In 1991, Irish cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, who later became known for the likes of Atonement, The Hours, Nocturnal Animals and The Greatest Showman, was invited by the legendary Derek Jarman to shoot behind the scenes on the set of his film Edward II, his gay love story with a bloody ending.
After 30 hours of footage remained unseen for decades, British creative Theo Rollason looked through them and assembled them into their directorial feature debut, Queer Edward II, which will world-premiere in an out-of-competition slot of the Venice Open section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 4.
Queer Edward II is a Lightborn Films production in association with March 13th and John Gore Studios.
The documentary provides intimate access to Jarman and his collaborators, including Tilda Swinton and costume designer Sandy Powell, who are both executive producers on the new film. And it puts a spotlight on how Jarman, back then fairly newly diagnosed with HIV, refused to separate art from politics and the harsh political climate that queer people in Britain were facing at the time. Also featured are a controversy surrounding Ian McKellen accepting a knighthood and an incident involving queer rights activists and a British pop star, who was rehearsing for a tour on the same studio lot where the film shoot was taking place, which snowballed into a tabloid scandal and threatened to derail the production.
Plus, the film shows a pack of beagles let loose, drag nuns taking a smoke break – and much more. After Hours and Cinephil are handling sales on Queer Edward II.
“When I was first approached to look through unseen rushes shot on the set of Edward II – which had been sitting in a cupboard for over 30 years – I hoped there might be enough material for a short,” Rollason shares in a director’s statement. “Instead, I was astonished to find a comprehensive record of Jarman’s idiosyncratic filmmaking practice, capturing everything from rehearsals to intimate conversations to production office dramas. What really struck me, however, was the set’s embrace of the 1990s political climate, particularly regarding gay rights,” they added.
And the director recalls learning how Jarman became the first public figure in the U.K. to disclose his HIV status and his association with activist group OutRage! “As a queer filmmaker born just after Jarman’s death, I saw a clear opportunity to use the Edward II set as a springboard to discuss what I wish I’d known: just how high the stakes were for the community at this historical moment, and Jarman’s centrality to the struggle that followed,” Rollason concludes. “My perspective is shaped by a belief that queer history is too often depoliticized and reduced to respectable narratives of progress, rather than the messy, confrontational movements that made that progress possible.”
That also makes Queer Edward II very timely. “With anti-trans rhetoric and attacks on queer rights again intensifying, I hope the film can function not simply as a snapshot of a historical moment, but as a reminder of what collective resistance can look like – and what role art has to play,” Rollason highlights.
THR can now exclusively premiere a clip from Queer Edward II. It shows Jarman discussing how to best shoot a scene in a bed, including the number of people fitting into it, as well as the necessary choice of clothing, or lack thereof.
A gothic gem overlooking Venice’s iconic lagoon got a refresh in time for the Venice Film Festival.
Reservations are open at Danieli, Venice, a Four Seasons Hotel following a restoration process that was unveiled this summer and remains ongoing at the property’s adjacent palazzos and within a soon-to-be finished Danieli Spa. Located on the waterfront stretch known as Riva degli Schiavoni and within walking distance from the wildly popular tourist destination Piazza San Marco, aka St. Mark’s Square, Danieli is often praised by guests for its views of the lagoon from both the terrace and inside the rooms and suites.
French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon steered the renovation by focusing on a “balance of history, light and materials” per Four Seasons. The color palette is said to have been inspired by the lagoon and mixed with inspiration from Venice’s marble facades, plasterwork and architecture through the use of celadon greens, soft blues, terracotta, ochre and powder pink.
Inside the Palazzo Dandolo lobby, hand-restored gilding creates a quatrefoil motif against a blue background reminiscent of water while the columns, stonework and the staircase were restored by local artisans. The space also leans on natural light through Venetian mirrors while Murano glass, Venetian terrazzo floors and Rubelli fabrics connect each space to Venetian tradition and codes. A collection or artworks has been curated to honor Venice’s heritage and history as a destination for artists and writers.
The Danieli has a rich history. Originally built in 1471 and known as Palazzo Dandolo for the noble family, Giuseppe Dal Niel, aka Danieli, converted the property into a hospitality destination in 1822.
