Review: Netflix’s documentary ‘Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy’

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Updated 27 January 2025
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Review: Netflix’s documentary ‘Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy’

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  • This phantom promise fosters loyalty and ensures repeat purchases as consumers feel aligned with perceived values or aspirations

The 2024 Netflix documentary, “Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy,” offers a sharp critique of consumer culture through a visually stunning and dynamic presentation.

Directed by Nic Stacey, it delves into the manipulative tactics used by corporations like Amazon, Apple and Adidas to fuel relentless consumerism. It exposes how they deploy psychological strategies in order to keep consumers trapped in a treadmill of purchasing and re-purchasing — often at the expense of the buyers’ well-being and a negative cost to the environment.

The documentary examines how brands use storytelling to forge emotional connections with customers. Experts reveal how companies transform products into symbols of identity, persuading consumers to buy far more than necessary with the false promise of attaining a certain lifestyle or belonging to a community.

This phantom promise fosters loyalty and ensures repeat purchases as consumers feel aligned with perceived values or aspirations.

The environmental and ethical consequences of this disposability-driven culture are central to the film. It questions why consumers are convinced they need to replace items constantly when instead we should prioritize longevity.

Surely, with the advancement in technology and innovation, the devices in our pockets or the clothing in our closets should be built to last? And why are we convinced that we must entirely replace our electronics and fabrics with every new update or season?

The program critiques online shopping, uncovering how algorithms, targeted ads and endless scrolling drive impulsive purchases. It reveals the “free shipping trick,” where consumers buy unnecessary items to meet free-delivery thresholds and highlights the pressure of seasonal events like Black Friday, which foster urgency and overconsumption.

One especially compelling topic is “greenwashing,” where companies project an environmentally responsible image while shifting the burden of sustainability onto consumers. By emphasizing recyclable packaging or eco-friendly claims, brands appear to care about the planet but abdicate responsibility once the sale is made. Many “recyclable” packages are not, the footage shows.

“When we throw it away, we actually don’t throw it away. ‘Away’ doesn’t exist,” the documentary states. “It ends up somewhere else on this planet Earth. And it increasingly has consequences.”

One of the more striking revelations is the deliberate destruction of unsold goods. The documentary exposes how many companies instruct employees to deliberately destroy perfectly usable items to prevent them from being salvaged or resold — prioritizing profits over ethics.

The documentary also stresses that donating the extra stuff we have is not the answer. We simply have too much. We cannot recycle our way out of the waste generated by rampant consumerism.

While the program did not teach us anything entirely new, it is still a sobering reminder that we are not only what we eat, but what we buy.

Ultimately, “Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy” is a call to action, urging viewers to question the broader implications of consumption while holding corporations accountable for their role in perpetuating this vicious and seemingly endless cycle.

 


REVIEW: ‘The Gorge’ — Apple’s sci-fi horror is shallow, fluffy nonsense

REVIEW: ‘The Gorge’ — Apple’s sci-fi horror is shallow, fluffy nonsense
Updated 20 February 2025
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REVIEW: ‘The Gorge’ — Apple’s sci-fi horror is shallow, fluffy nonsense

REVIEW: ‘The Gorge’ — Apple’s sci-fi horror is shallow, fluffy nonsense

LONDON: There’s something reassuring about the fact that “The Gorge” exists. After all, it’s premise — that a pair of snipers are sequestered in remote observation towers and tasked with guarding a massive ravine that contains hordes of ghoulish monsters — is so schlocky and ridiculous that it sounds more like a Syfy movie-of-the-week than a glossy big-budget flick from Apple.

This B-movie idea has got A-list star power, too — “The Gorge” is directed by Scott Derrickson (“The Black Phone”, “Doctor Strange”) and stars Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver. And with Apple money behind it, “The Gorge” boasts effects that elevate it above the usual streaming sci-fi fodder, as well as a strikingly luxurious soundtrack from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

With so many heavy hitters willing to back this idea, it’s even more of a crying shame that the film isn’t a slam dunk. Because while the first hour of “The Gorge” is pretty entertaining, once the action descends into the titular ravine itself, the movie buckles under the weight of its own — let’s be honest, pretty dumb — idea.

