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The seventh edition of Egypt’s prestigious El Gouna Film Festival (Gff) kicked off on Thursday with a star-studded opening ceremony. The event celebrated a return to form after smaller events in recent years. Fireworks lit up the night sky as international celebrities arrived on the red carpet in El Gouna, a resort town on the Red Sea.

A highlight of the evening was honoring veteran Egyptian actor and filmmaker Mahmoud Hemida. Festival director Inas ElDeghedy called Hemida “an artist with the soul of a child” who always took chances. In his acceptance speech, Hemida expressed joy that the festival founders fulfilled a dream of his by creating a cultural and cinema hub in Marsa Alam. Although Hemida couldn’t build the facility himself, Naguib and Samih Sawiris brought his vision to life through the festival.

Stars from around the world attended the opening, including “Game of Thrones” actress Sibel Kekilli,...

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival (Gff) opened its 7th edition on Thursday (October 26) with a star-packed red carpet, calls to end ongoing conflict and an honorary award for veteran actor and producer Mahmoud Hemida.

Returning in full after a more subdued edition last year and cancellation in 2022, the opening ceremony took place under clear skies and fireworks at the Plaza Theatre in the Egyptian resort town of El Gouna.

Those in attendance included Indian actress and director Nandita Das, Game Of Thrones star Sibel Kekilli, and former Cannes March du Film executive director Jerome Paillard, all of whom sit...

Vikings: Valhalla has been a hit since its debut, spending a total of eight weeks in the top 10 most-watched TV shows on Netflix in the US. The streaming data shows that there is still a huge demand for Vikings: Valhalla, with over 300 million combined viewing hours in just a six-month period in 2023. Netflix's decision to end Valhalla after its third season is a mistake, as continuing the show would incentivize viewers to continue their Netflix subscription and explore the rich world and characters further through potential spinoffs and sequels.

Netflix is ending Vikings: Valhalla with season 3, but the streaming data proves this to be the wrong decision. In the past, Netflix has been criticized for ending TV shows too soon, and Valhalla could be yet another example of just that. It can sometimes be difficult to tell if a show has a small but devoted following or a broad appeal,...

The main characters in Vikings trusted the Norse gods, and some of them are believed to be descendants of some of these deities, but Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen) took it a bit further by claiming he was a god – but what made him believe that? Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings initially followed the travels and raids of legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) alongside his Viking brothers, starting with the Lindisfarne raid. However, Vikings went through a big shake-up in season 4 with the death of Ragnar, so Vikings shifted its focus to his sons.

Ragnar’s sons – Björn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar – took over Vikings after his death and led the series until its final episode, but as their stories evolved, Björn (Alexander Ludwig) and Ivar ended up becoming the protagonists. Ivar also served as an antagonist, as he was the most cruel, violent, bloodthirsty, and...

This Vikings review contains spoilers.

Vikings Season 6 Episode 12

“We were defeated by a dead man.”

Three different lands; three different political situations. The natural heir to Kattegat’s throne doesn’t want it. Prince Igor is still too young to take the crown that is rightfully his to wear, and the presumptive favorite in Iceland rose to prominence by savagely slaughtering his opposition. The desire for power remains a potent aspect of the human condition, and like so many before him, Michael Hirst examines the motivations these men and women possess and the depths to which they’ll go to seize control. Never short of diplomatic intrigue, Vikings charges forward as the three Lothbrok brothers occupy vastly different world views.

While Ubbe, Gunnhild, and Kjetill all face their fair share of problems, the most fascinating arc that “All Change” explores is that of Ivar and the Rus princes. Ivar’s...

Stars: Gary Oldman, Olga Kurylenko, Amit Shah, William Moseley, Dermot Mulroney, Alicia Agneson | Written by Zackary Adler, James Edward Barker, Andy Conway, Nicky Tate | Directed by Zackary Adler

Set against a gritty London backdrop, Olga Kurylenko plays a tough motorbike courier whose day takes a wrong turn after discovering a package she’s carrying is a bomb… The target? Nick Murch (Amit Shah), the only witness able to testify against ruthless crime lord Ezekiel Mannings (Gary Oldman). As the British Police and FBI scramble to deal with the mess, the mysteriously well-trained and equipped courier teams up with unlikely partner Nick to evade Mannings’ heavily armed goons and make sure that justice is delivered.

The Courier is one of those films that can be succinctly summed up in one comparative sentence. In this case it’s “Die Hard in a parking garage”. Only this is a Female led Die Hard,...

Vikings presents a behind the scenes look at the political scheming surrounding King Olaf's plan and Ivar's decision in Kiev.

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This Vikings review contains spoilers.

Vikings Season 6 Episode 5

Vikings turns even more introspective as surreptitious political machinations in both Rus and Norway gather steam, increasing the likelihood of an explosive series of events that promises to radically alter the Scandanavian and Asiatic ruling landscapes. And while Hvitserk continues to psychologically spiral out of control fighting his inner demons in Kattegat, “The Key” places a similar obstacle in front of Ivar just as his plan to overthrow Prince Oleg takes its first steps. Though light on action, this Vikings installment more than makes up for any perceived shortcomings with a series of intriguing building blocks sure to induce even more mayhem into an already chaotic world.