Courtesy of Four Seasons
The hotel reopened with a total of 120 rooms and suites available, a collection said to be more spacious with an expansion of junior and one bedroom suites. The total number of accommodations will balloon to 168 once the restoration of Palazzo Danieli Excelsior is done in 2027. The Four Seasons reports that a particular emphasis was placed on integrating technology into those rooms through such features as a custom-designed media wall to integrate the television with artwork and decorative objects, automated curtains, customizable lighting and a climate control system, the latter of which is ever more necessary as Europe faces historic and punishing summer temperatures.
Rooftop restaurant Terrazza Danieli also got a refresh, seen below, which insiders note was done in a way to transform the atmosphere without disrupting the architectural identity. Dark finishes were swapped with pastel tones, blue accents and golden colors, and mirrors were added to play off the natural light. Executive chef Adriano Rausa presents a “contemporary interpretation” of Italian cuisine with a Venetian twist, and many of his menus signature dishes are finished tableside to add a little bit of drama and entertainment.
A view of the grand staircase above the lobby.
Courtesy of Four Seasons
As for the spa, it is expected to open during this second half of the year. It will feature three treatment rooms (including one for couples), a sauna and bathhouse. Danieli, Venice, a Four Seasons Hotel is party of the brand’s Italian portfolio that includes destinations in Milan, Florence and Taormina.
“With the reopening of the iconic Danieli, Venice, a Four Seasons Hotel, our fourth property in Italy from the spectacular collection, we are inaugurating a new chapter in the history of this celebrated palazzo,” said Rainer Stampfer Four Seasons president of global operations, hotels and resorts. “In collaboration with our longtime partner, Gruppo Statuto, we are offering guests the unique opportunity to experience the grandeur of Venice in a whole new way.”
Added Danieli, Venice general manager Christian Zandonella: “The reopening of Danieli as a Four Seasons experience represents an exciting milestone after months of dedication and meticulous restoration. We are delighted to welcome guests back to one of Venice’s most iconic addresses, where the hotel’s extraordinary heritage is reimagined through legendary Four Seasons hospitality.”
Austrian filmmaker Manuel Wetscher made a name for himself with such fiction shorts as 2018’s Four Seasons, 2021’s At Night When Mice Scream and 2022’s Magma. Then came the 2024 experimental short doc Richard, a particularly personal film.
“I only learnt the real reason for my father’s death 10 years after he died,” reads a synopsis for the film. “At first, I was told that he had died of pneumonia, then later of lung cancer. The truth finally came out from a drunken relative at a birthday party when I was 17 years old. Since then, I have known that my father died of AIDS in 1993 at the age of 40.”
Wetscher’s feature film debut Eklipse, which world premieres in the Horizons section of the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5, is inspired by his experience of being kept in the dark on the details of his father’s situation by his family. And as the title, which means “eclipse,” suggests, the sun plays a role in the movie, just as it did in Magma. And yes, the title Eklipse is spelled with a “k” in both its German and English versions.
Eklipse, starring Moritz Hohlrieder as Tomy and Finley Brown as his best friend Chris, is set in the 1990s at an alpine dairy farm in Austria. The two teenagers spend a summer helping Tomy’s uncle, portrayed by Hannes Perkmann, with milking and other duties, as well as exploring the outdoors.
But as the title suggests, darkness overshadows their time together, while also leading to some revelations. After all, Tomy’s father is in hospital, and his mother decides to keep the real reason from her son in the film from production companies Eutopiafilm in Austria and Albolina Film in Italy. But then, Chris learns that Tomy’s father is in hospital with “the gay disease,” and he becomes frightened, leaving Tomy suddenly confronted with rejection and the silence of his loved ones.
Wetscher co-wrote the film with Bernhard Jarosch, with whom he also collaborated before on several short films. Simone Hart handled the cinematography, and Anna Kirst is the editor of Eklipse, which also features actors Lenz Moretti, Lisa Schützenberger and Barbara Romaner. Films Boutique is handling world sales on Eklipse, which comes from production companies Eutopiafilm in Austria and Albolina Film in Italy.
“Eklipse is a film about the taboos surrounding AIDS and the fear of social exclusion,” Wetscher says in a director’s statement. “It tells the story of how prejudice and ignorance affect the friendship between two boys, and how social contexts are mirrored within the microcosm of a family.” And he emphasizes: “With Eklipse, I want to create memories by exploring the sensory and tactile qualities of cinema.”
THR talked to Wetscher about mixing the autobiographical and the fictional in Eklipse, including his cameo in the film, how he found his young stars, how he and his team discussed Andrea Arnold and Alice Diop films, his efforts to transport audiences into the alpine environment, and the timeliness of the fear of AIDS and the unknown.
