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‘i am: celine dion’ review: power ballad queen chronicles her new reality in amazon’s moving portrait.

Irene Taylor's documentary details the Canadian star's struggles with Stiff Person Syndrome and appraises the impactful legacy of the singer's career spanning four decades-plus.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

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In the world of celebrity documentaries, hagiographies reign supreme. Rare is the film that fulfills its promises of intimacy, vulnerability and never-before-seen perspectives. The films are generally risk-avoidant exercises that have perfected the optical illusion of making subjects seem closer than they actually are. 

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In I Am: Celine Dion , the singer demonstrates the extent of her readiness. Directed by Irene Taylor ( Leave No Trace, Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements ), the film builds on the confessional energy of the Instagram video by inviting fans to bear witness to her struggles with SPS. It is at once a moving tribute to Dion’s legacy, a peek into how this condition has challenged her gifts and an attempt to help the pop star wrestle with what this means for her future.

Taylor, working with DP Nick Midwig, fashions a verité-style documentary that keeps audiences close to Dion as she hangs out with her children, undergoes extensive rehab and immunotherapy and tries to rebuild her sense of self. What does it mean that her body’s internal war has debilitated her voice, which she calls “the conductor of her life?”

This introduction makes immediately clear the degree to which Dion’s life has changed with SPS. No longer can the balladeer fiercely belt the tearful lyrics of her heavyweight discography for hours. She can no longer record three songs in a night or put on performances of a lifetime week after week.

Dion sings in registers that require less work, as demonstrated later when she records a track for the Netflix movie Love Again starring Priyanka Chopra. Taylor and her editors Richard Comeau and J. Christian Jensen stitch together a number of Dion’s session takes to show the effort required for the singer to do what once came so naturally. Through moments like these the director builds an affecting project of contrasts: A portrait of Dion, past and present. 

When Taylor and Dion dig into the past, the results are edifying. A trip to the singer’s warehouse, stocked with costumes, shoes and other memorabilia from her decades-long career, is a chance to review her legacy. Dion, now 56, rummages through the items while highlighting key moments in her career. She talks about her relationship to fashion, remarking with a wink that her shoe size ranges from a 6 to a 10 because she doesn’t mind suffering for the perfect piece.

The “we” is critical. Throughout I Am: Celine Dion , the Canadian singer expresses profound gratitude for members of her team, from the people who helped stage her tours to the medical professionals, including Dr. Amanda Piquet, helping her manage SPS. There are no interviews with this supporting cast, however. I Am: Celine Dion doesn’t supplement its subject’s testimony with anyone. Instead, like that Instagram video from 2022, it functions as a direct communion between herself and her fans. 

Dion genuinely believes in the power of moving farther together. “I didn’t invent myself, I didn’t create myself,” the Québecoise singer says at one point in the documentary. One wonders if this commitment to teamwork stems from a childhood spent with a big family. Dion was born in Québec to a family of 14 children. According to the singer, her parents worked hard to make sure the kids would never be aware of any suffering. Her mother invented dishes when there was little food in the fridge and Dion counts her siblings as her first audience.

I Am: Celine Dion steadies itself when it returns to the intersection of Dion’s career with her medical condition. The film highlights just how much music means to the singer. She uses any opportunity — creating a get well video with her sons, doing physical therapy — to break into song.

In interviews, Dion works through her anxieties and concerns. She worries about not being able to control her voice in the same way or whether or not she has the energy to live life as she once knew it. There are moments in the doc when the singer, in the middle of an activity, will remark on her legs and other parts of her body feeling sore or tired.

The film is as much about the singer as it is about the realities of living with a chronic illness. Taylor does not shy away from sitting in on difficult points in Dion’s life, including one painful scene in which the singer seizes up after a busy and overstimulating afternoon. Her foot stiffens first and then her entire body locks in place. As her doctor moves Dion to lie on her side and urges her to take deep breaths, tears stream down the singer’s face.

