17112023-LSTL-01.qxd 11/17/2023 12:48 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE MERRY CHRISTMAS POSTPONED Apologies Life Bang on target Makers of the upcoming thriller Merry Christmas, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, have postponed the official release date of the film. On Thursday, the makers unveiled a new poster and announced the new release date as January 12, 2024. A day after Nana Patekar smacked a teenaged boy for attempting to click a selfie with him, the veteran actor on Thursday apologised profusely , terming it as a case of ‘mistaken’ identity. LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 17 NOVEMBER 2023 Mona Legal tangle Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger is facing a legal problem following his alleged reckless driving. A few months after being involved in a nasty four-car accident, the actor has been slapped with a new lawsuit by a woman, who claims she was left ‘permanently disabled’ due to the crash. On November 15, Cheryl ARNOLD Augustine submitted the SCHWARZENEGGER legal documents in Los SLAPPED WITH LAWSUIT Angeles County Superior. In the court papers, she BY WOMAN LEFT claimed that she was left ‘PERMANENTLY ‘permanently disabled’ folDISABLED’ AFTER lowing the accident, which took place at Sunset Boulevard CAR CRASH and Allenford Avenue in January, 2022. Cheryl accused the actor of driving his Yukon SUV ‘recklessly’. Cheryl also elaborated that she suffered ‘injury to her body and nervous system.” She was ‘required to, and did, employ physicians and surgeons to examine, treat and care for her’, which needed ‘medical and incidental expenses, the amount of which is presently unknown’ to her. In January, 2022, Arnold was driving the Yukon SUV when he smashed it into a red Prius. His luxury car rolled and ended up on top of the Prius. Prior to the collision, he allegedly was turning left when the left turn arrow was still red. At that time, he came out of the car unscathed. — IANS Spice route NET, FLICKS & MORE I N a dog-eat-dog world, our killer is methodical and precise. Rules of his game are simple and straight — stick to your plan. Anticipate, don’t improvise. Trust no one. In a world, where it is now impossible to avoid being seen, he preaches not to stand out. And despite his copybook style and sticking to each minute detail, a hit goes a miss and consequently this killer’s journey begins backwards, all the way down to the client who ordered the kill. A familiar plot, but when one of the top directors, David Fincher, drops a film, the lovers of thrillers will have to take notice A familiar plot, but when one of the top working directors of the times, David Fincher, drops a film, the lovers of thrillers are going to watch it. The revered director maintains his signature style — super cinematography in grim tone, excellent sound design and fine acts. While The Killer is no Se7en, Fight Club, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Gone Girl, it offers Fincher’s expertise in a familiar pack. Michael Fassbender is this unnamed, rather monotonous killer. While we get no introduction to his backstory, we get to know about his ways well. Seems like he’s in the top line in his profession, holds six storages across the US, multiple identities, reserves enough to start a new life anywhere (wouldn’t any assassin like to believe that!). He isn’t a believer of luck, karma or justice. And we hop on to a global jaunt along with him, eliminating all who risked what is dear to him. Unlike Joaquin Phoenix as Joker or Keanu Reeves as John Wick, you neither condone him nor condemn but just play along. Though this Killer preaches — forbid empathy. Empathy is weakness. Weakness is vulnerability. Fight only the battle you are paid to fight. He gets on to this battle for his loved one. While most killings are uneventful, there is but one action-packed sequence between Killer and the target, Brute (Sala Baker) bang in the middle of the film, which sets the heart racing. Based on comic The Killer by Alexis ‘Matz’ Nolent and Luc Jacamon, the film keeps one invested in this journey. More than a heart and flesh character, Killer is more like a robocop, a In Chandigarh, Mexican chef Tania says like in India, food is at the centre of all discussions in Mexico What comes as good news for foodies in tricity, JW Mariott is hosting a sixday event, ‘Ola Mexico’, being curated by Mexican chef Tania, which will take you on a gastronomic trip to her native country. The chef says Indians’ love for spices is quite similar to that of people in Mexico. On other similarities that Tania finds in Mexican and Indian culture, she says, “We are both family-oriented and believe in community gatherings where food becomes the centre of all discussions. So, that is something common between the people of the two countries.” About Mexican food, Tania