The film feels very intimate, and I understand that it is inspired by your and your family’s experiences. How much of what we see is autobiographical and how much is fictionalized?
It’s part [of a cinematic] game. I wrote the screenplay with a good friend of mine. The film draws a lot on the personal experience of losing my dad in 1993, when he died of Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer caused by AIDS, but then it also includes completely fictional things. Later on, seeing films and getting to know more about what people did [back when my father died] made me look at my family history differently. But many summers, I spent in Tirol working for my grandfather on a farm, so I knew these two elements. That is also where I actually experienced the 1999 eclipse, so these were all elements I had from the beginning.
But then, of course, writing the screenplay meant having to make it all into a story, something that keeps you interested and that works in itself. That’s a process I love, [during] which I also experienced a lot about myself and about the time back then. It allows you to reflect on how certain mechanics in society work and this dilemma of what you tell and what you don’t tell a kid.
I guess that is why the film feels so specific about its time and location but also very universal…
That’s something that interests me when watching films – when they make me understand the world or learn, experience, or feel something. So yeah, the goal from the beginning was to make a film that gives people who don’t know this background or specific location the experience of things that come with being and living there. For example, this experience of going into a stable with 50 cows.
It’s very tricky to translate that into cinema because when you go there, it’s so physical and it’s so sensorial. There are so many things going on, including the smell. It was a beautiful challenge to think about how to put that into cinema and what kind of ingredients we have to use to recreate that. Part of that is choosing the team that is able to go there, but then also later on in the sound design and with the musicians, we focused on recreating the sound, including with synthesizers and loops, to make sure you really have this feeling in the image but also in the sound. That’s much more direct of an experience.
How did you think about time?
One element that we decided on while editing was that we wanted to sometimes let things stand for a while and let you go through a process, because that is what our characters do in the film.
There are scenes that look like old home videos in Eklipse. Are they real?
Yes, that includes my cameo as a baby. And we have this material with the father, which is a home video that I have from my dad and me. There is also this image that the boys look at of the dad who is in the hospital. It’s an actual picture of my dad. I worked with personal material in creating this film. I was showing people [on the team] these images, so they could relate better. And because this is authentic material, it also has the emotion for me in it that I was searching for.
For cinema, you play with [such material and emotion] and then it becomes something else. In the film, it becomes the character’s memory. You asked about universal themes. We tried to tell the story in a very limited and small place, but through using the eclipse, which is very big and outside of our world, we also had the chance to fade to the bigger elements. When you look at the stars, the light that comes to the Earth has already been gone for a long time. In the edit, we realized that it was so beautiful to understand that this material that he sees or memory itself is far away. But then in the moment where you look at it, it’s there at the same time. So to use this element felt really right and made a lot of sense.
Did anybody on your creative team and crew have similar experiences?
Since this is my first feature, the idea was to have some newer people but also to have people who are more experienced and could bring stability for us. And these conversations were very interesting because some of the people who experienced the ’90s lost friends to AIDS or had someone in their family. Talking to them really made me understand in a different way my mother’s or my family’s position.
By coincidence, I also met a doctor who was working back then in the hospital in Innsbruck where my father was, and hearing how complicated it was and how scared people were and how impossible it was to talk about it, even within groups of friends who then suddenly wouldn’t talk to you anymore, helped me [understand that time] better. They did this out of fear. It also created a possibility for me after a long time to talk with my mother about it and to also see her point of view.
Has your family seen the finished film?
There will be the Austrian premiere, and my family will come there.
‘Eklipse’
Courtesy of Venice Film Festival
You probably started working on Eklipse before what feels like a backlash against queer people and LGBTQ+ rights…
I can see what you describe and what is happening politically at the moment. But yeah, we were not foreseeing that. I mean, I wish this would not be happening. I can see the dynamics, and that’s just scary how people who are different or live another way are being discriminated, and how populism is using that. But that is coming from the outside.
What we are looking at in the film is the friendship, the vulnerability of the people and the families. And the smaller the details we show, the more vulnerable we become, but through these small things, you understand so much about the dynamic and the universal issues and bonds.
How did you find your two young and excellent leads?
We started with online casting, and it went through schools. We were looking specifically in the region where we shot because it was important to have actors who had roots or a connection to this region that has a specific language and sound. We realized that to be authentic, you need to have the dialect.