This palpable and visceral glimpse into her pain is a jolting reminder of the toll this condition has taken on Dion not just as a star but as a person. 

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'My Lady Jane' Review: Prime Video's Revisionist, Romantic Look at the Nine-Day Queen

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The Big Picture

• Lady Jane Grey's story gets a modern twist in Prime Video's My Lady Jane , embracing its lead's independence without sacrificing her romantic plot.
• The series mixes comedy and heart through nods to history as well as its diverse ensemble cast.
• Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel shine with fantastic chemistry in this delightful, alternate-history tale.

I can't remember when I first heard the story of Lady Jane Grey . At first, I thought it was included in the historical notes of Scholastic's Royal Diaries book about Elizabeth I, but it's not (and yes, I did just go check). All I know is 1) I was young, probably not much older than 11, and 2) It freaked me out to no end. An unwilling young woman suddenly made Queen of England, and, within nine days, found guilty of crimes and executed by her cousins? It seemed supremely unfair. It wouldn't be until 2016 that the Nine Days Queen finally earned an opportunity for some justice with Bodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand , and Jodi Meadows ' novel My Lady Jane , which has now been adapted as a delightful new series for Prime Video .

My Lady Jane (2024)

What is 'my lady jane' about.

Like the novel, My Lady Jane makes it clear from the jump that it is an ahistorical retelling of the life of Lady Jane Grey ( Emily Bader ). The series kicks off with a quick summary of history as we know it, then immediately and explicitly dismisses it in favor of the story it wants to tell instead. Things begin in the lead-up to Jane's marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley ( Edward Bluemel ) , an affair arranged by her extremely meddlesome mother, Lady Frances Grey ( Anna Chancellor ), and Guildford's scheming father, Lord Dudley ( Rob Brydon ).

With no way out of this arrangement — fortunately for them, they're both hot — the show then follows Jane as she and her husband try to make the best of their new circumstances. She's named heir to the throne of England by her cousin Edward VI ( Jordan Peters ), much to the chagrin of his sister, Princess Mary ( Kate O'Flynn ), and her chief advisor, Lord Seymour ( Dominic Cooper ). Jane also becomes mired in the ideological tensions of this alternate timeline — the tensions between Ethians (those who can change into animals at will) and Veritys (those who cannot).

'My Lady Jane' Doesn't Sacrifice Romance in the Name of Independence

Something I've seen happen far too often for my liking — be it in general discourse with people in my day-to-day life, or in media itself — is the idea that romance and independence/character growth are somehow mutually exclusive. Look no further than the "subversion" of the princess trope we see in Hulu's The Princess or Netflix's Damsel , or the fact that early concept art for Disney's Wish included a romantic subplot for its heroine, all because it would undermine their respective story arcs somehow. There's also commentary we hear from actors, or from viewers, indicating that a heroine cannot possibly want love because she is "more" than that; she doesn't need a romantic interest, she's simply too independent. Any romance novel , particularly one published in this day and age, is proof enough that, when written well, a love plot and a strong sense of character can actually work hand-in-hand to strengthen the story.

Our introduction to Jane comes as she's working in her little at-home laboratory, with simply no time or inclination for marriage. Her personal wishes were not a concern in and of themselves. My only worry was that the show would pursue this girlboss angle to its tried-and-true conclusion: sacrificing romance in the name of personal independence, as though the two cannot possibly coexist. And before anyone throws the "well, historically speaking" at me, this is a story where people also turn into animals on a whim. Imagine my surprise when her arranged marriage to Guildford — who is about 17 different book boyfriend tropes wrapped into one charming package —is given equal importance to everything else going on.

