- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
Peele skewers modern obsessions with 'Nope' film, theme park attraction
"Nope," Jordan Peele's latest withering horror-satire about our modern obsession with attention and spectacle, lands in movie theaters -- and at a fittingly Instagram-friendly Los Angeles theme park attraction -- this Friday.
The Oscar-winning writer-director -- who is widely credited with elevating and revitalizing the horror genre with "Get Out" and "Us" -- re-teams with Daniel Kaluuya, who plays OJ, a horse trainer spooked by otherworldly phenomena in the skies above his California ranch.
OJ and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) must juggle their fear of the mysterious and potentially dangerous UFO activity with their desire to achieve fame and wealth by capturing it on camera.
"The real villain is our addiction to attention and spectacle, and our inability to be able to actually react in real time," Palmer told AFP on the red carpet at the film's Hollywood premiere this week.
"It's no different from all the rubbernecking on a freeway when there's an accident -- no one calls but everyone stops to watch.
"That's the real horror that our film is talking about."
It builds on themes Peele introduced in his searing 2017 race satire "Get Out," which was made for less than $5 million and grossed $255 million. It also earned him an Oscar for best original screenplay.
He followed that up with another hit, "Us," securing a reputation as one of Hollywood's most in-demand, daring directors and top Black filmmakers.
- 'His vision' -
Such was Universal Pictures' confidence in Peele's latest project, it took the unprecedented step of opening a permanent new "Nope" attraction at its Universal Studios theme park on the same day the movie opens.
"This is the first time that we've ever opened an attraction day-and-date with a new film," said Universal Creative head Jon Corfino.
"It's the first time I've ever heard of that happening."
The actual movie set of Jupiter's Claim -- a fictional small Western-themed amusement park which features prominently in "Nope" -- was carefully deconstructed when filming ended at the movie's California desert shooting location, and meticulously rebuilt in the real-world Los Angeles theme park.
"This whole set was the actual authentic set that was used in the production," said Corfino.
"It was actually broken apart and brought back here put together... it's basically exactly his vision."
Appropriately for the movie's themes, visitors who pay for the VIP studio tour have the opportunity to wander around its fake but hyper-realistic streets, snapping selfies and shooting TikTok videos in front of the saloon, sheriff's office and gold panning mill.
- 'Ambitious' -
It becomes the latest permanent attraction on Universal's studio tour, where tourists are ferried around working soundstages, and sets from classic movies such as Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" and Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho."
"Jordan Peele takes his place among that lineage," said Corfino.
Whether the film does so remains to be seen -- early reviews have been mixed, with Empire praising an "ambitious, provocative swing," but the Guardian describing Peele's latest work as "clotted and heavy."
"There's a million storylines within this and metaphors that anyone in the audience can take differently," said "Nope" star Brandon Perea.
"You can take it how you take it, and I think that's great."
D.Sawyer--AMWN