We picked Moritz and Finley and did a casting with them together because they needed to match and make you feel a connection between the two of them. They could not just pretend to be friends. And then we also took Georg, who plays the uncle, to see the dynamic between all three. We went to the mountain because we also needed to know if they were able to play with the cows and not be afraid. So we put them there to work a bit and to experience all this, and then we felt they were great.
How early did you know the title for the film? And there is no English-language spelling version of it, correct?
We had it from the beginning. Of course, there were a lot of moments where everybody came to ask: Is it the right title or not? And we tried different things, but we always came back to it. There was the question of how to do the international title. And the final decision was to say it’s going to be in German and, also for international, always written with the K to make it a bit more unique or more recognizable.
Were there any films you watched when you worked on Eklipse or movies that may have been an influence?
For the cows and all these things, Cow by Andrea Arnold was a film we looked at. Also, Saint Omer by Alice Diop and [Céline Sciamma’s] Petite Maman were films that we talked a lot about in the making with the DOP to create authenticity and keep it simple but also [allow for] the bigger picture.
When the credits started rolling, I had an unusual feeling or idea…
It’s cutting to black at the end, like another eclipse.
Indeed! And I wondered if that also symbolically invites you as a viewer to think about what you just saw and heard…
It’s like the aftermath, the echo of what you just saw. How the images reappear and how you put them together. That’s one thing. There is something else. It’s called Eklipse because of the solar eclipse, but then you have the same term in virology, which you use when an infection goes into the body, but it has not infected the cells yet. That’s also called an eclipse, and for us, in the dramatography and in developing the story, this knowing and not knowing, what is visible and what is not visible also became important.
Since 2012, bitcoin has formed this exact pattern, the 50-day average crossing above the 200-day average, 12 separate times.
Bitcoin’s golden cross history. (TradingView, CoinDesk)
Three of them delivered big, sustained gains. The first, on Feb. 9, 2012, was followed by a 306% gain over the next year. One in October 2015 stayed intact for over two years and rode bitcoin to what was then a record high near $19,800 in December 2017. Another in May 2020 gained 312% over the following year, with bitcoin later touching nearly $64,900.
Others barely survived long enough to mean anything. Two separate crosses, in July 2014 and July 2015, were wiped out by an opposing death cross within two months of forming, before there was even enough time to measure a three-month return.
A few recent ones produced strong three-month gains, in some cases over 40%, only to be invalidated by a death cross well before the one-year mark. One in September 2021 barely moved at all, gaining just 1.5% before dying out a few months later, shortly before bitcoin fell more than 70% from its highs over the following year.
Add it all up, and a clearer pattern emerges. Across the nine crosses where a three-month return could actually be measured, the average gain was 24.9%. But only three of the twelve crosses survived a full year without being broken by a death cross first, and across those three, the average 12-month gain was 250%. In other words, the signal has a decent record over three months, but making it to the one-year mark intact has been the exception, not the rule.
US-based investment and cryptocurrency platform Robinhood has launched the $PONS token on its platform. The listing increased investor access to $PONS within the Robinhood ecosystem, causing a brief but sharp price surge.
Following the listing, $PONS saw a remarkable surge in price. According to market data, the token’s price increased by approximately 15% in just two minutes. However, the rise was not sustainable, and $PONS quickly gave back most of its gains.
It was noted that the token’s current price has significantly fallen back to levels seen before the sudden surge triggered by the listing. This movement once again highlighted the short-term impact of listing on crypto assets on a new exchange or trading platform.
Robinhood’s listing of $PONS is seen as part of the platform’s recent steps to expand its cryptocurrency ecosystem. $PONS stands out as one of the prominent projects in the Robinhood Chain ecosystem. The token has attracted investor interest, particularly due to its token launches and decentralized finance activities on the network.
Robinhood Chain has recently experienced significant growth in terms of trading volume and total value locked, and $PONS’s market capitalization reportedly rose rapidly in August. Making the token available to a wider investor base could contribute to increased trading volume and liquidity.
However, the rapid rise and subsequent pullback in $PONS price after its listing demonstrated that new listings can create high volatility in the crypto market. In particular, sharp price movements in a short period of time indicate that investors may face significant price fluctuations.
With Robinhood’s listing of $PONS, the token’s reach across various markets is expected to expand, and investors are anticipated to closely monitor price movements and changes in trading volume. $PONS’s post-listing performance is also expected to be a significant indicator of its position within the Robinhood Chain ecosystem.