Trust me, the marketing is not luring you in with false promises. When it plays up the swooniness of Jane and Guildford's relationship, that's because it's a huge part of the story. Their feelings for each other are actually inextricable from the drama at large. The plot does not work without the romance. On the flip side, the romance does not work without Jane's interests and aspirations, which is part of what not only brings them together but keeps them together. I wish I could say that this is something we can just take for granted, but I really can't. It's a massive advantage for the show to really lean into the romance, as well as all the delicious tropes — forced proximity and arranged marriage chief among them — because Bader and Bluemel have fantastic, simmering chemistry that would have been utterly wasted on a story that saw no value in spotlighting it at every turn.

'My Lady Jane' Balances Comedy With Heart

With story elements like "people turn into animals sometimes" and "real history is stupid, let's do it our way," it's safe to say that My Lady Jane is not a series that takes itself too seriously , and every single actor is wonderfully in on the joke. O'Flynn and Cooper are wonderfully over-the-top villains, and Chancellor and Brydon's scheming would put the likes of Bridgerton 's Portia Featherington ( Polly Walker ) to shame. Save for a few less successful toilet humor jokes, the series' comedy is absurd and laugh-out-loud funny. It's anachronistic in the vein of A Knight's Tale , most obviously reflected in the music and the language, and in the sort of way more productions should embrace.

My Lady Jane also follows the modern — and honestly overdue — trend of presenting a historical setting populated by a diverse ensemble . Unlike something like Bridgerton , however, which made that diversity a part of the story — sometimes successfully, sometimes less so — My Lady Jane takes more of a 1997 Cinderella approach: it is what it is, and you will roll with it, as the narrative will not stop and hold your hand through the idea that history was not lily-white. I cannot speak for everyone, but I personally enjoy seeing myself and others like me reflected in a story incidentally: a part of the world, but not so strange a part of it that we feel it must be drawn attention to within the narrative.

It's been a long time since I read the book, so I don't remember it well. The humor of the series does fall in line with that of the book, some of the story elements are similar, though I can't recall the source material well enough to speak to how good an "adaptation" the series is. What I can say is I walked away with the same feeling I had then. My Lady Jane fully embraces the heart and the message of the story it is trying to tell , with comedy and romance woven in masterfully. In the end, isn't that all we want in an adaptation, anyway?

Prime Video's My Lady Jane is a delightful, romantic series that presents an alternate take on English history.

• Emily Bader and Edward Bluemel have fantastic, romance novel-level chemistry.
• The concepts of Jane's desire for independence and for romance are not mutually exclusive.
• The series is laugh-out-loud funny but also clearly has something to say.

My Lady Jane premieres June 27 on Prime Video.

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Trailer for 'Khajuraho Dreams' showcases a perfect blend of humour and social commentary

Mohanlal has released the trailer for 'Khajuraho Dreams', featuring Arjun Asokan, Sreenath Bhasi, and Sharafudheen. Beyond being just a road movie, the trailer suggests the film contains romance, humour, and mystery.

Despite its humorous tone, the film addresses an important social issue and showcases never-before-seen locations in Malayalam cinema, including the iconic Khajuraho temple in Madhya Pradesh.

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Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week, queen of katwe.

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Director Mira Nair introduced her thoroughly crowdpleasing “Queen of Katwe” on Saturday night at the Toronto International Film Festival by quoting the slogan of a film school she has founded in Uganda, where she lives: “If we don’t tell our own stories, no one will.” That sense of ownership and authorship permeates “Queen of Katwe,” elevating it above your average feel-good biopic and allowing its message to feel not only inspirational but genuine. The story of Phiona Mutesi is a fascinating one on its own, but what could have just been an extended “30 For 30” feels lived-in, compassionate and truthful. It helps greatly to have not only Nair’s clear love for her country guiding every decision but also the amazing depth of David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o to ground it from most of its sentimental clichés. Some of the dialogue in the final act feels a little false and manipulative, but those scenes stand out because it’s been so believable up to that point. 