says, “We use corn flour a lot, especially in dishes like Tlalpeño Broth and Tetelas.” The chef talks about specific chillies known as Poblano, and recommends Mole Poblano (non-veg) and Stuffed Chili with Vegetable and Castillo Sauce (veg) as the dishes that suit the Indian palate. She also mentions Shrimp Salad and how an ingredient used for making it is borrowed from their neighbouring country, Chile. Another hot-selling dish from the dinner menu is Baked Lamb with Borracha Sauce, which has beer as an ingredient. — TNS Big stage Comedian Jimmy Kimmel to host the Oscars for the fourth time Comedian-host Jimmy Kimmel is returning as host of the Academy Awards for the second straight year and fourth time overall, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced. ABC is turning again to its latenight host a year after bringing Kimmel back for a 2023 ceremony that drew 18.7 million viewers, the most since 2020’s pre-pandemic broadcast. In the wake of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Kimmel led a cautious ceremony that helped stabilise the Academy Awards after years of turmoil. Kimmel also hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018. “I always dreamt of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” Kimmel said in a statement. Though he is inching up in record books, he’s still a long way from the most frequent Oscar emcee. That title belongs to Bob Hope, who hosted a record 19 times, either solo or as a co-host. Billy Crystal hosted nine times between 1990 and 2012. The film academy had earlier announced that Raj Kapoor will serve as executive producer and showrunner, Katy Mullan will executive produce and Hamish Hamilton will direct. They’ll be joined by Molly McNearney, execu- tive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live and Kimmel’s wife, who will return for a second consecutive year to serve as an executive producer of the show. The 96th Academy Awards will air live on ABC on March 10 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. — AP c m y b Film: The Killer Director: David Fincher Cast: Michael Fassbender, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, Tilda Swinton Rating:  GREAT GOING Actress Mouni Roy has carved quite a niche in the world of entertainment. From humble beginnings to rising on her own merit to being praised for her performance in Sultan of Delhi, Mouni has called every single step of her journey to stardom a learning experience. Mouni Roy calls every step of her journey to stardom ‘a learning experience’ Reflecting on her journey to getting where she is now, the actress said: “Every step of this journey has been a learning experience, full of love and support. I am overwhelmed by the affection and am deeply grateful. Here’s to continuing this beautiful journey together!” Essaying the role of Nayantara Gangopadhyay, the actress has received a lot of praise for her performance in the crime-thriller series, despite the show itself not being too well received. On the screen, Mouni Roy will next be seen in The Virgin Tree, which is currently under production. Apart from that, she is also a judge in the Bengali language reality show Dance Bangla Dance 12, and the host of the reality-TV show Temptation Island India. — IANS programmed assassin, who keeps chanting his mantra and is on the move, constantly. Except that this one eats McDonald burger, sans the bun, for protein, and banana and coffee; he takes care of his meals as well workouts. Fassbender fits the role perfectly. He’s shown to be methodical and rational. He acquiesces to Dolores’s (Kerry O’Malley) request to make her death look accidental, so that her children get the insurance money; he lets Claybourne (Arliss Howard) live, deducing he had no intention of harming him. While the film focuses on Fassbender, there are others who stand out in their brief roles. Tilda Swinton as the expert enjoying a high-flying life in New York, and Gabriel Polanco as a young taxi driver, Leo, who meets a bloody end. A journey that begins in Paris and ends in Dominican Republic, the cities work as characters even if in the fast-moving scenes. The city that never sleeps, New York, the sunshine state Florida, one enjoys these brief outings. The sound is brilliant. The Smiths playing on Killer’s headphone take up some space. The rest is the natural world filling it up — crows cawing, pigeons cooing, cicadas chirping or a train’s whistle! On the downside, our Killer speaks more than he shows, especially his method of close killing. Also, a backstory or bit more about Magdala (Sophie Charlotte), the Killer’s girlfriend, to put his motives in perspective, would have been rather nice. Rated A, this David Fincher’s outing at one hour 58 minutes is for anyone invested in his style or thrillers alike, as long as you can deal with a rather reticent lead. (Streaming on Netflix)