Grayscale, a crypto asset management company, stated that the record-high share of equities in US household financial assets could turn the cryptocurrency market into a new portfolio diversification opportunity.
According to Grayscale’s assessment, approximately 46 percent of US household financial assets are currently held in stocks. The company also noted that price-to-earnings ratios for stocks are historically close to high levels. This means that the risks associated with investor portfolios being concentrated in a single asset class may increase.
In contrast, Grayscale argued that the cryptocurrency market is in a different position. According to the company, after a prolonged bear market, a significant portion of the leverage in the market has been cleared, and investors’ positions have been rebalanced. These developments could signal the beginning of a new recovery cycle in the crypto market.
Grayscale emphasized that investors don’t need to completely replace their stocks with crypto assets. According to the company, the real opportunity may lie in diversifying portfolios that are overly concentrated in stocks by spreading them across different asset classes.
Grayscale noted that the fundamental dynamics of the crypto market continue to improve, and that the current price levels being lower compared to previous periods of the market cycle could also create an advantage in terms of diversification.
The company stated that adding crypto assets to portfolios does not mean completely exiting stocks, but rather allows for the inclusion of assets with different risk and return characteristics within the same portfolio.
Grayscale’s assessment comes at a time when high exposure of US households to equities is a major concern. The company believes that reduced leverage levels in the crypto market and a rebalancing of investor positions could pave the way for a new bull cycle.
However, Grayscale noted that crypto assets carry high volatility and investors should consider their risk profiles. The company’s approach positions crypto not as an alternative to traditional assets, but rather as a complementary diversification tool for overly concentrated portfolios.
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for“12th Quarter,” the Season 2 finale of “Chad Powers,” now streaming on Disney + and Hulu.
It sure is tough being Chad Powers.
Infamous quarterback Russ Holliday (Glen Powell) knows this well. But he’s not going to let anything stop him from continuing his double life as the socially awkward star of the South Georgia Catfish football team — especially not his teammate Gerry (Colton Ryan), who’s closer than ever to exposing Russ’ secret.
Throughout Season 2, Gerry grows increasingly suspicious of Chad, going so far as stalking the starting quarterback and those closest to him. He doesn’t know that Russ is hiding behind that prosthetic mask, but he’s pretty sure something’s amiss. Why else would Coach Ricky (Perry Mattfeld) be sneaking over to the QB’s house? And then he spots Chad’s father, “Howard Powers” (Toby Russ), wearing a wig and prosthetic nose to the homecoming banquet.
In the penultimate episode, “11th Quarter,” Gerry breaks into Russ and his friend Danny’s (Frankie A. Rodriguez) house and attacks Danny. The season finale opens by revealing their ransacked basement. Gerry stole the prosthetics used to disguise Russ as Chad. Danny is OK, but there’s blood running down his face.
Russ, disguised as Chad, meets Gerry at a movie theater, where he finds the backup QB sitting alone in an empty theater screening “Edward Scissorhands.” It’s an ominous setting, and it’s clear that Gerry, who now has hard evidence, won’t back down silently — unless Chad offers him something.
Instead of revealing what transpires between Chad and Gerry, the episode cuts to a diner where Danny meets Russ. Ricky joins them, and she’s still upset after recently discovering Russ knew that her father, Coach Hudson (Steve Zahn), wasn’t medically cleared to return to the sidelines despite telling everyone — including Ricky — that he was. Russ shrugs off the showdown with Gerry, insisting that all he wanted was money, which Russ will get, meaning that the threat has been neutralized.
But Danny and Ricky aren’t falling for Russ’ carefree act, and Ricky, unable to take any more of his lies, storms out. Even when he’s alone with Danny, Russ sticks to this vague story, but he does admit that he views Danny as the one true friend he’s had, and now it’s his turn to keep him safe.
The following day is the Catfish’s final regular season game, and they’re facing the Texas Longhorns. If the Catfish win, they move forward to the College Football Playoffs. If they lose, their dream season ends.
And when the game kicks off, the pressure seems to be getting to Chad, who immediately throws an interception. In fact, Chad can’t seem to do anything right on the field. By halftime, the Catfish are losing — by a lot.
Colton Ryan as Gerry in Season 2 of “Chad Powers”
Disney
As the team heads for the locker room, Ricky goes to find Danny, who reveals he found a piece of paper in Russ’ room that lists Chad’s statistics for the game — all negative plays that would tank the Catfish’s season.
