including the Livingston Awards and the Edward J. Meeman Award for Environmental Reporting at the Scripps Howard Awards 2017.

As a result of her reporting in Organs for Sale, Nel was invited to the Vatican, to the Summit of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, to report on her findings and as a signatory on the Resolution on Organ Trafficking which has recently been ratified by the Council of Europe. In 2015, she was nominated for Journalist of the Year at the British Asian Media Awards, following her Unreported World report, Vaccination Wars, which was also nominated in the Best Investigation category.

In that eye-opening expose', she met with healthcare workers risking their lives to vaccinate children against polio in Pakistan, despite the Taliban's actively targeting and killing them. In her first Unreported World episode, Vietnam’s Dog Snatchers, she investigated how dog thieves were making millions in the highly lucrative and illegal dog meat trade by stealing thousands of pets from families.

In the six years Nel worked for the BBC, she presented, co-produced and wrote documentaries for television and radio, including the award-winning Women, Weddings, War and Me, Shot for Going to School, and Music, Money & Hip Hop Honeys. She also presented and hosted the flagship live news program Newsround which was aimed at younger audiences, winning an award for her short film air on the show, The Kids of Kabul.

Here, Nel, who speaks English, Farsi, Hindi and Dari, talks about her new TV series, Food Exposed with Nelufar Hedayat.

Kam Williams: Hi Nel, thanks for the interview.

Nelufar Hedayat : It's my pleasure, Kam.

KW: What interested you in the subject of food after having focused on so many life and death issues? Are you a foodie?

NH: It’s not so much that I wanted to become a food blogger or chef of sorts, but more that I kept bumping into the issue. I found myself doing a lot of research in my own time after work about it. And when I started to realize that a lot of what I was focusing on in The Traffickers was corporate greed, the blurred lines between legal and illegal exploitation and corruption seemed to cross over into the industrial food complex so effortlessly that it naturally piqued my curiosity.

KW: What are some of the topics you'll be exploring on the series?

NH: I took a deep dive. From the water needed to sustain life and how much of it is privately owned at source; to the ever growing problem of antibiotic use in so much of our meat and dairy industry, to the need to take a more nuanced look at the palm oil and fishing industries, we really tried to tackle the big issues.

KW: What message do you hope viewers will take away from Food Exposed?

NH: I don't really want to advocate for anything. I never really do. My work and travels have truly shown me that it’s so easy to sit there and have clean lines and definitions of things. Good, bad, right and wrong are so difficult to qualify or even identify sometimes that I wouldn’t want to tell people what to do at all. What I do want to change is the one-sided noise that the big corporations and massive industry giants feed us. This narrative of buy as much as you can, eat more than you enjoy and worry not about where your food comes from is toxic. Multimillion dollar, well connected, well-coordinated lobbying groups in the US control so much of the message and conversation around food that counter-narratives are very important.

KW: You were born in Afghanistan. Do you still feel a connection to the country?

NH: Afghanistan is my motherland, as Britain is my homeland. One bore me, the other made me. I listen to Afghan news and connect with the diaspora as often as I can, and I travel to Kabul, where I was born, often.

KW: Whom do you blame for its decades of violence, and what do you think is the best path to a permanent peace in the war-torn region?

NH: Do you have space for 20,000 words? I blame almost everyone for the current violence, death, destruction and loss of life in my motherland. Half-assed fraternization by Western powers who seem only interested when the Taliban or ISIS needs to be swatted; a government that has big dreams and little realization of those dreams and remains one of the most supported in the world; and neighbors that make you look longingly at your enemies; to name just a few. The idea of permanent peace is so far away from what is achievable in Afghanistan within my lifetime that I find it whimsical. I think the current U.S. administration, and I cannot believe I’m saying this, is perhaps making a better go of it than the previous one ever did. Where Obama was inertia, Mr Trump’s administration seems to be doing something. Dropping the Mother of All Bombs is not really what I have in mind, but putting more resources, dedicating more person-power and calling out the Pakistani meddling is a good place to start. Where it ends up is anyone’s guess, much like the rest of the Trump agenda.