The nuanced, subtle newcomer Madina Nalwanga plays 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi, a young lady who lives in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda. She has almost no possessions, can’t read and sells maize in the street to try to scrape together change for her family, which includes two brothers, a sister, and her headstrong mother Harriet (Nyong’o). Phiona and her oldest brother Brian (Martin Kabanza) cross paths with a local sports ministry head named Robert Katende (Oyelowo). Recognizing that the slum kids he’s working with aren’t going to compete at football, he decides to teach them something he mastered at a young age, the art of chess. It’s a game that equalizes issues of class, education and income. It can be played by anyone in the world, and Katende soon realizes that this young girl from Katwe has a special gift, especially when she starts beating him .

It’s to be expected that the education segments of “Queen of Katwe” include a number of nods to how the game reflects Phiona’s life, but the execution doesn't feel heavy-handed. Nair is confident enough in her characters and the story she’s telling to avoid the pitfalls of repetitive lessons. So we get the idea that Phiona likes the act of “Queening” because a pawn makes it all the way across the board, against all odds, and becomes a Queen. We don’t hear it 15 times like we would in a lesser film. When Katende explains the idea of finding a “safe space” whenever your opponent is on the offensive, it’s easy to translate that to Phiona’s real life but the movie doesn’t hammer it in. This subtle touch is undermined a bit in the final act as issues of Phiona’s success and class conflicts start to tear the family apart in a way that feels manipulative and melodramatic, but Nair recovers by the end.

Two of the reasons she manages to get the film back from the edge of treacle are right there in David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. The “ Selma ” star is as charismatic as ever, capturing the kindness of a man who saw a potential escape for a young lady and did whatever he could to make it happen. Oyelowo’s work here is subtle but so consistent. He never looks like he’s working the message of the film more than the character he’s playing. Opposite him, Nyong’o is phenomenal. She has an incredible ability to convey backstory. We believe Harriet isn’t merely a sounding board for our heroine or an emotional plot device. She feels real because of the intense passion that Nyong’o brings to her. And it’s in the subtle things, like a glance that conveys fear about her family’s future or the different tone she takes with each of her children. One also shouldn’t miss how good Nalwanga is here, giving a fluid and physical performance.

Of course, much of the credit should go back to Nair and her technical team, who capture the streets of Uganda in a way we haven’t really seen before, certainly not in a Disney film (Nair joked in the intro that it was the first Disney film set in Africa that doesn’t have a single animal in it). From the way Nair and her designer use costumes to convey economic status to how the great cinematographer Sean Bobbitt (“ 12 Years a Slave ”) fluidly captures a corner of the world that makes it feel specific, “Queen of Katwe” is a team effort. With the combined efforts of Nalwanga, Nair, Nyong’o, Oyelowo, Bobbitt and many more, “Queen of Katwe” makes it clear that we can’t successfully tell “our stories” alone. To make them resonate, we need people this talented working together for a common goal. It seems unlikely that Phiona Mutesi ever imagined her life would one day be the subject of a Disney film. But she certainly learned that life is full of surprises. When it comes to movie surprises, “Queen of Katwe” is a truly pleasant one.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film Credits

Queen of Katwe (2016)

Rated PG for thematic elements, an accident scene and some suggestive material.

124 minutes

Lupita Nyong'o as Nakku Harriet

David Oyelowo as Robert Katende

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Tendo

Madina Nalwanga as Phiona Mutesi

• William Wheeler

Writer (based on the ESPN Magazine article and book by)

• Tim Crothers

Cinematographer

• Sean Bobbitt
• Barry Alexander Brown

Composer (original score composed by)

• Alex Heffes

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Journey of ‘Queen of Khajuraho’ to Canada

Folklore of Khajuraho, the bustling tourist hub of Madhya Pradesh, are replete with story of the “Queen of Khajuraho”, the majestic “Abhisarika” or cupid-struck lady, conversing with the shuka, the pa

Folklore of Khajuraho, the bustling tourist hub of Madhya Pradesh, are replete with story of the “Queen of Khajuraho”, the majestic “Abhisarika” or cupid-struck lady, conversing with the shuka, the parrot, in an erotic but elegant posture, to while away the time till her lover meets her at the appointed place.