It turns out there was more to Russ’s conversation with Gerry: the former backup quarterback demanded that Chad play a “historically bad game” so Gerry would win the bets he placed against him and win $200,000. Gerry didn’t just want the money; he wanted everyone to hate Chad just as much as they hate him. Once Chad loses the game, Gerry also insists that he take responsibility for framing him by placing a 3-d printed gun in his locker in the previous episode. If he did all that, then Gerry wouldn’t come forward with the truth about Chad Powers. A devastated Russ agrees.
Ricky, who now understands Gerry’s scheme, finds Russ sitting alone and tells him she got the coaching job at Syracuse. She accepted and starts tomorrow, meaning this is the last game they’ll ever play together. She also reveals that she knows about Gerry’s bet, and while there’s a million things that Chad can’t do on the field, Ricky has a few tricks up her sleeve — since she’s watched all of Russ’s old game tape from his time at Oregon.
When the game resumes, Ricky takes on the role as the “Chad whisperer,” drawing up trick plays that help the Catfish get into the end zone while abiding by Gerry’s terms. It’s risky, but it works, and every score makes Gerry scream with rage as he lurks in one of the stadium’s bathrooms.
In the final moments of the game, Chad scores the game-winning touchdown, but a penalty sets them back with just two seconds left on the clock. The only way to score is by breaking Gerry’s strict rules. As Chad weighs his options, he shares a heartfelt moment with Coach Hudson, who tells the quarterback that, no matter what happens, he’s grateful for the great season they shared and is proud of him. And he knows Chad’s late mother would have been too.
Chad decides to run for it and scores the game-winning touchdown — for real, this time. While everyone celebrates around them, he and Ricky search for each other in the crowd and hug, excitedly, both thankful he went for the win — despite Gerry’s threats.
Speaking of Gerry — he storms on the field, furious that Chad broke his terms and lost the $200,000. As he charges toward Russ and Ricky, he gets punched by Tricia Yeager’s (Wynn Everett) security guard. While carrying Gerry’s limp body off the field, the bodyguard tells Chad that his name has been acquired by Yeager Family Foods, then calmly points out that Chad’s facial prosthetic has slipped, referring to him as “Mr. Holliday.”
How did he know all of that? In a last-ditch effort, Danny revealed Chad’s true identity to Tricia, who heads the Catfish boosters, and asked for her help keeping Russ’ secret safe. Tricia agreed, but coolly explained that they’d be doing things her way — beginning with having Russ and Danny move onto her ranch, so she can keep them “safe” and ensure that Russ stays as Chad “for a long time.”
Elsewhere on the field, Hudson tells his assistants, Coach Byrd (Quentin Plair) and Coach Dobbs (Clayne Crawford), that this will be his last season as head coach. He wants them and Ricky, whom he doesn’t know accepted the Syracuse job, to move up the ranks.
Now back in the locker room, Ricky and Russ share an emotional moment while she fixes his prosthetic. Mourning that this is their last game together before she leaves for New York, Ricky starts crying. As Russ consoles her, he confesses he loves her, and the two share their first kiss.
As they begin making out more passionately, Ricky starts to pull off the remaining prosthetic on Russ’ face, but they’re interrupted when Coach Hudson throws open the locker room door. Russ turns away to hide the fact that half his prosthetic mask is out of place, but it’s unclear how much Coach Hudson saw, as the episode cuts to black.
If “Chad Powers” gets renewed for a third season, there are many loose ends to be tied up. Did Coach Hudson recognize Russ, and can his heart handle the stress of Chad’s real identity? Will Ricky go to Syracuse — especially now that she jeopardized her career by canoodling with a player? Is Gerry really gone for good? And, most importantly, will the Catfish get to — and win — the National Championship?
Let’s say that there are still plenty of plays for Powell and co-creator and director Michael Waldron to run on their way to the end zone.
It’s been two and a half years since Guy Ritchie ushered viewers into the dazzling, violent criminal underworld of his Netflix series “The Gentlemen.” Now, in an even darker and more volatile second season, audiences are reentering this world, with a very different Eddie (an exceptional Theo James) at the center. Engaging, devastating and thoroughly entertaining, it’s clear that with its second season, “The Gentlemen” has upped the ante and fully hit its stride.
