Tag: Susanna White

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Time Out London Spy Weekend

In case you missed it, we reported a while ago that Damian’s Rookery Productions is working with Alaska TV and History Channel UK to produce Damian Lewis: Spy Wars — a factual that Damian himself guides the viewers through some of the most remarkable international spy operations of the last forty years, from Cold War to the War on Terror.

Now, we all know Damian is not a stranger to spy stories. He played Hector Meredith, an MI5 agent, in John le Carre’s Our Kind of Traitor on big screen. As we cannot wait for Spy Wars to hit History Channel in the UK and Smithsonian Channel in the US later this year, how about traveling back to “Time Out London Spy Weekend” in 2016 where Damian reads from le Carre’s memoir The Pigeon Tunnel? ENJOY!

One of my best friends from high school, who lives in Istanbul, and I, who live in the US, make a decision to meet somewhere in between and choose London as sort of a mid-point. We buy our tickets in February for our very anticipated London trip in May. And now that I am back from the trip, I just can’t help congratulate myself for randomly choosing the BEST week in May to be in London! Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Time Out London Spy Weekend”

Now Out on DVD: Our Kind of Traitor is My Kind of Movie

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The long wait is finally over! Even if you missed Our Kind of Traitor during its limited run in movie theaters this summer, you can now have it on DVD or stream it on Amazon or iTunes.

I was lucky to catch one of the preview screenings in New York and it was an exciting experience to see Damian Lewis for the first time on big screen! I am happy to report I LOVED the movie but again I love my movies slow-cooking and artsy with flawed characters that come across as puzzles. I love spending two hours in a movie theater figuring out the puzzles as the story unfolds on screen.

Adaptations of le CarrĂ© books on big and small screen, as far as my experience goes, are my kind of movies. They are not typical action/fantasy movies with lots of stunts and special effects. They give you intricate story lines, clever conversations, fishy agendas and gray areas instead. If you have seen The Constant Gardener, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or The Night Manager you know what I am talking about. And if you have not seen any le CarrĂ© earlier, Our Kind of Traitor is a good place to start! Continue reading “Now Out on DVD: Our Kind of Traitor is My Kind of Movie”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Time Out London Spy Weekend

The Guardian has recently shared a video of Damian Lewis reading from John le CarrĂ©’s Our Kind of Traitor in celebration of the author’s first memoir The Pigeon Tunnel coming out this week. Thanks to an event I will write about today I know this particular section Damian reads is one of his favorites in the book! So I wonder if Damian himself chose to read that section here. ENJOY!

So in celebration of The Pigeon Tunnel, now available for purchase, I would love to take us all back to a sunny, summer-y London Saturday in May! Time Out London teams up with Studio Canal to bring Londoners a “spy weekend” at Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre. The weekend includes screenings of some of the popular films based on John le CarrĂ© books, namely The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), the first le CarrĂ© adaptation to the big screen, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) as well as of some other classic spy movies like Notorious (1946) and The Third Man (1949) and an exclusive special screening of Our Kind of Traitor followed by a spy-themed party as well as a discussion panel on “Bringing le Carré  to the screen” with The Night Manager producer Stephen Cornwell (John le CarrĂ©’s son), the producer Gail Egan (The Constant Gardener, Our Kind of Traitor) and Our Kind of Traitor director Susanna White plus readings from le CarrĂ©’s work by celebrated fans including one certain ginger. And I am extremely lucky to attend the event!

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Time Out London Spy Weekend”

Our Kind of Traitor at SIFF, wider US release July 1

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As a thriller set in exotic locales and shot with a quick eye designed to keep you on the edge of your seat, Our Kind of Traitor, does not disappoint. I saw the film on Memorial Day in a full house amidst the film festival crowd at Seattle International Film Festival. That is to say, I was amidst folks who know movies, and I’m happy to report there was no shortage of gasps and leaning in, getting to the edge of the seat, throughout the theater. The film had many strong notes and some not so strong. Here’s my review! Some spoilers, but nothing that’ll kill your wanting to see it for yourself – the film is set for general release in the US on July 1.

Continue reading “Our Kind of Traitor at SIFF, wider US release July 1”

Damian Lewis reads le CarrĂ© at Time Out London’s Spy Weekend

One of my best friends from high school, who lives in Istanbul, and I, who live in the US, make a decision to meet somewhere in between and choose London as sort of a mid-point. We buy our tickets in February for our very anticipated London trip in May. And now that I am back from the trip, I just can’t help congratulate myself for randomly choosing the BEST week in May to be in London!

First: The weather. Four consecutive days of sunny, summer-y weather!

source: Damianista
source: Damianista

Second: The Tube. My friend and I take the Tube everywhere. And, at some point, we just cannot stop giggling since one certain ginger greets you everywhere, and I am not exaggerating a bit, everywhere you go! The Tube door opens and here is Damian looking at you either from an Our Kind of Traitor poster or a Billions poster. You sort of feel he is following you everywhere you go. FUN!

source: Damianista
source: Damianista

And it is not just limited to the Tube. The pic on the upper right hand side is from Camden Town. Bobby Axelrod lets you know Billions is coming to Sky Atlantic May 12 at 9pm.

Third: Damian Lewis is reading le CarrĂ©. Time Out London teams up with Studio Canal to bring Londoners a “spy weekend” at Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre. The weekend includes screenings of some of the popular films based on John le CarrĂ© books, namely The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), the first le CarrĂ© adaptation to the big screen, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) as well as of some other classic spy movies like Notorious (1946) and The Third Man (1949) and an exclusive special screening of Our Kind of Traitor followed by a spy-themed party as well as a discussion panel on “Bringing le Carré  to the screen” with The Night Manager producer Stephen Cornwell (who is also John le CarrĂ©’s son), the producer Gail Egan (The Constant Gardener, Our Kind of Traitor) and Our Kind of Traitor director Susanna White plus readings from John le CarrĂ©’s work by celebrated fans including one certain ginger! Continue reading “Damian Lewis reads le CarrĂ© at Time Out London’s Spy Weekend”