Levi (Teller) and Drasa (Taylor-Joy) make for fun sparring partners. Both broody snipers are carrying a lot of psychological trauma, so an assignment that sees them spending a year alone – with only occasional CGI-heavy bouts of monster bashing to break the monotony – could have been mined for some interesting psychological drama. Instead they make eyes at each other across the yawning chasm, and after Levi falls into the gorge, Drasa unflinchingly hurls herself into the void to rescue a man she barely knows. At the bottom, the (annoyingly lame) secret behind the monsters is revealed, and the two must rely on each other to escape.

Teller and Taylor-Joy take it sort-of seriously, to their credit, and Derrickson puts together some decent set pieces, but the premise as a whole (just the two guards for such a monstrous secret?) feels like it was never developed past the “Wouldn’t it be cool if… ?” stage.

“The Gorge” looks great, and thanks to Reznor and Ross it sounds great, but there’s really no point to it. Good-looking people shooting nicely rendered beasties is fine, for a while, but “The Gorge” could have been more than just another monster movie.


‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere

‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere
Updated 20 February 2025
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‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere

‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere

DUBAI: Egyptian-Saudi co-production “The Tale of Daye’s Family,” by filmmaker Karim El-Shenawy and featuring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, made its European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The film marks Omran’s debut in Egyptian cinema and also stars Islam Mubarak, Badr Mohamed and Haneen Saeed, with guest appearances by Ahmed Helmy, Mohamed Shahin, Mohamed Mamdouh and Amina Khalil. 

Screening as part of the Generation 14 plus category, the film — which opened the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah last year — tells the story of Daye, a 14-year-old Nubian albino child blessed with a beautiful voice.

Daye’s family, recognizing his talent and his goal to become like his idol, Egyptian icon Mohamed Mounir, decide to travel to Cairo to audition for talent program “The Voice.”

The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, runs until Feb. 23.
 


Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’

Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’
Updated 18 February 2025
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Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’

Lyna Khoudri shares teaser trailer for Afghanistan evacuation drama ‘13 Days, 13 Nights’

DUBAI: French Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri took to social media to share the teaser clip and poster for upcoming film “13 Days, 13 Nights” by director Martin Bourboulon this week.

The Afghanistan evacuation drama, the full title of which is “In The Hell Of Kabul: 13 Days, 13 Nights,” stars Khoudri alongside Danish BAFTA-winning “Borgen” star Sidse Babett Knudsen, Roschdy Zem (“Chocolat,” “Oh Mercy!”), and theater actor Christophe Montenez.

Set against US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, as the Taliban marches on Kabul, the film recounts the true story of French Commander Mohamed Bida who oversaw security at the French embassy, which was the last Western mission to remain open.

Commander Bida negotiated with the Taliban to organize an evacuation convoy with the help of Eva, a young French Afghan translator played by Khoudri.

The teaser trailer features aerial shots of hundreds of people attempting to leave Afghanistan, as well as close up shots of Zem who plays Commander Bida.

“This movie happens to be one of the most exciting challenges that has been offered to me. Firstly, there is this character based on a real-life person, whose fate intersects with history itself. Secondly, the context of fleeing your own country has left no one indifferent thus bringing us to a story within history, the one that we are interested in,” Zem said, according to a previous article by Deadline.

“It tells us how, in the heart of a recent drama, a few individuals only listened to their courage to save what many would consider dear, with the feeling that they were only doing what seemed right to them. Heroes, as many would call them, because they retain the most essential quality: humanity,” he added.

The film marks a change for Bourboulon after period dramas “The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady,” “The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan” and “Eiffel.”

Khoudri, 32, first rose to prominence in her role as Nedjma in Mounia Meddour’s critically acclaimed drama “Papicha.” For her work in the film, she won the Orizzonti Award for best actress at the 74th Venice Film Festival, and she was nominated in the Cesar Awards’ most promising actress category.