The voluptuous “Nayeeka”, a leading female role in the romantic sculptural narratives depicted in the 12th century architectural marvel — Khajuraho temple — has hitherto remained in folklores till the intricately carved erotic stone lady appeared in Canada in April last year, prompting the historians and archaeologists to speculate if the regal artefact was the “Abhisarika” of the local folktales.

But for its mention in folklores, the marvellous art piece restored from a private art collector in Canada by the agency of that country monitoring antiquities reaching from foreign soils provides no clues to justify “her” restitution in the majestic Khajuraho temple.

“There is no report of theft of the sculpture from Khajuraho temple. But, the architectural style and the material (sandstone) of the artefact clearly suggests that the statue, famously known as “Parrot Lady” belongs to Khajuraho group of monuments in the area”, D.N. Dimri, director (antiquity), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), New Delhi, told this newspaper on phone.

According to him, the idol may belong to any of the temples surrounding the Khajuraho shrine.

Historical records say Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by 12th century, spread over 20 sq.km. Of these only 20 temples, spread over 6 sq.km., survived ravages of nature.

Of the surviving monuments, the Kandaria Mahadev temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art. The “existential crisis” facing the art piece has left no options for the ASI but to preserve it in its museum in Khajuraho.

The three-foot high idol was seized from a private art collector in Canada under Cultural Property Export and Import Act which controls antiquities and other cultural objects being brought to that country from foreign countries.

The prized sculpture was returned to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper at the Library of Parliament in Ottawa in April, 2015.

“The Parrot Lady is currently in our custody,” Mr Dimri added.

“We are in the process of insuring the sculpture for its smooth passage to ASI’s Khajuraho museum,” a senior officer of ASI, Bhopal, disclosed.

Ironically, the journey of “Queen of Khajuraho” to Canada is still shrouded in mystery. “We are still in dark about the passage of Parrot Lady from Khajuraho to Canada. All we know is that the idol was trafficked from Delhi to Toronto and then to Ottawa in Canada in 2011. We do not know who sold it to whom and for whom and at what price as the Canadian law protects identities of the antiquity traffickers,” Mr Dimri said.

“In fact, the idol is the only artefact among the stolen antiquities restored to us, which has no record to throw light on its trafficking from India to the foreign country. We have detail records of trafficking of all other stolen antiquities restored to us,” he added.

“We do not act if there is no report of theft of antiquities. But, our antiquity trafficking crack team has taken note of this particular case since it not only involved famed Khajuraho temple but also turned high profile because of its restoration to India through our Prime Minister”, a senior police officer of CID branch told this newspaper.

We hope to make some headway in the case soon, he added.

Location: India , Madhya Pradesh , Bhopal

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‘Queen’ review: Kangana Ranaut is the ‘Queen’ of hearts

Movie review, queen: kangana ranaut revels in her solidly-written role, and delivers a first rate, heart-felt performance..

Movie Review: Queen

Star Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao; Lisa Haydon

Director: Vikas Bahl

Stop press: I have just seen an honest-to-goodness, full-fledged, full-bodied film. A FILM, hear me? Not an American sit com masquerading as one, or yet another meaningless 70s masala remake. ‘Queen’ is a significant Bollywood marker, a film that is intensely local and gloriously global, with a terrific lead performance by Kangana Ranaut, in a story that bubbles over with real feeling and meaning.

Rani (Kangana Ranaut) is dumped just a day before her wedding by her fiance Vijay (Rajkumar Rao). Devastated, she decides to flee, because staying home to lick her wounds is not an option. So, she finds herself in Paris, and the journey she embarks on makes ‘Queen’ the kind of coming- of-age, discovery-of-self tale that Bollywood usually doesn’t touch with a bargepole. Because women-centric films don’t do well, do they? This is where Phantom Productions, which has made this ( their first was ‘Lootera’), has stepped in. (See Pics: Kangana’s last minute promotions )

It starts with a loud Punjabi wedding, and you enter the film, mildly diverted by Rani’s loud Punjabi family, doing ‘giddha-shiddha’, ‘mehendi-shendi’, but not before you’ve had time to register that the Rajouri Garden ‘mithai’-shop-owning middle-class-ness of the Mehras is just right. And that Mummyji, Daddyji, the plump ‘chota bhai’, and Dadiji are all pitch perfect.