Throughout its six season run, Vikings generally plays on the narrative...

You don’t expect subtlety from a movie whose very first second consists of the heroine getting a fist to her face, or whose poster suggests the real “star” is her leather-clad posterior. Still, a bagful o’ hammers might provide exactly the same amount and type of entertainment value as “The Courier.” This stridently dumb action thriller has Olga Kurylenko as the titular figure protecting an investigation witness (Amit Shah) from the minions of an international bad guy (Gary Oldman).

Director Zackary Adler’s sixth clock-punching feature in four years is the kind of enterprise in which characters are usually yelling at each other, and every footfall gets a Dolby thump. Labored but nonetheless slick enough to check the right boxes for home viewers seeking basic macho entertainment, it opens on 10 theatrical screens Nov. 22, day-and-date with on-demand release. This won’t be anyone’s new guilty-pleasure favorite, however, particularly since...

"Who are you?" "Just a courier." Lionsgate has debuted an official trailer for the cheesy action film The Courier, an "intense action-thriller" that unfolds in real time. If you haven't had enough of the Transporter movies, there's even more in this. Olga Kurylenko stars as a badass female motorcycle courier who must fight off a sadistic crime boss' henchmen in order to protect the one witness that can bring him down. She discovers that one of the packages might not be as harmless as she was told. Also starring Gary Oldman, Dermot Mulroney, William Moseley, Alicia Agneson, Craig Conway, Amit Shah, Lee Charles, and Joel Michaely. I'm digging Oldman with the eye-patch, but the rest of this looks terrible - derivative, and bland, and cliche. What's with the voices sounding so weird? Might as well skip it, doesn't look so good. Here's the first official trailer (+ UK version / poster) for Zackary Adler's The Courier,...

Signature Films is producing with Rollercoaster Angel Productions.

Zackary Adler’s UK action film The Courier, which stars Olga Kurylenko and Gary Oldman, has completed its cast and begun principal photography in London.

Dermot Mulroney, William Moseley, Vikings actress Alicia Agneson, Amit Shah, and Craig Conway have joined the film, which is produced by Signature Films and Rollercoaster Angel Productions.

Kurylenko will play a courier whose daily deliveries are interrupted when she discovers that her latest package is a bomb aimed to kill the only living witness who is about to testify against a ruthless crime lord, played by Oldman.

Shooting has just begun on British indie The Courier, with Dermot Mulroney, William Moseley (The Royals) and Vikings‘ Alicia Agneson joining the project. Signature Films and Rollercoaster Angel Production are producing the action pic from director Zackary Adler.

Kurylenko plays a courier whose daily deliveries are interrupted when she discovers that her latest package is a gas bomb aimed to kill the only living witness on the brink of testifying against a ruthless crime lord, played by Oldman.

Mulroney will be the CIA director leading the investigation. Moseley is Oldman’s nasty side-kick. Agneson’s role is described as a hard-as-nails CIA agent while Amit Shah (The Hundred-Foot Journey) and Craig Conway (Mara) are also joining.

The Courier is produced by Marc Goldberg, James Edward Barker, David Haring and Andrew Prendergast. Oldman’s longtime producing partner Douglas Urbanski is exec producing with Elizabeth Williams, Wayne Godfrey and Christian Mercuri . Blue Box is on international sales.

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Ragnarok,” the fifth season finale of “Vikings.”

The era of “Vikings” may be coming to an end on History after its upcoming sixth season, but the international co-production still has a ways to go before it goes dark for good. The show’s penultimate run wrapped after a season that reached more than 30 million total viewers and landed in the top 10 in cable dramas among all key demos, including total viewers.

“Ragnarok,” returned the characters to their home base of Kattegat for a blood- and fire-soaked finale when Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), Ubbe (Jordan Smith) and Hvitserk (Marco Ilso) faced off against their brother Ivar (Alex Hogh Andersen) for the kingship. While things looked dire for Bjorn and co. at the outset, a betrayal from Ivar’s wife Freydis (Alicia Agneson), who was still bitter about Ivar leaving their child behind for the wolves,...

Judith admits the truth to Alfred, and the situation in Iceland spirals out of control on a disastrous Vikings.

This Vikings review contains spoilers.

Vikings Season 5 Episode 17

“I killed one of my sons to save the other. May God forgive me.”

Like most multi-arc serial dramas Vikings generally makes a point of thematically tying together each of its story lines, and “The Most Terrible Thing” shows creator/showrunner Michael Hirst at the top of his game as he seamlessly connects the dynamic events stretching from Iceland to Kattegat. There’s still no word of Lagertha’s fate, but recent ground shaking developments keep the narrative fresh and interest level high as the power shifts continue to evolve.

Aethelred’s death at the hands of his mother sets into motion a series of events that begins with an honest admission to Alfred about her reasons for carrying out one of most...

There's a new Queen of Kattegatt. In this exclusive sneak peek of Wednesday's Vikings, Ivar (Alex Høgh) introduces his citizens to his new wife, Freydis (Alicia Agneson).

Securing a wife after seizing control of Kattegatt is a great tactical move, as King Harald (Peter Franzen) points out, since it

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Other Links From TVGuide.com VikingsAlex Høgh AndersenMarco IlsøPeter Franzen...