KW: Have you ever considered moving back there to run for office or to spearhead a non-violence movement, a la Ghandi and Dr. King? Or do you think it would be a thankless task, and you'd just end up shot in the face like Malala was for standing up for women's rights in Pakistan?

NH: Run for office? You’re off your rocker, Kam. I have no such aspirations and I really don't think I’d be good at it. I'm a storyteller. I live and breathe reading, telling and capturing stories of people and places, and that’s what I hope to do for as long as I can. Also, the mere fact that you have put my name next to Martin L. King and Mahatma Gandhi is making me anxious. They are nothing short of superhumans much like Malala Yousafzai. Me? I still like Boomeranging pictures of my cat.

KW: You're being modest. You made a documentary about Malala called Shot for Going to School. What do you think of her?

NH: Malala was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. When I met her, she had a transcendent aura of purpose and mission. She's a total badass who took on the tyranny and hatefulness of the Taliban in Pakistan to fight for her right, as a girl, to education.

KW: What do you see as the answer to the school shootings in America?

NH: School shootings in America are, ostensibly, young men with extremely easy access to weapons of war who, for whatever reason, murder their friends and colleagues and often themselves. In a strange, macabre and eerie way, the two achieve the same end: terrorizing children and disrupting their basic human right. The optics are interesting, too. One, we look at with disdain and horror, outraged that an education is denied to young people who fear for their lives as they enter the school gates every day not knowing if this might be the day an assault rifle is pulled on them. The other, we call Taliban extremism.

KW: You've traveled all over the world. Where would you like to settle down?

NH: Settle down is a strange concept for me. I was a refugee for so long and so early in my life. And the last decade of my career has taken me to so many places around the world that being in one permanently feels odd. Having said that, when people ask I tell them I was born in Kabul but London Town has adopted me. I’m a Londoner through and through, so perhaps I'll settle there one day.

KW: You have an award-winning TV series called The Traffickers. What black markets were you most surprised to uncover?

NH: The gold episode and sex trafficking were most illuminating for me. The illegal market in gold, because it truly is impossible to guarantee that the gold on your finger, around your neck or in your smartphone isn't covered in blood, violence and death since, when melted down, the gold sheds these things. The sex trafficking episode because, in a way, it altered and shaped my feminism, I started the journey firmly on the ‘legalize and regulate’ side of the debate, thinking that once sex becomes work and not illegal then we can better look after the women and men in the business. But after nearly a month on the road and really digging deep, I flipped. People often point to Amsterdam as a bastion of success when it comes to regulated prostitution, working for the people in sex work. I found the opposite. Lover boys, traffickers and pimps just found ways around the system and they will always find a way around any regulation put in place. Trafficking in persons is a power game. Women are broken with unspeakable violence and then used. Make it illegal and they’ll just use Airbnb or go online in other ways.

KW: What was the last book you read?

NH: Postcapitalism by Paul Mason. He’s a former colleague of mine. I used to sit opposite him in the Channel 4 newsroom.

KW: What is your earliest childhood memory?

NH: Being on a hot and smelly bus on the Jalalabad Pass, hidden under my mum's burkha, seeing only its mustard color, as we went from Kabul to Peshawar.

KW: Was there a meaningful spiritual component to your childhood?

NH: Nah.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

NH: Oooooh, now we’re talking! I love cooking Afghan food, because most if it is vegan anyway. This is where my culture and heritage really kick in. Cooking Afghan food is a group mission. Back home, women would gather together, chatting, singing and gossiping as they prepared dishes that can take days to prepare and hours to cook. My favorite to cook at home with my mum and two sisters is Aashak, little dumplings with the green bits of leek, steamed, then drizzled with a chickpea sauce, garlic yogurt and dried mint. Yummy!

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

NH: That depends on the day. Sometimes it's clear, sometimes I can eyeball myself for minutes and see a stranger. Sometimes beautiful, often haggard. Mostly though, a wondering soul with little shape and more thought bubble than person.