Khoudri also starred in the 2019 mini-series “Les Sauvages” and in 2016’s “Blood on the Docks.”

Notably, she was cast in Wes Anderson’s 2021 comedy “The French Dispatch” alongside Timothee Chalamet, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Owen Wilson.


Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates
Updated 17 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival announces 2025 dates

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the dates for its fifth edition, with international celebrities set to touch down in Jeddah for the festival that will run from Dec. 4-13.

The event will take place at the film festival’s headquarters in Al-Balad, Jeddah.

Last year’s theme, “The New Home of Film,” celebrated the festival’s new headquarters Al-Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 2024 festival played host to more than 40,000 attendees and nearly 7,000 accredited guests, showcasing 122 films from 85 countries, including 61 premieres. A total of 302 screenings took place, with half of the films being world or international premieres, including 46 world premieres, 15 international premieres, and 53 MENA premieres.

The Al-Balad headquarters features five purpose-built cinemas and a large auditorium that hosted back-to-back screenings as well as In Conversation panels with celebrities.

Presided over by Spike Lee, the 2024 edition's two juries deliberated across 14 competition categories, with 16 feature films vying for top honors, alongside short films from the Arab world, Asia, and Africa featured in the New Saudi, New Cinema, and Arab Shorts programs.

Last year’s red carpet featured the likes of Emily Blunt, Aamir Khan, Mona Zaki, Viola Davis, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Other notable attendees included Michelle Yeoh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Johnny Depp, Yousra, Vin Diesel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cynthia Erivo, Brendan Fraser, Mohamed Sami, and more.


‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive

‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive
Updated 18 February 2025
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‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive

‘Conclave’ and ‘Brutalist’ share BAFTA honors as Anna Kendrick looks to Georges Chakra archive
  • “Conclave”, which stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a new pope, was also named outstanding British film and took trophies for editing and adapted screenplay
  • US filmmaker Brady Corbet took the BAFTA for best director for “The Brutalist,” while leading man Adrien Brody scooped up the best actor gong

DUBAI/LONDON: Hollywood actress Anna Kendrick hit the red carpet at the 78th British Academy Film Awards in an archival look by Lebanese designer Georges Chakra on Sunday night in London.

Kendrick showed off a silk chiffon pleated gown adorned with bands of cascading black crystal fringe and a sweeping train from the designer’s Fall/Winter 2005-2006 couture collection at the BAFTAs.

Anna Kendrick showed off a look from Georges Chakra's Fall/Winter 2005-2006 couture collection. (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Papal thriller “Conclave” and immigrant epic “The Brutalist” tied for top honors at the ceremony, with each film picking up four coveted gongs.
“Conclave,” directed by German-born Edward Berger, won the BAFTA for the best film with its tale of the intrigue and horse-trading behind the scenes during the election of a new pope.

Accepting the award, Berger recalled the journey to make the film took seven years, paying tribute to British screenplay writer Peter Straughan's “wonderful script” and lead actor Ralph Fiennes.

US filmmaker Brady Corbet took the BAFTA for best director for “The Brutalist”, while leading man Adrien Brody scooped up the best actor gong for his portrayal of a Hungarian Holocaust survivor and architect who emigrates to the United States.

Brody told a winners press conference that the film was “an opportunity for me to honor my own ancestral struggles.”

In “a film that speaks to tremendous cruelty and despicable behavior in our past... we see elements existing today that can guide us and remind us of that,” he added.

Veteran British actor Fiennes, who played a cardinal in “Conclave”, once again saw his hopes of winning a BAFTA gong dashed, losing out to Brody in the race for the honour.

Scandal-hit “Emilia Perez”, a surreal musical about a Mexican druglord, had been heavily favored at the beginning of the year. But it ended the evening with just two BAFTAs, including one for Zoe Saldana for best supporting actress.

Until last month, French director Jacques Audiard's movie had been expected to be a frontrunner having won 11 nominations.

But old racist and Islamophobic tweets by lead actor Karla Sofia Gascon surfaced at the end of January, shaking up the race just before the London ceremony and the Oscars on March 2.