Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1183404
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 NOVEMBER 2019 CULTURE ENVIRONMENT Pattinson, riding high on a post- Twilight wave of dramatically meaty roles, which is set to reach a fresh crest as he takes on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman sometime next year. Even if his take on Hal's French counter- part is a borderline-xenophobic stereotype (the film has inspired French outrage), it is a fun one to savour, and injects a welcome tone of playful bitchiness in an otherwise dour attempt at crys- talline heritage cinema. That said, Game of Thrones fans may be momentarily amused by the visceral battle se- quences — with muddy and metallic punching and scraping wedged in amidst the strategic artillery attacks — and it's hard to deny that Top of the Lake and True Detective veteran cinema- tographer Adam Arkapaw suc- ceeds in producing a sumptu- ous, immersive historical canvas, draping it in shadows consistent with the murky moral universe that our young king has been thrust into. THE KING HAIL TO THE KING THE KING AND I KING FOR A DAY DEPOSED ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ About two dozen species of wild duck have so far been re- corded in Malta. Ducks can be grouped in roughly two types: the dabblers and the divers. Dabblers generally live in shallow lakes and feed by up-ending and ducking half their body, with- out actually diving, to reach down with their beak for aquatic vegetation, the way domestic ducks do. Divers, on the other hand, can live in deeper waters because they can dive and swim down to graze on the bottom vegetation, maybe even snap up the odd slow fish. One of the diving ducks that visit Malta is the common pochard (M. brajmla) but it's nowhere as com- mon as the name suggests – it's actually quite scarce. Still, a few do turn up every year in autumn or winter, usually in bays and creeks, but also in places like Is-Simar, Għadira and Sali- na nature reserves. The male's lovely rust-red head and black breast are distinctive. Text: Victor Falzon - Photo: Aron Tanti 685. COMMON POCHARD Call Me By the King's Name (if you really must): Timothée Chalamet plays the reluctant King Henry V in this loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic play cycle better Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 584: Find out more and try our delicious recipe on our website www.foemalta.org/goodfood The verdict Impeccably shot and ap- parently keen to play the part of a fully mature and grown-up period drama, Da- vid Michôd's film is sadly lit- tle more than a mud-soaked trudge; never mind the pretty scenery that rolls along in the rearview. The efforts of its game and decorated cast can- not make up for the under- qualified flatness of its lead, and neither can its superficial nudges towards psychological sensitivity and gender equal- ity mask the fact that this sup- posedly 'modern' portrayal still insists on sugar-coating a suspect military invasion with jingoistic overtones. The King is currently streaming on Netflix ★ ★ THE KING (16+)