KW: What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

NH: Ahem. That would be telling.

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

NH: For the world to be vegan. Step one of my Grand Plan.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

NH: Nah. I'm not that original.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

NH: Binge on documentaries. Watch as much as you can. Whenever you see one that you want to have made, wait for the credits and take down the name of the company that made it, along with the execs. Now pester them. Email, call, tweet and DM them until you get into a room with them. Then dazzle them with all the fantastic original ideas you have.

KW: How do you want to be remembered?

NH: I’d like to be remembered as someone who tried, who went out there to get the story from the horse’s mouth. And as a tolerant person, respectful of all the myriad of beautiful ways humanity expresses itself.

KW: Finally, what’s in your wallet?

NH: 120 dollars from my trip to New York City, 7 British pounds, expense receipts unclaimed for about a year, coffee shop loyalty cards, and passport photos.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Nel, and best of luck with Food Exposed.

NH: Thank you very much, Kam.

To see a trailer for Food Exposed with Nelufar Hedayat, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWmDP5m-0_g&feature=youtu.be

Where to find Food Exposed with Nelufar Hedayat:

• AT&T U-VERSE – ch. 1206 (HD), ch. 206 (SD)
• COX – check local listings
• DIRECTV – ch. 342
• DISH – ch. 244
• GOOGLE FIBER – ch. 105
• MEDIACOM – ch. 238
• SPECTRUM (including Bright House, Charter and Time Warner Cable) – check local listings
• SUDDENLINK – check local listings
• VERIZON FIOS – ch. 108
  

Chappaquiddick

 
Film Review by Kam Williams



Damning Docudrama Revisits Kennedy Cover-Up of Tragic Car Accident 
 

On July 18, 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) hosted a reunion in a rented cottage on Chappaquiddick, a tiny island just 150 yards off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The gathering was in honor of the Boiler Room Girls, a half-dozen women who had worked on his late brother Bobby's aborted presidential campaign the previous year. 
 
Around 11:15 pm, Teddy left the party in his '67 Oldsmobile with one of those young staffers, 28 year-old Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara). An hour or so later, the car ambled down a dirt road and off a wooden bridge, before landing upside-down in Poucha Pond. 
 
Senator Kennedy escaped and swam to shore, leaving Mary Jo in the submerged automobile, wrongly assuming that she had drowned. Truth be told, she was still alive and able to breathe, thanks to a large air pocket. 
 
However, instead of trying to save Mary Jo, Ted turned his attention to damage control. After all, he was already planning a run for the White House in '72. So, while she remained trapped and terrified for hours, he convened the Kennedy family brain trust, rather than report the accident to the police and fire department.

In fact, the authorities only learned about the wreck the next morning when, at low tide, a couple of fishermen spotted the wheels of a car bobbing in the channel. Unfortunately, by the time divers arrived, Mary Jo had already run out of oxygen and died of asphyxiation.

Nevertheless, Teddy, with the help of his cronies, did his best to exculpate himself of any wrongdoing. At first, he claimed Mary Jo had been driving, so that no one could accuse him of driving under the influence. Later, he admitted being behind the wheel but concocted a tall tale about having tried to rescue his passengers several times before she expired. 
 
Lucky for Teddy, his legal team was able to influence the inquest. Without performing an autopsy, the medical examiner concluded that Kopechne died of drowning. Consequently, the powerful senator would not be indicted by the grand jury or charge with a crime of any nature.

Directed by John Curran (The Painted Veil), Chappaquiddick is a damning docudrama belatedly setting the record straight about what really transpired in Massachusetts on that fateful night back in 1969. Ironically, the elaborate cover-up didn't enable Kennedy to become president, though it did at least keep him out of jail.

Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a crash which in one brief, shameful moment brought down the curtain on a dynasty known as Camelot.



Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for smoking, profanity, mature themes and disturbing images
Running time: 101 minutes
Production Studio: Apex Entertainment / DMG Entertainment
Distributor: Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures


To see a trailer for Chappaquiddick, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG-c8DtOm9g