When viewers last saw Eddie, he was finding his bearings as the recently instated Duke of Halstead, and was navigating the unhinged antics of his constantly coke-out older brother Freddy (Daniel Ings), who was suffocating with bitterness after being usurped by his younger brother for their father’s title. The Duke was also learning the inner workings of an extensive cannabis empire, housed on his family’s massive estate and run by the incarcerated Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) and his whip-smart daughter, Susie (Kaya Scodelario). A former Army Captain, Eddie initially felt out of his element. Yet, as he and Susie bonded and he leaned into his military training, Eddie slowly realized being a gangster suited him as well as his tailored coats.
As Season 2 opens, Eddie is worse for the wear. Half-dead and dragging himself on his belly through a muddy field, Eddie is far from the calm, affable aristocrat audiences first met in Season 1. But this is not where this new chapter truly begins. Dialing back three months earlier, things were looking much different for the Duke. Firmly settled into his enterprise with the Glasses and getting Freddy sequestered away in rehab, Eddie has his sights set on expanding. Not only does he want to reclaim the land surrounding his family’s 15,000-acre estate, but he’s focused on growing the enterprise beyond the U.K., and into Italy, while gaining a stronghold in the world of legal cannabis. Yet, this will take a great deal of finesse, including pushing through a bill in parliament by buttering up Lord Hawthorne (Hugh Bonneville), who is willing to trade his vote for a night out with Susie’s brother, Jack (Harry Goodwins). As Eddie’s work wife and business partner, Susie sees the Duke’s vision, but Bobby has the final say. Bobby is open to a partnership with Italian mobster Marco Moretti (Sergio Castellitto) and his unhinged liaison Cico Maldini (Michele Morrone). However, in Bobby’s purview, decriminalizing marijuana is out of the question. Unfortunately, Eddie and even Susie have grown increasingly weary of being under Bobby’s thumb. It’s also concerning that the older man is acting erratically and seems more focused on his spiritual awakening than on keeping his business relevant in the 21st century. Frustrated, both Susie and Eddie follow their own paths. Still, extricating oneself from Bobby’s grasp was always going to be trickier and bloodier than one would expect. While Susie is willing to comply with her father’s wishes, Eddie grows more emboldened, fueled by the power he’s learned to harness. Additionally, he begins to recognize his kindness and affability are being taken for weakness. Exquisitely shot, “The Gentlemen” Season 2 is full of absurd characters, gunfights, hijinks (including million-dollar birds and shocking beheadings) and a couple of steamy romances. Amid the bloodbaths and whimsy, however, Eddie is evolving into someone new. Episode 4, “The Bigger Picture,” acts as a turning point in the series. Eddie, no longer able to temper his frustrations, explodes, revealing a side of himself that changes how the Glasses and viewers will see him moving forward. With a more somber tone and higher stakes, “The Gentlemen” Season 2 is still wildly entertaining. If audiences were paying attention, there was only one way for Eddie to evolve. He was always destined to follow in the footsteps of another tyrannical, ruthless Don – Michael Corleone. But that’s the thing about becoming a crime boss: ego and power often lead to irreparable brokenness. Only time will tell how spectacular and bloody Eddie’s rise and eventual demise will be.
“The Gentlemen” Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix
Bitcoin is trading at $77,755.77, up 1.1% over 24 hours, as the broader crypto market cap sits at $2.7 trillion, roughly flat on the day with $73.5 billion in trading volume. Bitcoin’s share of the total crypto market has grown to 59.7%, its highest recent level, as BTC continues outpacing altcoins in overall market weight. Ethereum dominance sits at 11.2%, while the remaining assets across the market make up 29.1% of total capitalization.
Weak Labor Data Adds to Rate Cut Bets
Private payrolls rose by just 38,000 in August, according to ADP data, below the 47,000 forecast and down from July’s 46,000 reading. The softer print has strengthened the case for a Federal Reserve rate cut, a scenario that would typically support stocks and crypto while pressuring the dollar and Treasury yields.
Markets are now focused on Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report, with economists expecting a gain of 53,000 jobs and unemployment holding steady at 4.1%.
Expert Take
According to market analysis from Vikram Subburaj, CEO of Giottus.com, Bitcoin is trading in a largely range-bound market as investors wait for clearer signals from Friday’s employment data. Markets are currently pricing in roughly a 66% probability of a rate move from the Fed, a level of uncertainty Subburaj said continues to cap risk appetite across crypto.