Big Punjabi weddings and Bollywood have had a long relationship, but where ‘ Queen ‘, both the girl and the film, start coming into their own, is when Rani is left to fend for herself, first in Paris, and then Amsterdam. A lone Indian girl, a ‘behenji’ with a ‘desi ghee tadka’, would usually fumble her way across crowded streets and annoyed pedestrians and find herself in a handsome stranger’s arms, sing a few songs, do a few ‘nakhras’ and gratefully accept ‘mandap’ and ‘mangalsutra’.

But not Rani aka Queen. She does make silly touristy mistakes, nearly gets mugged but doesn’t let it get to her, and discovers she has a spine after all. Lucking into a long-legged hotel maid Vijay Lakshmi (Lisa Haydon) is the first departure from standard Bollywood practice: this other Vijay takes Rani under her wing, drags her into a store with lovely Parisian clothes (these Paris maids are not just drop dead sexy, and enjoy their libido, they can afford all those designer threads?), and generally hand-holds Rani for an enjoyable spell.

Bahl’s second directorial venture is a delight: his first, ‘Chillar Party’, had some spark, but nothing prepared me for this. The story, which could easily have slipped into mush, stays free of drippy sentimentality, barring one or two raised-violin scenes. Rani is given interesting companions: in Amsterdam, she is handed a multi-cultural trio, a vertically challenged Japanese, a black Frenchman, and a good looking Spaniard, as well as a dishy Italian. Again, this could have turned into a clichéd international-accented soup, but despite a couple of exaggerated mis-steps, it stays grounded. And Rani is well on her way to learning the meaning of friendship and freedom in a land far away from home, where girls have to live with the word ‘allowed’ .

Kangana Ranaut revels in her solidly-written role, and delivers a first rate, heart-felt performance. There are only a couple of slips (in one, she pronounces the word ‘fiance’ perfectly, all rounded vowels: given her Rajouriness, this should have been a straight opening of mouth). I was also quite taken aback by the speed with which she junks her ‘chatak’ Lajpat Nagar ‘kurti’ look and adopts pastel, understated dresses. But no matter, I found myself watching Kangana Ranaut much more than her clothes. Her mobile face has sensibly been kept free from pancake, and more than anything else, Ranaut comes off believable: she does hurt like no other Bollywood heroine currently can.

Lisa Haydon nearly walks off with the film in her small role. She doesn’t place a single foot wrong as she strides long and smooth next to the diminutive Kangana. She left me asking for more. And the bunch of ‘foreigners’ that Rani raps with in Amsterdam are all well drawn, and what is even better, nicely rounded. The one part I didn’t feel as convinced about was Rao’s: he is made to whine and mumble altogether too much, as he makes his way through the film in uneasy fits and starts.

But that’s all right because this film isn’t about him. It’s about, hallelujah, her. It’s probably quite deliberate that Lisa Haydon’s name is also Vijay. And Ranaut is Rani, Queen of Hearts.

You go, girl.

(Follow Shubhra Gupta on Twitter

You can also send her your feedback to her at [email protected] )

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Nawazuddin Siddiqui, in an interview, shared his journey from working for Rs 1,000 a day to being paid well in the industry. He was surprised to work with Aamir Khan in Sarfarosh and his performance was praised. He also mentioned his salary for Munna Bhai MBBS and how it was a big deal to be paid Rs 5k. His latest film is Rautu Ka Raaz.

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Queen Of Khajuraho

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Queen of Khajuraho (2001)

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