On-chain data paints a mixed but not weak picture, Subburaj told Coinpedia. Around 68% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply remains in profit, and the short-term holder cost basis sits near $71,000, meaning most recent buyers are still in positive territory.
However, he flagged that ETF demand has become less consistent following a strong August, suggesting institutional buying is no longer providing the same steady, one-directional support it did earlier in the rally.
Large-cap altcoins remain subdued alongside Bitcoin, with Ethereum trading near $2,383 and Solana around $100, broadly in line with current CoinMarketCap pricing of $2,404.20 and $100.90 respectively.
Levels to Watch
Subburaj’s advice for traders heading into Friday’s data was to avoid aggressive leverage, and favor staggered accumulation with disciplined position sizing instead. He flagged $76,200-$76,500 as the immediate support zone for Bitcoin, with $77,700-$78,300 as the resistance range to watch in the near term.
“Baltic cinema has always been an essential part of PÖFF,“ stated Triin Tramberg, PÖFF long-time film curator who will for the first time serve as artistic director in lieu of festival founder Tiina Lokk, now fully-focused on her CEO duties and strategic issues.
While reiterating past achievements such as the launch of the Baltic Film Competition in 2008 and Doc@PÖPP competition in 2025, Tramberg said this year’s Baltic Focus will further draw international attention to Baltic films, but also to the “remarkable talent behind them.“
“The Baltic countries may be small individually, but together they form a dynamic and increasingly visible film region,“ she pointed out, referring notably to the first ever Oscar from the region for Latvia’s animation pic “Flow“ in 2025, Sundance Best Direction Award to Estonia’s “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood“ in 2023 and Locarno’s top Golden Leopard Award to Lithuania’s “Toxic“ in 2024. More recent examples of prestigious fest bows take in the Cannes Un Certain Regard entry “Ulya“ by Latvian filmmaker Viesturs Kairišs and a Cannes Special Screening for “Vesna“ by Lithuanian-born Rostislav Kirpicenko.
At this year’s PÖFF, the focus will be both on today’s most outstanding recent films and co-productions from the Baltics across fiction and documentary, and on past film pearls, with retrospectives including two to four landmark features from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Through the festival’s influential Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, attended by over 800 delegates in 2025, the Focus will further highlight upcoming Baltic film gems, the region’s top film professionals, infrastructure and tax incentives (up to 30% for Lithuania, 40% for Estonia and 50% for Latvia) that have boosted foreign filming over the past decade. Indeed examples of Baltic shores used as go-to destination for Hollywood and Euro pics abound, from “Tenet“ and “The Agency” in Estonia and “Stranger Things” and “Sisi” in Lithuania, to “The Chronology of Water” and Venice-bound “Woman Unknown“ in Latvia.
Baltics Global Reach Commenting on the Baltics Focus and PÖFF at 30, Edith Sepp, CEO at the Estonian Film Institute said, “For the Estonian Film Institute, as well as for all Estonians, PÖFF turning 30 is something quite extraordinary! The festival has grown alongside the modern Estonian film industry, and in many ways, we have grown stronger together.
“30 years ago, it would have been almost impossible to imagine Tallinn becoming a place where the international film industry shoots its films, and then every November gathers to celebrate cinema. Today, just as the Estonian film industry is not only Estonian but very international and focuses on co-productions, PÖFF together with Baltic Event is no longer simply a local festival. It is one of the platforms through which Estonia speaks to the world. And putting the spotlight on the Baltics this year is particularly important.”
“Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania together have a stronger voice in European cinema and beyond. We all have very distinctive filmmakers, stories and cinematic cultures, and we need a platform like PÖFF that allows our films and filmmakers to shine internationally,” she said.
Sharing Sepp’s views, the head of the Lithuanian Film Centre Laimonas Ubavičius said, “we can take great pride in the close collaboration between the three Baltic countries and in how much our film industries have grown and strengthened. This is reflected in the increasing international recognition of Baltic cinema, the growing confidence in our producers and the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers with distinctive voices.
“The presentation of co-productions such as “Ulya” and “Vesna” at this year’s Cannes Film Festival is just one example of what this sustained partnership can achieve. As the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary, there is much to reflect on, and even more to look forward to,” he observed.
The 30th PÖFF will unfold both in Estonia’s capital Tallinn and second largest city Tartu Nov. 6- 22.
Triin Tramberg, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
